Friday 15 June 2018

UK subsea services company, Rovco has announced the successful completion of an underwater survey of the Amazon Reef, off the northern coast of Brazil, for leading environmental organisation, Greenpeace.

The Bristol-based firm carried out a full 3D seabed survey, deploying its SubAtlantic Mojave and Seaeye Cougar ROVs while using its latest 3D reconstruction technology. The project also required Rovco to mobilise a survey grade, fully redundant Ultra-Short Base Line (USBL) system for accurate subsea positioning.

Findings revealed the existence of coral reef near the mouth of the Amazon, which extends further than previously thought. The calcareous ecosystem which supports fish and other reef creatures lies inside a recently licensed exploration block, approximately 28km from an exploration well in the Foz do Amazonas basin.

The project was completed within six weeks by Rovco’s survey party chief, ROV supervisor and ROV pilot on-board the Greenpeace Esperanza ship. The mobilisation took place in Bordeaux, France, and work commenced offshore Brazil before concluding in French Guiana. The demobilisation will be conducted in La Rochelle over the coming weeks.

Rovco is already in discussions with Greenpeace about using similar 3D survey techniques to protect other sensitive environments around the world.