Offshore Planning and Support Services

Sonardyne’s long-term partnership with clients has enabled us to develop a unique and extensive insight into the diverse nature of subsea operations and the associated commercial and operational pressures. The Survey Support Group (SSG) is a unique initiative that brings together senior survey staff from across the organisation, each possessing expert level product knowledge and operational experience, to create a valuable resource that the offshore survey industry and marine scientific community can call upon when preparing for large or complex projects.

Hands-on Support

Sonardyne has always recognised its role in helping companies in the offshore survey and construction industry to overcome the challenges of offshore field development. We see the abundant wealth of knowledge and experience throughout Sonardyne as a prime asset that can positively contribute to the success of our customers. We have always had a very hands-on approach to being involved with survey planning and operational support services on large offshore development projects. The creation of the Survey Support Group was therefore, a natural formalisation of Sonardyne’s well established and respected pre-sales support service. The objectives of the Survey Support Group are two-fold. Firstly, to support customers in the most effective use of Sonardyne acoustic positioning and inertial navigation technologies and secondly, to enable Sonardyne to have a better understanding of the needs of its customers and the ever changing markets in which they operate. Through the SSG, the operational experiences and feedback from our customers are channelled directly into our engineering, research and development departments, with the aim of ensuring that future technologies and products closely meet the needs of the markets in which we operate.

Summary of Services

• Acoustic system performance modelling and evaluation

• Reviewing systems, identifying deficiencies and recommending improvements

• Acoustic system specification based on Sonardyne products

• Assistance in procedure writing and/ or auditing

• Training and education

• Onshore and offshore operational support

Infrastructure

The offshore industry’s demand for continuous improvements in subsea positioning technology has been largely achieved with the implementation of new technology such as Sonardyne 6G. However, to optimise the benefits of such technology there is a requirement for a supporting infrastructure for the design, planning and operational stages of any complex subsea project. The Sonardyne Survey Support Group provides this infrastructure. The SSG’s primary and most immediate role is that of supporting customers in the most effective use of Sonardyne equipment. The group is not, and will never be, a commercial survey department bidding on contracts in competition with offshore survey companies. Similarly, the SSG is unable to supply personnel to run Sonardyne acoustic systems in place of the existing offshore personnel employed for that purpose. In doing so, Sonardyne’s commitment to providing an unbiased service that does not seek to compete at any level with survey companies is upheld.

Personnel Structure

The Survey Support Group consists of a select team of Sonardyne product specialists. Between them, they have many decades of offshore experience and knowledge of our core technologies and capabilities including: Long BaseLine and Ultra-Short BaseLine, inertial navigation, field engineering and project management. All members of the team are certified to work offshore, but at any one time, at least two of the surveyors are onshore. This arrangement ensures that coverage of the SSG’s responsibilities can be maintained even in the busiest periods.

Array Planning

The SSG’s goal is to make sure that when customers head offshore, they have had the opportunity to discuss their project with Sonardyne and have been given the reassurance that the hardware will do exactly what they expect it to do. A large percentage of the Survey Support Group’s focus is upon assisting survey companies and contracting companies when planning the size and configuration of seabed transponder arrays. These might be for a one-off project, for example, precision spool piece metrology, or increasingly, a complete life-of-field network whereby any vessel coming into the field to carry out work, is able to utilise the Sonardyne acoustic positioning network. The SSG has at its disposal a number of performance predication and simulation tools for USBL and LBL. In the case of an LBL array planning project, specialist Geographic Information Software allows a 3D terrain map of the seabed to be imported so that virtual transponder positions can be overlaid and viewsheds generated. Viewshed is a digital imaging term used to define visibility to or from a particular point. The SSG can use the process to calculate whether transponders deployed on the seabed will be able to ‘see’ each other and acoustically communicate. This is particularly important when operating in complex environments where there are many subsea peaks and troughs to negotiate. Using the software, the group is able to produce a number of different array plans until they arrive at a design that meets the positioning specification of the project. The support that the SSG gives clients ensures that operational risks are minimised and vessel time and project costs are lowered.

Project Simulation

The SSG can host clients preparing for an imminent survey construction project. Although you can factory test individual components, often it is not possible to test an entire system. In this case a complete project simulation is therefore a logical risk minimiser. At Sonardyne’s sea trials centre in Plymouth, south-west England, the SSG can demonstrate all types of LBL and USBL operations with hardware deployed in the water. This ensures that potential problems or operational complications can be identified and overcome beforehand, and operators are able to familiarise themselves with the project set-up and system configuration prior to mobilisation. Using simulators, the team can re-create actual projects using real-world co-ordinates, trial concepts and offer project training to offshore personnel to reduce risk. Being able to offer this capability to clients, together with dedicated on-site training, is a valuable and unique asset Sonardyne’s SSG has at its disposal.

Technology Workshops

Throughout the year, the Survey Support Group organise high level technology workshops focusing on specific themes. Through case studies and open discussion, the SSG is able to demonstrate the way in which an oil company might approach the development of a field using Sonardyne’s latest product advances and techniques, such as 6G, highlighting the efficiency gains compared to how it would have been done just a few years ago. The workshops are free to attend and are held internationally. In some cases, the SSG is able to hold dedicated workshops at a client’s premises. For more information on where the SSG is presenting next, or to discuss a bespoke workshop, please contact the SSG using the details given below.

Your Next Step

The Survey Support Group is always on hand to offer technical support and advice on any project that is being undertaken using Sonardyne equipment. If you are beginning to plan your next project, then speak to the Survey Support Group before you head offshore. In the first instance e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or contact your local Sonardyne office.

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