Bourbon, International leader in marine services for modern offshore

An offer tailored to the production phase of oil fields

With a wealth of experience on the IMR market, Bourbon Offshore Gaia has well-reputed expertise in engineering for IMR+ projects on operational oil fields (replacement of underwater connections, well heads, control pods, cables, etc.).

Bourbon Offshore Gaia teams and crews:

Qualified teams of engineers and technicians work on:

• research (CAD design, calculations, drafting of procedures),
• preparation of equipment and operations,
• realization of projects at sea,
• feedback in order to build on experience.

Bourbon Offshore Gaia is constantly seeking excellence using feedback to build on experience and improve the quality of procedures, equipment and the definition of new vessels.

To add to their ongoing theoretical training, technicians and engineers receive training onshore and onboard BOURBON vessels, in tandem with managers in charge of operations, seamen, deck officers and robot pilots.

They are involved in 3 areas:

1/ Adapting the vessels’ equipment for Subsea operations

In the course of the maintenance of subsea equipment, it is sometimes necessary to design specific equipment for particular operations. In order to do this, Bourbon Offshore Gaia has a research office where it can design this type of equipment.
With the integration of DNT Offshore, Bourbon Subsea Services can now offer additional technical solutions for work by subsea robots.

In the course of the maintenance on surface platforms, Bourbon Offshore Gaia is involved in the definition of interfaces for specific equipment for:

• well stimulation vessels
• well test and storage vessels
• drilling support vessels

Bourbon Offshore Gaia also carries out research studies on risk and set-up for clients who want to install specific equipment (e.g. storage of products or drilling maintenance pump) on special vessels. The expertise of its engineers helps guarantee the maintenance of the vessel’s classification and flag authority once the modifications have been made to the vessel.

2/ Engineering for operations

At the end of 2008, Bourbon Offshore Gaia conducted research for the installation of over 140 underwater well connections, the installation of over 60 underwater well heads and the replacement of control umbilicals.

In order to perform these operations on board its maintenance vessels, Bourbon Offshore Gaia manages projects and research for:

• installing, stowing and securing special packages,
• specific installation-support equipment,
• lifting including hydrodynamic calculations related to the vessel’s movements,
• laying onto and connecting with existing subsea equipment or positioning on platforms.
   

Placing safety at the center of quality and performance, Bourbon Offshore Gaia also initiates and performs risk analysis, one of the 4 fundamental principles of the BOURBON safety management system.

This BOURBON subsidiary also analyses, in-house, the risks associated with operations conducted by vessels in its fleet and assesses the risks incurred by clients in the course of specific operations in view of minimizing them.

3/ Management of offshore operations

Bourbon Offshore Gaia offers clients an integrated management team, composed of an operations manager and a captain.

The operations manager works closely with the captain to:

• prepare detailed processes
• take care of  work permits
• inform the charterer or client of the progress of operations
• coordinate pre-operations meetings
• coordinate the deck crew (deck officer, crane operators, etc.)
• position the vessel according to operations with the bridge officer
• coordinate and direct ROVs for operations or inspections
• prepare inspection or end of mission reports

He may be assisted by a second operations manager or project engineer depending on the complexity of the operations. A safety manager generally assists him in risk prevention during operations.

Communication between the captain and the operations manager is vital as these tasks are generally carried out in producing fields, so they  present multiple risks.