Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has launched a new online Fender Selection Tool, almost completely digitizing the fender selection process and saving consultants the huge amounts of time normally spent carrying out complex manual calculations. The tool is also intended to help specifiers and suppliers alike take steps towards a more standardized engineering process, reducing subjectivity in the design process and helping to shape consistent industry best practice.
The tool requires the user to input simple information on vessel type, berthing factors and speed. They then receive a broad fender selection, which can be further refined as the user enters more details into the input panel.
Mishra Kumar, Technical Director for Marine Fenders at Trelleborg’s marine systems operation, said: “With so many factors to consider in the specification of fender systems, we wanted to make the process as simple as possible for consultants, enabling them to determine the optimum fenders for their project needs in just a few clicks.”
The new tool can complete a calculation process for up to ten types of fenders, cross referencing up to 23 grades, which would take several hours if prepared manually. The digitized process takes the user through just four simple input sections, generating a document that details all potential fender systems suitable for the application and performance required. Results generated are compliant to both PIANC guidelines and the latest British Standards for fender system design.
The Fender Selection Tool is part of Trelleborg’s commitment to enabling a Smarter Approach to port and terminal efficiency. This philosophy – centered on key cornerstones of automation and data-centricity – extends beyond port and terminal infrastructure to enabling faster, more effective decision making across entire product lifecycles and supply chains.
To explore the tool, click here.
Marsol International, a UAE-based global marine solutions provider focused on the offshore oil terminal market and related infrastructure, has announced the launch of its new office, Marsol International Abu Dhabi.
The facility strengthens Marsol’s presence in the UAE region and increases the company’s capabilities for directly servicing Abu Dhabi-based clients.
Marsol has already undertaken several projects from the facility, including offshore hose studies involving modelling, inspection and repair operations, Emergency Pipeline Repair Service (EPRS) support and tanker terminal assessments for major companies in the area, as well as undertaking the Oman Oil Company Exploration & Production LLC’s first two shipments of crude oil from the Musandam gas plant.
Mike Young, Director of Marsol International, said: “It’s vital that we can provide the best possible service to our clients and our new Abu Dhabi facility ensures that we can effectively and efficiently complete projects in this region. The new facility has also led to the recruitment of two new team members who are ideally placed to provide on-the-ground support to our clients.
“We have already undertaken a number of significant projects which utilised our specialist, integrity management driven, holistic approach to operational and IRM solutions and we look forward to working closely with operators and service companies based in Abu Dhabi as we continue to expand our onshore and offshore operations.”
Since 2005, based on experience gained over 47 years, Marsol International has provided operational engineering and management solutions to clients, consultants and EPC contractors for new offshore terminal facilities, and operational integrity management and IRM services of existing facilities to offshore terminal owners and operators.
MetOcean Solutions recently provided free access to all their hindcast data statistics from around the world.
"Anyone with internet access can now view and download historical weather statistics from a range of global locations," states Dr. Rafael Guedes, Manager of Hindcasts. "In total we have statistics available from more than 380,000 datapoints around the world, a number which is constantly increasing as we run our models for new locations."
Historical data such as 100 year return period value (RPV) wave height is important baseline information for anyone operating in the ocean.
MetOcean Solutions’ hindcast data provide high quality marine weather information generated in-house by a team of expert scientists using state-of-the-art atmospheric and oceanographic models. The hindcast statistics can be accessed through the MetOceanView platform with no login required.
"Our historical data archives reach back to 1979," adds Rafael. "The information available includes wind and wave distribution statistics, roses, joint probability tables and extreme value analysis data."
Suitable for environmental investigations and climate analysis, the datasets offer key baseline information for project scoping, offshore and coastal design, project planning and environmental impact assessment.
"We display tiles with gridded statistics from selected global datasets, including gridded mean wave height, period and direction for total swell and wind-sea wave components, percentiles and extreme value analysis of significant wave height and wind speed, vector-average currents, as well as mean air and sea-surface temperature."
Click here for free access to the more than 380,000 hindcast data locations worldwide.
For a list of full historical datasets available, click here.
Unique Group, a leading integrated subsea and offshore solution provider, has announced that its On-Site Engineering division, through its Wellube brand, has partnered with KSB Group to offer a new service to its customers in the Middle East and Africa region. On-Site Spark Erosion is the latest addition to the division's wide portfolio of services that include hot tapping & line stopping, on-site machining, and safety valve testing among many others.
