• Marine

Inspection diving in the Celtic Sea

Fendercare Marine diving team helps to inspect the subsea structure of one of Ireland’s longest-established gas production platforms.

The Celtic Sea has been home to offshore oil and gas exploration for over forty years. Discovered in 1971, the Kinsale Head Gas Field lies 50 km off the County Cork coast and remains one of the largest single hydrocarbon discoveries in Irish waters. The natural gas of the Kinsale Head field is located in reservoirs approximately one kilometre below the sea floor in a water depth of around 90 metres.

Two production platforms – Kinsale A and B – were installed in 1977 and remain to this day the focus of production from this and a network of satellite fields that operate using subsea well technology under which the wellheads are on the sea-floor and controlled remotely from one of the main production platform. Gas from all of the offshore fields is combined, compressed and piped from Kinsale A to the Inch Terminal near Midleton in County Cork.

To ensure the integrity and safety of such offshore structures, periodic subsea inspection is an essential element of their planned maintenance. In the summer of 2012 a team from Fendercare Marine was contracted to assist in the inspection of the Kinsale A platform.

Fendercare diving supervisor Howard Pickering says:

“On this particular job we’ve been involved in the inspection programme for different parts of the subsea structure, checking different welds, and doing underwater video photography.”

The team carried out a wide range of examinations ranging from general visual inspection of the platform’s subsea structures through to close visual inspection of individual welds, including removal of extensive marine growth where necessary.

World-class diving expertise

Fendercare is an international leader in the delivery and mobilization of a world-class diving capability, as Pickering explains:

“Fendercare has invested considerable amounts of money in diving over the past couple of years. We are currently building a brand new dive system which is state of the art. As a diving contractor Fendercare produces some of the best diving systems in the world; they’re a pleasure to work with.”

Ben Coker, air diver adds:

“Safety is a massive part of the operation, and fortunately everyone here at Fendercare has undertaken a lot of intense training and knows the job very well.” 

Successful operation

The success of the inspection operation on the Kinsale A platform offers a further demonstration of Fendercare Marine’s ability to deploy the some of the world’s very latest state-of-the-art diving technology and equipment, operated by some of the most experienced divers and support staff – a uniquely capable team steeped in a culture that puts safety first.