This year at ADIPEC, Fugro, the leading global Geo-data specialist, showed its ground-breaking remote and autonomous solutions that will help the energy sector reduce carbon emissions and enable safer and more cost-efficient offshore operations. David Washbrook, Director Marine Asset Integrity Middle East and India at Fugro, describes to Robban Assafina how the company’s achievements in the autonomous and remote technologies are helping perceive the maritime industry in a different way. 

After the pandemic, what can you tell us about meeting again at ADIPEC 2022?
It’s an incredible journey, it’s one of the key parts of the year that we see as well defining to raise brand awareness. We have got a lot of priorities here in the Middle East especially in the UAE, and now we are really happy to be bringing in new technology to the region. Coming back after the pandemic and the global issues, the engagement and interaction is great and we are happy to be present here.

Fugro has lately achieved many successes in the region, what can you tell us about the new technologies and the industry’s feedback regarding Fugro’s latest USV?
It’s a step forward and a new chapter in the way we think in the marine industry, as we step into an uncrewed, safe and sustainable way of undertaking operations. For me, the most important part is safety that means being able to bring people away from dangers of the offshore environment, back into the safe remote operation centre (ROC). When we talk about sustainability, it’s essentially the safety of the planet, and with that in mind, we have now got a place for technologies that are 97% more fuel efficient than their rivals on larger vessels. This is a step forward in terms of technological advancement and UAE is noted for driving innovations, so it’s fantastic to bring that here to ADIPEC.

Can you tell us more about Fugro’s new generation of un-crewed surface vessels?
At the moment of speaking, the vessel is operating 150 km away from here at Al Mirfa port, the vessel is the first of its kind here to be registered and flagged here in the UAE. It is 12m long and launches Fugro’s eROV, the internal innovative technology, focusing towards the offshore inspection of subsea, port and harbor infrastructure. This means that we have over-the-horizon capability, we don’t need to see the vessel but we can operate it from anywhere in UAE and it gives a whole new operating method since we don’t longer need a mother vessel to be alongside and it can go over the horizon and stay at offshore for 21 days.

Fugro has partnerships with known companies in the maritime industry and in the region, how do you evaluate these partnerships and do you look into investing more in the upcoming future?
We have a proud history in UAE as we worked alongside Abu Dhabi Ports and ADNOC for a very long period of time. So to be able to combine that with the latest agreement singing with Abu Dhabi Ports, and change the way people perceive the maritime is absolutely incredible for us. I think this is going to be the catalyst now to move forwards to what the future looks like.

What other areas is Fugro targeting next? 
Aside from this vessel in the UAE, we have 2 other vessels operating in the Asia Pacific region, and one in the North Sea. This continues the mindset of innovation which is something very close to Fugro’s heart; it maps the strategy for remote and autonomous technologies being core to what we do: delivering data for a safe world, which is our overall goal.

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	Issue 82 of Robban Assafina (Nov./Dec. 2022)