An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Offshore Site Survey & Geohazard Assessment
Seabed and Shallow Hazard Assessment
Secure your spot now!
Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,500
Starting From
08 Feb 2027
Home Geology and Geoscience Offshore Site Survey & Geohazard Assessment
Offshore Site Survey & Geohazard Assessment
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Offshore Site Survey & Geohazard Assessment - GG-GEOHAZ-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Normal Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG-GEOHAZ-PEA27 | 08 - 12 Feb 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
3500 |
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Offshore Site Survey & Geohazard Assessment
Description
Every offshore structure, well and pipeline sits on or passes through the shallow section, and the shallow section contains hazards that the exploration seismic was never designed to image. Shallow gas, overpressured sands, gas hydrates, unstable slopes, boulder fields, buried channels with soft fill, faults active at seabed, and seabed infrastructure and wrecks all present risks that are assessed before anything is placed. The consequences of not doing so are among the most serious in offshore operations.
This training covers the work as it is actually specified and executed. Survey objectives and specification are established first, including regulatory and industry requirements, survey scope by application and the tiering of survey effort. Geophysical acquisition follows: multibeam and single beam bathymetry, side scan sonar and backscatter, sub-bottom profiling, high resolution two and three dimensional seismic, magnetometer and other sensors, with attention to resolution, penetration and positioning. Data interpretation is then developed, covering seabed morphology and features, shallow stratigraphy, seabed and shallow soil conditions and the identification of anomalies. Geotechnical investigation follows, covering boreholes, cone penetration testing, sampling, laboratory testing and soil parameter determination, and the integration of geotechnical and geophysical data. Geohazards are then developed individually: shallow gas, shallow water flow, hydrates, slope instability and mass movement, faults and seismicity, karst and dissolution, scour and mobile seabed. The training closes with rig siting, foundation and anchoring assessment, pipeline and cable route survey, and the reporting that supports operational decisions.
Shallow gas is the hazard with the most direct operational consequence, and its assessment is not straightforward. Gas in shallow unconsolidated sand is at or near hydrostatic pressure but has nowhere to go once a well penetrates it, and a shallow blowout can occur before the blowout preventer is installed, with the possibility of seabed cratering and loss of the structure. Identification relies on seismic amplitude anomalies, acoustic blanking, velocity pull-down and seabed features such as pockmarks, and the evidence is indicative rather than conclusive. A site assessment states where gas may be present and what the operational response should be, not a binary answer.
Geophysics and geotechnics answer different questions and both are needed. The geophysical survey maps features and stratigraphy over an area, identifying anomalies and defining the shallow architecture, but it does not measure soil strength. The geotechnical investigation measures strength and consolidation at specific points but samples a tiny fraction of the site. A foundation assessment requires the geotechnical parameters extended across the site using the geophysical stratigraphy, and the quality of that extension depends on how well the two data sets are integrated. Treating them as separate deliverables from separate contractors is a common source of weakness.
Slope stability assessment is required wherever the seabed has gradient and relevant wherever upslope failure could reach the site. Evidence of past failure, scarps, blocky debris and buried mass transport deposits, indicates that failure has occurred and may again. Assessment considers the slope angle, soil strength, excess pore pressure, the presence of weak layers, gas or hydrate, and potential triggers including earthquake loading. For deepwater developments crossing slope terrain, this frequently determines the route and the layout.
