Equinor awards DeepOcean subsea tieback work in Barents Sea
(WO) — DeepOcean has secured a subsea contract package from Equinor covering multiple offshore Norway developments, including work in the North Sea and Barents Sea scheduled for 2027-2028.
The awards include subsea installation and riser replacement work at the Visund field in the North Sea, along with tieback installation activities tied to the Isflak discovery near the Johan Castberg FPSO in the Barents Sea.
At Visund, DeepOcean will execute a SIMOPRO—simultaneous marine operation and production—campaign involving replacement of both gas and oil export risers while the offshore facility remains onstream.
The company’s scope includes project management, engineering, fabrication, procurement and offshore installation activities, as well as survey, dredging, tie-in and pre-commissioning work.
“Assignments of this complexity require strong coordination and robust safety planning across both the operator and our subcontractor network to secure seamless execution,” said Olaf A. Hansen, executive vice president for DeepOcean’s Northern Europe region.
The Barents Sea award covers installation of a four-slot subsea template, manifold module, flowlines and a static umbilical for the Isflak oil discovery, which will become the first satellite tieback to the Johan Castberg FPSO.
DeepOcean said offshore operations across the Visund, Isflak and optional Snorre A work scopes will utilize vessels from its chartered subsea construction fleet in water depths ranging from 300 m to 400 m.
The contract package also includes options covering recovery of eight existing risers and umbilicals connected to the Snorre A production facilities in the North Sea.
“As subsea tie-back and life extension projects increasingly target marginal fields, smart, cost-efficient solutions and close collaboration are critical to unlocking value and ensuring these developments remain viable,” Hansen said.
The awards continue a series of subsea installation projects between Equinor and DeepOcean, following similar riser replacement work awarded at the Åsgard B and Visund developments in 2025.
