London-based technology company Natural Pipelay (NPL) claims that by eliminating a number of the key constraints that bedevil established reel-laying procedures, it can reduce the cost of pipe installation to as little as a third of current levels.
It extends the vision of an easily-converted ship spooling out a mighty 1000 kilometres of four-inch diameter line all in one go at a steady speed of two knots
This has major implications for small and remote marginal accumulations of hydrocarbons, perhaps especially gas.
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