The KSB Group, headquartered in Germany, is a leading supplier of pumps, valves and services. KSB also continues to remain the world market leaders in the spark erosion industry supplying their services for over 20 years to a wide variety of sectors ranging from oil and gas to marine.
Removal of the coupling bolts on a 9E gas turbine using spark erosion technique. Photo credit: Unique Group
Spark erosion, also known as metal disintegration or electro discharge machining (EDM), is a technique that's primarily used for tap, stud, bolt and drill removal or seized fasteners. The cutting action of a metal disintegrator is accomplished by creating a series of intermittent electric arcs that break down the hardest metals into minute particles in a safe and controlled manner.
An electrode, held in the head of the disintegrator, vibrates as it cuts while a coolant is pumped through the electrode to wash away the powdered metal. The technique chiefly employs electrical energy to remove metal from the work piece without creating any contact with it. The technique can also be used for marine and marine engine repairs.
As there are no cutting forces involved in a spark erosion process, delicate operations can be performed on thin work pieces. The technique can produce shapes unobtainable by a conventional machining process and can also be used to provide a texture on the inside of mold tools for plastic products.
Sahil Gandhi, Director at Unique Group's On-Site Engineering division commented, "Our Wellube brand is widely recognized as a leader in the provision of on-site machining services. As a world-renowned brand, we're continuously on the lookout to grow our reach by offering new services to customers the world over. The decision to partner with KSB was imminent considering their in-depth experience in the spark erosion industry."
"Their spark erosion machines are powerful and highly reliable, thereby ensuring maximum material removal in minimum time, thus keeping the customer on schedule."
Paul Eccles, Spark Erosion Sales Manager at KSB asserted, "We're pleased with our new association with Unique Group. We at KSB have always aimed at giving our customers the best possible service to suit their business needs backed by a 24hr support plan and the same ideology resonates with the Unique Group team. Their strong customer base and sound knowledge of the market is instrumental in establishing the best-in-class metal disintegration service to customers in the region."
Due to the war in Syria, we are seeing a humanitarian catastrophe, and especially the situation in the town of Aleppo is critical.
In Aleppo thousands of desperate people are living in the midst of this crisis, and the relief centers for those fleeing are over-filled. It’s cold and there is not enough access to sanitary conditions or heat. The need for humanitarian aid is significant.
Photo: International Committee of the Red Cross
“We are all affected by the pictures and stories coming out of Syria and Aleppo. The situation is critical and the international community must contribute. Our contribution goes to the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, that has a long history of humanitarian aid in challenging conditions. We believe it’s important that companies like ours contribute,” says Reidar Gjærum, head of communication at Statoil.
The Syrian Red Crescent and the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC) have been asked by the conflicting parties to transport our civilians and injured people from Eastern Aleppo.
100 Red Crescent volunteers, together with ICRC personnel are involved, and are using 10 ambulances and around 20 buses. During last week they managed to transport around 10 000 people, many who were children.
“I’ve been here every year the last five years during the war, and I see that it’s now worse than ever. The amount of people needing emergency help and aid, the amount that are severely injured and the number that has been killed gets higher and higher,” says Sven Molleklein, president for Red Cross in Norway.
“Those who live in Aleppo have to make impossible decisions to get to safety. They make their way through destroyed buildings, and walk for hours. On their backs they carry the injured, the sick and small children. They arrive at reception centers with nothing. Thanks to the gift from Statoil we can now help even more people with food, shelter, clean water and warm clothes or blankets,” says Mollekleiv.
As a result of multiple contract wins in 2016, independent subsea Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) service provider, ROVOP, has recovered strongly from the downturn in the oil and gas industry.
The company enjoyed a record period in the second half of its financial year with sales of almost £10million and EBITDA of £3.5m for the six months to September 2016, an increase of 14% and 27% respectively over the same period in 2015.
It also welcomed 15 new customers, spanning ten countries, to its high-profile global portfolio of clients and expanded its fleet with an electric work class ROV, the Seaeye Leopard, the most powerful vehicle for its size in the world.
ROVOP deploys an ROV off the coast of Germany. Photo credit: ROVOP
Earlier this year ROVOP was named as one of the London Stock Exchange’s 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain. The report was a celebration of the UK’s fastest-growing and most dynamic small and medium sized businesses.
