Acteon has completed the acquisition of J2 Engineering Services Ltd, which is based in Aberdeen, UK.

J2 Engineering is involved in the rental, maintenance and repair of ROV manipulator arms and associated tooling and equipment. Over the past five years, the company has forged a reputation within the ROV and underwater survey industries for outstanding service quality, fast turnaround times and the ability to deliver highly reliable customized engineering solutions.

J2 Engineering’s service offering runs along very similar lines to that of well-established Acteon company Seatronics, a world leader in the provision of subsea electronic equipment to the offshore and ocean industries. Indeed, J2 Engineering and Seatronics have already collaborated successfully on a number of projects. Bringing these two companies together will benefit Acteon and enhance their combined ability to add value to customers’ operations.

The J2 Engineering team will continue to operate from its premises in Torry, Aberdeen, and will take advantage of Seatronics’ established distribution and service network covering Europe, North America, Brazil, South East Asia and the Middle East.

Acteon’s legal advisor for the J2 Engineering Services acquisition was Burness Paull & Williamsons.

A HIGHLY-EXPERIENCED figure in the subsea sector has been appointed Managing Director of DOF Subsea UK.

Giovanni Corbetta (Photo), who was most recently Managing Director with Hallin Marine, will lead the company’s transformation from vessel operator to provider of integrated subsea solutions for the market from its headquarters in Aberdeen.  

First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, officially opened subsea installation contractor Bibby Offshore’s brand new purpose-built headquarters, Atmosphere One,  on Tuesday 28 May 2013.

The company recently relocated from Aberdeen Harbor to the new office facility at Prospect Park, Westhill, to provide Bibby Offshore with the additional capacity necessary to support its significant increase in staff numbers and services, as Bibby Offshore’s operations expand both in the UK and internationally.

Bibby Offshore is on track to achieve a turnover of £220million by the end of 2013 and plans to increase this to £650million by 2017, creating more than 100 onshore jobs in the north east.

Photo: First Minister Alex Salmond and Howard Woodcock, chief executive of Bibby Offshore officially open Bibby Offshore’s brand new purpose-built headquarters, Atmosphere One in Westhill.

 Bibby Offshore’s Chief Executive Howard Woodcock said: “Continued investment in the development of the energy industry is exceptionally important and we are delighted to have had the opportunity to welcome the First Minister to officially open our new premises.

“The move was essential due to the speed at which we are expanding, the impressive demand for the company’s expertise, and our growth strategy to triple the size of our business around the world in the next four years. We have a number of key initiatives in place to ensure we recruit and train the most talented people in order to ensure the business can continue to grow.”

Earlier this month, Alex Salmond was in the Granite City to unveil plans for an oil and gas training initiative, which will be based in the city, as part of an energy skills initiative designed to take advantage of growth in demand for key skill across the key energy sectors of oil and gas, renewables and transmission systems.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: “Scotland’s energy industry is one of our economic success stories and it is therefore vital that we ensure there is a steady stream of professionals equipped with the skills to keep pace with our potential. That is why companies such as Bibby Offshore, whose parent company has such a long and distinguished maritime heritage, are essential in developing the workforce to keep our energy industry evolving, thriving and contributing to Scotland’s economic success.

“In this, the company’s 10th year in Aberdeen, it is only fitting that they have expanded into new premises and continue to be well positioned to deliver significantly enhanced capabilities for the sector in the future.” 

As part of the official launch of the new building and in line with the company’s 10^th Anniversary celebrations, Bibby Offshore extended the invite to the opening of its 53,427 sq.ft, multi-million pound facilities to ‘Bibby Offshore Schools Ambassadors’ from  schools across the UK including Aberdeen, Lerwick, Liverpool and Glasgow.

The visit will allow them to learn about the wealth of career opportunities at Bibby Offshore, throughout Aberdeen city and shire, and in the oil and gas industry as a whole 

The students, between the ages of 11 and 17, will share their experiences with other schools in their areas through producing a report about their visit Bibby Offshore also donated £1000 to each school to be utilised in skills development programs.

Mr Woodcock continued: “Our industry is dependent on attracting talented, skilled people and to meet global demand, it’s essential that young people are aware of the excellent opportunities which are available in the North East and within the energy sector as a whole.

