THE CUSTOMER NEWSLETTER OF THE FUGRO GROUP I S S U E 0 9 M AY 2 0 0 8

FLOODWATCH
Fugro Water Services joins the battle against the elements

Panama Canal
Fugro Panama’s activities include the canal expansion project

Ancient Forest, Modern Drillship

MV Gargano is the latest addition to the Fugro fleet

Seeing Seagrass
Habitat mapping on the Gulf coast of Texas
Cover Image © Rijkswaterstaat

Charting the Seas

Hydrographic survey work off the coasts of Europe
 IT’S A GAS IN NEW ZEALAND
fugro supports the kupe gas project off the taranaki peninsula

The Kupe Field promises to deliver vital natural gas and LPG resources to New Zealand. Fugro BTW is
providing the development consortium - led by Origin Energy Resources - with crucial positioning and
location control data during the construction phase.

Lying in water 35 metres deep, 30 kilometres offshore and

south of Mount Taranaki, the Kupe development is expected
to supply New Zealand with natural gas, liquefied petroleum
gas (LPG) and light oil or condensate for the next 15-20
years. Approved to proceed in 2006, the Kupe Gas Project Next, the platform topsides were brought out to the field by
was blessed in a Maori ‘karakai’ ceremony held on the site barge and lowered onto mating posts on top of the jacket
of the onshore production facility and looks set to make a structure, guided by location control measurements provided
major contribution to the country’s energy needs. by Fugro. The topside deck will contain four levels, including
a helideck and sufficient space to accommodate wellheads,
The development comprises an unmanned wellhead platform piping, safety equipment, a crane and other necessary facilities.
connected to shore by an export pipeline together with a set of The platform will not normally be manned - staff will visit the
utility pipelines and umbilical cables. Production from the field’s platform periodically by helicopter to perform maintenance
six wells will be controlled from an onshore facility located on activities.
top of the 40 metre cliffs, so characteristic of the coastline of the
Taranaki Peninsula. The utility lines will carry chemicals, power Technip and Subsea 7, in joint venture, are contracted to install
and fibre-optic communications from the shore to the platform. the pipelines and umbilical cables to shore. Fugro is providing
positioning and survey support services on board the installation
vessel throughout the installation works to help ensure that
project specifications are met and the pipe and cable ends are
laid down in the correct locations for tie-in to the platform and
connection to the onshore sections of the pipeline system.

Production drilling got under way in 2007 from the jack-

up platform Ensco 107, selected by Origin to serve as both
a drilling and offshore construction unit. Fugro surveyors
assisted in positioning and orientating the platform precisely
on the location of the wellhead structure. A specialist team
operated a Fugro-owned ‘Seal’ ROV in support of the drilling
operations. More than twenty Fugro New Zealand personnel and twelve
staff from Fugro companies overseas have been involved in
Later the Ensco 107 was converted to an installation platform to the entire construction programme, which is scheduled for
lift the four-legged Kupe jacket structure from its transportation completion in mid-2008. Commercial production of gas and
barge and lower it into position for piling into the seafloor. liquids from the Kupe field is scheduled to commence in
Fugro BTW personnel were again on hand to ensure that the mid-2009.
structure was positioned precisely as required.
email > [email protected]

2
FUGRO SMARTPIPE ®
measuring the interaction between subsea pipelineS and THE SEABED

Fugro has linked up with the offshore industry to develop a cost-saving system to model the forces
that come into play when subsea pipelines interact with seabed soils. It’s taken two years of intensive
development and field testing, but Fugro Smartpipe ® is ready for its first assignment.

Data is first gathered by a computer on the seabed

frame, then transmitted to the surface through the
system’s fibre-optic umbilical cable. The same cable is
also used to remotely control the FUGRO SMARTPIPE®
functions in real time.

SMARTPIPE® is suitable for deployment from survey,

geotechnical and construction support vessels and
boasts a maximum operating water depth of 2,500
metres. Three sets of shallow water field trials have
been completed to check system functionality in a
marine environment. These tests were performed in
a tidal estuary near Fugro Seacore’s former UK base
at Gweek in Cornwall. Data quality was thoroughly
assessed under a variety of controlled conditions, and
necessary system improvements were initiated for
Soft clay soils occurring in deep-water environments subsequent evaluation.
are notoriously difficult to sample and characterise,
particularly in the upper 50 centimetres, where pipelines The FUGRO SMARTPIPE® system is now fully functional and
and flow-lines interact with the seabed. Fugro has worked ready for deep-water operations. One of the first field projects
with BP to define industry requirements for in-situ pipe- began at the end of April 2008, when SMARTPIPE® was
soil interaction tests, intended to complement standard deployed from a Fugro vessel offshore West Africa as part of an
offshore geotechnical investigation techniques. initiative to collect data for design of a new deep-water subsea
pipeline.
email > [email protected]
Reliable predictions of offshore pipeline behaviour depend
upon accurately modelling the engineering properties of the
soils forming the seabed. This is especially difficult in deep
water where the soil can be extremely fluid and biogenic activity
and other factors can affect soil properties. Current pipeline
design practice involves a series of boundary studies covering
a wide range of possible pipe-soil behaviour. This often leads
to substantial over-engineering and unnecessary cost. Direct
measurement of the soil resistance can reduce uncertainty,
allow flow-line design to be optimised, and enable capital and
operating costs for offshore pipelines to be significantly reduced.

The FUGRO SMARTPIPE® system measures pipe-soil

interaction forces on the seabed using an instrumented
section of pipe mounted within a deployment frame. The
measuring pipe section is an 8 inch polypropylene-coated
steel pipe under a metre long. It is instrumented with nine
pore pressure sensors and suspended on two tri-axial load
cells. Displacements, forces and pore water pressures are
continuously recorded during soil testing.