To be included in the list, companies needed to show consistent revenue growth over a minimum of three years, significantly outperforming their industry peers.
Chief Executive, Steven Gray, said: “Our last financial year was very much in two halves. The bankruptcy of one of our major clients in 2015, Ceona, presented a significant challenge that came as the falling oil price bit hard. But I am delighted with the way our team responded, delivering a strong rebound in activity and financial results to achieve a doubling of revenue from the first half of our financial year to the second.
“We have achieved several significant milestones this year. These include our first project in South East Asia, the successful completion of a multi-year North Sea decommissioning project, the deepest unexploded ordnance survey and relocation project ever undertaken globally, the first installation of commercial scale tidal energy turbines in Scotland and securing a second world war submarine that posed a significant environmental risk. I am delighted with the success of the projects and the momentum we have managed to build in a challenging landscape.
“The market now clearly recognizes that current generation ROVs lower cost and the importance of the high quality personnel employed by ROVOP and trained in our in-house academy.”
The company has also announced the appointment of Lee Shanks as Business Development Manager. Lee has joined ROVOP in its Aberdeen office and brings extensive subsea sector experience to drive further business growth.
Commercial director, Euan Tait, explained the addition of Mr. Shanks to the team will be key:
“Lee has exceptional experience both in technical and customer facing roles. Appointing him as Business Development Manager is an important part of our plans to maintain close relationships with our clients as well as further strengthening our position with new customers in new territories.
“The market remains challenging but our ability to lower costs, while using the best equipment and personnel on the market, means we continue to enjoy regular successes. This appointment will further drive our business development and those successes into the New Year.”
ATR Group has announced a six-figure investment towards developing its inspection capabilities which will see in-house personnel delivering further rope access services and non-destructive testing (NDT), a method fast becoming one of the most in-demand techniques used by the energy industries across the globe.
NDT measures various material and mechanical properties of an object without affecting its operating performance. According to a recent report the global NDT market was estimated to be valued at $12.98 billion (USD) in 2015 and is projected to reach $18.88 billion by 2020.
As part of strengthening the capabilities of ATR Lifting Solutions’ 33 in-house engineers, the Group has appointed George Byers as divisional manager. An industry veteran with 30 years’ experience in oil and gas under his belt, he joins ATR following six years at international inspection services company Reel Group where since March 2015 he was the regional general manager in Houston, Texas.
ATR’s personnel are currently fully trained to industry body Lifting Equipment Engineers Association standards and are also qualified in accordance with Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Based in Aberdeen, Mr. Byers will oversee the workforce as they attend a combination of external and in-house training to become fully qualified in magnetic particle, dye penetrant, eddy current and ultrasonic NDT methods.
Findlay Moir, ATR Lifting Solutions Divisional Director
ATR Lifting Solutions divisional director Findlay Moir said: “We have one of the largest teams of inspection engineers in the UK oil and gas industry and, with George on board, the company is in a strong position to further develop our inspection and testing services to the next level.
“Given the challenging times facing the sector, we believe it is important to keep investing in and developing our people to ensure we can continue to offer increased value to our clients and galvanize our workforce.
“Advanced inspection services are the next logical step for ATR Lifting Solutions and we’ve already had strong interest from our clients to deliver this class of inspection. With the prospect of just one engineer needed to carry out routine inspections and NDT on the same work scope, it automatically makes it more time and cost effective for clients. It also has better safety implications.
“We look forward to George coming on board and broadening our inspection team’s expertise.”
Mr. Byers, who began his career as an NDT technician moving into management 10 years later, added: “ATR has a fantastic reputation for delivering successful campaigns here in the UK and globally, and I’m thrilled to be part of helping build on this even further.
“The supply chain has been hit hard by the downturn with companies looking to cut costs and make savings where possible. I truly believe this kind of investment in training will not only pay dividends to the business but strengthen ATR’s position as a leader in the sector.”
ATR Group is the market leader in the rental, sale and inspection of specialized equipment to the petrochemicals, marine, subsea and the offshore oil and gas industry. Its four business units are ATR Equipment Solutions, ATR Lifting Solutions, Underwater Engineering Services and Safety & Technical Hydraulics.
