
SUBSEACLEANING
Effective cleaning solutions that facilitate sustained performance and minimize downtime of your primary operations
Overview
SEATOOLS DESIGNS, MANUFACTURES, AND DELIVERS CUSTOM-MADE SUBSEA CLEANING SOLUTIONS
The design of effective remote subsea cleaning solutions is characterized by a diffuse set of stringent design criteria. In addition to essentials like equipment reliability and (cleaning) efficiency, remote cleaning solutions should eliminate the risk of damaging a structure or coating (e.g. in the case of riser cleaning), showcase fail-safe behavior at remote locations, and have the ability to cope with obstructions.
In order to meet these criteria, an extensive knowledge base and set of capabilities are required, that includes knowledge of cleaning principles, advanced control engineering, and the design of autonomous vehicles. Because Seatools houses the required knowledge and capabilities, and has a strong innovative capacity, we can design and deliver effective remote cleaning solutions that tackle a broad variety of underwater cleaning challenges. The ROCM underwater cleaning robot is a case in point. Here, we effectively combined the above-mentioned fields of knowledge and delivered a successful remote cleaning solution for a complex cleaning assignment.
- EXPERTISE
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- Expertise on subsea cleaning principles (jetting, brushing, scraping)
- Expertise on design and manufacturing of ROVs and subsea tools
- Expertise on the collection and processing of marine fouling
- Advanced control engineering
- VALUE CREATION
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- Innovative and bespoke subsea cleaning solutions
- Flexible and short lead times
- Advanced control systems for safe and productive cleaning operations
- TRACK RECORD
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- Design and delivery of a turn-key, custom cleaning machine in 91 days
- Innovative designs for highly specific subsea (infra)structure cleaning
- Design of remote underwater cleaning robots that prevent downtime
The ROCM removed a 25-centimeter-thick layer of marine growth in a 400-meter-long power plant cooling water intake in as little as 80 hours. How can we maximize your cleaning operations?
Scope
- FEASIBILITY, FMEA, AND CONCEPT STUDIES
- COMPLETE CLEANING TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS

YOU PROVIDE THE CASE AND REQUIREMENTS, WE SEEK OUT A SOLUTION
We perform feasibility and conceptual design studies to investigate potential underwater cleaning solutions. During these studies, we take into account factors such as the type of encountered marine growth, required cleaning capacity, inspection requirements, (potential) obstructions, equipment failure cases, propulsion possibilities, fouling capture, and possible deviations from “as-built” drawings. Because we take these factors and our client’s performance criteria into consideration, we are able to conceptualize the best possible cleaning equipment solutions.

DELIVERY OF TURN-KEY, BESPOKE SUBSEA CLEANING EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS
Thanks to our multidisciplinary engineering approach, we do not only deliver conceptual designs, but also realize these concepts and deliver full-fledged, turn-key solutions, including all auxiliary equipment. All our equipment solutions are factory tested, and provide training to our clients’ operators.
HOW WE CREATE VALUE
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INNOVATIVE AND BESPOKE
SUBSEA CLEANING SOLUTIONSOnly custom-made solutions achieve the best possible cleaning performance. Our innovative capacity and our expertise and knowledge of underwater cleaning principles, control engineering, and autonomous vehicle designs, culminate in design equipment solutions that deliver an exact match with the performance criteria of our customers.
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FLEXIBLE AND SHORT
LEAD TIMESIn our capital-intensive industry, downtime and long lead times are extremely expensive. Because we understand this, our organization is set up in such a way that projects can be executed within a short time frame. The total lead time for the custom-made ROCM, for example, was as little as 91 days: from scratch to FAT.
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ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR SAFE
AND PRODUCTIVE CLEANING OPERATIONSOur advanced control engineering capabilities facilitate controlled remote cleaning operations. Force control, for example, eliminates the risk of damaging the (coating) surface, while optimizing cleaning progress.

What do you need to get cleaned to guarantee the uninterrupted performance of your primary operations? Our experts gladly discuss your requirements and point out potential solutions for your project.
RELATED CONCEPTS
Remotely Operated Mort Collector – ROMoC
The ROMoC is a highly automated mort collection system designed for dead fish collection in large-scale offshore fish farms in particular. The collector is based on a simple yet effective design.

Seawater intake cleaning machine
This concept was designed for the cleaning of internal circular ducts such as seawater intakes, marine (sewage) outfalls, and culvert pipes. The system is capable of cleaning pipe lengths of up to 2500 meters.
Pile Dredge Tool – PDT
Based on a strong demand for pile dredging, Seatools developed and reviewed several concepts for a pile dredge tool. This resulted in a tool characterized by simplicity, flexibility, and effectiveness.
TRACK RECORD



- Date:
- October 2003
- Project duration:
- 91 days
- Client:
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Effective power plant cooling water intake cleaning
Our client DCN was contracted to clean a power plant’s cooling water intakes affected by a 25-centimeter-thick layer of biofouling. The end customer’s main concern – safety and a minimum of downtime – required the design of a dedicated underwater cleaning machine.
Seatools developed a dedicated Remotely Operated Cleaning Machine (ROCM) that proved very successful: the ROCM cleaned a 400-meter-long tunnel in as little as 80 hours.
- Date:
- September 2008
- Project duration:
- 4 months
- Client:
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Control system for remote hull cleaning
Hydrex successfully developed a diver-operated hull cleaning machine, but wanted to advance the development of the machine by incorporating a large degree of automation, and eliminate the need for a diver.
Thanks to its advanced control engineering capabilities, Seatools was asked to step in, and successfully developed and integrated a remote control system. The system facilitated position control, and controlled the cleaning process without requiring a diver.
- Date:
- July 2012
- Project duration:
- 4 months
- Client:
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Power plant intake cleaning without downtime
The cooling water intakes of a German power plant suffered from biofouling. Seatools was approached to develop a concept for the remote cleaning of circular intakes while avoiding power plant downtime.
The project resulted in a feasible conceptual design in which all related operational aspects were taken into account. The design was capable of traversing the circular cooling water intakes, while cleaning their surfaces without causing any downtime.
Related news
Seatools introduces mort collector for offshore fish farms
January 11th, 2017
Seatools completed a feasibility and conceptual design study on a Remotely Operated Mort Collector (ROMoC). The study resulted in a highly automated system capable of effectively collecting dead fish in large-scale offshore fish farms.
Seatools introduces ‘elegantly simple’ Pile Dredge Tool
20 April, 2016
Seatools introduces ‘elegantly simple’ Pile Dredge Tool. This pile cleaning and dredging system is capable of removing soil plugs and cleaning of pre-piled jackets, such as commonly found in the offshore wind industry.
Contact
Would you like to discuss your project with our experts?
CONTACT FORM
OTHER CHANNELS
- General
- +31 (0) 186 68 00 00
- info@seatools.com
- Sales
- +31 (0) 186 68 00 00
- sales@seatools.com
- Service (outside office hours, emergency only)
- +31 (0)186 65 00 75