Offshore wind farm owner Northland Power and Subsea Europe Services are teaming up on a pilot project to position autonomous underwater inspection at the heart of operations and maintenance (O&M).
The project starts this July at the Deutsche Bucht Offshore Wind Farm.
It was given the go-ahead after successful harbour testing of Subsea Europe Services’ Autonomous Surveyor uncrewed surface vessel (USV) and A.IKANBILIS hovering autonomous underwater vehicle (HAUV), which took place in May on the Albert Betz service operation vessel (SOV) in Eemshaven, the Netherlands.
“This project is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the power of true autonomy when applied to both surface and underwater tasks at an operating wind farm,” said Sören Themann, chief executive, Subsea Europe Services.
“Our approach makes it possible to significantly reduce the number of personnel and vessels required on-site, which unlocks HSE, environmental and economic benefits while optimising workflows for faster acquisition of higher quality data using fewer resources.”
Subsea Europe Services’ Autonomous Surveyor and A.IKANBILIS will deliver a complete offshore wind foundation survey and inspection scope.
The Autonomous Surveyor USV will conduct multibeam echosounder surveys to monitor the inter-array cable routes and potential scouring at the foundations whilst the A.IKANBILIS HAUV will conduct general visual inspections of the foundations.
Both autonomous platforms will remain at the wind farm for the duration of the pilot, using the SOV for launch, recovery and storage, reducing the number of crew and vessels needed offshore.
Deutsche Bucht offshore wind farm is located 95 km west of Borkum in the German Exclusive Economic Zone. It has an operating capacity of 252 MW, meeting the annual energy needs of 300,000 people and reducing the Germany’s annual CO2 emissions by 700,000 tonnes.
