Bibby Offshore, a leading subsea services provider to the oil and gas industry, announced that it has secured a significant contract with Shell.

The campaign, due to commence in Q1 2017, will see Bibby Offshore provide engineering and subsea construction activities in the Gannet G field in the Central North Sea.

Under the agreement, Bibby Offshore will utilise its multipurpose dive support and offshore construction vessel - Bibby Polaris - and its integral 1000 tonne basket carousel to lay flexible pipe systems in water depths of approximately 95m.

Bibby Offshore Chief Executive, Howard Woodcock

The company has also collaborated with a third party operator who will carry out trenching operations after the initial workscope is complete.

In early 2016, Bibby Offshore provided construction and inspection services for Shell on assets in the Corrib Natural Gas field in the North Atlantic Ocean, successfully completing two significant contracts.

Howard Woodcock, chief executive of Bibby Offshore said: “Securing this project was a direct result of our established and successful track record with Shell. This contract will further strengthen our relationship, and highlights Bibby Offshore’s ability to consistently and successfully deliver on complex and challenging projects.”

BP announced on Tuesday, that it has acquired interests in two North Sea exploration prospects, Jock Scott and Craster, in a further demonstration of the organization’s commitment to the basin.

BP has acquired a 25% interest in the Statoil-operated licenses located to the east of Shetland, P2275 and P2097, which includes the Jock Scott prospect, and a 40% interest in the nearby P2163 and P2147 licenses. Statoil will remain the operator for all of these licenses.

Statoil and BP are planning to drill an exploration well on Jock Scott in mid-2017.

Map Image credit: Statoil

In the west of Shetland, BP has acquired a 40% interest in the north and a 30% interest in the south of the Nexen-operated license P2062, which includes the Craster prospect. Nexen will remain the operator of the license.

BP and Nexen are also planning to drill an exploration well on Craster in mid-2017.

Mark Thomas, BP North Sea Regional President commented: “Working together with companies such as Statoil and Nexen to access the North Sea’s remaining resource is an important part of our strategy to remain a material North Sea producer, investor and employer for decades to come. We look forward to working with both Statoil and Nexen on these exciting prospects.”

The North Sea is an important region for BP where it expects to sustain a significant business for the long term.

Over the next 18 months, BP plans to participate in up to five exploration wells in addition to drilling approximately 50 development wells over the next 3-4 years.

BP North Sea is set to grow UK production to around 200,000 barrels per day by 2020, with an exciting set of future investment and renewal options capable of sustaining a material business well into the 2030s.

Along with its co-venturers, BP has invested at record levels in the North Sea. In 2016, BP will still invest around $1.8bn of capital investment and $1.6bn running its operations. BP is expecting important new oil production from its major projects Quad204 and Clair Ridge in early 2017 and 2018 respectively.

BP is also investing significantly in the reliability and integrity of existing assets through an extensive renewal program.

Danos has successfully completed the fabrication of three boarding valve skids and one service line skid for Shell Offshore Inc.’s (Shell) deep-water Appomattox facility. Requiring approximately 12 months to complete, the project engaged four Danos service lines, including project management, fabrication, coatings, and automation.

“Delivery of this project marks Danos’ entry into the module fabrication market,” said Mark Danos, vice president of project services. “We are proud that Shell chose us as their contractor for this critical component of the Appomattox project.”

The skids, weighing in at approximately 160 tons each, were fabricated at Danos’ 120,000 square-foot facility in Amelia, La. Coordinating the complex, customer-furnished items required extensive planning and support from each of the company’s service lines, especially its project management team.

Key design elements of the modules included 12,200 psi design pressure and 350˚F operating temperature requirements. The API 15K psi piping system consisted of 4130 material overlaid with Inconel 625. All welding was completed on the project with less than 0.45 percent weld-repair rate. Indoor humidity-controlled painting habitats were utilized. The project was delivered on budget and was performed safely with no lost time due to accidents or injuries.

Sonomatic, a market leader in the provision of advanced automated ultrasonic inspection services, has developed a brand-new tool for the internal inspection of caissons. The integrity of caissons is critical to safe and efficient operation of offshore structures. As offshore facilities age there is a growing need for inspection of caissons, with knowledge of their condition providing a basis for justification of ongoing operation or highlighting the need for repairs or replacements before in-service failures occur. The development was carried out internally by Sonomatic’s Research and Development group and brings together their considerable skills and experience in Mechanical Engineering, Automation, Electronics, Software and Signal Processing.

