Deepwater geotechnical site investigation practice in the Gulf of Guinea

摘要

The development of deepwater fields offshore West Africa has been accompanied by a major evolution of the techniques used for geotechnical site investigations. The foundation engineering of the deep water structures installed in this part of the world generally requires soil parameters only over the first 20 to 40 meters below seabed. The traditional down-hole sampling and in situ testing techniques have been replaced by a combination of in-situ testing from seabed modules and high quality piston coring. These geotechnical techniques are described and their performance is highlighted. The need for new tools dedicated to specific requirements is emphasized.