Sonardyne Lands Guará-Lula NE Contract from Seatronics and Subsea 7

HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, October 18, 2012 (Press-News.org) Sonardyne International Ltd has been awarded a high value contract for the supply of 6G subsea acoustic positioning technology for the Guará-Lula NE oilfield development offshore Brazil. The order was placed by leading marine equipment rental company Seatronics, an Acteon company, who is hiring the equipment to Subsea 7, the company responsible for the engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning (EPIC) phases of the project.

Guará and Lula NE are part of the pre-salt giant discoveries operated by Petrobras in the Santos basin, Brazil, in ultra-deep water depths of beyond 2,100 metres, 300 kilometres from shore. Subsea 7's project scope includes the EPIC phases of two "uncoupled" riser systems featuring large submerged buoys supporting 27 steel catenary risers.

The equipment Subsea 7 is renting for the acoustic positioning of subsea structures and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) includes multi-functional Compatt 6 transponders, ROVNav 6 LBL transceivers and the latest addition to the 6G product range, iWand. A hand-held transponder test and configuration device, iWand enables large batches of transponders to be quickly set up and tested in the workshop or on the back-deck before they are deployed. Sonardyne's Survey Support Group has also been working closely with surveyors from Subsea 7 to determine the optimum number of Compatts to deploy and the maximum range apart at which they can be placed to ensure the stringent positioning tolerances are achieved. Subsea 7 will also benefit from the multi-user mode of the Compatts, enabling the use of multiple ROVs and vessels operating in both LBL and USBL mode simultaneously.

"Our existing stock of 6G equipment has proven itself on many occasions so further investing in the technology ensures that we are well placed to meet ever increasing demands from our customers," said Phil Middleton, Operations Manager at Seatronics. "With the kit already ear-marked for Subsea 7's milestone Guará-Lula NE development, supported by Seatronics Brazil, we know that the project will benefit from the reliability of the 6G product platform."

Hugh Ferguson, Subsea 7's Projects and Operations Director - Life of Field, said, "We were looking for equipment to fulfill very challenging project requirements and Seatronics were able to supply Sonardyne 6G equipment, which would meet these objectives."

"Seatronics has been a long-term investor in Sonardyne technology and this contract is the second significant order placed by the company for 6G this year," said Barry Cairns, Vice President - Europe & Africa at Sonardyne. "Subsea 7's subsequent renting of the equipment for the Guará-Lula NE operation is a testament to the excellent performance, operational cost-savings and versatility it offers its users."

For more information contact Barry Cairns on +44 (0)1224 707875 or visit http://www.sonardyne.com.