ROV buoyancy modules play a crucial role in enabling subsea exploration across various sectors, including offshore energy (renewables and oil & gas), oceanographic research, defense applications, and search and rescue operations.
Adopting a whole-life approach ensures that these high-quality buoyancy modules function effectively throughout their intended service life. This approach emphasizes the importance of repairing and refurbishing existing, damaged, or worn modules instead of simply replacing them with new ones. By doing so, this significantly lowers capital expenditure, maximizing return on investment, and minimizing waste to landfill.
ROV buoyancy modules that deliver consistent performance both during and beyond their expected lifespan represent not only a smarter investment but also contribute positively to achieving net-zero targets.
REPAIR & REFURB RATIONALE
The evolution of technology in subsea equipment necessitates ongoing investment to maintain a competitive edge. However, the cost of acquiring a new set of buoyancy modules for an ROV owner or operator typically ranges from $64,000 to over $1.3 million and beyond for specialist applications.
However, this substantial investment may not be a viable option for everyone. Many ROV owners and operators are already facing tight capital resources, and the economic volatility in industries such as oil and gas, which heavily rely on ROVs, only exacerbates these challenges.
By exploring the option of repairing or refurbishing existing buoyancy modules, ROV owners and operators can extend the service life of current equipment as a more economical alternative to purchasing new ones. Repair and refurbishment services can range from fixing scuffs to recoating the protective skin for improved abrasion and impact resistance. This can reduce capital expenditures by as much as 40%, presenting a significant opportunity to boost operating profits and optimize return on investment.
One crucial factor in determining whether to repair and refurbish existing modules is the suitability of the materials used in their construction. For example, legacy macrosphere-based syntactic foam systems were used to create lower-cost buoyancy modules. However, these materials generate a relatively low buoyancy per cubic meter, are susceptible to significant loss of buoyancy from minor damage and are challenging to refurbish effectively due to the way in which they’re manufactured.
Although macrosphere-based syntactic foams are still utilized for shallow depths or large-volume applications where damage risk is minimal—such as in trenching ROVs—most of the ROV industry now relies on pure syntactic foam systems, which offer greater durability and enhanced value when repaired or refurbished.
In addition to the economic advantages of repairing or refurbishing current syntactic foam ROV modules, the refurbishment pro-cess is approximately 25% to 30% faster than manufacturing and delivering new modules. This is particularly important for explorations in remote locations, allowing ROV operators to potentially lower overall operational costs by refurbishing existing modules instead of paying a premium for new ones. To mitigate potential downtime associated with new module delivery, especially for time-sensitive projects, maintaining a refurbished set on-site as a backup can be a strategic move.
ENHANCING REVENUE
The advantages of repair and refurbishment extend beyond ROV owners and operators; they also present a significant opportunity for manufacturers. By focusing on the repair and refurbishment of existing ROV buoyancy modules, manufacturers can establish a valuable secondary revenue stream.
Re-selling refurbished units allow manufacturers to capitalize on their existing technologies and cater to the growing demand for a more affordable option compared to purchasing entirely new ROVs.
This strategy can help offset the challenges posed by fluctuating sales of new units, creating a consistent revenue source. Additionally, it fosters a more robust and diversified business model, positioning manufacturers as a comprehensive provider for both new and refurbished equipment.
CIRCULAR ROV ECONOMY
Sustainability has become a crucial focus within the ROV industry, impacting manufacturers, owners, and operators alike. This shift is fueled by various factors, such as enhancing reputation, committing to emission reductions, and adapting to the impacts of climate change as part of The Paris Agreement.
As the industry moves towards achieving net zero carbon emissions, there is a heightened emphasis on developing ROVs that have a minimal environmental footprint. When it comes to ROV buoyancy modules, prioritizing the extension of service life and reducing the frequency of replacements offers significant sustainability advantages.
By giving existing modules, a second lease of life which can potentially extend their use by up to five years, operators can significantly cut capital expenditure and reduce landfill waste. For instance, if just 1% of the ROVs currently in operation globally were decommissioned, it could result in approximately 30 to 40 cubic meters of syntactic foam going into landfill.
CASE STUDY: BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO A 15-YEAR-OLD ROV
A leading global ROV Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) recently tasked Base Materials with enhancing the operational lifespan of a 15-year-old ROV belonging to one of its clients.
Through its refurbishment and repair services, Base Materials was able to extend the life of the aging, damaged buoyancy modules by up to five years. This approach not only minimalized landfill waste but also eliminated the need for new modules to be purchased.
In just eight weeks, Base Materials made repairs to the set of four modules, including repairing scuffs and worn areas, replacing damaged core materials and metallic inserts to allow for attachment to a redesigned frame and applying a new protective coating and paint finish to each module.
Additionally, it applied custom stencils and markings, along with non-slip coatings on the buoyancy modules to enhance the safety of operatives walking on the equipment.
This feature appeared in ON&T Magazine’s 2025 Special Edition, The Future of Ocean Technology, Vol. 5, to read more access the magazine here.
