Viper Subsea has attracted major operator Shell to join BP and Total in a Joint Industry Project (JIP) to develop its Subsea Line Integrity Monitoring (V-SLIM) unit which is used to identify and locate faults in remote subsea electrical distribution systems.

The addition of another major operator as a sponsor for the development of this technology confirms the need within the industry for such electrical integrity monitoring and further confirms Viper Subsea’s reputation as a major technology innovator within the industry.

Neil Douglas, Managing Director of Viper Subsea commented; “The addition of Shell as a sponsor not only provides further valuable end-user input to the development programme, but the additional funding will allow further testing and also enable us to develop a form of the product such that it can be easily integrated into third party subsea hardware, thus further enhancing its suitability for both brown field and green field applications.”

Viper Subsea will carry out all the research and development for the V-SLIM system, while the JIP partners will contribute funding and ensure the products are optimised for field use. The establishment of the JIP has been facilitated by the Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF).

Viper Subsea expects the new V-SLIM to be field-trialled in less than18 months.