Offshore wind services provider Beam acquired two 18-m-long Xplorer autonomous surface vessels and a Quantum EV work class ROV for more than £15 million ($19.95 million) on Sept. 18.
The new company, formed from the merger of Rovco and Vaarst on Sept. 16, said the additions to its fleet would be key to its operations and maintenance, survey and decommissioning services.
Both Xplorer survey vessels have large open aft decks, which can support high payloads; intelligent stabilizers are said to minimize unwanted vessel motions.
As autonomous workboats, they can deploy the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) models while compiling data, which is then beamed back to shore for more processing.
The electric, heavy-duty Quantum EV is said to be lighter and more agile than conventional work class ROVs, allowing it to operate in strong currents and shallow waters.
It will allow the company to perform tasks in wider operating windows and more difficult conditions.
Beam also claims to be deploying the world’s first AUV driven by AI, with the technology used successfully to inspect jacket structures on the Seagreen wind farm in the UK central North Sea, according to a Sept. 23 press release.
Seagreen, a joint venture between SSE Renewables, TotalEnergies and PTTEP, began operations last October and is said to be the world’s deepest fixed-bottom offshore wind farm.
The data collected via the AUV will support operational reliability at the wind farm, providing, for instance, insights into marine growth and any potential erosion at the foundations.
According to Beam, inspections of offshore wind sites are generally manual and time consuming. AI-driven work can trim inspection times by up to 50%, in turn reducing operational costs. The technology can also deliver better quality inspection data and enables 3D reconstruction of facilities alongside visual data.
Beam plans to extend the use of AI across its fleet of DP2 vessels, ROVs and AUVs during 2025 and 2026.
