Company Updates

iSURVEY Pte Ltd, Singapore, has been awarded a marine construction support contract by Solstad Offshore Asia Pacific to provide positioning and survey support for its 2016 pipeline and platform installation programme in Thailand, on board the DLB ‘Norce Endeavour’.

3i Survey DLB Norce Endeavour1DLB ‘Norce Endeavour’

iSURVEY will provide positioning services to support the installation of numerous pipelines and platforms including monitoring during jacket setting, together with final positioning, levelling and survey assistance during pile cut-off. The estimated contract duration is 200 days commencing in mid-January 2016. Subsea positioning will also integrate with IKM Subsea’s Merlin work-class ROV during installation operations.

iSURVEY Singapore’s managing director Bill Petrie said: “We are extremely pleased that Solstad Offshore have entrusted iSURVEY with survey and positioning works for its forthcoming pipeline and platform campaign. This is recognition of the efficiency and quality of our solutions, and we are pleased they have chosen to extend and renew our contract with them.”

iSURVEY Group is a leading provider of survey and positioning services to the global oil and gas, telecommunications and offshore renewable energy sectors. The Group is headquartered in Norway with bases in Singapore and Aberdeen.

11DNVGL Maros and Taro new interfaceWith profit margins under pressure, oil and gas companies are focused on getting more out of existing assets while significantly reducing capital expenditure. Recent data shows that a 5% improvement in Opex could save £490 million on the UK Continental Shelf alone. The new DNV GL release of Maros and Taro software provides powerful tools to support these improvements.

Software for RAM analysis

With the new release of DNV GL’s Maros software for reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) analysis for the upstream oil and gas industry, and its sister application Taro for refineries and petrochemical plants, the software for optimizing design and production has become even more powerful. With more effective optimization of existing assets, including identifying mitigation options and bottlenecks, production rates can be increased by 10%.

Engineers will realize step changes in the software when they secure optimized margins by developing RAM studies and asset management techniques, collaborating across disciplines and departments, including design, maintenance and operations. The Maros and Taro software solutions have more modeling features, improved animation, more products streams and many new usability functionalities, including a new Resource grid.

Performance improvements

"We’ve seen an ever increasing focus in the last two years on increasing performance and reducing costs," says Are Føllesdal Tjønn, CEO of DNV GL - Software. "Reliability tracking, optimum use of maintenance resources, operational efficiency and valuable asset management insights are key factors that can be achieved when different departments collaborate, reducing operational and capital expenditure while maintaining expected production levels – all in a safe and sustainable way. This is exactly what Maros and Taro can deliver,” he says.

More speed and functions

The new release of Maros increase simulation speed by as much as 40% for models where a large number of events leave overall flow calculation unchanged. During the operational stage, the Sensitivity Manager module allows the user to perform comparisons of key metrics for variations in an analysis’s data such as maintenance resources availability and reliability data for the entire asset.

With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) many process plants are becoming smarter and newly developed advanced data analytics are enabling more valuable insights via integrated analysis not possible before these latest technological advances. “Engineering in the context of mega-trends, such as the IoT, Industry 4.0 and smart analytics, shows how DNV GL is well positioned for developing an integrated asset management world,” says Dr Nic Cavanagh, Director of Technology and Products at DNV GL - Software.

About Maros and Taro

DNV GL’s Maros is an advanced RAM (reliability, availability, maintainability) tool specifically developed for the upstream oil and gas industry. It includes extensive features for modeling flow networks, maintenance strategies, typical upstream oil and gas operations, transport logistics and storage tanks. Taro software from DNV GL is a comprehensive plant-wide lifecycle performance analysis solution.

With Taro you can model complex process plant systems and make optimal decisions on design, operation and maintenance based on a quantitative performance analysis. Raw plant data such as configuration and equipment reliability can be integrated into a model of the plant, allowing you to change parameters and assess their impact for optimizations of key performance drivers.

4HardingHarding extended its string of offshore successes with contracts for deliveries of lifeboats and davits to the Culzean offshore gas complex, to be constructed for owner Maersk Oil UK by Sembcorp Marine subsidiary SMOE PteLtd of Singapore.

