Aberdeen pupils get insight into subsea oil & gas technology

By DARA BUTTERFIELD

Pupils at an Aberdeen primary school were given a rare insight into the depths of the oil and gas industry’s subsea sector after getting a chance to sit in the driving seat of a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) simulator.

The Tullos Primary visit to i-Tech, operator of one of the world’s largest fleets of ROVs, was organised by EnQuest.

Around 20 primary five pupils were shown why ROVs are increasingly becoming pivotal to the critical path of subsea operations during the tour at i-Tech, which is a division of Subsea 7 and a global-leading supplier of ROV and intervention tooling solutions.

They visited i-Tech’s electronic and tooling equipment workshop areas where they learned about the diverse range of tools that ROVs can be outfitted with to perform a wide scope of subsea tasks and took part in a hands-on inspection of an ROV and control van.

Aileen McGowan, Head Teacher, Tullos Primary, said: “We are committed to giving our pupils opportunities which allow them to experience the world of work. These opportunities can help our pupils achieve their potential and ultimately fulfil their aspirations for future careers.”

The pupils also saw a seven-function manipulator in full operation and experienced what life is like as an ROV pilot by taking the controls of i-Tech’s cutting-edge SP simulator. The simulator allows ROVs, subsea structures, and manipulator movements to be re-created very accurately which enhances the training of ROV pilots as well as allowing for advanced mission planning and Site Integration Testing (SIT) in advance of work being carried out offshore.

Neil Goodburn, Operations Manager, i-Tech, said: “Subsea infrastructure and ROV operations will increase in the coming years as we move to deeper environments throughout the world. We were delighted to welcome teachers and pupils from Tullos Primary to our ROV facility in Aberdeen, providing them with an insight into this aspect of the oil and gas industry from our workshop and system testing to our state-of-the-art simulator suite.”