As oil and gas developments continue into deeper waters the need for infrastructure to support that growth is increasing. Transportation of the petroleum products is a key consideration in determining the method of a development and the overall cost of a project. Smaller and marginal prospects may not be justified in an economic analysis if the transportation costs are too great. Transportation system cost can be reduced and efficiencies maximized by tying smaller flow lines into large pipelines. Deepwater tie-ins do present many unique challenges for equipment manufacturers and installation contractors. There are several methods to accomplish deepwater tie-ins during the initial construction phase. However, after a pipeline is installed and operating, tying a new line into it requires hot tapping. Until the development of Deep Tap there has been no method for completing a hot tap in deepwater.
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