Subsea Dredger Trials Exceeds All Expectations
Subsea Tooling Services (STS)’s new subsea dredging system has ‘exceeded all expectations’ in trails at The Underwater Centre’s Loch Linnhe site at Fort William – moving around one tonne of rocks per minute.
The Predator Subsea Dredger, a new concept in the world market, has exceeded all expectations in terms of efficiency and performance having moved nine tonnes of 50-60mm rocks on the seabed in between eight and nine minutes in its trials.
The Predator Subsea Dredger, a new concept in the world market, underwent a number of trials while fitted to the Triton XL26 work class ROV used for training and trials at The Underwater Centre’s Loch Linnhe site in Fort William.
Further trials designed to test the integrity of the system, including the dredging of 100-130mm rocks in an attempt to break the machine and to identify any weak spots, highlighted the robustness and strength of the product.
Billy Milne, Business Development Manager, STS, said “We wanted to prove the dredger’s capabilities to our clients, as well confirm our development tests by filming it in action in conditions close to those it will be used in offshore.
Steve Ham, General Manager, The Underwater Centre, said “Companies such as STS are at the forefront of technology development for the oil and gas sector.
“In today’s market, it’s increasingly important that new technologies are developed more quickly, and in a cost effective way; the facilities we have on offer at the Centre help achieve this by providing an alternative to having to test offshore.”
The Underwater Centre is a purpose-built subsea training and trials facility and is based on the shore of a seawater lake, Loch Linnhe, well sheltered by the surrounding mountains.
