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Pipeline Shore Crossings

Puzzling Sections in Pipeline Routes

Shore crossings often represent challenging sections in pipeline, umbilical and cable routes. The transition from a wet to a dry environment, fluctuating water levels, and sometimes fierce breaking-wave loading can severely affect the integrity of a pipeline, umbilical, or cable, if not well designed.

Coastal geomorphology processes need to be well understood and predicted given their ability to significantly re-shape a coastal environment within a relatively short timeframe. Shorelines are also generally very sensitive from a flora, fauna and social perspective.

The nearshore shallow waters usually make the collection of design data, the construction of the crossing, and the inspection of the pipeline, umbilical or cable problematic using conventional methods.

Service Area Specialist
Thomas Seeber facing the camera
Thomas SeeberOnshore Business Manager

Thomas is the discipline lead for onshore pipeline engineering projects.

Our Expertise

Atteris is the recognised leader for the design of shore approaches and shoreline crossings. We have left a legacy of innovative and cost-effective designs for a wide range of different coastal environments.

Atteris and its staff have significant expertise with pipeline, umbilical and cable shore crossings. All shore crossings designed by Atteris have had a flawless construction phase and are currently in operation without problems.

Atteris understands the high risk that shore crossing environments can have on pipeline systems, be it during construction or during the operational phase.

We take into consideration the value and sometimes delicate environment of coastlines. We use our unique Safety and Environment in Design (SHED) assessment process to ensure pipelines can be safely installed and operated with minimal environmental impact.

Our Legacy

Atteris has delivered pipeline and cable shore crossing designs based on open cut and cover, horizontal directional drilling, and tunnelling techniques.

Atteris has been the author of an Engineering Guideline for Shoreline and Waterway Crossings, with elements of it feeding in to national and international standards, such as AS 2885.4 and DNV-ST-F101.

Many of the shore crossing projects designed by Atteris have won an Engineering Excellence Award from Engineers Australia, including:

  • Second Trunkline Project (Woodside Energy)
  • Otway Gas Project (Woodside Energy)
  • Gorgon LNG Project (Chevron Australia)
  • Alkimos Ocean Outfall (Water Corporation of WA)

Outside of Australia, Atteris has been involved in the design of shore crossing projects in New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore, and the USA.

Coatings and Cathodic Protection

There is arguably no harsher environment for an pipeline’s external coating than at a shoreline crossing.

The combination of tidal inundation, wave loading, geomorphology, and mechanical abrasion often exacerbated by the inaccessibility of the breaking wave zone can lead to some of the greatest corrosion protection challenges that a metallic pipeline may face. Atteris’ thorough understanding of both onshore and subsea pipeline coating systems ensures the optimum coating is selected for your landfall.

Atteris has initiated and led world-leading cathodic protection research for pipeline shoreline crossings in high resistivity soils. Arising from recommendations made by the Atteris-led CROSSWAY JIP, shore crossing corrosion environments have been simulated in a controlled laboratory at Deakin University and the findings incorporated into the Pipeline Shoreline and Waterway Crossings Engineering Guideline.

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