DeepOcean nets subsea contract to extend life of Equinor’s field operating since 1992

November 13, 2025, by Nadja Skopljak

Norway’s state-owned oil & gas giant Equinor has awarded DeepOcean with a contract for subsea construction and installation activities for a project that aims to extend the production life of an oil & gas field operational since 1992.

DeepOcean’s scope of work includes the installation of a subsea safety isolation valve (SSIV), a subsea umbilical, and tie-in to the existing pipeline using connectors and associated tooling from the Pipeline Repair and Subsea Intervention (PRSI) pool for the Snorre Export and Import Gas Project (SNEIG).

The SNEIG project is part of the broader Snorre Expansion Project, which aims to extend the production life of the Snorre oil & gas field, originally discovered in 1979 and operational since 1992, beyond 2040.

The Snorre field is located in the Tampen area of the northern North Sea, in water depths of 300–350 meters.

DeepOcean will also provide preparatory subsea construction activities, including isolation pig tracking, pipeline coating removal and cutting operations. Suitable crossings for the new umbilical will also be prepared and installed at the field before various mechanical completion and commissioning activities are performed.

The award also includes the provision of onshore engineering, procurement and project management services. DeepOcean will manage the project out of its office in Haugesund, Norway.

Offshore operations will be carried out during the summer season of 2026 using a subsea construction vessel from DeepOcean’s chartered fleet.

“This is a complex subsea project that underlines Equinor’s dedication to responsible resource utilisation through life-of-field extensions. Through our in-depth knowledge of the specialised tooling from the PRSI pool, matched with our highly capable construction vessel fleet, I am confident that our skilled project team will ensure a safe and successful project execution in close cooperation with Equinor,” said Olaf A. Hansen, Managing Director of DeepOcean’s European operation.