CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (Trinidad) Ltd. has completed surveys under an environmental monitoring programme for a major offshore energy operator in the Guyana-Suriname Basin, with work carried out in water depths of approximately 2,500 metres.
The programme was developed to identify detectable environmental effects associated with offshore oil and gas operations by comparing physical, chemical and biological conditions within operational areas against reference sites and established baseline conditions.
CSA said the work has included ultra-deepwater sediment sampling for physicochemical and benthic macroinfaunal analysis, underwater photographic surveys and water-column sampling. Hydrographic profiling and discrete water chemistry measurements were also carried out.
The datasets informed baseline surveys that can be used as a reference for evaluating potential environmental effects associated with exploration drilling and production activities in ultra-deepwater environments.
According to CSA, the surveys were conducted by teams of international, regional and local marine scientists and offshore operations specialists. The company said the environmental baseline datasets developed through the programme have been accepted by regulators.
CSA did not identify the offshore energy operator, the block in which the surveys were conducted or the regulators that accepted the datasets.
The monitoring programme was structured as an adaptive framework, allowing monitoring approaches to evolve based on survey results and offshore operational activities. CSA said the framework is aligned with international environmental monitoring practices.
CSA also described the programme as the first of its kind in the region. The company said it has completed more than 100 environmental field and desktop assessments in water depths exceeding 1,000 metres.
The Trinidad operation has previously supported environmental work in the Guyana-Suriname Basin. In 2019, CSA and its Trinidad subsidiary carried out an environmental baseline survey for proposed exploration drilling in water depths below 200 metres, using equipment mobilised from Port of Spain through Chaguaramas.
CSA subsequently reported completing an environmental baseline survey report for a deepwater campaign in Guyana's Stabroek Block, where surveys were conducted in water depths of up to 3,000 metres. The company has also undertaken environmental and social impact assessments, baseline surveys and post-drill assessments for offshore operations in Suriname.
The latest programme was developed and executed by CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (Trinidad) Ltd., providing a direct Trinidad and Tobago service-sector connection to offshore activity in the Guyana-Suriname Basin.