Niharika VyasIt was in 1957 that the first AUV system was developed for the study of diffusion, acoustic transmission, and submarine wakes. With time, the growing need for automation and cost-cutting made the oil and gas industry look for an autonomous technology to improve their bottom line and this is when these automated underwater vehicle found their use in this industry. AUV systems have now emerged as the viable solution for the underwater navigation and monitoring, with manufacturers finding a potential growth in its market.
AUV system gained popularity because these unmanned, self-propelled vehicles can be deployed from a surface vessel, and can be operated independently, unlike ROVs which are tethered to the host vessel, and can be operated from few hours to several days. They are pre-programmed and use arrangements of acoustic beacons on the seafloor and combination of Ultra Short Base Line acoustic communication, GPS positioning, and inertial for navigation purpose. AUV system collects a large amount of data in the given ship-time. These features were the buoyant forces behind the increasing demand of these unmanned vehicles.
Market Insights for the AUV Manufacturers
AUV found its application in many sectors of the industries including commercial, research and military. But, the recent report by Douglas-Westwood revealed that a drastic improvement in the AUV system’s market in the oil and gas industry is highly likely. According to the report:
“The greatest rate of growth in AUV usage is expected in the commercial sector – predominately from oil and gas operators. This will be a key market for technology, despite the volatility of oil prices. There has been substantial interest from oil and gas companies in the technology, as operators have begun to understand cost saving potentials.”
The research shows that the market of AUV system will grow significantly by 2020. Westwood in 2010 reported that the expected growth of AUVs is $2.3 billion by 2019. In 2014, the global annual expenditure on AUV was roughly $200 million. Further, the military captured 50% of the AUV system’s market followed by scientific research (30%) and oil and gas (20%).
The major increase in AUV system’s market has taken place in the oil and gas sector which has occurred majorly due to two reasons, the high cost of using ROVs and the growing demand for floating oil production systems and remote fields. Moreover, the AUV system has been improved to the extent that it reduces the need for human resources, and increases accuracy, reliability and safety.
When the AUV system started replacing other offshore survey platforms and that too at a reduced cost compared to ROVs, the offshore oil and gas industry witnessed the gradual shift to these unmanned vehicles. This motivated the AUV manufacturers to develop better systems that have improved precision and accuracy. The market growth of this sector has indicated that the oil and gas industry is now ready to adapt to new and better ways of navigation and is ready to move towards a whole new level of automation and digitization. AUV system manufacturers of the industry are now bringing new ways of navigation through AUVs and are helping the industry to become much more efficient than before.
Some of the leading AUV manufacturers of the industry have been mentioned below:
Fugro
Fugro is one of the leading geo data specialist companies which is providing reliable AUV system services. It helps its clients to build and operate reliable assets by data acquisition and analysis. The company operates at a global and generates its revenue majorly from the oil and gas industry (57%) followed by infrastructure, renewable and power etc. It provides its services for the oil and gas industry in the following sectors:
- Field exploration
- Field development
- Field production
- Oil and gas infrastructure decommissioning
International Submarine Engineering Ltd.
ISE is the industry’s most trusted autonomous and remotely operated robotic vehicles and terrestrial robotics manufacturers. The AUV system offered by the company has a wide range of capabilities from feasibility studies through detailed analysis and design, to systems development and field support. The various types of AUV system offered by the company are:
- Explorer AUV
- Theseus AUV
DOF Subsea
DOF offers subsea solutions to the offshore oil and gas industry. The company has been p[roviding the services to the energy industry from a long period of time and has gained reliability and trust of its clients. It manages risk and opportunity well and offers various AUV system mentioned below:
- Glider AUV
- Hugin 1000 AUV
- Kystdesign Supporter
The industry is welcoming all the new technologies and advancements made by AUV companies because of the improved efficiency and cost reduction. With the industry going digital, it has become necessary for the AUV manufacturers to build a strong presence online. Nowadays, a large chunk of business is happening online which has made it important for the oil and gas companies to become a part of the online community to expand their business.
Energy Dais for AUV Companies
Across the oil and gas community, AUV manufacturers are seeking a better business experience. The conventional business methods are giving way to modern technological processes.
The growing need of doing business online is bringing a shift in how the online B2B platforms were perceived till date. The B2B platforms are eliminating all the barriers and limitations of geography and culture. They are giving a chance to the AUV companies and other service providers to expand their business globally and tap on the opportunities that were unknown otherwise.
In the oil and gas industry, Energy Dias has emerged as the fastest growing B2B platform for which is connecting the whole community and, making it easier for the various verticals of the industry to collaborate and do business. Further, it is helping the manufacturers, buyers and suppliers to enhance the efficiency of their system by generating more leads and connecting with the online opportunities.
The target audience of the AUV system companies has grown over a period of time but are struggling with visibility and the right audience. But, with the industry shifting towards digitization, it has given the AUV system manufacturing companies an opportunity to increase the business efficiency.
Energy Dais enables AUV companies to have the following advantages:
- Manufacturers and service providers can feature their products and services, and all the details of their company with the help of a mini website called a Company Page.
- It has the largest online oil and gas directory with 20,000+ companies from all over the world. The Category Pages features 100+ products and services from all the sectors and streams of the industry.
- It helps in bringing more buyers by creating a strong online presence of your company. Targeted marketing strategies are employed to create awareness about your products and services, ensuring that you are connected to the right business partners.
The digital platform will not only allow the AUV companies to enhance their business efficiency but will also help them move towards the goal of Industry 4.0. Not only is the industry trying to strengthen its online presence but is also making efforts to provide better technologies for the desired market growth. The recent technological advancements have targeted the challenges in navigation and have made it easier for the operators to collect and analyse data that was previously inaccessible.
Recent Advancements In AUV Technology
AUV Mapping The Ocean Floor
The ever AUV system for commercial use in the Oil and Gas industry was developed by C & C Technologies. During its press release, the company stated, “[The AUV] could help oil companies save a great deal of time and money when conducting ocean-bottom surveys of the sort that precede the construction of oil and natural gas pipelines. Moreover, it could scan the sea floor at much greater depths than previously thought possible.”
This system was strategically developed to provide data from the deep water. It has only one drawback that with the increase in the depth, the image started getting blur.
Longer Operation Hours By AUV
Cybernetix developed a new system which is an electric-powered hybrid of an autonomous underwater vehicle and a remotely operated vehicle. The system is known as Swimmer System. This is empowered to inspect pipelines, risers and mooring along with the visual inspection.
Automated Guidance System Using AUVs
SeeByte developed Autotracker which will assist AUVs to find pipes for inspection by using the data from sonar. Through this technology, AUV will be able to collect quality information and will be able to compete with the operations of ROVs. This will provide the industry similar features as of ROV at a much lower cost.
Unmanned Vehicles Are The Future Of The Industry
The continuous improvement in the AUV technologies has brought in light a new scope of improvements and opportunities for the companies. And the future outlook of the vehicle is driven by a constant increase in demand and exploration of crude on a global scale. It will be interesting to see how the industry responds to the increasing demand and regular advancements in the AUV system.
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