Lloyd’s Register to undertake field development surveys

The contract will use LR’s geophysical and geotechnical expertise in a site investigation campaign that will use two vessels to survey and investigate an area of over 400 km² in the Sangomar Offshore and Sangomar Deep Offshore licence blocks. Offshore operations are expected to take place between June and September 2017.

The geophysical, shallow geotechnical and environmental site survey will assist the planning and engineering of the facilities that are needed to develop the field.

LR will ensure optimum information on seabed and sub-seabed conditions are provided to enable the safe, secure and efficient design and installation of facilities, identify and investigate the relevant seabed areas and shallow soil zones, and assess the location for the presence of potentially important seabed habitats. Its teams will also cover the geotechnical site investigation to help Cairn Energy develop suitable arrangements for its subsea production system, from drill centres connected via flowlines and umbilicals, to FPSO facilities, and provide information relating to an export pipeline route to shore.

Chris Burnside, Cairn Energy PLC, SNE Exploitation Manager, commented: “Cairn and its joint venture partners, Woodside Energy and FAR Ltd and Petrosen (the national oil company of Senegal) are determined to ensure a safe, efficient and technically productive field development survey and site investigation campaign, and Lloyd’s Register will help us to achieve these objectives.”

Richard Orren, Vice President of Survey and GeoEngineering at LR, noted: “We are delighted that Cairn Energy has decided to continue their association with LR. […] It’s an exciting project to be involved in and at such a critical time in the industry. It will bring together considerable expertise from our specialist teams across LR and we look forward to playing our part in supporting Cairn Energy and its partners on their field development programme in Senegal.”

LR has provided support to Cairn Energy over the past two years, including a metocean study, a regional geohazard assessment desk study, a seabed and shallow soils ground model, and a continental shelf regional study for export pipeline routes. The company has also been instrumental in providing Cairn Energy with assistance on evaluating the technical capability of survey contractors and tender responses prior to selection of the contractor for the survey and site investigation campaign.