The system is designed to move the instrumented pipe section

in three directions – vertically, laterally and axially, combining
vertical movement with axial or lateral displacement if desired.
Controlling the vertical loads applied to the test section
simulates the cyclic movements experienced in real pipelines.
A T-bar is also available on the seabed frame to enable test
results to be correlated with standard geotechnical parameters.

3
 NEW LOCKS FOR OLD
fugro wins major contracts in a country where expansion plans are big news

Newly-formed Fugro Panama S.A. already has three contracts linked to large-scale infrastructure
expansion projects in a Central American republic with a long heritage of providing safe passage to the
world’s biggest ships.

Ships are classified ‘Panamax’ if they are built to the a geotechnical ground investigation is underway on the site
maximum dimensions accepted by the locks of the Panama of a proposed new refinery in western Panama. The remote
Canal. Super-tankers, modern container ships and other coastal site assigned by the Panamanian government is large,
vessels making up the world’s marine fleet now frequently rugged and covered in tropical vegetation. The fieldwork and
exceed these dimensions and the existing Panama Canal geotechnical evaluation will help to select optimum locations
cannot cope. In response, the people of Panama voted and configurations for various refinery structures within the site
in 2006 to construct a new set of locks large enough to boundaries.
allow these post-Panamax vessels to pass. The ‘Third Set
of Locks Project’ is scheduled to be completed in time to Also in the west of the country, Fugro recently completed site
celebrate the Canal’s 100th anniversary in 2014. investigation drilling and sampling to provide design information
for widening and deepening the Pacific entrance to the canal.
The canal expansion project has provided economic stimulus to Twenty boreholes were sunk to depths of up to 20 metres
the Republic of Panama, a country with considerable potential, below seabed from a Fugro Skate III jack-up drilling platform
a robust, US dollar based economy and an established (see below). The overburden was sampled and tested, and
transportation infrastructure. To match redevelopment of the underlying rock formations were continuously cored.
canal, Panama is embarking on an ambitious series of projects
to deepen, and increase the capacity of existing ports, as At the site of the Third Set of Locks Project, Fugro is providing
well as to build several new ones. Infrastructure expansion is consultancy services to establish the geological and
planned on many fronts, and associated projects are planned in geotechnical characteristics of construction locations. These
neighbouring countries in Central America. locks will utilise state-of-the-art water saving basins and are
to be constructed on top of complex geological formations
Fugro has recently established Fugro Panama S.A. to serve this containing shear zones linked to potentially active faults lying
developing market, and already has contracts for three large beneath the footprint of the enlarged canal.
projects in Panama itself. Under Fugro project management, email > [email protected]

The Panama Canal

Panama’s narrow isthmus was
first crossed by the Spaniards
during colonisation in 1513.
Subsequently, the road from
Pacific to Atlantic, about 80
kilometres in length and dubbed
the ‘Camino Real’ was one of
the principal passageways
for immense quantities of
wealth travelling from the
Spanish colonies to the home
country. Pirates soon began
to attack mule trains crossing
the mountain passes and ships
transporting the merchandise to
and from ports on both coasts.
The fortunes of Panama for many
years ebbed and flowed with that
of the Spanish monarchy.

Centuries later the French, and

then the Americans, spent more
than thirty years building the
‘Path Between the Seas’ at great
cost and tremendous loss of
life. The Panama Canal, opened
in August 1914, is still a modern
engineering marvel.

4
‘TEME’ WORK IN THE UK
FUGRO APERIO’S ‘inner vision’ AVERTS TRAFFIC CHAOS

Fugro Aperio employed Remote Visual Inspection techniques to reveal concealed sections of a major
road bridge over the River Teme in Worcestershire, avoiding bridge closure, yet gathering the detailed
structural survey data required to plan essential maintenance on the critical river crossing.

The primary road network in Worcestershire is constrained construction thicknesses, condition and possible defects. The
by three major rivers - the ‘Severn’, ‘Avon’ and ‘Teme’. These surveys were completed within a day with just a short period of
create barriers to movement, with congestion focused on single lane traffic management across the bridge.
bridge crossing points. Closure of the River Teme bridge
in the centre of Tenbury Wells would mean enormous
traffic disruption, a serious impact on local trade and a 30
kilometre diversion for through-traffic along narrow and
hilly roads unsuitable for heavy goods vehicles.

Dating back to the 14th century, the River Teme bridge is a

conservation listed six-span structure that has undergone
numerous phases of rebuilding, widening and extension. In
1815, the northern three spans were widened during works
overseen by Thomas Telford, Shropshire’s county surveyor at
the time. More recently, the six sandstone arches - each 7-8
metres long - have been widened in reinforced concrete. To
avoid weight restrictions on bridge traffic, transverse beams
have been installed to strengthen the three southern spans.

The two non-destructive survey techniques - RVI and GPR

- minimised physical impact on the abutment structure,
especially since Fugro was able to use pre-existing drill holes
and areas of incomplete infill in the arches to gain camera
access.

Senior engineer for Halcrow, Stephen Powell, remarked “The

surveys have been very useful in determining hidden features
and the structural condition of the bridge in the area of the
concealed arches. Available records referred to the presence
of filled-in arches in the southeast wing, but the survey showed
that these are actually open.”
A major inspection in October 2005 identified ongoing
problems with the stonework and concrete forming the bridge.
The southeast wing-wall was also showing signs of movement
indicated by a number of cracks in the structure. Records
suggested that this side of the abutment had been built with
three open arches facing onto a sloping ramp running from road
level to the river. Only one of these arches is visible today.

