Ranging in size from 16 to 28 inches in diameter, these lines will begin at Steel Catenary Risers (SCRs) on the BP host platforms (two spars and two semisubmersibles) and run to booster platforms located on the continental shelf. The Mardi Gras Transportation System also involves the installation of lateral lines, wye sleds, Pipeline End Terminations (PLETs), and jumpers that connect the lines, together with all their associated components and fittings.

The combination of pipe diameter and water depth is pushing pipeline technology past previous limits, and both the engineering and installation of the system will set new milestones and achievements for deepwater projects.

BP awarded INTEC the contract for engineering the entire deepwater portion of the Mardi Gras Transportation system. Once the project had been underway for several months, INTEC's scope was extended to include procurement, construction and commissioning support.

INTEC welcomed the challenge of engineering the largest and deepest subsea oil and gas transportation system ever attempted. To successfully complete this ultra-deepwater large diameter pipeline project, significant advances in deepwater pipeline technology were essential. Early in the project, INTEC established a team tasked with the development of the technologies required for project success. The team was also responsible for standardizing methodologies to ensure design consistency throughout the entire project. An INTEC team of highly qualified, experienced, and motivated engineers was therefore assembled to provide safe, economic, and innovative design solutions.

The scope of the Mardi Gras project included the design of all SCRs, pipelines, wye sleds and their specialized fittings. A particular client requirement was that the entire system should be piggable by both intelligent and conventional pigs. These pigs, which have to be capable of traversing multi-diameter pipelines and asymmetric wyes, were not currently available. INTEC has helped define and develop these pigs, and following extensive trials they are now being manufactured.

BP has specified that they must have the ability to repair any section of the pipeline should any damage occur during installation or operation. It soon became apparent to the team that no single contractor possessed all of the equipment that would be required for a repair in such deep water, especially when required at short notice. INTEC recommended purchasing the required repair equipment for permanent availability to the project in the unfortunate event that a repair was necessary. The responsibility for specifying and procuring this equipment was also part of the scope of the INTEC technology team. These systems are currently being manufactured under INTEC's supervision.

INTEC has been instrumental in the design and procurement of riser monitoring systems being installed on the SCRs. These systems will record data that will be used in validating the tools that are currently being used for SCR design. The systems will monitor the behavior of the risers and the environmental conditions that cause cyclic motions of the supporting vessels and the risers. By measuring riser fatigue life, INTEC has designed systems for BP to effectively manage riser life within safe guidelines.

Many challenges were identified during definition engineering due to the large diameters of the pipelines and risers, and the extreme water depths in which they are to be installed. Other issues being addressed and resolved by INTEC are associated with the wye sleds and PLETS (which will weigh up to 100 tons), and the need for collet connectors, valves, wye blocks, flexjoints and other pipeline components. Once again, INTEC Engineering is significantly raising the bar on deepwater technology by meeting and exceeding the stringent design requirements established for the Mardi Gras Transportation System.

Another deepwater technological feat performed by INTEC was the design of the large diameter SCRs, which are to be suspended from the spars and semi-submersibles. The major design challenge was fatigue damage due to a combination of vessel motion and vortex induced vibrations. These technological challenges are being solved by INTEC's riser group which is using and developing design methods and cutting edge software. This project further establishes INTEC's leadership in deepwater SCR design.

The most critical sections in any SCR are the welds that join the individual pipes, since these are subject to fatigue loading. In order to verify that the welds will be suitable for the life of the project, test joints of project pipe are to be welded together by the installation contractor, Heerema, using the welding equipment and procedures to be used in the field. The welded lengths will be subjected to fatigue testing by Stress Engineering in Houston.

Full-scale collapse tests have been performed on 28-inch project pipe in order to accurately predict the behavior of large diameter pipe in deepwater, and specifically the resistance to collapse under combined external pressure and bending. INTEC's deepwater design was validated through a series of successful tests carried out by C-FER Technologies in Canada. The tests also confirmed that thermal aging, occurring during the external coating process, actually enhances the pipe's resistance to collapse at depth.

