Blue Essence® uncrewed vessels enhance subsea pipeline survey

Challenge

As part of the company’s routine, risk-based inspection (RBI) strategy, Harbour Energy engaged our support to assess the integrity of the 100 km Britannia gas export pipeline in the North Sea, 78 nautical miles from the port. Since the pipeline runs from the North Sea to the St Fergus Terminal onshore, additional vessel days and crews are typically required in order to secure travel authorisations to enter the 12 nautical miles from the UK shore, significantly increasing the cost involved in using traditional methods.

Solution

The optimal solution for Harbour Energy, was to deploy three vessels: two of our 12 m Blue Essence® USVs and our subsea vessel, Atlantis Dweller. The two Blue Essence® vessels, acted as a "force multiplier" for the traditional, crewed survey vessel, surveying pipelines closer to shore. This approach allowed Atlantis Dweller to operate under open water regulations, enhancing cost efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

This project marked the furthest offshore and deepest waters our USVs had ever navigated, making it a critical test of our technology’s capabilities. The USVs were controlled simultaneously from our onshore remote operations centre in Aberdeen, ensuring efficient data collection.

The remotely operated vehicle pilots conducted a multibeam echo sounder (MBES) survey along the Britannia gas export pipeline, operating from the onshore remote operations centre in Aberdeen.

Blue Essence® Fugro Orca

• Concentrated on areas closer to shore

• Completed 74.16 km MBES survey

• Used only 1,315 litres of fuel

Blue Essence® Fugro Vaquita

• Handled the further offshore sections

• Conducted 27 km MBES survey

• Used only 1,541 litres of fuel

Mobilisation and demobilisation of the USVs took place at Fraserburgh port. The Atlantis Dweller consumes up to 7,000 litres of diesel every day, approximately 24,354 litres for the 2.5 days saved by the USVs. Together, the USVs burned a total of just 2,856 litres of diesel, a reduction of over 87%.

Innovative highlight

This deployment marked a significant milestone, as the first to use two USVs at the same time on a European project. We successfully coordinated both vessels, maintaining high-quality standards and delivering real-time data for Harbour Energy.

Impact

The deployment of both Blue Essence® vessels demonstrated the reliability of our USVs in delivering high-quality bathymetric data and accurately characterising the condition of critical assets for Harbour Energy. With both USVs now handling the nearshore pipeline inspections, the 2.5 days originally scheduled for Atlantis Dweller were freed up. This allowed Atlantis Dweller to move on to other critical tasks as required by the client.

The use of USVs as a force multiplier alongside Atlantis Dweller reduced carbon emissions by 87.1% in comparison to using only the conventional vessel and reduced the offshore personnel hours required.

The project not only met Harbour Energy's immediate needs but also showcased the potential of USVs for future operations, instilling confidence in their capabilities and versatility.