The Culzean win gives Harding a sweep of the latest big offshore contracts, including deliveries of lifeboats and davits to the Heerema heavy lift semisubmersible crane Sleipnir and to the giant Johan Sverdrup field center.

"We have worked hard to strengthen our position in today's difficult offshore market," says Harding's global director of sales Bjørn Sturle Hillestad. "Winning the Culzean project was a key strategic goal in this process."

Culzean is one of the largest gas discoveries of recent years in the UK North Sea, and the field center will comprise a 12-slot wellhead platform (WHP) linked by bridges to a central processing facility (CPF) supported by a floating storage and offloading vessel (FSO), and an installation for utilities and living quarters (ULQ).

Harding will deliver three FF1200 lifeboats to the ULQ and one FF1200 to the WHP, both with LA1200SU davits. The davits are scheduled for delivery by March 2017, with the lifeboats to follow in December of the same year. The WHP/FSO contract is still in bid phase.

The FF1200 is a 70-person freefall lifeboat designed to meet the most stringent standards in the industry, and with just more than 100 delivered, it is among the most popular in the industry. The LA1200SU is a skid-launch davit specially designed for the FF1200.

“Competition isn’t getting any easier, so we are very happy and proud to have won these latest contracts,” reports Harding Regional Sales Director Odd Åge Helvik.

Harding attributes its success to a combination of high quality, a strong local presence, and central expertise.

“We have our eyes and ears in Singapore, and that allows us to respond quickly to openings, and establish good contacts with the owner and the yard,” Helvik says. “Then we mobilize the technical team to tailor deliveries to the customer’s requirements.”

Communication is king

Bjørn Sturle Hillestad, Harding’s Global Sales and Marketing Director, emphasises that good communications are key in winning good contracts. “Our first job is to earn customer confidence, to build their trust in Harding quality, and we have plenty of good references to help us there,” he relates. “Then we listen. We learn about their concerns and preferences, and help them to understand that we are committed to delivering exactly what they need, not just a standard product line.”

Hillestad also want to emphasise the value of a true team effort: “No one person is responsible for our success. We are a global team, and we believe the customers see the advantage of this.”

In a tough market, though, continued success is never guaranteed. “We are bucking the current right now,” Odd Åge Helvik acknowledges. “We realise the only way to maintain success is to keep delivering quality, and keep giving the customer what they really want.”

Expro is delighted to announce the appointment of Mike Jardon as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Charles Woodburn, in this key leadership role.

19ExproNewCOOMr. Jardon joined Expro in 2011 as Chief Operating Officer, after holding senior roles within Schlumberger’s wireline, completions, well testing and subsea businesses, and at Vallourec & Mannesmann, where he led the organisation’s commercial activities across North America.

As a natural successor to Mr Woodburn, over the past five years Mr. Jardon has provided a relentless focus on operational excellence, alongside the company’s industry-leading safety performance. Commenting on this appointment, Expro’s Chairman, Sir George Buckley, said:

“Mike has been instrumental in delivering the exceptional results we have seen from Expro in recent years. His experience, leadership skills and passion for the business will ensure a seamless transition for the company. The Board and Executive Management Team are delighted to see him succeed as CEO, as we focus on driving forward the business safely and efficiently.

“I would also like to thank Charles for his significant contribution and unwavering commitment to the business. His talent, honesty and integrity will be missed by everyone in Expro, and we wish him all the very best in his new role.”

Mr Woodburn is leaving the company in April to join BAE Systems plc.

By combining well-proven MacGregor Pusnes technology in bow loading and offloading systems, MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has helped to develop a solution that enables crude oil to be loaded directly from a floating production storage offloading (FPSO) facility or a floating storage offloading (FSO) unit to a conventional tanker, up to very large crude carrier (VLCC) size. The first contracts for the systems have been signed with China's Cosco Shipyard Group.

5MacGregor Pusnes VarandeyOriginalFirst loading7CropAn offloading system enables an offshore unit to offload oil to a shuttle tanker or tanker of opportunity.

