Aberdeen-based Copipe Systems Limited, part of the PSL Group, reports two successful projects for its subsea pigging unit (SPU).

The subsea pigging unit is a remote, self-contained device that floods and pigs subsea pipelines without the requring need for an attendant, surface vessel.
Once positioned and initiated by an ROV the SPU provides filtration, chemical injection and controlled flowrate flooding independently of support. This allows great flexibility for project vessels as well as providing significant cost savings.
The two recent projects represent the 'extremes' of the units capabilities in shallow and deepwater. The first project was a 59km x 16-in pipeline, offshore UK, where the unit was positioned in only 16 metres of water, the most shallow job completed to date. The SPU flooded the pipeline during actual installation thus allowing the client to significantly reduce wall thickness. The second project was 1366 metres deep offshore West Africa where a 2km x 8-in pipeline was successfully flooded. This, says Copipe Systems, is the deepest project completed to date.
Les Graves, commercial director said: These two projects show how flexible our SPU is in regard to application and water depth. Shallow water flooding proves that use of the SPU is not limited to deepwater projects." o