Subsea Brushes – J2 Subsea

Nothing sticks to the bottom of marine vessels quite like the humble barnacle. In fact, these pesky critters are quite capable of damaging the hull of even the biggest ships if left unchecked, and are a nightmare for ROV operators too. J2 Subsea specialise in the rental, service. and repair of ROV manipulator arms and underwater survey engineering, so they definitely know a thing or two about barnacles!

J2 Subsea needed a brush that had the capability and strength to dislodge all kinds of detritus from pipelines running along the seabed whilst operated from delicate and incredibly expensive underwater survey machinery. It also needed to be durable enough to work at subsea levels. Because the process is carried out underwater, the brush needed to be fixed securely to a robotic arm of an ROV. “This was a unique challenge with a very specific set of parameters,” explains Cottam Consultant Nigel Hutchinson. “J2 Subsea came to us because they know we’re capable of creating bespoke products for the most unusual situations, and they also knew we had experience producing subsea brushes for other well-known ROV manufacturers.”

Other plus points for J2 Subsea were that Cottam offered a competitive service and a price-point that was on-budget, and that Cottam’s lead-times wouldn’t leave them waiting for months for the finished product. But above all else, they knew that Cottam creates brushes that really work.

The development and production of a durable brush that was aggressive enough to remove barnacles and that was durable enough for subsea use delighted J2 Subsea, and they continue to work closely with Cottam on repeat orders. John Walker, Director of J2 Subsea, sums it up: “The dome shaped brushes we use from Cottam are of the highest quality. The durability and quality of this product is vital to our end product thus allowing us to supply our customers with a product of the highest standard. We have been very satisfied with both the service in design and the value for money.”