Finally, the site survey report is an operational document and should be written as one. Its users are the drilling team deciding where to place the well and how to plan the top hole, the structural engineers designing the foundation, and the installation contractor. A report that describes the shallow geology without stating the hazards, their locations, their confidence and the recommended response has not completed the job.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Specify offshore site surveys appropriate to the application and the regulatory requirement
- Select geophysical acquisition methods against resolution and penetration requirements
- Interpret bathymetric, side scan and sub-bottom data for seabed and shallow features
- Interpret high resolution seismic for shallow stratigraphy and anomalies
- Specify geotechnical investigations and interpret soil parameter results
- Integrate geophysical and geotechnical data into a site model
- Identify and assess shallow gas, shallow water flow and hydrate hazards
- Assess slope instability, fault activity and other geohazards
- Support rig siting, foundation and anchoring assessments
- Conduct route surveys and report geohazard findings for operational use
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Reduce the risk of shallow gas and shallow hazard incidents
- Specify site surveys that meet operational and regulatory requirements
- Improve integration of geophysical and geotechnical data
- Improve rig siting, foundation and route decisions
- Reduce installation delays and redesign caused by unidentified hazards
- Build in-house site survey and geohazard capability
Participants will:
- Specify and manage offshore site survey programmes
- Interpret site survey geophysical and geotechnical data
- Identify shallow geohazards and assess their significance
- Produce site assessments that support operational decisions
- Communicate hazard findings clearly to drilling and engineering teams
- Build capability in a discipline required for every offshore project
- Geoscientists responsible for site survey and shallow hazard work
- Operations and drilling geologists planning offshore wells
- Geophysicists interpreting high resolution and shallow data
- Engineering and geotechnical staff on offshore projects
- Well planners and drilling engineers planning top hole sections
- Subsea and pipeline project engineers
- Regulatory, approvals and HSE staff reviewing site assessments
Module 1 - Site Survey Objectives and Specification
- Purpose of site survey and hazard assessment
- Applications: rig siting, platform, subsea, pipeline, cable
- Regulatory requirements and industry guidance
- Survey tiering and scope by application
- Survey area and grid specification
- Resolution and penetration requirements
- Positioning and datum requirements
- Desk study and existing data review
- Contracting and scope of work preparation
- Survey quality control and acceptance
- Deliverables and reporting requirements
Module 2 - Geophysical Acquisition Methods
- Single beam and multibeam echosounder bathymetry
- Backscatter data and seabed classification
- Side scan sonar and its interpretation
- Sub-bottom profiler types: pinger, chirp, boomer, sparker
- High resolution two dimensional seismic
- High resolution three dimensional seismic and its value
- Autonomous and remotely operated vehicle acquisition
- Magnetometer and gradiometer surveys
- Positioning systems and accuracy
- Tidal and water column corrections
- Resolution against penetration trade-offs
- Data processing for site survey data
Module 3 - Seabed and Shallow Interpretation
- Seabed morphology and its interpretation
- Sediment types and seabed classification
- Bedforms, sand waves and mobile seabed
- Pockmarks, mounds and fluid escape features
- Scarps, slides and debris fields
- Boulders, outcrop and hard ground
- Channels, iceberg scours and buried features
- Man-made features, debris, wrecks and infrastructure
- Shallow stratigraphic interpretation
- Unit mapping and isopach construction
- Anomaly identification and classification
- Seabed and shallow hazard mapping
Module 4 - Geotechnical Investigation
- Geotechnical investigation objectives
- Borehole drilling and sampling offshore
- Cone penetration testing and piezocone measurement
- In situ testing methods
- Sample handling and quality
- Laboratory testing programme
- Soil classification and index properties
- Shear strength determination
- Consolidation and compressibility parameters
- Cyclic and dynamic soil properties
- Soil parameter selection for design
- Integrating geotechnical results with geophysical stratigraphy
Module 5 - Shallow Gas and Fluid Hazards
- Shallow gas occurrence and origin
- Biogenic and thermogenic shallow gas
- Seismic indicators: amplitude anomalies, blanking, pull-down
- Seabed indicators of gas escape
- Confidence in shallow gas identification
- Shallow water flow and its mechanisms
- Overpressured shallow sands and their recognition
- Gas hydrates and their stability conditions
- Hydrate dissociation hazards
- Operational responses: well placement, pilot holes, riserless drilling
- Top hole design for shallow hazard management
- Reporting shallow gas findings
Module 6 - Slope Instability and Ground Movement
- Slope failure mechanisms offshore
- Evidence of past failure in survey data
- Mass transport deposit recognition
- Slope angle, soil strength and stability analysis
- Excess pore pressure and its role
- Weak layers and failure surfaces
- Trigger mechanisms including seismic loading
- Retrogressive failure and runout
- Faults and their activity assessment
- Seismicity and ground motion assessment
- Karst, dissolution and subsidence features
- Scour, erosion and seabed mobility
Module 7 - Rig Siting and Foundation Assessment
- Rig siting assessment requirements
- Jack-up leg penetration and punch-through assessment
- Spudcan bearing capacity analysis
- Seabed levelling and footprint interaction
- Anchor holding and anchoring assessment
- Mooring and dynamic positioning considerations
- Platform and jacket foundation assessment
- Pile driveability and capacity
- Suction caisson and gravity base considerations
- Subsea structure foundation design inputs
- Site specific assessment reporting
- Approval and assurance requirements
Module 8 - Routes, Reporting and Integration
- Pipeline and cable route survey specification
- Route corridor selection and constraints
- Free span assessment and seabed roughness
- Crossing design and existing infrastructure
- Trenching and burial assessment
- Shore approach and nearshore survey
- Environmental and habitat survey integration
- Archaeological and unexploded ordnance considerations
- Integrated ground model construction
- Hazard register and risk assessment
- Reporting for drilling and engineering users
- Managing survey data through project life
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.
Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
