Eelume is a game-changer in subsea inspection

Subsea inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) is costly and complicated.

Whether for oil and gas installations, fish farms or other underwater facilities, IMR requires deployment of large service vessels and resource-intensive operations. This results in high fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

IMR is especially difficult in confined spaces, which are not accessible by conventional underwater vehicles, only human divers.

Eelume has designed a revolutionary subsea robot for precision manoeuvring and repairs. The self-propelling Eely500 has a slender and flexible body, which can perform IMR in almost any confined space.

The eel-like design allows Eely500 to straighten to the shape of a torpedo and travel great distances at speed. At the same time, it can bend and twist to access narrow gaps and openings, moving with exactness even in strong ocean currents.

Eely500 allows users to service subsea installations remotely, at any time, without the need for comprehensive operations with service vessels and divers. This reduces environmental impact and risk, as well as saving time and money.

Eely500 is flexible and adaptable to any type of underwater inspection, maintenance and repair for large and small installations.

The market for Eelume’s subsea robots includes offshore oil and gas, aquaculture and other types of offshore and subsea activity.

Eelume was established in 2015 as a spin-off from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), after a decade of research on snake robots in collaboration with the research organisation SINTEF. The company is co-owned by Kongsberg Maritime and has a strategic partnership with Equinor.