Consulting engineers Halcrow commissioned Fugro Aperio to

investigate the concealed arches. A Remote Visual Inspection
(RVI) was carried out behind the abutment wall using a
specialist Imagescope camera. Fugro also collected Ground The level of detail provided by Fugro Aperio’s surveys has
Penetrating Radar (GPR) data from the abutment wall and a helped in designing the most appropriate, most cost-effective
corresponding section of bridge carriageway above. and least distruptive scheme of repair works for the Tenbury
Wells bridge, which is to undergo a £1 million scheme of
The RVI results helped build a picture of the position, masonry repairs and concrete strengthening at a future date.
dimensions and superficial appearance of the concealed
arches, while the GPR measurements contributed data on email > [email protected]

5
 SEEING SEAGRASS
FUGRO IMPROVES BENTHIC HABITAT MAPPING ON THE GULF COAST OF TEXAS

Fugro EarthData is helping to enhance the accuracy and reliability of maps that reveal the health of
coastal ecosystems by combining high-resolution airborne imagery and innovative data processing
techniques. The impact of human activity can now be assessed more quickly and cost-effectively.

Seagrass beds cover more than 2,500 square kilometres existing maps, and other ancillary data were merged into
of Texas coastline along estuaries and bays bordering the the polygons. Statistical routines were used to refine the
Gulf of Mexico. They serve as marine nurseries, providing classification of the polygons, categorising them as oyster
food and shelter to juvenile fish and aquatic creatures. beds, seagrass, sediment, propeller scars and so on. Once
These rich yet fragile ecosystems are important to the life initial maps were created, the team performed field verification
of a coastal zone that each year contributes billions of to assess the accuracy of the resulting mapping data and
dollars to the Texas economy through fishing and tourism. confirm the interpretation.
The humble seagrasses are an important indicator of the
health of this precious marine resource. The final benthic habitat maps, which cover more than 3,600
square kilometres of coastline, contained more than 46,000
Researchers and biologists rely on benthic habitat maps to polygons. Seventy-five percent of final classifications were
assess the impact of human activity on the seagrass beds. achieved by implementing the novel semi-automated methods of
These maps also provide valuable information on other data processing. In addition to timesavings, the new methodology
organisms, such as algae and oysters, as well as the nature of minimised potential interpretive bias and inconsistencies
marine or estuarine sediments. However, up-to-date maps of associated with manual photo interpretation methods. The
benthic habitats can be hard to obtain. While traditional photo final set of Phase 1 benthic maps impressed Bill Stevenson,
interpretation and field survey techniques are effective enough, senior image analyst with the NOAA Coastal Services Centre,
they are very labour intensive, making mapping both time- who remarked, “The polygon delineations are right on, and they
consuming and expensive. are highly detailed. In addition to extra information, we are very
pleased with the level of thematic accuracy of the classification.”
In 2007, Fugro EarthData was selected to implement a new
approach to benthic habitat mapping in the State of Texas. Work on Phase 2 of the project covering the San Antonio and
Leading a team of geospatial and marine research experts, Espiritu Santo Bays and the Lower Laguna Madre, is scheduled
Fugro combined high-resolution airborne imagery with semi- for completion in the course of 2008.
automated data processing techniques to streamline the map
production process while simultaneously improving data email > [email protected]
accuracy and detail.

Fugro collaborated with the Texas Parks and Wildlife

Department and the Centre for Coastal Studies at Texas A&M
University to execute the multi-phase project, funded and
supervised by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s Coastal Services Centre.

The fist phase involved mapping six bays in southern Texas.

Utilising object-oriented software, Fugro analysts segmented
the high-resolution digital imagery acquired as part of the
project, into a series of polygons, each representing a single
object like a seagrass bed. Next, ground truth samples,

6
NAUTICAL CHART UPDATES
FUGRO FILLS THE GAPS

Present day users of the marine environment have diverse needs demanding a thorough understanding of
seabed topography, geology, oceanography, ecology and marine biology. Fugro OSAE is assisting maritime
and hydrographic agencies using sophisticated survey technology to achieve operational efficiencies.

Fugro OSAE is simultaneously performing

surveys at various locations off the UK
coast under a contract with the Maritime
and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the
authority responsible for the safety and
environmental protection of UK waters.
Ultimately, the data that Fugro acquires is
passed to the UK Hydrographic Office to
update British Admiralty charts.
The contract with MCA began in 2006 and
will run throughout 2008 and 2009. Recent
survey programmes have included nearly
1,100 square kilometres of multi-beam
bathymetry in Barnstable Bay in the Bristol
Channel, and 663 square kilometres in
An extensive programme of nautical chart revision is Northern Ireland, both completed by Meridian, Fugro OSAE’s
underway using enhanced bathymetric data to increase the purpose-built survey catamaran.
detail available. Many authorities are drawing on expertise
from the commercial sector and Fugro has responded Under the contract, Fugro OSAE has also surveyed large
accordingly. portions of the Dover Strait. These were particularly difficult
assignments due to shallow water over numerous sandbanks,
The ‘Mareano Project’ is a Norwegian government-funded strong currents and high volumes of shipping traffic. The large
initiative, intended to gather data over roughly 142,000 square survey area necessitated operations 24 hours per day over a
kilometres of continental shelf off Norway’s northern coast. The twelve month period, using up to three vessels simultaneously.
results will be used to plan future ecosystem management. Based Despite the difficulties, excellent results were achieved and the
on an existing track record with the Norwegian Hydrographic project team was delighted to receive a letter of commendation
Service, Fugro OSAE was commissioned during 2006, to execute from the UK Hydrographic Office.
part of the outstanding hydrographic survey work-scope.
In Finnish waters, the Finnish Maritime Administration is
This initial responsible for marine traffic, maritime safety, pilotage,
involvement mapping, and fairway maintenance. In 2006, Fugro OSAE
led to award conducted nearly 4,000 square kilometres of hydrographic
of a larger surveys in the busy Gulf of Finland to update nautical chart
contract in information. Much of the Gulf freezes over in the winter, so
May 2007, the survey had to be carefully planned and completed in a
under which narrow weather window. Once again, Fugro was able to apply
Fugro OSAE knowledge and expertise acquired in the commercial sector to
was tasked with address the demanding technical and operational requirements
bathymetric of a government agency.
email > [email protected]
data collection
and processing
over 13,000
square kilometres of seabed in the Troms II and Nordland
VII areas offshore Nordland county. In December 2007, the
Norwegian Hydrographic Service extended Fugro’s contract by
adding an additional survey area of 11,000 square kilometres,
consisting primarily of waters deeper than 1,000 metres.

