A subsea blowout preventer (BOP) for a privately held oil and gas E&P company unexpectedly detached, damaging a subsea tree in 3,000 ft water depth. The BOP was 70% buried in the seabed, limiting access to feasible lift points.
The statement of work was to safely and efficiently recover the BOP to deck and, upon inspection and modifications, lift the structure to a barge for seafastening and transport to shore.
Under Hydra supervision, dredging operations were conducted in order to excavate sections of the BOP for extraction. Given the lack of a suitable lift point, a sling was thread under an exposed section of the BOP, which provided a basketed rigging arrangement for recovery.
Using engineers and materials contracted by Hydra, the BOP was lowered onto a purpose-built structural deck grillage to perform on-site modifications to the unit. A dual crane lift was required to upend the 60’ tall structure and install it onto a modified transport skid.
While the original plan called for the BOP to be transported in two sections, complications with disassembling the BOP resulted in the decision to leave it in a single piece. Hydra called for a management of change and modified the transport barge loadout and seafastening design to accommodate the revised configuration for a successful transit to shore.
Recognizing our subsea expertise, highly trained team and vast network of resources, the international drilling contractor engaged Hydra to stage a recovery of the BOP.
Region: Gulf of Mexico
General Project Location: Green Canyon
Specific Project Coordinates: 27°43’N, 90°47’W
Water Depth: 3,000 ft.
Primary Installation Vessel: Heerema Balder
Support Vessel: HOS Warland
Facility Type: N/A
Primary Service Provided: BOP Recovery
Secondary Service Provided: Construction and Installation
Duration of Project: 12 days
Total Manhours: 16,776
Crew Size: 121
Crew Disciplines: Barge Seafastening, Vessel Crew, Project Manager, Client, Owner
Lost Time Incidents: 0
As a premier topside construction, subsea engineering and project management company, Hydra provides subsea solutions and offshore construction services to domestic and international oil and gas industry clients.
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