Furthermore, the connection was completed under normal operating pressure.

“The completion of the Angel 1 TL hot tap installation is an important milestone for TS7,” chief executive Robin King said.

“The project team completed the installation project ahead of schedule, under budget and without any safety issues.”

Woodside’s Angel project is in 125 metres of water off the coast of Western Australia in permit WA-3-L.

The complete project includes installation of a third major offshore production platform off the NWS and associated infrastructure, including a new 50km subsea pipeline tie-back to the North Rankin platform from Angel, which will underpin the North West Shelf Venture’s current gas contracts and future sales.

TS7 said its key responsibility for the project involved tapping into the 1TL pipeline without interrupting field production.

The tapping tool was installed on and operated through the 30-inch valve at a water depth of 125m, after which it cut out and removed the 27in x 65mm thick coupon from the Future Tap flange.

All of this was achieved while maintaining a normal operating pressure of about 90- bar (~1305 psi).

“Extensive diver training and a high level of focus on the safety and environmental aspects of the operation were required for successful completion of the project,” TS7 said.

In addition to the tapping operation, TS7 was required to install the 1TL Isolation Assembly Skid to allow the 50km Angel export pipeline to be connected in the first quarter of 2008.

The company also installed a 30in diameter ball valve on the Class 900, 30in Future Tap flange, surrounded by a two-piece protection structure, known as the tie-in assembly.

Finally, it installed and tied-in two spool pieces between the valve and the isolation assembly, before pre-commissioning of the Angel 1TL tie-in system took place.

Formed in 2006, TS7 is a joint venture between Technip and Subsea7 designed to operate on deepwater projects in the Asia-Pacific region.