Fugro has addressed the additional requirement by installing

a Kongsberg EM 300 deep-water multibeam echo sounder on
board MV Victor Hensen, the principal survey vessel chartered MV Meridian
to meet the demands of the Mareano project. moored at Heysham
in the UK

7
 FLOODWATCH
evaluating WATER MANAGEMENT SCHEMES around the world

Fugro Water Sevices offers a unique combination of expertise. Integrating Fugro’s renowned consultancy
and data acquisition capabilities, this global resource targets water management and flood control issues
worldwide. Recent projects in the USA and the Netherlands highlight the power of this combination.

Recent tsunamis, hurricanes and floods, together with The urban levees provide critical flood protection for the highly
greater public awareness of the possible effects of populated areas of greater Sacramento, Stockton/Lathrop, and
climate change, have served to increase demand for Marysville/Yuba City.
technical services relating to water management. ‘Fugro
Water Services’ serves the needs of this growing market Fugro is supplying data acquisition services including Cone
by drawing upon Fugro’s impressive track record in Penetration Testing, topographic surveys using helicopter-
consultancy and combining this with state of the art data mounted LIDAR systems, helicopter based geophysical surveys
acquisition techniques relevant to flood control, water of the subsoil, and bathymetric surveys of rivers. Our analytical
management and regulation of groundwater resources. services include geologic and geomorphological mapping; GIS
creation and revision; levee modelling; and seepage, stability and
Fugro’s data acquisition services include the collection seismic analyses, to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the
and processing of spatial, geotechnical, geophysical, and levee system. In addition, Fugro has completed aerial mapping of
hydrological information. Fugro’s airborne and helicopter based 4,100 square kilometres of the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta.
electromagnetic survey techniques have proved to be particularly Here, the river system meets San Francisco Bay and climate
effective tools for the large-scale data collection effort needed to changes are gradually pushing salt water inland.
map and inspect groundwater reservoirs, levees and floodplains.
Fugro Water Services consists of three centres of excellence
In several projects in Europe and the USA, Fugro has combined - in Leidschendam in the Netherlands, Ventura and Oakland
different data acquisition techniques and analysis methods in the USA, and Nordhausen in Germany. These focal points
to provide valuable insights into site characterisation, ground serve to coordinate and support local water management
engineering and soil stratigraphy. These characteristics affect groups in Fugro’s operating companies worldwide.
the strength and stability of levees and other flood defences,
influence the construction of tunnels and shape subsurface In Holland, Fugro has been involved in the development of risk
excavations. The data is particularly valuable when used in management guidelines for the country’s system of dikes, is
conjunction with Fugro’s GIS-based 4-dimensional strength jointly developing the safety analysis method ‘SUCCESS’, and
analysis method - FAST4DMAP©. is a partner in ‘Flood Control 2015’, the Dutch Flood Innovation
Programme. Fugro’s extensive levee evaluation programmes
In the Central Valley of California, Fugro has brought these in New Orleans and California have been complemented by
techniques together to evaluate the condition of levees along a further series of hydrogeological investigations, aquifer
the Sacramento – San Joaquin River System. In some of the studies, and groundwater basin management projects in the
most extensive levee evaluations in the USA, Fugro and several USA. In Germany, Fugro operates a leading hydrogeological
partners are conducting soil investigations, levee inspections, and hydrological consultancy that specialises in the fields of
and geotechnical engineering consultancy for 550 kilometres water management, flood control concepts, hydraulic modeling
of urban flood defences and 1,240 kilometres of rural river and environmental remediation studies for federal and state
embankments. authorities.
email > [email protected]

8
ON THE LEVEL
fugro makes the grade In a low-lying country such as the Netherlands, a full
knowledge of terrain elevations is essential to successfully
Fugro’s FLIMAP 400 system has proved to be a perfect manage precious land resources and safeguard
tool for improving the accuracy of ground elevation communities. The original Dutch national height model
was created over forty years ago, based on a series of
models over low-lying regions of the Netherlands.
spot-heights determined by traditional spirit leveling, at a
data density of roughly one point every hectare.

Around ten years ago, the Rijkswaterstaat (Ministry of Public

Works & Water Management), the regional Water Authorities
and the Provinicial Governments jointly decided to create a
detailed modern elevation model of the whole country using
Airborne Laser Altimetry (also known as LIDAR). Elevations to a
vertical accuracy of 15-25 centimetres have been systematically
determined countrywide using LIDAR equipment installed in
relatively high-flying fixed wing aircraft. The specified data density
for this elevation model (Actueel Hoogtebestaand Nederland, or
AHN for short) is one height point every 4 square meters.

Even this data density has proved insufficient for the needs
of certain water authorities, particularly Waterschap Zeeuwse
Eilanden (or WZE), the authority responsible for water
management in the province of Zeeland in the South West
of the Netherlands. The province incorporates the islands
and delta area at the mouth of the River Scheldt, a region
particularly susceptible to storm surges and flood damage.
Here, in a pilot project, Fugro has been commissioned to
improve the AHN data density to ten points per square metre
and to realise an absolute height accuracy of 5 centimetres.

