Pipeline Laying Services and Installation - design, installation, dredging and cable pulling

The Fugro Group has over 40 years of top hole drilling experience from shallow to deep water on a global scale and sometimes in close proximity to platforms and other subsea infrastructure.

Our vessels have DP for positioning purpose thus requiring no anchors to be employed and making up and tripping a drillstring is a very similar operation to making up a pipeline with mechanical connectors.

Our latest vessel, Fugro Synergy is primarily designed to drill subsea wells and running casing pipe up to 30"diameter. The length of casing pipe able to be supported from the top drive is dependent on the total length hanging in the water column. Typically a 9-5/8" casing with a length in excess of 2000m can be supported. This should indicate that the Fugro Synergy could lay pipelines of that size and diameter in a water depth of 1500m.

Small to medium diameter pipelines laid as infield and interfield lines can be made up by using line pipe with mechanical connectors in a fashion similar to those used for casing and completions. Employing a J-lay method any pipeline can be run through the moonpool and supported / hung off from the drillfloor. The Fugro Synergy is also outfitted with a 3000m water depth A/R winch.

The Fugro Synergy also has systems in place to remotely control all pipe handling from deck and into the derrick and to safely making up the connections. These operations can be done quite safely in relatively bad weather. If threaded connectors are to be used we have remotely operated casing tongs which can be employed to torque up to the required levels. The foredeck (deck in front of the moonpool) can be used to store control and test containers and any subsea pull-in and connection tools. The drill pipe racks on the aft deck can be used to store pipe. At any time, approximately 500 length of 9 5/8" pipe with a total length of 6000m can be stored on deck. No major vessel modifications are needed in order to carry out this type of work. The Fugro Synergy is also capable of installing subsea templates, PLEMs etc. and of tying back any pipelines to host facilities such as platforms.

The vessel is permanently outfitted with a WROV that can be used for touch down monitoring and HiPAP is installed for accurate subsea positioning.

The Fugro Synergy can also be used for cable laying, pre-trenching using water jet systems, dredging, seabed remediation, etc.