A revised version of Guidance on Subsea Metrology (IMCA S 019 Rev. 1) has been hailed as relevant and timely by the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA).
Most commonly used for pipeline connections, the objective of subsea metrology is to determine accurately the relative horizontal and vertical distance between subsea assets, as well as their relative heading and attitude.
IMCA Technical Director Richard Benzie said the revised document provided guidance on commonly used subsea metrology techniques deployed today.
"These are long baseline (LBL) acoustics, both diver taut wire and digital taut wire, photogrammetry, inertial navigation systems (INS), SLAM techniques and laser scanning," he said. "IMCA S 019 covers the basics of subsea metrology, engineering requirements, the different methods and technologies, and some of the advantages and limitations of each technique.
"LBL acoustic systems and techniques are covered in more detail as these systems are generally the most adaptable and most widely used in the industry.
"However, it should be noted that the pace of technical change and ongoing development of deep water fields means that other subsea metrology methods are being developed, including photogrammetric metrology, INS metrology, SLAM techniques and laser scanning, all of which are covered in the new document."
