DOF Subsea has been awarded several IMR and subsea installation contracts the past months, with a total contract value in excess of NOK 500 million. The contracts will secure utilization of the subsea project fleet in the regions.

In the Asia Pacific region DOF Subsea has been awarded an LOI from a key client for a EPCI project with the offshore phase during first half 2017. The scope of work includes supply chain management services for the fabrication and supply of mooring chains, replacement of eight mooring legs and PM&E.

Image credit: DOF Subsea

In the Atlantic region, DOF Subsea has been awarded several contracts the past months. A highlight was the award of an FPSO mooring installation and hook-up contract by Yinson Production offshore Ghana, on the Eni operated OCTP field. The contract will secure utilization of the Atlantic organization and regional subsea vessels in Q4 2016 and Q1 2017, and the project will increase DOF Subsea's presence in West Africa. Other highlights were the award of a 5-year pipeline inspection frame agreement for Maersk, and survey work for Nexans relating to the NordLink cable, connecting the Norwegian and German electricity markets. DOF Subsea also won repeat subsea work for Statoil, Maersk and other clients in the region.

In the North America region, DOF Subsea has been awarded several contracts with key clients in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Canada. The scope of work includes survey, IMR and light construction. To service the contracts offshore Canada, DOF Subsea will charter the DOF-vessel Skandi Chieftain for a 100-day job, in addition to increasing the number of ROV systems deployed in the region.

Mons S. Aase, CEO, stated, "I am pleased with the contract awards, securing utilization of people and assets. The FPSO mooring award offshore Ghana, as well as allocating an additional vessel to the Canadian market, increases the Group's global presence and improves our market access. This in combination with securing repeat business for our key clients will be important going forward."

Aker Solutions secured a framework agreement from Lundin Norway to provide engineering services for offshore developments in Norway.

The agreement covers early-phase studies, pre-engineering (FEED) work, verifications and follow-on engineering for Lundin Norway. It encompasses engineering work from Aker Solutions' three business areas - Engineering, Subsea and Maintenance, Modifications and Operations - as well as the company's integrated study house, Front End Spectrum. The contract has a fixed period of three years and may be extended by as many as two years.

The first delivery will be a study for a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit for the Alta and Gohta oil development in the Barents Sea. The contract is part of the first-quarter order intake.

"We are pleased to have this opportunity to work long term with Lundin," said Per Harald Kongelf, head of Aker Solutions' Norwegian operations. "The company's focus on the southern Barents Sea fits well with our technology and engineering expertise for even the most challenging conditions."

Aker Solutions has previously provided engineering work for Lundin's Edvard Grieg development as well as the subsea production system for the Brynhild field. The new agreement gives Lundin access to Aker Solutions' technical expertise and lifecycle knowledge from the full range of field developments.

SEACOR Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CKH) (the "Company" or "SEACOR") has announced that William C. (Bill) Long has been appointed the Company's Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary effective immediately. He will report directly to Mr. Charles Fabrikant, SEACOR's Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Long joins SEACOR with over 20 years of business and legal experience with publicly-traded companies. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Long served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of GulfMark Offshore, Inc., an NYSE-listed marine transportation service provider. Before joining GulfMark Offshore, Mr. Long spent more than 17 years with Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc., an NYSE-listed offshore drilling company, where he was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.

Mr. Fabrikant stated, "We are pleased that Bill has joined our leadership team. He brings extensive business and legal experience and strengthens our management group."

Mr. Long holds a Juris Doctorate degree, a Masters of Business Administration, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Houston. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas.

SEACOR and its subsidiaries are in the business of owning, operating, investing in and marketing equipment, primarily in the offshore oil and gas, shipping and logistics industries. SEACOR offers customers a diversified suite of services and equipment, including offshore marine, inland river storage and handling, distribution of petroleum, chemical and agricultural commodities, and shipping. SEACOR is dedicated to building innovative, modern, "next generation," efficient marine equipment while providing highly responsive service with the highest safety standards and dedicated professional employees. SEACOR is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol CKH.

