Noble Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NBL) has announced that Charles D. Davidson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, plans to retire May 1, 2015, and that he will leave the Board of Directors at that time. Mr. Davidson, age 64, has served as Chief Executive Officer and Director since joining the Company in 2000. The Board announced that it will propose the election of David L. Stover as a Director at its April 22, 2014 organizational meeting following the Annual Meeting, and that it intends to appoint Mr. Stover as Chief Executive Officer in October 2014. Mr. Davidson will serve as the Company's Chairman until the 2015 Annual Meeting. Mr. Stover, age 56, currently serves as the Company's President and Chief Operating Officer.

"Noble Energy has an exciting future that has been created over many years by an incredibly deep and talented organization," said Davidson. "I am announcing my plans to retire next year with full confidence that the team led by Dave Stover will successfully deliver our exceptionally strong growth plan over the coming years. Dave has played a key role in Noble Energy's success in recent years and has all the necessary skills to lead the Company to even greater performance in the future. While it will be extremely difficult for me to leave my fellow employees at Noble Energy, I will leave knowing that the time is right and that the Board has thoroughly planned for this leadership transition and succession."

"Under Chuck's leadership Noble Energy has been transformed into a highly successful global exploration and production company," said Michael Cawley, Noble Energy's Lead Independent Director. "He will be greatly missed when he retires, but executive succession planning has been a focus of Noble Energy's Board of Directors for many years. Today's announcement that Dave Stover will become Noble Energy's next CEO reflects the Board's extensive planning and confidence that Dave is the right leader for the future Noble Energy. With implementation of the succession plan stretching over 12 months, we anticipate this to be a smooth and seamless transition."

Mr. Stover was elected President and Chief Operating Officer of Noble Energy in April 2009. Prior to that, he served in several other executive positions following his joining the Company in 2002. Before joining Noble Energy, he was employed by BP America, Inc., Vastar Resources and Atlantic Richfield. He holds a bachelor's degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Pennsylvania State University and has approximately 35 years of industry experience.
Noble Energy is a leading independent energy company engaged in worldwide oil and gas exploration and production. The Company has core operations onshore in the U.S., primarily in the DJ Basin and Marcellus Shale, in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, offshore Eastern Mediterranean, and offshore West Africa. Noble Energy is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is traded under the ticker symbol NBL.

CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) and Seiche Measurements are offering a 5-day Protected Species Observer (PSO) and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) course for individuals seeking professional certification and training for visual and acoustic monitoring of protected species.  The course offered by the Seiche/CSA team adheres to current Bureau of Ocean Energy Management/Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BOEM/BSEE) mitigation requirements and standards. 

This level of rigor was chosen as the training standard because BOEM/BSEE requirements are some of the most stringent and include all forms of mitigation measures that are required globally of the seismic industry.  Thus, the certifications and training achieved by this course can be applied internationally with localized or job-specific modifications.  

Both CSA and Seiche Measurements are recognized training leaders of mitigation and monitoring personnel for the offshore seismic industry and other ocean-resource users.  This teaming aims to address the complex needs and requirements of global regulatory bodies as well as the practical needs of the industry.  While each has conducted PSO and PAM training courses individually, their combined expertise allows trainees to obtain unparalleled hands-on experience from experts in the field.  Uniquely suited for this training, CSA and Seiche Measurement bring together expertise from the UK and the United States to ensure trainees are well prepared and fully qualified to perform a comprehensive suite of seismic mitigation duties throughout the world. 

Seismic observer training is a requirement for many regulatory entities to ensure that all mitigation personnel have received correct information concerning permit requirements and methodologies.  Standardized training ensures that industry-hired mitigation personnel have the required training and certifications to perform these important duties.  While regulations vary throughout the world and vessels may use other best practices in unregulated waters, most seismic mitigation protocols require some variation of key methods that include, at a minimum, a specified monitoring zone, a pre-shooting watch, ramp-up or soft-start monitoring, delays or shutdowns of sound sources for species within a given distance, and standardized recording and reporting.  In many regions, PAM is used to supplement visual observation and species identification.  The calibration and efficacy evaluation of each PAM system is unique to the vessel and operational area.  Therefore, the skills required to conduct valid acoustic monitoring are of great importance for both the industry and affected species. 

