West Delta Deep Marine — 10 years and counting

In 1999 INTECSEA (Previously INTEC) commenced a FEED study for the West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) concession, offshore Egypt in the Mediterranean. The development was to be operated by the Burullus Gas Company, a Joint Venture comprising BG Egypt, Edison Gas and EGPC (Egyptian General Petroleum Company). Since that time Edison Gas have sold their share to Petronas Carigali. This was the first deepwater development offshore Egypt, an area with no experience in deepwater developments and with little associated infrastructure. The development was also pioneering in it was to be, at that time, one of the longest tie-backs to shore at 90 km initially with the Scarab /Saffron fields. Since those early days, INTECSEA have continued working alongside Burullus Gas, delivering a number of Phases of the development, with the expansion being further, 105 km, from shore and deeperr, 1024 m. This article describes our work associated in providing the operator with reliable instrumentation, and some of the issues experienced with subsea instrumentation from those early days to the present.