Fugro has completed a multidisciplinary site characterisation for the prestigious Male’ to Thilafushi Link project, the planned bridge between Male’ City and Thilafushi in the Maldives.

Fugro accelerated mobilisation from the UAE to the Maldives ahead of global Covid-19 lockdowns to ensure that this project of national importance could meet the Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s (MNPHI’s) ambitious delivery schedule.

Fugro applied innovation and ingenuity to maintain delivery during a time of unprecedented restrictions on global shipments. The Maldives were locked down just as the project was mobilising but Fugro used their self-propelled jack-up barge Fugro Amberjack as the designated in-country quarantine facility, meaning offshore personnel could work whilst safely isolated. They also mitigated the risk of further delays by mobilising the marine geophysical vessel Fugro Mapper from India to acquire geophysical data.

Fugro implemented its Transformer Model of working, whereby the self-elevating platforms Sea Giant and Skate 3D were transported on and dynamically assembled from the Amberjack. This execution strategy enabled safe and rapid delivery of multiple drilling assets into the project area, providing MNPHI with an unparalleled rate of Geo-data acquisition in water depths between 0 m and 46 m and in challenging metocean currents. When MNPHI and their engineering consultancy were unable to mobilise their intended supervision teams offshore due to the lockdown, Fugro’s data delivery platform, Gaia Books, meant they could monitor the acquired Geo-data remotely in near real time.

Chris Arnott, Fugro’s Country Manager for the UAE, said: “Despite the Covid-19 crisis, our team completed 4 weeks ahead of schedule thanks to their determination and ingenuity in difficult circumstances, utilising marine assets designed, owned and maintained by Fugro for exactly this type of challenging marine environment. MNPHI can now proceed on schedule with their landmark national development and we look forward to further opportunities to support the project.”