ASI Marine employs ROV in Gladstone LNG inspection

ASI Marine has established the record for the longest tunnel swim with a Falcon ROV in Australia, at the Gladstone LNG project.

By creatively modifying a Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV, ASI Marine was able to send the vehicle through a pipeline stretching over 4 km under Gladstone Harbour, Queensland to Curtis Island.

Gladstone LNG

The inspection on the Santos Gladstone LNG Project was conducted with the Falcon to confirm the condition of the pipeline that was pushed through the utility tunnel.

The utility tunnel had been bored to minimise environmental impact at the site and to provide a protected conduit through which to pass the pipeline and other utilities.

This was the last segment of the pipeline that delivers LNG to the Santos LNG plant on Curtis Island. The ROV inspection was conducted to ensure the pipe’s integrity during and after the push.

The Falcon was fitted out with video plus profiling sonar with a BlueView imaging sonar and Mesotech scanning sonar as additional navigation aids.

Unlimited inspection

Bob Clarke, ASI Marine’s senior operations manager, explains that the company chose the Falcon for its “moderate size, good thrust-to-weight ratio and telemetry capacity”. It is also capable of unlimited inspection durations.

The Falcon’s intelligent architecture means each device on the vehicle can have its own microprocessor for individual control and systems can be easily changed or added.

Although small enough to be easily manhandled, its intelligent control, combined with five-strong thruster power and precise manoeuvrability, allows it to operate sensors, tooling and complex systems typically found on much larger ROVs.

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/18122014/asi-marine-inspects-gladstone-pipeline-1974/