Maersk Supply Service, with the support of Maritime Developments (MDL), has completed a complex dynamic riser assembly installation at Brazil’s Mero field in the pre-salt Santos Basin, connecting the deepwater site to a Permanent Reservoir Monitoring (PRM) sensor grid.
The project featured MDL’s largest equipment spread to date, mobilized from Peterhead, Scotland, on board the Skandi Involver vessel.
The bespoke setup included a Wheeled Horizontal Lay System (WHLS), a Generation 2 Reel Drive System (RDS), and four tensioners with line pull capacities between 12 and 110 tonnes.
The arrangement was supported by several hydraulic winches from MDL’s recently launched Winches & Lifting Solutions range, rated from 5 to 30 tonnes.
MDL engineered a tailored solution for simultaneous handling of the dynamic cable riser, Data Unit Transfer Assembly (DUTA), pigtails, and backbone cables, all deployed from 9.2-metre reels.
The back-deck configuration, developed jointly by Maersk Supply Service and MDL engineers, was designed to minimize stress and ensure precise control during installation.
“Having been commissioned to undertake the initial feasibility study to assess the installation of this product, we were able to carry forward technical insight and risk considerations directly into the solution. This first-of-a-kind operation was extremely challenging due to the requirement to handle and install five individual cables simultaneously, in water depths up to 2500 m,” said Euan Crichton, Senior Project Manager at MDL.
“The project, alongside our ever-growing track record in country, highlights the relevance of MDL’s solutions and creative thinking for deep-water challenges in Brazil – combining proven specialist technology with project-specific engineering to facilitate safe, efficient execution in a complex environment,” Yuri Martins, MDL Brazil Country Manager.
The operation was conducted on the unitized Mero field, operated by a consortium led by Petrobras (38.6%), with partners Shell Brasil (19.3%), TotalEnergies (19.3%), CNPC (9.65%), CNOOC (9.65%), and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A (PPSA) (3.5%), the latter representing the Brazilian government in the non-contracted area.