Who Is Franmarine and What Do They Do?

Franmarine is an Australian marine services provider delivering underwater inspection and maintenance solutions for defense, port, and commercial operators. Their services span class-approved UWILD inspections, biofouling assessments, mooring surveys, and diver-supported operations — all integrated into a digital workflow that improves compliance, safety, and reporting.

At the core of Franmarine’s capability is the use of Deep Trekker ROVs combined with their proprietary MarineStream platform. This ROV-driven model enables efficient, repeatable inspections that meet both classification society requirements and national biofouling regulations, helping large operators manage underwater compliance across entire fleets.

Company Background

Headquartered in Henderson, Western Australia, Franmarine has spent over a decade delivering commercial diving, subsea inspection, and in-water cleaning services to government and defense clients. In recent years, the company has accelerated its shift toward integrated robotic workflows, responding to growing regulatory pressure around invasive species and vessel efficiency.

Franmarine supports a broad range of underwater work scopes - from commercial inspections to environmental monitoring and naval vessel compliance. Their core offerings include:

• Biofouling assessments and inspections
• In-water hull cleaning with capture
• Port infrastructure condition assessments
• Environmental reporting for port authorities
• ROV- and diver-based marine asset surveys

Franmarine operates with a growing emphasis on digital workflows and condition-based reporting, made possible through MarineStream - a custom platform developed in-house by CTO Mat Harvey. “It’s a visual inspection platform,” Harvey explained. “You can upload photos, videos, tag them to a location, write a report, live stream - all the bells and whistles that we wanted for running offshore inspections in real time.”

MarineStream is tightly integrated with Deep Trekker ROV systems, enabling data capture, syncing, and reporting directly from the field. “We have direct experience integrating with the Deep Trekker ROVs, including the REVOLUTION and PIVOT systems,” said Harvey. “We needed a vehicle that could support both our video requirements and integrate sensor overlays like sonar and positioning for full-report traceability.”

CEO Adam Falconer-West described this approach as essential to meeting modern inspection and cleaning demands: “The operational profile of ports is changing. We’re seeing tighter turnaround times, environmental scrutiny, and the need to service vessels while they’re in the water. That’s where digital platforms and ROV integration make a real difference.”

He also emphasized how Franmarine’s innovations were designed from the outset to align with practical realities in defense and port environments. “We’re not just building tech for tech’s sake. Our goal is delivering tools that actually solve the problems our customers face - whether that’s the Navy trying to minimize time alongside or port authorities needing visual proof for regulatory compliance.”

Franmarine's work intersects multiple domains: underwater robotics, marine biosecurity, naval logistics, and remote environmental reporting. Its recent pilot with Fremantle Ports and ongoing support of Royal Australian Navy operations reflect a broader industry trend toward real-time, non-invasive monitoring and decentralized compliance workflows.

“We’ve seen an increased need for inspections without drydocking,” said Tom Hazel, General Manager at Franmarine. “Ports need to make decisions quickly and they need quality data to back it up. That’s where the ROV and MarineStream come in. We can repeat the process, show the evidence, and get the results back to clients no matter where they are.”

What’s the Difference Between UWILD and Biofouling Inspections?

Franmarine delivers inspection solutions that meet both classification society and environmental regulatory requirements - two distinct but increasingly overlapping areas of compliance. This dual capability enables large vessel operators to consolidate inspection workflows using an advanced ROV-based methodology supported by MarineStream.

Their integration of ROV technology with MarineStream demonstrates how Franmiarine is ahead of the curve - supporting major shipping operators and navies in meeting international inspection standards. This approach reflects a broader shift toward standardized, digital-first methods for underwater compliance across entire fleets.

What is UWILD (Underwater Inspection in Lieu of Drydocking)

UWILD inspections are mandated by classification societies such as DNV, ABS, and Bureau Veritas. These inspections allow vessels to maintain class certification without drydocking, provided the work is completed by an approved diving contractor or ROV operator and reviewed by a class surveyor.

Maintaining class confirms that the vessel’s hull, machinery, safety systems, and maintenance procedures meet predefined technical and safety standards. Without valid class certification, a commercial vessel cannot legally operate, maintain insurance coverage, or remain commercially viable.

This classification verifies that a vessel is built and maintained according to defined technical and safety standards - covering areas such as hull integrity, machinery, onboard safety systems, and maintenance practices. Classification typically does not include fouling conditions.

What Are Classification Societies and Why Do Their Standards Matter?

Classification societies such as DNV, ABS, and Bureau Veritas are independent organizations that establish and enforce technical standards for the construction and maintenance of ships and offshore structures. These standards cover critical areas such as hull integrity, propulsion systems, structural maintenance, and onboard safety equipment.

