International Oil Spill Response Agency Launches Subsea Well Control System for Water Depths of 75 to 600 Meters

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 25, Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) disclosed that the shallow-water subsea well control system developed jointly with InterMoor and Oceaneering is ready for operational deployment. The system is suitable for water depths of 75 to 600 meters and employs a three-vessel coordinated lifting and four hydraulic winch control technology, enabling lateral deployment of wellhead capping equipment when the operating vessel cannot directly station above the uncontrolled well. The equipment is currently stored at a base in Norway and can be used for global offshore oil and gas well emergency response.

The system combines InterMoor's Split Lift System (SLS) with Oceaneering's Traction Winch System (SLWS). Three anchor handling vessels jointly control the descent and horizontal movement of the capping equipment via wire ropes, chains, and buoyancy devices, avoiding potential gas release zones above the wellhead and surface oil and gas seepage areas. Once the capping equipment approaches the target wellhead, four hydraulic winches mounted on the equipment complete the final positioning. Each winch can be operated independently or in combination to control equipment orientation, align with the blowout preventer, and complete seating and connection.

Unlike conventional vertical lifting methods, this system does not require large deployment equipment to be pre-positioned on the seabed. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) participate in equipment connection, positioning, and final installation operations, with the capping equipment guided into the target wellhead position through staged traction. The overall solution integrates existing offshore vessels, lifting equipment, and subsea operation technologies, and is configured for environments with dense seabed infrastructure or where direct navigation above the wellhead is not possible.

System development began in 2023, when OSRL commissioned Oceaneering to develop the traction winch system; in 2024, InterMoor was commissioned to develop the three-vessel coordinated lifting solution. The first traction winch system was delivered to the Norwegian base in February 2025, passed on-site integration testing in September of the same year, and completed a joint solution drill in Stavanger in October. The equipment is currently stored at Sløvåg and Tanager in Norway and can be mobilized according to the actual needs of offshore well control incidents.