Offshore accommodation and workspace solutions specialist HB Rentals has secured contracts in excess of £1,000,000 for the manufacture of workshops, local equipment rooms and pressurised offshore service modules for multiple clients.
The company was commissioned by Prosafe to design, manufacture and supply two DNV 2.7-1 and 2.7-2, Safe Area certified welding workshops for the Safe Zephyrus semi-submersible accommodation vessel, operating offshore Norway.
HB Rentals was also commissioned to design, manufacture and supply a local equipment room by OneSubsea GmbH for subsea operations in the Taurus Libra field, offshore Egypt. The module was required to be DNV 2.7-1 and 2.7-2, A60 and Safe Area certified.
And HB Rentals was commissioned by Semco Maritime to design, manufacture and supply a DNV 2.7-1, A60, Zone II rated pressurised offshore service module for subsea services in the UK sector of the North Sea.
All of the modules were designed and manufactured at HB Rentals’ service facilities in Sauchen, Aberdeenshire. The premises include almost 3,000m sq. of workshops and stores, incorporating a fully equipped 450m sq. fabrication shop and a 2,000m sq. outfitting shop.
HB Rentals is a Superior Energy Services company that specialises in the design, manufacture, sale and rental of DNV & ABS certified temporary offshore accommodation solutions, Zone I/Zone II hazardous area service modules, and workshop and refrigeration containers. The global organisation has been based in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire for more than 25 years.
HB Rentals managing director Norman Porter said: “At a time when the industry is experiencing significant challenges, these multiple contracts in our expanding build for sale division represent good news not only for us but for the sector in the North-east of Scotland as a whole.
“The personnel and facilities we have in our workshop and service premises have once again enabled us to design and create a range of modules to the very highest standards, which we hope will provide an environment to assist our clients in achieving their targets.”
Petsec Energy announces the release of the preliminary development schedule for the Company’s Hummer Project at Main Pass Blocks 270/273/274 in which it holds a 12.5% working interest. This follows the successful production test of the Company’s Main Pass Block 270 #3 BP 01, Hummer discovery well, conducted over a 48 hour flow-back period beginning 16 November 2016.
During the test, flow rates were measured at restricted rates on variable choke sizes. Over the last three hours of the 48 hour test period the well flowed at an average rate of 19.88 MMcfpd (million cubic feet of gas per day) and 396 bcpd (barrels of condensate per day) through a 16/64th inch choke with an average flowing WHP (well-head pressure) of 9753 psi (pounds per square inch) and no formation water. Production rates continued to rise over the duration of the test with a maximum gas rate of 20.5 MMcfpd recorded.
Image courtesy: Petsec Energy
The next stage of development will use the results of the production test to design, fabricate and install a deck section with production facilities on the jacket, lay gas and oil flow lines and connect them to existing oil and gas sales pipeline transportation systems. The Company estimates first production from the Hummer project to commence mid-year 2017.
Petsec will continue to update the market on completion of key milestones in the development of the project.
The Main Pass Block 270 # 3 BP 01 well was perforated from 14,100 feet to 14,186 feet measured depth (MD), 14,058 feet to 14,144 feet true vertical depth (TVD) in a sand reservoir. Well logs indicate additional potential reservoirs in the well, which are yet to be tested. These untested sands will be targets of future drilling on the Hummer Project. Significant production occurs for similar reservoirs along trend. Peak production rates from those intervals can exceed 25 MMcfpd and 1000 bcpd.
Petsec’s Chairman and Managing Director, Terry Fern, commented:
'The success of the Hummer production test confirmed that the Hummer Project is a substantial oil and gas discovery with resource potential significantly exceeding the Company’s pre-drill mapped upper target estimates. The Hummer development appears to be well timed as both gas and oil prices are substantially higher than at the beginning of the year. U.S. Henry Hub gas prices have moved above US $3.60/Mcf and US WTI above US$50/Bbl. We look forward to first commercial gas and oil production from the Hummer Project in Mid-2017.
Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) has named Clay Neff president of Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production, effective January 1, 2017.
Neff, 54, succeeds Ali Moshiri, who will retire from Chevron after 38 years of distinguished service, effective April 1, 2017, consistent with the company's mandatory retirement policy. Neff, who is currently managing director of Chevron's Nigeria Mid-Africa Business Unit, will oversee Chevron's exploration and production activities in 15 countries across Africa and Latin America. In his new role, Neff will report to Jay Johnson, Chevron's executive vice president, Upstream.