Every commercial vessel is assigned a classification by one of these societies. Maintaining class is essential - it certifies that a ship continues to meet the required safety and operational standards, which is a prerequisite for insurance coverage, regulatory approval, and commercial operation.

Franmarine delivers in-water inspection services that are fully aligned with these standards, offering Underwater Inspections in Lieu of Drydocking (UWILD) using class-approved ROV workflows. Their ROV-based inspection solutions meet the criteria set by classification societies, providing clear, auditable evidence for hull condition without removing the vessel from service.

By integrating Deep Trekker ROVs with their MarineStream platform, Franmarine ensures inspections are not only compliant but also efficient and repeatable. Surveyors can remotely access live video, review detailed reports, and approve inspection outcomes without requiring full drydock intervention - reducing both cost and disruption for operators.

What is Biofouling Management

Biofouling inspections are regulated separately under environmental protection frameworks, particularly in Australia, where the IMO’s biofouling guidelines have been made enforceable by law. These inspections focus on the buildup of marine organisms on vessel hulls - seen as a major biosecurity risk.

Ships entering Australian ports must maintain a Biofouling Management Plan and Record Book, and inspection must be carried out by a government-recognized provider. Franmarine is one of the limited organizations authorized to perform these inspections.

While ROVs are not mandated for biofouling inspections, their use offers significant operational and financial advantages. By reducing diver exposure, accelerating data collection, and improving reporting transparency, Franmarine enables vessels to maintain continuous compliance with Australian biosecurity regulations. This is critical, as failure to meet these requirements can result in denial of port entry - leading to costly delays, re-routing, and cargo disruptions.

How Franmarine is Supporting Fleet-Wide Compliance

As countries like Brazil and New Zealand move toward stricter biofouling legislation, global operators face increasing pressure to harmonize how inspections are conducted across regions. Franmarine’s approach offers a scalable solution: standardizing underwater inspection across entire fleets using Deep Trekker ROVs and a single reporting interface via MarineStream.

This capability - supporting both classification society UWILD requirements and environmental biosecurity inspections - positions Franmarine at the leading edge of underwater compliance. Large organizations operating globally can now manage underwater inspection, documentation, and approval workflows from a single platform, regardless of regulatory authority or inspection type.

Why Are In-Water Hull Inspections So Challenging Today?

Traditional underwater hull inspections have long been resource-intensive, costly, and environmentally risky. Conventional approaches often rely heavily on divers and legacy equipment that may not provide consistent imaging or coverage, especially in low-visibility or high-current conditions. These inspections are increasingly subject to regulatory scrutiny, particularly around biofouling and species transfer, even when cleaning is not being performed.

Drydock inspections, historically the standard for hull condition assessment and maintenance, face increasing operational limitations. Ports often have limited drydock access, causing delays and higher costs for vessel operators. In-water inspection presents a safer, less disruptive alternative but introduces new technical challenges around visibility, data accuracy, and environmental sensitivity.

“We’re seeing increasing requirements for vessels to be able to do inspections without having to go to drydock,” said Tom Hazel. “Because obviously drydock time’s expensive and takes a vessel out of service. That’s where ROVs come in. They can be deployed quickly and capture consistent data, dramatically improving the whole process.”

Operating in high-stakes, regulated environments where accurate data and safe operations are essential, Franmarine needed a solution that could address multiple pain points:

• Strict compliance requirements around biofouling management and the translocation of invasive species
• High operational costs and safety risks associated with diver-based inspections and cleanings
• Turbid and complex underwater conditions in Australian ports and offshore assets
• A need for repeatable, auditable reporting for both commercial clients and government agencies

The team also faced challenges when working in difficult water conditions. “A lot of the work we do is in port environments and estuaries, so visibility is often very poor,” noted Marc Green. “There’s a lot of sediment in the water, strong currents, and low light - so you need a camera system that can still give you usable footage in those conditions.”

The combination of regulatory pressure, diver safety risks, and demanding environments led Franmarine to seek more efficient and safer ways to inspect and maintain underwater assets - while still capturing the high-quality data needed for compliance and decision-making.

"When we look at the shipping industry - with defense as a subset - one of the major challenges we face today, and one that’s only expected to grow, is the limited availability of trusted drydocking capability and capacity. The operational tempo of most vessels, including those in defense, means that periods for downtime and maintenance are becoming increasingly compressed.

In many cases, it’s no longer feasible to lift ships out of the water for maintenance. One way we’re committed to helping overcome this challenge is by introducing technologies that enable consolidated underwater sustainment in lieu of drydocking. This includes all aspects of underwater cleaning, inspection, maintenance, and repair.

