Oceaneering Delivers Bespoke Patch Clamp Solution Offshore West Africa

ROV-friendly design addresses riser leaks to bring production back to normal operating levels.

1 Project Overview

In early 2022, a major operator approached Oceaneering seeking a solution to address anomalies affecting production.

The client had noted pressure loss on one of their 12-inch water injection risers off the coast of West Africa. Further investigation completed by remotely operated vehicle (ROV) identified several leak paths that required expedited intervention.

2 Our Solution

The client wanted Oceaneering to develop an ROV-installable solution that would contain leaks on the riser and support production for the next two years.

Our team completed a comprehensive front end engineering and design (FEED) study using an agile process that supported concept development and enabled a narrowing of intervention solutions.

Using the FEED process, the team was able to identify the most viable approach, and experts at our Norway facilities started the detailed engineering process in August. They developed a lightweight, compact, and ROV-friendly design, capable of sealing a pressure of 245 bar. The development included a prototype and supporting systems integration testing hardware that simulated varied sealing criteria.

The clamp’s final design and supporting tooling included a patch clamp that was installed on the riser, visual indicators to ensure proper location on the asset, ROV installation tools, and cleaning tools capable of clearing extensive marine growth on the riser’s surface.

Oceaneering manufactured six of the bespoke patch clamps which were shipped to our facilities in Angola along with their supporting tooling. Oceaneering ROVs and technicians completed the installation in January 2023. The clamp was successfully located over the leak points, the surface area for the seal cleaned extensively to provide an adequate sealing face, and the clamp’s sealing plug inserted, locked in position, and torqued to complete the installation.

3 Results

The patch clamps were installed safely and have mitigated the pressure loss in the riser thereby restoring production levels.

The Oceaneering design provided not only a reliable seal but was easy and quick to install; two clamps were installed per shift.

This clamp design equips Oceaneering with a quick intervention solution that can be manufactured at a number of our global facilities and customized to suit leaks on a variety of pipe diameters.

Clamp solution being installed
CS Picture 4 2 1 Cropped

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Company page Since our founding in the early 1960s, Oceaneering has expanded and grown globally to service several industries such as the offshore energy industry, defense, entertainment, material handling, aerospace, science, and renewable energy industries. In 1964, Mike Hughes and Johnny Johnson formed a Gulf of Mexico diving company called World Wide Divers. The company grew in response to increasing demand for their services and in 1969 merged with two other diving companies to form Oceaneering International, Inc. To solve the toughest challenges, we do things differently, creatively, and smarter. As your trusted partner, our unmatched experience and truly innovative portfolio of technologies and solutions give us the flexibility to adapt and evolve, regardless of market conditions. Our mission is to solve the unsolvable. We thrive by creating industry-changing technically creative solutions for the most complex operational challenges under water, on land, and in space. Our five core values establish a common culture and demonstrate what is most important for us as a company. Since the beginning, the company has transformed from a small regional diving company into a global provider of engineered products and services. Today, we develop products and services for use throughout the lifecycle of an offshore oilfield, from drilling to decommissioning. We operate the world's premier fleet of work class ROVs. Additionally, we are a leader in offshore oilfield maintenance services, umbilicals, subsea hardware, and tooling. We also serve the aerospace, defense, and theme park industries. Underpinning everything we do, safety is not only the foundation of our core values, but it is vital to our unmatched performance record and company culture. The industries we serve are as diverse as they are complex. Whether we are engineering deepwater umbilicals or developing robotics for aerospace applications, the safety and health of our employees, vendors, and customers is an integral part of our day-to-day business. If we are working, then our responsibility is to be working safely. Since our inception in 1964, we have placed a high value on employee safety—from diving services and subsea inspection to vessel-based installation operations. We have and will continue to evolve not only our health, safety, and environmental (HSE) processes, but those of the industries in which we work. Although we have been fatality-free since 1999, our HSE journey goes beyond statistics. As our portfolio of services has grown, we have continued to prioritize and advance our approach to HSE.