Watch: World’s First Diver-Less Remote Hyperbaric Tie-In Completed

DeepOcean has conducted the world's first offshore diver-less remote hyperbaric tie-in operation with the successful completion of the 36-inch oil export pipe spool tie in project on the Johan Sverdrup field in the North Sea for Equinor.

In 2017, DeepOcean was awarded a contract for the project management, engineering, procurement and installation of the 36 inch oil export spool and remote hyperbaric tie-in of the oil export pipeline to the Johan Sverdrup riser platform. 

A record lift was undertaken at the Equinor project when the two final platform topsides were installed using the heavy lift vessel Pioneering Spirit’s single lift technology. The processing platform lift – nearly 26,000 tons – set a new lifting record offshore and was carried out in four hours with a clearance of just 25 meters (82 feet) from the rest of the field center. 

The Johan Sverdrup field is the largest field development on the Norwegian shelf since the 1980. Production is expected to commence in November.

At plateau, the field will produce up to 660,000 barrels per day, with a break-even price of less than $20 per barrel and low CO2 emissions of 0.67 kg per barrel, making it one of the world’s most carbon-efficient fields. The plan for Johan Sverdrup Phase 2 includes measures to facilitate power from shore to the Utsira High by 2022. As a result, emission savings from the Johan Sverdrup field are estimated at 460,000 tons of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to annual emissions from 230,000 private cars.

Production start-up for the Phase 2 development is planned for the fourth quarter of 2022. The field life is expected to exceed 50 years.