Removal Solutions: Proposed Methods of Lifting Drill Cuttings for Treatment and Disposal -
Summary Report on Promoter Contacts
Executive Summary - Topic Area 6.2
CEFAS with Dredging Research Ltd
This task has identified possible methods of removing drill cuttings which have accumulated under fixed offshore installations. Forty organisations have been identified which have developed, or are in the process of developing, systems to remove these cuttings.
Detailed questionnaires have been sent to 34 of these organisations in order to understand the approaches being adopted in order to tackle this problem. Those contractors not selected are at an early stage in the development of their systems, and so information about these systems has not been included as part of this task.
From the questionnaires returned, 20 contractors appeared capable of providing complete or nearly complete systems for cuttings recovery. Information on the nature of cuttings piles (area, volume, geotechnical properties and debris content) has been obtained and reviewed.
These contractors have then been provided with a description of a cuttings pile, and drawings of the near-bed structure of a North Sea installation. On the basis of this information, contractors have been asked to estimate overall removal rates, the time required and the typical condition of the recovered cuttings.
All contractor contact details obtained are tabulated here. All information gathered from the contractors during this task will be analysed as part of Task 6.1.