A provider of 3D sonar visualisation technology for use in subsea environments has been partially acquired by DeepOcean Group. The 50% purchase will see the technology offered to offshore wind operators seeking more detailed information about the state of components located underwater.
Founded in 2008 by academics based at Scottish universities at St Andrews and Dundee, Adus DeepOcean is developing its sonar technology further in order to help offshore wind operators identify problems earlier. The goal will be to improve inspection and maintenance programmes. The technology has already been tested at one unnamed UK offshore wind farm.
Initially, the technique was used to study historic shipwrecks, but Adus quickly found itself being hired by some of the world’s biggest marine salvage companies to support complex wreck removal projects. It has since supported efforts to decommission the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, and to move the cruise ship Costa Concordia, which ran aground off Italy.
"This is a new way of seeing assets underwater, even when visibility is poor," Adus DeepOcean managing director, Mark Lawrence, told “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Offshore. "These are fully metrical images, not artistic images."
The technology provides detailed information about the state of scour protection as well as offering much more detail about issues such as cable exposures. It can be deployed from a surface vessel or using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
Commenting on the 50% purchase, DeepOcean Group chief executive, Bart Heijermans, said: "This acquisition enhances the quality of the services we offer to our customers in the oil and gas and renewables industries. As part of this acquisition Adus will commit to a research and development programme to further develop the visualisation software".
Last month, DeepOcean announced it had secured a €125m credit facility to expand its vessel fleet and service offering, in part to increase its activities in the European offshore wind market.
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