Image courtesy: Sonomatic

In the first field application of the new Internal Caisson Tool (ICT), Sonomatic were recently tasked to perform critical inspections on three caissons for a North Sea operator. The work was completed in collaboration with Cape Specialist Services in a single campaign with a combined offshore team. Cape Specialist Services deployed their environmentally safe caisson cleaning system capable of operating below sea level to remove all scale and marine growth from the caisson interior back to deck level for disposal. This prevents debris from dropping to the seabed or being sucked into the lift pumps on adjacent caissons.

In response to Operators wishing to reduce POB where possible, Sonomatic and Cape Specialist Services have assembled a team where cross training of the disciplines has been undertaken. This multi skilling of personnel has led to a three or four member team to conduct HP water jet cleaning, digital image surveying and NDT inspection from a single mobilization.

The ICT performed reliably throughout, allowing Sonomatic to deliver industry leading inspection results. Recognising the needs of industry, the focus of Sonomatic’s inspection service is on providing accurate and consistent data, this allowing client’s to make effective integrity decisions that contribute to operational safety and efficiency. The ICT was developed with this objective in mind and it provides rapid and reliable deployment of Sonomatic’s industry leading ultrasonic inspection techniques.

The inspection was performed from the internal surface of the caissons, using 0° Corrosion Mapping. Data scan files were collected at 500 mm axial intervals, with the data collected in a helical scan pattern. All of the ultrasonic data was processed in making several million thickness measurements for each caisson. This data was used to create corrosion maps that provide a colorgraphic representation of areas of wall loss.

Caissons often have internal corrosion, this means the inspection is from the corroded side which represents a challenge to maintaining accuracy of corrosion mapping. Sonomatic has optimized its approach to the inspection set up and has developed a range of new signal processing algorithms specifically to enhance the accuracy and reliability of measurements made from the corroded surfaces. Sonomatic’s approach means they can provide accurate measurements, to support fitness for service and remaining life assessments, in situations where the measurements made by competing systems have considerable uncertainty. Sonomatic’s results provide the basis for sound integrity decisions, proving significant cost benefits to clients.

“Obtaining reliable inspection data from the inside of caissons has long been recognized as a challenge in the industry”, says Sonomatic’s Topside Project Manager, Scott Bulloch. “This was one of the main drivers for development of the internal caisson inspection tool. In addition to massively improved data quality, Sonomatic is also advancing the methods of data presentation to ensure clients get the most from the data. This includes 3D presentation of corrosion maps, statistical summaries and comprehensive datasets for efficient creation of finite element models used in fitness for service assessments. Feedback on the results obtained has been very positive, with comments from clients indicating that they see Sonomatic’s measurement capability as offering a step change in the value of internal inspections.”

Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE: MUR) announces that a joint venture ("JV") led by its Mexican subsidiary, Murphy Sur, S. de R.L. de C.V., was the high bidder and is expected to be awarded Block 5 during Mexico's fourth phase, round one deepwater auction. Under the terms of the JV, Murphy will be the operator with a 30 percent working interest ("WI"), together with PC CARIGALI MEXICO OPERATIONS, S.A. DE C.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary of PETRONAS (23.34 percent WI), Ophir Energy (23.33 percent WI) and Sierra Offshore Exploration (23.33 percent WI).

Block 5 is located in the deepwater Salinas basin covering approximately 2,600 square kilometers (1,000 square miles), and water depths in this block range from 700 to 1,100 meters (2,300 to 3,600 feet). The initial exploration period for the license is four years and includes a work program commitment of one well.

The CI-GNL (Ivory Coast LNG) consortium led by Total has been awarded the rights to build and operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) re-gasification terminal in Ivory Coast with a capacity of 3 million tons per year.

The decision announced by the Government of the Ivory Coast on October 4th was followed by the signature of the shareholders’ agreement in Abidjan between Total, which will operate the project with a 34% interest, national companies PetroCI (11%) and CI Energies (5%) as well as SOCAR (26%), Shell (13%), Golar (6%) and Endeavor Energy (5%).

Map courtesy: Total

Total will use the terminal to supply LNG volumes from its global portfolio in proportion to its participating interest in the project. The re-gasification terminal project is expected to become operational by mid 2018.

“This project illustrates Total's strategy to develop new gas markets by unlocking access to LNG for fast-growing economies. Working closely with our partners enabled us to put together an integrated proposal combining LNG supply and import infrastructure through a floating storage and re-gasification unit,” said Philippe Sauquet, President Gas, Renewables and Power of Total. “We are very pleased to have been selected by the Ivorian authorities to manage this project, which will meet growing domestic and regional needs for gas and power.”

