2022 News

Four day working week

December 2022

OceanTools are delighted to announce that the company is trialling the move from a five day week to a four day week for all employees.

Kevin Parker, OceanTools MD, explained:

“After careful consideration and plenty of research I’ve decided to reduce the working week by one day, without any reduction in salary. Giving my colleagues that extra day off will hopefully improve their work/life balance and, according to my research, will reduce our carbon footprint by over 20%”

The company will still be providing technical support and urgent deliveries on Fridays and the sales team will also be taking calls and answering emails.

More information: Opening Hours

D8 DyeTector in Operation

November 2022

OceanTools Ltd are delighted to share video footage of the D8 DyeTector operating in the Caspian Sea. The footage provided by our customer UBOC in Baku shows the discharging of the 20” pipeline hydro test water at a depth of 60m. A successful leak test was undertaken at stable pressure and temperature. Shown in the video is the purge of the dye solution from the pipeline, carried out to check the correct functioning of the DyeTector. The excitation of the dye is clearly visible at the point where the purge water intersects with the ray of UV light.

Brian Hector, Technical Sales Manager at OceanTools, said:

“We worked closely with the customer to provide the best solution for their requirements with the client choosing to use the D8 DyeTector along with OceanTools C-Dye 370 UV dye. The DyeTector and C-Dye performed flawlessly together so another successful job and another happy customer!”

Ian McLeod, Commissioning Manager of UBOC, said:

“The original intent was to dewater into a purpose-built lagoon and then transport the pipeline hydro test water away to be disposed of. The cost of the lagoon would be $1million. As we finalized the design and construction, we realized we didn’t need to add a chemical cocktail into our hydro test water but we did still require to add a sea dye.

We looked into dewatering the marine pipeline into the Caspian at landfall but the Caspian Region Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources would not permit us to add a normal fluorescent sea dye which typically is a fluorescent green, so we had to find a clear sea dye and that is where OceanTools came to our rescue in providing not only the colourless sea dye but the ROV mounted detection equipment. OceanTools kindly agreed to supply us with a sample of the dye that was tested in Baku and found to comply fully with local rules and regulations as required by MENR. I cannot say anything but good about the advice in product selection, service, product and detection equipment supplied by OceanTools.”

The D8 DyeTector employs high-power focused LED light to create a concentrated beam that is tuned to a specific wavelength to cause maximum fluorescence of the dye. Detection electronics employ advanced amplification technology to amplify even the smallest amounts of fluorescence from the agitated dye molecules. DyeTectors are typically around 100 times as sensitive as the human eye.

More information: D8 DyeTector / C-Dye 370 UV Dye / Dye, Leak & Cement Detection

Kevin Parker, Managing Director, commented:

“We’re a profitable company benefitting from our involvement in the energy industries. There are clearly tough times ahead so I thought it appropriate to use some of our profit to help our employees with their energy bills.”

Brian Hector, Technical Sales Manager, said:

“As we all know, millions of people in the UK will struggle to meet their household bills this winter despite energy price caps and cutting back on non-essentials and therefore the OceanTools cost of living bonus is much appreciated by the OceanTools team and will certainly help in difficult economic times."

OceanTools take environmental responsibility seriously

October 2022

OceanTools in Bridge of Don is working hard to provide a green workplace. Kevin Parker, Managing Director of OceanTools, says:

“As a business owner and a parent, it’s important to me that we all do our bit to leave the planet in the best possible state for future generations. Environmental responsibility is becoming increasingly important to our team members, I’m proud to provide an environment where employees can make a difference.”

The recently installed EV charging point encourages employees to travel sustainably and to recharge their electric vehicles while at work. OceanTools also provides shower facilities for staff who wish to cycle to work.

Day to day operations at OceanTools have also been reviewed to ensure sustainable and environment friendly processes where possible including sustainable purchasing and re-use and recycling wherever practicable. The product development team have come up with eco-friendly fluorescent dyes for use with the OceanTools DyeTector systems which have less environmental impact than traditional leak detection chemicals.

More information: Dye, Leak & Cement Detection

Available as either a floodlight or a spotlight the L6 lamp has been designed to be used on underwater vehicles and installations with a 120VAC/DC supply. The lamp offers up to 10,000 lumens of illumination with flicker free dimming using either RS232, RS485 or analogue control and a range of colour temperature options. Depending on the operating depth requirement, the L6 is available in Anodised Aluminium (4000m rated) or Titanium (8000m).

Brian Hector, Technical Sales Manager at OceanTools, said:

“Product development at OceanTools is always customer led, we already have an order for multiple lamps in production for a global leader in offshore engineering projects to be fitted on their fleet of ROVs.”

The L6 Subsea LED lamp is the latest addition to the OceanTools extensive range of pioneering underwater technology which includes not only lighting but also market leading DyeTection Systems and Subsea Cameras.

More information: L6 120V AC/DC Subsea LED Lamp

That overlay, having evolved over the years, is still in production in 2022 with several thousand units sold. The company is now a world-leader in the production of subsea video cameras & lighting systems, manufactures the most sophisticated dye & leak detection system on the market and designs and builds advanced subsea pressure housings.

Export sales count for more than 50% of the company’s turnover with markets including oil & gas, scientific research, renewables, defence and trawling.

Innovation has been at the heart of OceanTools since its conception. The prolific product development team utilise the latest advances in engineering to ensure their place as market leaders in underwater technology. Brian Hector, Technical Sales Manager at OceanTools, said:

“At OceanTools we harness all the latest technologies available to ensure our products lead the way and will continue to do so for the next 25 years which makes it a very exciting company to be a part of.”

