Osbit to upgrade DeepOcean’s subsea equipment ahead of Nord Stream 2 work

UK-based offshore engineering company Osbit has secured a project with DeepOcean to upgrade a subsea plow for the installation of a new gas pipeline.

Osbit said on Tuesday that DeepOcean’s Advanced Multi-Pass plow (AMP500) would be deployed to the Baltic Sea for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

To meet the requirements of the Nord Stream 2 project, the AMP500 is required to accommodate a larger diameter pipeline.

Osbit will transform the asset into a subsea vehicle that can support the trenching and laying of the 1.5-meter diameter pipeline.

This will be facilitated through the implementation of a new share, major pipe handling equipment upgrades, and the installation of Osbit’s control system which will provide operational control for the plow.

The company added that the modular nature of the control system would enable it to be transferred onto other trenching assets within the fleet, which reduces inventory duplication. This is the second control system Osbit has supplied for DeepOcean after it installed the technology as part of an upgrade of the T1 Trencher in 2017.

The project will be delivered at Port of Blyth, where both companies have quayside operations and will be completed in 30 weeks.

Robbie Blakeman, director at Osbit, said: “Being located close together at Port of Blyth enhances the collaborative nature of this project as we work closely with DeepOcean to deliver our solution, which will enable the AMP500 to effectively operate in the Baltic Sea and other locations requiring large product installation.”

The Nord Stream 2 project involves two parallel 48 inch 1,200-km pipelines which will mostly follow the route of the existing Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea – from the coast of Russia to Greifswald on Germany’s northern coast. The project will have the capacity to transport up to 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia to Europe, connecting with pipelines within the European Union for onwards transmission.