It’s a broad and multifaceted scope, depending on a variety of technologies and interventions - divers, ROVs, non-destructive testing techniques, underwater welding using cofferdams, and biofouling and invasive species management strategies. That’s what the industry needs, and there’s a significant opportunity to support them in delivering that capability."

The Solution to Drydock Limitations: In-Water Hull Inspections Using ROVs and Digital Workflows

To meet operational, safety, and compliance requirements, Franmarine adopted a hybrid model - integrating Deep Trekker ROVs with the MarineStream platform to deliver accurate, repeatable in-water hull condition assessments. Moving away from diver-heavy methods, they selected compact ROVs like the REVOLUTION and PIVOT, equipped with UHD 4K cameras, sonar, and DVL, to perform high-quality inspections in challenging conditions. This approach supports scalable, low-disruption workflows across fleets, enabling standardized compliance with classification society and UWILD inspection requirements.

“All the data captured by the Deep Trekker systems gets synced back into MarineStream,” said Harvey. “It gives us a way to have repeatable, shareable reports - critical when you're working with regulators or defense clients.”

Franmarine complements the ROV hardware with the MarineStream platform, which provides live streaming of inspections, automated report generation, and remote collaboration tools. This digital ecosystem enables operators, clients, and regulators to access inspection data transparently and in real time.

“MarineStream allows us to deliver accurate fouling assessments in real time, with the ability to add observations and generate detailed reports either onsite or remotely,” Mat noted. “It reduces inspection times and gives stakeholders clear, actionable information.”

The combination of Deep Trekker’s reliable, easy-to-deploy ROVs with MarineStream’s cloud-based software enables Franmarine to provide a streamlined inspection and cleaning service that reduces drydock dependence, lowers operational costs, and improves environmental compliance.

What Types of Underwater Inspections Can Be Done with ROVs?

Franmarine uses ROVs across a broad spectrum of inspection types, with a focus on both biofouling management and structural condition assessments. Their underwater operations span civilian, commercial, and military contexts, requiring precise data capture and repeatability.

Hull and Biofouling Inspections

One of Franmarine’s primary ROV use cases is hull condition monitoring. The ability to inspect both the waterline and deeper hull sections provides a full picture of fouling accumulation and coating condition.

Pre-clean inspections with the Deep Trekker ROVs are performed to evaluate hull conditions and document biofouling before determining next steps. As Mat Harvey explained during a project with Fremantle Ports:

“Recently, we went down to the port of Fremantle and did a pre-clean biofouling inspection on one of their pilot vessels. What this resulted in was many interested parties from the port coming down to be part of the inspection - just a couple of laptops on the bench and a few ROVs.”

“We were lucky enough to be joined by dolphins, and they turned it on for us, which was terrific.”

This footage, collected via the MarineStream platform, supports both operational decisions and regulatory compliance:

“We put the ROVs in the water, connected to MarineStream via these laptops, and probably within 45 minutes, we were able to complete a comprehensive pre-clean biofouling inspection, capturing photos as we went and video feeds from the ROV.”

“We were working with just one ROV operator who was also an IMS inspector, allowing us to inspect with the ROV. Nobody got in the water, so it was very safe.”

“At the end of that job, we were able to produce a report for the port of Fremantle. They could then go away and have that inspection formalized and closed out, with evidence to show interested parties what the current state of their pilot vessel is.”

Mooring Chain and Subsea Infrastructure

Franmarine frequently deploys ROVs for detailed inspections of mooring chains and subsea infrastructure, focusing on corrosion, anode status, and wear points.

As Adam Falconer-West, CEO, explained, “ROVs give us the ability to inspect mooring chains and subsea assets at depths and in conditions where diving is risky or inefficient.” This capability enables thorough visual assessment while reducing the need for diver exposure in challenging environments.

Tom Hazel, General Manager, added, “Using ROVs for mooring inspections allows us to collect repeatable, reliable data, which supports better maintenance scheduling and asset management.” The consistency and quality of data collected with ROVs streamline decision-making processes, enabling proactive asset management and reducing unexpected failures.

For these deeper operations, Franmarine follows a two-stage deployment methodology. Initial passes are performed with a neutrally ballasted vehicle to inspect infrastructure along the descent path. Once confirmed, the team retrieves the unit, adds weight using shackles or sacrificial weights via the grabber arm, and re-deploys it for targeted bottom work.

“We’ll take some sacrificial weights and put that in the grabber arm and use that to rip the unit right down… that way we have as much time on the bottom as possible when we’re not using shore-powered options.”

