According to a press release from Shearwater, the dual ROV vessel is expected to be available to clients early in the second quarter of 2023 following a conversion of the SW Tasman multipurpose vessel.
Designed to deploy ocean bottom nodes in both deep and shallow water the vessel will also be able to provide high-quality source for surveys and conduct towed streamer surveys.
Ulstein Design & Solutions AS, the original vessel designers, will provide conversion engineering, with Evotec providing launch and recovery solutions and ROVOP providing dual work ROVs with associated ROV personnel.
High-end capacity
The conversion is an example of how Shearwater can leverage its flexible fleet to provide additional high-end capacity tailored to clients’ needs in response to a significant increase in demand for ocean bottom seismic.
“In short, this is the world’s first commercial multi-technology geophysical ROV vessel with source and towed streamer capability, and able to perform ocean bottom ROV surveys as a single unit,” said Irene Waage Basili, CEO of Shearwater.
“Having our own dual ROV vessel will support improved risk management and operational performance, and in a market with capacity constraints, it enables us to offer robust solutions to our clients using our own assets.”
SW Tasman
SW Tasman was delivered in 2010 from Drydocks World as a 12-streamer 3D offshore seismic research vessel to Western Geco, and Shearwater took ownership of the vessel in 2018.