Ship&Offshore | Issue 03/2012
Reduction of deep-water pipeline costs
X-STREAM Recent finds in pre-salt fields offshore South America are a hot topic. With planned multibillion-dollar projects in this region, these developments will provide a huge boost in pre-salt output. However, while these sizable prospects may stimulate oil and gas production, they are also sparking debate about how to take deep-water pipelines to the next level. To reduce costs and still comply with safety regulations, the classification society Det Norske Veritas (DNV) has developed a new pipeline concept, called X-Stream, described in the following article by Asle Venås, global pipeline director at DNV.