Slocum G2 for Blue Ocean Monitoring
Teledyne Webb Research has sold and delivered a Slocum G2 to Blue Ocean Monitoring for use in commercial oil & gas-related applications. The Slocum device delivered to Blue Ocean Monitoring is equipped with an environmental characterisation optics (ECO) sensor, a conductivity, temperature, depth (CTD) sensor, and an oxygen optode. All Slocum G2 are 1,000m-rated and are hybrid (propeller) ready.
While approximately 500 Slocum gliders have been sold for academic and military applications, including fleets of gliders to the U.S. Navy, Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) and the United Kingdom National Oceanography Centre (NOC), the delivery to Blue Ocean Monitoring marks the beginning of a trend in the oil and gas industry toward remotely managed, low logistics, monitoring and sensing solutions.
Utilising remotely managed autonomous underwater vehicles like the Slocum glider, service providers are able to gather vital, near real-time, water column data to improve situational awareness in operating areas at a fraction of the cost of traditional approaches utilising surface vessels. Slocum gliders can be equipped with a choice of over 40 different sensors and are capable of deployments lasting up to a year. These gliders maintain communications through a satellite link permitting data transfer and missions management remotely, making gliders an ideal tool for oil and gas applications.
Simon Illingworth, managing director/CEO of Blue Ocean Monitoring commented that the company has a fleet of four Slocum gliders and that is increasing rapidly. Together with Ben Hollings, the COO, they have had a great response from clients in Australia, SE Asia, Africa and the Middle East.