Fugro is an international group of companies operating around the world. It has offices in over 60 countries and employs around 1400 people. Busy as we are in Azerbaijan, mainly working in the oil and gas sector, Fugro offers a range of services that is far wider than those which we are currently carrying out here. To illustrate the group’s diverse activities see below news of recent developemnts from around Fugro’s world.
Fugro Aperio completed a Traffic Speed Structural Survey (TRASS) contract in UK
Fugro Aperio of the United Kingdom has completed the latest Traffic Speed Structural Survey (TRASS) contract as part of the UK Highways Agency’s drive to implement annual structural testing on the English trunk road network.
The contract included the collection and processing of data from up to 7,000 lane- kilometers of roads using the Highways Agency’s Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD).
Fugro Aperio, an approved tenderer for TRASS surveys, was awarded the work by TRL on behalf of the Highways Agency early in 2012. The Cambridge-based survey specialist carried out the survey in a two-month program during February and March 2012.
The innovative TSD technology uses Doppler lasers to measure the speed at which the pavement deflects in response to load. The non-contact technology allows surveys to be conducted at up to 80 kph, vastly reducing the risk to motorists caused by slower moving deflection techniques such as deflectograph and Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD).
Data will be used to help service providers to better identify and prioritise maintenance schemes as well as to help calculate the value of the pavement asset.
This technique could be valuable in monitoring Azerbaijan’s rapidly expanding road networks
Fugro acquires EMU Limited to advance growth in marine environmental survey and consultancy
EMU is an independent marine survey and environmental consultancy specialist with annual revenues of over EUR 20 million. Based in the United Kingdom, it also has premises in France and Australia. The company conducts ecological, geophysical, sediment sampling and hydrographical surveys, laboratory analysis, and provides environmental consulting and reporting services. It currently employs 150 highly-qualified and experienced surveyors, oceanographers and marine environmental scientists.
EMU has a broad client base in the oil and gas, renewables, engineering contracting, marine aggregate and government markets. The company intends to further internationalise its business, supported by Fugro’s global network.
The acquisition will contribute to Fugro’s strategy to provide its clients with fully-integrated solutions. EMU’s specialist services will further enhance Fugro’s capability to support clients’ projects from concept to completion.
Azerbaijan is focusing hard on environmental issues and Fugro may be able to assist.
Fugro signs letters of award for seismic surveys
Fugro Geoteam has recently signed letters of award with four major international oil companies for 3D and 4D seismic surveys in East Africa and the North Sea and Canada for a total amount of close to USD 160 million. The surveys will be undertaken during the summer months using Fugro Geoteam’s industry leading C-Class seismic vessels.
Fugro does not have any seismic exploration vessels in the Caspian Sea but it has Ocean Bottom Node technology which could be deployed to the Region to participate in high technology seismic exploration for oil and gas
Fugro awarded contract by Reliance Industries Ltd
Fugro Singapore has been awarded a major offshore geotechnical investigation contract by Reliance Industries Ltd on the East Coast of India. Fugro will perform geotechnical investigations, laboratory testing and foundation design studies to allow detailed design of subsea infrastructure for the Dhirubhai Satellite Fields located in water depths of up to 1,850 meters. Fugro will be deploying one of their deepwater geotechnical vessels. The value of the contract is approximately USD 8 million.
As the search for hydrocarbons in Azerbaijan moves into ever deeper water, Fugro will be able to follow and assist in the safe and economical design of seabed structures
Award for Fugro in Australia
FUGRO-TSM Pty Ltd, has been awarded the Greater Western Flank (GWF) Phase 1 Project Subsea Installation Contract from Woodside Energy Limited.
The contract value is in excess of AUD 100 million, with engineering and design work for the project beginning immediately, leading to a peak in offshore installation in early 2014 using the dynamically positioned multi-role vessel, the Southern Ocean.
