DNV AWARDS SAAB SEAEYE ISO 9001:2008 ACCREDITATION
Saab Seaeye, the world's largest electric ROV manufacturer, has been awarded the exclusive and stringent ISO 9001:2008 accreditation from Det Norske Veritas (DNV), a foundation established in 1864 to help safeguard life, property and the environment.
The enhanced DNV Risk Based Certification is awarded to only a select group of companies across the globe. It recognises that Saab Seaeye has verifiable, consistent and continually improving systems for management control, safety and quality.
To achieve certification, Det Norske Veritas say that an organisation must undergo a rigorous and comprehensive assessment to demonstrate that their processes and organisation meet defined standards of quality that instil trust and confidence in the company's customers and prospects.
For Saab Seaeye, DNV certification underpins their strategy for continued market growth and technological innovation across their internationally successful range of ROVs.
This range extends from compact and rapidly deployable systems, to powerful work-class vehicles. The ROVs are used across many market sectors including the oil and gas industry, defence, hydro and civil engineering, the emergency services, marine science and undersea tourism.
Saab Seaeye is the largest manufacturer of electrically operated ROVs. Its parent company, Saab Underwater Systems, is a world leader in sensor systems, precision engagement systems, and remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles.
For more information contact:
Dave Grant
Saab Seaeye Limited
+44 (0)1489 898 000
The world's leading manufacturer of atmospheric diving suits, OceanWorks International, has fitted the latest breakthrough design of powerful Saab Seaeye XT thrusters into their new Quantum Q2 HARDSUIT system.
It brings to complex undersea tasks a new combination of human dexterity and ROV power.
Saab Seaeye thrusters were chosen by OceanWorks for their proven reliability in hostile and demanding environments.
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New thrusters help diver with delicate tasks in strong cross currents
Power in the new XT thrusters has been doubled whilst keeping size the same, and weight low. This makes it easier for a diver to lift heavier loads and operate in even stronger currents, when undertaking delicate and difficult tasks.
Closed loop velocity feed-back gives both diver and supervisor total control over thrust and trim settings, together with troubleshooting and diagnostics information to the supervisor up top.
Voice communication is also easier between pilot and supervisor as the new thrusters are extremely quiet in operation.
Jim English at OceanWorks believes HARDSUIT systems fill the gap between a saturation diver and remotely operated vehicle for a number of operational needs by combining the perception and dexterity of the diver with the safety and mobility power of an ROV.
A diver inside a one atmosphere suit can operate for extended periods below and return directly to the surface without the risk of decompression.
Whilst working, he can also access small spaces and can quickly adapt to unplanned tasks and conditions.
He can also carry ROV-like sensors and navigation aids.
Jim English states that a diver fitted with an atmospheric suit can undertake 80 percent of the work of a saturation diver, but at less cost, with savings in consumables and decompression time, as well as speedier mobilisation and de-mobilisation.
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The integration of the new thrusters into the suits marks a successful collaboration between two companies who are both world-leaders in their respective fields, and major providers of systems for commercial and military operations.
Breakthrough design boosts power of HARDSUIT
Saab Seaeye is the largest manufacturer of electrically operated ROVs. Its parent company, Saab Underwater Systems, is a world leader in sensor systems, precision engagement systems, and remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles.
For more information contact:
Dave Grant
Saab Seaeye Limited
+44 (0)1489 898 000
www.seaeye.com
Jim English
OceanWorks International
+1 604 415 0088
Coral and shrimp photographed by Saab Seaeye's Falcon DR ROV.
Coral, never before seen in colour - and fish never seen alive, nor in their natural habitat - have been filmed by a Saab Seaeye Falcon DR ROV in an expedition to discover new coral communities deep in the Gulf of Mexico.
The four year project is investigating a series of unexplored sites along the northern Gulf of Mexico between 300 and 1000m, and is funded by the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, and the US Mineral Management Service.
Deployed from the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster, the Seaeye Falcon is undertaking large scale photographic surveys and collecting key species in a project known as Lophelia II 2008: Deepwater Coral Expedition: Reefs, Rigs, and Wrecks.
The ROV also gathers information on conditions for coral colonization and growth. Sensors on the ROV will acquire data on temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, turbidity (amount of material suspended in the water) and fluorescence (how much of the suspended material is plant matter from the upper depths of the ocean or land).
click image to enlarge Holding steady, even in strong currents, means the Falcon DR can manoeuvre precisely and gather even the most delicate corals.