Port and Harbor Assessments

ROVs play a key role in assessing infrastructure and environmental conditions in ports and harbors, where visibility and sediment can complicate inspections.

As Marc Green noted, “You’ll often have old debris or sediment buildup that we need to document before diving. The ROV gets us a fast look at bottom conditions.”

The Deep Trekker systems used by Franmarine deliver high-quality imaging with advanced lighting and camera stabilization, enabling inspections in turbid waters with visibility as low as 10 centimeters. This capability allows operators to identify sediment buildup, structural wear on pilings and berth components, and accumulation of debris before divers enter the water.

Deployments often occur from small vessels or dive tenders using hand-launch methods, allowing rapid response in constrained port environments. Additionally, sacrificial weights can be added to ROVs to improve stability and maintain position against currents during detailed inspections of underwater infrastructure.

This approach enables Franmarine to deliver actionable data quickly, reducing the need for invasive diver inspections and minimizing port downtime. The visual data is integrated into the MarineStream platform, supporting detailed reporting and compliance with regulatory standards.

Environmental Monitoring

Deep Trekker ROVs are also used for environmental assessments around ports, harbors, and offshore infrastructure. These include visual checks for turbidity, sediment resuspension, and marine growth accumulation. Post-clean inspections help verify that biofouling debris has not dispersed into surrounding water or ecologically sensitive areas - especially critical near protected zones or within regulated port environments.

Operators use onboard cameras and lighting to visually confirm water clarity and substrate conditions. With GPS-tagged video and sonar overlays managed via the MarineStream platform, inspection teams can review and document environmental impact without diver entry. The ability to maintain a consistent altitude and heading allows operators to scan sensitive areas with minimal disturbance.

Compliance Inspections for Vessel Entries

ROVs are increasingly used to support pre-clean inspections for vessels entering biosecurity-controlled or environmentally sensitive regions. These inspections help determine the extent of fouling and whether cleaning is required prior to port entry.

By capturing high-quality video and photo documentation through Deep Trekker ROVs, operators can provide clear, defensible evidence of hull condition. This visual data is geotagged and time stamped through MarineStream, enabling fast, portable reporting that aligns with regulatory requirements.

In several recent projects, inspection data was compiled and submitted digitally to stakeholders using MarineStream, reducing time spent on manual report generation and eliminating the need for divers during initial assessments. This approach has been especially valuable in Australia, where stringent biosecurity regulations are enforced in ports with high environmental sensitivity.

How Do ROVs Improve Diver Safety and Inspection Efficiency?

Improving Safety and Reducing Diver Exposure

ROVs serve as a force multiplier for Franmarine’s inspection and cleaning operations, especially in conditions where diver access is limited or risky.

Deep Trekker ROVs changed the day-to-day operations by making them significantly safer and more efficient. As Adam Falconer-West explained, “When employing an ROV, you're reducing risk as well because you're removing a diver - a person - from what is inherently a hazardous environment.”

Adam notes, “One of the main benefits of using ROVs is reducing diver exposure to hazardous environments. By performing initial inspections remotely, we can triage assets and plan diver interventions only where absolutely necessary.”

Marc Green added, “We’re always trying to reduce diver time in the water, especially in unknown or high-current situations. The ROV gives us situational awareness beforehand - so we know what we’re dropping into.”

Increasing Efficiency and Reducing Downtime

“In terms of efficiency, just as an example, we've been able to reduce an underwater inspection timeframe from around 8-10 hours down to 3 hours. What that enables us to do is undertake multiple inspections - up to three different ships per day as opposed to one. From an efficiency point of view, we're far more responsive. We can mobilize, be on a plane with an ROV, and respond to essentially any request or call out interstate the next day with that unit," explained Adam Falconer-West.

Tom Hazel added, “You can assess a vessel right away - decide if it needs cleaning, where the fouling is worst, and what the next steps are.”

“Limited drydock availability is a key pain point for ship owners and operators, which is only projected to increase. They want fast, reliable hull inspections and cleaning that don’t impact schedules,” said Tom Hazel

ROVs enable rapid hull inspections without the need for drydock or extensive diver support, helping operators make timely decisions on cleaning and maintenance. By integrating ROVs into inspection workflows, Franmarine reduces operational costs, improves asset management, and enhances safety across commercial and defense projects.

Supporting and Monitoring Diver Operations

ROVs are also used during diver operations to provide topside teams with live visuals of work in progress.

“We’ve got a small ROV watching the diver on a cleaning job, providing real-time video feeds to surface teams to enhance safety and coordination, and we're able to communicate with them and give them as much help as they need,” Green stated.

“We use the ROVs when we do UWILD on commercial and naval vessels...it’s a lot more efficient for our divers, and the ROVs are quicker and more consistent in their photo capture capacity,” said Marc Green.

