EuropeOffshoreTech

Modus and Equinor team up to deploy resident subsea drone at Johan Sverdrup

UK offshore solutions provider Modus has secured a contract with Equinor for the provision of underwater intervention drone missions at the Johan Sverdrup field in the Norwegian North Sea.

The contract, which the company said is a world-first, will run from 2023 to mid-2024, utilising one of Modus’ Saab Sabertooth hovering autonomous underwater vehicles (HAUVs) resident in the field for a significant period. The offshore operations will involve in-field autonomous surveys and light interventions with over-the-horizon control from Modus’ command and control centre at its head office in Darlington.

Modus has been working on subsea residency with its fleet of HAUVs for some time and has accelerated its development in this area following a trial scope with Equinor in November 2021. As per modus, residency, where the vehicle remains docked with a subsea docking station for charging and data transfer, will provide carbon-zero survey and IMR solutions that will improve sustainability, efficiency, safety and decision-making in the sector.

“In recent months we have been transforming our business to focus exclusively on the next generation of subsea survey and IMR solutions and this project has been a key strategic target for us. Equinor is leading the way on tech solutions as part of its commitment to a low-carbon future and this contract has the potential to drive a paradigm shift in the industry,” said Ash Sheppard, Modus’ chief strategy officer.

Adis Ajdin

Adis is an experienced news reporter with a background in finance, media and education. He has written across the spectrum of offshore energy and ocean industries for many years and is a member of International Federation of Journalists. Previously he had written for Navingo media group titles including Offshore Energy, Subsea World News and Marine Energy.
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