Tritech International Ltd, [Tritech], announces that Rotech Subsea Ltd [Rotech] has purchased Gemini Narrow Beam Imager (NBI) systems.

The sonars are to be installed in single head or dual head configuration for use on Rotech's RS range of excavation tools and will support the increased volume of work they are securing worldwide in the oil and gas and renewables sectors. The Gemini NBI can communicate over Ethernet or VDSL and for this installation the systems will run in VDSL mode. The Gemini NBI systems will run on the newly introduced Tritech Gemini 72VDC VDSL Interface Unit, which will supply the sonars with sufficient power to operate over a 300m cable. The unit connects to an Ethernet port on a standard PC running the Gemini software.

Rotech Subsea RS excavation tool, as fitted with a Tritech Gemini NBI. Image courtesy of Rotech Group Ltd

The Gemini NBI operates at 620 kHz and has a 1 degree narrow vertical beam to enable users to accurately identify acoustic target positions. Offering high-speed multibeam imaging, the Gemini NBI is ideally suited for trenching and excavation operations in poor visibility conditions as it features a 130° swath and 0.5° horizontal angular resolution providing 10mm range resolution. Control of the Gemini NBI is via the standalone Gemini software package on a Tritech Surface Control Unit (SCU) or on a desktop PC or laptop.


Kevin Cargill, Subsea Operations Manager, Rotech, commented:


“Rotech Subsea has witnessed first-hand the clear imagery of the Gemini NBI which has allowed us to successfully complete both inshore and offshore jobs including a recent harbor clearance where the sonar also provided continuous visualization as we excavated towards the harbor wall. We have also used the Gemini NBI in cable de-burial and post-trenching projects where continuous observation of the task was critical. We are, therefore, confident that the Gemini NBI systems will further enhance the capabilities of our RS range of excavation tools in visibly-challenging environments.”

Scott McLay, Sales Director, Tritech, commented:

“The Gemini NBI has proven to be highly effective at target visualization in low visibility and turbid waters, providing real-time high speed acoustic images. The sale of the Gemini NBI systems to Rotech Subsea demonstrates the market desire for field-proven technology and it is encouraging that despite current industry challenges, there are still opportunities for our customers and our highly reliable technology.”

Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Børs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) has announced the award of a sizeable(1) engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning (EPIC) contract by Apache North Sea, as part of the Callater field development, located 335km north east of Aberdeen.

The contract work scope covers the project management, engineering, procurement, construction and installation of a 4km, 45" Pipeline Bundle system consisting of production lines, and power and supply services. It also includes the installation of a 13km electro-control umbilical, associated structures, field testing and pre-commissioning works.

Project management and engineering work will commence immediately from Subsea 7's offices in Aberdeen, with offshore activities planned for the first quarter 2017.

Phil Simons, Subsea 7 Vice President UK and Canada, said: "This award demonstrates our ability to collaborate with our clients to produce cost-effective technical solutions. It further recognizes the 35-year proven track record of our Pipeline Bundle technology for extending subsea infrastructure lifespans, whilst offering clients considerable cost savings from having all service lines integrated in a single product."

(1) Contract term: Subsea 7 defines a sizeable contract as being between USD 50 million and USD 150 million.

Technip USA, Inc., an affiliate of Technip SA of France has been presented with the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) 2016 Safety in Seas (SIS) Culture of Safety Award today during the association’s annual meeting in Washington, DC.

Technip USA won the Culture of Safety Award in recognition of Technip’s Pulse program, a global vehicle for HSE climate change through leadership and communication.

Technip USA’s award-winning entry was selected by an independent panel of judges from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the National Academy of Sciences Transportation Review Board, and an industry safety consultant.

