Offshore survey company Fugro Chance Inc. recently completed an acoustic jumper metrology on the world’s deepest field in the Gulf of Mexico on Shell’s Perdido Development. This work was done on behalf of Oceaneering International Inc., Shell’s jumper installation contractor.

Shell has set a water depth world record in drilling and completing a subsea well 9,356 ft (1.77 miles) below the water’s surface. The Perdido Development, located approximately 200 miles south of Freeport, Texas, is operated by Shell on behalf of partners BP and Chevron.

A regional Direct Vertical Access (DVA) host spar in Alaminos Canyon 857 will be the central processing center for various subsea tiebacks. Perdido comprises three main development fields: Great White, Silvertip, and Tobago. The regional DVA spar will be the deepest drilling and production facility in the world and the first of its kind in the ultra deepwater of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Marine Construction Survey Division of Fugro Chance performed the acoustic jumper metrology using a Wideband Medium Frequency (WMF) acoustic positioning system, providing a high-accuracy and highly repeatable solution. The jumper spanned two pipeline sleds in a water depth of 9,625 ft.

The WMF acoustic positioning system was chosen for a number of reasons; including reliability at water depth, ease of use, accuracy and noise immunity of the system, and efficient and cost effective use of hardware.

The selection of the WMF acoustic positioning system allowed for the latest integrated acoustic hardware to be used, along with orthodox ROV sensors. This resulted in the minimum of hardware (two acoustic beacons) being required to perform the acoustic jumper metrology.

Fugro Chance has undertaken almost 300 acoustic jumper metrologies for a multitude of clients on a number of Gulf of Mexico projects, ranging in water depth from 200 to 9,625 feet.