“All of the schools were thrilled to get involved and have been really enthusiastic throughout the whole process. We targeted schools from across the country, with Liverpool and Aberdeen being obvious choices due to the significant presence Bibby Offshore has in these cities.

One of Bibby Offshore’s core values is to realise the talent of its people, having introduced schemes that encourage individuals to meet their potential including the Engineer Conversion Course, Graduate Training Scheme, Future Managers Programme and Bibby Academy. Since starting the Conversion Course in September 2012, the company has added an additional 12 engineers to its staff and is planning another intake of eight in September 2013. Fourteen students have had the chance to experience the Graduate Training Programme and Bibby Offshore has plans to recruit a further eight this September. The Future Managers Programme has also been a great success – with 65% of those who have completed the programme having gone onto be promoted into managerial or lead roles.   .

Mr Woodcock continued: “Aberdeen City and shire is the Global Centre of excellence within the subsea sector and the innovation which is present here is setting the benchmark for the rest of the world. To ensure it continues to prosper, it’s important that there is continued investment in the industry, through training and skills development.

“Over the last decade, Bibby Offshore has grown considerably and we have successfully created jobs for over 1,300 people, within the UK and internationally. Our business needs good people, and by introducing  these young people to the industry we hope to make  sure that, from a young age, they are aware of the abundance of opportunities there are available within it..”

The training and development schemes Bibby Offshore has introduced have helped to provide a high quality pool of workers who are encouraged to meet their potential and help give Bibby Offshore the skills boost it needs. Bibby Offshore currently has more than 1,300 people working onshore and offshore worldwide, with offices in Aberdeen, Liverpool, Singapore and Trinidad. It recently added two new vessels to the fleet and continues to expand its subsea construction, engineering and project delivery services.

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC) has announced James J. Kleckner, formerly Vice President, Operations (Rockies), has been promoted to Executive Vice President, International and Deepwater Operations, and will join the company's Executive Committee.

"Jim's promotion to Executive Vice President, International and Deepwater Operations, is a reflection of his global operational skills, as well as the tremendous success delivered by Anadarko's Rocky Mountain region, under his leadership," Anadarko Chairman, President and CEO Al Walker said. "Jim brings more than 30 years of experience to this position having served in exploration and production leadership positions in the North Sea, South America, China, the Gulf of Mexico and the U.S. onshore. Most recently, Jim has played an instrumental role in the phenomenal growth of the Wattenberg field in Colorado and the Greater Natural Buttes area in Utah, two of Anadarko's largest U.S. onshore assets."

Kleckner joins Bob Daniels, Executive Vice President, International and Deepwater Exploration; Bob Gwin, Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer; Chuck Meloy, Executive Vice President, U.S. Onshore Exploration and Production; and Bobby Reeves, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer, on Anadarko's Executive Committee, reporting to Walker.

"We look forward to having Jim join the Executive Committee as he is a talented and seasoned energy professional, with an outstanding track record of success. I fully expect Jim and Bob Daniels to continue the industry-leading success Anadarko has enjoyed with deepwater exploration and development activities, and they will be outstanding partners for successfully advancing our various global projects," said Walker.

Kleckner began his career in the oil and natural gas industry in 1981 with Sun Oil Company. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in petroleum engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the American Petroleum Institute.

Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations, LLC, an independent oil & gas company, has teamed up with Bright Light Foundation to host a second special tribute sporting clay shoot called the West Delta 32 Fall Fundraiser. The event will be held on September 26th at American Shooting Centers in Houston, TX and includes a sporting clay tournament, BBQ cook-off, live auction, music, games and more. Proceeds will assist the families affected by the incident that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico on November 16, 2012.

"We are excited to work with the Bright Light Foundation for our Fall event", says John Hoffman, President and CEO of Black Elk Energy. "We held our first West Delta 32 Fundraiser in March with Oilfield Helping Hands and had a tremendous response. I am confident with the help of Bright Light this event will be another success. Please join us on September 26th in Houston to honor the victims of this tragic incident. We deeply appreciate any and all support."

"We are extremely happy to team up with Black Elk on this meaningful event", says Kirk Trascher, President of the Bright Light Foundation. "We know how important it is to assist those in need and how impactful contributions are for these families. We are honored to be a part of this event for the families of West Delta". Those interested in offering their support should visit:  http://www.brightlightfoundation.org/west_delta_clays.cfm or contact Leslie Hoffman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Ferguson Group Singapore, specialists in the rental of containers, refrigeration/chiller containers, accommodation modules and engineering modules to the offshore energy industry, announces a new 6m accommodation module to its fleet at the 14th Asian Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Engineering (OGA) Exhibition and conference in Malaysia from June 5, 2013.

