Engineering Design and Construction Management of Arctic Pipeline & Transportation have been one of INTEC’s core activities since just after the company was formed in 1984.

There are distinct and unique aspects of pipeline design for offshore arctic environments, which offer challenges to the designer.  INTEC Engineering has been responsible for feasibility assessments, designs and construction of arctic pipelines for more than 20 years.  Unique pipeline design aspects for arctic conditions include analysis of the potential effects of arctic-specific environmental loadings (ice scour, strudel current scour, permafrost), and the effective use of limit state design for extreme loading conditions.  Evaluation of these unique design-loading conditions and use of a limit state design philosophy have been successfully used by INTEC for offshore arctic pipelines.

The majority of INTEC’s initial arctic work was related to the US Alaskan and Canadian Beaufort Sea coastal regions.  However in 1985, feasibility and conceptual studies were performed for field development and transportation options for the Russian Timan Pechora and Kara Sea arctic regions.  Until 1991, INTEC's most significant arctic assignments were related to the Gulf Canada proposed Beaufort Sea development of the Amauligak Field offshore from the Mackenzie River Delta.  Beginning in 1992, the emphasis of INTEC arctic activity shifted to the Russian arctic with feasibility studies and field reconnaissance for the Shtockmanovskoye Field in the Barents Sea, and for developments in the Timan Pechora and Kara Sea arctic regions.  INTEC has performed four design and feasibility studies for Timan Pechora region projects on behalf of Texaco, Shell and Conoco including onshore pipelines and marine transportation facilities.

In recent years, INTEC focus has shifted to the Eastern Russia Sakhalin Island region and returned to the US Alaskan Beaufort Sea for the Pioneer Oooguruk and Kerr-McGee Nikiatchuq field developments in addition to the BP Alaska Northstar and Liberty Field Developments.  The Northstar Field included the first offshore arctic oil production pipeline in the Beaufort Sea and utilized limit strain design criteria to meet the challenges of offshore arctic environments and marginal field economics.  This pipeline was installed in 2000 and went into operation in 2001.

INTEC experience in the Canadian, US and Russian arctic offshore and onshore regions positions INTEC in the forefront of arctic technology development for onshore and offshore pipelines and associated facilities.