Well intervention

Helix Well Ops has performed over 1,500 subsea well intervention operations worldwide.

From playing a key role in the Gulf of Mexico, Macondo deepwater oil spill response to end-of-life P&A work, Helix Well Ops is the established leader in rigless subsea well intervention, providing efficient, flexible and high-quality well management services.

Helix Well Ops supports these offshore assets with proven project management support, including engineering and manpower.

With more than 1,500 well intervention operations performed around the world, our project teams and offshore crews deliver peerless levels of experience and real-world expertise.

Our state-of-the-art well intervention vessels and subsea well access systems operating worldwide serve as work platforms to enhance production from subsea wells through wireline, coiled tubing intervention, or hydraulic stimulation. 

We perform these types of subsea well intervention works at project costs significantly lower than drilling rigs, with the versatility to perform both riser-based and riserless interventions. 

In addition, we can also perform a variety of decommissioning operations including temporary and permanent plugging and well abandonment at cessation of production (CoP).

Helix vessels operate in water depths ranging from 50 m to 3,000 m further illustrating the flexibility we can provide including:

  • Well intervention
  • Well abandonment
  • Intervention engineering
  • Production enhancement
  • Support for life of field services

Leaders in safe well containment

The Helix Fast Response System (HFRS) is a compilation of our company’s unique assets, experience, preparedness, dedication to the industry safety, and past offshore spill response emergencies.

Based on the lessons learned and technologies developed for the BP Macondo spill response in 2010, Helix developed the Helix Fast Response System (HFRS) to respond to a future spill. The system uses proven methodologies to provide spill response capacity. 

Since February 2011, the Helix HFRS has been cited as the spill response system of record for nearly 240 new drilling permits issued in the Gulf of Mexico.  At full production capacity, the Helix Producer I is capable of producing 55,000 BOPD and 95 MMSCFD of gas at 10,000 psi in water depths to 10,000 feet.  In addition, the Q4000 or Q5000 have been outfitted to accommodate a temporary process package that can handle 130,000 BOPD and 220 MMSCFPD at 10,000 psi in water depths to 10,000 feet.

Our role in the HFRS is based on our unique assets, experience, preparedness and dedication to industry safety, as demonstrated in response to a previous offshore emergencies.  The Helix Producer I, Q4000 and Q5000 operate in the Gulf of Mexico full time, with experienced crews. Calling off working vessels is operationally preferable to a modular system that would take longer to deploy and may go untested for extended periods.  

 The HFRS includes key subsea systems to transport hydrocarbons to the surface for capture and disposal.  This equipment is kept in inventory in Houston, where they are maintained and available for deployment at any time.

Our Intervention services

 

Subsea Hydraulic Well Intervention (HWI) 

Including scale squeeze, well stimulation, well testing and clean-up and sand removal.

Hydraulic well intervention (HWI)

Subsea Mechanical Well Intervention (MWI) 

Including Installing pump through plug in DHSV/SCSSV, Gas lift valve change-out, sand screen repair, sand consolidation, fixing tubing failure, leaking tubing or seal failure and choke change-out.

Mechanical well intervention (MWI)

Well integrity

The ability to maintain and/or establish a well barrier during the life cycle of a well including production tubing, annulus integrity, subsea Christmas tree and wellhead integrity.

Well integrity

Where to next?

Riser-based

Riser-based well intervention for well enhancement, workover or abandonment operations.

Riserless

Increase your recovery rates with efficient riserless well intervention alternatives to rig-based operations.

Experience

Our experience defines us as a company. It’s the single most important edge we can share with you.