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  1. #501
    . Neverna's Avatar
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    And the helicopter used is an Airbus AS 332L Super Puma.



    Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma

  2. #502
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    edit..

  3. #503
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    We're working at Gullfaks for a few days, an old development being rejuvenated by several new satellite wells being drilled into known existing reservoirs.

    The drilling is being done by the Askeladden jack-up drill rig. This is one of two new Cat J jack-ups owned by Equinor. I'm not sure what Cat J actually means... but maybe Airportwo knows?



    Our job is to first identify any seabed obstructions and then clear the future drilling sites prior to the Askeladden spudding and drilling further wells.

    I'm hoping to find some big boulders so we can get the boulder grabber in operation!



    Meanwhile a small fishing boat was trawling nearby. I'm glad I'm not on that.

    The fishing boats all have sonar equipment these days and deliberately target and trawl along existing subsea pipelines, where fish congregate for some protection. The fishermen regularly lose nets to snagging on pipelines, and then complain and claim compensation back from the operators.



    Norway have managed their fishing industry much better than the UK, but generally the seabed is now an underwater desert, completely dead and devoid of life. This all changes around platforms, around which 500m radius exclusion safety zones are enforced. These areas are full of fish with abundant shellfish on the seabed. I reckon the oil industry is the last chance North Sea fish have, by providing a refuge from fishing they allow fish to breed and help stocks to recover. I've never understood why Greenpeace and the likes are so hell bent on insisting that decommissioned platforms are completely removed by the oil companies. So long as toxins are removed, I would think the most environmentally friendly solution would be to leave them in place and maintain the exclusion zones.... or maybe remove the topsides and just cut off the legs below navigable depth.

  4. #504
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    The fishermen regularly lose nets
    And the nets keep fishing for decades, if not picked up by divers.

    It's a big problem, but I've heard that the Hill Monkeys are on it.

    Better than the Danes anyway

  5. #505
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    ^ The nylon nets are awful. We find the same nets snagged on pipelines for years, if not tens of years, and even after all that time they will be full of dead fish and big crabs which come to eat the fish.

    The hemp nets are the way to go, at least they tend to lie in a heap on the seabed where they do little harm. They rot away too. It would be nice if the nylon nets were legislated against.

  6. #506
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    I've never understood why Greenpeace and the likes are so hell bent on insisting that decommissioned platforms are completely removed by the oil companies
    It's a sound principle, that you clean up after yourself.

    They pollute a lot when drilling. I don't know how much chemical waste are being let out these days, but there has been enough scandals involving Mærsk in the danish zone.

    Would you dump all the offshore windmills too, when they are done earning ?

    And ships ?
    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    I would think the most environmentally friendly solution would be to leave them in place and maintain the exclusion zones...
    Put on paper, and the math done, I'm afraid you're right.

    For now

  7. #507
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    It's a sound principle, that you clean up after yourself.
    did you read the rest of the post?

  8. #508
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheRealKW View Post
    did you read the rest of the post?
    Just tell me, Willy

    What do you mean ?

  9. #509
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    Is it this part, Willy ?
    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    Norway have managed their fishing industry much better than the UK, but generally the seabed is now an underwater desert, completely dead and devoid of life. This all changes around platforms, around which 500m radius exclusion safety zones are enforced. These areas are full of fish with abundant shellfish on the seabed. I reckon the oil industry is the last chance North Sea fish have, by providing a refuge from fishing they allow fish to breed
    So you are suggesting to create artificial reefs by dumping scrab in the North Sea to make obstacles against greedy unregulated trawling, that should be dealt with in parlaments and courts ?

    Very creative

    You should be a Trump strategist

  10. #510
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    So you are suggesting ....
    No, but if you read the post, you'll (possibly) understand the point.

    Are you a militant & irrational Greenie? You appear to be arguing like one.

  11. #511
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheRealKW View Post
    Are you a militant & irrational Greenie?
    So I assume it was about the fish

    You quoted my post about a sound principle. In its nature, I guess that a principle can seem millitant to you.

    Forget being rational, when talking enviroment.

    Ask Mendip, if he remember the offshore burning of poison and chemicals, on the very same fishing banks.

    The 'rationale' was that it's better to pollute our seas, than pollute land, which has humans living on it.
    Who'll eat the fish later


    That is the way money talks and why politicians are bought.
    But you knew that allready, my liberalistic acquaintance
    Quote Originally Posted by TheRealKW View Post
    You appear to be arguing like one.
    Have to
    Because you have a thick skull, love

    (((still like you more, than I like my wife)don't flatter yourself)she's not that popular)



    Sorry, Mendip for polluten your amazing thread

  12. #512
    RIP
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    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    (((still like you more, than I like my wife)don't flatter yourself)she's not that popular)
    I'm sure there's many on here in the same boat.

