Sonardyne, XOCEAN use USV to conduct live seabed-to-shore data harvesting mission

April 24, 2020 | AUVSI News

As part of a seabed monitoring campaign at the giant Ormen Lange field offshore Norway, Sonardyne International Ltd. and XOCEAN recently used a USV to successfully complete a pioneering live seabed-to-shore data harvesting mission for A/S Norske Shell.

Believed to be one of the largest data harvesting missions using a USV to date, the project was completed without a single person having to travel offshore or from their home office. According to Sonardyne, the project was achieved with “significantly less emissions, health and safety risk and cost” than could be done with a manned vessel.

“We have always been big advocates of collecting data from our subsea instruments remotely using autonomous platforms. This technology is now coming of age and makes complete sense when thinking about the environment, the safety of offshore personnel and minimizing cost,” says Shaun Dunn, Sonardyne’s Global Business manager for Exploration and Surveillance.

“What’s more, thanks to the low hull and propulsion noise USVs can achieve, the data gathering is also faster, adding further to the efficiencies of this approach.”

Using an XOCEAN XO-450 USV to harvest data from an array of Sonardyne’s long-endurance Fetch pressure monitoring transponders prevented an estimated 5.4 tons of CO2 per day from being emitted into the atmosphere had a manned vessel been used. Sonardyne notes that XOCEAN’s USVs have a negligible carbon footprint. Additionally, all other emissions are offset, which results in a fully carbon neutral operation.

Traveling a total of 300 kilometers from Kristiansund out to the Ormen Lange field and back over just three days, the USV proved its ability to support this type of operation remotely without anyone involved having to travel. The vessel was ‘posted’ to Norway and then launched by SafePath AS, a local marine operations service provider. All other team members worked from their home offices.

“Our USV platform has demonstrated itself to be a safe, reliable and ultra-low carbon solution for the collection of ocean data. We are delighted to be working with A/S Norske Shell and Sonardyne International on this ground-breaking project,” says James Ives, CEO of XOCEAN. 

In support of a long-term seabed monitoring campaign, the Fetch PMTs were deployed in 800 to 1,100-meter water depth at the Ormen Lange field last summer. The Fetch PMTs accurately collect pressure, temperature and inclination data at the seafloor, at pre-programmed intervals. Any vertical displacement of the seabed can be calculated using this data, and this data will help Norske Shell to proactively inform its reservoir management strategy.

Sonardyne’s long-life Fetch PMTs are equipped with a high-speed acoustic modem, which allows stored data to be extracted at any time, wirelessly through the water, on demand. During this mission, the XO-450 was equipped with a compatible Sonardyne acoustic transceiver attached beneath its hull.