Apart from creating a more accurate height model to be

used in planning future projects, WZE wished to use the data
to manage their waterways and the network of dikes and
embankments comprising the flood control system for the
province. Verification of dike positions and the calculation of
accurate profiles have previously required mobilisation of a
variety of different survey techniques. The Fugro FLIMAP 400
airborne laser mapping system offered a solution that enabled
all the necessary data to be acquired simultaneously at a
substantially reduced cost, while enabling WZE to meet in full
all national water management regulations.

With an area of 113,000 hectares to cover, Fugro operated two

FLIMAP equipped helicopters simultaneously, to complete data
acquisition from a flying altitude of 400 metres within a two
week period. A laser line scan camera is incorporated into the
FLIMAP 400 system to record true colour values for each of
the laser points scanned during the laser altimetry survey. This
data can be used to generate 3D coloured images of the survey
area, providing an aid to interpretation of height points as well
as another useful multi-purpose deliverable for client use.

The WZE project generated 52 billion laser points and 120,000

images that were computer processed during the summer of
2007 to produce a complete, carefully filtered, and thoroughly
accurate ground elevation model for the entire survey area.
The results were received with enormous enthusiasm by all
interested parties, particularly WZE’s expert personnel who
now have additional tools and information at their disposal to
complete their important work with greater efficiency.

email > [email protected]

9
 BRIDGING THE ENERGY GAP
FUGRO SUPPORTS PIPELAY FOR NEW NATURAL GAS DELIVERY SYSTEM

Fugro Chance provided vital survey support to Horizon Offshore during pipeline installation off the coast
of Massachusetts. Specially equipped ROVs collected data of the highest resolution, feeding a rapid
onboard processing and reporting system that helped control critical pipeline burial operations.

The ‘Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge’ is a deep-water The underwater

receiving terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG), located 15 positions of
miles off Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The design concept the ROV and
enables specially designed LNG tankers to discharge their survey sensors
cargo at sea by re-gasifying the LNG onboard, whilst the were precisely
vessel is moored to a submerged offloading buoy. The determined
technology reduces safety concerns associated with employing
offloading at land-based LNG terminals near populated areas. Fugro’s FineTrack
positioning
solution. Data
from an ultra-short
baseline acoustic
3D view with the pipe in the trench
positioning system,
ROV-mounted motion and pressure sensors and a doppler
velocity log were integrated using Fugro designed algorithms.

FineTrack was also used to remove the effects of sea swell

from the subsea pressure sensor readings, providing a more
accurate depth for the ROV. Tidal effects were accounted for
by reducing the original prelay survey data to an agreed datum
using classical tidal corrections, then correcting all subsequent
multi-beam survey data by correlating common areas of
undisturbed seafloor seen in both the newly acquired and
prelay datasets.
The North East Gateway is linked to an existing New England
natural gas distribution network by 25 kilometres of 24 inch Throughout the survey process numerous passes where made over
pipeline installed in water depths between 35 and 85 metres. each section of pipeline. Analysis of the resulting datasets shows
Installation permits required the pipeline to be buried with a that top-of-pipe elevations and calculated depths of cover were
minimum cover of 45 centimetres, and the seafloor to be reinstated determined with relative accuracies in the order of 5-8 centimetres.
to natural seabed level after installation. Pipe-lay contractor
Horizon Offshore Inc. selected Fugro to provide the survey Fast Track Processing
support required to ensure that these conditions were met.
Survey operations were conducted daily during pipeline
trenching operations. Every twenty-four hours, survey
deliverables were produced comprising cross-sections of
the trench at intervals of around 30 metres, together with a
longitudinal depth profile of the pipe in trench. This provided
the client with rapid confirmation that sufficient trench depth
had been achieved to satisfy the requirement for burial to at
least 45 centimetres below natural seabed. Final deliverables,
including longitudinal profile sheets and a digital terrain model,
were provided within 96 hours of data collection. All deliverables
were produced onboard the survey vessel using Processing and
Reporting Workbench tools forming part of the Fugro Starfix
Software Suite.

FineTrack Navigation
Commenting on the success of the survey project, Phillip
Fugro mounted a high frequency, high-resolution multi-beam echo Dowden, lead party chief with Fugro Chance Inc. remarked,
sounder on a work class ROV flown at a carefully selected altitude, “Our automated pipe-tracking tools gave us the edge to provide
to provide high-resolution depth data for the top of the installed pipe; the client with what they needed when they needed it”.
to map the profile of the trench walls and plough spoil mounds;
and to determine natural seabed levels outside the burial zone. email > [email protected]

10
LOUISIANA PIPELINE
DIVERSITY OF FUGRO SERVICES HELPS SECURE REGULATORY APPROVALS

Fugro Chance is currently contributing substantial land and environmental survey resources and
expertise to help route a $500 million natural gas pipeline across the ecologically-sensitive lakes and
wetlands of ‘the Pelican State’.

Kinder Morgan is one of the largest energy transport and

storage companies in North America, operating nearly
70,000 kilometres of oil and gas pipelines. The proposed
Kinder Morgan Louisiana Pipeline (KMLP) project involves a
225 kilometre, 42 inch natural gas pipeline running from the
new Sabine Pass LNG facility close to Louisiana Gulf Coast,
through various delivery points in southern Louisiana, to a
terminal near the city of Ville Platte. Kinder Morgan chose
Fugro to provide a broad range of mapping and survey
related services.

Fugro’s first task was

to perform centerline
staking along the entire
land route, a relatively
routine exercise that
has developed over time
into a multi-million dollar As the project evolved, Fugro land surveyors began providing
involvement with KMLP, property ownership and right-of-way plans as well as centre-
an expansion of Fugro’s line survey data. Permitting specialists helped to obtain
service capability and specific approvals for additional work sites and pipe yards
application of cutting from federal, state and local government agencies and Fugro’s
edge technology to meet ecological specialists transferred their focus to help develop
client requirements. plans to restore work sites to their natural condition.