“We are honored and delighted to have been selected as the winner of the NOIA 2016 Culture of Safety Award. HSE is essential to our industry and is an absolute priority for Technip. Our Pulse program, implemented in 2007, is a simple, effective philosophy to create an HSE climate change across the company to achieve our goal of being “the reference company” in HSE performance. Everyone at Technip is responsible for ensuring a safer environment on our worksites throughout the world. We are thrilled that our efforts and accomplishments have been noticed and recognized,” said Deanna Goodwin, President of Technip USA, Inc.

NOIA President Randall Luthi congratulated Technip on our exemplary commitment to safety culture saying, “Technip’s award-winning entry is one of many examples in the offshore oil and natural gas industry that “safety culture” is more than just a buzz phrase. Technip has demonstrated how to develop and maintain a true culture of safety”.

Bergen Group and Calm Oceans Pte. Ltd (COPL) have entered into an agency agreement about marketing of COPL's newly developed Mono-Column Platform (MCP) in the Norwegian market.

This offshore mobile platform is a self-elevating, multipurpose and high payload jack-up, specially designed to address the commercial challenges relating to marginal field technical development, as well as those associated with early monetization of oil and gas fields.

CALM OCEAN 101 will look like nothing else at sea: a broad, square deck surrounding a lone open-truss square jackup leg measuring 20 meters on each side. Image credit: Calm Ocean

Calm Oceans Pte. Ltd is a Singapore-registered company owned by controlled by Brian Chang Holdings Limited, which also is a major shareholder in Bergen Group ASA with their 33.1 % ownership.

“The management in Bergen Group ASA has recently accomplished strategic discussions with CEO Brian Chang in Brian Chang Holdings Limited. We are delighted to perceive a common understanding with the major shareholder of Bergen Group’s about the company’s growth potential going forward”, says CEO Hans Petter Eikeland in Bergen Group ASA.

“The MCP is an effective bespoke solution which caters to any offshore field development that are within 120m water depth, particularly for marginal fields. Together with our leasing business model, we believed that this solution would be especially valuable and beneficial during this challenging period, for field operators whom are looking at means of reducing CAPEX while sustaining the business. We are confident that the MCP would mark its presence in the Norwegian market with the help of Bergen Group”, says Brian Chang.

The MCP supports high Variable Deck Load (VDL) up to 5,000t, with a generous deck space capable of taking on different modular facilities such as Drilling Modules, Production Modules, Accommodation Modules as well as Combined Drilling and Production Modules as may be required. in order to provide the different functions required. When these various functions are put together they serve as a complete Field Development solution for the end-user. The platform essentially comprises a deck box, 4-chord square truss structure (Mono-Column) and a mat foundation. With the mat design, the MCP can operate in oil fields with soft seabed’s which are challenging for conventional jack-ups. Also, with its self-elevating feature, there is no need for sophisticated and expensive offshore construction fleet during deployment and relocation.

The MCP Design is conceptualized by Brian Chang and is classed with ABS (American Bureau Society), adhering to MOU (Mobile Offshore Unit) Code 2008 and other relevant IMO guidelines. For more info, click here

A joint industry project established through The Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF) has entered a trial phase with the support of oil and gas operators.

A new technology system designed to address a common problem in the subsea industry is undergoing a shallow water trial at Portishead Quays marina. The system will help to identify the location of electrical faults on subsea installations and will enable field operators to better plan for repair or replacement of failed components which could save the industry millions of pounds in halted production.

The system, known as V-IR, has been developed by Viper Subsea with the support of Total, BP, Shell, and Chevron.

ITF CEO, Dr. Patrick O’Brien

The shallow water trial will run in phases and could last up to 12 months. The initial trial will take three months, during which time the V-IR technology suite will undergo communications and performance testing in a sea water environment that includes the use of 2km of subsea cable which has been deployed onto the bed of the marina.

Although a shallow water trial, the main components are already designed for 3000m water depth. Following the shallow water trial there will be a period of further equipment qualification before the system is fully commercialised later in the year.

