Introduction to Subsea Construction & Geotechnics

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The purpose of this website is to present a personal perspective of geotechnical engineering in the offshore environment and particularly in relation to subsea pipelines and structures.

I have attempted to present a strategic view of how knowledge of geotechnical engineering practices can be employed when delivering the complex and challenging offshore infrastructure projects associated with oil & gas production.

Regardless of how familiar you are with geotechnical engineering or oil & gas projects, you should find some information of interest on these pages.  If you have the time available, I'd very much value any feedback or comments you have on the material presented.

• You will discover most of the technical material and content presented on the Blog page.
• If you would like to know more about my background and experience, you can find this on the Resume page. 
• If you are searching for a geotechnical specialist you can search through an assortment of useful links and contacts presented on the Links page.  This list is not exhaustive, but it should be a helpful starting point.

Please enjoy the site and feel free to refer to any of the graphics or content presented. Fair use and acknowledgements aside, do read and understand the disclaimer on the Blog page before using any of the material.

Geotechnical Engineering for Offshore Projects

Designing and building infrastructure in the offshore environment is a challenging exercise, there are a number of unique problems that are not encountered in onshore civil engineering projects.  Naturally, there are also many similarities.  Geotechnical engineers are often involved with the design and analysis of:

• Foundations for subsea structures and fixed platforms
• Anchoring systems for moored vessels and platforms
• Pipeline systems for the transportation of hydrocarbons
• Shallow sections of wells drilled for the production of hydrocarbons

The content on this website is mostly focused on the geotechnical problems encountered when designing and installing subsea production systems and flowlines. 

If you are interested in renewable energy, there are many similarities between oil & gas projects and typical renewable energy projects: designing and installing power cable arrays and the foundations for wind and tidal energy converters being good examples.

Careers in Offshore Geotechnical Engineering

For as long as I have been working with Oil & Gas projects, there has been a lack of experienced and skilled geotechnical engineers applying their knowledge and skills in the offshore space.  Perhaps this is due to a lack of appreciation for the need of such engineers.  It may also be partly to related to the perception of "offshore" as being all about drilling for oil and working in remote and inhospitable locations.

This "stereotype" is a long way from being correct: project engineering teams are nearly always based onshore, in countries with good transport and communication links - the engineering process is most definitely an "onshore" activity that utilises modern technology and tools.

Engineering organisations focusing on the offshore industry are currently experiencing a rapid expansion, the mid to long term prognosis is good with excellent opportunities for career progression for the foreseeable future.

The need for energetic, intelligent and curious graduate engineers has never been greater and hopefully this website will provide a positive insight into the type of the challenges that we face in the offshore environment when working with Oil & Gas projects.

On a side note: There is an active trend to limit the use of fossil fuels for mass transport and power generation.  This might appear to be a threat to anyone interested in starting a career in the offshore Oil & Gas industry, but Regardless of how many wind turbines and fusion reactors are constructed in the next 30 to 50 years, there will still be a requirement for hydrocarbon production.  You can read more on this subject at the International Energy Agency website.

A Brief Profile of Neil Brown

I am currently employed in the role of Principal Engineer and Discipline Manager for the Subsea 7 Geotechnical Engineering group in Norway.

The focus of this role is to manage the provision of geotechnical engineering competence within Subsea 7 in Norway.  At present this means I lead a team of five specialist engineers and manage the procurement of subcontracted services from service providers, consultants and universities.

I am also the global technical lead for foundation design in Subsea 7's Community of Excellence for Geotechnical Engineering.   In this role I am responsible for providing expert advice on shallow foundation design and analysis methods, as well as pipe-soil interaction analysis and trenching.

I have experience in a number of different roles, you can find out more on the Résumé page.

Outside of working hours I try to enjoy all that Norway has to offer, you can look me up on Facebook or Linkedin if you are so inclined.

Motivation and Goals (for this website)

I design, host, and maintain this website in my "spare" time and as you may imagine, it is a long term project that will grow and hopefully improve with my competence (both in using hypertext mark-up and soil mechanics).  The site is designed to be viewed using a modern web browser such as Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 4, Chrome 12 and Safari 5.  Older browsers (particularly Internet Explorer) will function but with reduced fidelity - you won't get the "eye candy".

My goal is to create a secure, informative and interesting space that will challenge and stimulate. If I'm not achieving this, please let me know so that I can focus my time more effectively.