Blumags and DeepOcean Team Up for Latest Innovation in ROV Magnets

Blumags recently sent its latest innovation, the Moby ROV magnet, for field trials with their development partner DeepOcean in the Balder field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The plan was for Moby to assist with ROV hull cleaning and other tasks on the Balder floating production unit.

The magnet was tested as an ROV guide for the 250 Te crane main block on OLYMPIC ARES during a tree cap replacement and as an ROV grabber bar on a template during a clamp installation. The DeepOcean operatives reported back as follows:

‘The design is a robust and lightweight solution, easy to handle by both personnel onboard the vessel and by ROV subsea. The possibility of angling the magnetic modules ensured Moby could be installed on a curved surface and the release mechanism was easy to operate both by hand and with the ROV. The magnet held firmly when installed and released as expected after operation.’

(Image credit: Bluemags)

For the crane hook test Moby was installed on a clean, painted surface whereas during the template test it was installed on a surface with low amount of marine growth and no prior cleaning.

(Image credit: Bluemags)

Moby was installed on the crane block on deck and secured to the hook with a lanyard. The main block was deployed down to approximately 115 m depth, where the ROV grabbed the magnet with its Atlas arm and parallel claw and positioned the hook above the tree cap running tool. The hook was then carefully landed on top of the running tool to add additional weight to the tree cap during installation.