Wave and Tidal Challenges and Opportunities
opportunities the sectors present. “I welcome this report which further highlights the enormous potential of our wave and tidal energy industries,” he said.“With our supportive policy environment, skilled supply chain and expertise in energy innovation, Scotland is the natural home for marine energy development and well placed to benefit from the enormous global market for wave and tidal energy.“The Scottish Government continues to support the research, development, innovation and demonstration that will maintain Scotland's competitive advantage, and is committed to working
The Maritime Alliance Seeks Executive Director
The Maritime Alliance in San Diego is search for an executive director, a full-time salaried position with a compensation range from $75,000 to $100,000.The executive director would help manage operations of a leading BlueTech cluster organization and oversee day-to-day programs. The TMA Mission Statement is “Promoting Sustainable, Science-Based Ocean & Water Industries”. The ideal candidate understands the need to balance conservation and economic development and has a passion for working with academia/education, industry and government/policy makers (the Triple Helix) to promote a
L3 Technologies Acquires ASV Global
New York headquartered L3 Technologies said it has acquired unmanned surface vessel (USV) and autonomous vessel control systems company ASV Global, LLC, effective September 20.According to L3, the acquisition enhances its spectrum of unmanned maritime capabilities, including integrated antisubmarine warfare (ASW) solutions, future surface combatant unmanned off-board sensors, and integrated unmanned surface and undersea vessel (USV/UUV) operations. The new company will be known as L3 ASV.“Autonomous capabilities for surface ships and undersea vessels are top priorities for our naval and
Sonardyne Aids US Navy Underwater Vehicle Testing
Underwater target tracking technology from Houston-based Sonardyne Inc., has been chosen by the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Carderock Division for testing subsea systems and underwater vehicles in development for the Navy and wider maritime industry.Located in Maryland, Carderock Division is the U.S. Navy's research, engineering, modelling and test center for surface and undersea technologies. It is the largest, most comprehensive establishment of its kind in the world. Thanks to its proximity to the Gulf Stream, Carderock’s South Florida Ocean Measurement Facility (SFOMF)
Reviewing Sapinhoá-Lula NE BSR System
The exploration and production of deepwater pre-salt plays offshore Brazil have triggered major technological challenges. Some reservoirs are located under 2,000 meters of water and have to be drilled through another 2,000 or so meters of salt. Although exploration challenges have been daunting, production challenges are no less formidable. With a number of production and injection wells placed over the large reservoirs, the difficulty of reliably and safely bringing the oil and gas to production FPSOs have been compounded by the extreme water depths involved.In 2011 Subsea 7 was awarded a milestone
Nemeth Joins BIRNS as Manufacturing Engineer
BIRNS, Inc., an ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturer of high performance lighting and connector systems, announces the appointment of Abel Nemeth as Manufacturing Engineer at the company’s headquarters. In his new role at BIRNS, Nemeth will be responsible for designing efficiency, cost-effectiveness, environmental and safety controls into each process, and will design, develop and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production procedures.Nemeth brings more than 25 years of expertise to the position, having served previously in senior Engineering roles for a range of companies and
Project to Enable Autonomous Navigation in Denied Environments
A new project involving leading ship technology companies aims to help unmanned autonomous vessels navigate, even when they lose access to global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). The project will combine underwater positioning systems from Sonardyne International Ltd. and Guidance Marine Limited’s relative surface positioning systems into one integrated solution to enable vessels to maintain safe passage in GNSS-denied environments or for dynamic positioning systems to maintain their position if they lose GNSS access or other sensors fail.The AutoMINDER (Autonomous MarIne Navigation in
Fugro Secures E&P Support Contracts
Fugro has won three contracts with BHP Petroleum (Deepwater) Inc., which see the company delivering a range of specialist services to support exploration and production operations in Trinidad and Tobago and the Gulf of Mexico.Within Trinidad’s Block 3(a) Fugro is providing geophysical and geotechnical services from dedicated vessels to support the development of the Ruby field. From its deepwater survey vessel, Fugro Searcher, Fugro will conduct 3DHR seismic surveys, seabed clearance and shallow hazards surveys, a flowline corridor survey and a shallow geotechnical survey. For the geotechnical
2H Offshore Expands STREAM JIP
2H Offshore, a riser and conductor specialist in subsea services group Acteon, has completed the first phase of the STREAM (STeel Riser Enhanced Analytics using Measurements) joint industry project (JIP) and has expanded the work into a second phase.The JIP’s participants include Anadarko, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell. In this collaborative effort, field data from four deepwater steel catenary risers (SCR) and one lazy-wave riser were used to provide a measurement-based foundation for riser modelling.The data analysis revealed a wealth of information on riser-wave-induced, vortex-induced (VIV)
Riptide Establishes Canadian Subsidiary
“I’m tremendously happy to be starting the next iteration of Riptide in an exciting location with a significant demand and market expansion underway. We are looking to continue the steep growth and success of Riptide by establishing a Canadian subsidiary positioned to support a very active marine technology user and development market.”Riptide Canada plans to establish development, production and support capabilities in the Halifax area, and Baker noted that the company expects to see robust employee headcount growth as several new programs come to fruition and more vehicles are delivered
Transocean to Buy Ocean Rig in $2.7 Bln Deal
