First MPSV's pipe laying mission in Malaysia
In early May 2018, BOURBON connected a floating storage unit (FSU) to an oil platform in the Bentara field, off the coast of Bintulu in Malaysia. The operation was carried out by the crew of the Bourbon Evolution 807 and our partner BUMI Subsea’s ROV teams, in close cooperation with the client. Here’s the story.
Between May 2nd and 4th 2018, BOURBON and its local partner BUMI Subsea carried out a project for the Malaysian service and engineering company, Serba Dinamik. The work consisted of connecting a floating storage unit, the Nautica Muar, to a platform operated by Vestigo Petroleum, via flexible flowline.
In all, 450m of pipe was laid between the 2 units, at a depth of 65m: “In Malaysia, this is the first time that we’ve used one of our vessels to lay flexible pipeline,” says Jocelyn Le Tinoc, Master of the Bourbon Evolution 807. For pipe laying in very deep waters, significant infrastructure is necessary, however, for this mission in relatively shallow waters, major means were not needed: “You need a crane, a ROV, and a large cargo deck area. Therefore, a versatile vessel such as the Bourbon Evolution 807 is perfectly suited to the task.”
This mission, in relatively shallow waters, was nevertheless complex. Indeed, in order to carry it out successfully, the Vessel’s deck was equipped with a reel that had a diameter of 10m and weighed 90t, as well as the related laying system in order to lay the flexible pipe underwater.
BUMI Subsea provided the engineering calculations for stowing of the equipment on the deck, and of the ROV.
RoV and bourbon crane in action
The Bourbon Evolution 807 was specifically designed for subsea operations. Its main features: 2 cranes, one with a 150t capacity and 35m radius, and the other with a 40t capacity. For this mission that involved pipe laying, with start and end terminations, the crane was used to connect the pipe to the messenger from the floating storage unit: “This small cable is used to haul the pipe onto the vessel. The pipe is then laid underwater, and then connected to the platform at the other end, using a crane as well,” explains Jocelyn Le Tinoc.
The Bourbon Evolution 807 was equipped with a ROV which was positioned to monitor closely the pipe laying and connection operations.
“The vessel was laying the pipe at a slow speed, maintaining constant tension on the flexible pipe, all while using dynamic positioning between the storage unit and the platform,” Jocelyn Le Tinoc adds. With the flexibility of the crane and a large cargo deck area, the Class 3 (DP3) dynamic positioning system is one of the Bourbon Evolution 800 series’ major assets:
The vessel provides exceptional maneuverability and optimal operational reliability
In addition to demonstrating the responsiveness of the teams involved, this mission also underscored the professionalism of the crew on board. “Our 38 crew members and ROV team hail from a range of backgrounds, but they worked together in order to successfully carry out this operation, under optimal safety conditions,” the Master concludes.
