Fugro performs ‘industry-first’ remote survey for offshore trunkline using an USV

Fugro has made what it says is an industry-first for pipelay support services, performing a remote survey for a 433-kilometer trunkline offshore Western Australia using its Blue Essence uncrewed surface vessel (USV).

Fugro conducted a series of survey campaigns said to have played a critical role in supporting Saipem’s completion of the trunkline installation for Woodside Energy’s Scarborough energy project, located in the Carnarvon Basin, approximately 375 kilometers off the coast of Western Australia.

Italian oilfield services provider Saipem was awarded the Scarborough contract in January 2022.

The project features a 433-kilometer trunkline that will transport gas from the offshore Scarborough field to the onshore Pluto liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing facility in Karratha.

As Fugro explains, the route crossed existing subsea infrastructure that included pipelines and fiber optic cables owned by other operators, in addition to extra complexity due to environmental constraints and the pipeline’s proximity to shipping lanes, a loading jetty, and the shore crossing at the LNG plant.

Therefore, the Blue Essence USV was put to work to support the pipeline installation during the critical nearshore phase.

Before the pipeline installation, Fugro conducted a pre-lay survey, followed by construction support surveys carried out by assisting the pipelay barge with shore pull, touch down monitoring, as-laid survey and real-time updates of the pipeline installation on the seabed. After the installation was completed, a survey was performed to document the actual “as-built” condition of the pipeline.

In addition to the USV, drones were deployed for topographic surveys.

“Fugro’s use of the Blue Essence USV to conduct the survey is believed to be an industry first for the pipelay support services. This enhanced productivity and the overall safety of the operations, offering a viable alternative to the client’s initial specification of using a conventional crewed survey vessel. Fugro employed the use of advanced cloud processing for seabed and pipeline model generation. This data was provided on schedule, allowing Saipem early access to crucial project data,” Fugro reported.

The Scarborough energy project comprises the Scarborough gas field, construction of Pluto Train 2, modifications to the existing Pluto Train 1, and the integrated remote operations center (IROC) being built in Perth. 

Woodside is the operator and has a 74.9% participating interest in the Scarborough field. LNG Japan holds a 10% and JERA, which came onboard in October 2024, a 15.1% interest in the Scarborough joint venture (JV).

The project will include the installation of an FPU with eight wells drilled in the initial phase and 13 wells drilled over the life of the Scarborough gas field. Approximately 5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of Scarborough gas will be processed through Pluto Train 2, with up to 3 mtpa processed through the existing Pluto Train 1. 

The construction of the second train is ongoing.