In his current role, Neff is responsible for Chevron's upstream operations in Nigeria and West Africa. He received his Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana State University in 1984 and joined Chevron the following year as a drilling engineer. Since then, he has held numerous engineering, operations, commercial and management positions of increasing responsibility in the United States, Angola and Nigeria. Mr. Neff is also the chairman of the board of trustees for the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), chairman of the Oil Producers Trade Section of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Over the course of his career, Moshiri has developed significant operational and international experience. He has held key leadership roles throughout the enterprise, including manager of Petroleum and Facilities Engineering, general manager of Strategic Planning and Assets Evaluation for Chevron Overseas Petroleum, general manager and advisor to the vice chairman of the board of Chevron Corporation Exploration and Production, and managing director of Chevron Latin America Exploration and Production Company.
"Clay's broad operating experience, particularly in Africa, makes him highly qualified to lead these two key regions for our business," said John Watson, Chevron's chairman and CEO.
Commenting on Moshiri's retirement, Watson said, "Ali has played a central and critical role in growing our business in Africa and Latin America. He has also distinguished himself as a champion of Chevron's commitment to economic and social development in the areas in which we operate."
New decommissioning service launched by Lloyd's Register helps operators, equity holders, investors and regulators navigate the regulatory and technical complexities of late-life operations and decommissioning to drive significant cost savings, improve project efficiency, reduce risk, and safely decommission assets and facilities.
In-depth technical knowledge, cost estimation and determining decommissioning risk liabilities make it easier for companies to plan and execute with confidence against a challenging low oil-price market.
"Operators are faced with a huge challenge and conflict between maximizing economic recovery, a low oil price and decommissioning on the horizon," says Alasdair Buchanan, Energy Director at Lloyd's Register.
"We understand decommissioning requires an investment with little to no return for operators, accompanied by an element of ambiguity globally about the requirements set by regulators and uncertainty on long term liability. The onus is on operators to execute decommissioning in the most cost effective manner, especially in jurisdictions such as the UKCS where tax relief is available on decommissioning activities."
Image courtesy: Lloyd’s Register
Lloyd's Register is offering an integrated portfolio of late-life and decommissioning services to support operators, equity holders and regulators in key territories including the UKCS, GOM and across Asia in how best to manage their operations productivity, with minimal risk and cost effectively in the run up to Cessation of Production (CoP) and decommissioning.
"We are launching this new service to help duty holders, owners, operators, equity holders and regulators drive significant cost savings, improve project efficiency, reduce risk and safely decommission assets and facilities," highlights Buchanan. "Following several years of acquisition, we have the in-house capability to support industry across late-life operations and decommissioning. It is a unique offering from CoP preparation, planning and surveys, to plug and abandonment, waste management and monitoring post removal – all from one independent provider."
The expertise covers subsea operations through to topsides, offshore and onshore technical and engineering solutions, project and data management, assurance and commercial services.
Industry estimates suggest the tax certainty created by the UK Government's policy for oil and gas decommissioning will drive at least an additional £13 billions of capital investment in the North Sea.
"If you're responsible for any element of decommissioning or if your operations are moving towards CoP, you'll know only too well the scale of the project ahead of you," says Buchanan. "For any operator or investor, issues exist around managing costs, environmental and safety implications and the daunting challenge of navigating through the regulations and standards that must be adhered to, but it doesn't have to be a daunting process."
"We offer a wide range of services across the decommissioning life-cycle that provide a standardized process to decommissioning, that in itself, will lead to further cost savings and commercial incentives in planning, project managing, budgeting and execution."
The company has brought together a decade of investment in new technology and company acquisitions, and which now give operators a one-stop-shop for the technical expertise and experience needed to run decommissioning projects. Its unique standardized process to decommissioning can be applied in:
"Determining the nature, timing and sequence of ending the life of a field or facility, in the most cost effective way, requires specialist knowledge of the reservoir, well design, production properties and the process equipment."
Buchanan states that before any operator embarks on decommissioning, experienced subsurface teams are needed that use specialists in geology, geophysics, petrophysics, reservoir and petroleum engineering and field development to conduct a range of technical studies.
