Ashtead Technology, an independent provider of subsea equipment rental, sales and services to the offshore industry, has invested over $300,000 in visual inspection tools for deep sea exploration.
The investment will see Ashtead offering a range of SubC Imaging products to meet increasing industry demand for enhanced, cost-effective inspection solutions, the company has said.
SubC Imaging, a provider of video technology used to monitor the integrity of subsea assets and infrastructure, provides cameras with HD video capabilities that can capture and transmit data from deep water.
Chris Echols , Vice President of Ashtead Technology in Houston said that, following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, stricter subsea inspection regulations were introduced which has led to a need for more reliable, high-resolution visual inspection technology.
“The SubC range of cameras, in which we have invested, capture a true visual representation of the underwater world from which we can accurately estimate the remaining life of a subsea infrastructure and assess the integrity of the equipment,” Echos said.
Ashtead’s Vice President said that, as the subsea industry enters deeper waters, the need for companies to collect more meaningful data increases.
He said: “By investing in this equipment, we are able to help our customers ensure they can capture a true picture of what is going on and take preventative measures to ensure the integrity of high-cost, high-risk subsea equipment and infrastructure, thereby saving costs and reducing risk.”
Further describing the technology it has invested in, Ashtead says that the new 1Cam MK5 range is capable of outputting live HD video over coax or fiber and can record HD 1080P video and capture up to 24mp still images to its internal storage. The units are rated up to 6500m and come as standard with integrated reference lasers. For even greater capability, they can be coupled with an external LED light/strobe or line laser, the subsea equipment provider explains.
Engineered to deliver vivid colour video footage in real-time while travelling almost any direction, Ashtead says, the MK5 range provides high quality footage of the underwater world.
Ashtead adds that it has further enhanced its product offering with the SubC DVR/Overlay system which can record multiple 3D, HD and SD video channels simultaneously, add overlays, stream video and audio over a network, and also includes a new event logging feature.
Ron Collier, Vice President of Business Development at SubC Imaging, said: “With the new MK5 range, SubC continues to raise the bar when it comes to the quality and capability of underwater cameras available to the subsea industry. Ashtead has been integral to the global market success of our products and the continued investment in our products reflects the company’s commitment to providing its customers with the best available subsea technology.”
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