Enhance subsea safety, minimize risk and reduce operating costs – our goals for consolidating the industry standards and best practices for specifying a long-term anti-fouling labelling system for subsea equipment.
Aquasign® anti-fouling subsea markings and their patented fixing accessories provide a long-term guaranteed solution for identifying subsea equipment.
AQUASIGN have therefore launched new guidance documents designed to assist our customers during the development of BOMs and drawings to help specify a fit for purpose underwater identification system such as our Aquasign® solution. The aim is to ensure that the product selected during tendering meets the ultimate client’s criteria not only on delivery of the equipment, but most importantly throughout the full project lifespan.
A technically qualified anti-fouling labelling system is an essential investment to minimize the potential risks associated with subsea intervention, inspection and maintenance. Subsea equipment marking systems without anti-fouling properties will become obscured by marine growth, which will restrict visibility, increase operational time and the potential for errors.
An anti-fouling solution therefore has huge commercial significance in the industry, to ensure:
- asset identification markers remain highly visible to improve subsea monitoring
- subsea equipment and structures are accurately labelled to avoid errors
- navigation is improved, reducing operational costs of ROV & Diver subsea time
- a safe working environment is promoted with clear navigation and identification aids
In the current economic climate, we are all looking for ways to cut what can be considered as non-essential costs. One area of focus wrongly, is equipment identification where cheaper alternatives such as paint, flame-cut and plastic labels can offer upfront savings for all parties. However, the savings achieved are soon eroded for the operator through longer inspections, replacement costs and repair times over the project lifespan which can impact business relationships.
There can be many reasons for opting for an alternative system over Aquasign® however these common misconceptions should not be the deciding factor:
- Long lead times: our products can typically be manufactured and shipped globally within five working days
- Too expensive: Aquasign® is a one off cost investment that will more than pay for itself over the lifetime of any project by reducing subsea intervention and maintenance operation times
- Difficultinstallation: our extensive range of fixing solutions have been designed with ease of use in mind, with full installation procedures, quick fixing guides and videos available
- They will fall off: All our fixing systems are third-party tested and are guaranteed to withstand long term subsea use. Any markers installed in accordance with our installation guides will remain in place through the equipment lifespan
AQUASIGN have therefore developed guidance documents to encourage project teams to consider the benefits of a long-term marking system for their subsea equipment and ensure specification documents such as drawings and bills of material are worded correctly. These guides can act as a template for your next project or a reference aid to ensure the correct wording is used on all specification documents:
- Subsea markers pre-qualification – outlines the minimum standard testing requirements and good practices that should be adopted to guarantee the marker can withstand typical transportation, storage, deployment and subsea environmental conditions. For example, weathering, visibility, cathodic protection, vibration, slam loading and more
- Specifying Aquasign® – provides a technical overview of our Aquasign® anti-fouling system and accessories, collating all the necessary information to ensure the client receives a tried and tested anti-fouling marking system complete with our lifetime guarantee. The sections include anti-fouling properties, fixing solutions, design, tolerances, preservation and more
To download these documents, visit the exclusive Client Portal (www.aquasign.com/register), where you will also gain access to referenced supporting documents including test reports, datasheets, installation guides, videos and more. As part of our service we can also provide supporting drawings, as well as advice on the most appropriate specification to suit your unique project requirements.
For more information or assistance please do not hesitate to contact our sales team at solutions@aquasign.com.