The project involves the construction of a terminal with a floating storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU) in Vridi, Abidjan area, and a pipeline connecting the FSRU to existing and planned power plants in Abidjan, as well as to regional markets connected to the Ivorian network. This will enable Ivory Coast to become the first regional LNG import Hub in West Africa, and to meet both regional and domestic demand.

Consult the infographic: How FSRUs Work

The first major study of oil and gas workforce perceptions since the start of the global downturn has revealed which operators and service companies are rated highest by oil and gas professionals based on key issues including values, performance and pay rates.

Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP and Halliburton make up the top five in the wide-ranging Ideal Employer Survey 2016, undertaken by Rigzone, which attracted responses from 8,400 people in more than 100 countries.

More than 3,000 oil and gas industry companies were named in the survey, published today, and despite the challenges faced by the sector through the depression in the oil price, no companies from other industries were ranked in the top 30.

The research, the first of its kind in the sector, was carried out between July and September this year, ranking companies based on 19 questions focused on their qualities and rating their ideal employers.

Commitment to health and safety is the single most important attribute (securing 90%) for people in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors worldwide. Competitive salary, interesting and challenging work, and corporate integrity (all 88%) were equal second, with workplace culture, and training and development programs (87%) joint third.

Regionally, only respondents in North America and Europe chose factors other than safety as their top priority. Salary, and manages business with integrity were joint top for North America, and the focus was on ‘interesting/challenging work’ for Europe.

James Bennett, Rigzone managing director said: “The results are revealing as this is the first major survey to be conducted with the global workforce, and against a background of continuing challenging economic circumstances for the sector.

“That the largest companies in the sector complete the top 30, the majority having undergone significant change due to the effects of the downturn in the past 18 months, will give them confidence that the workforce remain committed to the sector.”

On coming first in the survey, Jonathan Kohn, Shell HR VP for the UK, Ireland, Nordics and South Africa said: “Shell people are our strongest ambassadors and we are proud of the quality of the people that we've got. I think it's pretty clear and central to the group's strategy that having that access to quality people really is part of how we compete to win.”

The supermajor continues to invest in the development of the industry’s future workforce, and reiterated its desire to continue to bring new blood to the sector through graduate recruitment. Kohn added: "We have made a strong commitment to try to maintain our graduate recruitment through the whole cycle. We typically recruit in the range of 800 to 1,100 graduates per year around the world. We are at the bottom end of that range at the moment… But that is still a very substantial commitment.”

James Bennett, said, “It is no surprise that health and safety is the overwhelming priority across the majority of respondents, but no-less reassuring for an industry which continues to put people first in all aspects of E&P and downstream activity. Across the industry, new challenges continue to emerge - companies that can best adapt to the current environment and take advantage of new technology will be most attractive to professionals looking for interesting and rewarding work. Ensuring that the working environment, from the perspective of corporate culture and integrity, remains attractive and continues to garner respect is an area where organizations will need to ensure they do not become complacent after these positive results.”

Link to the Ideal Employer survey

Will Scargill, GlobalData's Senior Oil & Gas Analyst covering Upstream Fiscal & Regulatory Regimes says:

“Donald Trump’s election as the 45th President of the United States may have significant effects for the global oil and gas industry. The policy platform laid out during the campaign on both domestic issues and foreign affairs includes a number of elements with notable impacts on regulation, tax and investment opportunities in the sector. The Republican Party’s retention of its majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, should facilitate legislation to progress the new administration’s initiatives. The lack of detail of Trump's platform and absence of a track record in public office cast uncertainty over the policies that will be enacted and the effects they will have, but the tone of the campaign suggests a priority on domestic energy policy over international.

Photo credit: DonaldJTrump.com

“Domestic energy policy statements during the election campaign suggest a positive outlook for the oil and gas sector. This is supported by reports that his adviser Harold Hamm, CEO of Continental Resources, is in the running for Energy Secretary. Trump’s energy plan sets out support for the shale industry and open leasing of federal lands and offshore areas for upstream operations. During the campaign he also noted opposition to environmental regulation including the Paris climate agreement adopted at the COP21 summit, suggesting that the industry will face a reduced regulatory burden under his presidency.

