DeepOcean recently announced that it has secured a subsea installation contract with Equinor to execute a SIMOPRO operation in two oil fields on the Norwegian continental shelf. The agreement provides for simultaneous subsea construction activities while the facilities continue to produce hydrocarbons, an activity that places high demands on planning and safety.
Given the level of complexity of the SIMOPRO operation, the company plans to conduct pre-training in onshore simulators for marine crews. The project implementation is scheduled for the peak summer season of 2026 and will be carried out using the construction vessel Edda Freya a vessel equipped for complex subsea operations.
What is a SIMOPRO operation and what does the contract consist of?
A SIMOPRO (Simultaneous Marine Operations and Production) operation is an activity in which marine construction or installation work is carried out while the oil platform continues to produce hydrocarbons. producing hydrocarbons . This type of activity requires precise coordination and rigorous safety planning to avoid interference or incidents.
The contract involves DeepOcean performing subsea installations for the Åsgard and Visund fields. For the Åsgard field, it will remove the riser on the Åsgard B platform and replace it with a new production riser, as well as connect a dynamic umbilical from the Berling subsea systems and install static bypass umbilicals, floating cables and protective covers.
For the Visund field, the production riser will be replaced. These tasks will be part of a coordinated logistics operation in a marine environment more than 200 kilometers off the central Norwegian coast, with depths reaching 300 meters.
Strategic context of the partnership
The collaboration between the two companies dates back to DeepOcean’s inception in 1999, so it is not surprising that Equinor would choose them for its critical projects, given the successful execution of similar projects in the past. In addition, both companies are aligned on the energy transition, with Equinor looking to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, and DeepOcean presenting itself as an enabler in remote operations and carbon footprint reduction.
Source: DeepOcean.
