Oceanlab, the University of Aberdeen’s leading centre for oceanography, has won a major contract with BP to begin work on an innovative deep-sea environmental monitoring platform.
DELOS or Deep-ocean Environmental Long-term Observatory System will give the multi-national company an insight into a marine environment it is increasingly entering, but where knowledge of the biology is poorly understood.
Oceanlab – which is providing the methodology and technology for the project - has received £482,000 of funding for the first year of the £832,000 proposal that aims to deliver the first DELOS to Angola in 2007.
DELOS will comprise two ocean floor platforms - which will be serviced periodically by remote operated vehicle – which will monitor the deep ocean environment within the vicinity of BP offshore operations off Angola for 20 years.
On a 1400 metre depth contour, the first “near field” platform will be placed within 50 metres of a wellhead, with the second “far field” platform situated five miles away from drilling activities.
This will give independent scientists - who will monitor data from both platforms - a comparison which will allow them to establish any impacts offshore activities may have on the environment.
Jim Clarke, Project Manager of Local Environmental Impact at BP, said: “BP has a substantial portfolio of assets in deep water areas which is growing all the time. Technological developments are allowing us to explore in deeper and deeper water.
“However, at the same time, there is limited understanding of impacts beyond the Continental Shelf, both from the industry side as well as within the scientific community. We hope DELOS will go some way to redress that.”
Dr Phil Bagley, Technical Director at Oceanlab, said: “This is an exciting opportunity that builds upon our 20 years of experience of designing and building deep ocean systems for biological research and is a valuable asset to our increasing commercial business.
“Driven by BP’s forward looking approach to environmental issues the long term monitoring platform will provide scientists with insights into any impact of offshore activities, contribute to an increased understanding of the mechanisms linking climate change to deep-ocean ecology, and provide a long term source of data for deep ocean scientific research.
“Oceanlab provided the concept design for the two DELOS monitoring platforms and will supply and develop the instrumentation modules that will record deep ocean environmental and biological data.
“BP as well as providing the initial capital cost for this project will further provide the ROV support to allow periodic servicing of the instrument modules and data distribution to the independent scientific committee.”
Professor Monty Priede, Director of Oceanlab, added: “The deep ocean environment into which BP operations are gradually extending are poorly understood with research surveys regularly discovering new habitats and communities of animals previously unknown to science.
“By establishing long term monitoring of the deep sea physical environment and biological activity it should be possible to compensate to a large degree for the previous lack of knowledge.
“Long term deep ocean monitoring will be a major part of future deep ocean research. Worldwide conceptual studies are taking place into designs for such long term monitoring. The BP DELOS project with monitoring commencing in early 2007 will be in the forefront of this research effort.”
As well as Oceanlab, BP has brought some of the world’s leading deep ocean biologists together on the project. Collaborators include the University of California, Texas A&M University, and the National Oceanographic Centre.
For Oceanlab – which set up its commercial arm offering environmental data collection, sub sea technology testing, product development and equipment supply two years ago – this is one of its most ambitious commercial projects.
David Sproule, Business Unit Manager at Oceanlab, said: “DELOS is excellent from the Business Unit point of view as this project addresses two of our key areas: data collection and product development.
“This is one of our biggest contracts to date. The bringing together of BP, in this area of environmental monitoring, and the University of Aberdeen’s commitment to making the academic excellence in Oceanlab accessible to industry, has produced exciting and long term ambitions on both sides.”