Nexans Wins New Equinor Umbilical Deals for Brazil and Norway
On June 3, 2021,ย Nexansย announced two new umbilical contracts fromย Equinor, a global energy company active in more than 30 countries. Becauseย Nexans wins new Equinor umbilical deals, the company will deliver advanced subsea umbilicals for Equinorโs Bacalhau project offshore Brazil and the Askeladd Vest project in the Barents Sea.
Bacalhau Project: Ultra-Deepwater Umbilicals for Brazil
Under the first contract, Nexans will design, manufacture and supply 44 km of steel tube umbilicals and accessories for the Bacalhau ultraโdeepwater oilโfield development offshore Brazil. The field targets preโsalt reservoirs in the Santos Basin, and these reservoirs may hold up to two billion barrels of oil equivalent in recoverable reserves.
This order also continues Nexansโ longโstanding collaboration with the Subsea Integration Alliance (SIA), a partnership between Subsea 7 and OneSubsea. SIA handles the SURF (subsea, umbilicals, risers and flowlines) frontโend engineering and design scope for Bacalhau, so it relies on Nexans for robust, highโcapacity umbilical systems.
Nexansโ Halden plant in Norway will produce the steel tube umbilicals that support subsea equipment at water depths down to 2,100 m. The scope includes 2.5 km of gasโlift umbilical, 35 km of static umbilical, 6.9 km of dynamic umbilical and the necessary accessories. Nexans plans to deliver the Bacalhau umbilicals in the last quarter of 2022.
Askeladd Vest: Complex Umbilicals in the Barents Sea
The second Equinor order covers umbilicals for the Askeladd Vest project in the southern Barents Sea. Nexans will supply static subsea umbilicals with a complex crossโsection that combines power cores, fiberโoptic communication elements and hydraulic lines for chemical injection, along with a full set of connection and termination accessories.
The subsea template on Askeladd Vest will tie back to the existing Askeladd field through a pipeline and an umbilical. In addition, the distance from the onshore production plant at Melkรธya to the subsea field reaches 195 km, which sets a new record as the longest tieโback distance for a development of this type.
Manufacturing Footprint and Project Execution
Nexans will carry out the main umbilical assembly and loading operations at its plant in Halden, Norway. The team will also assemble control cables at the same facility and load them directly onto installation vessels, which helps streamline logistics and shorten project timelines.
Meanwhile, Nexans will manufacture fiberโoptic cables and power cables at its plant in Rognan, Norway. Overall, the company values these Equinor contracts at nearly $12 million and, as a result, further strengthens its position as a key partner for complex offshore energy developments.