Kinder Morgan quickly identified the need for ecological data Currently, Fugro is staking out the
along a route that first crosses Sabine Lake then strikes north- rights-of-way and access routes, and
east through various areas of inhospitable but environmentally gearing up to support the pipeline
sensitive marshland. Fugro responded by providing a team of construction phase. A newly acquired
surveyors and ecological specialists to delineate the extent of specialist multi-beam echo sounding
wetland environments, perform surveys of endangered species, survey system will be deployed to
and map archaeological features and resources. At the same ensure that the lake route section has
time Fugro deployed an airborne FLIMAP system to acquire been fully mapped to the finest level
elevation data over the entire pipeline route corridor and capture of detail and will satisfy regulatory
vertical and requirements. Fugro has recruited
forward- additional staff to the new position of
looking digital Environmental Inspector and anticipates
photography using up to five such personnel for
to be used the latter phases of the KMLP project.
by engineers Fugro will also assign a Restoration
designing Compliance Manager, to support
the pipeline Kinder Morgan during the reinstatement
infrastructure activities that will follow construction.
In Sabine
Lake, Fugro’s In his project management review Jason Sullivan, John
marine Chance Land Surveys Inc. Project Manager, remarked
geophysical “Our breadth of technical expertise, and the availability of
survey expertise was brought to bear to conduct a shallow geo- qualified staff and specialist equipment ranging from survey
hazard survey along the 20 kilometre section of the pipeline route vessels to helicopters, has enabled Fugro to meet the diverse
lying below the lake bed. Fugro specialists used data from this requirements of an important client pursuing a significant
survey to conduct oyster assessments and to help secure route construction undertaking”.
approval from government departments within Louisiana State.
email > [email protected]

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 GARGANO
FUGRO ADDS CAPACITY TO NORTH SEA GEOTECHNICAL FLEET

Fugro’s geotechnical specialists have worked quickly to convert an offshore supply vessel into a fully
equipped drillship, offering customers a high-tech, yet cost-effective option for geotechnical drilling,
testing and sampling services.

The Roman lyric poet Horace told of ‘the oaks of three metres above main
Garganus’ in one of his odes. Modern day Gargano is deck level and integrated
a mountainous promontory lying to the North of Foggia with the R50 base frame
on the Adriatic coast of Italy, still covered in the remains design to allow the seabed
of ancient oak and beech forests. The National Park of template to be safely
Gargano has involved several schools in the realisation deployed and retrieved
of projects for social and responsible tourism. It is this below the newly created
historic area that gives its name to the latest addition to drill floor. This mezzanine
the Fugro offshore site investigation fleet. deck accommodates the
drilling and CPT control
MV Gargano is a 72 metre dynamically positioned offshore supply cabins, along with the pipe
vessel with an after cargo deck extending to 640 square metres, handling equipment. All
an ideal configuration for conversion to a geotechnical drillship. other ancillary equipment,
Fugro took the vessel on charter in Dundee in mid-December including the laboratory and
2007, mobilised a Fugro Seacore R50 heave compensated workshop containers, is
marine drill and associated plant, together with a Wison MKIII located at main deck level.
cone penetrometer testing and sampling system, and had the
vessel spread on hire with the first client on 1 January 2008. Gargano quickly completed a project in the Moray Firth for
a UK oil and gas company, followed by an assignment in the
Targeting shallow water projects in the Southern North Sea, Danish sector of the North Sea. Both site investigation projects
Gargano offers efficient and cost-effective geotechnical involved drilling boreholes 70 metres or so below seabed
drilling, testing and sampling services. The Fugro Wison level, the performance of regular down-hole cone penetrometer
system provides high quality soil samples and in-situ test tests and frequent acquisition of undisturbed soil samples to
results, particularly when used in conjunction with the wire-line completion depth.
deployed seabed template, mobilised to enhance horizontal and
vertical control during rotary drilling operations and to act as a The soil samples obtained from Gargano are transported to
suitable reaction frame for sampling and testing. Fugro’s accredited soil testing laboratories where state of the
art test equipment is used to determine the soil characteristics
The R50 drilling rig was modified to accommodate the Wison required for engineering analysis. In-situ soil parameters are
CPT tool, primarily by extending the main also derived from the offshore cone penetrometer tests.
derrick mast by 4.5 metres and by Following data analysis, Fugro’s highly qualified geotechnical
altering arrangements for deploying staff develop valuable engineering recommendations about
the CPT tool within the drill foundation design and structure installation methods relating to
string. A new mezzanine proposed offshore oil and gas field developments.
deck was constructed
email > [email protected]

12
TELLUS @10
FUGRO’S INNOVATIVE EXPLORATION DATABASE CELEBRATES TEN YEARS

Tellus™ is the definitive exploration database of play fairways and petroleum systems, designed
to provide new venture groups and explorationists with a comprehensive and consistent tool for
understanding play and basin scale petroleum geology worldwide.

