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THE CUSTOMER NEWSLETTER OF THE FUGRO MARINE SURVEY AND GEOTECHNICAL DIVISIONS ISSUE 03 2005

STARFIX.MOOR

TAKING THE
STRAIN

TSUNAMI
DETECTION
WITH
SURPRISE DISCOVERY IN NORWEGIAN SEA SEAWATCH
BUOYS
NEW DIGITAL VIDEO TECHNOLOGY
TIGHT FIT IN NORTH FIELD OFF QATAR
FUGRO PELAGOS WINS AWARD
UNITING COMMUNITIES IN CROATIA
DIAMOND WIRE CUTTING FRAME IN ACTION
FUGRO SURVEY DETERMINES PIPELINE ROUTE
102190FugroCS_final.qxt 21/4/05 1:58 pm Page 2

The display shows an anchor handling vessel deploying an anchor. Bollard pull
of the vessel, AHV work-wire, and clearance to closest hazard are also shown.

SEAWATCH EXTENDS ITS GLOBAL REACH
SEAWATCH buoy systems are playing an important and
expanding role in regional networks of the Global Ocean
Observation System (GOOS). Recent months have seen
twelve more buoys added to the networks in Europe,
South America and extended to the Middle East.
ADDITIONAL BUOYS OFF SPAIN
The deep-sea buoy network offshore Spain comprises 14
multi-sensor OCEANOR Seawatch and Wavescan buoys
installed as part of the Puertos del Estado’s (Coast and
Harbour Authority’s) observing network. Coastal sea state
What’s New
monitoring, combined with ocean wave modelling, helps the
efficient operation of Spain’s major ports and harbours. All
data is accessible through dedicated Internet web pages.
FIRST ORDER FROM ARGENTINA
In Argentina, Servicio de Hidrografia Naval (SHN) is
undertaking an extensive Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) study off the coast of Patagonia. Two Wavescan buoys
are providing data to be incorporated in the study, marking
the first Fugro OCEANOR buoy delivery to Argentina.
For more details on this feature, log on to www.crosssection-online.com

STARFIX.MOOR TAKES THE ROLE OF

SEAWATCH IN
The Fugro OCEANOR
Wavescan Buoy is a deepwater
metocean data collection buoy
that measures wave, current and

THE STRAIN OUT OF TSUNAMI WARNING

meteorological parameters.