Wherever oil and gas field developments are taking place offshore, Fugro is usually on hand to play its part
Fugro-Van Oord develop innovative walking jack-up
The innovative large walking jack-up barge, WaveWalker 1, is being developed by Fugro and Van Oord to operate in rough seas, surf zones, beaches and other intertidal locations. The two companies are working together on the design, construction and operation of the jack-up which is set to begin operating in the field later in 2012 on drilling and blasting works for the Brazilian Suape Outer Channel, a contract recently won by Van Oord.
WaveWalker is an innovative jack-up that can be operated in conventional 4-legged mode, or as an 8-legged self-contained walking jack-up platform, capable of safely operating and bi-directional movement whilst elevated.
Undertaking geotechnical site investigations, drilling and other underwater activity from a stable platform with the added benefit of relocation without floating will reduce the impact of sea conditions on the operational hours required for the Brazilian operations and other harsh coastal zones.
These types of innovations increase both efficiency and safety in the hazardous nearshore environment, wherever coastal engineering and construction is occurring.
Naming ceremony for survey vessel M/V Fugro Equator
On 11 April 2012, the naming ceremony for new-build M/V Fugro Equator took place at Sattahip, Thailand. The ceremony was performed by Elisabeth Kreijkes, spouse of Wilhard Kreijkes, Fugro Survey Singapore. The delivery of M/V Fugro Equator will take place in Singapore during May 2012.
M/V Fugro Equator is the third of Fugro’s FSSV65 series of dedicated survey vessels. Designed to Fugro specifications to be extremely fuel efficient and acoustically very quiet, the vessel is fitted with the latest survey equipment, making her the most advanced vessel of its type in Asia.
The new vessel is permanently equipped with hydrographic, analogue and digital geophysical survey spreads, including EM302 & EM2040 multibeam systems. The vessel is designed to carry out a full range of offshore survey services, including hazard, site and route survey tasks. The high quality of the acquired data enables the safe, efficient, cost-effective planning, design and engineering necessary for the installation of surface and seabed infrastructure, for the Oil and Gas or Cable industries. In addition, the digital seismic data gathered during pre-drilling site surveys enables drilling hazards to be identified and drilling programs adapted accordingly.
The M/V Fugro Equator has also been designed with AUV operation as a major consideration. A Fugro owned Hugin 1000 AUV, rated to 3,000m operating depth and complete with launch and recovery system, can easily be mobilised onto the vessel.
Fugro Equator is part of Fugro’s global vessel replacement schedule with the objective of removing older tonnage from the fleet and differentiating Fugro from other providers.
As offshore developments continue and grow in Azerbaijan, the demand for the types of survey which these vessels carry out will grow
Fugro Academy announces a new online Project Management course
The new course, PM-E-100 An Overview of Fugro Project Management Approach, is now available to its employees through eLearning at www.fugroacademy.com. It provides a brief overview of the Fugro Project Management Life Cycle and some key definitions. The course is recommended for anyone in Fugro who works as a member of a project team or who works with Fugro project teams. It takes only a few minutes to run through and allows the employee to check their learning interactively.
Fugro recognizes the importance of training for its workforce and delivers this in a multi-model environment to ensure that it is accessible to all its people
Scottish wind farm work
for Fugro-BKS
Specialist spatial data solutions provider Fugro-BKS Ltd, a key component of Fugro Renewable Services, recently completed an airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) survey of five onshore wind farm sites near Caithness in Scotland for RES and Baillie Windfarm Ltd.
The survey was used to record the setting of one of the most important clusters of Neolithic (Stoneage) funerary monuments in Caithness, Scotland at Cnoc Freiceadain, offering a unique view of the sites in their landscape context. Processing the data brought to light a large number of unrecorded features, greatly increasing the number of known hut circles in the area and redefining the extent of medieval and later settlement and agriculture. The data set therefore constitutes an invaluable research tool and an unparalleled means of preserving the landscape of twenty first century Caithness for future reference.
Azerbaijan has its own internationally important paleolithic sites as well as making increasing investments in renewable and sustainable energy developments.