"MacGregor, and its Pusnes brand, has a long history of developing pioneering offshore loading systems within the industry," says Høye Høyesen, Vice President, MacGregor Advanced Offshore Solutions. "Based on this legacy, MacGregor was invited by Cefront Technology, who developed the concept, to participate in the design and development of the loading systems."

The Cosco Shipyard Group orders will see MacGregor design, manufacture, deliver and commission complete Pusnes loading systems for two cargo transfer (CTV) vessels. The vessels will be built at Cosco Nantong Shipyard and at Cosco Guangdong Shipyard. MacGregor deliveries are planned to start at the end of 2016.

Each vessel will feature MacGregor's well-known Pusnes bow loading and offloading system, which principally comprises: two Pusnes bow loading systems, one Pusnes offloading system, including the world's largest crude oil hose reel with offloading hose; and two sets of Pusnes-patented releasable 700-tonne hawser winches, in addition to auxiliary winches and an integrated electro/hydraulic control system.

"MacGregor is proud of its long and close relationship with Cosco shipyards in China," he adds. "The Cosco Shipyard Group is an important partner for the future and has proved to be a strong player in the merchant and offshore industries."

MacGregor has previously delivered four sets of Pusnes bow loading systems to Cosco Nantong Shipyard and two sets to Cosco Zhoushan Shipyard, of which, one project is still ongoing. In addition to these MacGregor has delivered a range of deck machinery and steering gear to different Cosco shipyards.

CGG has announced that it will commence a multi-client airborne gravity and magnetic survey offshore Mexico. The Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH) has authorized the program, which will include the acquisition of approximately 200,000 line kilometers over six areas across the Mexican Gulf of Mexico.

Data acquisition will commence in March 2016 and is anticipated to take twelve months utilizing specialized geophysical survey aircraft. The project has received significant prefunding from the oil industry.

12CGGSurveyLocation of areas covered by CGG’s multi-client airborne gravity and magnetic survey offshore Mexico.

CGG believes that the Mexican Gulf of Mexico has significant new petroleum potential, both in the shallow and deepwater areas and that CGG’s ability to image complex geological environments will help unlock that potential. The survey will provide coverage over the most prospective areas from the prolific Perdido fold belt with AOI 1, to the more mature near-shore heavy oil belt with AOI 6. The data will help explorers map crystalline basement and magnetic and density anomalies within the sedimentary section. The airborne survey will also collect continuous data through the “transition zone” from the marine environment to onshore.

A comprehensive interpretation, combining this new data set with available geologic and geophysical data, will also be undertaken by CGG’s in-house interpretation team. Deliverables will include a full geophysical interpretation report, including definition of basement lithology and structure, mapping of sediment fairways and depositional-centers and any intrusives or salt which may be present in the sedimentary section. The final results will be presented in ArcGIS® format for assimilation into the clients’ own seismic, geological and well control databases. These survey deliverables will provide important insights to exploration and de-risking of prospective areas by oil companies.

Jean-Georges Malcor, CEO, CGG, said: "This airborne gravity and magnetic survey offshore Mexico will be a significant addition to our existing gravity & magnetic database in the Gulf of Mexico where we have over 1,000,000 line kilometers of multi-client data. Combined with our other seismic, geologic and satellite multi-client data in Mexico, this new airborne survey will provide a unique geoscience-rich library to support the successful exploration and economic development of this high-potential area for many years to come.”

7Harkand Da Vinci resized 800X360 WebsiteHARKAND has completed an inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) campaign for BP Trinidad and Tobago (BPTT) utilizing the Harkand Da Vinci diving support vessel (DSV) and the company’s new hyperbaric rescue facility (HRF) in the Caribbean.

The IRM scope included deadleg inspection of BPTT offshore assets, pipeline intervention, caisson repair works, platform and pipeline clamps installation and inspection and recovery of a caisson section. Harkand provided a full suite of services including saturation and surface diving, ROV, survey, inspection as well as project management and engineering for the execution of the campaign.

This was also the first project for the new HRF built by Harkand in the Gulf of Mexico in August 2015. The HRF was set up in Chaguaramas on the North West peninsula of Trinidad for the campaign.

