Tampnet – North Sea | Oil & Gas

Tampnet

Global Marine was selected by Tampnet to further extend their offshore fibre network in the North Sea in 2014. Tampnet selected Global Marine to provide subsea engineering services for the project, which was deployed for a major international oil company.

Tampnet has subsequently contracted Global Marine to continue with further phases of work in the North Sea into 2015.

Tampnet operates the largest offshore high capacity communication network in the world and serves more than 150 oil and gas platforms, Floating Production Storage and Offloading units (FPSOs) and exploration rigs on both the Danish, Norwegian and the UK continental shelf of the North Sea, as well as in the United States in part of the Gulf of Mexico.

Project overview

• Vessel: Cable Innovator
• Location: North Sea
• Cable Length: 87km
• Activity: Platform-to-Platform Connectivity

Techniques used

The solution required Global Marine to provide an end-to-end range of services encompassing all elements leading to installation including: marine survey & route engineering, marine permits, route clearance, pre-lay grapnel runs, mattress installation over pipeline crossings, cable installation including plough burial, post lay inspection and burial in addition to providing detailed post installation information.

Cable Innovator one of the most advanced offshore engineering vessels successfully executed the installation phase of the project operating in close proximity to both pipelines and platforms.

Key challenges

With any project of this nature significant pre-project planning is required, sound engineering solutions in place and a complete commitment to QHSE.

Global Marine during the project installed protective mattressing over existing pipelines prior to the installation of the fibre optic cable. In addition to this the jetting package had to be fitted to the plough to achieve the burial depths required due to hard seabed conditions.

The vessel entered the 500m zone of the platform to pull the cable end onto the platform, deploy the fourth and final branching unit and complete the post lay inspection and burial of this section of the route (see picture opposite).

Offshore Communication Developments

Fibre optic communications networks are revolutionising offshore oil and gas operations by enabling faster and improved decision making, increasing efficiency and offering significant cost savings.

Field information is critical intelligence; rapid subsurface and production data analysis can lead to enhanced recovery, while real-time communications also provides additional benefits of improved quality, health, safety and staff welfare in offshore facilities.

Global Marine with a legacy of 160 years in subsea engineering is well placed to deliver solutions that meet the exacting needs of the industry.