I tube installed at Auger TLP

Global Divers & Contractors, a division of Global Industries Offshore, LLC, used wet welding technology to successfully install a 16-inch diameter I tube at the auger tension leg platform (TLP) in December for Shell Exploration & Production Co. The steel tube was welded to one of Auger's four, 74-ft diameter columns to protect and support the control umbilical for Shell's Serrano and Oregano subsea developments, which will be tied back to Auger this year. The Auger structure is located in 2,860 ft of water at Garden Banks Block 426 in the US Gulf of Mexico.

The Serrano Field, located in Garden Banks Blocks 516 and 472, will be tied back six miles to Auger with gas production scheduled to begin later this year. The Oregano Field, located in Garden Banks Blocks 558 and 559, will be tied back eight miles to Auger with oil production again scheduled to begin later this year. Both fields are located in approximately 3,400 ft of water.

This project marks the second time Global Divers has used wet welding technology to install an I tube for Shell in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. In 1998, Global installed an I tube at Auger to support Shell's Macaroni subsea development in 3,700 ft of water at Garden Banks Block 602.