More information: Cameras, Lights & Video / Dye & Leak Detection / Subsea Pressure Housings

The C-Level is an ROV or diver deployed digital level that may be used to measure and display the inclination angle of underwater structures or mooring lines. An integrated inclination measurement and display unit, it combines the functionality of an OceanDISP subsea display and OceanTILT precision attitude sensor. The measured angle is shown in real time on a high visibility LED matrix display.

Building on the success of the DISTIL display and tilt sensor, it has a 300m depth rated acetal housing with anodized aluminium front plate and acrylic window. The unit has an integral 3.6Ah rechargeable battery pack, which is ample to power it for a full working day. Custom handle options are available to aide deployment by ROV or diver. Mounting block guides can be fitted to the base to allow it to sit on a mooring chain or wire and measure the angle of the mooring, with a magnet base option also available.

Brian Hector, Technical Sales Manager of OceanTools, said:

“We are delighted with the design of our C-Level as it utilises tried and tested technologies already used in other products. We have developed the product in response to customer requirements in a wide range of subsea engineering applications and we are confident that these can be fulfilled by the C-Level.”

The C-Level can be deployed in any subsea engineering project requiring a high level of accuracy including construction, maintenance and decommissioning. It is the latest addition to the extensive range of pioneering underwater technology including our market leading DyeTection Systems and Subsea Cameras and Lights.

More information: C-Level Subsea Digital Display

Differing from its sister products, the OceanTools C7 multipurpose subsea camera has an integral high intensity controllable light ring to illuminate the underwater environment, providing clear video footage at depths down to 6000m. The compact C7 subsea observation camera offers an impressive 800 TVL resolution composite video output with a Wide Dynamic Range providing superb video quality under all lighting conditions.

The integral light ring has 12 LEDs that can provide light output of up to 2,250 lumens. The unique design is manufactured from Grade 5 Titanium and features separate Sapphire windows for the camera and light ring, to eliminate reflected light.

Brian Hector, Technical Sales Manager of OceanTools, said:

“I am very proud of the C7 addition to the ever-expanding family of high specification OceanTools cameras. The C7 has been designed with specific customers’ requirements in mind and utilises the latest CMOS sensor camera technology and high efficiency ultra-bright LED’s in a very small 6000m package. We believe the C7 is the smallest camera currently on the market to be able to offer very high-resolution SD video and integrated LED lamps making it truly versatile.”

The C7 product announcement follows a series of pioneering releases for OceanTools including the high performance C6 Colour Zoom camera producing advanced video imagery at resolutions up to 1080p, launched earlier this year.

More information: C7 Light Ring Camera

Under the terms of the agreement, Ashtead Technology will be the exclusive rental partner for OceanTools’ DyeTector systems, including the D10 DyeTector, an advanced subsea leak, dye and cement detector being developed with three sets of optical components to detect the three primary dyes used for underwater detection – rhodamine, ultraviolet and fluorescein – using a single compact device.

Brian Hector, Technical Sales Manager of OceanTools, said:

“We are delighted that Ashtead Technology will be promoting our range of OceanTools DyeTector systems including the new D10 DyeTector. We look forward to working together to supply our innovative products to their extensive global network and dedicated customer base. The new rental agreement is an important strategic opportunity for OceanTools and will significantly support the steep growth of our business.”

Brett Lestrange, Ashtead Technology’s Regional Director for Europe, added:

“The exclusive agreement with OceanTools further enhances our existing inventory of leak detection equipment for underwater survey and inspection operations. It also demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the global offshore energy market by offering the latest and most technologically advanced technologies to support our customers’ projects worldwide. We look forward to seeing these systems performing in the field and delivering excellent results for our customers.”

OceanTools’ DyeTector systems are used to detect leaks from underwater infrastructure such as manifolds, wellheads or pipelines if a suitable dye has been added to the infrastructure fluids. They can also be used during casing cementing operations to detect cement returns if a tracer dye is added to either the seawater spacer or to the cement itself.

The powerful ROV mounted D10 DyeTector will use the same technology capable of detecting single photons of light as the single channel D7 DyeTector, which enables it to detect down to single digit parts per billion of dye dissolved in water. This makes it ideal for detecting the very smallest of leaks or dye dosed cement.

More information: DyeTector systems / Ashtead Technology

The beautifully engineered OceanTools C6 has been designed to produce superior video imagery at resolutions up to 1080p. The camera has a wide range of subsea applications including the main navigation camera on ROV systems, military / defence projects as well as scientific research.

Boasting a standard depth rating of 6000m and manufactured from titanium with a sapphire viewport, the C6 is a rugged and dependable camera available with SD, HD or IP video outputs.

Brian Hector, Technical Sales Manager of OceanTools, said:

“The game-changing C6 is not just another underwater colour zoom camera. Fitted with very low distortion proprietary optics and a 30x zoom, the C6 outputs the highest quality video. It is also the first underwater camera to allow the user to switch between PAL and NTSC output in the field, making the C6 the most versatile colour camera on the market. Our product development team is dedicated to producing superior underwater products and we have achieved this with the C6 Colour Zoom Camera.”

The C6 product launch follows a series of innovative releases for OceanTools including the smallest subsea IP camera currently available, the C3-30, and the advanced C9-GigE camera.

More information: C6 Colour Zoom Camera / OceanTools at Subsea Expo 2022