By Peter Uzoho
Nigerian integrated oilfield services provider, RusselSmith, has partnered with Kongsberg Ferrotech, a Norwegian subsea robotics company, to introduce a range of autonomous subsea robotic technologies to the Nigerian market.
The robotic solutions were designed to perform inspection, repair and maintenance tasks on subsea pipelines, with the distinct advantage of being able to assess and repair subsea pipes in a single operation without divers and other conventional vessel-supported equipment.
The partnership would see RusselSmith further improve its subsea monitoring, repair and lifetime extension service offerings for rigid and flexible pipes, umbilicals and ancillaries.
Speaking on the collaboration between both companies, Kongsberg Ferrotech’s General Manager, Christopher Carlsen, said: “We are very pleased to collaborate with RusselSmith to introduce our autonomous robotic technologies to the Nigerian market. We believe that these technologies will have a very positive impact on asset integrity management operations in the country”.
Also commenting on the partnership, the Divisional Chief Executive at RusselSmith, Effiong Okwong, described the innovation as a game-changer for their operations, adding that it is also a positive development for the Nigerian oil and gas industry because operators in Nigeria now have access to a versatile and effective emergency pipeline repair system that has a small footprint and is also autonomous.
Okwong further added: “We have a growing number of ageing assets in the country that require focused maintenance and life extension efforts. Such maintenance efforts can now be further optimised for efficiency and made more cost-effective by adopting robotic solutions like ours.
“On the environmental front, we can expect to see a reduction in pollution due to pipeline leaks because operators will be better equipped to maintain pipelines and respond quickly to incidents. At RusselSmith, our focus remains on providing smart technology solutions to help our customers unlock more value from their assets in safe and efficient ways.”
