Another lockdown… another commute

[Mendip]

Wow... some pertinent on-topic discussion! Not a mention of passport renewals or SPAM to be seen.

You have pretty well nailed it Ootai. We use the laser for two main reasons.

During pipeline inspection we always collect video simultaneously from three cameras; port, centre and starboard to cover both sides and the top of the pipeline. The laser helps to keep all three cameras aligned to the same point.



As Ootai says, the laser allows any visual features to be synchronised with other data.

Everything we do relies on good navigation. The only constant there is, is time, so all data is time stamped. That is our constant and once a good position has been established, we know where the ROV was at a point in time therefore we can reduce any other time-stamped data to that same position in time.

All survey sensors are bolted on to the ROV at different locations, so in order to synchronise all data we measure the offsets of each sensor to a Common Reference Point (CRP). Time stamped depth data, sonar data, multibeam echosounder data, sub-bottom profiler data, pipetracker data etc etc is all reduced to the CRP position by use of the measured offsets and then everything is associated to the positional data for that point in time. The features along a pipeline observed visually are no different to any other data and a field joint on a pipeline (for example) will be logged at a certain time when the laser passes across it, and then the offset from the CRP to laser gives us the reduced position of the field joint in conjunction with all other data for that position. If that makes sense.

Anyway, progress has been slow and we are still 580 km from the Russian coast and are achieving around 50km a day. It is doubtful we will complete the inspection of one pipeline in time for our November 1st appointment with Russian customs without breaking off to transit there at some point.

A couple of nights ago we came across a small cluster of activity during the night shift.


Ships passing in the night...



There were a couple of Turkish drill ships with an attendant safety boat hard at work. We passed by around 4km to the north of the activity.



It seems strange to me having two ships drilling wells right next to each other.



With a bit of research I discovered that the Turks have been finding gas in the Black Sea and are carrying out a campaign of drilling in the hopes of establishing a hydrocarbon industry. I had no idea... I guess they want to reduce their reliance on Russian gas imports.

We continued on and left them to it...




But the big news for me is that the Norwegians finally posted my proof of Pfizer certificate and I've been sent a scan from home. Hopefully I can use this as proof of my first jab to the NHS once I get back to the UK in a few weeks and can then start planning my eventual return to Thailand once I obtain fully vaccinated status.

I deliberately left my Date of Birth visible in case anyone wants to send me a Birthday present next year!