Fugro expands Timor Sea survey program for Greater Sunrise, Bayu-Undan pipelines

Fugro will conduct geotechnical and metocean surveys supporting pipeline route planning for the Greater Sunrise TLNG development and Bayu-Undan Pipeline Highway in the Timor Sea.
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Sept. 30, 2026
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Why this news matters:

  • The surveys are a key early step toward advancing the long-delayed Greater Sunrise gas development.

  • Data collected will help de-risk pipeline routing and future engineering decisions in water depths reaching 3,000 m.

  • The awards expand Fugro's role in a major offshore energy development for Timor-Leste.

 

Courtesy Fugro
Fugro survey vessel operations in the Timor Sea

Fugro survey vessel operations in the Timor Sea will support geotechnical and metocean investigations for proposed pipeline infrastructure associated with the Greater Sunrise and Bayu-Undan developments.

Greater Sunrise TLNG development

  • Location: Timor Sea

  • Operator group: Greater Sunrise Joint Venture

  • Scope: Proposed gas export pipeline and LNG development

  • Landfall: Natarbora, Timor-Leste

  • Water depth: Up to 3,000 m

  • Current phase: Route characterization and environmental data gathering

Fugro has gained further commissions from Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources to support the Greater Sunrise TLNG development and Bayu-Undan Pipeline Highway projects in the Timor Sea.

The Greater Sunrise and Bayu-Undan projects are central to Timor-Leste's efforts to develop offshore gas resources and associated export infrastructure.

The new awards, following the geophysical survey contract in mid-July, cover a large-scale geotechnical survey and a metocean survey related to the proposed pipeline routes.

Fugro said its campaign would support planning for the Greater Sunrise gas export pipeline from the Greater Sunrise Field to Timor-Leste for the proposed TLNG development at Natarbora on the country’s south coast of Timor-Leste, and the Bayu-Undan Pipeline Highway to Natarbora. 

The results should give a clearer picture of seabed and subsurface conditions along the pipeline corridors to inform route selection and future engineering.

Why Greater Sunrise matters:

The Greater Sunrise fields are among the largest undeveloped gas resources in the Timor Sea and have been the focus of development discussions between Timor-Leste and project stakeholders for many years.

Fugro expects to start the six-month geotechnical and 12-month metocean survey field work during first-quarter 2027, after the geophysical component in the current quarter.

It will deploy the geotechnical Seafloor Drill and SeaScout 35 MKII Cone Penetration Testing systems to compile information in the Timor Trough region, where water depths are up to 3,000 m.

Fugro's Remote Operations Centre in Kuala Lumpur will provide support, enabling real-time collaboration between offshore and onshore teams.

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About the Author

Jeremy Beckman
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Jeremy Beckman

Staff Writer / Editor, Europe

Jeremy Beckman has been Editor Europe, Offshore since 1992. Prior to joining Offshore he was a freelance journalist for eight years, working for a variety of electronics, computing and scientific journals in the UK. He regularly writes news columns on trends and events both in the NW Europe offshore region and globally. He also writes features on developments and technology in exploration and production.

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