Seatronics News

August 2008

SEATRONICS EXPAND CLIENT SUPPORT SOLUTIONS

Equipment rental specialist, Seatronics Inc, an Acteon company, has opened a new calibration and cable moulding facility in Houston, USA, offering customers previously unavailable, local, calibration services.

The $200,000 state-of-the-art, calibration laboratory, which will provide sound velocity, conductivity, depth and temperature calibrations traceable to national standards, is the only independent suite in the USA providing calibration for brands such as Valeport, Paroscientific, Sonardyne International, Ixsea, Tritech International and Aandera.

The new laboratory means Seatronics' USA customers no longer need to send equipment back to the manufacturer in the UK or far east, saving on time and money. A fast-track service option will reduce the turnaround time to only five days.

Erik McGuire, vice president, Seatronics Inc, explains, "For example, sending a single instrument from the USA to the UK and back again is a significant cost, even without customs charges, plus it is out of use for perhaps six weeks.

"Not only is the equipment back in a quarter of the time, but we are also saving our customers airfreight, customs charges and paperwork."

The laboratory, complemented by the $50,000 cable moulding facility, has nearly doubled the size of Seatronics' USA operations. Customers were given tours of the new facilities on 17-18 July 2008, following the grand opening.

Seatronics has been operating successful local calibration services in the UK and Singapore for several years, and hopes, in the future, to expand the list of equipment for which calibration services are offered. Valeport, for whom Seatronics are the USA agent, has approved the laboratory.

"The new facility has created three new jobs and shows our dedication to the USA offshore industry," said McGuire. "This is about us improving our service for our clients. By expanding its range of services, Seatronics has become more than just a rental company - we are a solutions provider."

July 2008

NEW CALIBRATION LAB AND CABLE MOULDING FACILITY IN HOUSTON
Leading marine equipment rental and sales company Seatronics Ltd has expanded its operation in the USA with a recent $200,000 investment in a new calibration lab and cable moulding facility.

The move reflects the company's ongoing expansion and increased business from new and existing clients in the region. The new facilities should be open for business in July 08.

June 2008

RTS COLLABORATION
Maintaining their excellent relationship with Norwegian area representative RTS AS, Seatronics are to combine their technical resources with their Norwegian counterparts to establish a new Product Technology Division. The new division will incorporate all the technical resources within the two companies and, based on client feedback from overseas offices, introduce new products that are tailor-made to client requirements.

Already manufactured to client specification is the new RTS programmable 'Subsea Logger' package, which allows the operator to programme the unit to record, transmit and display a variety of underwater positioning sensors.

Data can be downloaded accurately via ROV or directly to the construction vessel. The logger package is the latest in a long line of products developed by RTS and Seatronics which includes fibre optic and copper multiplexer systems, NDT equipment and subsea video products.

SONARDYNE RECENT PURCHASES
Continuing their long association with Sonardyne Ltd, Seatronics Ltd have committed to another £2m worth of investment in digital wideband LBL and USBL equipment.

Included in that new spend, and to support the digital USBL systems on order, Seatronics are purchasing three Lodestar AHRS ( Marine attitude and reference systems) providing a highly accurate measurement of the heading, pitch, roll and heave data in all operational sea states.

May 2008

IMPROVING THE INSPECTION OF SUBSEA STRUCTURES
Meanwhile, the company has developed a flooded member detector for inspecting sealed subsea structures to determine if leaks have occurred. The Seatronics SeaPRO3000 is fitted on an ROV to determine if an enclosure is filled with liquid (up to the inspection point) or gas.

MacLeod explains. "The SeaPRO3000 has a spring-loaded transducer and disposable membranes, and the probe is mounted on a stainless steel T-bar for easy manipulation."

The main components of the SeaPRO3000 are a subsea electronics pod, a probe, an ROV T-bar, a topside interface unit and a control laptop. A high-frequency pulse is sent from the probe into the enclosure. If it is flooded, a reflected pulse from the opposite side of the member will be detected. SeaPRO software provides the surface operator with visual indication of the test results via an A-scan display on a laptop. Results can be printed or saved to a log file, which includes records of the A-scan display, the date, the time, the structure, the member, the orientation, the client and the test engineer.