ITF CEO, Dr Patrick O’Brien said: “It is encouraging to see that one of our JIPs is nearing the latter stages of deployment with this trial. Identifying the exact location and why the failure occurred is time consuming and difficult with existing technology, meaning that the recovery and repairs of cables is risky and very expensive. Viper’s V-IR system has the potential to provide substantial savings in time and costs to the industry.”

ITF is driving oil and gas technology development and collaboration. With a membership of international oil and gas operator and service companies, the industry technology facilitator has launched over 200 innovative joint industry projects. ITF champions technology development and believes investment is crucial to solving the most pressing challenges the industry faces in securing reserves.

NSL, ASCO Group’s global lifting and rigging specialist, has been awarded a significant contract with Italian drilling and EPCI company Saipem S.p.A. The two-year agreement will deliver HSE competency assurance and lifting intervention of onshore and offshore lifting operations to Saipem personnel. The global scope of the Saipem agreement will see NSL extend their reach from 34 to 50 countries across the Middle East and Africa; the Americas and Australasia.

Jonathan Taylor, Group Director at ASCO said:

‘We are proud to be awarded this significant contract. It demonstrates NSL’s continued ability to deliver high value, comprehensive rigging and lifting training and competency programs to oil and gas personnel on a truly global scale.

‘We are delighted at the prospect of strengthening our relationship with Saipem and look forward to a safe and effective working partnership.’

In addition to the provision of training and competency services, NSL has over 25 years’ experience in supporting clients through lifting technical assurance; lifting intervention (including the supply of technical authorities and appointed persons); advice on lifting operations efficiency and productivity, maintenance and servicing regimes.

Saipem is one of the world leaders in drilling services, as well as in the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of pipelines and complex projects, onshore and offshore, in the oil & gas market. The company has distinctive competences in operations in harsh environments, remote areas and deepwater. Saipem provides a full range of services with “EPC” and “EPCI” contracts (on a “turn-key” basis) and has distinctive capabilities and unique assets with a high technological content.

Wild Well Control, Inc., a Superior Energy Services company and a global leader in well control and engineering services, announces that its DeepRange™ tool, in conjunction with its 7Series riserless intervention system, has successfully performed full plug and abandonment operations on four subsea wells in the Gulf of Mexico. These wells are a part of a larger plug and abandonment campaign which began earlier this year.

“The new tools and techniques used on this project have already exceeded expectations,” said Martial Burguieres, Wild Well VP of Marine Well Services. “Our methods offer reduced costs while maintaining full BSEE compliance.”

Each of the first four wells used the new DeepRange tool to isolate an outer annulus by circulating a minimum of 200 feet of cement in place and pressure testing the plug as per BSEE regulation.

“This new technology and methodology will help operators reduce their subsea P&A liabilities as riserless operations represent dramatic cost reductions when compared to traditional subsea P&A operations,” said Burguieres.

Wild Well will host a press conference Monday, May 2, at 2 p.m. in the onsite press conference room located in the NRG Center, level 2, rooms 406-704 during the 2016 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston to discuss how DeepRange™ impacts today’s industry.

Intertek, a leading quality solutions provider to industries worldwide, has launched an onsite Coriolis flow meter calibration service, delivering industry leading technical expertise and cost and efficiency savings to its oil and gas clients.

Photo credit: Intertek

Coriolis flow meters are one of the most reliable instruments with which to determine flow measurement and have become increasingly commonplace in oil and gas flow measurement systems. However, they must be calibrated periodically to ensure they are performing as accurately as possible. As part of a new service, Intertek has invested in a highly specialized mobile Coriolis master meter skid unit to conduct Coriolis flow meter calibration. The unit performs to a greater level of precision than widely encountered in the market, with better than 0.1% accuracy. In an industry handling a high-value product such as oil and gas, the accuracy of measurement equipment is crucial for correctness and profitability. Mismeasurement of oil and gas quantities can be extremely costly and affect an operators’ overall profit margin.