The training is conducted in both the classroom and in the field with specific training for real-world troubleshooting.  This extensive and practical effort benefits the trainee as well as the industry by providing mitigation personnel with the most comprehensive training experience available today.  The Seiche/CSA team believes that knowledgeable, prepared, and tested personnel is vital for mitigation requiring visual and acoustic observation offshore and provides for reliable data that are crucial in future rule-making and planning.

The course will be held at the CSA headquarters in Stuart, Florida on 17-21 April 2014, with more courses planned for Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Africa later in the year.  For more information about the course and registration, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.csaocean.com.

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26th March 2014 marked the 25th anniversary of Veripos with its continuing success and growth under new owners, Hexagon AB. From humble beginnings, the Aberdeen-based company has become a strong, widely-respected and truly global provider of precise satellite positioning services.

Veripos started in March 1989 as a joint venture between Brown & Root Survey and Ormston Technology, a specialist marine electronics company based in Hull, UK. Initially, it provided a Differential Global Positioning Service (DGPS) for users in the North Sea based on HF radio transmitters and subsequently extended the partnership to include Osiris, a subsidiary of Boskalis in the Netherlands and TopNav, a subsidiary of CGG in France.

In 1994, Veripos formed an alliance with its Dutch and French partners under the auspices of its then parent organisation, Subsea Offshore, introducing a much broader satellite-based DGPS service which was extended to cover the Gulf of Mexico followed by a progressive expansion of the network and coverage for Brazil, West Africa, the Mediterranean and the Caspian Sea.

Following acquisition of its alliance partners by a competitor in 2002, Veripos subsequently became wholly-owned by its then parent group, Subsea 7, who authorised major expansion plans in late 2004. These led to full global coverage of services in early 2005 that rapidly established the company as the world's second largest supplier of precise satellite positioning services within the globalised marine industry.

In July 2012, Veripos was subsequently spun-out of its parent group and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange and its later continuing success was formally recognised in November 2013 with the honour of "Rising Star" accorded at the European Stock Exchange Awards. At the same time, the company began a major diversification initiative with the launch of its TerraStar service to address the land and nearshore business sectors.

With leading exploration seismic, construction, survey, OSV and drilling contractors among its many clients, Veripos now has over 130 specialist personnel based in eleven sites around the world. Commenting on this milestone, Chief Executive Officer Walter Steedman says "We are immensely proud of our long history in the exciting and quickly- developing industry in which we operate. We look forward to the next 25 years under the guidance of new owners, Hexagon, who have demonstrated their strong commitment to technology and world-leading R&D efforts. The Veripos journey is a remarkable success story which is based on quality products and the superior support services provided by our staff."

Paul Job, engineering manager at independent subsea engineering and training company Jee Ltd, has been appointed to the 2014 Board of Directors for the Pigging Products and Services Association (PPSA).

Mr Job, who is based in Jee’s Aberdeen office, has been appointed as the PPSA’s Associate Member Director, which will see him working with the board to help develop the PPSA’s business strategy and future plans. He will be the first person to officially hold the role, which was formalized earlier this year. 

Mr Job said: “I am honored to begin my tenure on the board of the PPSA, which provides a knowledgeable forum for those in the industry who work within pigging. By becoming more involved in the organization, I look forward to supporting the pigging industry’s upcoming trends and technology as well as welcoming new members to the group, which will allow for further knowledge sharing and networking among the sector.”

Jee has a wide range of pigging capabilities, including pipeline assessment, specification and design of pigging equipment and management of pigging programs. Earlier this month Jee senior subsea engineer Paul Otway shared some of his expertise by presenting a webinar on the company’s capabilities, including pigging in complex environments. 

The PPSA is an international organisation dedicated to the pigging industry. With more than 120 members from 20 countries, they provide information on sourcing equipment and services for pipeline operators. 

- Relocates its Norwegian oil & gas HQ to Stavanger, led by Marianne Hauso -

DNV GL, the leading technical adviser to the oil & gas industry, is relocating its oil & gas head office in Norway from Høvik to Stavanger in order to be even closer to its customers. Local delivery capacity will be expanded in Stavanger and Bergen and operations will continue in Høvik, Sandefjord, Trondheim and Harstad. DNV GL's operations in Norway are led by Regional Manager Marianne Hauso.