Fugro Robertson embarked on its unique Global Play Fugro Robertson recently celebrated ‘10 Years of Tellus
Fairways and Petroleum Systems project back in 1996, Excellence’, increasing sales five-fold in comparison with 2005
naming it ‘Tellus’ after the Roman goddess of the earth. and gaining three additional global subscribers to the database
By the mid-1990s, Robertson had established an enviable product. “This marketing success story can undoubtedly
reputation in the petroleum industry for producing world- be attributed to the current situation in the petroleum
class multi-client reports - the company’s so-called ‘Red industry”, explained Ewa Ginal, Tellus Marketing Manager.
Books’ - which still take pride of place on the library “E&P companies are struggling to find enough experienced
shelves of many of the world’s petroleum companies. geoscientists to progress their exploration projects, groups
working on regional or basin scale studies
The creation of geology-based Regional are being downscaled, and manpower
Exploration Guides, dealing with resources are being concentrated
petroleum systems and play fairway instead on specific exploration
maps, eventually led to the projects. As a result, Tellus™ is
development of Tellus™, an proving to be of incalculable
even more ambitious project, value to hard-pressed staff
covering some 250 basins. evaluating exploration
opportunities”.
Updated annually and
regularly enhanced, Clients report a
Tellus™ offers essential variety of uses for
and reliable data via a Tellus™, but the most
user-friendly ArcGIS© commonly mentioned
interface. The interactive applications include
application allows the evaluating licensing
user to view, manipulate, rounds and farm-in
query, edit and output opportunities and
maps, graphics and integrating different
tabular information. datasets, available in-
house, from a data room,
A further seven regions have or from vendors at the
been added to the original initial stages of a project. The
nineteen since the project began, product is often employed as an
and the front-end functionality has education tool for new recruits or for
improved significantly. The newest redeployed staff, and is very frequently
addition to the Tellus™ coverage is the East used as a screening tool to search for basins/
African Rifts region, delivered at the end of 2007. plays that suit a particular client’s experience profile.

Tellus™ is a truly client-driven product. To reinforce this

fundamental principle, a Tellus User Group Meeting is
held every September at Fugro Robertson’s North Wales
headquarters. This two-day event allows Fugro to gain a better
understanding of clients’ needs and expectations and enables
users from different companies to share ideas and voice
their opinions about possible
product enhancements.

email >[email protected]

13
 GETTING THE LOWDOWN
FUGRO’S DEEP-WATER AUV SURVEY CAPABILITY CIRCLES THE GLOBE

The development of deep-water hydrocarbon discoveries presents fresh engineering design challenges.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) enable survey sensors to be deployed close to the seafloor
producing hydrographic and geophysical survey data of the highest quality and optimum resolution.

for a large deep-water

field development in
the Gulf of Mexico.
On both spreads, AUV
and conventional
survey techniques
are combined and
linked to efficient,
permanently installed,
onboard processing
and reporting systems
operated by skilled
and experienced
geoscientists.

Echo Surveyor I has

completed over 5,000
line kilometres of
detailed survey on the
No matter how deep or remote the planned field current pipeline project, acquiring multi-beam echo sounder,
development, Fugro’s fleet of AUVs delivers enormous side-scan sonar and sub-bottom profiler data over steep slopes in
efficiencies in survey methodology and produces water depths from 100 to 2,800 metres between Italy and Algeria.
engineering survey data of the highest quality. Use of inbuilt
Inertial Navigation System (INS) technology adds rigour The majority of the work undertaken by Geo Prospector/Echo
to the positioning of geo-hazards and seabed features, Surveyor I has been in Africa, where Fugro has completed
and survey productivity in deep water is far superior to major regional scale pre-development surveys for BP in both
conventional methods. Surveys can be completed sooner Angola and Egypt. The BP Egypt campaign involved over 10,000
and with greater accuracy, engineering design is optimised line kilometres of AUV data acquisition, plus an equally large
and development project risks are reduced. volume of conventional ultra-high resolution geophysical survey.
Significant surveys were also undertaken for Shell and Total in
Fugro’s AUV fleet comprises ‘Echo Surveyor’ and ‘Echo Mapper’ Nigeria, Hess in both Libya and Egypt and Murphy in Congo.
class vehicles - both rated to 3,000 metres water depth - and
shallow water REMUS 100 vehicles, suitable for port and harbour The combined length of all the line kilometres surveyed by
developments. Echo Surveyor I & II are Kongsberg Maritime Fugro’s survey AUV fleet in the past few years comfortably
manufactured ‘Hugin 3000’ vehicles deployed from Fugro exceeds the Earth’s circumference at the equator. The reach of
survey vessels dedicated to the role of AUV mother ships. the Fugro fleet is truly global, placing cost-effective leading edge
The Echo Mapper class vehicles, based on a Bluefin 21 design, survey data acquisition and processing capability at the disposal
are conceived as transportable systems, suitable for rapid of all deep-water operators, no matter how remote the discovery.
deployment from vessels of opportunity world-wide.

Echo Mapper II is undergoing final system testing in Fugro’s

Seattle facility, while Echo Mapper I is at the Bluefin factory
being upgraded with the latest survey sensor package,
following a project offshore India.

Echo Surveyor I, deployed from Geo

Prospector, is currently surveying a
trans-Mediterranean pipeline route,
while Echo Surveyor II
onboard Fugro’s newest
dedicated geophysical
survey vessel, Fugro
Enterprise, is undertaking a geophysical survey email > [email protected]

14
‘FUN’-RAISING
fugro sponsorship initiatives in usa and uk

Efforts by Fugro fitness enthusiasts in the saddle and on the water have generated much needed funding
for charitable organisations on both sides of the Atlantic. These are just a couple of examples of how
Fugro is ‘doing its bit’ to make a difference.

