Fugro's AUV looks good in deepwater trials

Pipeline & Gas Journal, April, 2005

Fugro's Hugin 3000 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Echo Surveyor, completed commissioning and acceptance tests on schedule at Kongsberg Maritime's base in Horton, Norway

Full sea trials were conducted off South Norway to test navigation, control and payload systems. Successful payload trials were performed on EM2000 and Edgetech full spectrum integrated sidescan sonar and sub-bottom profiler. Echo Surveyor was tested as an integrated deepwater survey package with Fugro's survey vessel Geo Prospector acting as the mother ship.

The AUV was put through its paces during an offshore demonstration that was attended by some of Fugro's customers, including representatives from Shell Expro and Statoil. Deepwater trials were performed in Sognefjord where the Echo Surveyor conducted a calibration and survey with all payload sensors in 1,200 meters of water.

The Echo Sounder can be equipped with a range of payload sensors to meet specific applications or user's needs. For deepwater surveys the following is standard:

* EM2000 200 kHz multibeam echosounder;

* Edgetech full spectrum Chirp seafloor mapping system comprising sidescan sonar and sub-bottom profiler;

* Conductivity, temperature and depth system; and

* Tightly coupled inertial navigation system.

The Echo Surveyor can be deployed from one of Fugro's dedicated survey or construction support vessels or a vessel of convenience, depending on project requirements.

Intended to serve customers working on deepwater field developments or regional seabed mapping projects, the Echo Surveyor offers the following benefits.

* Improved data quality and positioning accuracy;

* Confident interpretation of seabed and sub-seabed conditions; and

* Faster results.