Letters of intent worth some NOK 160 million have been awarded by Statoil to two Norwegian companies for supporting subsea work on its Snøhvit development in the Barents Sea.
DeepOcean and Stolt Offshore will provide vessel-based services relating to seabed mapping and pipelaying for this project.
“Most of the work includes support for pipelaying and seabed pipe trenching,” explains Bjarne Jensen, manager for natural data, mapping and geotechnics in Statoil.
“Other principal activities embrace pipeline inspection and charting the upper layer of the seabed.”
Due to start on 15 March 2005, these two-year deals have been awarded on behalf of the Snøhvit project as part of Statoil’s frame agreements with DeepOcean and Stolt Offshore.
Their overall value for the first of these companies is about NOK 90 million, with Stolt Offshore accounting for the remaining NOK 70 million.
DeepOcean will deploy the Normand Tonjer and Edda Fonn vessels, while Stolt Offshore is due to use Seaway Petrel. All three ships are registered in Norway.
Delivered within the past two years, Edda Fonn and Seaway Petrel are both specially designed to work under difficult weather conditions and in deep water.
Statoil has also awarded a contract to DeepOcean for similar activities when the Langeled gas pipeline is laid from Nyhamna in mid-Norway to Easington in the UK.
Worth some NOK 150 million, this job has been placed on behalf of the Langeled partners. Norsk Hydro is development operator for this pipeline.