Falcon ROV Wins Over Perenco in West Africa
The Saab Seaeye Falcon is “a small, yet highly efficient ROV,” says Cédric Fratacci, Perenco Oil and Gas Gabon. (Image: Saab Seaeye)
“For me, the Falcon is the best tool for our operations,” says Cédric Fratacci at Perenco Oil and Gas, Gabon, declaring it to be “a small, yet highly efficient ROV.”
He describes how the company’s new Falcon ROV from Saab Seaeye is undertaking a range of tasks at its Gabon operations, including pipeline and jacket surveys, rig assistance and FSO inspection.
It has also been deployed with the company’s diving team to remove debris from the seabed ready to clear the approach for the arrival of a rig.
Later the Falcon was sent down to check the position and security of spudcan penetration in the sand.
Cédric Fratacci welcomes the cost savings of using the Falcon rather than a diving team for dedicated operations.
“The Falcon can dive to a greater depth than a diver, and avoids the need for decompression time,” he says.
But when diving is unavoidable, he adds, “The Falcon can assist in the diving activity by becoming an external camera for the diving supervisor.”
According to its manufacturer, the worldwide success of the Falcon in the energy industry, and other sectors, comes from its small, easily manhandled size, together with five powerful thrusters for precise maneuverability and steadiness in strong cross-currents whilst undertaking precision tasks and observations.
Also, Saab Seaeye notes that its distributed intelligent control system with each device on the vehicle having its own microprocessor, allows a choice of tools and sensors to be easily added or changed, making it a platform suited for numerous intricate and demanding subsea applications.
As a module-focused concept, the Falcon generates automatic diagnostics on power-up to ensure that each device is fully interfaced and working correctly.
August 2024
