Ashtead invests £1 million in latest iXblue technology

Global subsea equipment specialist, Ashtead Technology, has boosted its rental fleet with an investment of £1 million in the latest iXblue technology over the past 12 months.

iXblue is a leading global provider of innovative subsea solutions for navigation, positioning and imaging. Ashtead Technology is currently the only rental company to offer the iXblue GAPS-NG system with the new Telemetry capability, a high performance Ultra Short Baseline (USBL) positioning system for locating subsea assets. The company purchased two of the systems in January this year.

The system, similar to its predecessor GAPS, provides full hemisphere tracking, replaceable transducers and unrivalled deployment flexibility. It can provide precise positioning of any subsea object in the most demanding environments, including extremely shallow waters, where other systems commonly fail. With the new Telemetry capability the system can now also programme, command and calibrate compatible beacons on the seabed.

Ashtead’s extensive rental fleet also includes the addition of further iXblue RAMSES. By using synthetic ranges, rather than traditional LBL, and its SLAM (Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping) functionality inside, the system has proven to deliver faster, more accurate results in even the world’s most challenging seas. RAMSES can be used to track the position of subsea structures without the need for multiple transponders or umbilicals, enabling immediate and simplified mobilisation. Traditionally, achieving subsea accuracy required the deployment and calibration of subsurface equipment – an often lengthy and very costly process.

Allan Pirie, Ashtead Technology, CEO, said: “This investment demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the global offshore market, by offering the latest, highly efficient technologies to support even the most complex projects worldwide.

“We are determined to provide the most innovative solutions to the subsea market and building on our pool of iXblue equipment is as a direct result of listening to our customers’ requirements. We look forward to seeing them continue to enjoy the benefits.”