April 2008

UNLOCKING BENIFITS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTISTS
Another example of innovation is Seatronics' new SeaLED - the next generation in subsea lighting technology for ROVs, diving inspection and oceanographic research.

"Conventional filament-type bulbs tended to be very unreliable, partly because of the rough handling they receive, so we looked around for alternative technologies," says MacLeod. He explains that Seatronics selected the latest super-bright LED technology as the basis for its new subsea technology because this offers several important benefits.

"The LEDs have a shock-resistant solid-state design, which means that they are more robust. They are also brighter than standard 300-W halogen underwater lamps and more efficient. Moreover, the quality of the white light produced results in excellent colour rendering, which makes LEDs an ideal choice for high-quality video work such as required for environmental and scientific research," he says.

For the SeaLED, Seatronics has designed an LED layout in each array that results in highly uniform illumination with no hot spots. The expected life of the LED array is in excess 50,000 hours.

The SeaLED can be powered from a low-voltage DC supply, which increases safety for diver operations and avoids the electrical interference with video signals associated with AC-powered lights. A built-in microprocessor provides the SeaLED with multi-drop RS485 intensity control, proportional analogue intensity control and thermal protection for the LED array, which are included as standard.

March 2008

RESON RECENT PURCHASES
Seatronics Ltd has invested a further £1.5m in the latest 7000 and 8000 series of multibeam sonar systems for their rental pool. Recent purchases include two Reson 7125, 400 kHz systems, and two dual-frequency 200/400 kHz 7125 systems.

Seatronics are believed to be the first rental company to introduce the new 7111, 100 kHz, 1000 m range system into the hydrographic survey market.

Three additional shallow water 100m Reson 8101 systems were included in the latest multibeam sonar investment. These will be available for rental from our Middle and Far Eastern offices.

MARK TELES JOINS SEATRONICS INC. AS SALES MANAGER FOR THE U.S.A
Seatronics Inc. are pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Teles as Sales Manager for the U.S.A. Mark has 13 years experience in the Subsea market and specializes in deep water seismic, cable, connectors and application engineering.

After spending 5 years in Denmark, he was transferred to Houston in 2000 and has built a solid base of customers and friends.

He joins the Seatronics group at an exciting time as his enthusiasm matches the vibe of the company.
Mark will be helping and taking care of the US customer base from the offices in Houston and New Iberia.

INNOVATION CONTINUES APACE IN THE ADVANCED MARINE SURVEY SECTOR
with a range of products being developed or refined to help environmental survey companies, marine scientists and subsea inspection firms to operate more efficiently at depth and with greater reliability and accuracy.

For instance, Aberdeen-based Seatronics Group (an Acteon company), which provides the market-leading DTS6000 deepwater camera system, has added a water-sampling arrangement to the tool. This important addition means survey companies do not need to deploy a second system to take water samples.

The DTS6000 provides a real-time video link to surface for deepwater video monitoring without needing expensive fibre-optic cables.

Ross MacLeod, group technical manager, explains that the company developed the subsea water-sampling arrangement in response to client requests. "The full combined system provides lighting, live recordable video feeds and high-resolution still seabed images as well as temperature, pressure, conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, pH and redox readings - all from a single 1-m 3 drop frame capable of operating on up to 6000 m of standard armoured coaxial cable."

He continues, "Now the scientists can also take water column samples. The operator can trigger six independent samples of up to 2.5 L each at chosen depths throughout the water column. The option of combining a 606+ multi-parameter sensor with the DTS sampler has also proved successful in numerous environmental surveys."

February 2008

SEATRONICS NEWSLETTER - FEBRUARY EDITION
Click here to download

NEW VICE PRESIDENT FOR S.E ASIA
Seatronics Ltd are pleased to announce the appointment of Derek Donaldson as Vice President for the Asia Pacific Region. With over 10 years industry experience in the offshore survey market Derek joins Seatronics from the subsea acoustics manufacturer, Sonardyne International Ltd where he held the position of Vice President Sales - Europe & Africa. Derek's role for Seatronics will see him assume the day to day responsibility of the rental operation in Singapore , whilst enhancing the business opportunities to enable the continued expansion of the Seatronics rental pool across the Asia Pacific region.