Drawing on its previous experience with the Oman-India and Blue Stream (Black Sea) deepwater pipeline projects, INTEC is successfully designing the 350 miles of 16- to 28-inch diameter pipelines making up the Mardi Gras Transportation System under the full range of stringent design issues. These include flow assurance, survey and route selection, coatings, cathodic protection, material selection, span mitigation, buckle arrestors, pipeline crossings, J-lay collars, procurement of all hardware, and construction support. The pipelines are designed to be installed by S-lay in intermediate water depths (less than 3,400 feet) and J-lay in deep water.

The J-lay of 24-inch pipelines in 7,300 feet of water by Heerema will be another industry first. This has led Heerema to make major alterations to the SSIV Balder to allow it to perform the work. The Balder had previously been used as a heavy lift vessel. With the installation of additional thrusters, a pipe handling system, and a Jlay tower, the Balder is now uniquely qualified for installing large diameter, deepwater pipelines.

The Mardi Gras Transportation System involves the use of subsea wye sleds and PLET assemblies. These systems consist of a flat seabed foundation structure supporting a pipeline connection assembly of valves, collet connectors and either an induction bend or a wye. The Mardi Gras system requires the installation of the largest and heaviest wye sleds and PLETs ever attempted. In fact, these sleds and PLETs will be so large that problems are expected in the sagbend of the pipeline during J-lay, causing the limit of the installation vessel's J-lay tower to be approached. INTEC, in close cooperation with Heerema, is developing special measures to keep the sleds within the constraints of the J-lay vessel, thereby reducing the high strains in the sagbend during installation - another technological advance. Engineering of the wye sleds and PLETs has been substantially completed by INTEC and fabrication is well underway.

Of paramount importance to the project is Getting HSE Right (GHSER). In addition to the objective of "no accidents, no harm to people and no damage to the environment", BP's further commitment is "Everybody who works for BP, anywhere, is responsible for Getting HSE Right. Good HSE performance is critical for the success of our business". INTEC has successfully raised the team's level of safety, in terms of awareness and practices, through a program of GHSER training. INTEC's Senior Vice President and the Project Director are also members of the project HSE Steering Committee that meets regularly with BP and other project contractors to facilitate delivery of outstanding HSE performance by providing guidance and demonstrating commitment to Getting HSE Right.

"Failing to plan is planning to fail", another of BP's project mottos, highlights the importance placed on planning and controlling the progress and the delivery of the work. BP expects the base scope, ongoing option evaluations and changes to be satisfactorily delivered on schedule and within pre-established budgets. INTEC's ability to comply with continuing scope changes, while maintaining the required progress on the base scope, further demonstrates our flexibility and technological expertise.

INTEC commenced work on the Mardi Gras Transportation System project in May 2000 and successfully completed the definition engineering to BP's satisfaction by July 2001. The project is currently in the execution phase. Detailed design and procurement are currently more than 50% complete and offshore construction has commenced with preparatory work for the pipeline crossings. The project is progressing satisfactorily towards J-lay, due to commence in February 2003. First production from Holstein is due in mid-2004.

INTEC started the project 2 years ago with an engineering team consisting of just 15 INTEC engineers and 2 BP client representatives. Since that time, the INTEC team has grown to 95 and the number of in-house client representatives has grown to 10. INTEC's engineering team also includes 7 package engineers dedicated to procurement support. In addition to the engineering team, BP has a 9-member construction team in the INTEC offices, responsible for the management of the installation contractors. Seven members of this construction team are secondees from INTEC.

INTEC's project management team consists of the project director, Alvin Alleyne and project managers: Brian McShane, Sharon Rich, Bruce Chandler and Gene Mullee, together with Jim Gilchrist as the interface and procurement manager and Chuck Lewis as project controls manager. In addition, the project is supported by an HSE manager, Peter Carr; a quality assurance manager, Russell Ramsey; and a highly qualified team of project advisors including Dave McKeehan, Vural Dolen, John Shanks, and Chris Tam.

