Service

Offshore & nearshore geotechnical investigation

Marine geotechnical investigation across Egypt's Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts — drilling and sampling from floating pontoons and vessels, for ports, breakwaters, pipelines and coastal protection works.

Overview

Offshore works leave no margin for uncertainty. Piles are long, loads are high, and remediation once marine construction has started is punishingly expensive — so the investigation carries more weight in the design than its onshore equivalent ever does.

Horema works nearshore and offshore from floating pontoons, jack-up platforms and vessels, using dedicated marine sampling equipment. The challenge in Egyptian waters is rarely reaching depth; it is recovering samples of usable quality from soft, sensitive Delta deposits where disturbance destroys the very strength and compressibility data the design depends on.

The work is delivered alongside international partners where programmes call for it. On the Nile Delta coastal resilience programme, Horema operated within a Dutch–Egyptian consortium with Van Oord and Marine Sampling Holland, testing to protocols agreed across the consortium so results were directly comparable with partner datasets.

Marine geotechnical drilling from a floating pontoon on an Egyptian offshore project

Methods & standards

Test methods and the standards they follow

Pontoon & vessel-based borehole drilling

ASTM D2113 · BS 5930 · ISO 19901-8

Cased marine boreholes advanced from floating pontoons, jack-ups or vessels, with heave compensation and casing support through the water column into the seabed.

Undisturbed marine sampling

ASTM D1587 · piston and thin-wall tube sampling

Piston and thin-walled tube sampling in soft marine clays and silts, with sealing and controlled transport to preserve structure and moisture content between seabed and laboratory.

Offshore SPT & in-situ testing

ASTM D1586 · ASTM D2573

Standard penetration testing and field vane shear carried out down the marine borehole, giving strength profiles in deposits too soft for reliable sample-based assessment alone.

Seabed & shallow geotechnical sampling

Grab, vibrocore and gravity sampling

Near-surface seabed characterisation for dredging assessment, pipeline and cable routes, and beach nourishment source material evaluation.

Marine soil laboratory programme

ASTM & BS suite adapted for marine soils

Classification, strength, consolidation and chemical testing on marine samples, with salinity accounted for in index and chemical interpretation.

Positioning & water depth control

DGPS positioning with tidal correction

Borehole positions fixed by differential GPS and reduced to chart datum with tidal correction, so seabed levels and sample depths are referenced consistently across a marine campaign.

Where it applies

Typical applications

Quay walls, container terminals and reclamation platforms
Breakwaters, revetments and offshore piers
Coastal protection and beach nourishment schemes
Pipeline, outfall and cable route investigation
Dredging assessment and material characterisation
Canal and waterway deepening works

What you receive

Deliverables

Marine borehole location plan with DGPS coordinates and reduced seabed levels
Borehole logs referenced to chart datum
Undisturbed sample register with recovery and quality assessment
In-situ strength profiles from SPT and field vane testing
Marine soil laboratory results including salinity-aware chemical interpretation
Factual and interpretative reporting for marine foundation design

Common questions

What engineers ask us about offshore & nearshore investigation

How is offshore soil investigation carried out in shallow coastal water?

In nearshore and shallow water, boreholes are drilled from floating pontoons or jack-up platforms anchored on station, with casing supporting the hole through the water column into the seabed. Positions are fixed by differential GPS and water depths reduced to chart datum with tidal correction so that sample depths remain consistent across the campaign.

Why is sample quality so critical in marine investigation?

Soft marine and Delta deposits are structurally sensitive: disturbance during sampling reduces measured strength and alters compressibility, which in turn distorts settlement and stability predictions for breakwaters, quay walls and reclamation. Piston and thin-wall tube sampling, careful sealing and controlled transport exist specifically to preserve that structure, and in-situ vane testing provides an independent strength check that sampling cannot disturb.

Where in Egypt does Horema carry out marine investigation?

Along the Mediterranean coast and Nile Delta, in Alexandria and Abu Qir, at Dekhela, Gargoub and Bernice Ports, and on the Suez Canal — including deep boreholes for the New Suez Canal expansion and the 1,550 m offshore pier investigation at Abu Qir.

Can Horema work within international consortium protocols?

Yes. On the Nile Delta coastal resilience programme, Horema delivered offshore and nearshore sampling within a Dutch–Egyptian consortium alongside Van Oord and Marine Sampling Holland, following data and testing protocols agreed across the consortium so results were directly comparable with partner datasets.

Where we have done it