"The oil and gas industry is facing rapid changes, increasing costs and growing public scrutiny on its safety and environmental performance. Since the merger of DNV and GL, we have even more experts holding broad insight in all technical areas, which is critical in helping our customers have safe, reliable and efficient projects and operations. So it's very timely to expand our footprint in the West Coast of Norway," said Marianne Hauso, DNV GL Regional Manager, Norway.

"As the industry moves into increasingly challenging environments and the lifespan of mature assets is being extended, technological innovation is increasingly important to grow performance. Technology is clearly a huge enabler for the industry, but the price of getting new technology wrong can be huge. That's why we spend 5% of our revenue on innovation, running joint industry projects, providing technology qualification services and developing the world's most recognised standards."

The office in Stavanger delivers a broad range of services related to all development phases including exploration, development, operation and decommissioning. In these phases DNV GL delivers services and competences within the areas of Inspection and Maintenance management, Asset integrity, Structure integrity, Offshore crane integrity, Safety and Environmental Risk Management, Technology Qualification, Working Environment, Material selection and Pipeline installation.

"We welcome DNV GL's expansion in Stavanger. The company's global presence and technical expertise makes the Stavanger region an ideal location. Stavanger is a great technology city with abundant talent, knowledge and experience and our growth ambitions for the energy capital of Norway and those of DNV GL are well matched," said the Mayor of Stavanger, Christine Sagen Helgø

DNV GL Oil & Gas, Norway in a nutshell:
• Will be headquartered in Stavanger, Western Norway
• Over 800 oil & gas employees in Norway: Stavanger (100), Bergen (90), Trondheim (50), Harstad (10), Sandefjord (20), Høvik (530)
• Plan to increase staff in Western Norway by 10% in 2014
• Deep industry expertise, particularly in challenging operating environments gained from experience working in North Sea and Arctic projects.
• Provides integrated services in technical and marine assurance and advisory, risk management advisory and offshore classification.
• Maintains and further develops its technology edge through launching new Joint Industry Projects (JIPs) in strategic areas

Marianne Hauso took on the role of regional manager in mid-September last year, prior to which she was regional manager for the oil & gas risk management services. Her area of responsibility includes all services provided by DNV GL to the Norwegian oil and gas industry, with the only exception of classification services for mobile offshore units.

Marianne has been with legacy DNV for 18 years; since she graduated from NTH in Trondheim as a Naval architect in 1995. Since then she has held several different positions, starting out as a safety risk management engineer and -consultant, and moved later into different manager positions in Norway.

Trelleborg's marine systems operation has opened a new sales and business development office in Houston.

Citing growth in the region as a strategic priority, Trelleborg Marine Systems' U.S. president, Faiyaz Kolsawala, will relocate to Houston as will a number of its global sales team. Among them will include a specialist docking and mooring representative and an oil and gas transfer and vessel technology salesperson to provide a closer relationship with customers in the area. Trelleborg will further strengthen its Houston-based sales team with several new appointments.

"At Trelleborg Marine Systems, our long-term strategy relies heavily on investment in markets with strong growth potential," said Richard Hepworth, business unit president of Trelleborg Marine Systems. "We will join colleagues from Trelleborg's offshore operation in its facility, enabling us to work more collaboratively across functions.

"As a global company, we strongly believe that it's important to have local 'feet on the ground' within the regions that our customers operate, said Hepworth. "In particular, we remain committed to growing our business in the fast-moving global Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry. Therefore, establishing a presence in Houston – the long-established capital of the global oil and gas industry – is essential."

Based within Trelleborg's Houston facility, the new office will enable both businesses to capitalize on the synergies their complementary product areas provide.

The regional sales office will serve the local U.S. and Mexican region across all five product areas of Trelleborg's marine operations: marine fender systems, oil and gas transfer technology, vessel technology, docking and mooring and marine products.

The new Houston office will be supported by the Americas' headquarters of Trelleborg's marine operation in Clear Brook, Va., which includes a polyurethane- and foam-based marine products manufacturing facility serving North American and global customers. Additionally the Houston office will be supported by Trelleborg's engineering and design center of excellence in Ahmedabad, India.

Award-winning subsea installation contractor, Bibby Offshore, has further expanded its operations in Westhill, Aberdeenshire, with the opening of a purpose built workshop and warehouse facility this month.