“We do pre- and post-inspections with the ROVs. They're just often a lot quicker… then we send divers in to do the work that the unit can’t,” Marc explained.

“On some more complicated jobs, or jobs where it’s a bit riskier, we’re using the ROV to do pre-inspection or to do diver support, where we’ll have the smaller units overseeing the divers.”

Extending Operational Reach in Offshore and Contaminated Conditions

“Using an ROV for inspection essentially frees up divers to perform more complex tasks that require manual dexterity, such as taking poker gauge readings,” explains Hazel.

“If I can use an ROV for inspections, I will. There are numerous benefits: it’s quicker, lowers costs for the customer, and ultimately improves safety by eliminating risks such as decompression illness and tide-related hazards that affect humans. We find that ROVs complement and supplement our activities, allowing inspection work to run concurrently with diving operations.”

“In ports, the water turbidity can be really bad, but the camera systems in the Deep Trekker ROVs have been excellent for us. They translate well into our reporting, and we get some really great images out of it. When we took the REVOLUTION offshore, it faced strong upcurrents. The unit was being pushed to its limits with those conditions, but it held true and was able to perform and get the job done,” said Green.

In Australia, where strict biosecurity requirements apply, ROVs are used to verify hull cleanliness and confirm fouling levels prior to port entry. Franmarine’s workflow allows inspections to be carried out with ROVs while divers remain on standby, ready to intervene only where required.

Enhancing Real-Time Diver Support

Portable ROVs such as the PIVOT are routinely used to observe and record divers during complex in-water tasks. This allows topside teams to maintain real-time visual contact, assess conditions, and provide immediate feedback.

The ROV’s camera can track diver position, tool use, and work progress—even in low visibility. This added layer of situational awareness improves communication, helps mitigate risk, and supports documentation of the task without additional personnel in the water.

Supporting Offshore and Defense Operations

ROVs allow Franmarine to expand the reach of their diver-supported operations. In offshore settings or deeper moorings, the REVOLUTION can perform preliminary work while divers prepare or recover.

In these environments - often beyond 100–200 meters - diver deployment becomes time- and resource-intensive. The REVOLUTION ROV, with a depth rating of 305 meters and integrated positioning systems, enables staged operations where the ROV performs initial assessments, grooming, or monitoring before or instead of dive teams entering the water.

The use of ROVs also supports defense goals of reducing diver risk in contaminated, high-current, or low-visibility waters. By handling initial surveys and enabling live surface visibility, systems like the REVOLUTION allow dive operations to be more targeted, controlled, and compliant with safety and environmental guidelines.

What Tools Does Franmarine Use to Capture and Report Underwater Inspection Data?

Franmarine uses ultra high-definition cameras, sonar, and positioning overlays on Deep Trekker ROVs to gather inspection data in real time. All captured footage - video, stills, metadata - is uploaded into MarineStream for reporting and review.

This setup enables rapid, repeatable inspections and streamlined reporting. “It gives us a way to have repeatable, shareable reports - critical when you're working with regulators or defense clients,” Harvey noted.

By integrating data capture with centralized reporting, Franmarine can deliver inspection results within hours, reducing turnaround time and supporting decision-making on maintenance, cleaning, or compliance actions.

High-Fidelity Visuals for Fouling Assessment

Franmarine’s REVOLUTION NAV systems are equipped with Deep Trekker’s enhanced UHD 4K camera and onboard image processing, allowing detailed capture in low-visibility environments.

“The camera quality lets us go species-level with fouling - something we couldn’t reliably do with earlier systems,” said Marc Green.

Clear visuals are essential for determining not only fouling coverage but also potential invasive species, particularly for port authorities and international compliance.

For Fremantle Ports, the ability to collect clear imagery during remote inspections improves transparency and reporting. Rebecca James, Senior Environmental Advisor, noted that their work with Franmarine and MarineStream provides a useful benchmark for biofouling management:

“This technology means that the vessel can remain in the water, it’s really efficient in terms of time, and they’ve got MarineStream capturing a lot of data that can be viewed remotely so everybody can see what’s going on. It’s a really efficient and cost-effective way of doing this, which means vessels can be maintained more regularly rather than with intermittent, costly drydocking.”

Captured visuals are stored and tagged within the MarineStream platform, providing traceable records for compliance and internal auditing. This supports consistent evaluations of fouling levels and species identification across port infrastructure and visiting vessels.

Integrated GPS and Sonar Overlay

The REVOLUTION NAV integrates sonar and subsea positioning via DVL. This enables georeferenced mapping of inspection areas - essential for repeatability and long-term tracking.