“The expansion of offshore lease sales would likely be supported by the Republican-controlled Congress, particularly for Alaska’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and perhaps also for the frontier Atlantic OCS. The Obama administration had initially proposed a lease sale in the Atlantic OCS in the 2017-2022 program but later removed it due to environmental concerns. However, Trump’s support for the shale industry may be more difficult to realize from the Oval Office. He will have control over some regulations such as wastewater and emissions standards through the Environmental Protection Agency, but the majority of regulatory barriers have been imposed at local or state level which are currently decoupled from Federal involvement.

"On wider energy markets, Trump has indicated that he would give the go-ahead to the Keystone XL pipeline, which was vetoed in 2015 by President Obama, if the operator reapplies for approval. This could improve supply side economics on heavy crude for US refiners by increasing supply capacity from Alberta, where production is expected to increase by approximately 500,000 barrels per day by 2020. This also suggests strong prospects for the North Dakota Access pipeline which provides additional lower-cost takeaway capacity from the Bakken, for which federal agencies have requested a construction pause.

"Financial disclosures have shown that Trump has invested in the operator, Energy Transfer Partners, and that its CEO contributed to his campaign, though it is customary for sitting presidents’ assets to be held in a blind trust. Although the prospect of infrastructure projects moving forward is positive for the oil and gas sector, the inherent contradictions between his support for business and his protectionist trade position may untangle as policy is realized. A focus on US energy independence and opposition to broader trade deals could create direct or indirect hurdles for the industry in the US and abroad."

For a full version of this analysis, please visit the GlobalData Energy website.

Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Børs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) announces the award of a sizeable contract by Woodside Energy Ltd for the Greater Western Flank Phase 2 Project, offshore Australia.

The Greater Western Flank is located on the North West Shelf of Australia, 60 km southwest of the Goodwyn Alpha (GWA) platform. The contract scope comprises the subsea tie-back of adjacent fields to the GWA platform, including the installation of manifolds, umbilicals and spool pieces, together with the pre-commissioning of the system.

Project management and engineering will commence immediately from Subsea 7's office in Perth, Australia, with offshore operations scheduled to commence in 2018.

Andy Woolgar, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, said: "We are delighted to have been awarded this project from Woodside Energy Ltd. This is the fourth award from Woodside in recent times, and we are pleased to be able to continue this strong working relationship."

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

Statoil and Petrobras have completed their previously announced transaction, whereby Statoil has acquired Petrobras’ 66% operated interest of the BM-S-8 offshore license in Brazil’s Santos basin.

Photo courtesy: Statoil

BM-S-8 contains a substantial part of the Carcará pre-salt oil discovery.

On the completion of the transaction, Statoil has paid Petrobras USD 1.25 billion, half of the total consideration. The remainder will be paid at the passage of certain future milestones, mainly relating to the future unitization of Carcará.

NOIA, IPAA, LMOGA & GEST Submit Joint FOIA Requests to BOEM and DOI

Washington, D.C. – The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association (LMOGA), and the Gulf Economic Survival Team (GEST) submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to both the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) seeking information related to the recent drastic changes to the financial assurances and bonding required of offshore oil and gas producers.

The four industry trade groups—which collectively represent the entirety of the offshore oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico – have joined together to press for immediate consideration of these FOIA requests and continue to urge BOEM, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), and DOI to be responsive to industry concerns regarding its Notice to Lessees (NTL) No. 2016-N01, which dramatically changed the existing framework for securing decommissioning liability for the offshore oil and gas industry.

This comes on the heels of NOIA’s recent FOIA request to BSEE seeking information related to the agency’s revised estimates for future well plugging and abandonment and platform decommissioning costs in the Gulf of Mexico, which varied wildly from actual and current decommissioning costs and BSEE’s own previous cost projections.

Today’s FOIA requests augment continued industry efforts to gain greater clarity into how BOEM and DOI determined that new financial assurance requirements were necessary and the considerations underpinning and informing their decision-making process.

Combined, these efforts represent our industry’s commitment to understand how DOI and BOEM determined that changing the rules via the NTL guidance was appropriate rather than undertaking a formal rulemaking process, a much more transparent and equitable process.

Remarkably, transparency typically afforded to companies under normal circumstances with NTLs has been at a premium with BOEM in this instance, as information central to the rationale of NTL No. 2016-N01 has not been released to the public or to companies attempting to meet the new financial assurance and bonding requirements.

The new rules are a solution in search of a problem, as the existing framework has protected taxpayers for decades. Moreover, offshore operators made significant investments based on the existing regulatory framework and BOEM has now changed the rules in a manner that threatens to trigger the very risk it is trying to protect against, as these new burdensome bonding requirements will tie up capital that would otherwise be available for exploration, development, jobs, revenues to states and the federal government – and most ironically – for actual plugging and abandonment work.

