Working in the Arctic poses numerous operational hurdles: freezing temperatures, high winds, and rapidly changing weather conditions. Ice-choked waters routinely limit planned offshore activities, even during the “open water” season. Remote work sites are often located far from traditional infrastructure, restricting ready access to food, fuel, and medical facilities.
For more than 40 years, we have successfully overcome these Arctic challenges, adapting our core geotechnical, survey, and subsea service offerings to meet the physical and logistical demands of the far north. Our resumé of Arctic work includes database and basin studies, seismic exploration, well site and route investigations, soils investigation, laboratory testing, site clearance surveys, inspection surveys, metocean services, rig positioning, hydrographic charting, and marine habitat studies.
Additionally, we offer a number of specialised services that can provide you with valuable information about the Arctic environment.
We define complex iceberg properties above and below the waterline for ice engineering, ice management, and risk mitigation. This feature:
- Utilises multibeam sonar, photogrammetric mapping, and motion compensation technologies
- Results in high density 3D iceberg models
- Enables multiple applications including impact analysis, drift prediction, and in-field ice management, among others
We can provide you with critical information about the depth, frequency, and relative age of ice gouges to inform Arctic infrastructure design and installation. This feature:
- Requires multibeam (including backscatter), sub-bottom profiler, and sidescan sonar technologies
- Provides a high resolution digital elevation model of the seabed
- Offers information about contemporary and historical ice gouging
We model and analyse conditions unique to Arctic environments, which is a critical element in planning and designing wells and facilities. This feature includes:
- Numerical modeling of stability of Arctic offshore excavations, e.g., mud line cellars, created to protect exploration and production wells against potential ice gouging hazards
- Evaluation of the impact of thaw-induced ground subsidence on the integrity of Arctic wells due to wellbore heat loss into the surrounding frozen sediments
- Evaluation of in-situ gas hydrate dissociation effects on production wells across hydrate bearing permafrost soils
No matter how remote the location, how extreme the conditions, or how complex the undertaking, our Arctic team is prepared to advance your project. Advantages of working with us include:
- Local presence. Our offices in Alaska, Canada, Norway, and Russia are staffed by professionals committed to advancing Arctic programs in their respective regions.
- Dedicated resources. Our assets include multiple ice-class vessels, as well as Arctic-ready jack-up platforms, land-based rigs, trenching capabilities, and geophysical survey equipment.
- Proven experience. Our decades-long Arctic experience includes projects in Alaska, Norway, the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, and Russia.
- Arctic HSE. We have developed and implemented certified HSE management systems specific to the Arctic environment.