Comparing the Utility of Industry ROV and Hybrid-AUV Imagery for Surveys of Fish Along a Subsea Pipeline

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-42
Author(s):  
Todd Bond ◽  
Jane Prince ◽  
Dianne L. McLean ◽  
Julian C. Partridge
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Subsea Pipeline ◽  
Pipeline Inspection ◽  
Video Footage ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas

AbstractIn recent years, video footage obtained from routine industry surveys using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) has been used to assess fish assemblages associated with offshore oil and gas infrastructure. However, as industry moves towards using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), it is important to understand how such a change may affect assessments of fish assemblages and whether these data collected from AUVs can be directly compared to those collected from historic and future ROV footage. In an extremely rare opportunity, we compare fish assemblages surveyed by an industrial ROV and an industrial hybrid-AUV (H-AUV) along the same 2,060-m section of subsea pipeline, at the same time of day, within 1 day of each other. A total of 206 transects, each 20 m in length, were analyzed, recording 406 fish from 10 species. The H-AUV recorded all 10 fish species, while the ROV recorded seven. Mean species richness was ~4% higher for H-AUV, and mean abundance was ~21% higher for ROV; these differences can be considered negligible. Multivariate analysis revealed nonsignificant differences in species composition between survey methods. This result suggests that future surveys of fish at this pipeline using a similar H-AUV can yield comparable results to ROV and, as such, facilitate comparison to historical ROV imagery. Future surveys of pipelines with AUV should consider adding extra lighting and high-definition cameras onto booms similar to those operating on ROVs, which will provide a useful field of view into pipeline spans and make it easier to identify fish. Our study provides insight into the utility and comparability of industry ROV and AUV pipeline inspection footage for the assessment of fish assemblages associated with subsea pipelines, which is used to inform policies and practices on the installation and decommissioning of subsea infrastructure.

scholarly journals Enhanced ROV Survey of Tropical Fish and Benthic Communities Associated With Shallow Oil and Gas Platforms

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne L. McLean ◽  
Matthew Birt
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Tropical Fish ◽  
Relative Mass ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
North West ◽  
Stereo Video ◽  
Encrusting Sponges

Abstract Understanding the ecology of oil and gas infrastructure in our oceans is required to inform decommissioning such that environmental impacts are minimised, and benefits maximised. This study equipped an industrial remotely operated vehicle (ROV) with a stereo-video system and collected seven hours of high-definition imagery of two platform jackets, for assessments of benthic (type, density, complexity) and fish assemblages (richness, abundance, length) present. Harriet Alpha (25 m depth) and Gibson/South Plato (8 m depth) are located ca. 120 km offshore of north-west Australia, adjacent to Varanus Island. Twenty-one ‘classes’ of benthic biota were observed in high density, with little bare structure on either platform. Encrusting sponges (average 19% cover per virtual quadrat), barnacles (17%) and sponges (16%) were common on Gibson/South Plato while encrusting sponges (16%) and macroalgae (18%) were ubiquitous on quadrats on Harriet Alpha. The sun coral Tubastraea faulkneri was common on Harriet Alpha (38% of quadrats), though coverage was low (<6%). A total of 102 fish species from 27 families were observed. This included 33 fishery target species with an estimated relative mass of 116 kg on Gibson/South Plato and 299 kg on Harriet Alpha, with these species typically concentrated near the seafloor-structure interface. Differences in benthic biota communities present on each platform likely reflect spatial variations in oceanographic processes, proximity to natural habitats and the age, configuration, cleaning regime and depth of the structures themselves. This study demonstrates the value of adding stereo-video systems to ROVs to undertake rapid scientific surveys of oil and gas infrastructure.

scholarly journals Decommissioning impacts on biotic assemblages associated with shell mounds beneath southern California offshore oil and gas platforms

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 683-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin L Meyer-Gutbrod ◽  
Milton S Love ◽  
Jeremy T Claisse ◽  
Henry M Page ◽  
Donna M Schroeder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Shell Mounds ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

The decommissioning of southern California offshore oil and gas platforms will create major economic, engineering, and environmental challenges in the next decade. Platform jackets, conductors, and shell mounds often host a diverse and productive marine community, and among the myriad considerations associated with decommissioning planning, platform operators and federal and state regulatory agencies will consider the ecological value of existing underwater structures as artificial reefs. In the event of partial removal of platform structure, fish assemblages on decommissioned platforms may remain unchanged in areas where structure is left intact. However, on the seafloor beneath the platforms, a mound of debris often called the shell mound will likely change over time if the supply of falling mussels and other organisms from the productive surface part of the structure is removed. In this study, we review shell mound research relevant to decommissioning, including mound formation, contaminant loads, associated biological communities, and transitions following the removal of platform structures at four sites. To address the gap in knowledge of shell mound fish community structure, we used manned submersible and remotely operated vehicle surveys from 1997 to 2013 to estimate the biomass, density, species composition and similarity between shell mounds at 22 southern California platforms. We found a wide range of variability in fish density and shell mound areal extent. Species composition also varied among sites, with three significant community clusters primarily distinguished by species depth preferences. These results will help inform a comprehensive net environmental benefit analysis of southern California offshore platform decommissioning alternatives.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles: The Latest Tool for Archaeological Investigations