    Least your honest

    If Fishlocker was on your ship Mendip, he'd be climbing over the side casting a line in.


    How's the fitness/weight loss regime coming along?

  13. #513
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    ^ Ain't that the truth!

    Fishlocker would be disappointing... HSE have banned fishing as well, along with many other avenues of enjoyment.

    Many years ago if we saw a lot of cod along a pipeline while doing a survey, someone would get out on the back deck and bounce a lure along the pipeline and we'd have fresh cod for dinner. But those days are long gone sadly.

    As for the fitness... it's hard to keep the routine going after 7 weeks but we shall see... I'll weigh meself when I get off this boat in a week or so... hopefully...

  14. #514
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    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    Sorry, Mendip for polluten your amazing thread
    No problem Helge, it's a welcome discussion...

    Oil companies are currently obligated to return the seabed to it's previous state when decommissioning a field, which in principal sounds a fair thing to do. Any debris is removed, pipelines and umbilicals will be recovered where possible and platform topsides removed, with legs cut off below the seabed. It creates a lot of work for offshore workers.

    After Shell's disaster with the Brent Spar, Greenpeace have got their way. Once the platforms and infrastructure have been removed, the 500m exclusion zones will be gone and those 1km diameter wildlife havens will have lost their protection and be open to trawling. Guaranteed, within a couple of months the seabed within these exclusion zones, bursting with marine life, will be as dead and barren as the surrounding seabed. Don't kid yourself this is done for the environment, it's a political decision because the oil companies are shit scared about bad publicity and the environmentalists are hell bent on screwing the nasty oil companies. Well done Greenpeace. I would have though a better plan for the environment would be to leave all that infrastructure in place, keep the exclusion zones and maybe use some oil company decommissioning money to police the exclusion zones... or anything else... buy some more rangers to save the rhinos from poaching... something useful...

    When I first started doing this work we had to continually stop surveys because there were so many cod swimming around the pipelines we couldn't see anything. Now you're lucky to see a few coalies... apart from within the platform exclusion zones. I read somewhere that for every 1 kg of fish caught by trawling, 4 kg of marine life sinks back to the seabed, dead, after being raked up by the trawl net. All those crustaceans, molluscs and gastropods at the bottom of the food chain are killed as well as the target fish... but not around platforms where the ecosystem is thriving with a seabed full of worm holes and crabs scurrying around and the pipelines are covered in mussels and the like. That will all end once the trawlers get access.

    Fishing is the biggest threat to the marine ecosystem, not the oil industry. I've seen kilometre after kilometre of dead mackerel washed up against the sides of pipelines, all dumped by fishermen. Mackerel tend to swim in shoals of similar sized fish, big fish are worth more than small fish. A shoal of smaller fish caught in a trawl net will just be dumped, dead, as they are less lucrative. And that's just instances that I've witnessed. When we survey a pipeline route we have to report any coral areas so that the route will be deviated. I don't know why we bother... the vast majority of coral mounds and reefs we see are smashed to pieces and obliterated by trawling. You're lucky to see a single piece of live coral.

    I would say that the offshore extraction of hydrocarbons is generally a pretty clean process these days, apart from a few notable disasters. Everything is very highly regulated and with social media the oil companies are very aware that any events will reach the public. We see occasional small gas leakages from wellheads, templates and flanges, maybe just a small stream of gas bubbles. We see a lot more gas bubbling out of the seabed... many people don't realise that a huge amount of hydrocarbons continually leak naturally from the seabed. We often see pockmarks, large circular depressions in the seabed caused by leaking fluids and gas. These are very common (given the right sediment) above hydrocarbon reservoirs and the amount of hydrocarbons released through these features dwarf any minor seepages caused by the oil industry.

    Pockmarks, around 20m diameter, caused by gas and fluid natural seepage.



    You have a point about drill mud though. We often see a build-up of drill mud around boreholes and one way of recognising it is that the seabed appears dead and lifeless (within the otherwise thriving seabed within the exclusion zones). I believe barium is used in dill mud, and that is pretty toxic. I think that modern drilling releases a lot less mud around the boreholes than previously and also that synthetic, less toxic chemicals are now used. At least I hope so.

    The drill mud can also form a brittle crust on the seabed that can't be good for benthonic organisms.

    But maybe others are less effected. Here is a steinbitt (wolf fish) who has made is home under a drill-mud crust!