Named, The Hangar, the building has been leased for 15 years and has in excess of 50,000 square foot, including storage, workshops, warehouse, office space, a yard and maintenance facilities.

In addition to the lease agreement, the firm has further invested in the facilities; fitting it out with a 16 tonne Gantry Crane, and five separate workshops for various specialties including fabrication, hydraulics, electronics, dive hats and diver umbilical's. The Hangar allows Bibby Offshore to have full control of these functions, which was previously outsourced.

John Black, Supply Chain Manager, Bibby Offshore, said: "The Hangar is a significant investment by Bibby Offshore to ensure we are continuing to offer the best in class facilities for our staff and clients. Taking the facility on a long term lease further proves our commitment to this area and the growth of the business. The workshop and warehouse facility is the next major milestone for the business and complements our purpose built headquarters, Atmosphere One, which is already based in Westhill."

In May 2013, Bibby Offshore relocated to its new multimillion pound, purpose built headquarters at Prospect Park, Westhill. The company had previously been based at the Harbour area in Aberdeen. In addition to The Hangar, the company will retain its current facility at the Harbour area's Nord Centre.

Earlier this year, Bibby Offshore won the Company of the Year award at the 2014 Subsea Expo Awards. Bibby Offshore and Bibby Remote Intervention Limited, has grown from 10 employees in 2003 to now employ more than 1,300 people onshore and offshore worldwide, with offices in Aberdeen, Liverpool, Newcastle, Houston, Singapore and Trinidad. The company has an international fleet of eight subsea support vessels and 15 Remote Operating Vehicles (ROV) and will continue to add to their fleet to meet demand.

A deal has been signed t to establish the oil and gas industry's first comprehensive environmental cleaning, decontamination and disposal service: Ecoserv. The new company is expected to create more than 100 new jobs, many of which will be at the company's Lafayette headquarters and other facilities in the Gulf region.

Ecoserv offers fully integrated, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly specialized cleaning, waste management, and disposal services for the upstream oil and gas industry.

Kenny DesOrmeaux, founder and CEO of OCS, will also serve as CEO for Ecoserv, which will be headquartered in Lafayette, LA and operate out of 14 locations throughout the Gulf Coast and Permian Basin of West Texas. "Ecoserv is founded on technical innovation, safety, and a commitment to both the environment and our industry," DesOrmeaux said. "We're focused on creating ease-of-use and profitability for all of our current and future customers.

"Our employees play a huge role in the innovative solutions we offer our customers and we're very proud of that," DesOrmeaux said.

Ecoserv was formed when Lariat Partners merged Houston-based Newpark Environmental Services, LLC (NES), the region's leader in offshore waste disposal, with Offshore Cleaning Systems, LLC (OCS), the Gulf of Mexico's leader in offshore cleaning services

Hoover Container Solutions ("Hoover" or the "Company"), a subsidiary of Hoover Group, Inc., has acquired Dolphin Energy Equipment LLC ("Dolphin"), a leading provider of cargo and waste management rental equipment and related consumables in the Gulf of Mexico region.

Headquartered in New Iberia, La., with a distribution and service center in Port Fourchon, La., Dolphin's assets include a diversified fleet of cargo carrying units ("CCUs") certified to the highest standards including DNV and API regulations. Dolphin is best known for its offshore baskets, trash compactors, food disposal units, pipe slings and related consumables and services.

The combined company will be a premier supplier of chemical, cargo and waste management tanks, baskets, containers and related accessories and services in the global energy marketplace. The acquisition of Dolphin complements the acquisition of Consult Supply A/S which was completed in 2012. Based in Stavanger, Norway, Consult Supply (soon to be Hoover Norway) provides an extensive range of products in the North Sea market including chemical tanks, cutting boxes, baskets and specialized workshops and containers all certified to DNV 2.7-1 standards.

As leaders in the Gulf of Mexico, the combined Hoover-Dolphin team will continue to provide a diverse product range and robust customer services to its customers across the region. Hoover will now provide its customer base with a full range of products including tote tanks (IBCs), offshore chemical tanks, transport frames and bottle racks, ISO Tanks, standard and specialized baskets, cutting boxes and waste skips, dry goods containers, slings, trash compactors, food disposal units and various other related products and services including tank cleaning, technology and transportation.

