US offshore robotic ship operator Ocean Infinity has penned a five-year agreement with UK supermajor Shell for subsea services within the offshore energy sector.
The deal covers geophysical and geotechnical services utilising Ocean Infinity’s Armada fleet of uncrewed and lean-crewed vessels in all countries where Shell is currently active or plans to operate in the future.
“Working through framework agreements like this allows us to achieve shorter lead-times, reduce risks, improve strategic alignment together with flexibility and scalability, work faster and ultimately supply our partners with their data more quickly. It enables us to optimise resources, making for more efficient and sustainable operations, such as by positioning our fleet more effectively to reduce transit times to and from work sites,” said Katya Krylova, vice president of business development at Ocean Infinity, adding that it also solidifies a long-standing collaboration between the two companies.
The partnership with Shell dates back to a project in Mauritania that simultaneously utilized a fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), marking the inception of surface robotics working in the oil and gas sector. Ocean Infinity has since evolved into larger fuel-efficient vessels that utilise a skeleton crew onboard to capture subsurface data with processing and payload control conducted onshore. The company said it expects these ships to be capable of working with no personnel offshore in due course while also running on green fuels such as ammonia.
“This agreement enables new, lean-crewed vessels into high-value field work. Using our robotic fleet to service global offshore energy activities will power the maritime industry’s transformation into safer, more efficient new ways of working, added Krylova.
