Underwater intervention describes tasks where some physical action is performed which intervenes with the underwater environment. The oil and gas industry in particular employs large, 150hp+ hydraulic work class ROVs to perform heavy duty intervention tasks requiring hundreds of pounds of force to pull in heavy cables, adjust torque valves, cut cables and carry heavy loads. Tasks such as these may be considered heavy intervention tasks. These work class vehicles have been in use since the early 1980s, but came into the public awareness only when they became key components of the effort to contain the oil spill resulting from explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

SeaView Systems typically works with lighter loads and tools than work class ROVs. These tools generally aren’t as powerful as their larger cousins but instead provide great precision and finesse.

Our light intervention tools range from 3rd party tools such as our 5-function manipulator and single function grabber to a wide range of job specific tools designed and developed by the SeaView team.

Many of our projects require specialized tools to perform specific tasks. Examples of such tools are the 40′ tall 3D Sonar Modelling Tool and the Smart Grapple Tool. Both of these tools were designed, fabricated, commissioned and successfully deployed within a very short timeframe. The complexity of these tools and the short development lead time speaks to SeaView’s capacity to meet our client’s requirements for sophisticated intervention tooling developed in a limited time.

Smart Grapple

The Smart Grapple tool was developed as part of a $1.4 billion joint venture project to construct an ultraviolet filtration plant on the Catskill and Delaware aqueduct systems feeding New York City.

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3D Sonar Modeling Tool

SeaView Systems was contracted to perform work in an awkward location that required high precision. The task on this occasion was to measure the internal surfaces of a large sewage surge tower transmitting raw sewerage from lower Manhattan, NY to a processing station on Long Island, NY. Read more »

What is your application?

The two case studies above illustrate the breadth of SeaView’s engineering capacity. To execute these two tasks we had to tap into skill sets including:

  • Mechanical Engineering and Design
  • Mechanical Fabrication
  • Machining
  • Electrical Engineering and Design
  • Electronic Engineering and Design
  • Electronic Fabrication and Design
  • Software Engineering
  • Sonar Propagation Physics
  • Systems Engineering
  • Field Operational Expertise

To provide excellence in all of these skills, SeaView has developed close relationships with a number of other small businesses in our geographic area that have the expertise to support our projects. Being small businesses, they are able to provide efficient, very high quality, focused support without the overhead of larger enterprises.

Perhaps you have an application for which no specific tool currently exists. Why not contact us so we can quickly assess whether your requirement is within our scope? If, after an initial discussion, we both feel that SeaView Systems has something to offer, we will then use your parameters to present a range of options, along with pros and cons for your consideration.