Leading innovator in the subsea technology: Cathx Ocean is helping clients to collect and process data across various applications

The Silicon Review

The traditional way to extract offshore reserves is via a fixed or floating production facility, with all the equipment needed (pumps, separators, water handling, compressors, processing and storage) located topside. However, in deep or remote waters, surface facilities are expensive and space optimization is critical, making production from such locations challenging. Subsea technology provides a means to technically and economically produce remote and/or deepwater reserves by placing wellheads and associated mechanical and electrical infrastructure on the sea bed. Subsea technology involves fully submerged ocean equipment, operations, or applications, especially when some distance offshore, in deep ocean waters, or on the seabed. The term subsea is frequently used in connection with oceanography, marine or ocean engineering, ocean exploration, remotely operated vehicle (ROVs) autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), submarine communications or power cables, seafloor mineral mining, oil and gas, and offshore wind power.

Cathx Ocean is one such subsea technology company specializing in the development of advanced lighting, imaging, and machine vision tools for subsea imaging, measurement, survey, construction, exploration, and production operations. The company's mission is to change how subsea imaging and measurement is performed today. This is achieved through unique and modern engineering and scientific expertise resulting in the world’s first true subsea camera and machine vision systems. Its products designed specifically for subsea, allow AUV’s and ROV’s to capture high resolution image and telemetry data at greater ranges and speeds. These include the first fully engineered subsea camera, a laser profiler with co registered still images and LED lighting systems with continuous and strobe capability. Enabling high-speed, high-quality data acquisition, its systems integrate with the full range of AUV and ROV vehicles on the market. Similarly, its software and workflows are designed to utilize existing resources and data processing tools. Together with its clients, the company is pioneering the technologies of machine vision, data management and data analytics to bring its clients a step closer to full automation.

CATHX FDI^® SEABED

CATHX FDI^® SEABED (Fast Digital Inspection) is an underwater visual data acquisition technique that captures large lengths of subsea pipelines and cable runs as well as large areas of seabed at speed. It produces sharp, high-quality images supported by accurate laser measurement data that enables asset owners to carry out inspections safely onshore. It can be deployed across a wide range of ROVs, AUVs and ROTVs to conduct a wide range of optical surveys on man-made assets, organic life, or area surveys of the seafloor. The accurate visual representations produced of seabed environments and man-made assets provide powerful information for scientific research, environmental surveys and asset integrity. The continuous data acquisition methodology used by CATHX visual systems reduces the acquisition time of a seabed survey to 6 days compared to a conventional survey of 36 days.

CATHX FDI^® SEABED reduces the time required and the number of resources required at every stage of survey expeditions substantially reducing the operational costs. It is sustainable for wide range of seabed applications including Oil and Gas Pipelines, Electrical & communications cables, windfarms, marine environments, subsea mining, defense, law enforcement and fisheries. Gain as much knowledge as possible through the numerous high quality data deliverables such as UHD Imagery, 3D Color Point clouds, and much more. The CATHX FDI^® SEABED technique requires fewer people to be on the boat during acquisition as it simplifies mobilization, streamlines acquisition, and moves the inspection onshore.

CATHX FDI^® STRUCTURES

It is an acquisition technique to gather clear high-resolution image and accurate laser measurement information offshore. It allows engineering and inspection to be performed onshore. The speed at which visual and laser information can be acquired via CATHX FDI^® STRUCTURES reduces vessel times, carbon footprint and operational costs by up to 50%. Digitization of subsea assets has become a key requirement when conducting underwater surveys. CATHX FDI^® STRUCTURES generates and provides their clients with a high-resolution and scaled “CATHX FDI^® Visual Twin” of subsea assets at considerably reduced operational costs compared to conventional visual inspection. CATHX FDI^® STRUCTURES acquisition methodology requires fewer people to be on the vessel. The inspection software allows for onshore inspection further reducing offshore HSE risk.

The CATHX FDI^® Visual Twin is an inspection method with a scaled 3D visual representation of a structure supported by specific 2D UHD image sets where Clients can zoom into specific details and visually verify the information. The CATHX VANGUARD system is a dual-sensor stereo imaging and laser measurement system that delivers CATHX Fast Digital Inspection (FDI^®) for a range of subsea ROV operations. The company recognizes that specific Client assets and inspection requirements may differ. As part of the CATHX FDI^® STRUCTURES service, they work with each client to establish discover and determine the optimal flight paths to meet their data requirements and to reduce vessel times during data collection contributing to a reduction in vessel times. Cathx Ocean has developed a methodology for non-stop acquisition, removing the need for Inspection Engineers to be present on the vessel and enabling onshore inspection.

The Visionary Leader Upfront

Adrian Boyle is the Chief Executive Officer of Cathx Ocean. Following his doctorate, he worked in Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden on high bit rate optical communication systems before joining an Irish technology Start-up company Machine Vision Technology in 1998.

For the twenty years since then, Adrian has worked in technology, leadership, founder and commercial roles in companies specialized in Machine Vision, Machine learning and optical or laser technologies. Building on this experience, he founded Cathx Ocean in 2009 to deliver Advanced Imaging and Machine Learning as a core automation technology for the subsea sector.

Mr. Boyle holds a Ph.D. in Physics in the area of Laser and Optical systems and holds a Degree in Materials Science, both from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.