Five Jobs Set to Grow in Oil, Gas: Remote Vehicle Inspection

In a series of articles examining areas of employment growth in the oil, Rigzone has so far focused on the Internet of Things, Big Data and cybersecurity. Here, we take a look at ROV and UAV inspection.
One way in which the offshore oil and gas industry is seeking to reduce costs and improve the safety of personnel is through the use of remotely piloted vehicles. Beneath the waves the industry is using submersible remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) while, increasingly, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or "drones") are flying around offshore platforms to check their structures.
The market for ROVs is set to increase by approximately 19 percent during the 2014-2019 period, according to Douglas Westwood, which forecasts that 1,176 ROVs will be in use in 2019. In 2014, there were 983 ROVs in work. But in the very short term, the consultancy expects the global ROV market to contract in value this year before beginning to recover in 2017 due to the current oil price downturn.
Meanwhile, Sky Futures COO Chris Blackford said his market – where drones fitted with cameras and other sensors are used to perform inspections of oil and gas assets – is growing very quickly indeed.
"With the low oil price remaining the market is really changing quickly and shaping itself to be more aligned to new tech, [which is] great for us," he told Rigzone.
"I would say our market is growing at least 500 percent per year with this increasing as we build out our footprint."
Blackford said that oil and gas companies are now asking his firm to provide a "global inspection solution" that uses drones and the company's software. These companies do not want to compromise on safety, so using drone inspection makes better sense than asking, say, suppliers of rope-access inspection teams to cut costs.
"By using our technology over all their assets, they build compound savings whilst at the same time increasing safety (reducing risk) and making their assets more efficient and reliable, and therefore helping improve their bottom line. With the oil price, potentially, never going above $80 again, the way to stay highly profitable, safe, competitive and efficient is to reduce overheads and embrace technology," Blackford pointed out.
One sign of how well Sky Futures is doing is that offshore helicopter operator Bristow Group made a $4.2-million investment in the firm in February.
"This agreement is [an] example of how Bristow is taking proactive steps to differentiate itself and capitalize on strategic growth opportunities that are aligned with our core values and competencies," Bristow's CEO said at the time.
Other UAV companies are also getting involved in providing inspection services to the oil and gas industry. Cyberhawk Innovations, for example, recently completed its first oil and gas contract in the Gulf state of Qatar, where it inspected flares some 445 feet high at an onshore oil and gas refinery.

12
View Full Article
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
- ITEM Club: More Jobs Losses Expected in NE Scotland due to Oil Slump
- Shell Q&A: What Makes an Ideal Employer in Oil, Gas?
- Shell Takes First Place in Rigzone's Inaugural Ideal Employer Survey
- UK Government 'Must Recommit' to Oil, Gas Sector in Autumn Statement
- UK Government Gives Go-Ahead for Fracking in NW England
- Shell CEO Says World 'Desperately In Need' Of Natural Gas
- Fate Of $8Bn Alaska Oil Project To Be Resolved In Next 30 Days
- Gov't Tampering Puts Australian Gas Market In Unenviable Position
- Texas Power Outages Increase As Ice Storm Persists
- Shell's Record Earnings Draw Angry Reactions
- OPEC+ Exports Show Russia Surges While Saudi Arabia Dials Back
- Oil And Gas Firms Need To Accelerate Shift To Low Carbon Energy
- Oil Posts Second Weekly Loss as Stockpiles Swell
- Capricorn Reshapes Its Board of Directors
- Lukoil Hits 50 Million Tons Of Hydrocarbon Production In Caspian Sea
- New SPR Bill Passes House
- What Bad Habits Should Oil and Gas Jobseekers Avoid?
- Biden To Support ConocoPhillips Alaska Oil Project, Defying Greens
- USA Drops 3 Gulf of Mexico Rigs
- USA Oil and Gas Employs Almost 1 Million in 2022
- Energy Services Sector Will Grow To $1 trillion In 2025
- Shell CEO Says World 'Desperately In Need' Of Natural Gas
- Shell Makes Host of Company Changes
- New Discoveries Make 2022 Highest Value Year In Over A Decade
- Winter Storm Mara Update
- Valaris Employee Reported Missing from Rig
- Gasoline and Diesel Prices Expected to Fall
- Is the USA Shale Boom Over?
- New SPR Bill Passes House
- Higher Oil Prices Have Not Led to More Exploration
- Shell Finds Gas In Pensacola High-Impact Well Off UK
- Iran Oil Gushes Into Global Market
- Will Oil Hit $100 Per Barrel in 2023?
- Eni, Chevron Make Significant Gas Discovery Off Egypt
- What Bad Habits Should Oil and Gas Jobseekers Avoid?