CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) has provided marine environmental and technical support services associated with the planning, permitting, and monitoring of over 90 pipeline projects worldwide. Combining our extensive experience with our superior multi-disciplinary field investigation capabilities, CSA is able to provide clients with environmental support solutions for submarine pipeline projects. High-quality environmental services supplemented with cutting-edge surveying capabilities enable CSA to collect critical data that help streamline pipeline permitting, positioning, and construction activities.
One of the primary components of pipeline projects is environmental permitting. An excellent working knowledge of pipeline construction operations combined with a proven impact assessment methodology that complies with accepted international standards has helped CSA to successfully gain approvals from regulatory agencies for numerous pipeline projects. Our approach to permitting and regulatory compliance relative to pipeline projects relies on several key elements:
- Our familiarity and past experience with environmental regulatory requirements resulting from the completion of multiple pipeline projects.
- Extensive work experience in the preparation of strategic and project-specific environmental assessments worldwide (i.e., Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs), Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs and ESIAs). In the absence of national standards in other international locations, CSA typically uses World Bank Group guidelines and standards in the preparation of international environmental permitting documents.
- Broad knowledge of terrestrial and aquatic environments and their interactions and associated environmental issues provides the background for the development of realistic measures to mitigate potential adverse environmental impacts.
Key Survey Capabilities
CSA has designed and conducted numerous environmental and geophysical surveys in support of pipeline construction activities. Our field survey results are used to characterize biological communities and assess potential impacts along the proposed pipeline routes.
- Development and conduct of programs for video/still camera hard/live bottom surveys along nearshore and offshore portions of pipeline routes.
- Qualitative photo documentation surveys to ground truth geophysical (side-scan sonar and subbottom profiler) pipeline corridor and hard bottom surveys.
- Quantitative photo documentation surveys to quantify biota in hard bottom areas.
- Comprehensive range of environmental sampling capabilities and equipment for the collection of sediment, water, biological samples, metocean, and geophysical data.