Hoover's Chief Executive Officer, Donald Young said, "With operations in Louisiana, Houston, Norway, Australia, Brazil, Malaysia and Abu Dhabi the Hoover footprint now covers nearly all the major oil and gas regions around the world. The combined Hoover-Dolphin fleet is one of the largest in the Gulf of Mexico region and makes Hoover one of the only worldwide companies to offer a full range of cargo carrying units including chemical, cargo and waste management products to the Gulf of Mexico market. This acquisition puts us in a stronger position to leverage the upturn in the offshore industry."

"The combination of Hoover and Dolphin will allow us to provide a more complete product and service offering to our customers." said Chad Vidrine, President of Dolphin Energy Equipment. "We are excited to work with the Hoover team because both teams share a similar commitment to high quality products and superior customer service."

MANAGEMENT TEAM
Donald Young, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Paul Lewis, President and Chief Operating Officer, of Hoover will continue in their roles in the combined entity. Chad Vidrine, President of Dolphin, will become General Manager of Hoover's new subsidiary, Hoover Offshore, LLC. Robbie Monlezun will continue in his role as Regional Operations Manager of Hoover's new distribution and service center in Scott, Louisiana. As part of the transaction, Cornelius Dupre II, Chairman of Dolphin, will become a shareholder of Hoover Group, Inc. and join the Company's board of directors.

The corporate headquarters of the combined companies will be located in Houston, Texas, with distribution and service centers in Scott, New Iberia and Port Fourchon, La.

GNSS positioning specialists Veripos has moved to new purpose-built headquarters in Dyce, Aberdeen. The new building incorporates a state-of-the-art network control centre, a research and development laboratory, workshops, a warehouse and dedicated training facilities in addition to an operations centre for the company's Europe, Africa and Middle East Region. The building also houses offices for all other Veripos global and corporate functions.

Commenting on the development, Veripos CEO Walter Steedman said the new premises had been specifically fitted out to meet the requirements of the company's growing client base while ensuring sufficient capacity for future expansion. As such, he added, the investment would enable the company to meet customer expectations for high quality services and superior support well into the future, helping them to work wherever and whenever they needed precise satellite positioning.

P2 Energy Solutions celebrates the opening of its new office in Bangkok, Thailand.

P2 already has a very solid customer base in Thailand - including the national petroleum and exploration company PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) – arising from its acquisition of ISS Group in 2013. P2 has delivered a number of Production Data Management Solutions (PDMS) to PTTEP with additional projects ongoing. P2 also has customers leveraging our joint venture accounting platform, and the opening of the local office provides local support and on the ground resources to our customers.

Customers in the upstream oil and gas sector will benefit from a broad range of P2 products, including Production Operations (built on ISS Group's proven solutions), IDEAS, Reserves Management and Beyond Compliance.

The office will be headed up by new hire Bart Saunders, who joins P2 with seven years' experience in the Thailand upstream oil and gas software solutions domain.

Richard Pang, Senior Vice-President, Asia-Pacific at P2 Energy Solutions commented: "Our new office in Bangkok is an exciting development for P2. We see a lot of opportunities in upstream oil & gas in Thailand, and will be looking to build on our existing relationships as we pursue these. We are also delighted to have Bart on board to lead this push".

Hicks Equity Partners ("HEP"), a private equity firm led by the Thomas O. Hicks family, has announced that its portfolio company, Directional Rentals, Inc., has acquired Reamco, Inc., a company based in Lafayette, La., that manufactures, rents and refurbishes downhole drilling tools and related products used in the drilling industry.

Directional Rentals, Inc., a leading oilfield services company, has also been renamed Drilling Tools International ("DTI") to more accurately reflect the company's mission of renting, manufacturing and selling drilling tools used in bottom hole assemblies to the world's leading oilfield services companies, independent directional drillers and exploration companies, both onshore and offshore.

Reamco specializes in the manufacture and refurbishment of stabilizers, drill collars, reamers and related products and also offers grinding and hardfacing capabilities. Through this strategic acquisition, DTI will expand its machining capabilities and offer even better customer service by shortening turnaround time and improving quality on essential tool repairs. Reamco maintains key certifications from the American Petroleum Institute (API) and is ISO certified.

