Understanding the Global Scientific Value of Industry ROV Data to Quantify Marine Ecology and Guide Offshore Decommissioning Strategies

Authors

Dianne McLean, University of Western Australia
Peter Macreadie, Deakin University
D J. White, University of Southampton, University of Western Australia
Paul Thomson, University of Western Australia
Ashley Fowler, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries
Andrew Gates, National Oceanography Centre
Mark Benfield, Louisiana State University
Tammy Horton, National Oceanography Centre
Danielle Skropeta, University of WollongongFollow
Todd Bond, University of Western Australia
David Booth, University of Technology Sydney
Erika Techera, University of Western Australia
Chari Pattiaratchi, University of Western Australia
S Collins, University of Western Australia
Daniel O. B. Jones, National Oceanography Centre
Luke Smith, Woodside Energy Ltd
Julian C. Partridge, University of Western Australia

RIS ID

124355

Publication Details

McLean, D. L., Macreadie, P., White, D. J., Thomson, P. G., Fowler, A., Gates, A. R., Benfield, M., Horton, T., Skropeta, D., Bond, T., Booth, D. J., Techera, E., Pattiaratchi, C., Collins, S., Jones, D. O. B., Smith, L. & Partridge, J. C. (2018). Understanding the Global Scientific Value of Industry ROV Data to Quantify Marine Ecology and Guide Offshore Decommissioning Strategies. Offshore Technology Conference Asia, 20-23 March, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (pp. 1-10). Malaysia: Offshore Technology Conference. 2018

Abstract

This paper describes the potential global scientific value of video and other data collected by Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). ROVs are used worldwide, primarily by the offshore oil and gas industry, to monitor the integrity of subsea infrastructure and, in doing so, collect terabytes of video and in situ physical data from inaccessible regions and poorly understood marine environments. The paper begins by describing how recent ROV surveys for projects in Australia have gained a new dimension by involving marine scientists in their interpretation. A previously unrecognised influence of marine life on oil and gas pipelines was uncovered, triggering new collaborations between industry and marine science.