KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: Forum Energy Technologies (FET)

Forum Energy Technologies (FET) today announced that it has been awarded a contract to provide a life extension (Lext) upgrade on one of its Perry ST200 Trenchers. The Lext upgrade will be completed for a Western Hemisphere telecommunications equipment company The enhanced asset will support the installation and maintenance of subsea cables that are a vital component of an international communications network. 

This project marks FET’s second life extension upgrade for an ST200 trencher and follows on from the successful sea trial of the first upgrade last year.  

FET’s Lext service provides remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operators with a cost-effective solution to ageing subsea vehicles and technology obsolescence by increasing the asset’s life in some case more than a decade. 

As part of the work scope, FET will completely remove all obsolete components and associated parts within the control system and replace them with the latest evolution in control system hardware and software. The upgrade benefits from over 60 years of ROV development at FET, and will provide increased reliability and improved support, while also minimizing downtime. 

FET has produced more than 800 Perry and Sub-Atlantic ROV systems over the past six decades. All vehicle manufacturing is certified and compliant to ISO 9001 and 18001 to provide safety and reliability assurance. 

The latest Lext upgrade is based on the newest developments in work-class ROV and trencher technology. These vehicles feature significantly enhanced performance across the full range of demanding intervention, survey and trenching tasks without compromising the outstanding reliability which the original Triton vehicles are known for. 

Kevin Taylor, FET’s Vice President - Subsea Vehicles, said: 
“We recognised the opportunity to provide a more cost-efficient solution to ageing vehicles while still delivering the high quality, robust assets that FET is renowned for. This award underlines our ongoing commitment to delivering new and innovative technological solutions to the subsea industry across the blue economy.  

“This is the second life extension upgrade for this client in the last 12 months and it’s fantastic to see customers continue to recognise the reliable performance our trenchers deliver and the operational sustainability the Lext service provides.”  

The upgrade will be carried out at FET’s facility in Bryan, Texas, using components manufactured at FET’s UK facility in Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire. It is expected to be delivered in the third quarter of this year.