A new subsea tool which allows flanged piping to be assembled in deep water without diver assistance has been adopted by Statoil.
Developed in cooperation with Stolt Offshore, the new remote control technology has been dubbed the modular advanced tie-in system (Matis).
"This solution is far cheaper than the methods we've had available in recent years for mechanical tie-in," says project manager Jan Olav Berge is the pipeline technology unit of European Gas.
It also represents an alternative to hyperbaric welding, which still requires the involvement of divers.
Matis has recently been tested successfully on four pipelines in 215 metres of water on Statoil's Gullfaks satellites phase II project in the North Sea.
The lines, with diameters of 22 and 24 inches, were tied back to Gullfaks C with the aid of the new tool.
This forms an integrated part of the pipeline repair system (PRS), a collection of tools for repairing and connecting pipes developed in cooperation with Norsk Hydro and held at Killingøy north of Stavanger.
Mr Berge says that the base is unique in a world context, and has gained a new area of application through increased use of flanged pipes