BY VILDE FAGERLAND

Two subsea experts have brought their own unique skills and perspectives to ConocoPhillips in Norway.

Ines Colaco, a Senior Subsea Engineer, excels at subsea planning, maintenance and repairs, while Sigve Håland, a Senior Structure and Marine Operations Engineer, oversees and performs subsea inspections and diving operations.

Traditionally, most of ConocoPhillips Norway operations are carried out topside on offshore platforms. But with an elevated subsea focus in recent years, both Ines and Sigve were brought in to bolster Operations' subsea competency in preparation for Tommeliten A, a gas condensate field that will be tied back to the company’s Ekofisk complex, and the Eldfisk North project, an initiative to develop additional resources for the Eldfisk oil and gas field.

Prior to joining ConocoPhillips, Ines and Sigve worked for the same subcontractor on the Tor II project, a redevelopment of the Tor field. And both worked briefly as consultants for ConocoPhillips before joining the company in 2022 in permanent positions. 

'A fresh pair of eyes'

While a large part of Ines’ career has involved subsea field work, she also has upstream experience with other companies handling business development.

“By working in so many places in the world, I have seen and experienced a lot,” said Ines, who has master’s degrees in mechanical and petroleum engineering. “The best part is probably the network I’ve made with lots of people with different competencies who I can contact if I need their advice on a specific topic.”

As the Operations department continues to develop its subsea organization, Ines said she’s working to help streamline the group's cost planning and procedures.

“We need to ensure that we can replace subsea equipment if we have to, without losing production time,” Ines said. “To do this, we need to enhance our cooperation and communications across the departments. Since the subsea organization is new, it requires much coordination to locate the equipment and create systems that continuously keep us updated on the current status.”

Ines is always on the lookout for ways to operate in the most cost-effective manner. For example, she said perhaps some vessels could be used for two jobs instead of one.

“There is always room for improvement,” she said, “and it is much easier when someone coming from the outside sees the situation with a fresh pair of eyes. In contrast to many other places, ConocoPhillips allows for room to question traditions and structures. That creates the opportunity to make a difference and help us become a more effective organization.”

North Sea diving is ‘very much alive’

A professional diver, Sigve handles subsea inspections of the platform jackets and is responsible for diver-related tasks in the Greater Ekofisk Area.

“Things work very differently subsea compared to topside,” said Sigve, who has a master’s degree in naval architecture and marine technology.

Sigve also has a commercial diver’s certificate that allows him to dive to a maximum of 50 meters with breathing gas supplied from the surface.

Diving below 50 meters requires saturation diving, meaning the diver lives in a pressure chamber and uses a diving bell. Normal diving depth for saturation diving in Norway is 180 meters and shallower, which covers the Greater Ekofisk Area and more. 

“Many believe offshore diving is no longer an ongoing activity in Norway,” he said, “but it is very much alive.”

While diving still carries potential risks, Sigve said those risks are carefully managed. For example, modern saturation diving living chambers are computer-controlled to prevent human errors.

Many of today’s diving operations have been replaced by remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) or subsea robots, but divers like Sigve are still needed.

“ROV work can be faster and cheaper,” Sigve said, “but a diver can perform several different tasks and do them more precisely. If the problem can be solved subsea by a diver with a wrench and a hammer, it can be a more cost-effective alternative.”