2002 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 45-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Church ◽  
Daniel J. Warren
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles ◽  
Underwater Vehicles ◽  
First Year ◽  
Archaeological Investigation ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Offshore Oil

In 2001, C&C Technologies, Inc. of Lafayette, Louisiana began using the HUGIN 3000 AUV in the Gulf of Mexico for offshore oil and gas surveys. This new survey vehicle is faster, more accurate, and more maneuverable than conventional deep-tow systems and has raised the bar for deepwater geophysical and hydrographic surveys. Although archaeology was not the primary purpose for developing the vehicle, archaeologists are and will continue to benefit from its use. Archaeological investigation with a conventional deep-tow system is seldom conducted during industry surveys because of the cost and time involved in operating such a system. However, during the first year of operation with the HUGIN 3000, four shipwrecks were investigated as a result of the HUGIN's cost effectiveness. The use of the HUGIN 3000 directly led to the discovery of the long sought after German submarine, U-166, which was located near its last victim, the passenger freighter SS Robert E. Lee. This AUV also helped document two additional newly discovered shipwrecks: The cargo freighter SS Alcoa Puritan and a small wooden sailing vessel known as the Mica wreck.

Robots in the offshore oil and gas industries: a review of recent developments

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Bogue
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles ◽  
Operating Costs ◽  
Short Introduction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Inspection And Maintenance ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

Purpose This paper aims to provide details of recent developments in robots aimed at applications in the offshore oil and gas industries. Design/methodology/approach Following a short introduction, this first discusses developments to remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). It then describes the Total-sponsored Autonomous Robot for Gas and Oil Sites (ARGOS) robot challenge. This is followed by a discussion of the Offshore Robotics for Certification of Assets (ORCA) programme. Finally, brief concluding comments are drawn. Findings Subsea residency and other techniques are being developed that will enhance the availability and capabilities of AUVs and ROVs and reduce their operating costs. Mobile robots that can operate in harsh topside rig environments to monitor and detect hazards arose from ARGOS and are being developed further prior to commercialisation. Bringing together academics and users, the collaborative ORCA programme is making significant progress in the development of aerial, topside and underwater robotic and sensing technologies for rig asset inspection and maintenance. Originality/value This paper identifies and describes key development activities that will stimulate the use of robots by the offshore industries.

An Analysis of the Trends in US Offshore Oil and Gas Safety and Environmental Performance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy M. Gernand
Keyword(s):  
Random Forest ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

Abstract The production of oil and gas in the offshore waters of the United States continues to be a major part of US energy extraction activities amounting to just less than a third of total US oil and gas production. However, this industry has been marked by occasional safety and environmental disasters including most famously the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill that resulted in the deaths of 11 workers and the release of more than 130 million gallons of oil in to the Gulf of Mexico. In response, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) was created in 2011 to separate enforcement activities from federal lease management activities and reduce the possibility for conflicts of interests and regulatory capture. This paper presents an analysis of the safety and environmental performance of the US offshore oil and gas industry in the years before and after the creation of the BSEE to quantify the changes in the industry record and the level of risk that remains. Recorded events including fires and explosions, spills, and gas releases, collisions, and injuries and fatalities are included in the analysis. The overall level of exposure is estimated based on rig counts and oil and gas production quantities since detailed employment records by facility are not available. Data is sourced from the BSEE, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and the Energy Information Agency (EIA). In addition to linear regression analysis of trends, this paper presents the results of a random forest-based machine learning investigation of the characteristics of safety and environmental incidents to evaluate the most significant contributors that remain, especially those amenable to control through engineering system design. Facility type, water depth, distance to shore, and time of day or year in the relevant incident reports were included in the input dataset for the random forest model. Results indicate that the overall oil and gas industry has become safer in recent years, though significant risks remain. It is yet unclear whether the BSEE approach bears any responsibility for this change as the data are not yet sufficient to declare the post-2011 period as statistically significantly improved from prior years, though additional data in line with 2016–2017 level of performance would satisfy this condition. The random forest model indicates that increased risk is associated with time of day, quarter of the year, water depth, and distance to shore. Data quality concerns remain present as minor incidents and injuries may be under-reported. BSEE enforcement does not appear to be a direct cause of the noted improvements.

scholarly journals An analysis of the fish assemblages around 23 oil and gas platforms off California with comparisons with natural habitats

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 477-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milton S Love ◽  
Jeremy T Claisse ◽  
Alexa Roeper
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Central California ◽  
Shell Mounds ◽  
Young Of The Year ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