SeaView Systems, owners of the 1000m deepwater rated Falcon ROV, subcontracted their vehicle to Seavison Marine Services for the project. The ROV comes complete with a full inspection and sample collection suite that includes external Nuytsun LED illumination, Hydrolek 5 function manipulator, Linkquest USBL acoustic positioning and Tritech altimeter. It operates from a 20' shipping container which acts as a combined control van/workshop.
Running the SeaView ROV operation is Matthew Cook, who says that the combination of a seven-megapixel Westech digital still camera and the Nuytsun LED module has enhanced video and digital still quality, '... and achieved excellent quality images that have exceeded the client's expectations'.
The key to operating these units, and all the equipment aboard the ROV, is a distributed intelligence control system where each of the 128 devices can be individually controlled by its own microprocessor.
"…this ROV is a fully competent human substitute."
Matt Porter, Pennsylvania State University
Vital to sharp images and the delicate recovery of specimens, is the ability of the ROV to be highly manoeuvrable and hold station in strong cross currents. Five brushless DC thrusters make this possible with each thruster's drive electronics giving velocity feedback for precise control in all directions.
Matt Porter, from Pennsylvania State University, reported in oceanexplorer.noaa.gov, that the Falcon ROV is one of the most important pieces of equipment on the expedition.
'For scientists engaging in deep-sea research, the ROV is an extension of themselves, serving as both their eyes and hands at depths too extreme for human life. Without the video and still cameras and manipulator arm on the ROV, detailed observations and collections of deep-sea life would be difficult'.
He suggests that, equipped with a high-resolution low-light video camera and a seven-megapixel camera for still shots, along with a robotic manipulator that mimics a human arm and hand, the Falcon is a fully competent human substitute.
For more information:
Dave Grant
Saab Seaeye Limited
+44 (0)1489 898 000
Saab Seaeye is the largest manufacturer of electrically operated ROVs. Its parent company, Saab Underwater Systems, is a world leader in sensor systems, precision engagement systems, and remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles.
Images courtesy of Lophelia II 2008: Deepwater Coral Expedition: Reefs, Rigs, and Wrecks.
21 April 2009
ROV PILOT TRAINING AT ABEL GETS TOP ROV
Hands-on ROV operational training at Abel's dedicated global ROV training facility in Crotone, south of Italy, has been further enhanced with the introduction of the world-beating Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV.
Pilots and technicians get direct experience onboard Abel's M/V Sea Explorer, both in the harbour premises and in open sea. This includes 12hr shift work, pre-post dive checks, umbilical management and pilot skills, in different conditions and locations. Theory on electronics, hydraulics, safety and life offshore is learnt at the Abel base onshore.
click image to enlarge The Abel team, from the left, Simone Grillo (ROV Technical Support Engineer and Personnel Co-ordinator), Andrea Bellizzi (Abel General Manager and ROV Project Manager) and Giulio Blarzino (responsible for HSE Management and ROV Support Co-ordinator) with trainee ROV pilots.
The facility offers ROV training across the industry to pilots and technicians from around the world.
Andrea Bellizzi, Abel's General Manager, says 'We have been extremely busy training students for the ROV industry following IMCA guidelines, and those students have an excellent record of getting a job. They are given many hours of live flying experience with our new Seaeye Falcon ROV that will make recruitment agencies, as well as oil and gas companies, very willing to take on personnel trained by Abel.'
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Launching the Falcon from the Abel M/V Sea Explorer.
The Falcon system supplied to Abel is equipped with a high definition colour camera and low light B/W camera; a Tritech SeaPrince panoramic sonar, and a Single Function, 3 Jaw Manipulator, and Rope Cutter.
The international appeal of the Seaeye Falcon - not only in the oil and gas industry, but amongst defence forces, marine scientists and hydro engineering - comes from its high manoeuvrability, finger-tip control and ability to hold steady in strong cross currents. An intelligent control system also allows easy role change. It is a major world-wide success for Saab Seaeye, the world's largest electric ROV manufacturer.
IMCA Member Abel is a leading ROV contractor that provides high quality, custom designed ROV services with a modern ROV fleet and ancillary equipment, combining modern technology and time proven techniques. Experienced staff are selected and trained according to IMCA guidelines at the ROV Training Division, in order to provide ROV Pilot/Technicians and onshore technical personnel with a strong expertise of ROV operations and maintenance. This allows Abel to minimise the outage time of its systems and set high standards of efficiency of provided ROV services.
