Offshore staff

BERGEN, Norway -- AGR Drilling Services (AGR DS) is providing excavation services to Van Oord Australia for Chevron’s Gorgon project.

Under the contract, the company will provide AGR Subsea’s ClayCutter X and SeaVator seabed excavation tools for use on the Jansz Scarp, a steep escarpment off the northwest Australian coast.

The ClayCutter X will be the primary excavation tool on the escarpment. The excavation should allow the pipeline to be laid in a more direct route to the shore. AGR’s work scope, due to be completed in early 2011, has an estimated value of A$7 million ($6.2 million).

John Sands, AGR Subsea managing director, said of the Claycutter X: “Although the system gave exemplary performance in the Ormen Lange field [in the Norwegian Sea], we have made a number of improvements to deployment and positioning of the tools to meet the specific requirements of the Jansz Scarp excavation.

“The revised system will be able to cope with substantial changes in seabed height and inclination without any interruption in excavation activities”.


06/21/2010