OptaSense secures MENA contract
The project will bring the total amount of pipelines in the MENA region under protection from OptaSense to 1,000 kilometres. This comes at a time when security issues and the need for asset integrity in the oil and gas industry are extremely high.
The project will take delivery of the latest version of the OptaSense system, called V3.0, which in addition to third party interference (TPI) detection, incorporates the latest development in leak detection, including a unique four mode leak measurement capability. The four measurements cover, diverse pressure pulse, acoustic emissions, strain and a new distributed temperature gradient system (DTGS), capable of measuring a temperature change of 0.001 centigrade.
Magnus McEwen-King, Managing Director for OptaSense, said: “When security really matters, customers want proven performance. We provide tried and tested solutions to protect our client’s pipelines and facilities. Our success in the Middle East & North Africa builds on our commitment to the region with customers deploying OptaSense reporting a reduction in pipeline incidents.
“I am particularly pleased that this contract takes delivery of our latest V3.0 system which includes the combined learning of over 100 projects globally. Our new four mode leak detection capability combining and improving on all the known leak detection measurements is the first significant step forward in pipeline integrity management for a decade.”

Above:
OptaSense Engineers in the field.
Courtesy OptaSense
The contract will be delivered from the regional headquarters in Dubai, opened last year, and complements previous contract wins in Iraq.
OptaSense technology turns ordinary optical fibre into thousands of virtual microphones along its length enabling even the smallest of interference activity to be detected on pipelines which would otherwise be isolated in terms of security coverage.