Simultaneous ROV operations cut vessel days off Senegal

DeepOcean has demonstrated a methodology for combining subsea inspection and full 3D scanning into a single remotely supported ROV campaign, completing both scopes simultaneously across 69 subsea structures at Woodside Energy’s Sangomar deepwater field off the coast of Senegal.

 

Routine subsea inspection and structural 3D scanning are traditionally conducted as sequential, discrete operations, each requiring dedicated offshore mobilisation. By integrating them into a single campaign, DeepOcean completed the combined work in slightly more than half the vessel time that two separate operations would have demanded, while doubling the data output delivered to the operator.

 

The technical capability underpinning the campaign draws on a proprietary ecosystem that DeepOcean has developed over the past decade. The operational package encompasses inspection engineers and ROV pilots working with ROVs equipped with specialist scanning hardware, integrated with data processing software capable of exploiting computer-aided drawings, ROV footage and sonar returns. A proprietary 3D imaging software pipeline converts the combined data into full 3D models, with digital twin outputs generated for ongoing asset management.

 

Key to the methodology is photogrammetry, the extraction of precise spatial measurements and 3D information from 2D photographic data. The discipline combines optics, geometry, computer vision and imaging science to convert ROV footage and survey data into accurate 3D reconstructions of subsea infrastructure. Applied at Sangomar, this enabled the capture of high-resolution structural data that supports detailed planning for future inspection and maintenance activities across the field.

 

“By applying 3D reconstructions in our operations, we improve our capacity to detect structural anomalies like cracks or deformities and understand their proximity to critical components,” said DeepOcean CEO Øyvind Mikaelsen. “This enables timely maintenance and prevents failures.”

 

The Sangomar Phase 1 Development lies around 100km south of Dakar in water depths characteristic of deepwater operations. Production commenced in June 2024, making this baseline survey campaign a timely exercise in establishing the structural reference data from which future inspection findings will be benchmarked. The 69 structures surveyed included 17 subsea trees.

 

DeepOcean was already engaged at Sangomar under a broader subsea inspection, maintenance and repair contract.

 

The Sangomar campaign will be watched closely by operators seeking to reduce vessel day counts without compromising the quality or scope of subsea inspection programmes, a pressure that is only increasing as deepwater portfolios expand and cost discipline intensifies across the sector.

 

This article appeared in Insights, TNA May/June 2026