Ferguson Group Singapore is exhibiting at stand 7040 at the event taking place from June 5-7 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with members from Ferguson Group Singapore to learn more about the new 6m accommodation module and gain an update on its existing range of offshore containers, tanks, baskets and reefers available throughout Asia Pacific.

Steven Ferguson, Chairman and CEO of the Ferguson Group, said: “Exhibiting at OGA 2013 will provide the opportunity for us to showcase our fleet and introduce the 6m accommodation module and recently launched dual zoned refrigeration container to delegates.”

Ferguson Group Singapore has grown its fleet size to include a range of new products. A new 6m accommodation module designed specifically for southern hemisphere conditions along with a 6m dual zone refrigerated/chiller container from IceBlue Refrigeration Offshore, a member of the Ferguson Group.

Simon de Koning, General Manager at Ferguson Group Singapore commented “The increase in our product range and the recent move to larger facilities in Singapore will further enable us to respond quickly to meet customer requirements. There has been a great deal of interest in Ferguson Group’s products and services in the Asia Pacific region. By exhibiting at this important Oil and Gas event we have the ideal opportunity to meet with clients to better understand their needs.

The Ferguson Group employs more than 185 people worldwide serving the offshore container rental and accommodation modules markets. The group, headquartered in Scotland, has operations in all major global oil and gas locations.

Following the devastation caused by recent deadly tornadoes in Moore, Okla., Apache Corp. announced it has pledged $500,000 toward providing storm shelters and safe rooms for Oklahoma schools.

The funds will go toward seeding a new 501(c)(3) organization created by Oklahoma State Reps. Jon Echols and Mark McBride to build storm shelters and safe rooms in existing Oklahoma schools.

"Our hearts go out to those who have suffered due to this horrific storm," said Rob Johnston, Apache Central Region vice president. "While the stories of bravery that have emerged in the days since the storm have been uplifting and even inspirational, the stories about the children of Moore who perished have been among the most difficult to comprehend. We hope this pledge of $500,000 will not only help to provide safety for children of Moore but also lend some comfort to families when they send their children off to school."

Moore was devastated by a deadly tornado on Monday that killed at least 24 and sent hundreds to the hospital. Among those killed were 10 children, eight of whom were elementary school students.

Oklahoma has been home to Apache employees since the company's first well was drilled there more than 50 years ago. Apache, which bases its Central Region operations in Tulsa, has 369 employees throughout Oklahoma. Many Apache employees have close ties to family, friends and schools in the Moore area.

"Apache has had a long history in Oklahoma and is a big part of many communities here," said Rep. Echols, R-Oklahoma City. "Their pledge will go a long way in helping keep our children safe."

"We will be mourning the loss of the elementary school children for some time," said Rep. McBride, R-Moore. "With the help of Apache and others we can provide our schools with shelters that can withstand these powerful and dangerous storms."

Large Diameter Drilling (LDD) announced the launch of LM Handling, a new business unit which has been established as a joint venture co-operation between Acteon companies LDD and MENCK. LM Handling offers global coverage in the field of offshore lifting and handling equipment and services on a sales and rental basis; will operate out of existing LDD and MENCK bases; and will use the new Acteon operations base in Singapore scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2013.

Already equipped with a portfolio of standard lifting and handling products for rental and sale, including the industry-leading Pile Guide Frame (“StabFrame”), operations will also focus on providing turnkey solutions to customers’ lifting and handling offshore challenges. LM Handling will pursue a collaborative approach with current and potential customers.

“Our aim is to identify customer needs, gain the clearest possible understanding of the challenges they face and find opportunities to improve their operations,” said LM Handling general manager Robin van der Bij. “This closer collaboration between MENCK and LDD will bring together specialist engineers, project managers and equipment for critical tasks such as jacket and monopile installation along with the myriad of subsea and offshore construction work.”

“This move will build on the synergies between Acteon companies and enhance the group’s subsea service offering to its customers,” said Acteon Group Ltd. vice president Paul Alcock. “The venture combines LDD’s rapid and tailor-made approach to offshore solutions with MENCK’s outstanding expertise and track record in piling operations. The new business unit will have the full support of the sales and engineering teams at both LDD and MENCK.”

