MARSOL International, a  global marine solutions provider in the UAE, and UK-based chemical engineering specialist Aubin Group have partnered to provide an ‘industry first’ total pigging solution for non-piggable pipelines.

Marsol and Aubin recently delivered a solution to achieve a world first by completing displacement of pipeline preservation fluid in three, 48-inch pipelines using sales oil, thereby providing an extremely cost-effective, environmentally-friendly solution. This saved a client in excess of $3 million, a statement said.

Following successful field trials, the two firms have joined expertise to provide the Middle East, Far East and African markets with a complete product and engineering solution where conventional pigging is not applicable.

The application is ideal for older fields that were not designed for pigging and/or have suffered damage. The solution is also well suited to pigging or cleaning pipe infrastructure which contains 90 degree bends and/or T-pieces that has varying internal diameters in the same configuration. The solution reduces the need to strip down, clean and reassemble components, and also reduces the potential for environmental damage.

The partnership will enable Marsol and Aubin’s clients to benefit from Marsol’s asset management, marine services and pipeline operational engineering capabilities combined with Aubin’s pipeline pigging tool EVO-Pig and pipeline cleaning ‘Pipeline Gels’.