Spent a short trip down in Africa on board the DOF-owned survey vessel M/V Geograph. The Geograph was being utilised for a pipeline survey in the Essungo oil field in Block 2 Angola.

The DOF owned MV Geograph alongside in Pointe Noire, Congo

We flew into Pointe Noire in the Congo, and spent a few days in harbour where a large number of very expensive offshore oil and gas support and construction vessels were laying idle. These include the Normand Cutter and Normand Installer. The Normand Cutter is a deepwater subsea construction and umbilical lay DP vessel owned by Solstad Offshore ASA. The Normand Installer is owned by Advanced Deep Sea Installations and is a new generation multi-purpose deep water construction vessel.

The Normand Cutter sitting idle in the Pointe Noire harbour, Congo

We surveyed a pipeline for an oil rig platform currently being decommissioned. The Safueiro Tripod oil platform was a ghostly sight in the darkness of the night sea. No power, no lights. We used the floodlights from the Geograph’s back deck to illuminate the decommissioned oil rig platform while the Triton XL-14 remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveyed the pipelines running to the Essungo platform.

The Safueiro Tripod oil platform, offshore Angola in the Essungo oil field, Block 2 Angola.

The Essungo platform was also surveyed with the Geograph’s ROV.

The Essungo oil rig platform at night, offshore Angola in the Essungo oil field, Block 2 Angola.

On the way back to Pointe Noire I took some photos of the dramatic and threatening African skies.

Threatening African skies on the transit to Pointe Noire.

To see more images from this trip on the M/V Geograph to the Essungo oil field in Angola please do a search from the sidebar.