World’s Largest Subsea Pipeline Hot Tap and Line Stopping Project Case Study

Repair or modification of subsea pipelines can prove challenging for a host of reasons. The safety of personnel, assets and the environment are key to project success and must be carefully considered at all stages of the project.

STATS patented BISEP® provides the highest level of hot tap installed pipeline isolation in the industry. Complying with all relevant subsea isolation guidelines and ensuring safe worksite conditions for divers from breaking pipeline containment to reinstatement. The BISEP is the only hot tap installed double block isolation tool that satisfies the design criteria for DNV Type Approval for Pipeline Isolation Plugs.

This hot tap installed isolation technology allows modifications to be performed safely whilst the pipeline remains filled with product and at pipeline pressure. This eliminates the need to depressurise and clean the entire pipeline system, significantly reducing operational downtime and project costs, while maintaining safety.

This presentation will discuss a subsea bypass project in the middle east, which includes subsea hot tapping and BISEP isolation of 10 pipelines ranging from 42” to 56”. This project is the world’s largest diameter subsea pipeline intervention and was conducted to install a bypass system without interrupting production, which can be used in the event of an unplanned outage.

A high-level operational sequence of key stages during the offshore campaign will be discussed to highlight how the subsea bypass system was safely installed while ensuring no risk to personnel or the environment.