Hydromea and Air Control Entech Sign ROV Inspection Agreement
Hydromea, a Swiss underwater robotics company and Air Control Entech (ACE), a Scotland-based certified remote technology specialist, enter into a service partnership agreement to commercialize EXRAY – a wireless ROV (remotely operated vehicle) – for inspections at offshore floating platforms.
Under the deal, ACE will actively promote and use Hydromea’s innovative EXRAY wireless ROV for inspections of ballast water tanks at FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) platforms in the North Sea and Latin American markets. Hydromea will benefit from ACE’s certified offshore inspection team, as well as existing and new service contracts.
Vehicle Dexterity
Patent-pending EXRAY wireless ROV is designed to take the underwater inspection technology one step further, enabling the more affordable and faster inspection of complex and dangerous flooded spaces for asset operators. Hydromea achieves this by eliminating a tether between a pilot and an inspection vehicle. This brings a significant improvement in the dexterity of the vehicle and eliminates the risk of entanglement during an inspection mission of a complex submerged infrastructure. EXRAY was developed with the support of the Net Zero Technology Centre in Scotland and TotalEnergies UK.
Alexander Bahr, co-founder and COO of Hydromea, said: “We have chosen to work with ACE in the offshore market segment because we feel the team has the right level of ambition and market intelligence. ACE is not just a service company; their team started off and continues as a bespoke robotics company, breaking boundaries in what’s possible. We look forward to working together with ACE on delivering more cost effective, efficient and safe asset integrity inspections, by replacing or reducing the amount of time personnel are placed in hazardous environments to carry out critical inspections with cutting-edge robotics.”
Paradigm Shift in Underwater Robotics
Kieran Hope, co-founder and COO of Air Control Entech, added: “This partnership strengthens ACE’s position in the class-accredited remote inspection space, creating a bespoke, more competitive offering, while reinforcing our position as a leader in the provision and creation of innovating robotic solutions in the offshore inspection market. Hydromea’s EXRAY wireless ROV is a true paradigm shift in underwater robotics and we are honoured to be the first company taking it to our clients.”
Roger Esson, head of industry & partner network at NZTC, said: “It is great to see two technology companies, both supported by NZTC, joining forces to expand their services into new areas of the ROV market. It is this type of collaboration that will accelerate the use of the technologies required to deliver our net zero ambitions.”
Founded in 2014, Hydromea is a Swiss-based underwater robotics company helping its customers to have unparalleled underwater data connectivity and efficient remote inspection access to submerged assets. Founded in 2016, ACE is a Scotland-based certified remote technology specialist, delivering solutions to many inspection challenges in the offshore energy space.