"Our aim is to provide a high level of certainty and reassurance to industry that the approach to decommissioning and the associated costs of carrying out decommissioning can be done effectively," emphasizes Buchanan. "The oil price drop has made decommissioning more relevant for many operators and we believe that as those costs are so big at the end of field life, cost estimates for decommissioning should be subject to careful scrutiny.
"Our process at Lloyd's Register is also about understanding the minimum that needs to done to achieve a safe and robust decommissioning process. It is also important that solutions are not over-engineered or over compensated for in costly, unnecessary remedial activity that has little to do with compliance to certain standards or processes."
Lloyd's Register points out that the service extends to non-operated partners or M&A organizations.
"If you are considering an asset purchase or transfer, you need to understand your decommissioning liabilities and where you are exposed to cost escalation," comments Buchanan. "Our independent evaluations provide that in-depth asset knowledge, residual value determination and decommissioning cost liabilities."
BP (NYSE: BP) and GE (NYSE: GE) announces the start-up of Plant Operations Advisor (POA), a new digital solution designed to improve the efficiency, reliability and safety of BP’s oil and gas production operations. Plant Operations Advisor is already helping BP manage the performance of one of its platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and, subject to a successful pilot, it will be deployed next year to other BP facilities around the world.
The tool, built on GE’s Predix operating system, was created as part of a development partnership the two companies announced in January. “BP gravitates toward new technologies, especially digital, and that makes working with them particularly exciting,” said Lorenzo Simonelli, president and CEO, GE Oil & Gas. “We are taking a big step forward together during this time of digital transformation, deploying what we’ve co-created over the past year to drive the kind of productivity improvements that the oil and gas industry needs. The global deployment is expected to be the largest-scale deployment of GE’s Predix-powered APM technology to date.”
Plant Operations Advisor will help prevent unplanned downtime and improve facility reliability by helping engineering teams respond quickly to issues as they occur in real-time.
“By bringing together some of the best minds at GE and BP, we were able to develop this innovative digital product and are confident that it will have a significant impact on our business,” said Ahmed Hashmi, BP’s Head of Upstream Technology. “When fully deployed, these advanced digital technologies will change the way we work and improve the integrity and performance of our assets around the globe.”
Using GE’s Predix and Asset Performance Management (APM) capabilities, POA rapidly integrates operational data from producing oil and gas facilities to deliver notifications and analytical reports to engineers so they can identify operational performance issues before they become significant.
The system provides simplified access to a variety of live data feeds and includes visualization capabilities including a real-time facility threat display. It also incorporates an extensive case management capability to support learnings from prior operational issues.
GE intends to offer this technology, which combines big data, cloud hosting, and analytics on both individual pieces of equipment as well as the entire production system, as an APM solution that will be available to the industry.
On January 26, 2017, Blake Moore, Shell Project Manager will make a presentation to the MTS Houston Section on Shell’s Stones FPSO.
Shell is no stranger to setting world records when it comes to deepwater exploration and development. Some 23 years ago Shell started setting records for deepwater development with the Auger development at a depth of 2,860 feet. Then came Mars, Ursa Perdigo and others. Now the Stones development is setting another record as the world’s deepest oil and gas project to date. The development is located along the Walker Ridge area in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, 200 miles southwest of New Orleans in a water depth of 9,500 feet (2,896 m). Shell opted to develop the field using a disconnectable FPSO, tied to a subsea development. Nominal production capacities for the FPSO were set at 60,000 bpd of oil, 30,000 bpd of produced water and 15 MMscfd of associated gas. The FPSO design was based on a Suezmax size, double hull tanker and a contract award was given in early 2013 to SBM offshore to deliver the FPSO.
Shell’s Stones FPSO. Photo courtesy: Shell
The project execution phase began in the fall of 2012, and fabrication on the FPSO began upon arrival of the selected tanker in Singapore in June of 2013. Fabrication was performed in four separate yards in Singapore with topsides modules located in two of the yards (BTE and Dynamac), the disconnectable buoy (BTM) and turret in Keppel’s Benoi yard, and the ship conversion and integration in the Keppel Tuas yard.
The Turritella FPSO arrived at the Stones location in the Gulf of Mexico on January 1st, 2016, connected with the BTM which had been previously installed, and began all riser and umbilical pull-ins during February. Over the following six months integration activities with the subsea facilities were completed, along with final commissioning. Startup was achieved September 2nd, 2016.