This setup enables accurate navigation and mapping in low-visibility conditions. Sonar aids in detecting structures and obstacles, while geospatial tagging supports repeatable inspection routes and long-term condition monitoring, which is essential for comparing hull condition over multiple survey intervals.

By combining these technologies, Franmarine enhances data reliability and operational efficiency, enabling detailed and traceable inspection reports that inform maintenance and compliance decisions.

Centralized Reporting Through MarineStream

Visuals, sonar imagery, and metadata from inspections are automatically routed into the MarineStream platform. This allows Franmarine to organize, review, and share data with clients, port authorities, or defense stakeholders.

“MarineStream gives us one environment to manage inspection data - from raw footage to cleaned-up reports,” explained CTO Mat Harvey. “It cuts down manual handover steps and makes the whole process traceable.”

The platform also supports streaming for live inspection reviews, allowing remote clients to view work as it happens.

How Do ROVs Perform in Low Visibility, Currents, and Harsh Underwater Conditions?

Franmarine operates across diverse marine conditions - from low-visibility harbors to offshore moorings - and requires underwater vehicles that can maintain stability, visibility, and control.

Port Water Turbidity and Lighting Conditions

Shallow ports often contain high sediment loads, limiting diver visibility. Deep Trekker’s enhanced camera and lighting systems overcome this with adjustable brightness and onboard image processing.

“Even in those terrible conditions - brown water, five meters of depth - we’re still getting usable footage,” said Marc Green. “We’ve become really accustomed to relying on the camera systems and how they handle the footage. Recently in ports, water turbidity has been pretty bad, but the Deep Trekker ROV’s cameras still give us great images. It follows through really well into our reporting.”

In offshore jobs with strong currents, Franmarine also observed that the REVOLUTION held position and captured useful footage under challenging conditions, highlighting the system’s stability and imaging performance across a range of environments.

Rapid Deployment in Challenging Conditions

Franmarine relies on portable ROV systems to maintain operational continuity when diver deployment is not feasible - especially during adverse weather or remote offshore scenarios.

“The great thing about the ROVs is we can deploy them as a flyaway capability with a team of two people. One example was up in Port Hedland, where a vessel required a class society survey. It was at anchor when adverse weather was coming in, and the likelihood of getting a dive team there just wasn’t going to happen.”

“So we deployed a team with the ROV, and they were able to complete the inspection. The weather conditions were such that the ship had to have its engines ready for immediate departure - there’s no way you’d have been able to dive. But we got it done with the ROV.

“It gave us flexibility, the ability to respond quickly to the task, and ultimately, safety. That job really showed the benefits.”

Low-Light and Murky Water Performance

Franmarine conducts inspections in varied lighting conditions, including shadowed piers, overcast weather, and nighttime operations. The REVOLUTION’s 4K UHD camera, combined with its high-intensity LED lighting and wide dynamic range, provides consistent visibility in these challenging environments.

In shallow ports, suspended sediments and low ambient light often reduce optical clarity. The ROV’s onboard lighting compensates with adjustable brightness and beam angle control, while its imaging sensor maintains contrast and detail through digital signal processing. These capabilities enable reliable data capture even in turbid, low-light conditions where legacy systems would struggle.

Adaptability Through Modular Payloads

Franmarine’s use of Deep Trekker ROVs allows for real-time reconfiguration of tooling and sensor payloads to suit variable site conditions. Depending on the task, operators can adjust buoyancy by adding or removing ballast, attach auxiliary lighting to improve contrast in turbid water, or integrate additional sensors such as multibeam imaging sonar and laser scaling modules.

This modularity is particularly beneficial in mixed environments - from low-visibility port inspections to offshore structural assessments - where lighting requirements, water currents, and depth vary significantly. Payload flexibility ensures that the same base platform can be adapted for different missions without requiring specialized hardware swaps between deployments.

How Do ROV Inspections Improve Compliance, Safety, and Maintenance Planning?

Clients working with Franmarine have realized measurable improvements in operational decision-making and compliance. ROV-based inspections enable more informed decisions on hull cleaning schedules, reducing unnecessary drydock visits and associated costs.

The detailed visual data captured during ROV surveys supports documented compliance with port authority standards and environmental regulations, helping clients meet increasingly stringent requirements. Having precise records accelerates approval processes and improves transparency.

ROV inspections also optimize diver deployment, allowing better scheduling and reducing risk exposure. As a result, interventions occur only when necessary, improving efficiency and safety.

The ability to monitor marine growth and asset wear over time also provides clients with valuable trend data. This ongoing insight supports predictive maintenance and asset life extension, yielding cost savings and operational reliability.

