Fugro's Oceanographic Business Line
Fugro is a world-leading provider of oceanographic systems and services. The Oceanographic Business Line of Fugro comprises the following companies:

• Fugro OCEANOR AS (incl. Oceanor Thailand, Oceanor Spain, Oceanor Poland)
• Fugro GEOS Ltd
• Fugro GEOS Inc
• Fugro GEOS Sdn Bhd
• Fugro GEOS Pte Ltd

Fugro's Oceanographic Business Line provides a range of oceanographic and marine meteorological systems and services:

• Oceanographic measurement services
• Oceanographic consultancy
• Metocean monitoring systems for oil and gas industry applications
• Specialist offshore forecasting services

Systems and services are provided and supported globally through the network of Fugro offices.

Fugro OCEANOR
Fugro OCEANOR is a high technology company specialising in the design, manufacture, technological development, installation and support of public sector environmental monitoring, ocean observing and forecasting systems. The Company has over 20 years of international experience and a staff with multi-disciplinary backgrounds within marine technology, hydrology and instrumentation including engineering, electronics, marine surveying and operations, applied meteorology, oceanography, mathematics, software development.

Fugro OCEANOR are certified in accordance with the International Quality Assurance standard ISO 9001:2000.

A major element of the Company profile is the establishment of a long-term co-operation both with almost all of our main customers and with Norwegian and international institutions or agencies in applied oceanography and meteorology. In the SEAWATCH projects we often establish local companies in close co-operation with the client, to maintain and operate the buoy system. Fugro OCEANOR also participates in several international R&D programs. Our marine monitoring buoys and systems are, as an example, developed in close co-operation with the European research program EUREKA/EUROMAR (where 11 countries participate), IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanography Commission) and with recommendations from the GOOS (Global Observing System) program.

The Company's activities are concentrated within three main business areas:

1. Fugro OCEANOR develops, manufactures and delivers the environmental monitoring systems SEAWATCH^TM, RIVERWATCH and SOILWATCH. Deliveries of these systems may include implementation and maintenance of such systems including technology transfer and institution building.
2. Fugro OCEANOR develops, manufactures and supplies products such as measuring instruments, measurement buoys, monitoring stations, presentation software and mathematical models for physical, chemical and biological environmental parameters.
3. Fugro OCEANOR executes measurements and analyses of physical, meteorological and biological conditions in oceans and coastal zones, rivers and lakes including delivery of instrumentation systems for both onshore and offshore-based clients.

SEAWATCH
SEAWATCH^TM is our main product that incorporates moored buoys, sensors, data processing, software, communication interfaces, simulation models and modules for training and institutional capacity building. The system or modules of the system can be used to complete national, regional or local marine environmental monitoring in deep and shallow water.

SEAWATCH can include the following components:

• Moored oceanographic buoys (Wavescan buoy, Seawatch buoy and Seawatch Mini or other data sources).
• Real time, two-way communication system .
• Component for integration of data from other sources (delivered on clients request).
  Databases and presentation software including GIS.
• Numerical models (several options can be included on client request)
• Module for training and institutional capacity building.

SEAWATCH can serve as basis for a complete regional environmental monitoring and forecasting system, or easily be integrated integration into already existing infrastructure.

SEAWATCH is designed to comply with the standard stipulated in the Global Ocean Observation System (GOOS) now being developed by the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. Thus, the system can act as an interface for the exchange of oceanographic and meteorological environmental data between nations and government agencies.

SEAWATCH is a well-proven technology that has operated successfully throughout the world for several years in Europe, in South America, in Asia, in Africa and in Australia.

RIVERWATCH
RIVERWATCH provides environmental monitoring and early warnings as well as increased regularity and safety for river navigation and port operation.

A RIVERWATCH system usually has the following components:

• A network or river, lake and/or groundwater monitoring stations.
• Real time, two-way telemetry.
• Integration and exchange of data to/from other sources.
• Databases, simulation models and other dedicated software
• Computer hardware and software with geographical information systems (GIS).

The SOILWATCH monitoring unit is specifically designed to monitor pollutants in soil and groundwater, and give early warnings of discharges from tank farms, industrial sites and airports. The automatic on-line monitoring is also used to control performance of soil based waste water treatment plants.

Oceanography and Environmental Studies
The offshore petroleum industry moves towards deeper water, involving more complex design concepts and marine operations. At the same time, the coastal zone is under development causing more engineering and shipping activities. Site studies of the environmental climate are in demand for design criteria and operational statistics.

Fugro OCEANOR has a long record of extensive oceanographic measurement programs for offshore petroleum and engineering companies and government agencies all over the world. This activity started in the Norwegian Research Institute SINTEF for about 20 years ago, and was the basis for the establishment of OCEANOR in 1984 with a operational staff from SINTEF. Our stock of instruments today includes advanced data buoys, current meters and other sensors with documented high data retrieval rates.

Typical measurement programs incorporate a network of self-recording moored instruments capable of simultaneous measurements of a multitude of met-ocean parameters, incl. wind, waves, temperature, CTD-profile and currents. Real-time data transmission covers operational needs and ongoing data quality assessment. The oceanographic measurement is executed in shallow waters and to 5000 meters depth.

Fugro OCEANOR holds one of the most extensive global databases of met-ocean data, which are regularly accessed in environmental studies for a wide range of clients. The database includes:

• Global wave and wind data from satellite altimeter measurements
• Global numerical wave model data archive.
• Wave, wind and current data from world-wide measurement programmes.

Environmental Monitoring
Fugro OCEANOR develops, manufactures and delivers environmental monitoring systems. Deliveries of buoys and systems may include implementation and maintenance. For some clients we also have the contracts to operate the buoy networks on a regular basis. Today Fugro OCEANOR (by our local companies) operates a buoy-network in Spain and Thailand. These projects are among other projects, described in the chapter presenting experience from similar systems to the system Argentina has requested in the bidding documents.

Fugro OCEANOR has long experience in monitoring the radioactivity in the Barents Sea and Skagerrak in co-operation with the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority and Russian authorities. This is based on a buoy mounted radioactivity sensor providing continuous measurement of gamma radiation. The instrument, which is developed by Fugro OCEANOR, is also delivered to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Monaco, and has been approved by an international expert group on marine radiation.

Fugro OCEANOR has been engaged in the development and operation of numerical oil drift models over many years.

Production and Sale of Buoys and Sensors
Fugro OCEANOR is also a major supplier of a wide range of measuring equipment, such as: Moored buoys; radioactivity sensors; optical sensors; Trace Metal sensors; wave sensors; MRU sensors; communication systems and software.

Quality Assurance
Fugro OCEANOR as a Company with all activities and products certified in accordance to the International Quality Assurance Standard NS-EN ISO 9001-2000. This standard is a model for quality assurance in design, development, production, installation and servicing including technology transfer and institutional building. The Certificate is shown below.

Fugro OCEANOR's sales turn over
Fugro OCEANOR is a stock company with the shares owned by Fugro Norway. The average annual turnover for 2005 was approx. MNOK 90. The company has a staff of 40 employees. Approximately 40 % hold academic degrees.

Fugro OCEANOR's location
Fugro OCEANOR’s headquarters are located in the beautiful surroundings next to the Trondheim Fjord in Norway in the harbour area, close to Trondheim City Centre. 

The Seasystems Offshore Department are  located in Sandnes, just outside of Stavanger. 

Fugro OCEANOR also has subsidiaries in Spain, Poland and Thailand.