Egret Platform
The Environmental Baseline - June 2003
Recently
an event took place that provided the project with a unique opportunity to
study how an offshore platform attracts marine life. On 8th May 2003, the
Egret platform was launched and positioned in 62 metres of water some 45 km
from Kuala Belait. To some, this platform was just another offshore
installation, however, to the environmental project, it represented a
base-line; a virgin structure lying in deep oceanic waters where the growth
and colonization of the metalwork by encrusting organisms could be studied in
detail.
Inaugurating
a new platform is a busy time for the engineers, however, a short time slot
between activities, which fortunately coincided with good weather, allowed
five divers to travel from KB to the platform. In 60 minutes, the divers
recorded the marine growth and took over 100 photographs. After just one month
in the sea, the number of goose barnacles (Lepas anatifera) was astonishing.
The platform was liberally covered with these 1 cm long barnacles to a depth
of four metres and sporadically below that depth to the 24 metre bracing. A
‘hairy’ growth of algae also covered the structure to this depth. Below 25
metres the platform was virtually clean with just a couple of remoras (shark
suckers) and some larger pelagic fish circling the structure. The remoras had
obviously left their normal host (usually a shark or turtle) for this much
larger ‘creature’, however, the poor fish seems quite put out that the
platform wasn’t moving.
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Stunning
visibility of over 40 metres characterized the dive and from the surface, the
42 metre bracing was clearly visible. This is partly due to the location of
the platform away from the influence of the Bruneian rivers, and partly due to
the clear seas of the inter-monsoon season. Normally
divers will chatter away after a particularly good dive, however, on this
occasion, we were stunned into silence by the awesome sight of this new
platform. Over the next year, it is expected that the platform will attract
more and more fish, acorn barnacles will begin to dominate the goose barnacles
and a regular food chain will be established. It will be fascinating to
record, over the coming years, the colonization of the platform. Fortunately,
we were given the privilege of witnessing the beginning of this fascinating
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6th June 2003: EGDP-01 We took the chance to dive on BSP's newest platform, EGDP-01 (Egret) and witnessed now life had begun to colinise this four week old structure.
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This is 40 metre visibility |
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Egret Revisited - July 2004
In July 2004, Scubazoo were hired to make a 20 minute about "Life beneath the Platforms". The highlight of the week was certainly the return to Egret after an absence of one year. The change in the platform is all we had hoped for. Juvenile fish were teeming around the conductor guides. The metal bracings that a year ago were covered by algae and goose-neck barnacles, are now alive with shells, hydroids and the soft coral acanthagorgia sp. Schools of jacks (see picture) swirled through the columns of this amazing structure that we hope will become part of the ongoing environmental project in the years to come. The pictures on the left show how much growth has occurred over a 12 month period.
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Egret 2003
Egret 2004
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From a scientific point-of-view, apart from the stunning underwater vistas, the photographs taken should be repeatable and thus able to illustrate the development of life over the months and years. (Click on the picture to see the difference that one year of growth makes). |
Amazingly, apart from the growth of hydroids, algae and oysters, is the appearance of a mature lionfish.
Revisited again- 19th September 2004
When the conditions are calm, as they often are in September, the chance should be taken to visit the outlying platforms. Another group of divers were introduced to the concept of 40+ metre visibility. Shona complained of vertigo, and joined the divers of Jacques Cousteau's famous vessel 'Calypso', who suffered the same feeling on their first ever Red Sea dive. The sheer blueness of the sea is outstanding.
- 5th May 2007
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This platform was launched in May 2003 and the club first dived it in June of that year. Even after three weeks, life had taken hold and pelagic fish were showing a keen interest. We returned in July 2004 to find a solid covering of growth with numerous reef fish in evidence. In 2005, and 2006, drilling operations (these platforms fulfill other purposes than marine habitats) and bad weather kept us away. We were very keen to return and see if the drilling had had any effect on the burgeoning ecosystem. We received permission to visit the platform on Saturday 5th May, and with 10 divers on board, made the 23 mile journey in excellent sea conditions to the platform. A current was running from strongly from the west at over 0.5 knot and the surface visibility was dreadful due to the Baram River outflow. Descending close to the north-eastern leg to avoid the current, the poor visibility persisted for about six metres until we emerged from the Baram water into the clear oceanic water lying just below. The whole platform down to 40 metres would have been visible but for the massive aggregation of jacks and trevallies, with the occasional giant trevally swirling around the columns of this platform. The current was still strong even at depth and must be a feature of the platform since the abundant soft corals preferred to grow on the lee side of the colums. |
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The platform was vibrant with life and colour (hardly an accurate biological description) but it was the sheer impression that everybody felt. Good panoramic shots were spoiled by the force of the current and the relative lack of ambient light due to the green Baram water, but close-up flash photographs were more successful. A picture of the 25 metre bracing shows exactly the soft coral distribution of the well established Ampa platforms with Dendronephthya and Acanthagorgia in abundance. Not surprisingly, the slower growing hard corals were not observed, but a large spectrum of reef fish were present at all levels. The nine metre bracing area was dominated by Sergeant-major fish (Abudefduf vaigensis) with small octopuses in the conductor guides.
Look at how the same 25 metre bracing has changed over four years:-
On the left, the platform has been in the sea for three weeks. A dusting of algae and the odd gooseneck barnacle are the first colonists of this new structure. A year later, the goosenecks barnacles have vanished, displaced by the more robust acorn barnacles and oysters have established themselves. Empty shells remain showing up whitely. The beginnings of soft corals are evident. Reef fish can be seen. On the right after four years, there has been an explosion of soft corals and sponges. Reef fishes are abundant. Any attempt to touch the structure sees it react, for the oysters are still there but now covered in inches of growth.
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Photographs taken by Evert Moes, Richard Hamilton and John Elder. From top left to bottom right we approach the Egret platform with its very distinctive flare-boom. The current rips past the platform towards the south-east making for very tricky camera handling. |
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Pelagic fish abound, the platform is like an aquarium. Flash photography reveals the beauty and colour of four years of coral growth. Even at 42 metres a lion fish sits on a bracing and reef fish are common throughout the structure for the Egret platform has become a reef!
Photographs by Brigitte Dale-Pine
After a two year absence, permission was granted to the club to conduct two dives on EGDP-1. Blessed with good weather, we set out to conduct an environmental survey, to evaluate changes in marine environment since the last club visit in 2007. Armed with cameras, 7 Panaga club divers went down accompanied by another 4 divers from the Bandar club. From surface, the bracings down to 25 m could be seen and we were greeted with over 30 m visibility. The fish life was incredible with large schools of jacks, many lobsters, lion fishes, barracudas, crabs hiding along conductor and six octopus seen on a single dive.
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Egret is a working platform of the oil and gas industry, but just beneath the surface, marine life not just flourishes but is attracted to this oasis in the middle of the ocean. This working platform has become a coral reef.
