Tracerco has brought its pipeline inspection tool the ‘Discovery’ and its complimentary technology, ‘Explorer’ to the Australasia region, permanently basing the equipment at its Western Australia facility in Perth.

The Discovery provides CT scan of subsea pipelines, while the Explorer can fast screen pipelines to locate restrictions. According to Tracerco, together they provide the complete package for operators looking to plan effective remediation to bring a flowline back to full capacity.

Both devices work without the need to remove the pipe coating material. Once Explorer has located the area of the suspected blockage, Discovery can be deployed to accurately characterise its precise nature.

Ken Pearson, managing director, Australasia, said: “Australasia is an important region for Tracerco’s products and services, and our Subsea Technologies are no exception. Research from Infield Systems Limited shows there is 4,213km of subsea pipeline in the Australia subsea region which, like all subsea pipelines, experience flow restrictions from time to time. We are delighted to bring our most innovative technology to the region for an even more responsive service to customers.

“Operators who face flow challenges need to get their pipelines back to full operation quickly. The speed at which we can deploy, coupled with the fact that coatings do not need to be removed from the lines before inspection, saves time and costs whilst mitigating the risk of damage to the pipeline. What’s more, having the equipment based here means that we are mobilising with minimum transportation costs, a saving that we are passing onto all our customers within the region.”

Both technologies can operate at depths of up to 3,000 meters.