Page 40: of Marine Technology Magazine (May 2023)

CABLING PIONEER CONSULTING © 2022 by Andre Ribeiro/Agência Petrobras

Subsea Fiber Optic Cable Systems for

Offshore Energy Projects: Q&A with

Pioneer Consulting’s Austin Shields

Pioneer Consulting, a subsea ? ber optic telecommunications consulting and project management company, was last year awarded a contract by Zemax-Planova

Consortium to provide expertise related to the Petrobras Malha Óptica ? ber optic system project, offshore Brazil. The project will link 13 FPSOs and one platform with two cable landing stations in Praia Grande, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. MTR interviewed Pioneer Consulting’s Director of Client Solutions, Austin Shields, to learn more about the project and the subsea ? ber cable trends in offshore energy in general.

By Bartolomej Tomic design principles, and the unique subsea equipment designed

What is Pioneer Consulting, and what is your of- speci? cally for these types of projects.

fer in the offshore energy sector?

Pioneer Consulting is an international telecommunications

What are some trends and practices you are seeing to- consulting, engineering, and market research company that day when it comes to the adoption of subsea ? ber op- advises clients on the planning and implementation of sub- tic cable technology in the offshore energy industry? marine ? ber optic cable networks during all phases of system

Recent trends in modern ? ber optic communication systems development. Our accurate, insightful, and thorough advisory point towards a growing need for robustness and reliability. services provide clients with objective and independent guid- ance in support of their projects and strategic goals. Pioneer’s Current systems are being designed and manufactured with capabilities range from market analysis and feasibility study redundancies in mind, both with respect to transmission paths to system design and engineering and supply, in addition to (i.e. mesh networks) and at the component level. Not surpris- ingly, the main goal of any ? ber optic communication system providing full-scale project implementation and management.

is to facilitate reliable communications, however, owners have

Within the offshore energy sector, Pioneer offers all consult- ing services applicable to other telecommunication projects, been pushing for networks that also increase safety, automa- while leveraging over 20 years of experience in navigating tion, and monitoring -- speci? cally in the oil and gas sector.

Expanding the usage of these networks on different fronts is the complexities of the oil and gas and offshore energy sec- tors. Pioneer provides clients with the project knowledge and also a recent trend in the industry, with suppliers working to provide more than just communication applications for their planning they need. This is accomplished through deep un- derstanding of the nuances related to the special products and cable products. Suppliers and purchasers are looking to incor- porate additional sensing capabilities into their networks, such rigorous requirements that are associated with offshore energy projects, which often include strict offshore asset restrictions, as permanent reservoir monitoring and downhole applications health and safety speci? cations, special powering and optical to name a few in the oil and gas sector.

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