Global ROV contractor plans for future expansion

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Global ROV contractor plans for future expansion

Film-Ocean Ltd, a Stapem Group company, is a Global ROV contractor providing subsea inspection and technical support to oil, gas, and renewable energy industries.

To accommodate the company's recent growth and planned future expansion, the board of directors have approved an investment in a new facility based in Ellon. The new combined office, workshop and yard represents a significant increase in capacity compared to their current facility.

In addition to increased office space, the development includes equipment testing and inspection facilities, training facilities with several large meeting rooms and breakout areas. The workshop will offer several dedicated areas to service a wide range of components. A key feature is the internal 5m³ Test Tank with overhead gantry crane to allow the wet test of all the company’s ROV spreads and includes a client observation platform. The development is scheduled to break ground in Q4 2021 and be complete in Q3 2022.

The new development will also include a dedicated Remote Onshore Control Room to support remote inspection and ROV operations.

With advances in communication technology, a fast, reliable link between the onshore control room and the offshore ROV crews is now possible and affordable, allowing specialist engineers to input into the offshore works program, remotely supporting the operations from onshore. In addition, the onshore and offshore teams can stream video, live chat, and instant messaging to discuss real-time operations, delivering improved efficiencies to the client.

Film-Ocean has recently delivered 'Remote Support' during an inspection work scope. The service allowed access to onshore based CP and NDT specialists for the project's duration, along with a successful proof of concept trial.

The Onshore 'Remote Support' function will enhance their clients' experience and the ability to provide even further support, real-time, for its global operations. It will also add value, improve clients' efficiencies within their subsea operations, and maximise operational windows.

The new Onshore 'Remote Support' facility will ensure that Film-Ocean continues to expand its offering and meets market requirements by providing its clients the additional expertise and access to specialised technical support in real-time. The system will be operational from Q2 2022, delivering support 24/7, 365 days of the year.

Film-Ocean's ROV fleet has expanded during the past 18 months, with investments in new ROV systems, including a Schilling Heavy Duty Work Class ROV and an additional Quasar 150HP Work Class ROV.

The latest ROV to the fleet, the Schilling HD ROV, can operate at up to 4000m water depths and is supported by an Active Heave Compensation Launch and Recovery System (AHC LARS). Since its delivery, it has been in demand and has already been deployed on several offshore wind and oil and gas operations. As clients move to ultra-deep locations, the Schilling HD will be an ideal ROV solution to support construction, inspection, and decommissioning work scopes.

Scott Jenney, Film-Ocean CEO, said: "So far, 2021 has been extremely busy for Film-Ocean, and it is pleasing to see we remain a trusted service provider for our expanding customer base. Our growth has enabled us to introduce job roles within the business, and it’s good to be able to welcome new co-workers to the team, adding to the positive workplace culture we already enjoy.

The recent investments have allowed us to continue to support the needs of our customers, and the addition of the larger Work Class ROV assets has allowed us to expand our capabilities significantly and deliver on work scopes that we would previously not have been able to support.

As we near capacity in our current facility in Ellon, we look forward to the development and completion of our new home in 2022. The purpose-built facility will allow Film-Ocean to provide the best available facilities to our staff and ensure that our assets are maintained and tested to the highest possible standards.

The additional capacity also allows us to develop and implement our Remote Operations Support Service that will deliver enhanced efficiency and benefits to our clients."