Combining an OCEANOR
SEAWATCH Wavescan buoy,

DEEPWATER MOORING Following the devastating events of

with a sea-bed mounted
tsunami detector, an acoustic
link to the surface buoy, and
satellite transmission of data
December 2004, Fugro OCEANOR is to a shore control station will
discussing the possible upgrade of supply early warning of a
tsunami wave.
systems previously installed in
Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam
ASSISTING COMPLEX RIG MOVES
and India.
STARFIX.MOOR utilises Delmar's DelCat algorithms to compute and
The job of the rig master becomes more and more complex as Gulf of Mexico oil display 2D profiles of the mooring lines together with analytical data
for each.
The tsunami tragedy in S.E. Asia has
and gas operations continue to migrate into deeper and deeper water. persuaded the United Nations to move
ahead with efforts to set up early warning
Performing safe and efficient mooring provides not only real-time positioning STARFIX.MOOR also provides 2D profiles systems in the Indian Ocean, Caribbean
operations is becoming much more of the rig, and position-monitoring of of each mooring line together with the and Mediterranean Seas similar to the one
challenging, as anchor rig deployments Anchor Handling Vessels (AHVs), but, facility to generate audible and visual that already exists for the volcano and
address ever deeper water, and occur at the same time, a 3D ‘visualisation’ of alarms when predetermined minimum earthquake-prone Pacific Rim region.
in fields with existing seafloor assets. the mooring lines relative to the seafloor clearances are approached or reached.
When seafloor hazards are within the and the structures installed on it.”
“Each mooring line computation is based
anchor spread, it is critical that the
The package computes straight on Delmar’s industry proven algorithms and
rig’s mooring lines are monitored
line, real-time 3D catenaries of uses any two of three observables: SCOPE
relative to these hazards for the entire
each mooring line during deployment, (dynamically defined from fairlead and AHV
duration of mooring operations.
and presents this information in an positions); PAYOUT DATA (imported via a
“Fugro Chance and Delmar Systems, intuitive and easily comprehensible wireless handheld computer operated on
have partnered to develop STARFIX.MOOR, manner. The STARFIX.MOOR the AHV); and ANCHOR WIRE TENSION” Indian Ocean
a visualisation package designed to display includes a 3D virtual reality explained Jim O’Neal.
assist the rig-mover,” explained representation of the entire sub-sea
The system was introduced as a test
Jim O’Neal, Vice President, Marine environment, with critical data such as
on a recent Ocean Victory deep-water
Operations in Fugro Chance Inc. “When clearance estimates to pipelines and
rig move. “The results were extremely
integrated with Starfix.Nav®, Fugro’s other seafloor structures highlighted
positive,” reported Jim O’Neal. “Our
positioning package, STARFIX.MOOR and clearly labelled.
client is very impressed and further For tsunami detection purposes, the current
proving trials will take place later SEAWATCH system is easily upgraded by
this spring. We firmly believe that adding a seabed-mounted pressure sensor
STARFIX.MOOR has the potential to with an acoustic transmission link to the
make a major contribution to the safety existing surface buoy. Such an upgrade
of deep-water anchoring and rig-move would give the existing SEAWATCH
operations in the Gulf of Mexico” observing network the capability to detect
Fugro Chance Inc plans to make a and measure tsunamis as part of a
presentation of STARFIX.MOOR at proactive early warning system.
OTC in May 2005.
102190FugroCS_final.qxt 21/4/05 1:58 pm Page 4
What’s New
UNEXPECTED ‘HYDROCARBON’ DISCOVERY IN NORWEGIAN SEA
Fugro Meridian’s side scan sonar system made a surprise find during a recent routine field development survey for Statoil
off mid-Norway. An uncharted wreck was unexpectedly revealed in 320m of water, more or less spot on the proposed
location for a drilling template. Measuring about 80m in length, 11m in breadth, and standing 8.5m proud of the seabed,
the wreck appeared to be a cargo vessel, sitting upright on the sea floor.
The underwater photographs are included courtesy of Statoil and were acquired from the
ROVSV Edda Fonn operated by Deep Ocean
“Our party chief was totally amazed when the target emerged
on the side scan record” said Stein Åsheim, Marine
Geosciences Manager with Fugro Survey AS. “Normally these
surveys don’t throw up many interesting seabed features at
all. Unfortunately for Statoil the discovery meant a bit of a
re-think regarding field development planning, and some extra
work to gather additional information on the wreck.”
“Statoil made enquiries about the wreck, and conducted an
underwater inspection”, explained Statoil Project Manager
Dag Lundqvist. “As far as we can determine, the vessel is
SS Luise Horn, built in 1899. The ship disappeared in 1907,
en route to Tromsø.”
Luise Horn was a cargo steamship of 1326 GRT, powered
by a 600 HP triple expansion steam engine made by Ottenser
Eisenwerk J F Ahrens of Altona. The ship was completed
on 5 November 1899 by Schiffswerft von Henry Koch of
Lubeck, for owners H. C. Horn of Schleswig. SS Luise Horn