John Reed, Harkand chief executive officer said: “Securing this contract with BP Trinidad and Tobago was a significant win in the region. The work involved an array of specialist subsea services and engineering, cementing our track record in the area.”

Reed added: “This work followed successful campaigns by both the Houston and Aberdeen operation bases in the Caribbean during 2014 and 2015 for major global oil and gas operators. We are extremely pleased to add BPTT to our client base in the area.”

The IMCA compliant, DNV classed Harkand Da Vinci is equipped with a 140 Te active heave compensated (AHC) crane, an 18-man twin bell saturation diving system rated to 300 meter water depth, one 3-man wet bell and one 2-man surface diving system. The vessel was mobilized with two remotely operated vehicles (ROV) – one light work class and one inspection class ROV.

Seatronics Ltd, an Acteon company and part of its survey, monitoring and data business, has announced the recruitment of Janelle Pence as vice president for the USA region.

20Janelle PencePence will be responsible for managing and developing Seatronics’ business with a particular focus on developing long-term partnerships with the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and survey community in the Gulf of Mexico.

Pence has more than 14 years of experience in the offshore oil and gas industry, with a substantial focus on subsea development. She has held leadership positions in business development, commercial management, strategic planning and general administration with both Subsea 7 and Ceona, and holds a BBA in marketing from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Rice University in the USA.

Phil Middleton, group managing director, Seatronics, said, “Janelle is a perfect fit for the Seatronics business. She possesses a solid commercial background and a track record of displaying strong leadership. With previous roles located in the USA, Brazil and France, she has amassed considerable knowledge in both local and international energy markets. We all look forward to working with her as we to develop new business opportunities and grow our service offering in the Gulf of Mexico.”

Pence said, “It is a privilege to join a market-leading company like Seatronics. By working closely alongside the talented Seatronics team, I am confident we will continue to deliver and expand on our capabilities in the USA, and grow additional long-term relationships in the Gulf of Mexico.”

Fugro is to provide offshore survey and positioning services at the Kaombo oil development offshore Angola. Under a contract awarded by Technip, Fugro will provide offshore deepwater survey and positioning services to a total of seven installation vessels and construction support vessels. The number of vessels as well as the stringent schedule for the work requires complex simultaneous operations.

7Fugro Ultra accurate subsea positioning 21LBL acoustic positioning networks provide ultra-accurate subsea positioning at Kaombo development

Described by operator Total as ‘a new frontier in Angolan oil and gas,’ Kaombo is a landmark project that presents significant geological and technical challenges. Located in ultra-deep water (up to 2,000 metres), it features pre-lay and as-built surveys, ultra-accurate subsea positioning and metrologies using the largest subsea transponder array ever deployed.

Peter Boon, Fugro’s Business Development Manager for Africa highlights how the company meets the challenges of the simultaneous operations and complex logistics involved in this project. “Fugro and Technip have been working together successfully for many years and our innovative solutions have provided them with reliable data, ensuring successful construction operations. This project is no exception. Our extensive experience in Angola also enables us to support the Kaombo project from our local base with a team that includes competent Angolan nationals.”

The Kaombo project is a development at Block 32, located approximately 260 kilometres offshore Luanda in water depths ranging from 1,400 to 2,000 metres. It includes six fields which will be tied back to two converted FPSOs.

The contract commences in the second half of 2016 and is scheduled to continue until early 2018

20HarveyGulfjpegIn London, Harvey Gulf International Marine has been named Ship Owner of the Year by the Offshore Support Journal, recognizing that Harvey, “above all other companies, has shown excellence in the operation of its ship(s) and has, in the past year, demonstrated an exemplary record of achievement in the management of one or more of business development and growth, of safety, quality, efficiency and environmental sustainability.”

Harvey Gulf also announced that it has signed 5-year charters for 2 more of its LNG-powered Offshore Supply Vessels. The charters will commence upon delivery of the HARVEY FREEDOM and HARVEY AMERICA, the 4th and 5th of Harvey’s 6 LNG-powered vessels. The charters come during one of the softest OSV markets in decades, demonstrating a clear advantage for clean burning LNG power.

