Dutch seabed survey services firm Fugro has won a subsea inspection contract with the oil and gas company Neptune Energy at the Cygnus gas field in the UK North Sea.
As part of the contract, Fugro will employ its specialized survey technology to inspect the subsea infrastructure, including pipelines and structures, and to undertake survey activities in advance of future drilling campaigns on the Cygnus field. It will use the Atlantis Dweller vessel as part of the operations.
"Traditionally, data processing would be carried out by a team offshore; however, this will be carried out from Fugro’s Remote Operations Centre in Aberdeen, reducing costs and time associated with offshore travel," Neptune said in a statement.
Neptune’s Managing Director for the UK, Alexandra Thomas, said: “It’s crucially important to ensure the integrity and maintenance of subsea infrastructure and we are pleased to be awarding this contract to Fugro to help us achieve the highest standards of inspection.
Talking about cost-cutting, Neptune has recently made digital twins of five of its operated offshore platforms in the Dutch, Norwegian, and UK North Sea, in a move that will help reduce costs, emissions, and save time on inspection works.
This will enable approximately 90 site inspections each year to be carried out from onshore, accelerating work schedules, reducing costs, and cutting carbon emissions associated with offshore travel, Neptune Energy said.
‘Digital twins’ were created for Neptune Energy’s K9-A, L5-D and F3-B platforms in the Netherlands, Gjøa in Norway, and Cygnus.
Working with the platforms’ digital counterparts, engineers and integrity specialists will be able to carry out an estimated 4,100 hours of work from onshore locations, without the additional time and costs associated with flying offshore by helicopter.
In other recent Cygnus-related news, UK-based oilfield services company Petrofac earlier this month said it had secured a three-year contract extension from Neptune Energy for the provision of operations and maintenance services for Neptune Energy’s Cygnus Alpha platform.
The contract extension, valued at around $14 million, comes into effect on January 1, 2022. It includes options to extend its term.
Neptune operates the Cygnus field with a 38.75% interest, with Spirit Energy holding a 61.25% stake as a partner.