Blumags and DeepOcean Team up to Deploy Moby the Latest Innovation in ROV Magnets

Blumags recently sent its latest innovation, the Moby ROV magnet, for field trials with their development partner DeepOcean in the Balder field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The plan was for Moby to assist with ROV hull cleaning and other tasks on the Balder floating production unit.




The magnet was tested as an ROV guide for the 250Te crane main block on OLYMPIC ARES during a tree cap replacement and as an ROV grabber bar on a template during a clamp installation.

The DeepOcean operatives reported back as follows: ‘The design is a robust and lightweight solutioon, easy to handle by both personnel onboard the vessel and by ROV subsea. The possibility of angling the magnetic modules ensured Moby could be installed on a curved surface and the release mechanism was easy to operate both by hand and with the ROV. The magnet held firmly when installed and released as expected after operation.’

For the crane hook test Moby was installed on a clean, painted surface whereas during the template test it was installed on a surface with low amount of marine growth and no prior cleaning.

Moby was installed on the crane block on deck and secured to the hook with a lanyard. The main block was deployed down to approximately 115m depth, where the ROV grabbed the magnet with its Atlas arm and parallel claw and positioned the hook above the tree cap running tool. The hook was then carefully landed on top of the running tool to add additional weight to the tree cap during installation.



During a clamp installation Moby was tested as an anchoring point on the template structure. The magnet was deployed by the ROV held in the Atlas parallel claw and with a security lanyard. Moby was initially placed on the structure with the release mechanism activated allowing the ROV to manoeuvre the magnet freely into the desired position before disengaging the release mechanism. After the magnet was fully attached the ROV attempted to move the magnet both by pulling with the Atlas arm and applying full thrust in all directions. The magnet did not move. To release the magnet the ROV activated the release mechanism, the magnet was released from the structure as expected and recovered to deck in a subsea basket.

Moby was easy to use and operate, and the ROV handle gave a good grip for the parallel claw. Some small improvements have been suggested by DeepOcean, mainly around protection for Moby and the use of a keeper to prevent unintentional attachment of the magnet to metallic surfaces and these will be incorporated in future production.

The next consignment of Mobys is on its way to a de-commissioning project offshore north-west Australia.

Location: Norway