Abel's extensive record of ROV services provided to oil and gas companies include operations conducted offshore in the Caspian Sea (Kazakhstan) for GAS, and the inspection for SNAM ReteGas of the TMPC pipeline between Italy and Tunisia using the Innovatum SmarTrack (a first in Italy). Abel also provided ROV services for scientific research and to the hydro industry, like the inspection of 250m of pipeline with a 3000mm diameter, including the manifold regulating the cooling water, of the Edison CET 3 Power Plant in Taranto (south of Italy).
For more information contact:
Andrea Bellizzi
Abel Sea Technologies
Via L. Gallucci 97
88900 Crotone (Italy)
Tel. +39 338 595 0707
Fax. +39 02 700 404 733
Wine destined for the Roman colony in Cartagena finally turned up 2200 years later.
It would have remained undiscovered at the bottom of the sea outside the Spanish harbour but for the sharp-eyed marine explorers of the Aurora Trust.
After spotting the Roman wreck on a sonar map of the area, they sent down a Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV to investigate.
Their remarkable discovery was the sight of thousands of amphora of wine, the clay jars still carefully packed in the hold of the ship where they had lain undisturbed for over 2000 years.
The ship could have lain there for another 2000 years but for the work of the Trust who are undertaking a large scale study of the area outside the harbour of Cartagena in southern Spain.
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Working with the National Centre for Underwater Archaeology of Spain, they have created a map of the submerged cultural heritage on the seabed outside the harbour, and have set about targeting various items of interest.
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The ancient Roman ship was one such item, which the team from Aurora Trust were able to film and photograph thoroughly using the highly manoeuvrable Falcon which can hold steady for such work, even in strong currents. A photomontage was created using a Kongsberg stills camera with flash mounted in a specially built skid slung beneath the ROV.
The Aurora Trust, a not-for-profit oceanographic exploration, education and archaeological organisation has their logistics base in Malta. The Trust has undertaken a number of projects throughout the Mediterranean over the last five years, working with government agencies, academic institutions and fellow non-profit organisations.
For the Trust, the highly successful Falcon ROV has proved a vital tool in their ocean exploration work. It is an ROV that has carved out its own niche in the world of marine science and archaeology after winning respect in the fields of oil and gas and defence.
WORLD-BEATING ROV BRINGS GREATER PERFORMANCE AT LOWER OPERATING COST
Pioneering technology at Saab Seaeye has created the world's most advanced electric work-class ROV - that is also the simplest to operate.
It will bring significant cost savings in ROV operations by accelerating the shift from hydraulic to electric work ROVs for many more applications.
Revolutionary developments introduced in Saab Seaeye's Jaguar ROV will further advance the company's lead position as the world's top electric ROV manufacturer.
At the core of the system is a completely new concept in control and power distribution that offers three key operational benefits:
total dual-redundancy with self-diagnostics
easy to configure and re-configure
simple to pilot and operate
The fear of catastrophic system failure has been overcome through the Jaguar's unique dual-redundancy system that is designed to keep the ROV on task long after other ROVs have stopped working.
With identical twin independent circuits installed, if one half completely shuts down, the vehicle remains operational and able to complete vital tasks. Failed system switchover is completely automated and happens in seconds.
This frees the ROV pilot to focus on the task in hand, rather than battling with diagnostic issues.
click image to enlarge The Saab Seaeye Jaguar.
The new simplified intelligent system, with its fewer and more intuitive controls, makes it quicker to train new pilots and convert experienced pilots.
It also gives pilots more feedback in a more comprehensible form on every part of the ROV's operation for a continuing and vital understanding of its performance.
Feedback on thruster performance for instance, is usually limited to just speed. Now the pilots also get reports on temperature, current and voltage.
Attempts by other companies to enhance system reporting have ended up with a higher component count and a consequential risk of more failures. Saab Seaeye on the other hand has cleverly improved feedback without increasing piece parts.
The simplicity of the Jaguar's intelligent architecture minimises the time needed to mobilise and de-mobilise the vehicle.
It also makes it easy to interface a host of equipment including industry standard tools and sensors, thereby expanding the range of tasks possible.
For operators facing work in adverse conditions, the Jaguar has an unrivalled agility and responsiveness in strong cross currents, helped by a power-to-weight ratio that is best in its class.
And with an operational depth of 3000msw, with options up to 6000msw, and increased thruster power for faster descent and ascent, most subsea applications are within its range.
Behind the Jaguar developments is Saab Seaeye's success in a work-ROV market previously dominated by hydraulic vehicles. Operators are turning to the powerful electric work ROV as they find it can complete 90 percent of tasks usually undertaken by an hydraulic vehicle, yet at far less cost, is easier to handle, quicker to mobilise and needs half the deck space.
