M² Subsea hired to support Nord Stream 2 survey work

ROV services provider M² Subsea has secured its first contract award valued in excess of one million pounds, which will see the firm supplying the Go Electra vessel, ROVs and personnel to support survey work on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

The company, which has bases in Aberdeen and Houston, has been sub-contracted by Next Geosolutions, an independent geoscience and engineering service provider, to deliver the campaign in the Baltic Sea for the Nord Stream 2 project.

Next Geosolutions was appointed to carry out unexploded ordnance identification (UXO) surveys on the two new pipelines.

The campaign for Nord Stream 2, an extension of the world’s longest pipeline, will be undertaken in an area noted for munitions discoveries following the end of World War II.

To support the 90-day project on the Nord Stream 2, M² Subsea has signed its first charter agreement for the multipurpose support vessel (MSV) the Go Electra, which recently completed its first five-year class inspection.

The scope of work will be project managed from Aberdeen and will see the MSV deployed from Hanko in Finland, and supported by 15 of M² Subsea’s personnel who will carry out the UXO identification work utilizing a Triton XLX 2 Work Class ROV and a Mohican 5 observation/inspection class ROV.

M² Subsea chief executive officer, Mike Arnold, said: “Safety is a key factor on every project and in particular where it involves surveying the seabed to identify undiscovered explosive devices for removal. We are very pleased to have chartered the Go Electra which is a highly specialized vessel for subsea inspection, repair and maintenance work and ideal for supporting the conditions the team and ROVs face in the Baltic.”

Giovanni Ranieri, Next Geosolutions’ CEO, said: “This is an exciting project for Next Geosolutions and we’re delighted to have the opportunity to work with M² Subsea.”

The Nord Stream twin offshore pipeline system runs from Russia to Germany and measures 1,244km in length.