Utilities
TEXO’s Survey & Inspection team delivered a vessel-based offshore drone inspection to assess 26 occupied wellhead positions on a fully unmanned installation. Using advanced 360° imaging technology, the team captured detailed visual inspection evidence without requiring personnel to board the platform. The solution supported the client’s offshore decommissioning programme while avoiding the need for helicopter transfers and remanning operations.
The Challenge
As part of an offshore decommissioning programme, a client required a detailed visual assessment of wellhead conditions on a fully downmanned installation.
Traditional inspection methods would have required personnel to return to the platform, involving helicopter logistics, offshore transfers and the reinstatement of facilities to support an inspection team.
The client needed to identify any visible signs of leaks, disturbance, movement or deterioration across the well bay, while maintaining the installation’s unmanned status.
The challenge was clear: how could the client obtain reliable visual inspection evidence without remanning the asset?
The Solution
TEXO’s Survey & Inspection team deployed an innovative vessel-based drone inspection approach, enabling remote access to the unmanned well bay without personnel boarding the installation.
Operating from a vessel already active in the field, a specialist two-person team managed all drone launch, flight control and recovery operations from the vessel.
The inspection combined DJI Matrice 4 supporting imagery with DJI Avata 360 capture within the well bay.
Using immersive 360° video technology, TEXO recorded the surrounding environment along the inspection routes, capturing the wellheads and associated equipment in their spatial context.
This approach created a reusable virtual inspection record, allowing the client’s onshore teams to revisit the recorded routes, explore the surrounding environment and assess visible asset conditions without travelling offshore.
Throughout the operation, no personnel were required to board the installation.
The Results
TEXO successfully delivered a comprehensive visual inspection record, providing the client with the evidence needed to support its decommissioning programme.
Key outcomes included:
- Zero personnel on the installation – eliminating the need to reman the asset for this inspection.
- Two-person vessel-based team – delivering the inspection using existing offshore marine operations.
- 26 occupied wellhead positions covered – supported by 28 representative inspection stills.
- Immersive 360° inspection footage – providing a reusable visual record for onshore review.
- No obvious leaks, seeps, weeps, movement or damage identified during the visual assessment.
- Reduced logistical requirements – avoiding additional helicopter access and the reinstatement of facilities for an inspection crew.
The resulting inspection report and visual record provide a valuable baseline for future comparison, supporting subsequent inspection planning and decommissioning decisions.
