CRP Subsea has successfully delivered a contract providing more than 140 Distributed Buoyancy Modules (DBMs), which are understood to be the biggest in the world. They will be used in the ultra-deepwaters creating steel lazy wave riser (SLWR) configurations, protecting steel pipelines from stress and fatigue.

The project incorporates several rigid SLWR pipelines interconnecting multiple wells and a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel. DBMs will reduce the top tension on the FPSO vessel by maintaining the lazy wave configuration of the pipeline, protecting the risers by reducing load at connection points, reducing the risk of pipeline failure and increasing the lifetime of the field.

Steve Bray, Sales Team Manager (Syntactic) at CRP Subsea states: “The unique clamping method of CRP Subsea’s innovative buoyancy solution provides quick and easy attachment of the buoyancy modules to the pipeline and is ultra-light-weight. It supports safe installation on board a vessel, minimising human intervention and providing consistent results. We are extremely pleased to have been chosen to supply buoyancy for this innovative project and look forward to collaborating further with the team in the future.”

Manufactured at CRP Subsea’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Skelmersdale, England, these are the largest DBMs we have manufactured to date.

Distributed Buoyancy Modules (DBMs) are typically used between structures and a surface vessel or platform, providing uplift generated by a two-part buoyancy element and a clamp. CRP Subsea’s unique clamping solution allows DBMs to be securely attached at any point along the length of a rigid or flexible pipeline or cable.