In January 2013 PT Java Offshore (Indonesia) completed the final training course on the operation and data processing for their new Gavia Surveyor autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), supplied by Teledyne Gavia (Reykjavik Iceland), a Teledyne Technologies Company. This is the first delivery of a fully capable, low-logistics survey AUV into the offshore markets in the South-East Asia region.
Training and initial field operation resulted in a series of missions in a variety of near-shore and offshore environments. PT Java Offshore operates a 1000m-depth rated Gavia Offshore Surveyor with INS/DVL (for precision) navigation, swath bathymetry and side scan sonar modules, and double battery modules for extended endurance. The field operations site was remote from support infrastructure, showing one of the advantages of the low-logistics AUV concept of operations.
Dr. Bachir Ouzani, Java Offshore Survey Lead, commented, "The Gavia AUV complements Java Offshore’s hallmark of ‘advancing innovative solutions.’ We consider the autonomous system a future platform of the survey industry that would give us competitive advantage through its rapid deployment setup, coupled with its ability to provide good quality data via a set of modular sensors.
"Over the last few weeks, our team has built a good understanding in operating the system and we are now, looking forward to achieving our clients’ objectives in the most cost effective manner using this exciting technology. The support from the Teledyne team, since our decision to acquire the Gavia AUV through installation and training, was very professional and instilled us with the greatest confidence in the future that is also expected to host a lot of support and feedback from both parties."
PT Java Offshore is a survey company established in Indonesia to serve the oil and gas segment within South-East Asia. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia, the group also has offices in Kuala Lumpur and has undertaken several geophysical, geotechnical and construction support work for national and international oil companies.
The Gavia AUV is manufactured by Teledyne Gavia, a Teledyne Technologies company and part of the Teledyne Marine Systems group which includes Teledyne Webb Research (maker of the Slocum glider) and Teledyne Benthos. The low-logistics Gavia AUV is becoming a popular tool for subsea survey jobs in the oil and gas sector, including pipeline inspection, restricted zone surveys around installations, trenching operations, and debris clearance surveys. Multiple commercial survey companies operate Gavia AUVs worldwide, primarily utilising them from vessels of opportunity or beach launch for a variety of tasks.