The TotalFinaElf Canyon Express Project started producing gas during the month of September 2002. This historic project is the deepest subsea production system in the world and INTEC is very pleased to have participated in this endeavor from its conception. Latest Press Release

The project scope includes engineering design and construction of a turbo compressor and new gas pipeline installation to connect to an existing system, including pre-commissioning and commissioning.

Prior to construction, in the engineering phase, equipment design safety issues are introduced, including vent stack radiation by self-ignition, vent stack during an emergency shut down, system of signals, manual extinguisher calculations and locations. As a responsible company concerning all SHE issues, INTEC-ARCAN accomplished an internal field site audit during the construction phase to the full satisfaction of our client.

To protect the environment, a provisional sewage treatment plant was installed to process all contaminated fluids emanating from the construction site. Once adequate purification levels are reached, the water is diverted through a sprinkling system to irrigate plant grass - a complete process seldom seen in Latin America - thereby maximizing resource utilization.

Staff training highlights emergency evacuations. When gas leaks, fires or plant vents occur, predetermined meeting points are designated including adequate systems of signals and necessary actions for fire fighting.

The audit concluded that the project is being carried out with excellent safety conditions. There is a high level of dining room, kitchen, and restroom disinfections, adequate materials storage, and safe practices in compliance with Argentine and Bolivian applicable standards.

Some improvements were made, such as the supply of hypochlorite calcium and aluminum sulphate material safety data sheets. Personnel handling these materials receive and review these sheets and directives at all field construction sites. INTEC is pleased to support our client, Transredes, in design construction and operator of a safe and environmentally friendly gas transmission system.

INTEC's role in this industry depends largely on the way our Clients, the oil and gas companies, approach projects. As a company we are known for our front-end engineering design (FEED) capability, helping Clients define how best to develop their prospects. In recent years there has been a trend to hand over the detailed design and implementation of projects after the FEED phase to large contractors on an EPC basis, thus passing much of the responsibilities and risk for cost and schedule to them. This trend seems to have run its course as more and more of these contractors recognize that their ability to control the risks is less than hoped for, and the operators conclude that it has not resulted in better-faster-cheaper results.

Seeing that project management is the key to a successful project, our Clients are in many cases reorganizing themselves to make optimal use of the management talent left after their many "restructurings". They are geographically concentrating their resources so they can better capture the experience gained on each project, and reapply this on a worldwide basis. In addition, they will be in need of engineering and project management support from companies such as INTEC. Since we are established in many of the same locations as our Clients, we are well placed to provide such support.

One problem is staffing international projects. Our Clients can afford to move staff from their central location as needed to populate projects around the world, but that is more difficult for us. We have to be able to produce the numbers and qualifications of resources that our Clients need from a location at or close to the project, and serve Clients in many locations. Where a few years ago a UK-based Client may have been willing to come to INTEC Houston for deepwater field development expertise, now we are expected to provide this support closer to their home, which is why we set up a London office. Because of this we now have offices in ten locations, a veritable office explosion! It is relatively easy to set up an office, but it is a lot harder to meet the expectations of our Clients that we will provide the same expertise and quality of work they have become used to in all of our locations.

Another trend is the growing need to provide national content when doing projects in developing countries such as Nigeria, Brazil etc. To do this in a meaningful way requires that we develop working relationships with indigenous engineering companies (where these exist), or even set up our own office. While this may not be immediately profitable by itself, and adds to our administrative burden, these are also countries where new major deepwater projects are likely to be located. We therefore have to be proactive and devise ways to do this effectively so that national partners or establishments can make meaningful contributions to these projects.

In conclusion, we must all think more globally and adapt our organizational structure and attitude accordingly. That way we can profitably grow our share of what looks like a robust market for years to come.

W. J. Timmermans
President

The harsh environmental conditions of the site, at the extreme southern end of the South American continent, (with temperatures as low as - 20¼ C and winds of up to 120 Km/h), present challenges in project development, logistics and transportation issues.