sailed from South Shields on Tyneside on 2 March 1907,
bound for Tromsø with a cargo of coal. She has been
missing ever since.
H. C. Horn was originally founded in 1864 as a coal trading
company. Heinrich C. Horn, the owner, soon established ties
with the maritime trade, and in 1879 he purchased his first
three ships and began trading in the Baltic and North Seas.
In 1906 the company operated 21 steamships, the largest
private fleet in Germany at that time.
“Statoil had already discovered hydrocarbons at this
location”, remarked Stein Åsheim, “but an outcrop of coal
on the sea floor was not part of the geological scenario
that was envisaged.”
Technology
NEW WEBSITE...
visit www.fugro.com
Recent visitors to the Fugro Group
web-site www.fugro.com will have seen the results of the
current facelift and expansion of content.
“We wanted to make the site more useful and attractive to all
Fugro’s stakeholders,” said web-designer Martijn Blokker. “The
range of visitors includes present and prospective shareholders,
clients, employees and suppliers as well as technical,
investment and marketing consultants and representatives of
the media. Their needs are diverse and were not necessarily
all being well served by the previous web-site.”
“We have tried to expand content substantially,” continued
Martijn, “and by updating the design have attempted to
make the web pages more attractive and navigation more
intuitive and straightforward. We hope that everyone will
now be able to link easily to the information they require,
and find it clearly and colourfully presented”.
GEOGRAPHIC
INFORMATION
...AND NEW OFFICE SITE SYSTEMS AID
SUBMARINE CABLE ROUTING
Fugro GEOS Ltd relocated
in April 2005 to the Fugro
Group’s new purpose- A typical submarine cable route survey includes vast
built office premises in amounts of information. Data presented on charts is static -
“what you see is what you get”. Changes to routing may
Wallingford, Oxfordshire.
require multiple chart revisions that can impact project
Fugro GEOS have joined costs. Furthermore storing and retrieving paper charts for
several other Fugro subsequent maintenance operations on the cable system
companies including is an awkward exercise. A Geographic Information System
Fugro Ltd (formerly Hemel Hempstead, Geotechnical (GIS) is the ideal medium for cable route survey data
Division), Fugro Engineering Services Ltd (Basingstoke, management and presentation.
Geotechnical Division) and Fugro Multi-Client Services Ltd Fugro is utilising ESRI ArcGISTM Geographic Information
in the new facility. The Fugro GEOS Weather Forecasting System (GIS) mapping software to compile, display, manage,
team, presently in Southampton, will move to Wallingford and analyse cable route survey data. Our GIS databases
in May 2005. include all available survey data in addition to information
“Bringing this group of Fugro businesses under one roof, collected for the cable route desktop study, such as known
to share a set of outstanding modern facilities is a strategic seafloor hazards, shipping and fishing information, oil and
gas structures, marine boundaries, aerial photos of landings,
move to promote more cohesion between individual
cable installation data, and burial statistics. All of this
companies, to leverage maximum benefit from all support
information resides in a database and is shown only if the
services and, above all, to provide a more comprehensive
user chooses to show it.
and better managed suite of services for Fugro clients,”
commented Ralph Rayner, “The power of GIS over paper charts is the ability to select
Managing Director of the information you need to see according to your particular
New contact details for
Fugro GEOS Ltd. objective,” explained Dr. Devorah Joseph from Fugro
Fugro GEOS are as follows:
Seafloor Surveys Inc. “GIS is a continuing repository for
Fugro GEOS Ltd project information; from the desktop study, through survey
Fugro House operations, to installation and maintenance. These survey
Hithercroft Road databases can be accessed locally or served across the
Wallingford internet,” Devorah added.
Oxfordshire, OX10 9RB
United Kingdom Fugro GIS solutions offer many benefits to the submarine
Tel +(44) 870 402 1500 cable community, either as information display platforms, or
Fax +(44) 870 402 1599 as a route selection or analysis tool.
e-mail uk@geos.com
For more details on this feature, log on to www.crosssection-online.com
102190FugroCS_final.qxt 21/4/05 1:58 pm Page 6
Technology Review
DIGITAL VIDEO -
LATEST IN STREAM OF TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENTS
Longitudinal view of
processed pipe levels
Profile view
(single scan)
Event listing
Plan view
Configuration / 3 Channels
view control of video
STILL HAZARDOUS BUT NOT SO RISKY...
GEOHAZARD ASSESSMENT STUDIES REDUCE DEEP-WATER DEVELOPMENT RISKS
The existence or suspected presence of geohazards such
as slope instability, active submarine channels and mud
volcanoes, combined with more familiar problems such as
shallow gas, active faulting or high levels of seismicity,
can seriously inhibit or even totally preclude offshore field
development in many hostile deep-water concession areas.
These impediments become more pronounced and more
problematic as the search for oil and gas reserves migrates
