Air Control Entech & Trac Partnership Marks the Beginning of a New Standard in Remote UAV Inspection for the Oil & Gas Industry

Each a leader in their respective field, the Air Control Entech and TRAC partnership will set the standard for offshore inspection, combining the best of UAV technology and manual inspection techniques.

Today Air Control Entech and TRAC Oil & Gas Ltd. announce a new strategic partnership, aiming to combine their respective expertise in UAVs, aviation and inspection. The partnership will enable both companies to push the boundaries of what is currently possible in offshore, remote inspection, using ACE UAVs and TRAC’s inspection experience to offer a UAV-based remote inspection to a standard currently not offered in the Oil & Gas sector.

Kieran Hope, founder and MD of Air Control Entech says:

“We first met TRAC through the OGTC and we’re delighted to be working together on UAV inspection deployments. Our LiveStream technology is seeing real pull-through in the market and with these joint projects we expect to gain the insight we need to set an R&D direction specific to the Oil & Gas industry. I personally look forward to working with TRAC to set ever-higher standards of quality and safety for UAV inspection techniques”.

As well as deploying existing UAV inspection technologies, ACE and TRAC will collaborate on further R&D projects designed tos engineer inspection-specific UAVs. These UAVs will combine elements of the best technologies in a variety of sectors, with the sole aim of making remote inspection safer and more reliable. Field trials of new technologies will be commencing in the coming months, with results to follow.

Current ACE UAVs developed with OGTC funding have already been trialed successfully by TRAC. Grant Blackaby, Offshore Integrity Engineer for TRAC, says:

“Our mission is to increase personnel and process safety by utilising robotics and innovative technologies to minimise the exposure to unnecessary risk from working at height through to working within confined space. The partnership with Air Control Entech enables us to offer a valuable technology that previously has not been fully realised in the Oil & Gas industry. This will in turn increase efficiencies and reduce costs in an already financially challenging environment.”

TRAC have a strong history of delivering offshore inspection projects, placing great emphasis on the competency of their engineers and Rope Access Teams. ACE shares this commitment to competency in the field of UAV inspection. The recent emergence of UAVs in the inspection industry is an opportunity to raise the bar and set industry standards. The partnership will enable both companies to focus on their respective area of expertise, whilst together delivering cutting-edge inspection services with the sole aim of bringing the strongest inspection technologies and services to the offshore Oil & Gas industry.

Rope Access Teams and traditional methods of inspection and asset maintenance remain a key part of delivering a complete inspection service. The addition of ACE UAV technologies will enable TRAC to focus on delivering inspections efficiently, reducing risk to personnel and improving standards of inspection.