Diamond Offshore is championing a new Floating Factory concept meant to meet future deepwater challenges, but drumming up support during the downturn may be tough. Karen Boman reports. Photo from iStock…
What is thought to be the world’s first commercial controlled-from-onshore ROV operations started at IKM Subsea headquarters in Norway this week. Soon, up to three work class ROVs and one observation ROV on Statoil’s Snorre B and Visund…
General Electric’s (GE) investment arm GE Ventures on Tuesday announced the startup of Avitas Systems, which will use predictive data analytics, robotics, and artificial intelligence to deliver advanced inspection services to the oil and gas…
Two new Calls for Ideas have been launched to identify, support and fund robotics-based solutions to reduce inspection costs, and to unlock marginal resources on UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). Some ca.£1 million in funding is available for each area from the the Aberdeen-based…
Elaine Maslin and Audrey Leon look at how digitalization stands to make a big splash in the offshore industry. Embracing a digital vision. Image from DNV GL. Often when digitalization is mentioned…
Statoil is establishing a digital center of excellence and launching a roadmap with seven specific programs for digitalization in the company towards 2020. Digitalization will help improve the safety, security and efficiency of Statoil operations…
Team Argonauts has won French super-major Total's robot challenge Argos (Autonomous Robot for Gas and Oil Sites). The third and final round of the challenge, held in Lacq, France, saw five teams pitch their robotic creations against a string of tasks on a mock-platform site…
Ocean Infinity has purchased two more autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) from Kongsberg Maritime. This will increase Ocean Infinity’s fleet of HUGIN 6000 AUVs from six to eight vehicles. The AUVs will be used worldwide to collect high resolution seabed data for clients…
A competition to develop an offshore autonomous robot has helped iron out some of the issues that will need resolving to take this technology offshore. Elaine Maslin reports. Foxiris in action…
Eelume has made a splash with its snake-like underwater robot, despite its lithe form not initially having been destined for a life subsea. Elaine Maslin sets out the detail. Eelume (a shortening of electric and luminaire…
The impact of asset integrity is hard to quantify, but UK North Sea goals to tackle it, including using robots, are being made clear. Elaine Maslin reports. The P100 robot “snake arm” robot is due to be trialed in the North Sea this year…
A multi-skilled team of north east-England based subsea engineering experts has made it to the semifinals of Shell's US$7 million Ocean Discovery XPrize. XPrize is an international competition which aims to create the next generation tools…
In December 2016, the Norwegian underwater robotics company Eelume successfully built and demonstrated the world’s first snake-like underwater robot, constructed for offshore operations. Image from Eelume…
North-east England-based subsea firm Modus Seabed Intervention has completed system integration and trialing of one of the subsea industries' first commercially available hybrid unmanned underwater vehicles. Modus says its hybrid is one…
The drill floor robot is no longer a vision, it’s a reality and it’s going to start operations offshore Norway next year. Elaine Maslin reports. The world’s first drill floor robot installed at the Ullrigg Drilling and Well Centre…