Subsea ROV services provider C-Innovation has installed several stem clamps for BP under the Mad Dog Spar platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
Informing of the completion of the project for BP, C-Innovation said it had used its subsea inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) remotely operated vehicle (ROV) vessel, MV Dove, for the project.
The subsea services company, an affiliate of Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) said the project was completed 10 days ahead of BP’s schedule.
The company modified the ROV, including armoring with Lexan polycarbonate, design of new manipulator mounting subframes to extend the reach of the manipulators by 12 in. and installation of enhanced manipulator controls systems.
Ryan Combs, project manager, C-Innovation, said, “C-I was engaged by BP early in the project lifecycle to provide input into the design of the subsea hardware and installation capabilities of the ROV, which would face limited access to the installation location beneath the facility. The C-I project team engaged with the ROV operations groups, offshore managers and tooling group in order to evaluate the risks involved with the execution of the project and ultimately secured a successful outcome.”
The Mad Dog field started production in 2005 via a truss spar platform, BP's only such platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
The platform is equipped with facilities for simultaneous production and drilling operations. The facility is designed to process 80,000 barrels/day of oil and 60,000 standard cubic feet/day of gas. Oil and gas are transported to the existing shelf and onshore interconnections via the Mardi Gras Transportation System.
In 2016 BP sanctioned the Mad Dog 2 project in the Gulf of Mexico. The Mad Dog 2 will include a new floating production platform with the capacity to produce up to 140,000 gross barrels of crude oil per day from up to 14 production wells. Oil production is expected to begin in late 2021.