Fugro autonomous submarine completes geohazard site investigation activity off the coast of Suriname

Fugro has finalised fieldwork on a site investigation programme for TotalEnergies off the north-west coast of Paramaribo in Block 58 of the Guyana-Suriname Basin, just off the coast of Suriname.

The company used its autonomous submarine for the task.

The project sits approximately 150 km offshore in water depths ranging from 60 m to 2100 m and involves acquisition and analysis of geophysical data and geotechnical soil samples.

Fugro will use this information to characterise site conditions and identify potential geohazards, helping the client to derisk potential development activities.

The nearly 7-month-long field programme was accomplished from the Fugro Brasilis using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for most of the geophysical data collection and piston and box corers for the seabed soil sampling.

This approach was informed by 20 years of experience in the region, including the collection of nearly 15,000 line kilometres of geophysical data and dozens of soil core samples in the Guyana-Suriname basin.

To streamline project delivery and reduce the carbon footprint, Fugro performed initial data processing and laboratory testing onboard the vessel.

Brian Hottman, Fugro’s director for the Caribbean and Pacific South America, says: “This work represents one of Fugro’s largest site characterisation programmes in the region over the past several years.

“Our history in the region and our shared commitment to safety, sustainability and local content is adding value to the project and helping our client meet their responsible resource development goals for Block 58.”