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Remote survey for 433 km trunkline in Western Australia

Tuesday, July 1 2025

Fossil Energy – Survey Campaign

Fugro conducted a series of survey campaigns that played a critical role in supporting Saipem’s successful completion of the trunkline installation for Woodside’s project.

The Scarborough Energy Project, situated in the Carnarvon Basin off the coast of Western Australia, features a 433 km trunkline that will transport gas from the offshore Scarborough field to the onshore Pluto Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) processing facility in Karratha.

The project involved the construction of a pipeline that is designed to transport dry gas from a floating production unit to an onshore LNG plant.

The route crossed existing subsea infrastructure that included pipelines and fibre optic cables owned by other operators, which required precise navigation and planning.

Additionally, environmental constraints and the pipeline’s proximity to shipping lanes, a loading jetty, and the shore crossing at the LNG plant added complexity, requiring strict safety measures and careful execution.

Fugro leveraged its Blue Essence uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to support the pipeline installation during the critical nearshore phase.

Before the pipeline’s installation, Fugro conducted a pre-lay survey, which provided a preliminary inspection of the seabed. As the pipeline’s proposed route was near shipping channels, this step was crucial for assessing the route’s feasibility as well as checking that the pipeline corridor was clear of obstructions and evaluating seabed conditions to guide the installation process.

Next, Fugro provided construction support surveys by assisting the pipelay barge with shore pull, touchdown monitoring, as-laid surveys, and real-time updates of the pipeline installation on the seabed. After the pipeline installation was completed, a survey was performed to document the actual “as-built” condition of the pipeline.

Data from the USV and electric-powered remotely operated vehicle (eROV) provided an accurate record of the location, depth, and external condition of the pipeline, demonstrating that Saipem met Woodside’s design requirements. The as-built survey established a baseline for future maintenance, management, and long-term monitoring.

Fugro’s use of the Blue Essence USV to conduct the survey is believed to be an industry first for the pipelay support services.

By using USVs, eROVs, and remote operations instead of traditional vessels, health and safety risks were minimised, the carbon footprint was reduced, and access to real-time data was faster and more widely available to client personnel.

Related posts:

  1. Second incident this month confirmed on Saipem’s Castorone
  2. Saipem completes trunkline installation of Scarborough Energy Project  
  3. Fugro’s ROV induction course is coming to Australia
  4. Nortrans secures contract with Saipem

Filed Under: Australia, Fugro, Industry first, International News, Remote surveys, Saipem, Scarborough, trunkline installation, Woodside Tagged With: australia, fugro, industry first, remote survey, saipem, Scarborough Energy Project, trunkline installation, woodside

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