The INTEC-ARCAN engineering work included the following technical tasks: civil, piping, mechanical, electrical, instruments, control, SCADA and communications. The team was responsible for purchasing all necessary materials and equipment except for the main compressors, which were provided by Pan American Energy.

The project required installing three Universal Compression skid-mounted reciprocating gas compressors, powered by 1,680 HPWaukesha motors driving a 500,000 sm3 day Ariel compressor. The compression ratio was 25 to 80 Kg/cm3, complete with corresponding air cooling exchangers.

A12 Km, 13.2 KV overhead line was installed in order to supply the electric power necessary for the new facilities. Abuilding was constructed for the housing of the electrical, SCADA and Communications equipment. The compression station was provided with the latest generation instruments and controls.

Two coalescing gas filter separators, an air compressor shelter, a knock-out drum, an air tank, a liquid storage tank and two high performance reciprocating pumps have also been installed by the partnership.

During the development of the work the following achievements were realized: 3,400 m3 of trenching and backfill, 320 m3 of concrete, 350 Tn of equipment, pipe and metallic structures and 7,000 inches of welding. 100 workers totaling 130,000 man-hours participated in the construction. The project was executed from December 2001 to August 2002, at a contractual cost of USD 4,000,000. INTEC-ARCAN share was 40%.

Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a warm captivating city of South America with unique architecture and historical center, is at once an antique and modern city, with hospitable people. The capital city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra has nearly 800,000 inhabitants. In 1996, the city headquartered the Summit of the Americas for the Sustainable Development meeting. Its active commerce and the kindness of the cruce–an people are notable. The city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra is located in the oriental section of Bolivia.

Santa Cruz is a region of high economic and agricultural importance for Bolivia. Within Santa Cruz are several tourist attractions, including El Arenal Park, which features a stunning mural, the Etno, at the Folkloric Municipal Museum. This beautiful mural depicts a variety of native and popular instruments of the region and different samples of the material culture of the inhabitants of the plains and the Bolivian jungle. Within the park is the zoo of the South American Fauna, with representatives of the regional fauna and samples of indigenous endangered species.

Around the Main Square "24 of September," are historic colonial buildings including the Cultural House, the Prefectural Building and the Metropolitan Cathedral, with their respective museums and exhibition areas.

Night in the city is enchanting. The cuisine is internationally acclaimed. There are folkloric pe–as, cultural shows in theaters and music in a variety of discotheques, karaokes, and night clubs.

In the north oriental section of Santa Cruz are magnificently restored temples of historic Jesuit Missions. These architectural jewels are conserved by the towns still possessing cultural manifestations of the Missionary era. Interestingly, they are not abandoned temples in ruins, but instead are active functional places of worship. The architectural originality of these constructions, with richly ornamental wood carvings resulted in their recognition as "A Cultural Patrimony for Humanity" by UNESCO.

The Ambor— National Park is located on the west side of the city and extends from the Andean mountains at 2,500 meters altitude to the border of the Amazonian plains. The biodiversity of the park is so abundant that over 800 species of birds have been identified, with new discoveries each year. Ambor— National Park has achieved an international reputation for bird watching.

At an altitude of 1,640 meters and 118 kilometers from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Samaipata is a relaxing town with a colonial ambiance and a pleasant climate. Natural springs in the area have created thermal pools ideal for bathing. Visitors are always surprised by South America's most important rupestre architectural center, the Fort of Samaipata (the term "rupestre" refers to the "works" of prehistoric man, such as hieroglyphics). Samaipata is an extraordinary and mysterious place whose origins and meanings are still under investigation. Further excavations continue to enlighten archeologists about the beginnings of Andean civilization.

As you can see, a great diversity of activities varying from challenging engineering work opportunities to visiting fascinating tourist attractions, make Santa Cruz de la Sierra: The Place To Be...

