An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is an unmanned vehicle designed to perform various underwater tasks, such as surveying, mapping, and inspecting subsea structures. More recently AUVs are being used in the offshore energy sector to inspect pipelines and other subsea infrastructure.
Geo Oceans were approached by a major energy company, operating in Western Australia, to assist in resolving some of the challenges they have had with respect to pipeline surveys. Traditional inspection methods using commercial dive teams or large work class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) were deemed labour-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive. The company was looking for a safer, efficient and cost-effective method to inspect their subsea pipelines to assess and manage their assets.