Reamco's previous owners, Brent Milam and Ashley Lane, have become shareholders in DTI and have joined the company's management team. Milam founded Reamco in 1985 and has served as the company's president since that time. Lane was instrumental in Reamco's founding and returned to the company as chief executive officer (CEO) in 2011 after leading Drilling Logistics, Inc. for several years.

Thomas O. Hicks, chairman and CEO of Hicks Equity Partners, said, "We are delighted by DTI's progress since we acquired the company in 2012. Wayne Prejean and his team have done an outstanding job meeting the needs of a dynamic marketplace and positioning the company for future growth. Likewise, Brent and Ashley have also built an excellent company in Reamco and have cultivated a well-deserved reputation as a leading downhole tool manufacturing company. The combination of these two world class entities creates a more competitive industry participant with expanded capabilities that we expect to drive growth in the international drilling markets."

DTI CEO, Wayne Prejean, added, "The acquisition of Reamco is a 'win-win' that strengthens our strategic position and capabilities through an enhanced ability to aggressively pursue new markets such as deep water drilling. In particular, our customers will benefit as we bring more maintenance and repair operations in-house, allowing us to more efficiently deliver the services they need. We look forward to growing Reamco through key investments in its facilities, equipment and people, which is the true strength of our company."

Milam said, "I am excited to join forces with Wayne Prejean, the DTI team and Hicks Equity Partners. I have dedicated much of my professional career to the development of this company and could not have asked for better partners as we look towards the next phase of our growth.

Lane added, "With the opening of our new sales office in the North Sea and the horsepower and asset base of DTI, I look forward to substantial growth in Europe, West Africa and the Middle East."

Bracewell & Giuliani LLP served as legal counsel to DTI and KPMG provided accounting and tax advice with respect to the transaction.

Driven by a major strategic expansion of its operations in Singapore, the MacArtney Group is significantly growing its presence and activities in all Asian markets for underwater technology.

Over the next few months, MacArtney Singapore is securing several new staff members, implementing a major expansion of stock and workshop facilities and opening a dedicated slip ring repair and service center. What is more, the MacArtney Singapore operations will be streamlined to provide direct local access to global MacArtney support for all Asian and Asia Pacific markets.

MacArtney in Asia
With experienced and long standing MacArtney sales professional, Steen Frejo, at the helm as Managing Director, the MacArtney Singapore area of operation has expanded to encompass the entire Asian and Asia Pacific region including major markets such China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and support for MacArtney's Australia based office.

In addition, MacArtney Singapore will actively manage the coordination of the entire Asian representative network. Empowered by local market expertise and access to clients, these MacArtney representatives comprise an invaluable asset to the regional success of MacArtney products and systems.

With the expanded MacArtney Singapore operations, MacArtney is able work even closer with its regional representative network which will also benefit from direct access to the Singapore based stock of MacArtney and SubConn® products.

Demand for local supply with global support
To local offshore oil and gas, marine renewable energy, oceanographic and defence industries, the expansion of MacArtney Singapore will mean shorter lead times and better local service for underwater technology systems and products. Further adding to the list of the advantages, direct MacArtney technical support is enabled through the limitation of time zone differences - and with local language proficient sales and technical staff in place at the Singapore office, MacArtney clients and representatives alike will have access to Asian as well as English language support. "The expansion of MacArtney Singapore will definitely bring us much closer to our Asian customers than what has been possible so far", says Steen Frejo and continues: "What started as a one-man regional sales outpost, has now become a fully fledged MacArtney location with local access to global support".

A good start
Since the official opening one year ago, MacArtney has received a warm welcome by all Asia Pacific marine technology markets and segments. Spearheaded by a surging interest in integrated MacArtney system solutions, this development is present across the entire MacArtney portfolio. A good example is the Asia based demand for MacArtney winch and handling solutions which has recently seen a MERMAC S winch system delivered to a defence client in Taiwan, a powerful Active Heave Compensation MERMAC R winch ordered by a Chinese scientific institute and a complete MERMAC research vessel winch solution ordered by a Japanese oceanographic institute.

UTEC Survey – one of the world's largest independent survey companies – has announced an exclusive, collaborative partnership.

UTEC StarNet, part of the UTEC group of companies, has announced the partnership with Sky Futures for 3D inspection and onshore and offshore asset management. The move further enhances both companies' positions as leaders in the oil and gas, renewable and telecommunications markets.

