Deep Sea Pipeline Mapping Project Awarded

The MicroStation-based system enables the company to visualise in 3D all surface and deep-sea obstacles in areas of interest to help us research their characteristics. In addition to dramatically cutting pipeline installation times, this capability allows Petrobás to more precisely plot the most cost-efficient pipeline paths. With undersea piping costing about USD1000 per metre, savings from our use of shorter piping paths can be significant.

Development work on the MicroStation-based system began in 1996. The fact that subsequent versions of MicroStation could work with legacy data with no format conversion or loss of data was essential to the success of the project.

As offshore activity in the Campos basin increased, the number of sea obstacles, including rigid and flexible pipes, manifolds, platforms, pipeline end terminals, deep-sea topography (bathymetry), and oil wells, increased as well.

In developing the new system, Petrobrás first commissioned a survey ship equipped with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to map the entire 160,000 kilometres that make up the basin. It then used this database to create a comprehensive map of obstacles. The mapping was completed with the help of mapping software, precise navigation software, a global positioning system, and a submarine that detected subsea features by hydroacoustics.

Workers in the basins now send daily reports of their activities to the Geodesy Management team, which updates the system overnight. During the past year, more than 44,000 users have accessed the system and more than 1300 maps have been generated.

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