towards, and down, the continental slope. Detailed geohazard
assessment and analysis, at an early stage, is the key to
mitigating risk and creating a sound engineering basis for the
siting, design and construction of offshore facilities as part of
a successful deep-water project. “Fugro has found a phased
study to be the most cost-effective and efficient approach for
most of our clients,” said Juliette Wegerif, Geohazard Specialist
in Fugro Engineers BV. “We can provide an overview of the
geohazards at the very start of development planning”.
Fugro has successfully adopted this approach for many
deep-water areas including the Nile Delta, the Gulf of Mexico
For more details on these features, log on to www.crosssection-online.com
To support ROV pipeline
inspections, Fugro has developed
a Digital Video System that is
completely integrated with the
Fugro Starfix software suite.
The acquisition system encodes
up to four channels of video data
into MPEG2 format within a single
computer, together with framing
information that allows survey
co-ordinates and other data to
be tied in with the imagery.
The retrieval and display of
the data is integrated within
Starfix.Edit, thus allowing the
user to view all the survey data
and the MPEG2 imagery at the
same time, to facilitate better,
more accurate, processing.
At the end of the project, an
electronic report is exported that
contains all the survey data and
MPEG4 clip files around client
determined events.
and the Caspian Sea. “We believe that Fugro’s extensive
experience in the field of geohazard identification and
analysis has enabled many offshore projects in these areas
to proceed with a lower risk profile, reduced development
costs, and a more secure investment return,” remarked
Juliette Wegerif.
faults
slump scarp
mud volcanoes
slump
Americas
FUGRO PELAGOS WINS ‘ALASKA
SURVEY PROJECT OF THE YEAR’ AWARD
The Alaska Surveying and Mapping Conference Committee recently honoured Fugro
Pelagos, Inc. with the 2005 Project of the Year.
This annual award
recognised Fugro’s
exemplary contribution
to the nautical charting efforts of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) during an innovative
survey in Sitka, Alaska
In 2004, NOAA contracted Fugro Pelagos to chart 87km2
of the Sitka region, an intricate area of islands and drying
reefs containing a highly irregular shoreline with many rocks,
foul areas and kelp. Fugro successfully and economically
integrated Airborne LIDAR Bathymetry (ALB) and ship
multibeam echo sounding (MBES) operations to undertake
the survey. The project represented NOAA’s first simultaneous
deployment of these systems.
Fugro acquired topographic and bathymetric LIDAR data, and
conducted MBES surveys to gather near-shore and offshore
soundings. The twin objectives of improving safety of
navigation, and adding to the database of scientific information
Sheet U Location
Aerial view of Sitka with the approximate survey area boundaries
U.S. DRILLERS DO IT DEEPER... AND WIN MAJOR DEEPWATER INVESTIGATION
Fugro Explorer
on the Sitka region, were extremely well served by the
high-resolution, 100% coverage of combined MBES and ALB
data over the shoal zones surrounding the numerous islets.
The process of data integration included fusion of airborne
and acoustic data co-registered with high-resolution digital
imagery. The resultant output was then used to create an
ortho-rectified photo-mosaic of the survey area; rendering
shorelines, island masses and the sea surface, in a
presentation which greatly facilitated shoreline verification.
Fugro further incorporated the topographic LIDAR mapping
capability, to generate beach and onshore feature mapping
integrated with the bathymetry.
“We believe our innovative approach represents a major
advance in both data acquisition and data rendering,”
commented Bob Richards, Fugro Pelagos’ Vice President
NOAA Charting. As he accepted the award, Bob remarked,
“We are delighted to be working with NOAA in meeting the
challenge of producing mapping and charting products that
meet the requirements of diverse users in complex areas
such as Alaska’s Sitka region.”
Ortho-photo mosaic showing Mertz Island, Sheet U sun-illuminated image of
superimposed over NOAA chart no. 17327 combined multibeam and ALB data
over a nautical chart
Fugro McClelland Marine Geosciences, Inc. (FMMG) recently
claimed a deep-water site investigation record with the state-of-the-
art geotechnical drillship Fugro Explorer, when the Fugro Wheeldrive
CPT system was successfully deployed in a water depth of 9,630
feet (over 2900m), and operated to perform a test to 40m penetration.
“This was a test performed on Block 472 in the Walker Ridge Area of
the Gulf of Mexico”, explained Joe Castleberry. “Our objective was to
conclusively demonstrate Fugro’s capability to undertake geotechnical
testing in this sort of water depth,” Joe added. “Petrobras were
impressed by the technical versatility of the Fugro Explorer spread
and have awarded FMMG a contract for investigation of 117 sites
in waters as deep as 2500m offshore Brazil. We hope to secure
follow-on work in this important deep-water arena,” Joe concluded.
For more details on this feature, log on to www.crosssection-online.com
102190FugroCS_final.qxt 21/4/05 1:59 pm Page 8