Coastal Energy Company (the "Company" or "Coastal Energy") (TSX:CEN) (AIM:CEO), an independent exploration and production company with assets in Southeast Asia, today announces an operations update.

Malaysia

Following completion of the current drilling program at Bua Ban North, expected in late July, the Manta drilling rig will mobilize to Malaysia to begin the development program at the Kapal field. All requisite permits to commence the Kapal field development have been received. The mobile offshore production unit ("MOPU") refurbishment is expected to be complete by September. Therefore, Coastal is well placed to commence development in Malaysia once the current program in Thailand is complete.

Bua Ban North

As announced previously, the two horizontal wells which were drilled and completed with the new swelling packer technology encountered production issues during the second quarter. Consequently, the Company elected to recomplete and reperforate these two wells using more conventional completion techniques.

The Company has recompleted the first of the two wellbores and the well is now producing approximately 1,500 bopd. The Company will drill one additional development well at Bua Ban North and recomplete the other horizontal swelling packer well before mobilizing the rig to Malaysia. 

Production Update 

Defense and security company Saab has signed a contract on delivery of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle systems, AUV62, in training configuration. The order has a total value of MSEK 148 and system deliveries will take place during 2014.

The order comprises the supply of AUV62, the latest version of the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle in a configuration as training target for Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) training.

“The AUV62 is a competent and advanced system that will enhance and strengthen the customer’s underwater capabilities. We are of course very satisfied to have been able to secure yet another order for the system,” says Görgen Johansson, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Area Dynamics.

The AUV62 is an advanced and highly modern Autonomous Underwater Vehicle available in several different configurations and already selected by a number of customers.

Equipped with an Acoustic payload it is an advanced and capable system for cost-efficient training of a navy’s ASW forces. The AUV62 is an artificial acoustic target that mimics a submarine in a way that is compatible with any torpedo- and sonar system on the market today. The AUV62 system fully replaces the use of a submarine in the role as a maneuvering training target.

Equipped with a Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) payload it is an efficient system for Mine Search, Reconnaissance and Seabed Mapping. With the AUV62 Saab offers a state-of-the-art Autonomous Underwater System for demanding customers investing in the future.

The industry’s nature is such that depending on circumstances concerning the product and customer, information regarding the customer will not be announced.

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defense to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.

On May 29th, at the Petrobras Research Center (Cenpes), the company's CEO, Maria das Graças Silva Foster, welcomed the US vice-president, Joe Biden, along with the US ambassador to Brazil, Thomas Shannon, and the US consul general in Rio de Janeiro, John Creamer. The group held a 30-minute closed meeting, which was also attended by Cenpes executive manager Marcos Assayag, advisor to the CEO André Garcez Ghirardi and Brazilian Foreign Affairs Ministry (Itamaraty) representative William Santos.

Following the meeting, the group toured the verification and WAG (Water Alternating Gas) injection laboratories. At the verification lab they were presented with samples of sediments collected during exploratory drilling in Brazil's offshore basins.

The laboratory uses these samples to analyze and measure the porosity, permeability and fluid saturation level of the sediment. The WAG injection laboratory focuses mainly on natural gas or carbon dioxide (CO2) injection as a means of augmenting oil field production, while avoiding emission of these greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Cenpes - The US vice-president was visibly impressed by the installations at Cenpes and its research projects, and he directed a lot of questions at the managers responsible for the labs: José Roberto Fagundes Netto and Rafael Vieira (WAG) and Edson Jose Milani (verification).

Established in 1963, the Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello Research and Development Center (Cenpes) is one of the largest R&D centers in the world for applied research for the energy sector. Situated on the Ilha do Fundão, in Rio de Janeiro, it occupies an area of more than 300,000 m2 and is equipped with various laboratories working hard to meet the technological needs of Petrobras. Every year, the company invests US$ 1.1 billion in Research and Development.

Inter-American Dialogue’s Latin America Energy Advisor

Mexican state oil company Pemex has filed a lawsuit in New York seeking to recover nearly $160 million from Germany's Siemens and South Korea's SK Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. in a global bribery case, a law firm representing Pemex said Wednesday.