What Makes Deep Trekker the Right Solution for Underwater Inspections?

Franmarine’s choice of Deep Trekker was guided by operational demands and the need for adaptable, field-ready systems across a broad range of commercial and defense projects. Beyond hardware, Deep Trekker also offered critical support at both local and international levels.

According to Green, “The team in Canada is always willing to support when we’ve needed custom integration, and there’s someone in Australia to talk to as well, which makes a huge difference.”

Franmarine highlighted several reasons for choosing Deep Trekker:

Rugged, Portable Designs

The systems can be deployed quickly from small dive tenders or larger vessels, even in challenging sea states. “Being able to hand-launch from a 7-meter RHIB, in current, in port waters - that’s not something you can do with every vehicle,” Green said.

Versatile Deployment Environments

Deep Trekker ROVs have been used across Franmarine’s projects, including inspections in low-visibility ports and offshore mooring fields from 30 to over 200 meters deep.

High-Quality Imaging

The combination of 4K cameras and real-time control enabled detailed inspections critical to environmental compliance. “We can get species-level identification in some cases, even in poor conditions,” Green added.

Compatibility with Existing Workflows

Franmarine’s MarineStream platform required systems that could seamlessly provide timestamped visual and sonar data. “Everything needs to plug into MarineStream - video, sonar, metadata,” said Harvey. “Deep Trekker’s systems give us that flexibility.”

What Measurable Gains Has Franmarine Achieved Using Deep Trekker ROVs?

ROVs are now fully embedded into Franmarine’s inspection, cleaning, and reporting workflows, delivering quantifiable improvements in efficiency, safety, and data quality.

Daily Operational Use

Deep Trekker units are deployed nearly every day during intensive campaigns. In one large-scale operation, ROVs were in the water for extended shifts across multiple weeks.

“We’ve probably got our ROVs in the water once or twice a week. Then on bigger operations, they’re in there every day. We’ve had it running for two and a half weeks straight, looking at those mooring structures. I’d say we were spending about eight hours a day, intermittently going from asset to asset and getting as much information as we could - not only using the sonar but the camera systems.” said Marc Green. “It became part of the team.”

This consistency reduces fatigue on divers and ensures inspections can continue regardless of dive limitations.

High-Resolution Imaging for Identification

With the REVOLUTION’s UHD 4K camera and low-light imaging capabilities, Franmarine can identify fouling organisms with clarity - down to species level in many cases.

“A lot of our background in marine science involves examining invasive species and conducting species-to-species comparisons, noted Marc Green. “When dealing with murky or highly attenuated water systems, it becomes very difficult for general camera systems to differentiate between color, opacity, or some of the more subtle differences in these species. I find that working with the Deep Trekker ROV enhanced camera systems really helps me when making those decisions.”

This level of detail is critical for both regulatory compliance and environmental protection.

Accelerated Decision-Making

With real-time inspection feeds and integrated reporting, Franmarine’s teams can quickly assess vessel conditions and share findings with key stakeholders. This is especially valuable for biofouling management or determining when and where to deploy divers.

“The benefit of our MarineStream software is having a real-time feed for the work being done. Quite often, if there’s an issue with a vessel, there are a lot of stakeholders who want to see what’s going on immediately. We can provide live-stream access in a secure way, so only authorized people can view it - and we do that through MarineStream,” noted Hazel.

“For example, if we’re on a vessel today, we can have an ROV conducting an inspection and stream that through MarineStream so observers can watch in real time. We can also capture images throughout the inspection.”

“From there, we generate a report that provides a clear understanding of the vessel’s condition. Over time, each report builds up a history for that vessel. If you have multiple vessels, you can track trends across the fleet - and even across fleets of fleets - to extract meaningful insights.”

Improved Diver Efficiency and Oversight

Pre-inspection with ROVs allows divers to target specific areas instead of spending time locating issues. Simultaneous visual oversight ensures better coordination during cleaning and maintenance tasks.

“It means the diver’s time in the water is focused and productive. And we can watch it all from the surface,” Green said.

How Will MarineStream and ROV Integration Shape the Future of Underwater Operations?

One of the most significant outcomes from the Franmarine site visit was a clear demonstration of their ability to manage comprehensive biofouling inspection programs across entire fleets. Their integrated workflow - using Deep Trekker ROVs in combination with the MarineStream platform - shows how large organizations with multiple vessels can adopt a standardized method for hull inspections. This approach supports more consistent reporting, streamlined classification surveys and UWILDs, and reduces reliance on drydock availability by delivering high-quality, in-water data to stakeholders in real time.