Harvey Gulf's CEO, Shane Guidry, commented “I am very honored to accept this prestigious award on behalf of Harvey Gulf. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all Harvey Gulf employees. It shows our company culture of putting safety first, paying attention to detail, and planning for the future needs of our industry and customers.”

10 1AkerSolutionlogoAker Solutions and Total have agreed to collaborate on research and innovation to develop new cost-effective subsea field technology.

10 2totalThe initial four-year technical collaboration agreement will build on earlier cooperation and bring both companies closer in developing technologies that will reduce costs and increase value at subsea oil and gas fields. The partnership will this year explore a wide range of issues, including further evolution of subsea processing and compression systems to boost cost-efficiency of deepwater gas production, development of electric subsea controls and optimization of flow-measurement technologies. Further scope of the collaboration will be defined over the next months.

"This joint effort reinforces our common interest in finding more effective solutions to maximize value from subsea field developments," said Hervé Valla, chief technology officer at Aker Solutions. "It allows us to work more closely with Total to solve technical challenges faced by the industry today and to reduce the time needed to bring subsea technology to the market."

Total has been a strategic customer of Aker Solutions for many years including on subsea projects such as the Kaombo and Dalia developments in Angola and Moho Nord in Congo-Brazzaville. The companies have worked closely on solving specific project challenges and designing solutions to enable future developments. This includes collaborating on subsea boosting solutions and subsea plant for deepwater application as part of Total's deep offshore research and development program.

21 1dynamic positioning committeeThe Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) has named the Dynamic Positioning Committee of the Marine Technology Society the recipient of its prestigious 2016 Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizations and Institutions. The Dynamic Positioning Committee will be honored at the OTC Awards dinner on Tuesday May 3, 2016.

The Internationally acclaimed Distinguished Achievement Award recognizes major technological, humanitarian, environmental and leadership contributions to the industry. This is only the second time in the 45-year history of the OTC that the award has been bestowed on an organization.

“We are very honored to receive this award,” states Pete Fougere, Chair of the Dynamic Positioning Committee. “This industry recognition adds great momentum to our mission. We will continue to dedicate our efforts to developing and providing resources to the DP Community that translate into sustained, incident-free DP operations throughout the world.”

Now in it is 20th year, the Dynamic Positioning Committee was established in 1996 to facilitate the incident-free execution of DP operations and improve DP reliability, by creating a forum for discussion and knowledge sharing, education, and the establishment of guidelines. The Committee operates as a nonprofit, and is made up of volunteers from a wide range of companies, including offshore operators, Marine Class Societies, ship owners, DP vendors, DP professionals, and regulators. Specialized subcommittees address specific DP-related areas and establish guidelines, including DP operations, DP design, Equipment Testing and Thrusters. The Committee’s publications and online resources are provided to the DP community free of charge.

Some of the Committee’s achievements over the past 20 years include:

The hosting of an annual conference, attended by leading Dynamic Positioning experts from academia, government and industry. Recognized as the world’s leading conference on DP and DP related issues and technology, the conference has become an international hub for the exchange of ideas and technological know-how.

The establishment of the world’s most comprehensive single source electronic library of information on Dynamic Positioning, freely accessible to industry professionals through the Committee’s website.

The publication of some 30 peer-reviewed Guidance Documents, covering Design, Operations, People Management and Technical and Operational Guidance. These documents are used extensively by the DP Community and have also been referenced in the development of the United States Coast Guard’s DP regulations. The disciplined application of these guidance documents has resulted in a measurable improvement in the delivery of predictable, incident-free DP operations everywhere.

Cooperation with other associations, including the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) and the Center of Offshore Safety, with a view to the further sharing of knowledge and the exchange of ideas.

The documentation and analysis of DP incidents and the online publication of LFIs (Learnings From Incidents) is designed to enable DP vessels to avoid repeat incidents resulting from the same root cause.

About the OTC

The Annual Offshore Technology Conference attracts around 100,000 participants each year from some 130 countries, providing a forum to sharing ideas and opinions aimed at advancing scientific and technical knowledge for the safe, environmentally friendly and sustainable development of offshore oil and gas resources.

