The Azeri Central East (ACE) development project

10 May 2024

Located between the Central Azeri and East Azeri platforms at a water depth of around 140 meters, the ACE project centres around a new 48-slot production, drilling, and quarters platform. The project involved new infield pipelines to transfer oil and gas from the ACE platform to the existing ACG Phase 2 oil and gas export pipelines, which lead to the onshore Sangachal terminal.

Challenge
Subsea7 had a requirement from their client to meet environmental impact assessment expectations and reduce the potential risk of direct physical harm to seals in the Caspian Sea. The project’s installation activities included a floatover and pile-driving. As the noise that accompanied these activities could negatively impact marine mammals, avoiding disruption to marine life was a crucial factor in the tender award and execution of the project.

Solution
After successful deployments on Subsea7 wind farm projects, including Deutsche Bucht and Kaskai, another department within Subsea 7 had recommended FaunaGuard for the ACE project. FaunaGuard is a modular acoustic device that safely and temporarily guides seals away from potential harm using academically validated underwater sound patterns and award-winning acoustic transducer technology. The system’s targeted, specie specific approach uses a gradual ramp up of sound, keeping directional hearing abilities of marine fauna into consideration.

Results
Subsea7 explained that the project team had chosen FaunaGuard due to the module’s gradual increase of sound. This avoided creating a stressful environment for the seals when they were mitigated from the project zone, meeting the client’s environmental requirements. Subsea7 commented that the equipment was easy to install and use, with access to support and training materials where needed.