DeepFlex has been awarded a contract from Saipem Portugal, a subsidiary of Saipem S.p.A., for the supply of a deepwater downline to be used for pre-commissioning of the Husky Oil China Ltd. Liwan 3-1-1 gas pipelines located in the South China Sea in 1400 meters of water.

The 4-inch ID, 5,000 psi DeepFlex downline is designed for use offshore in up to 1700 meters of water to transport water for hydrotesting and then air and nitrogen for dewatering from a construction support vessel to the 22 inch ID x 79 kilometer long gas export lines connecting the subsea wells to a fixed platform. The extremely light weight feature of the downline creates value for these commissioning activities by increasing the length of downline per unit weight which reduces construction support vessel deck space, payload and top tension requirements as well as allowing efficient subsea manipulation by an ROV. DeepFlex downlines are designed, constructed and tested to industry standards for unbonded flexible pipe including API Specification 17J and RP 17B as well as DNV standard OS-C501 governing the use of composite materials in offshore applications. The downlines are highly fatigue resistant, ensuring product reliability through numerous deployments and retrievals.

Michael C. Kearney, DeepFlex President and CEO said, “Saipem has utilized a DeepFlex downline for several pipeline commissioning projects. The first downline provided by DeepFlex faced extreme and unanticipated sea conditions, performing flawlessly while withstanding these harsh conditions. We are extremely pleased Saipem returned to DeepFlex for this second downline and we believe our track record was one of the key factors in being awarded this order.”