About the Marine Technology Society
Headquartered in Maryland, The Marine Technology Society is an International nonprofit society founded in the 1960s and includes members from the offshore petroleum community, ocean community, marine sciences, engineering, academia, industry and government.

Unique Group has added Nortek’s long range profiling instrument Signature55 to its global lease pool. The instrument has been acquired to give oil and gas customers flexible access to long range profiling capability. Unique Group chose the Signature55 because of its ability to provide ocean current profiling over a range of 1000 m. Another decisive factor was that the Signature55 works well for high-quality current measurements with fine vertical resolution (5 m cells). This makes the Signature55 well suited to customers working in 100-500 m depth, as well as 500-1000 m depth.

9UniqueGroup signature55 2The Signature55 gives oil and gas customers flexible access to long range profiling capability.

Equipped for real-time operational current measurement
The Signature55 will be delivered equipped for real-time operational current measurement projects, complete with a rugged 50 m cable, a topside interface box and MIDAS real-time display software. The same Signature55 may also be used with internal batteries for long autonomous deployments.
 
Enabling greater range and resolution
The instrument is available through GSE Rentals, a company wholly owned by Unique Group. “Our fleet is renowned for class-leading equipment, which gives our clients the most efficient, reliable and economic means of acquiring accurate data during a survey”, says Alan Cameron, General Manager at GSE Rentals. Mr. Cameron emphasizes that the Signature55 is a reasonably compact profiler that utilizes the latest technology, which enables greater range and resolution. “Our past procurements of Nortek instruments have repeatedly proven to be exceptionally reliable and popular with our clients. The addition of a Signature55 to the fleet assists us to meet our clients’ requirements for deep water ADCP’s, both moored and vessel mounted.” The Signature55 will first be leased and used by Tideway BV – a company specializing in landfall construction, scour protection and pre- and post dredging for the support of pipe laying operations.

CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. joins with multiple agencies and universities in receiving a second award for the team’s successful partnership on the Deepwater Canyons project.

3 1CSA Logo copyThe Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced that the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) will present the 2015 Excellence in Partnering Award to a team, managed by CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA), that participated in the Atlantic Canyons: Pathways to the Abyss project. The ceremony will take place on Tuesday, February 23, during the Ocean Sciences 2016 in New Orleans.

In its announcement, NOPP stated: “This accolade is presented annually to the research team that best demonstrates the partnership objectives of the NOPP, recognizing the project’s commitment to partnering, the success of the partnership effort, and the impact of the partnership on knowledge and stewardship of our ocean.” This was second award received by the team, an unprecedented achievement in the 19-year history of the NOPP. The project’s work is the subject of a 23-minute HD video on the project that is available here.

“On behalf of CSA, we are extremely honored to be a part of the team receiving this award. The objectives of this contract were ambitious, but we were able to fulfill all the goals of the project,” said Steve Viada, Senior Scientist at CSA.

3 2CSA NOAA copyCSA provides mission critical support to complex offshore operations for both private sector and governmental agencies around the global. As the project’s prime contractor, CSA managed the team through several years of field research and subsequent analysis and reporting. The team included staff from BOEM, USGS, NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, and a dozen universities and research institutions. A CSA Senior Scientist also served as Co-Chief Scientist on multiple segments of the program’s research cruises.

Surveys focused on The Baltimore and Norfolk deepwater canyons which are ancient drainage basins located approximately 80 kilometers offshore of Virginia and Maryland. During its work, the study team discovered new shipwrecks, deep, cold-water corals and unexpectedly, extensive methane seeps with exotic biological assemblages. The team also deployed long-term probes to collect data regarding ocean currents, chemistry and temperature that significantly expands the understanding of coastal circulation.

Additional information regarding the Atlantic Canyons program and the research cruises is available here.

17KM Egil HaugsdalEgil Haugsdal follows Geir Håøy as President of Kongsberg Maritime. Haugsdal holds extensive leadership experience from KONGSBERG, and currently heads Kongsberg Oil & Gas Technologies. He has previous experience from KONGSBERG as Executive Vice President of Business Development and as President of Kongsberg Protech Systems.