Attorneys at Miami-based Diaz Reus filed an amended lawsuit in a U.S. District Court last week claiming Siemens and SKEC submitted an "unrealistically low bid" in 1996 to win a public contract for modernizing a Pemex refinery in Cadereyta, Mexico. Michael Diaz, Jr., the firm's global managing partner, alleged Siemens and SKEC then paid bribes to several officials at Pemex in exchange for processing fraudulent "cost overrun" invoices. Those invoices were apparently intended to fill the shortfall from the original underbid, according to Diaz.

In 2008, Siemens pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and agreed to pay a $1.6 billion penalty to U.S. and European authorities to settle charges that it routinely used bribes and slush funds to secure massive public works contracts around the world, including refinery modernization projects in Mexico.

César Nava, the former chairman of Mexico's conservative National Action Party and Pemex's legal director at the time of the alleged fraud is named in the suit, EFE reported this week citing a report in Mexico's Reforma newspaper. Nava allegedly intervened to stop the company from collecting $102.8 million from Siemens and SKEC to compensate for contract violations in the overhaul of the Cadereyta refinery, the report states.

The Board of Royal Dutch Shell plc has announced that Ben van Beurden will succeed Peter Voser as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 January 2014.

Peter Voser will leave Shell at the end of March 2014, marking the end of 29 years with the Company.

Van Beurden, 55, has been Downstream Director since January 2013.

“I am delighted to announce Ben van Beurden as the next Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell,” said Chairman Jorma Ollila. “Ben has deep knowledge of the industry and proven executive experience across a range of Shell businesses. Ben will continue to drive and further develop the strategic agenda that we have set out, to generate competitive returns for our shareholders.” 

“Van Beurden’s selection came after a comprehensive assessment and review of internal and external candidates led by the Board Nomination and Succession Committee,” Ollila added.

Van Beurden joined the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies in 1983 and has held a number of technical and commercial roles in both the Upstream and Downstream businesses. He has worked in The Netherlands, Africa, Malaysia, USA and, most recently, the UK.

Van Beurden, a Dutch national, graduated with a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. He is married and has four children.

Petrotechnics,a global leader of software solutions to improve frontline operational performance and risk management in hazardous industries, today announces the completion of £6 million investment from Business Growth Fund (BGF).

The investment will help fuel the next stage in the company’s aggressive global growth strategy in new geographies, new talent acquisition and ongoing innovation, including the continued global roll out of its enterprise operational performance and predictive risk software platform, Proscient.

Based in Aberdeen and with offices in Houston, Saudi Arabia and Singapore, Petrotechnics was founded in 1990 and since then has pioneered proven solutions and successfully helped organizations in hazardous industries increase operational performance and improve risk management in the riskiest part of their operations.

Petrotechnics’ software solutions are used on a daily basis by more than 50,000 personnel from some of the biggest businesses in the oil and gas industry, including the three largest independent Oil & Gas Companies. Petrotechnics software is used in frontline operations to help manage operations safely and efficiently across 385 sites on 6 continents including 80% of North Sea and 40% of Gulf of Mexico assets.

Petrotechnics’ leading enterprise software platform, Proscient provides an easier and more dynamic approach for senior management to proactively manage the organization to optimize performance reduce risk.  Proscient manages the execution of frontline work safely and efficiently to help companies maintain asset integrity, workforce safety and the achievement of production targets.

Unlike the older generation of inflexible and static tools such as paper based Permit to Work and Electronic Permit to Work/ISSoW systems, Proscient provides an organization with the capabilities to consistently manage workload against risk according to policies across the organization whether it’s one plant or a global enterprise.

Proscient is designed from the ground up as a robust and flexible off the shelf enterprise application enabling streamlined deployment and ease of use. It delivers hard ROI within months, specifically with a reduction in the number and length of unplanned shutdowns, a decrease in permit and contractor wait times, significant improvements in plan accuracy and plan attainment and most importantly with a positive change in the strength of the organization’s ‘at the plant face’ safety culture.  As an enterprise platform Proscient provides further business value through its integration with other leading enterprise systems used by hazardous industries including IBM Maximo, SAP, Oracle Primavera and Microsoft Project.

It also leverages strategic big data to drive continuous improvement of operational performance. With data on every aspect of work that has occurred and more importantly with what is to come across frontline operations, senior management can use Proscient’s integrated actionable analytics for the insight and enhanced decision making to move the organization from reactive to proactive management.  This consistent generation of data provides the capability to generate role specific metrics that are informative, actionable and improve decision making from the frontline to the boardroom.