Between 1995 and 2013, we surveyed fishes living around 23 California offshore oil and gas platforms (midwaters, bases, and shell mounds) and 70 natural habitats. These platforms were distributed between about Point Arguello, central California, and Huntington Beach, southern California, had seafloor depths between 49 and 363 m, and were surveyed between one and 16 times. A total of 1,526,437 fishes were observed. Fish densities were highest around platform bases, followed by platform midwaters, shell mounds, and natural habitats. Of all fishes observed, 90.4% were in the genus Sebastes. Water depth was the strongest driver of the fish species assemblages, although habitat type and geographic location were also important. Most of the fishes living around platforms and natural habitats were relatively small, primarily ≤20 cm in length. Many of these individuals were the juveniles of larger taxa or the juveniles and adults of dwarf species. Larger fishes were less common and these were most often found around platform bases and on natural habitats. Most young-of-the-year (YOY) fishes occurred at water depths of ≤150 m at all four habitats. At platforms, YOY densities were highest in platform midwaters and bases. On average, densities of these young fishes were somewhat higher compared to natural habitats and it is likely that many, although not all, California platforms play a significant role as nursery grounds for a variety of fishes, particularly for a number of Sebastes species.

scholarly journals A comparison of two remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey methods used to estimate fish assemblages and densities around a California oil platform

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0242017
Author(s):  
Milton S. Love ◽  
Mary M. Nishimoto ◽  
Scott Clark ◽  
Li Kui ◽  
Azivy Aziz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Fish Habitat ◽  
Species Assemblages ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
Structural Method ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Integrity Assessment

Offshore oil and gas platforms have a finite life of production operations. Once production ceases, decommissioning options for the platform are assessed. The role that a platform’s jacket plays as fish habitat can inform the decommissioning decision. In this study, conducted along the crossbeams of a California platform jacket and using an ROV, we compared estimates of fish diversity and densities determined from a targeted “biological” survey with those from a replicated “structural” survey. We found that the water column fish species assemblages characterized by the two methods were similar. By contrast, the two survey methods yielded different species assemblages inhabiting the crossbeam at the platform jacket base. This difference occurred because, at least off California, the platform jacket base species diversity tends to be highest where the bottom crossbeam is undercut, creating sheltering sites for many species. Because the structural method inadequately imaged the seafloor-crossbeam interface, particularly where a gap occurred between crossbeam and seafloor, substantial numbers of fishes were not visible. While we cannot extrapolate from this study to all platforms’ worldwide, it is clear that routine platform structural integrity surveys may be a valuable source for opportunistic marine community surveys. Intentional planning of the structural survey to incorporate relatively minor variations (e.g., maintaining fixed ROV distance from the infrastructure and consistent 90° camera angle) coupled with a deliberate consideration of the platform ecology (e.g., positioning the ROV to capture the seafloor-crossbeam interface) can substantially improve the effects on fish assemblage assessments from routine structural surveys without compromising the integrity assessment. We suggest that these biases should be both acknowledged and, understood when using routine structural surveys to inform platform ecology assessment. Additional consideration may be given to structural surveys that incorporate incremental adjustments to provide better data applicability to biological assessments.

scholarly journals Fish Assemblages Associated With Oil and Gas Platforms in the Gulf of Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Euan S. Harvey ◽  
Stephanie L. Watts ◽  
Benjamin J. Saunders ◽  
Damon Driessen ◽  
Laura A. F. Fullwood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Gulf Of Thailand ◽  
Reference Sites ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas

Decommissioning of offshore oil and gas structures is either occurring, or imminent in most regions of the world. Most jurisdictions require that offshore structures be removed for onshore disposal. However, there is growing interest in understanding the ecological and socio-economic benefits of leaving structures in the water. Descriptions of how fish utilize the vertical structure created by wellhead platform jackets (platforms) will provide insights into possible outcomes of decommissioning alternatives, such as full removal, leave in situ, or translocation to a designated reefing site. We surveyed fish assemblages associated with seven platforms and five reference sites located ∼150 km offshore in the central Gulf of Thailand. The platforms spanned the entire water column (∼75 m) and were a mix of three and four legged structures. We used a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) fitted with an underwater stereo video system to quantify the abundance, size, biomass, and economic value of fish associated with the platforms. We recorded 43 species of fish on the platforms and five reference sites with most fishes on platforms categorized as coral-reef or coral-reef-associated species. We observed a strong vertical zonation in the fish assemblage on the platforms. The Regal demoiselle (Neopomacentrus cyanomos) was numerically dominant (75% of all fish observed). We measured 3,933 kg of fish on the platforms with Caranx sexfasciatus accounting for 76.12% of that. We conservatively estimate each platform had a scaled mean biomass of ∼2,927 kg and the fished species had scaled mean economic value of 175,500 Thai Baht per platform. We estimated that the biomass of fish associated with the seven platforms was at least four times higher per unit area than some of the world’s most productive coral reefs.

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