Franmarine is investing in expanded capabilities through MarineStream and Deep Trekker integration, with a focus on automating more of the inspection and reporting workflow. “We’re working toward auto-reporting features and predictive analysis using historic data, in order to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, minimize fuel expenditure, and importantly, reduce the amount of invasive marine species being relocated around the world,” says Harvey. “The goal is to support operators in making evidence-based decisions about maintenance intervals, not just reactively inspecting when there’s an issue.”

“This predictive tool has not been developed yet. We are at the very start of this. The reason it hasn’t been developed is that it is very complicated. We’re talking about ocean temperature, paint type that’s being used to manage antifouling on the vessels, where the vessel has been and for how long, and the speed of its movement. There are many, many data streams, many variables that inform this predictive tool.”

Adam Falconer-West, CEO of Franmarine, speaks further on Franmarine’s mission. “Our vision is to increase the accessibility of the underwater worksite. ROVs play a fundamental role in that, and with Deep Trekker, we’ve also created our own software platform, MarineStream, which supports that as well. So with MarineStream and ROVs, essentially, we can both represent a timely and agile response to any underwater requirement, and we can also create a real-time, multi-user environment from anywhere in the world, enabling other stakeholders to participate in that same intervention.

This supports more effective, more efficient decision-making and brings other skills and expertise into the project, which previously was not possible to do.

Again, when we look at a dry dock, we are committed to replicating that environment underwater using various technologies. We do see divers remaining central to this. We see the use of ROVs increasing significantly in the future, and linking those inspection capabilities together is MarineStream, which represents that overarching architectural framework,” adds Adam.

These developments aim to further reduce diver hours, streamline compliance documentation, and give clients deeper insight into asset condition over time. “Ultimately, it’s about reducing costs and environmental impact, while improving safety and decision-making,” says Hazel.

Franmarine plans to scale these tools across both commercial and defense projects, with long-term vision toward supporting allied navies under initiatives like AUKUS.

"Franmarine, with MarineStream and our partners at Deep Trekker and Shearwater, are leading the way in establishing global standardization and best practice in terms of underwater sustainment,"as Adam Falconer-West explains. "This is contributing directly to the digitalization and decarbonization initiatives of the global shipping industry. So the future's looking bright."

The Deep Trekker Tools Used

Franmarine operates a fleet of Deep Trekker ROVs and accessories tailored for inspection, cleaning, and data capture in a range of marine environments - from ports and harbors to offshore structures.

REVOLUTION NAV Package

• Integrated with Waterlinked DVL A50 and USBL system
• Outfitted with sonar and SensorPod+ for spatial awareness and environmental readings
• Used for pre-clean and condition inspections on large hulls and FPSOs
• High maneuverability with vectored thrusters and stability in current
• Deployed in depths up to 200 meters during mooring inspections

PIVOT Smart Package

• Compact ROV used for diver oversight, port surveys, and environmental monitoring
• Deployed from small tenders and RHIBs
• Integrated with UHD camera and LED lighting
• Outfitted with SensorPod+ and ROV GPS
• Supports pre/post dive verification and turbidity assessments

MAG Utility Crawler

• Magnetic crawler for in-water hull cleaning with vacuum recovery
• Fitted with pan-tilt camera and vacuum intake for capturing biofouling
• Operates with Franmarine’s cleaning and capture system for IMO compliance
• Used in naval inspections and high-biofouling port zones

Modular Add-ons and Accessories

• 14” single 1.5” intake vacuum head: Used with capture systems during hull cleaning
• Pan-tilt elevated camera kit: Enables close-up visuals from multiple angles
• SensorPod+: Captures temperature, turbidity, and depth in real time
• ROV GPS / Waterlinked DVL A50: Ensures georeferenced inspections
• Spare batteries and 300m tether reels: Support long-duration missions and remote deployments
• Pelican cases and onboard toolkits: Enable easy transport, maintenance, and rapid redeployment in field conditions

Deep Trekker’s Expert Guidance and Custom Solutions

Our team consists of highly skilled professionals with extensive industry experience, dedicated to assisting you in integrating submersible robots into your operations seamlessly. Whether your project involves pipeline and infrastructure inspections, water tank maintenance, salvage operations, underwater surveys, search and recovery missions, aquaculture operations, environmental monitoring, marine research, or other specialized applications, we are equipped to cater to your unique requirements and objectives effectively using our state-of-the-art underwater ROV solutions.

Secure Your Deep Trekker Underwater ROV Today

When you're ready to secure your very own Deep Trekker vehicle, feel free to contact us, and we'll be happy to provide you with a customized quote tailored precisely to your requirements. Incorporating Deep Trekker ROVs into your underwater operations ensures unmatched safety, efficiency, and success.