The Application of ROV’s to Underwater Welding Repair Tasks

Over the last twenty years, the capabilities of underwater welding have improved immensely. As a result of the increasingly sophisticated requirements of the offshore oil industry, it is now possible to repair pipelines and structures at depths up to 200 metres to the same standards as those to which the structure was originally constructed. While research continues on new welding techniques (Ref. 1), the main motivation for innovation is improvements in welder productivity and reductions in operational costs. It should be recognised, however, that the hyperbaric repair industry is almost entirely based on the manual skills of diver/welders.