Greg Dinkelman, Business Development Manager for Calibrations and Metering at Intertek Exploration and Production, said: “Historically, calibrating Coriolis flow meters has proved challenging to operators. It usually involves the movement of large units between offshore and onshore sites, which requires downtime and can be costly. The mobile Coriolis master meter skid unit will now allow us to offer this service onsite, saving our clients time, money and the inconvenience and risk of moving their equipment.”

The skid unit’s relatively compact size means it can be easily transported to offshore environments with restricted deck space, or to sites in very remote locations. An additional benefit is that calibration can be conducted under normal operating conditions, rather than within the artificial environment of a laboratory.

Intertek’s calibration and metering business assists clients in assuring the accuracy of their systems and equipment. Metering consultancy, flow measurement services, meter prover calibrations, tank calibration, 3D laser scanning and cargo inspection are some of the related solutions Intertek specializes in delivering to oil and gas clients.

Wood Group Intetech (WGI), a leading asset integrity specialist serving the global energy industry, is launching a new version of its ECE® software in response to client demand.

ECE® is an established tool for corrosion analysis and materials selection. The latest version – ECE® 5.3 – includes a bulk calculation feature, which will enable users to simultaneously upload multiple data streams, saving valuable time in the data transfer process. Customers can upload the inputs and access the results in a user-friendly Excel format – increasing ease of use.

Founder and Managing Director of Wood Group Intetech, Dr. Liane Smith, says: “ECE® is enabling clients to evaluate critical operational decisions and prioritize budget spend at a time when industry resources are limited. The combination of our in-house expertise and large user group feeding into the development process ensures we continue to provide solutions that address the challenges of clients worldwide.”

WGI is experiencing consistent demand for ECE® with over 80 customers worldwide currently utilizing the software.

Bristow Group has announced the strengthening of its operational structure by centralizing, simplifying and standardizing its business operations to improve safety performance, effectiveness and efficiency for clients. This new structure will enable the company to continue to reduce costs, while improving its leading competitive position. As part of these operational changes, Bristow will also continue to pursue its diversification strategy into new business growth areas, similar to the UK SAR contract.

As part of this new organizational structure, Chet Akiri has been named acting senior vice president operations and chief commercial officer reporting to Bristow Group President and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Baliff. Jeremy Akel, who previously served as Bristow’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, has departed the company, and Bristow is eliminating the chief operating officer position. Also departing the organization is Mike Imlach, Bristow’s vice president of global operations and Mike Sim, vice president of business development.

Jonathan Baliff commented: “The current downturn in our industry is likely to further impact our clients’ capital spending in fiscal 2017. As a result, in order to improve our safety performance, maintain our leadership position and sustain our long-term success, we have actively taken the additional and necessary steps to strengthen the business during these challenging times. These changes flatten our corporate leadership team structure, provide me with closer oversight of the operations and help us drive further revenue enhancements and cost reductions that are required. I would like to thank Jeremy, Mike and Mike for their years of service and contributions to Bristow and wish them much success in their future endeavors.”

In his new role, Akiri will merge corporate strategy and diversification with the other commercial areas of the company, including oil and gas business development, that further benefit Bristow’s customers and increase its competitiveness. Akiri will oversee operations on an interim basis while a search is underway for a new senior vice president of global operations.

Akiri joined Bristow in 2014 as Bristow’s senior vice president and chief corporate development, new ventures and strategy officer. Prior to joining Bristow, Akiri built high performance teams and successfully led strategic, commercial and operations planning and implementation in senior management positions at General Electric (GE). He served as chief operating officer for Global Nuclear Fuels America, and vice president and general manager of GE Hitachi Parts Services, where he had full profit and loss responsibility and was accountable for sales and margin growth, product development, operations, manufacturing, supply chain and regulatory compliance. He also served as a global sourcing leader for the Consumer & Appliances and Industrial Systems businesses, and was a merger and acquisition executive at GE’s corporate headquarters and aviation units.

