Equinor has selected Fugro to perform a deepwater site investigation in Canada’s Flemish Pass, 500 km off the coast of St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, in water depths of approximately 1200 m.

Fugro’s field campaign will run from July until August and entails a seabed survey, an environmental survey and a soils investigation, with client deliverables scheduled for September.

Having completed numerous projects for Equinor in the region for over a decade, Fugro is well versed in the complex geology and marine habitat of the Flemish Pass. This year’s seabed and environmental surveys will be performed using Fugro’s newest autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), the Echo Surveyor VIII, which is designed to capture engineering-grade bathymetric, imaging and shallow geological feature data in deep water. The environmental survey will also utilise proprietary 3D photogrammetric methods for improved delineation of cold water corals and other benthic habitats. The soils investigation will be performed using Fugro’s SEACALF Mk IV^® seabed cone penetration test (CPT) system, which uses a coiled push rod and compact continuous thrust machine for increased efficiency and reliability.

Mike Cole, Country Manager for Fugro in Canada, said: “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Equinor in the region as we help address the company’s ongoing need for digital Geo-data acquisition, analysis and advice. This project will allow us to showcase our locally developed digital 3D photogrammetric mapping methods to augment traditional geophysical sensors, which allows more quantifiable target definition.”