Technical Presenations or Papers Presented:

The Australasian Remote Field & Deepwater Development Conference, Perth, Western Australia, August 26-28, "Scarab/Saffron Production System Flow Assurance/Operability Design Considerations, Author: Thomas G A. Choate, Presented by: Martyn AWitton

ASME, Texas, September 9-10, Glenn Lanan presented "Subsea Arctic Case History - The Northstar Development, Alaska"

OPT USA 2002, Texas, September 16, John Shanks and Antonio Critsinelis presented "J-Lay Installation Method" and Uwa Eigbe, Ennio Morgante, and Ferhat Erdal presented "Advances in HP/HT Pipeline Design for Deepwater Fields"

International Pipeline Conference IPC 2002, Canada, September 29-October 3, Peter W. Bryce, Jie Fang and Dr. Peter Jax presented "The Design and Installation of the LEOS Leak Detection and Location System for the Northstar Project" and Michael J. Paulin, Glenn A. Lanan and Derick Nixon presented "Environmental Loadings & Geotechnical Consideration for the Northstar Offshore Pipelines"

Since 1978 and prior to joining INTEC, Hugo worked for Gaz de France, Total Austral, Transportadora de Gas del Norte and Gas del Estado (the Argentine gas utility), in natural gas pipeline and distribution systems projects.

In the course of his pipelining career, hardship and the need to adapt became a way of life for Hugo. For example, during the commissioning of the Total-operated Aguada Pichana Pipeline, Hugo worked long hours throughout a very windy day with copious amounts of fine white powdery dust flying in the air. At midnight, returning to the Total campsite with face, hair and clothes completely covered with talcumlike dust, Hugo was not recognized by the security staff and was prevented from entering the camp. After one long hour of explanations they finally let him in, but the crew was asleep and it was far too late for even a snack since the camp restaurant had already closed. The "ghost of Patagonia" grabbed a few hungry hours of sleep before rising the next morning to wash, eat, and return to the field. Such dedication is typical of INTEC professionals on rigorous job sites.

In January 2002, Hugo first visited the Houston office for some on-the-job training in offshore pipelines. The intra-company exposure and "cross-pollenization" of experience and technology is regularly accomplished at INTEC and benefits all employees.

Like most Argentines, Hugo enjoys watching and playing football (soccer). He is an avid fan of a well known Buenos Aires club called VŽlez Sarsfield, world champions back in 1994. His other hobbies include reading, swimming, and playing chess.

For a pipeline engineer and a successful INTEC rising star, a very understanding family is "mucho importante". HugoÕs wife, InŽs Mart’nez, is proudly described by Hugo as a "very understanding person." They have three daughters, Eugenia 18 years old, Marianela 16 and BelŽn 3. Employee

In May 2002, McConnell Dowell/Saipem JV was formally awarded the turnkey contract for design, engineering and construction of the Minerva Field flowlines and gas plant. Saipem is responsible for the offshore flowline system and subcontracted INTEC to do the detailed design. The offshore flowline installation work will be carried out using the Saipem semi-submersible laybarge Semac 1.

Although the offshore field is only 10km from shore, it soon became apparent that this high profile project for BHP Billiton presented many design and construction challenges, including whales and tight schedules.

To minimize disruption to whale migrations, no offshore work is allowed in the field between 15th May and 1st October. This constraint requires a fast-track design and procurement schedule in order to allow installation prior to the 2003 migration season. INTEC is demonstrating an ability to meet the ambitious schedule.

The horizontally drilled shore approach is planned to commence by the end of this year, requiring the onshore and shore crossing materials: including linepipe and umbilical - to be delivered to Victoria by the first quarter of 2003. This has left INTEC with an extremely condensed schedule to perform the design, and in particular to resolve the critical issues of the internal CO2 corrosion and umbilical hydraulic analysis.

The INTEC team, led by Richard Johnson, is efficiently delivering a first class design to Saipem and BHPBilliton. As part of this process, the team is introducing innovative ideas of great benefit to the project. These include development of integrated subsea isolation valve structures aimed at minimizing installation risks and streamlining the construction program.