Research Team

Atkins is the lead contractor for the SAFEBUCK JIP. (Comprising the same team from Boreas Consultants which led earlier phases of SAFEBUCK, prior to acquisition by Atkins in 2007). Atkins provides specialist, high quality consultancy and problem solving skills. A critical factor in the success of the pipeline and subsea engineering team has been a recognised, class leading skill in HPHT (high-pressure high-temperature) pipeline design from early concept engineering to detailed analysis. The SAFEBUCK team is at the centre of the pipeline and subsea engineering expertise within Atkins, providing support engineering and assurance on many of the most challenging international projects in the oil and gas industry.

Cambridge University Engineering Department (CUED) is the largest department in the University, with an academic staff of 130, several hundred graduate students and over a thousand undergraduates. It is a strong centre of research in many areas, and received a top 5* rating in the recent national Research Assessment Exercise.

Research at Cambridge into engineering geotechnics began with the pioneering studies of stress-strain relations by Roscoe and his group in the 1950s and 1960s, which led to the development of critical state theory. A major theme over the last 30 years has been the development of centrifuge modelling by Schofield. The Geotechnics group at Cambridge has been engaged with geotechnical problems of pipelines for more than 25 years.

Cathie Associates provides geotechnical engineering consultancy services to the oil, gas and energy industries.

We bring a unique brand of technical engineering expertise and practical construction support capability to our clients. We aim to provide a high quality, best practice service with an eye for practicality and constructability of all our solutions. Where appropriate, we aim to bring the latest knowledge and state of the art software to achieve cost-effective solutions without undue conservatism.

Our services are characterised by our company values and objectives, and our firm determination to keep our commitment to our client

Sophisticated testing and validation services are a core element of Doosan Babcock business. Using the most advanced facilities and equipment we are able to verify the performance and design of not only our own products but also those of our customers who range from the operators of power stations to product developers.

NGI (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute) is a leading international centre for research and consulting in the geosciences. NGI works within the oil, gas and energy, building and construction, transportation, natural hazards and environmental sectors. NGI's services in the oil and gas offshore are linked to the exploration, development, operation, recovery and reduction (decommissioning) of offshore fields. NGI has led a series of international research programmes for the petroleum industry and collaborates with research institutions worldwide. NGI has over 10 years of experience with large-scale model testing that investigate the complex interaction between seabed soils and risers or pipelines.

OTM Consulting Ltd. is a dynamic organisation specialising in the provision of services related to technology management. These include initiation, launch and management of collaborative research programmes; market studies and market analyses; technology transfer, identification, evaluation and auditing. The company offers a personalised service, backed by a solid team with complementary skills. The company's steady growth is largely attributable to personal recommendations from satisfied clients, and consists of a high degree of repeat custom.

TWI is one of Europe's largest research and technology organisations. Based at Granta Park, Great Abington, near Cambridge, UK since 1946, TWI provides industry with technical support in welding, joining and associated technologies.

Over 400 skilled staff are dedicated to helping industry apply all forms of joining technology safely and efficiently. Some 3000 worldwide companies and organisations benefit from TWI services.

TWI has been involved in several aspects of pipeline engineering including material property evaluation, structural integrity assessment, pipeline inspection capability, development of welding flaw acceptance criteria and failure investigation.

The Department of Engineering Science is one of the largest departments in the University of Oxford. It has an international reputation for its research in all the major branches of engineering, and in emerging areas such as biomedical engineering, energy and the environment. Members of the Civil and Offshore Engineering Group have wide-ranging research interests in geotechnics, structures and ocean/coastal engineering. Over the last 20 years the group has developed particular expertise in the area of offshore soil-structure interaction.

The Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems at the University of Western Australia is the world's largest university research group focused on offshore geotechnics. It hosts 18 academic staff and post-doctoral researchers, 12 technical staff, 20 research students, a world-class soil testing laboratory and two geotechnical centrifuges.

David White is a Professorial Fellow at COFS and has published more than 30 papers on pipeline geotechnics during the last 4 years. In addition to his involvement in the SAFEBUCK JIP, he serves on the ISO/API committee tasked with preparing guidelines on pipeline-soil interaction.

Votadini Consultants Limited is an engineering consultancy providing help and support to the Oil and Gas Industry. A major focus of the company’s expertise is the design and analysis of hot subsea pipelines. We undertake work in all the major offshore Oil and Gas provinces; North Sea; Gulf of Mexico; Brazil; West Africa; SE Asia and Australia. Our key consultants have over 25 years experience in design and analysis of subsea systems. We use our skills and experience to solve your problems. At Votadini Consultants we believe that understanding counts. We strive to understand you problem and provide the most appropriate solution.