Europe & Africa

BAVENIT PROJECT HELPS UNITE COMMUNITIES IN CROATIA A TIGHT FIT IN THE NORTH FIELD OF QATAR?
GEOTECHNICAL SURVEY MAKES HISTORY ...OF COURSE THERE IS ROOM!

Jacket installation underway

Bavenit drilling on location on bridge route

The Republic of Croatia has long wished for a bridge to The geotechnical investigation was required to determine Between November 2004 and
link the Peljesac Peninsula with the mainland of Croatia. soil characteristics along the proposed route of the 2km long February 2005, Saipem completed the
Road access to the peninsula currently involves a lengthy bridge between Ploce, on the mainland, and the Peljesac installation of the PS-1K jacket and
journey passing through the neighbouring country of Peninsula. The results of the study will be used to confirm topsides in the Idd El Shargi Field for
Bosnia-Herzegovina. History was made late in 2004 when bridge foundation design. The conceptual design consists Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Limited.
Fugro commenced a geotechnical survey for the proposed of 5 piers supported by pile foundations. The field is a mature development with
Peljesac Bridge, using the SRV Bavenit. a multitude of seabed pipelines of
“This project was tendered against local competition using
varying diameters lying on the hard
barges and land-type drilling and testing equipment,”
seabed of the Southern Arabian Gulf.
remarked Frank Gozeling. “However, despite the relatively
Little room was available for the new
shallow water depth of 27m, the project was awarded
structure to be placed, so a number of
to Fugro, who deployed a technically advanced and
lines had to be removed to make way.
cost-effective marine spread in an efficient operation
Fugro France. The total package of jacket with a seabed template and to
causing minimal interference with the local environment.” Fugro Survey Middle East (FSME)
services included: assist with the setting and calibrating
provided survey support services to
the Sonardyne LBL transponder array.
Saipem on the project, and project • Construction Barge Positioning using
managed specialist input from Fugro Starfix.HP and Skyfix.XP precision Fugro GEOS and Fugro MWS
Survey Pte of Singapore, Fugro GEOS, DGPS services (Marine Weather Services) provided
Fugro Marine Weather Services and • Jacket positioning using Sonardyne oceanographic and weather
long baseline (LBL) transponders forecasting information to the barge,
Croatian Prime Minister Mr Ivo Sanader greets captain and crew during site visit to SRV Bavenit
and Fusion technology especially important over the winter
months when sudden changes in
• Dimensional control
To emphasise the importance of this project the Croatian weather and sea state can hinder
• Dual ROV services using both structure installation.
Prime Minister himself Mr. Ivo Sanader conducted a site
SeaLion MK I and SeaPup vehicles
visit on board the SRV Bavenit during the site investigation. Fugro France provided pile-monitoring
“Mr Sanader was impressed with the efficiency of our • Oceanographic measurements
services to Saipem during the jacket
operation and personally congratulated the captain, marine of wave height and tidal range
installation itself, and later during the
and technical crew on their efforts,” reported Frank Gozeling, • Weather Forecasting installation of the support bridge and
Project Manager for Fugro Engineers BV. • Pile Monitoring flare tripods.