On behalf of our members, NOIA, IPAA, LMOGA and GEST stand ready and committed to work with BOEM, BSEE, and DOI to ensure a robust future of responsible development in the Gulf of Mexico for the benefit of taxpayers in the form of royalties, severance tax revenues to the state and federal government, jobs, and additional capital investment.

Technip’s wholly-owned subsidiary Technip Umbilicals Inc.(1) has been awarded a contract by a major Operator to supply a subsea control umbilical(2) in the Gulf of Mexico.

The contract includes the project management and manufacture of several kilometers of a static and dynamic unarmoured steel tube umbilical.

Technip Umbilicals facility in Houston, USA, will manufacture this prestigious project for the high pressure field, which is scheduled to be completed in 2017.

Technip Umbilicals’ Managing Director, Sarah Cridland, said: “This award confirms Technip’s position as a world leader in the supply of umbilical systems to the Gulf of Mexico region.”

(1) Technip Umbilicals Inc is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Technip. The Group, through its Technip Umbilicals group of companies, operates four manufacturing sites in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, Houston, USA, Lobito, Angola, and Johor, Malaysia.
(2) Umbilical: an assembly of steel tubes and/or hydraulic hoses which can also include electrical cables or optic fibers used to control subsea structures from a platform or a vessel.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC) announced that it has been awarded a contract from Shell Offshore Inc. (RDS) for its Vito host project in the Gulf of Mexico.

Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs is delivering a front-end engineering and design package and detailed engineering for the Vito host platform topsides. Vito is located in over 4,000 feet of water in the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico. The Vito host will initially handle production from the Vito subsea field being subsequently developed, with potential for future tiebacks from other fields.

In making the announcement, Jacobs Senior Vice President Petroleum and Chemicals Manuel Junco stated, “We are delighted to continue our long-standing, successful relationship with Shell. This project allows us to leverage our experience with deep-water production systems and will be a new lower cost design basis for Shell.”

Jacobs is one of the world’s largest and most diverse providers of full-spectrum technical, professional and construction services for industrial, commercial and government organizations globally. The company employs 54,000 people and operates in more than 25 countries around the world.

Oil and gas exploration has always had a strong element of risk, not only in terms of making a discovery but also from fluctuating oil prices, turbulent exchange rates and changing geopolitics. There are many variables that can affect the potential value of a hydrocarbon find, and evaluation of exploration acreage for investment judgements is always complicated by the limited amount of data available to make an informed decision. The potential value of a prospect is not necessarily related to its volume, especially in today’s volatile economic and political environments, so the need to understand and quantify the geological risks and the complexities of petroleum economics is imperative.

Sabinas – Rio Grande Volumetric Heat Map. Source: EV², mean volume estimates. Credit: CGG

EV² is an exploration valuation platform that has been specifically designed to assist this decision-making process. It has been jointly developed by CGG and Wood MacKenzie to provide an independent, transparent and consistent analysis of undrilled acreage. EV² uses the latest economic data and commercial insight from Wood MacKenzie, combined with Robertson’s unique basis of geological knowledge and expertise within CGG’s GeoConsulting group, to provide a user-friendly economic-modelling tool. Currently it contains block-level geological risk, volume and value data for 100 prospective basins and by early 2017 this will increase to over 180 basins and so provide a global assessment tool for exploration.

EV² allows geologic assumptions to be changed to accommodate different views of play risk or lead density. Different scenarios can be tested to provide a range of possible outcomes so that budgets and resources can be planned. Play and basin metrics can be compared in a transparent and objective manner in order to evaluate corporate portfolios for petroleum economists and financial institutions.

Where additional proprietary information is available, this can be used to edit the underlying geological assumptions in EV² to refine the baseline volumetric assessments. This enables users to create their own customized scenarios quickly, in a confidential, in-house environment and so maximize their competitive advantage. EV² provides the means for New Ventures and Exploration teams to compare prospects in a consistent manner in order to guide license round screening and farm-in evaluation.

Evaluation of the blocks on offer in Mexico’s licensing Round One provides a good example of where using EV² for the fast assessment of potential volume and value of the exploration blocks on offer could provide valuable insight to inform bidding strategies. Investigation of the EV² data for the Sabinas-Rio Grande basin identifies eight geologic plays, based on the interpretation of a number of data sources by Robertson’s regional experts. Most of the yet-to-find reserves (over 80%) are expected to be found in the Upper Oligocene, Lower Oligocene and Upper Paleocene to Lower Eocene plays. EV² identifies the most exciting play to be the Upper Paleocene to Lower Eocene, with potential volumes of between 6 bnboe and 10 bnboe estimated.

