Ocean services provider DeepOcean, in partnership with Aker BP and technological collaborators Argus Remote Systems and Vaarst, has successfully completed a groundbreaking series of subsea trials employing an Autonomous Inspection Drone (AID) at the Alvheim field in the central North Sea. This collaborative effort, supported by Aker BP, aimed to enhance the efficiency and data quality of subsea inspections through autonomous technology. The AID project, blending innovation and strategic partnerships, signifies a potential paradigm shift in subsea inspection methodologies.

Over a ten-day inspection campaign, the AID was deployed to examine subsea trees and infrastructure on the Norwegian continental shelf, demonstrating a promising increase in operational speed and precision. The pre-planned missions utilized advanced digital planning tools and APIs for seamless integration with the AID, which was launched from the Edda Fauna, a DeepOcean-operated support vessel. This approach allowed for both local and remote mission control, offering significant reductions in operating costs, emissions, and health, safety, and environment (HSE) risks.

The AID platform, developed with contributions from Argus Remote Systems and Vaarst, features advanced navigation algorithms, digital twin technology, and machine vision cameras for autonomous navigation and high-quality data collection. The trials showcased the AID’s capability in providing stable, high-resolution data and 3D models, highlighting its operational efficiency and depth capability of up to 3,000 meters. This innovation represents a significant step forward in the field of subsea inspections, offering enhanced data accuracy and operational efficiency.