BAKU

British major BP has launched a three-dimensional (3D) visualisation tool on the East Azeri and West Chirag platforms in Azerbaijan’s sector of the Caspian Sea, commencing the first phase of the digital modelling of all its assets in the region.

The new tool allows it to perform some of the important offshore activities such as inspection, planning and verification via remote use of high-definition images with measurement capabilities, BP said.

It also offers virtual walkthroughs and enables teams to visit assets remotely which, in turn, leads to the simplification of several operational processes, optimisation of time and cost, improvements in safety and stronger collaboration.

To prepare the 3D digital model of the East Azeri platform – the first-ever 3D model of a BP-operated facility in the Caspian – the photogrammetric survey and preparation of the platform spherical images were completed with the final images processed and uploaded into the tool for further use.

“This is a fantastic achievement by the project team which puts our operations in the region at the forefront of technology and digital transformation … Today, it helps us to be more efficient in our planning and execution whilst ensuring safe ongoing operations. In future, it will enable us to further enhance personal safety by reducing the need for onsite activities,” Elkhan Mamedov, BP’s vice president for production in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, said.

BP plans to complete the 3D visualization modelling of all Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) offshore facilities by the end of 2021 with a view to deploy the tool on the remaining BP-operated offshore facilities in the region and at the Sangachal terminal in Azerbaijan in the next few years.

ACG is the largest oil field block in Azerbaijan developed by an international consortium led by BP. The first production sharing agreement for developing the block was signed in September 20, 1994, while a new deal on the joint exploitation of these fields and production sharing was reached on September 14, 2017. The agreement provides for the development of the areas by the end of 2049.