C-Innovation and Grand Isle Shipyard win plug and abandonment contract
Written by Nick BlenkeyC-Innovation (C-I) and Grand Isle Shipyard, LLC (GIS), two strategic oil and gas industry partners, have been awarded a plug and abandonment contract by Helix Alliance Decom LLC to provide pre-feed services for the decommissioning of three offshore platforms for a major deepwater client.
In Phase I of the project, Edison Chouest Offshore affiliate C-Innovation provided ROV services to deliver marine water inspection and integrated the data within MODS software to provide live operations for the client operating fixed leg platforms in 165 to 200 feet of water. The GIS Aerobotics Drone Division provided aerial inspection services. The joint technical innovations aim to determine the current condition of the wells and the facility, enabling the timely and cost-effective decommissioning of the wells, platform and jacket for each of the three platforms.
The partnership harnessed its technology to offer increased safety margins. All of the inspections were able to be completed via line wireless transmission from the back of the boat within a connex box without requiring the deployment of personnel on ropes.
“The equipment used took very little time to mobilize and provided subsea operations in a safe and efficient manner while using a limited number of personnel,” said Michael MacMillan, operations manager at C-Innovation. “The ability to launch this type of ROV from almost any asset not only allows operations to be efficient but also mitigates safety risks while practically eliminating the traditional risks associated with the launch and recovery of an ROV.”
DaCoda Bartels, GIS aerobotics division manager and pilot, said, “The GIS drone can safely operate from up to 100 feet away from the asset as we have the camera stabilization technology to zoom in on an area of interest. Most of these areas are not accessible by human personnel. We are able to live stream the drone’s camera view in real time to make informed decisions on the spot. It’s a super fast and super safe alternative, where the only potential risk is to the equipment rather than the personnel.”
“Our partnership with GIS enables C-I to continue to demonstrate our flexibility to provide resources and equipment in a non-traditional scenario,” added MacMillan. “The availability of equipment and personnel for these types of scopes is more important now than ever, due to the demands of today’s market.”