Blake Moore has worked for Shell for over 34 years in various capacities (predominately in facilities and project execution) from California to Norway. He joined Shell’s Deepwater projects group in 1997 and worked several deepwater facilities ranging from subsea to beach, Semis, TLPs and more recently FPSOs. Blake became involved with FPSOs in 2007 as the FPSO lead for Concept Selection and early FEED work for an FPSO Shell was planing to install in Brazil. He later joined the Stones project during concept selection in mid-2010 and successfully completed the delivery of the Turritella FPSO to the Gulf of Mexico in September of 2016.
GRAY, La. – Danos’ fabrication service line has achieved an important safety milestone: 1 million man-hours without an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-recordable incident.
“This achievement is a credit to the dedication of our fabrication team,” said Mark Danos, vice president of project services for Danos. “Despite taking on increasingly more complex projects, their commitment to operating safely and doing things the right way every time has never wavered; it is the key to our success.”
Danos’ unyielding emphasis on safety – it is one of the company’s core values – has produced a culture in which proper training and procedures are the bedrock of daily operations. These safety results demonstrate Danos’ commitment to ensuring every team member is provided the tools, environment and knowledge that enables them to work safe every day.
Danos’ Larose, La. fabrication facility has been OSHA-recordable incident-free for seven years and the company’s Amelia, La. facility has been incident-free since opening its doors in 2014.
Trelleborg’s offshore operation based in Houston has invested in a new Global Riser Analysis team to incorporate in-house mathematical simulation capabilities into its current engineering group.
The Global Riser Analysis team consists of experienced local and global finite element (FE) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis personnel utilizing specialized software to enable Trelleborg to deliver an even more complete engineering service to new and existing customers. The team are able to model equipment and system responses to environmental forces, providing greater opportunities for design optimization across the full range of Trelleborg’s product offerings. Potential benefits to customers include cost savings, increased service life and multi-functional designs.
Riser Analysis team 2. Image courtesy: Trelleborg
Antony Croston, Business Group Director with Trelleborg’s offshore operation states: “We are committed to continuously improving our engineering and manufacturing services and the Global Riser Analysis team will be a great addition to our engineering group. Through this new service, the team will help advance our product development and design opportunities at the system level as well as bring innovative ideas and cost savings to our customers.”
In addition to advances in product design, Trelleborg’s offshore operation aims to utilize established consulting backgrounds within the Global Riser Analysis team to offer customers in-house global and local analyses of offshore drilling and production operations, applying a fully coupled vessel to well approach. These riser studies will assist clients in defining operational methodologies and structural system limitations for offshore drilling and production operations globally.
Croston continues: “The Riser Analysis team will be able to consult with our clients on active projects and offer the best solution based on a true optimization of product performance and the overall effect on the system design. We will be ideally placed to advise which design choices give the biggest payback in terms of maximizing operational efficiency.
“Our future strategy is to expand our analysis capabilities, through partnerships, integration of real world data from field deployed acquisition systems, and verification testing to develop creative solutions to the present and future challenges presented to the offshore energy industries.”
The Global Riser Analysis team is currently developing solutions to reduce drilling riser drag and fatigue loadings for the purposes of improving rig uptime in the most demanding environments.
Saipem has been awarded new contracts and change orders in the E&C Offshore segment, for an overall amount of about 1 billion dollars.
In particular, the most significant are the notification of award by Saudi Aramco of two EPIC contracts (Engineering, Procurement, Installation, Construction), under the Long Term Agreement in force and renewed in 2015 until 2021 for activities in Saudi Arabia. These two contracts refer to, respectively, the development of fields in Marjan, Zuluf and Safaniya located in the Arabian Gulf, which are among the most important offshore fields in the Region. These contracts include the design, engineering, procurement, construction, installation and implementation of subsea systems in addition to the laying of pipelines, subsea cables and umbilicals, platform decks and jackets. Furthermore, the two contracts will also include additional maintenance and dismantling works on the existing platforms already operating in the fields.
“With these contracts, Saipem is further reinforcing its presence in the Middle East, a highly strategic area”, stressed Stefano Cao, CEO of Saipem. “New contracts from a long-standing customer like Saudi Aramco are also an important, strong mark of its trust in Saipem as - once again – the high quality of its services and its solid expertise in the construction and installation of offshore platforms is recognized”.
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.
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