“I am delighted with the confidence I have been given. After seven years as part of KONGSBERG’s corporate management team I know both the company and the strategy well. Kongsberg Maritime is a solid company with leading international positions, and I look forward to further development of the company together with skilled employees in Norway and internationally,” says Egil Haugsdal.

“I am pleased that I will be handing over the role of President of Kongsberg Maritime to Egil Haugsdal. After several years of cooperation in the corporate management team I have developed great respect for Egil’s capacity and experience. Egil has achieved good results and knows Kongsberg Maritime well,” says Geir Håøy, current President of Kongsberg Maritime.

“Egil has had a key role in the restructuring of the Group’s oil and gas businesses, and I am very pleased that he now will assume the responsibility of heading KONGSBERG’s largest business area, Kongsberg Maritime. We are entering times characterized by both great opportunities, but also challenging market conditions. Egil knows KONGSBERG and our industries very well, and I am confident that his more than 30 years of industrial experience, the last 20 in KONGSBERG, makes him the right person to lead Kongsberg Maritime going forward,” says CEO of KONGSBERG, Walter Qvam.

Egil Haugsdal will assume his new position as President of Kongsberg Maritime after a short period of overlap with Geir Håøy. As previously announced, Geir Håøy will assume the position of CEO of KONGSBERG in June 2016.

Fugro and technology partner Areté Associates have successfully delivered near real-time, synoptic, surface current data to characterize Loop Current and Loop Current eddy conditions in the US Gulf of Mexico during a period of intense current conditions.

The new ROCIS (Remote Ocean Current Imaging System) was deployed on its first operational project, in the US Gulf of Mexico. Over the course of the five-month program, Fugro surveyed currents over a distance of more than 125,000 kilometers - the equivalent of 3 times around the world.

1ROCIS copyROCIS is an airborne system for mapping surface current conditions over a wide area of ocean for current-sensitive offshore operations

ROCIS is the first commercially available system of its kind and represents a step change in technology for mapping surface current conditions over a wide area of ocean for current sensitive offshore operations.

Optimizing recent advances in remote sensing and aerial survey, Fugro and Areté Associates developed a system that uses a combination of digital camera technology and highly accurate positioning systems, together with advanced algorithms, to derive surface currents from wave spectra measurements. It can be installed on a suitable survey aircraft, together with an inertial navigation system augmented by Fugro’s Starfix® satellite positioning system.

Current data are reviewed in real-time on board the aircraft, providing continuous assessment of data quality and the location of strong currents. Within an hour of the aircraft landing the system produces a “quick-look” map of the currents over the area while processed data files are available a few hours later. During the program ROCIS data supported day-to-day operational planning and enhanced the accuracy of 3D hydrodynamic current forecast modelling.

The key technical benefits of ROCIS are the near synoptic, wide area, high resolution, high integrity surface current measurements that allow sub-mesoscale circulation to be measured and monitored. During a four-hour flight the system can survey ocean currents at 250-meter intervals over a track of 900-1,100 kilometers.

To map currents over a similar distance using traditional methods would take a combination of four vessels 24 hours. Given sufficient daylight hours, two ROCIS flight missions can be conducted each day.

ROCIS services can be provided to single or multiple clients to monitor offshore current conditions over specific locations or a broad area. The system can also provide support in emergency situations such as oil spill and search and rescue, as well as in oceanographic research programs.

Fugro and Areté Associates are working on further development of the ROCIS system and services, including the use of expendable probes and the incorporation of additional airborne sensors. In 2016 Fugro will add a second ROCIS unit to further enhance its support of offshore operations.

ROCIS is showcased amongst Fugro’s innovations in the 2016 #AskFugro program.

Offshore Source Logo

Offshore Source keeps you updated with relevant information concerning the Offshore Energy Sector.

Any views or opinions represented on this website belong solely to the author and do not represent those of the people, institutions or organizations that Offshore Source or collaborators may or may not have been associated with in a professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated.

Corporate Offices

Technology Systems Corporation
8502 SW Kansas Ave
Stuart, FL 34997

info@tscpublishing.com