Ocean services provider DeepOcean said it has been awarded a simultaneous marine operation and production installation (SIMOPRO) contract by Equinor ASA.
DeepOcean’s scope of work entails installation work on both the Åsgård and Visund fields on the Norwegian continental shelf. The company will undertake onshore project management, engineering and procurement services, as well as offshore operations, according to a news release.
A SIMOPRO operation refers to a complex offshore job where marine construction or installation activities are carried out while an offshore facility is producing hydrocarbons, DeepOcean said.
The scope of work on Åsgard includes riser removal at the Åsgard B platform, as well as the installation of a new production riser and dynamic umbilical connecting the Berling subsea production assets to Åsgard B. The scope also includes installation of two static infield bypass umbilicals, installation of flying leads and protection covers, the company said. At Visund, the work scope includes the replacement of a production riser.
The installation work will be carried out during the main summer season of 2026, utilizing the state-of-the-art construction vessel Edda Freya, DeepOcean said.
“This type of job requires high-level coordination and safety planning from both the operator and subcontractors to ensure smooth execution. We have successfully delivered such projects in the past for Equinor and are therefore delighted to be chosen once again,” Olaf Hansen, managing director for DeepOcean Europe, said.
“These projects require detailed planning of the offshore activities. Our approach is to conduct onshore simulator training of the vessel’s marine crew in advance, to ensure safe and controlled operations once we are offshore,” Hansen added.
The Åsgard field is located in the Norwegian Sea, approximately 124 miles (200 kilometers) off the coast of Mid-Norway, while the Visund field is located in the North Sea, approximately 87 miles (140 kilometers) west of Florø, according to the release.
Expansion of ROV Fleet
In June, DeepOcean said it added eight new remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to its fleet of nearly 60 units, with 13 units available as options.
To facilitate efficient subsea inspection work, the new ROVs will be outfitted with the same software integration as DeepOcean’s existing autonomous inspection drone (AID), allowing the ROVs to perform pre-programmed inspections of subsea assets, the company said in an earlier statement.
“Our operating model is founded on engineering, project management, proprietary technology, an extensive subsea tool pool, ROVs and a versatile subsea fleet. The ROVs serve as our eyes and hands on the seabed, playing a vital role in this equation. We have collaborated closely with Kystdesign for 26 years, and we are excited to take the development to the next level together,” DeepOcean CEO Øyvind Mikaelsen said.
“Expanding our ROV fleet at this scale will enable us to further strengthen the services we provide to clients worldwide, across both the oil and gas and offshore wind sectors. The new units feature the latest and most efficient underwater technologies available and are fully compatible with our remote, autonomous and digital solutions,” Hansen said.
DeepOcean has an existing ROV fleet of approximately 60 ROVs throughout the Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa and Americas regions. The ROVs are utilized for inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR), construction, surveying as well as removal and recycling of subsea assets, the company stated.
Source: by Rocky Teodoro, Rigzone Staff