Shearwater GeoServices will deploy for the first time its new electric ROV in a commercial transaction during a Seismic study with ocean floor nodes (OBN) in the North Sea the campaign is expected to last seven weeks.
Shearwater debuts its electric ROV in an OBN campaign
The Norwegian company will execute the contract with two vessels, one of which is the SW Tasman which will deploy the Pearl nodes using remotely operated vehicles, and the SW Gaul, which will act as a source vessel during the seismic acquisition.
Work will begin once the upgrade of the SW Tasman’s ROV systems is complete, with this new electrical equipment, Shearwater seeks to increase reliability and improve the efficiency of its underwater operations.
The project will allow this technology to be incorporated into a commercial campaign and expand the capabilities of the company’s integrated OBN study offering.
The SW Tasman expands its underwater capabilities
The installation of the Electric ROV it continues the transformation of the SW Tasman, in 2023, the vessel went from conducting conventional 3D seismic studies to becoming a deep-water OBN unit, equipped to work with two remotely operated vehicles.
This configuration allows for the deployment and retrieval of nodes from the seabed, the vessel also retains its capacity as a seismic source, giving it the flexibility to assume different functions during campaigns.
Since beginning operations as an ROV in early 2024, the SW Tasman has participated in several underwater projects. Off the coast of India, for example, it deployed Pearl nodes at depths of approximately 100 and 2,900 meters.
Later, it worked off the coasts of Ivory Coast, Angola, and Ghana, the incorporation of the new electrical systems represents a further upgrade of its capabilities for the OBN seismic acquisition.
The Pearl nodes are part of the deployment
During the campaign, the electric ROV will work with the Pearl nodes developed by Shearwater, the company continues to optimize this system as part of its strategy to carry out more stages of the OBN operations with its own technology and capabilities.
The combination of both vessels aims to improve the reliability of deploying and recovering the nodes on the seabed. The SW Gallien will complete the operational setup by providing the seismic source necessary for the study. Shearwater has not disclosed the client’s identity or the contract’s value.
Shearwater strengthens its OBN activity in the North Sea
The award gives continuity to the activity of the SW Tasman and the SW Gallien in the North Sea, where both vessels had already been contracted for another OBN study during 2026.
Irene Waage Basili, CEO of Shearwater, noted that the introduction of these systems reflects the ongoing development of the company’s underwater capabilities and its integrated OBN offering. She also highlighted the demand for the SW Tasman since its commissioning as an ROV vessel in early 2024.
The next campaign will thus mark the transition from the installation of the new electric ROV to their commercial use, within an operation that will bring together the underwater vehicles, the Pearl nodes and the company’s two ships.
Source: Offshore Energy
Photo: Shearwater Geoservices
