Gazprom Tests Domestic Autonomous Underwater Vehicle at Kirinskoye Field in Sakhalin

Gazprom Dobycha Shelf Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk has tested a domestic autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) designed to monitor the underwater production complex at the Kirinskoye gas condensate field.

The need to develop its own technology arose after 2015, when Western sanctions restricted access to foreign underwater robotic systems and their service support. In response, Gazprom, together with Russian scientific and industrial partners, launched a program to create similar solutions based on domestic technologies.

The tests were the result of cooperation between the company and the Institute of Marine Technology Problems of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The device was used from board a specialized rescue vessel with the participation of the Marine Rescue Service. The main task is to check the operability and efficiency of the AUV in the conditions of the Sea of Okhotsk when examining the seabed, pipelines, cables, subsea trees and other elements of underwater infrastructure.

Unlike the remotely operated vehicles used today, the new AUV is capable of performing autonomous missions according to a given program, is less dependent on the supply vessel and weather conditions, and has a higher speed of movement, which speeds up the inspection of objects.

“The device has confirmed the stated characteristics and applicability in the conditions of the Sea of Okhotsk. In the future, it is planned to create specialized AUVs for year-round use in the difficult hydrometeorological and ice conditions of the Kirinskoye field,” said Valery Guryanov, General Director of the company.

Read materials on the topic:

• Russian autonomous underwater drone TurtleROV2 launched into mass production
• Autonomous immersion to 3 km: a new underwater delivery robot "Argus-D" was developed in Russia
• Increased control range: underwater robot perch modernized at Samara University