Barge drillings to install gas pipeline in Louisiana bayou
In August 2025, Brownline USA helped to complete two HDD pilot bores in Louisiana, where the Mississippi River meets the ocean. New pipelines for the transportation of oil and gas were installed with exceptional efficiency thanks to Brownline USA’s steering service.
New oil and gas infrastructure
The Mississippi river delta is an important region for the production of oil and gas. New pipelines to transport these products are being installed in Grand Bay, near the town of Venice. To maximize efficiency and minimize disruption, horizontal directional drilling was used to install the pipelines.
These drills were carried out from jack-up barges. Highly accurate guidance was needed to prevent the pilot bore from steering off plan in the very soft soil conditions, and to drill the curves exactly according to specifications. This is why trenchless contractor Direct Tech Drilling contacted Brownline USA to survey the jobs using the Drillguide Gyro Steering Tool.
Highly accurate and efficient completion
Thanks to the positional measurements of the Drillguide GST, the contractor could rely on absolute precision to drill these crossings. Where the rough ocean waves allowed it, the team also deployed GPS track to provide additional verification from the surface. This helped to minimize errors and ensure an extremely accurate punch-out, even after the considerable drilling length. The first bore was 1476 m / 4841 ft long and the second bore, completed in the same week, was 1292 m / 4239 ft long.
The high accuracy of the underground navigation enabled a very fast and efficient completion of the two pilot bores, helped by the soft soil conditions. The team managed to complete the second pilot bore in a single day shift, even after operations halted for an hour due to severe weather.
To protect the wildlife in the sensitive river delta, inadvertent returns of drilling fluid needed to be avoided. Careful monitoring of the annular pressure using Brownline’s Pressure-While-Drilling service helped to mitigate the risks of drilling fluid spills.
This project exemplifies how the unparalleled accuracy of the Drillguide Gyro Steering Tool allows drilling contractors to complete pilot bores with maximal efficiency and safety.
