Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK– Ashtead Technology has added subsea equipment from iXblue to its global rental fleet.
The company claims to be the only rental company offering the iXblue GAPS-NG navigation system, an ultra-short baseline positioning device for locating subsea assets.
Like its predecessor GAPS, this is said to provide full hemisphere tracking, replaceable transducers, and precise positioning of any subsea object in demanding environments, including very shallow waters, where other systems typically fail.
With its new telemetry capability, the system is also able to program, command, and calibrate compatible beacons on the seabed.
In addition to the two GAPS-NG systems, Ashtead’s fleet includesiXblue RAMSES to track the position of subsea structures without the need for multiple transponders or umbilicals.
Traditionally, achieving subsea accuracy requires deployment and calibration of subsurface equipment, which can be a time-consuming process.
Another addition to the Ashtead rental pool is iXblue’s Phins 6K system, an inertial navigation tool providing positioning, heading, attitude, speed depth, and heave data for deepwater operations.
Its inferential measurement unit is based on iXblue’s fiber-optic gyroscope technology and an embedded digital signal processor that runs an advanced Kalman filter.
According to Brook Rodger, regional sales manager for iXblue, the Phins has no moving parts or critical elements that deteriorate over time. “Consequently, its reliability is high with no maintenance.”
11/28/2017
