Shell Contracts Offshore Firm Argeo To Boost Bonga Field Development

Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary, SNEPCo, and local content partner GOSL, has entered into agreement with Oslo-listed offshore service company Argeo for work on Shell’s Bonga field.

The project is hopefully starting in Q4-2023.

The first work programme comprises deep-water inspection services in the Bonga field and its subsea assets  -pipelines, infrastructure, and flowline systems – in addition to geophysical surveys of nearby areas.

Argeo will be deploying its recently acquired Hugin Superior AUV, along with its upgraded subsea vessel, the Argeo Searcher.  Additionally, the agreement includes an option for a contract extension with additional work scopes and values to be confirmed later.

The data acquired from this survey will be used to monitor the integrity of the subsea infrastructure and assess nearly 180 km of various pipelines in the field.

The primary data acquisition tools and payloads required include Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS), sub-bottom profiler, Argeo LISTEN contactless cathodic protection measurements, pictures of specific locations, and multibeam bathymetry.

To optimise data quality and positioning accuracy, Shell requires that the data be acquired from an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV).

Additional Scope of Work and the increasing contract value will be handled through change-work-orders (CWO) and reported successively if called off by Shell.

The extensions can comprise of up to 4-8 weeks of additional work in the area subject to Argeo-approved work assessment and availability.

“We are very satisfied to have been chosen by Shell / SNEPCo and GOSL for this significant project” stated Argeo CEO, Trond Crantz. “This contract not only affirms our capability to provide top-tier deep-water services but also highlights our strong presence within the industry”, Crantz continues.

Argeo’s fleet of AUV’s are equipped with state-of-the-art sensors, including integrated Electro-Magnetic sensor technology, with Argeo LISTEN serving as a vital component of the project’s scope of work.