The electric work ROV is not only suitable for the vast majority of work tasks, but is ideally suited for procedures such as drill support, survey operations, cable laying support, touch-down monitoring, IRM, and a high proportion of intervention and construction tasks.
Saab Seaeye is the world's largest manufacturer of electrically operated ROVs, and its parent company, Saab Underwater Systems, is a world leader in sensor systems, precision engagement systems, and remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles.
In a major breakthrough into the Chinese oil and gas industry, Saab Seaeye has sold two Panther Plus electric work ROVs to China's largest off-shore engineering company, COOEC.
It follows an earlier sale of a Panther Plus and represents an expanding capability for COOEC who are part of China National Oil.
Of the two vehicles sold to the Chinese off-shore company, one will operate from a Tether Management System, whilst the other is free-swimming.
Technical support will come from Saab Seaeye's distributor in the region, Blue Whale Offshore Engineering Technology Company.
Operators worldwide favour the Seaeye Panther Plus because it offers them a work ROV at a lower cost than can be found in hydraulic work vehicles, with the advantage of lightweight handling, reduced deck space and simpler maintenance and repair routines.
The financial incentive for ROV operators to choose an electric work vehicle is strong. The cost of ownership is much lower than for hydraulic vehicles. The Panther Plus, for example, weighs less than a quarter of the hydraulic equivalent, and the deck space needed is 63 sq meters compared with 150 sq metres for a typical hydraulic system.
With less mass and smaller diameter umbilical the Panther Plus requires smaller launch and recovery systems and can be installed on smaller vessels. It requires a smaller number of crew and mobilisation time is less - typically 12 hours compared with 40 hours for a large hydraulic ROV.
click image to enlarge The Saab Seaeye Panther Plus.
It has smaller surface control equipment and transformers and needs a control container half the size of that used for an hydraulic vehicle. The 'plug-and-go' simplicity of the electric vehicle also makes it easier to operate and easier to maintain and repair.
Users have exploited the versatility of the Panther Plus by stretching the range of tasks it can perform. Hot stab connection and disconnection is now routinely carried out, along with dual point docking and free flying stab-plate connection. The ROV can cut wire rope and soft line up to 1.1/2 inch (38mm). It can carry out visual operations with high quality video systems. Perform pre and post drilling site survey. Undertake guidance and orientation for BOP and riser connection, depth and orientation of wellhead and BOP stack. It can also clean wellhead and bulls eyes, and change out AX wellhead gaskets.
The two ROVs supplied to the Chinese Offshore Engineering Company come rated to 1000 metres. Each is driven by ten DC brushless thrusters for fingertip manoeuvrability, with dual redundancy for security of operation. Each vehicle also comes fitted with dual manipulator arms; brush cleaning and water jetting tools; disc and cable cutting tools: a range of cameras and lights and sonar with bathymetric system.
Saab Seaeye is the largest manufacturer of electrically operated ROVs. Its parent company, Saab Underwater Systems, is a world leader in sensor systems, precision engagement systems, and remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles.
For a shark to eat an actor gently, takes five brushless DC thrusters with velocity feedback for precise and rapid control in all directions.
When the Bollywood movie, 'LUCK', was filmed in South Africa, a Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV was strapped beneath a giant 4.2 metre long Latex and Polyurethane replica of a tiger shark - then sent to eat luckless victims trying to escape a sinking container.
The realistic swimming motion of the shark and its violent attack can be realistically recreated, thanks to skilful and precise fingertip control of the Falcon by the ROV pilots Steve Wilkinson and Nicolas Stroud of Marine Solutions.
click image to enlarge ROV controlled shark attack.
Although small and compact, the Falcon is powerful enough to manoeuvre the 400Kg model in both swimming pool and the open ocean - the tricky bit being to balance the buoyancy for compensating between sea water and fresh water.
This is not the first time the Falcon and shark have starred together. Owned by the South African special effects company CFX, the shark, has worked on many projects with the ROV, operated by Cape Town based Marine Solutions who specialises in the sales, rental, repairs, maintenance and technical support of underwater systems.
The world-wide success of the Falcon ROV, sees it starring across a range of industries , including oil and gas, defence, marine science, underwater tourism - and now the movies.
Its success comes from ease of handling in hostile environmental conditions and holding steady in strong cross currents. Its distributed intelligence control system also allows up to 128 devices to be connected together on a single RS 485 serial network.
click image to enlarge Falcon - compact, powerful and manoeuvrable.
This means different equipment can be added easily and changed as needed. Even a rubber shark!
