GSP Prince Provides Survey Services for South Stream Project

GSP Prince provides survey services & support for the South Stream project. The operations performed from GSP Prince covered by now about a half of the 900-kilometer long route with most of the South Stream pipeline route lying at depths of over 2 kilometers.

A record reduction in time has been achieved in bottom profiling while maintaining a persistent high quality of the data collected. It only took to GSP Prince’s on-board personnel 35 minutes to record an underwater sound velocity profile of a 1,730-meter deep section of the Black Sea. This result surpasses the previous record high for sound velocity profiling of the water column, which measured 1,563 meters and was set by the National Data Buoy Center with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The survey operations include exploration of the bottom sections and of the subsea strata using the HUGIN 1000 for 3000 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. GSP Prince’s advanced technical features allowed the survey to be performed using a fast and economical method of recording underwater sound velocity with the aid of the compact high-speed UnderwaySV winch developed by Oceanscience (USA) and the RapidSV underwater sound velocity recording profiler made by Valeport of the UK.

An innovation to the bottom profiling method employed, has been the use, in combination with the RapidSV sound velocity rate sensor, of the cantilever-type spool that makes it possible for the probe to plummet practically in the free-descent mode as the cable unwinds. The sensor descends in the water at the speed of up to 5 m/sec and reaches the depth of 1,000 meters in a mere three to four minutes time. At the same time, the winch has a high wind-up speed, which makes it possible to raise the sensor quickly. As a result, a record-breaking reduction in time has been achieved in bottom profiling while maintaining a persistent high quality of the data collected.

The beneficiary of the deep sea survey, the Russian engineering company PeterGas LLC, declared more than satisfied with the GSP’s vessel performance, the speed of data collection and with the high quality of the data obtained.

GSP Prince, IMR & Survey information:

GSP Prince, IMR & Survey DP2 Offshore Support Vessel specializes in performing sub-sea duties such as ROV operations (pipeline/route survey), bottom mapping, sub-sea installation works, diving and intervention support, mother vessel for AUV/UUV operations, geo-technical investigation survey. The vessel meets the latest environmental criteria while ensuring acoustically quiet operations at survey speeds. The vessel supports the marine operations and offshore construction activities DP2 Divers & ROV Survey Offshore Support Vessel, DnV +1A1, SF, E0, DYNPOS AUTR, CLEAN, COMF-C3-V3, HELDK-SH, NAUT OSV (A), DK(+), ICE-C Built in 2009, Baatbygg Shipyard, Norway. GSP Prince meets the latest environmental criteria while ensuring acoustically quiet operations at survey speeds. GSP Prince carried out operations within key regional offshore construction projects such as the DLS Project (Black Sea, Russian Federation, the ultimate client being Gazprom), Akcakoca Gas Field Development Project (Black Sea, Turkey, for TPAO) and Galata Project (Black Sea, Bulgaria for Melrose Resources).

South Stream Information:

The offshore section of South Stream runs across the Black Sea, connecting the compressor station on the Russian coast at Beregovaya with the Bulgarian coast in the city of Varna. The 900-kilometre (560 mi) long offshore section will reach the maximum depth of approximately 2000 meters. The offshore pipeline is planned to carry 63 billion cubic meters (2.2 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas per year. The South Stream project alone will result in over 1,800 km (phase 1) of new pipeline and significant subsea work. South Stream ppipeline sections in Serbia, Hungary, and Slovenia will have capacity at least 10 billion cubic meters (350 billion cubic feet) per year. At least two gas storage facilities would be constructed of which one would be an underground storage facility in Hungary with capacity of minimum 1 billion cubic meters (35 billion cubic feet) and another one in Banatski Dvor, Serbia with capacity of 3.2 billion cubic meters (110 billion cubic feet). The South Stream project is aimed at strengthening the European energy security. It is the key project in the diversification strategy for gas supply routes to the EU. The South Stream gas pipeline will ensure a direct connection between hydrocarbons suppliers and consumers thus raising significantly the energy supply security on the entire European continent. The construction is scheduled to start in 2013, and the first gas supplies being expected for 2015.

Grup Servicii Petroliere (GSP) general information:

GSP, member of Upetrom Group, provides a wide range of integrated services in the following business areas: offshore drilling, offshore constructions support vessels, well services / P&A / decommissioning, hydro-technical construction, engineering, subsea installation, offshore windmill construction & installation, and training. The company controls a high quality fleet of diversified onshore and offshore assets enabling the group to offer turnkey solutions. With more than 1500 employees the company is headquartered in Constanta, Romania, the location providing access to a fast growing offshore market. GSP has also subsidiary offices in Moscow, Rotterdam, Aberdeen, Dubai, Mexico, Alma Ata, Tunis, Oslo, Valetta, Limassol, and Tripoli. GSP’s HSEQ Integrated Management System is certified as being fully compliant with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, BS OHSAS 18001 and ISM Code requirements. FPAL has audited our HSE MS – scored 9.1 from a maximum score of 9.4. GSP is member of the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), International Well Control Forum (IWCF), and International Maritime Contractors Association (IMCA).

PeterGaz LLC general information:

PeterGaz is an engineering company whose main fields of activity include engineering design of hydrocarbons production/transportation facilities, performance of offshore and onshore surveys, engineering design approvals with the respective RF government authorities, processing of appropriate authorizations for construction projects, and construction management as project manager/developer or EPC contractor.

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Subsea World News Staff , January 03 , 2012;  Image: GSP Offshore