NCS supports Nord Stream positioning

Offshore staff

ABERDEEN, UK --NCS Survey has completed a pipelay support contract for Saipem for the inshore phase of the Nord Stream gas pipelines project in the Baltic Sea.

Two vessels were mobilized with NCS Survey’s real-time 3D SVS (subsea visualization system) for touchdown monitoring, operating from the 4-m (13-ft) contour at the beach pull-out to the intermediate lay-down locations.

Both vessels worked on a 12-hr rotation, transmitting continuous live video images and data of the touchdown point to the C10 barge’s engineer, relaying the touchdown position of each pipelines in real-time as they were laid into the pre-excavated trench.

In addition, pre-lay and post-lay surveys were performed, with field charts being completed within 24 hours.

During installation of the second pipeline, laid parallel to the first, the barge display was constantly updated to provide the actual position of each of the pipelines in the trench and the separation, DCC (distance cross course) and KP (kilometer point).

NCS adds that the SVS enabled the C10 barge engineer to know where the pipelines were laid in real-time. This minimized the risk of the pipelines coming out of the trench, allowing the separation to be managed when laying round bends and near seabed obstructions such as wrecks.

12/28/2010