While looking for other stuff I've come across a multitude of pictures from offshore work over the past years. Unfortunately I was late to get a digital camera so have no pics before 2004, but there's still 15 years worth to bore everyone with.

Maybe of interest, probably not, and not much to do with Thailand, but anyway...

If any other offshore workers have any pics, then please share. AirporTwo? Nora Tittoff?


Many people will be aware of the 1160km long Langeled Pipeline that transports gas from mid Norway to Easington in the UK. This 42 / 44 inch pipeline provides around 20% of the UK's gas requirements.

This pipeline was laid back in 2005. There are two legs to the pipeline, a northern leg from Norway to the Sleipner Platform, and a southern leg from the Sleipner Platform to the UK. I was involved throughout 2005 with the southern leg.

After all the various route surveys to determine a safe route with no obstructions, the first job was to protect any existing seabed pipelines and cables that crossed the route of the new pipeline. The usual method is to lay concrete mattresses across the existing lines. This was done early in the year before the pipe lay started. Thankfully I rarely have to go out on the back deck these days.



A couple of months later the pipe lay was about to start when a pipe carrier twatted the corner of the lay barge and dented a leg. We had to check for any underwater damage before the job could continue. Anything like this causes huge delays these days.



Anyway, all good and the lay started. The southern leg was laid by the Acergy Piper (previously the McDermott's Lay Barge LB200).

Large diameter subsea pipelines are laid by delivering 12m (40 foot) length sections out to a lay barge, where they are welded together and pushed off the back of the barge, down a ramp called the stinger. Each 12m length has a reinforced concrete coating and weighed in at a massive 12 tons for this 44" pipeline.

This pic shows a 12m section being loaded from a pipe carrier while the lay is ongoing, 24 hours a day, 7 says a week, months on end...



And from the side...