The structures were installed from “The project was complex and
the Dynamically Positioned Heavy logistics were complicated,” said
Congratulations on fast and most productive research of the Lift Vessel Saipem 3000 The barge FSME Survey Manager Tony Farn,
sea bed as one of the important issues on realisation of huge was mobilised in Sharjah, UAE with “but Fugro’s multi-disciplinary service
historical project: Building of the bridge Komarna - Pelje{ac navigation, ROV and acoustic capability simplified contractual
positioning systems. FSME’s SeaLion arrangements for Saipem, and resulted
Congratulations to Captain and the Crew! and SeaPup ROVs were used to in a well executed, tightly controlled
Ivo Sanader monitor sub surface docking of the survey support operation.”
Prime Minister RH 03 NOVEMBER 2004
Jacket piling in progress from Saipem 3000 For more details on this feature, log on to www.crosssection-online.com
102190FugroCS_final.qxt 21/4/05 1:59 pm Page 10

Europe & Africa Asia Pacific

HELP! ...IT’S STUCK!
PROMESS HOLDS BAD LUCK STRUCK APACHE ENERGY ON A WELL BEING DRILLED FROM THE SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE OCEAN PATRIOT OFFSHORE AUSTRALIA.
FUTURE PROMISE
FOR FUGRO A running tool became jammed in the
30-inch wellhead casing, seriously
ENGINEERS BV delaying drilling operations. With no
way forward or back, and with rig
The primary objective of “PROfiles standby time looming, Apache needed
across MEditerranean Sedimentary a quick solution.
Systems” (PROMESS), a European
Renowned for its innovative approach to
funded scientific programme, is to
problem solving, Apache Energy rapidly
obtain comprehensive soil data in the
brought together a team including Ocean
shelf and upper continental slope
Technix, AMOG Consulting and Fugro
sections of two Mediterranean Deltaic
Margins - in the Golfe du Lion and in Survey Pty Ltd to engineer and implement
the Adriatic Sea. a way out of the jam.
Bavenit drilling on location off the volcanic island of Stromboli
The team quickly designed, fabricated
and tested a purpose built diamond-
wire cutting frame complete with all
hydraulics. The frame was to be
deployed and controlled by ROV, to
cut through the running tool and
30-inch casing, 60 metres below the
ocean surface.
Fugro’s 100HP SeaLion work-class
ROV, deployed for rig support duties
on board Ocean Patriot, was allocated
a key role in the cutting operation.
The vehicle was used to monitor the
fitting and operation of the cutting
frame, and to control the tension in the
cutting wire as the operation progressed.
Fugro’s ROV Manager Terry Blake, and
Keith Clay of Ocean Technix, were both
highly satisfied with the design, and
with the results achieved during the
whole operation. “We believe that
Apache Energy were delighted with
the speed of implementation and the
cost-effectiveness of the solution that
we delivered,” commented Terry Blake.
“Expensive rig stand-by time was
minimised, and the knowledge gained
during the project has already lead
to improvements in the system that
will yield even better performance in
the future”.

SAFETY- A TOP
PRIORITY IN THE
CORSICA WORKPLACE
To bring safety awareness even
SARDINIA
closer to the workplace, Fugro
STROMBOLI has recently introduced the
‘Golden Rules of Safety’. This
awareness program provides hands-on safety guidance
on specific hazards such as lifting, working with hand
In these areas the preservation of depositional sequences are tools, working at height and others. The program is
exceptional, and seismic databases are also very good. The supported by a handy quick reference booklet, which
project sponsors expect that analysis of soil data will lead to has been translated into five languages and issued to
a better understanding the effects of global and climate every Fugro employee, to sub-contractors and to clients. Cutting Frame complete and ready for Successful trials Fugro’s Sealion Work-class ROV
changes during the last 500,000 years. Furthermore, in-situ To date 10,000 copies have been distributed. These testing commence
measurements will enable a study of historical slope stability initiatives are being acknowledged by clients worldwide.
and quantification of slope processes. Fugro Survey Middle East recently received the ZADCO
Excellence in Safety Award presented at a ceremony
Normally these kind of scientific programmes are conducted from
in Abu Dhabi.
deepwater scientific drilling vessels, as part of the international
Offshore Drilling Programme (ODP). However the project
sponsors recognised that most of the PROMESS objectives
could not be met or scheduled within the ODP framework.