2008 marks the 10th anniversary Teams representing

of Fugro’s support of the BP three of the vessels
MS150 Houston-to-Austin Cycle operated by Fugro
Tour, which raises money in the Survey Ltd recently
US for the ‘Lone Star Chapter’ joined the Macmillan
of the National MS Society. In Cancer Support Virtual
1999, the founder of Fugro’s Rowing Challenge, using onboard rowing machines to row from
MS150 team, Bill Elsbury, rode Lands End - the most south-westerly point on the UK mainland
as one of approximately 3,000 riders in the 180-mile, two-day - back to Aberdeen. Fugro put up sponsorship prizes for the
event. Now the Fugro team comprises over 120 cyclists and the first vessel across the finishing line and also for the team raising
event has grown to involve 13,000 riders. the most sponsorship for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease, which interrupts

the flow of information from the brain to the body and stops
people from moving. It affects more than 400,000 people in
the US, and 2.5 million worldwide, but thankfully, advances in
research and treatment are steadily moving us closer to a world
free of the disease. The National MS Society is working to
combat MS and its effects - fund-raising is important to ensure
it has the means to succeed.

‘Rowing to Victory’ - Katie Smart of Macmillan Cancer Support receives a

sponsorship cheque from the crew of Fugro Discovery.

After some dubious tactics at the start, Fugro Discovery quickly

regained the lead from Geo Prospector, then surged ahead
and held on with a supposedly weaker second team to cross
All of Fugro’s business lines are represented in the MS150 event the line in 15 days, 10 hours and 8 minutes. That was 1 day, 3
and many employees travel great distances to participate. The hours ahead of Geo Prospector with Fugro Meridian tailed off
senior management team is strongly represented - CEO Klaas third. With virtual miles displayed on the Macmillan website,
Wester is occupying the centre saddle in the image above. the challenge became very competitive close to the finish
as ‘a rowing rota’ was introduced to allow the stronger team
Participation promotes rider safety and occupational health while members more time on the rowing machine.
achieving valuable fund raising to combat MS and its effects. In
2007, Fugro raised over $125,000 in support of the MS Society. The sponsorship race remains
undecided. The first Discovery crew
The 2008 MS150 Tour took place on April 12th and 13th with raised £1,400 in sponsorship, including
an overnight stop in LaGrange. Here Fugro volunteers set up a cheque for £500 from IICORR client
a ‘home from home’ to feed, house and resuscitate the riders Rein Bolt. The second crew raised over
overnight, and prepare them for the second day’s ride to Austin, £1,500, with additional sponsors still
where the event finishes in the centre of downtown in the confirming amounts. The contributions
shadow of the Capital dome. Volunteers from Fugro’s Austin from Geo Prospector and Meridian are
office cheered the riders as they finished and ran a hospitality still being counted, but it is anticipated
tent offering refreshments to participants as they relaxed and that the total sum raised for Macmillan
swapped ride stories after 180 miles in the saddle. Cancer Support will exceed £5,000.
email > [email protected] email > [email protected]

15
 WRECK-CREATION
LAST VOYAGE FOR THE TEXAS CLIPPER

Fugro helped the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to complete a controlled sinking of the former
training ship ‘Texas Clipper’ to create an artificial reef facility for divers off the coast of southern Texas.

The Texas Clipper’s last voyage began in Brownsville in mid

November 2007, when the hull was towed about 17 miles
offshore to the selected location for the proposed reef. Fugro
installed specialist positioning equipment on a command
vessel and on the tugboat to provide navigation control for
the entire tow-out and sinking operation. Fugro’s STARFIX.
NAV® and DRONE® (Dynamic Remotely Operated Navigation
The ‘Texas Clipper’ as the SS Excambion...
Equipment) systems were combined to provide a real time
...and during her last moments afloat computer display for use by surveyors and other specialists on
board the command vessel. The DRONE unit on the tugboat
consisted of a GPS receiver, a gyrocompass, and a high speed
radio telemetry system transmitting GPS and vessel heading
information to the command vessel. In turn, the master unit and
Fugro STARFIX.NAV computer system on the command vessel
transmitted DRONE network data, including differential GPS
corrections, and STARFIX.NAV configurations, to the DRONE
The Texas Maritime Training Academy ship Texas Clipper remote on the tugboat. The DRONE command computer
was a familiar sight on the Texas coast, serving as a display was configured to show background chart data, the
training facility for Texas A&M University sea cadets for tugboat, the proposed reef location, anchors and other target
almost three decades until the mid 1990’s. The vessel positions.
was originally built in 1944 as USS Queens, a WWII Navy
troopship, before serving as the cruise liner SS Excambion Once Texas Clipper
between New York and various Mediterranean ports until was on location and in
1959. A decade ago, the vessel was placed in the care the correct orientation,
of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as part of seacock valves were
the ‘Ships to Reefs’ programme, an initiative designed opened in a pre-planned
to create a series of artificial reef habitats attracting sequence to ensure a
recreational divers and fishermen. Since then, specialists controlled sinking on
have been undertaking environmental remediation work on the reef site. It took a
the vessel and planning the ship’s last voyage. little over an hour for
the ship to become fully
Fugro surveyors assisted the Parks and Wildlife Department submerged and reach
in selecting the optimum location for the artificial reef facility her new resting place
off South Padre Island in some forty mtres of water. An echo on the seafloor. Fugro confirmed the location, orientation
sounder survey confirmed the water depths and identified and attitude of the wreck by conducting a detailed side-scan
the most suitable location to place the vessel to create a reef sonar survey of the site and by lowering a scanning sonar
feature. Sonar imaging data was acquired to visualise the to the seabed to take a 360 degree, panoramic scan. Soon
seafloor by highlighting texture, morphology, and structure. to become a haven for fishing and diving enthusiasts, Texas
Fugro used image enhancement techniques to increase Clipper had begun her fourth life, boosting the economy of
definition and bring out even the finest seabed features, which South Padre Island.
were all geographically referenced and clearly mapped.
email > [email protected]

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PO Box 41
2260 AA Leidschendam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 70 311 1422
For further information, please email: [email protected]

www.fugro.com

NO OTHER COMPANY CAN PROVIDE THE SAME COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF GEOTECHNICAL, SURVEY AND GEOSCIENCE SERVICES

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