Autonomous Underwater Drone Advances Offshore Inspection

Saipem has completed Functional Acceptance Tests for its FlatFish underwater inspection drone under a contract with Petrobras, marking a key step toward deployment in Brazil’s ultra-deep offshore operations. The tests verified mission autonomy, data quality, and operational performance prior to field implementation.

Validation of Autonomous Inspection Capabilities
The testing campaign was conducted at Saipem’s underwater robotics facility in Trieste, Italy, with Petrobras representatives present. The Functional Acceptance Tests assessed the drone’s ability to execute fully autonomous missions in a controlled environment, ensuring compliance with technical and operational requirements.

During the tests, FlatFish successfully performed multiple inspection tasks, including subsea structure and pipeline inspections, cathodic protection measurements, and wall-thickness assessments. These capabilities are essential for maintaining the integrity of offshore assets operating in challenging deepwater conditions.

Autonomous Operations in Ultra-Deep Water
FlatFish is designed as a hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle capable of operating at depths of up to 3,000 meters. Its autonomous navigation and inspection functions reduce the need for direct human intervention, enabling more efficient and safer inspection processes.

The system supports continuous and repeatable inspections, which are critical for monitoring asset condition and identifying potential issues in subsea infrastructure such as pipelines and production systems.

Integration Within Underwater Robotics Programs
The drone is part of Saipem’s Hydrone program, which focuses on developing a portfolio of underwater robotic systems for industrial applications. These systems are intended to operate across a range of environments, from shallow waters to ultra-deep offshore fields.

The program emphasizes autonomous operation and scalable deployment models, including subsea-resident and semi-resident systems that can remain in the field for extended periods.

Transition to Field Deployment
Following successful completion of the acceptance tests, Petrobras has approved the next phase of the project, which involves deployment in real offshore conditions. This phase will validate the system’s performance in operational environments, including variable currents, pressure conditions, and complex subsea geometries.

Field deployment is expected to demonstrate the practical benefits of autonomous inspection, including reduced inspection time, lower operational costs, and improved data consistency.

Relevance for Offshore Operations
Autonomous underwater inspection technologies are becoming increasingly important as offshore operations expand into deeper and more complex environments. Traditional inspection methods, often reliant on remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), can be resource-intensive and limited in operational flexibility.

By enabling autonomous, high-frequency inspections, systems like FlatFish support more efficient asset monitoring and maintenance strategies. This contributes to improved reliability and safety within offshore energy operations.

Edited by Romila DSilva, Induportals Editor, with AI assistance.