“The state-of-the-art sampling and in-situ testing technology

deployed from the Fugro operated geotechnical drilling
vessel, Bavenit appeared attractive to the PROMESS
sponsors,” advised Fugro Engineers project manager,
Frank Gozeling.

The success of PROMESS would not have been possible

without the strong support of Fugro. PROMESS has
Cutting commences on 30-inch Cutting complete and running The end result
demonstrated the viability of utilising geophysical and
casing tool freed
geotechnical equipment available from industry, thereby Kingsley Ashford-Brown FSME General Manager receiving the Safety Award from Hafidh Al
eliminating the need for costly duplication of facilities within Maskari, Engineering Team Leader, and Abdullah Taher, Chief Surveyor, of ZADCO.

the scientific community.

For more details on these features, log on to www.crosssection-online.com visit www.crosssection-online.com for more news, stories and in-depth information
102190FugroCS_final.qxt 21/4/05 1:59 pm Page 12

Asia Pacific
Pipelines Routes Through Gaps in Reef

Geraldton

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Pipelines Between Rock Pinnacles

INDIAN
OCEAN

Port Denison

Cliff Head
HOW SHOULD WE ROUTE OUR EXPORT PIPELINE?
Development
FUGRO’S SURVEY RESULTS AID OPTIMUM PIPELINE ROUTE SELECTION OFF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Prior to the installation of the Cliff
Head Development export pipeline
ROC Oil needed to develop a complete
understanding of the seabed corridor
chosen for the pipeline design position
so as to select a route that would
avoid undesirable seabed features,
and minimise costly post lay pipeline
stabilisation operations.
The seabed had to be mapped and
characterised, to show areas of soft
sediments, exposed bedrock, low to
medium relief, and route sections
covered with sand. A thorough
understanding of the seabed conditions
adjacent to the pipeline route was
also required to plan anchor patterns
for the pipe-lay barge that would
avoid obstacles within a corridor
500m either side of the pipeline.
Fugro Survey Pty Ltd employed a
240KHz Reson SeaBat 8101 multi-
beam echo sounder (MBES) to provide
optimum data quality and maximum
resolution in the water depths along the
route. Since precise knowledge of
transducer alignment, and accurate
measurement of transducer motion are
critical issues, on this type of survey,
Fugro used the Applanix POS MV 320
motion sensor - a GPS aided inertial
motion system, complemented by
Starfix MRDGPS - a positioning source
of the highest quality and precision.
In total 145 million depth
measurements were acquired in a
dense grid during the survey; each
measurement systematically quality
checked by the data processor. The
final tide corrected data comprised of
99 million accurately positioned depth
points for the final (X-Y-Z gridded)
dataset used to build up a digital
terrain model of the sea-bed.
The report presentation included a
series of conventional three panel charts
displaying standard bathymetric data,
seabed features derived from the side
scan sonar/MBES data, and a seabed
profile highlighting shallow geology.
In addition, a ‘sun-illuminated’ image
of the seabed was generated from
the digital terrain model and used to
confirm and enhance the interpretation
of side scan sonar data. The
‘sun-illuminated images’ enabled cross-
referencing of the bathymetry (MBES
data) with seabed reflectivity (side scan
sonar data) to confirm the positioning
of sea-bed obstructions and to ensure
the interpretation and data delivered
to ROC Oil were of the highest quality.
Finally, three dimensional (3D) imagery
was generated to assist pipeline route
selection and analysis. The 3D
imagery, generated from the digital
terrain model of the seabed, combined
with Fugro’s robust seabed features
interpretation data, enhanced the
pipeline engineers’ understanding of
the topography and character of the
seabed along a proposed pipeline route
and facilitated optimum route selection.

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PO Box 41
2260 AA Leidschendam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 70 311 1422
For further information, please email: crosssection@fugro.com

www.fugro.com
NO OTHER COMPANY CAN PROVIDE THE SAME COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF GEOTECHNICAL, SURVEY AND GEOSCIENCE SERVICES