Hoover Container Solutions (“Hoover” or the “Company”), a subsidiary of Hoover Group, Inc., has announced that Scott Meints has been appointed Vice President of Service Operations and Adolfo Aguilera is joining Hoover’s executive team as Vice President of Manufacturing. Both will report directly to Johan Wramsby, Chief Operating Officer.

Scott Meints

Joining Hoover in 1992, Meints has served in various management positions where he has played a key role in ensuring Hoover remain at the forefront of innovation in the chemical tank industry. In his new position, Meints will be responsible for growing Hoover’s service-related offerings in the global market, in addition to driving product development and innovation.

Adolfo Aguilera joins Hoover with more than 18 years of manufacturing experience, most recently serving as the Director of Manufacturing at TAS Energy Inc. As Vice President of Manufacturing at Hoover, Aguilera will be responsible for managing all aspects of manufacturing operations including safety, production, quality assurance and maintenance.

Adolfo Aguilera

“Hoover is fortunate to have an incredible depth and breadth of talent across our team. It’s these contributions that allow us to continuously provide a comprehensive range of high quality products and services to each of our customers,” said Johan Wramsby, COO, Hoover. “Scott’s deep knowledge of technical standards, products and industries, coupled with his energy, makes him a great fit to head the growth of Hoover’s global service network, and I’m incredibly happy to welcome Adolfo Aguilera, who will bring his motivation and diverse leadership experience to enhance our manufacturing operations.”

Meints has an associate degree in manufacturing engineering from the Southeast Community College in Milford, Nebraska, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bellevue University. He is also a certified welding inspector.

Aguilera received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso, as well as a Master of Science in engineering from Purdue University.

Bibby Offshore’s Norway division, Bibby Offshore AS, has successfully secured its first contract in the region with ConocoPhillips Skandinavia.

Managed from Bibby Offshore’s Stavanger office, the workscope involves project management, installation engineering, procurement and subsea installation works, related to maintenance activities on the Norpipe Oil pipeline.

The contract is due for completion in Q3 2016 and will utilise the construction support vessel Olympic Ares to support operator ConocoPhillips on integrity management of the Norpipe Oil pipeline between the Ekofisk area and the Teesside facility in United Kingdom.

Olympic Ares. Photo credit: Bibby Offshore

Arne Lier, Managing Director of Bibby Offshore Norway, said: "We are delighted to have secured our first Norwegian contract with a leading E&P company such as ConocoPhillips.”

This award not only demonstrates that Bibby Offshore has the necessary capabilities to provide the service and support required in the Norwegian sector. It also highlights that in a highly competitive market the company is a strong option at a time where value is paramount.

“Over the years, Bibby Offshore’s international divisions have successfully secured regular and repeated work with a number of operators. Our goal in Norway is to grow and develop the business in a similar way by successfully delivering on projects safely and efficiently, and to develop our reputation as the go-to subsea service provider for the region,” concluded Mr. Lier.

Amec Foster Wheeler has announced the appointment of Eoin Quirke as President, Asia Pacific. Effective immediately and based out of Singapore, Eoin will report to Roberto Penno, Group President for Asia, Middle East, Africa & Southern Europe (AMEASE) region.

Prior to his appointment, Eoin was AMEASE Project Delivery Director. Since joining Amec Foster Wheeler in 1989, his career has included a variety of roles in Country Management and Project Management. Eoin has more than 15 years of experience in the Asia Pacific region and has successfully delivered projects and solutions for a very broad range of locally based and international customers in the region.

Roberto Penno Group, President for Asia, Middle East, Africa & Southern Europe for Amec Foster Wheeler said:

“This region has vast opportunities and is central to Amec Foster Wheeler’s strategic development plans. Eoin’s deep understanding of the region and his invaluable expertise will play a key part in realizing our ambitions to become contractor of choice to owners and operators throughout Asia Pacific, and deliver growth in line with the quality of our offering.”