Offshore support on pipeline inspection survey

Subsea pipelines are susceptible to a number of risks, and these must be assessed in order to ensure safe operation over their design life. Part of this process involves regular pipeline inspections, both internally and externally.

The external inspection includes regular inspection via a general imaging (GI) survey.  During this survey, the pipeline operator requires a client representative to supervise the process, ensuring that the planned scope of work is completed satisfactorily, and that any key events over the course of the trip are accurately recorded.  Any anomalous features on or near the pipeline are recorded during these surveys (e.g. spanning sections, exposed pipeline or debris).  

Jee provided a client representative for an offshore GI survey in the UK sector of the North Sea, and subsequently worked on analysing the results obtained (using the PRISM software package), and summarising them into a concise report, as part of ongoing support for a pipeline integrity management system for the client. 

Whilst onboard the vessel, the Jee client representative provided an independent review of past survey data using PRISM, enabling live comparison of anomalous features.

Some field development work was combined with the GI survey.  This involved conducting route surveys on a proposed pipeline route, and taking vibrocore soil samples from the seabed around the proposed drilling locations.

Following this survey, the client benefited from:

• Early indication of key areas requiring immediate attention or remedial work
  
• A concise summary of all anomalous features
  
• Ongoing support for further technical analysis of key anomalies (e.g. long spans or areas of exposure)