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Case studiesNine deployments, with the numbers attached.
Documented field deployments of systems we supply - a class survey halved, a million kroner saved per avoided vessel call, a week-long dive operation compressed into a day, a recovery at a depth divers could not reach. Reported by the manufacturers and the operators, and attributed to them.
Whose work these are
Being precise about this is worth more than the extra credit we could claim by being vague.
These are not our projects
Every case below is a deployment carried out by the operator, using a system from a manufacturer we distribute, and documented by that manufacturer. We supply the equipment and the advice around it - we did not run these jobs, and presenting them as though we had would not survive a single follow-up question.
The figures are theirs, and they are attributed
Percentages and savings originate with the manufacturers and the end users named in each case. We have left the attribution in place rather than absorbing the numbers into our own marketing. Where a figure is specific to one deployment, the case says so.
Looking for our own documented work? Two in-service epoxy repairs - leaking GRE ballast pipes on a super tanker and severely corroded pipes on a container vessel, both carried out onboard during a voyage - are on our Epoxy Solutions page.
The saving is almost never the inspection
Read them together and the same shape appears each time: the cost that disappeared was a mobilisation, a shutdown, a dive team or a docking - not the survey itself.
The support vessel
Specialist vessel hire dominates the cost of offshore inspection. Remove the mobilisation and the economics of frequency change entirely.
The dive or rope team
Five or six people, permits, standby cover and scheduling - replaced by one or two operators in most of these cases.
The shutdown
Dewatering, scaffolding and taking an asset offline is frequently the reason inspection gets deferred until something fails.
Routine instead of reactive
The most valuable outcome in several of these is not a single finding - it is that inspection became frequent enough to catch things early.
Nine cases, across seven sectors
Each one names the manufacturer and the operator.
FPSO ballast tank class survey, at half the time
The challenge
A class-certified FPSO ballast tank survey traditionally requiring six rope-access personnel, scaffold towers and four days of offshore operations in confined, hazardous spaces.
The result
Two personnel completed the full class-certified survey in two days. The manufacturer reports approximately 90% cost reduction against the rope-access method, with no scaffold and no dewatering. Automated data management removed the manual report collation step.
Source: Hydromea. The ~90% figure is the manufacturer's, for this deployment. · Hydromea systems · Offshore energy
Platform inspection without the specialist vessel call
The challenge
Frequent inspection of platform assets on the Kristin and Ivar Aasen fields, where each inspection traditionally required hiring a specialised offshore support vessel.
The result
ROV inspection eliminated specialist vessel mobilisations. Equinor reports saving one million NOK each time a spare vessel hire is avoided. Separately, Noble Drilling completed nineteen ballast tank inspections in two days.
Source: Blueye Robotics, citing Equinor and Noble Drilling. · Blueye platforms · Offshore energy
Bridge scour survey: a week-long operation done in a day
The challenge
Bridge foundation scour assessment - traditionally a week-long dive operation with specialist marine contractors and significant disruption to river traffic.
The result
An ROV with bathymetric mapping completed the full survey in a single day, with millimetre-level measurement accuracy and minimal surface disruption. A repeatable baseline was established for future monitoring.
Source: QYSEA. · QYSEA platforms · Ports & infrastructure
Recovery at 100 metres, below the divers' operational limit
The challenge
A missing person was located at 100 metres depth - beyond the operational dive limit of the Coast Guard's own divers. The recovery needed a solution deployable from their existing vessel, without a specialist ROV crew.
The result
The ROV located and recovered the victim at 100 metres. Commander Stein Magne Eidissen is quoted as saying the person was "found at a depth of a hundred meters and was actually brought up by this ROV." Operational within minutes of deployment.
Source: Blueye Robotics, citing the Norwegian Coast Guard. · Blueye platforms · Defence & security
Contraband located beneath a hull, with no diver in the water
The challenge
Locating and recovering a large underwater cache attached to a vessel hull - a dangerous operation for divers in a high-traffic port environment.
The result
The ROV located and enabled recovery of 500 kg of cocaine from beneath a vessel. Zero diver risk, rapid deployment from port without a specialist vessel, and evidence-grade video documentation secured.
Source: QYSEA, citing Gibraltar Customs. · QYSEA platforms · Defence & security
Silo foundation deterioration caught before failure
The challenge
Routine underwater inspection of silo foundations - structures that would be extremely costly and environmentally damaging to fail. Traditional dive inspection was intermittent and expensive, so it happened rarely.
The result
Inspection identified critical structural deterioration before failure, and preventative repair was initiated. A routine inspection programme now replaces reactive maintenance - which matters more than the single finding.
Source: Blueye Robotics, citing Aarhus Port. · Blueye platforms · Ports & infrastructure
Documenting species migration at depth, season after season
The challenge
Climate researchers needed to document northward species migration and habitat change at depth, requiring repeat surveys at fixed underwater sites without specialist ROV pilots on the team.
The result
The ROV was deployed by research staff without specialist training, establishing repeat-survey capability for longitudinal climate data. Principal Anne Husebekk is quoted describing wrecks being colonised by species "that have not been so far North earlier."
Source: Blueye Robotics, citing the University of Tromsø. NTNU and UNIS are reported as using the same platforms for comparable work. · Research & survey
Salmon farm net inspection without diver dependency
The challenge
A Vancouver Island operation, part of a British Columbia sector supplying over 50,000 tonnes annually, needed regular net and cage inspection to prevent escapes and meet regulatory requirements without depending on dive operations.
The result
A Steelhead ROV with dual-grip manipulator was deployed for net inspection, repair support and mooring assessment. Diver operations were reduced, and modular third-party sensor compatibility allowed environmental monitoring to join the same programme.
Source: Seamor Marine, citing MOWI West. · Seamor platforms · Aquaculture
Subsea pipeline inspection: multi-week programme compressed to one day
The challenge
Inspection of a critical subsea pipeline, planned as a multi-week project requiring specialist offshore contractors and significant operational disruption.
The result
The full pipeline inspection was completed in a single day, with smart measurement delivering millimetre-precision corrosion data and an immediate baseline established for ongoing condition monitoring.
Source: QYSEA. · QYSEA platforms · Offshore energy
Three honest caveats before you put these in a business case
They are genuinely useful evidence. They are not a guarantee, and presenting them as one inside your organisation will cost you credibility rather than winning the argument.
A percentage from one deployment is not a general rule
The ~90% and 10× figures come from specific jobs where the alternative was a rope-access team or a support vessel. If your current method does not carry that overhead, expect a far smaller number. The reliable version of the argument is "what mobilisation does this remove", and that you can calculate for yourself.
Class acceptance is per application, not per product
Some systems are class-certified for visual inspection and NDT data collection, which is what enables regulatory-grade submissions. Requirements still vary by class society and by asset. Confirm the specific requirement with your surveyor before planning a programme around it.
These are the deployments that went well and got written up
That is true of every case study collection, including this one. Which is why the more useful thing we can offer is not another case study but a trial on your own site - where the conditions are yours and the result is not curated.
If one of these looks like your problem
Find the matching platform
Depth, task, budget and portability in, a cross-brand shortlist out.
ROV Finder →Understand the capability
Which technologies actually changed the outcome in these cases, and when they are worth paying for.
Technology →Our own case reports
Two in-service epoxy repairs carried out onboard during a voyage, with the reports to download.
Epoxy Solutions →Tell us which one resembles your problem
If one of these is close to your situation, say so and we will tell you honestly how comparable it really is - including where your conditions make it harder than the case suggests.
Thank you - that's with us.
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