in. However, having recently compiled a report on global ROV trends up until 2015, Jamie Balmer, Infield senior analyst for business strategy, tells Offshore Marine Technology that the industry can expect to see ROV activity increase by 43% up until the middle of the decade, as demand for these remotely operated solutions grows.


Predicted growth zones Geographically, the key areas for high ROV uptake include plentiful exploration and drilling zones such as Brazil – touted to become something of a “leading ROV hub”, says Balmer – and the West Coast of Africa. However, Australasia is also tipped to constitute an area of high ROV demand in the coming few years, particularly the North West Shelf of Western Australia, where a mixture of offshore drilling and construction, decommissioning projects and repair and maintenance contracts abound.


Europe and Asia will also experience an


upswell of ROV activity, though this will mainly be buoyed by repair, maintenance and inspection work, in addition to demand from the trenching market and the deepwater / ultra-deepwater sectors. Less certain is the fate of ROVs deployed in the Gulf of Mexico, which, although highly active before the imposition of the post-Deepwater Horizon drilling moratorium, have experienced less demand somewhat, save for their well publicised usage in supporting subsea specialists to cap the Macondo blow-out. In a way, the increase in ROV activity


also reflects changing attitudes within the offshore segment, Balmer explains. “There is a far greater emphasis on safety now, which you can see in the declining numbers of divers,” he says. “In comparison to previous decades, offshore companies have a more developed understanding of risk and, although it is certainly more


costly to send an ROV down to depths of 100m than a diving squad, this indicates a greater willingness to safeguard the health of personnel.”Additionally,


technical


advances are increasing the ability of ROVs to perform a greater number of tasks than before, he comments. Meanwhile, a report issued by Douglas-


Westwood in October 2011 indicates that ROV support is expected to mushroom in capital, up from US$891 million last year to US$1692 million in 2015. The report claims that the global fleet of work-class ROVs currently stands at 641 units, spread across 21 operators. Chairman John Westwood has credited the offshore oil and gas sector as the largest commercial customer for these vehicle types, but he adds: “We still have the full impact of Brazil’s major pre-salt deepwater developments to come. In addition, new, smaller markets are emerging in sectors such as offshore wind.” OMT


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Offshore Marine Technology 4th Quarter 2011


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27


Feature 4


SAS AWARD WINNER


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