  15. #515
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    Mendip
    This morning the coffee came with extra a bit of education.
    I had to google "benthonic organisms".
    You must be working hard to have the time to type such a long post!
    That being said please continue to do so as I am enjoying learning about a world of which i knew nothing.
    Cheers

  16. #516
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    I would have though a better plan for the environment would be to leave all that infrastructure in place, keep the exclusion zones and maybe use some oil company decommissioning money to police the exclusion zones.
    Exactomundo.

    A free, established artificial reef already established. An easy win win.

  17. #517
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    We've had shitty weather for a few days now, but just within working limits. This is the worst kind of weather as the boat is oriented at the best heading for configuration with the ROV, which isn't necessarily the best heading for its occupants. If the weather gets beyond working limits the ROV will be brought back on deck, the skipper will point the bows into the wind and we'll all be a lot more comfortable.

    It wasn't too bad before I started shift this afternoon, but now we've got 40 knot winds and nearly 4 meter seas, so fingers crossed the ROV will be pulled soon!



    I've had enough now. No proper sleep for 3 nights (days) and getting saturated with the work. I just want off and there's about a week to go. I'm getting worried I'll turn up at my next job like a vegetable.

    When you're tired you start thinking...

    It's my 49th straight shift and I'm missing my girls...



    I'm starting to miss some simple Isaan food... a larb moo would be great (so long as it's pet nit noi)...



    Oh... and nearly forgot...

    It's been 51 days... and I'm also missing...

    Last edited by Mendip; 13-09-2020 at 05:25 AM.

  18. #518
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    When you get off that boat, you'll enjoy and appreciate everything a lot more.

    You'll have given your body a much needed health kick and your bank balance a boost.

  19. #519
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Hang in there mate.

  20. #520
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    Mendip as far as returning home goes (if that becomes your plan for whatever reasons) is that possible now because you're married? I haven't really been following who's allowed back and who's not but would assume you have!

  21. #521
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    ^^ Thanks KW... I'm ok... was just feeling sorry for meself after getting no sleep. This hasn't been a very enjoyable job and it doesn't take much to start moaning... and I'm English after all!

    We had another medivac yesterday as well. An appendix case. It's just turning out to be one of those jobs.

    ^ Good question HW... I haven't been following the latest requirements either. I have a non O based on marriage, so a wife along with child. I've brought all the paperwork I could think of with me as well... birth and marriage certs, IDs, Tabian Baan, health insurance policy, etc etc. I think after jumping through a few hoops I could get home but it would mean a visit to an embassy, a week or so wait, a Covid test, a very expensive flight and 14 days quarantine, etc. I don't want to put these contractors through any hassle with all that, or myself for that matter.

    With such an uncertain future I think it best just to keep working while I'm here and there's work about. I may as well spend that 14 days in a Norwegian Hotel and get paid for it.

    I'm not really expecting to get home until next year... and who knows what 2021 will bring...

  22. #522
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    ^keep on keeping on, Mendip. This thread is interesting and we're still following your adventures.

    Re: the visa to TH, foreigners/ expats in PI face similar situations (14 day quarantine, covid test, etc). So you're not alone (if that's any consolation).

    For you, I'll drink a glass of one of my homemade wines tonight. Cheers!

  23. #523
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    ^ If it's for me, drink the whole bottle please!

    Tonight we're back at Oseberg... the wind has gone so now we've got fog. Less than a week to go with any luck.


  24. #524
    Making people dance. :-)
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    ^ Around how many people would be on that?


    Edit:

    Seems it was (presumably) named after a famous viking longboat found in 1904.

    Oseberg Ship - Wikipedia

    And is the name of the oil field, 7 x 25km, discovered in 1979.

    Oseberg oil field - Wikipedia


    Max output: 75,000 barrels a day. The Oseberg area - equinor.com

    Which is around $45 each.



    .... $3.4 million a day ain't bad if at max production and not deducting Mendip's salary.
    Last edited by Edmond; 14-09-2020 at 11:51 AM.

  25. #525
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    I've never understood why Greenpeace and the likes are so hell bent on insisting that decommissioned platforms are completely removed by the oil companies. So long as toxins are removed, I would think the most environmentally friendly solution would be to leave them in place and maintain the exclusion zones.... or maybe remove the topsides and just cut off the legs below navigable depth.

    Totally agree.
    Having worked for Groinpus many many years ago I can say that they're probably a little deficient in down-to-earth reality checks even now.
    Inner-city vegan organic chai-sipping folks and all that.

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