Lesson 2: Offshore Exploration and Drilling

SEA BED CONDITION AND

OFFSHORE GEO-HAZARDS
1
 Overview of offshore Geo
Hazards
Picture taken from Research
paper by Maarten Vanneste
https://www.ngi.no/eng/Projects/IC
G-International-Centre-for-
Geohazards/Offshore-Geohazards

The focus on
offshore geo-
hazards has
increased greatly
over the last
decade, as the
industry has moved
into deeper areas
Important offshore geo-hazards as shown in above Figure include
1. Slope instability and mass wasting processes (including debris flows, gravity flows);
2. Pore pressure phenomena (e.g. shallow gas accumulations, gas hydrates, shallow
water flows, mud diapirism and mud volcanism, fluid vents, pockmarks)
3. Seismicity. Excess pore pressure development appears a critical aspect in most 2of
the offshore geo-hazards.
 Why offshore site surveys?
Site surveys are performed to
minimize the risk of harm to
personnel and equipment, and
to protect the natural
environment.
The objective of any site
survey is to identify all
possible constraints and
hazards from man-made,
natural and geological
features which may affect the
operational or environmental Some pictures and text taken from
presentation by Fugro
integrity of a proposed drilling 3

operation
 Man made features
Abandoned or toppled Platforms
Pipelines on or buried below the sea bed
Power and Umbilical lines
Communication cables
Well heads and abandoned well locations
Manifolds, templates, other subsea completion equipment
Rock dumps
Jackup Rig foot prints
Shipwrecks
Archeological remains
Ordinance and chemical dumping
4

Non Oil & Gas infrastructure such like Navigation buoys

 Natural Sea bed features
Sea bed Topography and relief
Sea Floor sediments
Sand : Banks, Waves and Mega Ripples
Mud : Flows, Gullies, volcanoes, lumps and lobes
Fault Escarpments It is very important to
Diapiric structures understand that while
Gas vents and pockmarks the Geo-Hazard
assessment is planned
Unstable slopes and slumps in a generic way, but it
Collapse features MUST be applied in a
Gas Hydrate mounds Site-specific way, as
Reefs each site has its own
challenges 5
 Sub surface geological
features
Sedimentary sequences and stratigraphy
Shallow gas charged intervals
Gas chimneys
Shallow Water Flow zones
Over pressured zones
Boulder beds
Gas Hydrates and hydrated soils
Faults
Erosion and Truncation surfaces
Salt or mud diapers and diatremes
It is very important to
understand that while
the Geo-Hazard
assessment is planned
in a generic way, but it
MUST be applied in a
Site-specific way, as
each site has its own
challenges
6
Equipment used
Side-scan Sonar (SSS)
Function: Identify seabed features
Frequency: 100 500 kHz
Penetration: -

Multi-beam Echo Sounder (MBES)

Function: Ascertain water depth
Frequency: 200 kHz
Penetration: -

Magnetometer
Function: Identify magnetic objects, pipelines, debris
Frequency:
7
Penetration: -
Equipment used
Sub-bottom Profiler (Pinger)
Function: Identify very shallow soils
Frequency: 1.4 4.5 kHz
Penetration: - 10 - 30m

Sub-bottom Profiler (Mine Sleeve /air gun)

Function: Identify intermediate soils
Frequency: 0.4 3 KHz
Penetration: - 60 - 100m

2D High Resolution Seismic (2DHR)

Function: Identify deep soils and drilling hazards
Frequency: 0.05 0.25 KHz
8
Penetration: - 1500m
Equipment used
Sea bed Sampling and CPT
Function: Seabed sampling and cone penetration test
Frequency:
Penetration: -

Remotely operated vehicle (ROV)

Function: Video and still photos of sea bed
Frequency:
Penetration: -