Invasive Species Inspection of the Transocean Drilling Rig "Jack Bates"

ROV Innovations partnered with Biofouling Solutions (http://www.biofoulingsolutions.com.au) to inspect the Transocean Drilling Rig "Jack Bates" as it entered Australian Waters from Singapore earlier this year. Western Australian Fisheries dictates that all incoming international vessels must be inspected on entry into Australian waters for any Marine Invasive Species that could potentially upset the delicate marine ecosystems in Australian waters.

ROV Innovations staff completed the mandatory BOSIET course in Perth through ERGT Training, flew to Exmouth, then boarded a helicopter to head out to the Jack Bates which was situated 100km off shore NE of Exmouth. The Jack Bates floats on two massive pontoons, and is anchored in place before drilling into the sea floor. These pontoons were the subject of the biosecurity inspection.

Even in sea conditions that would prohibit the use of commercial divers, ROV Innovations 300F High definition ROV completed the biosecurity inspection within 2 days, saving Transocean hundreds of thousands of dollars. Biofouling Solutions Director and Chief Scientist Ashley Coutts commented that the combination of the High Definition camera, and stability and robustness of the Seamor ROV allowed him to have an extremely high level of confidence that there were no invasive species present on the Jack Bates Hull, something that would be nearly impossible with commercial divers given the location and conditions of the inspection.

Dr Ashley Coutts gave us this great recommendation after completing the Biosecurity Inspection -

"Top qualities: Great Results, High Integrity, Creative
“Biofouling Solutions has utilized ROV Innovations on two occasions to date to undertake verification inspections of various vessels for Invasive Marine Species. We have really enjoyed working with ROV Innovations because they are committed to the client's needs and on both occasions exceeded our expectations.”