The relationship will provide clients with a total solution utilizing Sky Futures' advanced unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inspection and measurement services combined with UTEC StarNet's IMDC and laser scan capabilities. These will be delivered through UTEC StarNet's market-leading i-Site™ integrated 3D web-based software package.

Commenting on the announcement, UTEC StarNet's Director of Operations & Business Development, Bill Miller, said: "This partnership reinforces UTEC StarNet and Sky Futures' focus on innovation and technology to enable knowledge-based decision making in complex and challenging environments."

James Harrison, Director, Sky Futures added: "By partnering with UTEC we are able to provide a unique, world-leading service that can be delivered directly to existing and new clients. We're very excited about this, and are looking forward to working with the UTEC family globally."

Sky Futures is a UK-based company providing UAV inspection services to clients globally in the oil and gas, renewable and utilities sectors with world-leading expertise in engineering inspection and reporting using HD video and thermal camera imagery. They have also recently developed proprietary DTL-VU software that is used to measure defects and corrosion.

UTEC StarNet is part of the UTEC group of companies which provides a wide range of survey services including offshore positioning and construction support, metocean, geophysical and AUV surveys, geotechnical sampling and consulting services to the oil, gas and energy industries. With a focus on people, performance, excellence and ethics, the company also offers dimensional control surveys, laser scanning, 3D modeling and the iSITE™ asset management software. UTEC has offices located around the world including: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Italy, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.

Wood Group Mustang, delivering over 18 years of technical excellence in engineering, design and support services to the process plants industry, promotes Troy Reynolds as general manager, process plants Deer Park.

"Troy's extensive 30-year background in engineering and EPC project management within the refining, petrochemical and power generation sectors builds upon our process plants division to deliver world class services to our current clients, as well as future partners," said Wood Group Mustang Process Plants & Industrial President Curt Watson.

Established in 2006, the Deer Park, TX office focuses on cost-effective revamps and modifications to industrial plants along the Houston Ship Channel and Gulf Coast as part of Wood Group Mustang's process plants division. The division employs engineers and project managers who average more than 20 years with extensive knowledge of project execution in the refining, chemicals, petrochemicals and polymers industries. The office is located at 4400 Highway 225, Deer Park, TX 77536.

Reynolds joined Wood Group Mustang in 2010 and served most recently as site manager for Wood Group Mustang's Lubrizol alliance. Formerly, he was with Ingenia Polymers as the global projects manager, as well as Kiewit Industrial Company and Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation. Reynolds holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and is a registered professional engineer.

Hoover Container Solutions (“Hoover” or the “Company”), has acquired Container Company Ltd. (“Container Company”), a leading supplier of cargo carrying units (“CCUs”) for the offshore oil and gas industry. This acquisition complements Hoover's recent acquisitions of Consult Supply AS and Dolphin Energy Equipment making Hoover one of the largest worldwide suppliers of CCUs.  

Headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland, Container Company designs, supplies and services a full range of standard and custom-built CCUs including chemical tanks, baskets, skips, workshops, mini, half height, closed top and freezer containers. Container Company maintains a wide range of CCU sizes with a large, readily-available inventory to meet its customers’ requirements while offering a full repair, maintenance and certification program. With a strong focus on quality, Container Company conducts final product inspections through its in-house test engineers to ensure all units exceed required safety and industry standards including BS7072, BS EN 12079 and DNV 2.7-1.

“This acquisition enables us to better serve our global customers with expanded facilities, products and services. Hoover now has a meaningful footprint in substantially all major offshore energy hubs around the world including Houston, Texas; Scott, New Iberia and Port Fourchon, La.; Aberdeen, Scotland; Stavanger, Norway; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Perth and Melbourne, Australia; and Macae, Brazil,” said Donald Young, Hoover’s chairman and chief executive officer. “As we continue our international growth plan, it is imperative that we continue to provide quality products, services and solutions to our worldwide customers, and Container Company’s presence and reputation in the Aberdeen market will be a key asset in this expansion program.”  

Andy Drummond, Container Company’s managing director, said, “We believe becoming part of Hoover Group presents Container Company with a great opportunity to work alongside a successful, worldwide organization. This will enable us to provide our clients with a larger product range globally and assist them with products which we previously were unable to supply. The investment that Hoover brings to Container Company enables us to grow the business significantly for the future.”