“We firmly believe that with BGF’s guidance and contributions we can truly take our organisation to the next level of growth,” said Phil Murray, CEO Petrotechnics.  “We believe there is great potential for oil and gas operators worldwide to significantly improve their operational performance and enhance how they manage operational risk.  A system such as Proscient empowers all levels of management to proactively achieve operational excellence.”

Mike Sibson, BGF Investment Director commented, “Our investment in Petrotechnics is a very exciting opportunity for BGF. Petrotechnics has demonstrated its ability to deliver complex software solutions to major oil and gas companies throughout the world. There is an increased priority on the management of operational risk and safety in hazardous industries, with several major incidents over the last decade demonstrating the potential consequences of poor control of work.

“The company’s large installed base, the new software product Proscient, and the excellent reputation of Petrotechnics is an exciting combination. The investment is a great fit for BGF, which was established to invest growth capital in the UK’s ambitious SMEs. We are also delighted to be backing Phil and the team, who are genuine experts in their field, and who have built the business with no external funding over the last twenty years.” 

BGF was established to provide growth capital to the UK’s ambitious and growing small and medium sized businesses. Petrotechnics represents its fifth investment in the oil and gas sector and brings the total invested by BGF in Scottish SMEs to date to £30m.

Prior to founding Petrotechnics, CEO Phil Murray worked internationally for BP for 10 years in a variety of technical, operational and managerial roles. The business has won a number of industry awards from organisations including the Energy Institute and the Institution of Chemical Engineers, is regularly selected by the Society of Petroleum Engineers to present conference papers.

Award winning offshore engineering business, Houlder has announced it is to open an office in Houston to service key Oil & Gas clients headquartered inthe USA. This move is the latest of a series of expansion steps and follows the delivery of an increasing number of offshore project engineering, marine design consultancy and equipment projects over recent years.  Current Offshore Projects & Engineering Director, Garry Kennie (pictured) will establish Houlder Americas Inc. to both service Houlder’s current clients source new business in country. A team of existing Houlder engineers and draughtsmen will travel to the region however the company also expect to recruit locally.

Commenting on the move Garry said “The new venture is the clearest indication yet Houlder has the capacity to operate globally - providing support to the world’s leading energy companies and offshore operators wherever and whenever they need it. 

Opening for business this August, the company has already identified prime offices in the heart of Houston’s Oil & Gas district.

Wireless communications in the subsea environment continue to deliver value to the oil and gas industry. The Subsea Wireless Group (SWiG) is an international industry initiative established to promote interoperability for subsea wireless communications within the areas of radio frequency, acoustic and free space optic technologies.  The group was initiated as a result of the growing interest and application of these solutions within the sector.

The group was established in May 2011 at OTC and continues its mission to raise industry awareness and acceptance of through water communications as viable solutions for the industry.

“Our membership has grown rapidly over the past 24 months and we now have 18 companies participating within the group,” stated Jessica Rouse who manages the network on behalf of OTM Consulting.  “Our members include ABS, BP, Cameron, Chevron, EvoLogics, GE, HIMA, JPL, MCS Kenny, Nautronix, OCTIO, Saab Seaeye, Statoil, Subsea 7, Technip, Teledyne Marine Systems, WFS Technologies  and  Yokogawa.    The  group  is  continuing  to  grow  as  more  companies  start  to understand the benefits that wireless can provide.  We are keen to hear from companies with an interest in this field and would welcome their participation at one of our upcoming meetings”.

Since 2011, SWiG has been working on defining and understanding current subsea technology needs where wireless technologies can provide a solution.  This work has fed into the 2 member established Working Groups that focus on the technical capabilities of these technologies as well as developing recommended practises for the industry.

The Technology Capabilities Working Group is specifically evaluating the capabilities, performance, Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), and target applications of wireless.  The group is producing an archive of case studies to demonstrate how wireless is already being used within the industry and this will be made available to all members.

The Standards Working Group is focused on developing a recommended practice for radio frequency communications which will later be used as a template for acoustic, optical and hybrid systems. The focus of the Standards Working Group is to build on existing open standards with the objective to develop new standards that support full interoperability between hardwired and wireless systems subsea.