However, value depends on more than just volume, and EV² enables pre-tax and post-tax Net Present Value (NPV) to be assessed at various price and exchange rate scenarios so that economic attractiveness can be evaluated quickly. The assessment of the Sabinas-Rio Grande basin reveals that, as it is closer to shore and in shallower waters, the Upper Oligocene play in fact has greater potential value than the Upper Paleocene to Lower Eocene play. EV² provides understanding of how all the plays intersect with the license blocks on offer and the mapping can guide further efforts in analysing opportunities. As more work is done on the blocks on offer and more data are acquired, extra information can be incorporated into EV² to give additional insight to those owning the new data.

This fast but rigorous evaluation demonstrates that EV² can be used to analyse exploration acreage and provide valuable insight to New Ventures teams. The flexibility of the EV² platform, enabling assumptions to be changed and different scenarios to be tested, provides answers quickly for informed decision-making.

On Friday, the 7th October 2016, Robotica in Maintenance Strategies BV (RIMS) launched inspection services of enclosed spaces to the Maritime and Offshore Industry, using the drone Elios.

RIMS was founded in 2015 by David Knukkel, Sr. Maintenance Consultant in Maritime and Offshore Industry, with a clear mission to replace all high-risk & resource intensive maintenance activities with smarter drone and robotic technologies to increase safety and cost efficient operations.

David Knukkel, Director of RIMS BV demonstrating the Elios Drone. Photo credit: RIMS BV

One major focus of RIMS was to realize safe inspections of enclosed spaces. We carried out extensive market research including visiting several Universities in Holland and Switzerland with our partner ‘Flyability’, where they gave a presentation of their drone Elios. This is a drone within a protective cage, and is perfectly suited to enter enclosed spaces and carry out in depth inspections of the enclosed areas.

With our partners Rotterdam Offshore Group, Rolldock and Flyability, under supervision of Class, RIMS carried out a test on board the vessel ‘Rolldock Sky’ to check whether the controls and data transfer would be okay in a ballast tank and duct keel.

These tests were successfully completed and you can share the experience by viewing this brief video.

Our industry is changing fast and the door to a new “world” of technological advances is already open. There is technology available which can change traditional operations, so It is not a question of ‘if’ technology will change the market, but ‘when’ and ‘how’ the voyage will be.

We believe it is time for the Maritime and Offshore markets to understand and embrace what can robotics can mean for our industries. Hiring local unexperienced employees, sceptics against technology and changes and questions like where to start, are all actual challenges of leading shipping and oil companies. RIMS can support these organizations in finding solutions. Offering inspection services with new technology, RIMS will show the industry that many things are already possible, and a wealth of new opportunities are available using our technical solutions in the very near future.

Image courtesy: Teledyne Marine

Teledyne Oil & Gas, a market focused entity of Teledyne Marine, hosted a Focus on Technology Event on November 15, in Houston, Texas on November 15, The annual event, in its 8th year, concentrated on the emerging technical challenges found in Topside and Subsea Oil & Gas exploration and production with over 250 industry professionals from over 100 companies representing major oil operators, service companies and suppliers attending through special invitation.

The event focused on confronting current market challenges with innovative solutions to address cost pressures, harsh environments, and longer step-out distances as the industry experiences unprecedented changes. Two technical panels comprised of industry experts from Shell, Chevron, INTECSEA, and Noble Energy discussed new technology to enable lower cost execution and shared best practices in offshore projects in an open Q & A format with the audience.

“Teledyne Oil & Gas is taking a leadership role during these challenging times, to identify the technical obstacles and develop innovative solutions that will help our industry to meet the current and future market challenges head-on” said Mike Read, President of Teledyne Marine. “These dedicated professionals came here today with one goal in mind: to share perspectives towards the best technical resolutions in the new reality of the oil and gas industry.”

An opening keynote address: “The State of the Industry: An Oil Operator’s Perspective” was presented by BP’s Ryan Malone, Projects Manager for the Gulf of Mexico. The featured keynote was delivered by Tom Moroney, VP of Deepwater and Wells Technologies for Shell, titled “Driving a Competitive Shell Deepwater Business.” The latest deepwater oil and gas market forecast from Quest Offshore Resources was presented by CEO Paul Hillegeist, and additional notable presentations were given by Teledyne Scientific & Imaging and Texas A&M Engineering.