"It's an exciting time for me to be moving my family to Singapore, Asia is a region that is booming at present and as the deeper water projects in Australia and Malaysia continue to come on line I am sure that there will be numerous business opportunities for a company like Seatronics. I have known Seatronics for a long time, as a customer and as a well established equipment supplier. It is great to be part of such a successful team. I hope I can mirror the success the company has achieved in other parts of the world in Asia "

Derek has been with the company since mid December getting himself up to speed with things in the Aberdeen office, he will be on the ground in Singapore from the beginning of February and I am sure that he will make every effort to get himself out amongst the oil and gas regulars over the next couple of months. Alternatively he would be delighted to meet you at the Seatronics local office in Loyang any time your passing.

Seatronics wish Derek and his family all the best for their future in Singapore.

January 2008

£5 MILLION INVESTED IN NEW TECHNOLOGY
SEATRONICS HAS MADE significant investment in cutting edge equipment to maintain its position as one of the leading marine technology rental specialists.

The company has bought six new Ixsea Octans 3000TI subsea gyros, bringing the total now owned well over 30. Based on fibre optic gyro technology, it outputs true heading, roll, pitch, surge, heave, speed and acceleration. It can be used at depths up to 3,000m.

Four TSS 440 ROV Pipetracker systems, this system is capable of detecting any conductive material, and advances in signal processing techniques enable the TSS 440 to detect at greater ranges than any other pulse induction based survey tool. A fully integrated system, the TSS 440 combines location, steerage and accurate depth of burial survey data to suit a wide variety of applications.

Four Sonardyne Ranger Pro USBL underwater acoustic positioning systems. These can operate over a maximum of 6000 meters and are ideal for Dynamic Positioning tasks and general survey operations.

One Edgetech Full Spectrum sonar system has also been purchased. This is the best in side scan and sub-bottom imaging for AUV and ROV installations. It gathers side scan/sub-bottom data using the latest enhanced chirp technology in water depths up to 3000 meters.

Other products ordered include numerous Midas CTD's, SVP's, and the Midas SVX2 - Valeport's new small-scale combined CTD/SVP. Water level recorders suitable for both long and short-term deployments, as well as high accuracy pressure sensors. The Mini IPS (Intelligent Pressure Sensor) and current meters such as Valeport's popular lightweight Model 106 were also purchased along with current meter Model 803 which is designed for use on ROVs and other underwater vehicles.

Meanwhile, the next generation of LED subsea lighting technology for ROVs, diving inspection and oceanographic research has been launched by Seatronics in-house development department.

The SeaLED's high definition white light offers excellent colour rendering making it an ideal choice for high quality video work such as environmental and scientific research. The shock resistant solid state design means it can be used in applications where high levels of vibration are present.


THE SEARCH FOR THE LOST CITY OF ATLANTIS
A TEAM OF Seatronics staff joined researchers from the History Channel recently to assist in a search for the Lost City of Atlantis.

More than two million viewers tuned in to watch the Digging for the Truth - Atlantis season premier when it aired in the United States in January in which scientists and researchers used 3D maps and models showing a stretch of sunken land one mile beneath the waters of the eastern Mediterranean Sea

Legends say that the city of Atlantis was plagued by a terrible day of floods and earthquakes before it was consumed by the sea. Recent findings have given this lost world some newfound credibility - and uncovered a conspiracy that looms larger than that of The Da Vinci Code.

The expedition was successfully assisted by three Seatronics engineers that were operating the Seatronics designed DTS 6000 underwater video system to take digital stills of the seabed and an Edgetech Full Spectrum Sidescan/Sub-bottom profiler sonar to take sonar-generated images of the seabed search area.

In future months the show will be distributed to the various international markets and be shown in around 200 million households across 30 countries worldwide.


DIDSON SONAR
SEATRONICS ARE THE first rental company in the UK to order and supply the new high resolution Didson identification sonar.

The equipment gives near video quality images for inspection and identification of objects underwater. It is a surrogate for optical systems in turbid water and can be used for fisheries management, underwater structure inspection, search and evidence recovery and leak and flow detection among others.

The company is also the only rental firm to purchase two new Reson 7125/7128 SeaBat system multibeam echosounders. This highly sophisticated and modular system includes true time-delay beam forming, advanced bottom detection with dynamic focusing, long range and high resolution performance.