Offshore oil driller Transocean Ltd said on Tuesday it would buy peer Ocean Rig UDW Inc in a $2.7 billion cash-and-stock deal, its second major acquisition this year as the company bets on a recovery in the offshore sector.The acquisition signals new optimism for offshore drillers, which were hit hard by the steep plunge in oil prices from 2014. Offshore projects, which are more costly than onshore work and take years to develop, became less attractive after oil prices fell to below $30 a barrel in 2016.Global crude prices have since recovered to above $70, renewing producer interest in offshore
James Fisher Bolsters Middle East Capabilities
James Fisher and Sons plc (James Fisher) is bolstering its offering in the Middle East (ME) with the addition of further subsea-focused capabilities to strengthen its position and enable it to support the fast-growing oil and gas market.The deployment of a significant range of additional capabilities, including dedicated specialist equipment to support offshore construction, IRM and decommissioning services, will enable customers to benefit from a fast, local response. This combined regional capability will provide total subsea engineering solutions that draw upon James Fisher’s established
New Remote Robotics Manipulator Control System Launched
to reduce risk, increase precision and save time.Don Pickering, CEO of Olis explained, “This product is just the beginning of how Olis is redefining the future of remote robotics. By introducing machine learning and variable autonomy in the very near-future, we will unlock broad and diverse new marine use cases. The ES1 Control System will make it safer for pilots to perform intervention tasks in extreme and dynamic environments by making the robots they control smarter.”Key ES1 features eclipse legacy master control products with five new advancements. First, ES1 offers a graphical user-interfac
Fugro Goes Seep Hunting off Eastern Canada
A geophysical acquisition portion of a 2018 Carson Basin seep hunting program offshore eastern Canada recently completed by Fugro covered an area of 18,875 square kilometers in water depths from 300 to 3,300 meters in this frontier region offshore Newfoundland. From its deepwater survey vessel, Fugro Searcher, Fugro acquired multibeam echosounder data (bathymetry, backscatter intensity and water column) and sub-bottom profiler data which were used to interpret geologic features and optimize target selection for geochemical sampling and heat flow measurements.The second portion of the program –
Kongsberg's Operational Advisory Solution for Harsh Environment Semi-Submersible
Odfjell Drilling has awarded Kongsberg Maritime the contract to deliver a real-time monitoring and advisory solution to provide operational safety and non-productive time (NPT) improvements for the 6th generation semi-submersible, Deepsea Stavanger. The contract is in specific relation to an upcoming offshore South Africa campaign awarded to Odfjell Drilling.Kongsberg Maritime’s integrated services and systems delivery for Deepsea Stavanger is designed to provide high operational safety and availability in deepwater harsh environments, strong currents and high waves. The scope of supply includes
Goldie Appointed to Enpro Subsea Board
Hal Goldie has joined the board of production optimization specialist, Enpro Subsea, in a non-exec director role. He joins the company during its most successful period to date, with 41 of their patented Flow Access Modules (FAM) now being adopted by major and independent operators globally. The Aberdeen based company delivers flexible subsea solutions to support operators across the life of field from development phase through to decommissioning. Their FAM system was most recently deployed by LLOG Exploration in the Gulf of Mexico on the Crown and Anchor field.Goldie, who is based in
iSURVEY Completes Industry First Project for Norske Shell
iSURVEY, a provider of survey and positioning services to the global oil and gas, offshore renewables and telecommunications markets, has completed a pioneering project for A/S Norske Shell. The project, which took place last month as part of the operator’s Scarabeo 8 drilling campaign, utilized iSURVEY’s survey support remotely from its Oslo headquarter. This marks the first time remote positioning has been applied for a regular DP drill rig move operation on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.The survey equipment was initially mobilized on board, and then operated from the iSURVEY
Aquaculture: Huon Expands ROV Fleet
As the offshore aquaculture business continues to grow, so too do the number of in-water and subsea tools to do the business more efficiently. Huon Aquaculture , with more than 24,000 tonnes of fresh salmon farmed a year, reports that it recently invested again in underwater robotic technology, doubling its fleet of Saab Seaeye Falcons from two to four vehicles to help it inspect nets, rigging and moorings at Huon’s aquaculture pens.The pens are positioned in areas of strong current and rough water favoured for salmon farming as it mimics their natural habitat.The Falcon’s iCON behaviour-bas
Fairfield Geo Embarks on Aggressive Growth Strategy
Ocean bottom node seismic acquisition services and technology provider Fairfield Geotechnologies said it has launched an aggressive growth and investment campaign. This multi-year capital program will enhance Fairfield Geotechnologies’ core business by expanding its node inventory and associated system capacity to better serve the increasing global demand for node-based acquisition services. The company is also executing on its strategy to expand the market for node based seismic surveys through multiple sales channels and innovative commercial models. Fairfield Geotechnologies also continues
Shearwater to Buy Schlumberger’s Seismic Business
Norwegian marine geophysical services company Shearwater GeoServices Holding AS has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the marine seismic acquisition assets and operations of Schlumberger’s geophysical services product line, WesternGeco.The transaction, which remains subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018.Houston based Schlumberger will receive cash consideration based on an enterprise value of $600 million plus a 15 percent post-closing equity interest in Shearwater. For a limited period, Schlumberger
PDi Taps O’Sullivan as New CEO
Project Development International (PDi) Ltd - part of the Tattva Group – has appointed Michael O’Sullivan as its new Chief Executive Officer and board member.Bringing over 25 years’ subsea oil and gas experience to PDi, O’Sullivan began his career in the subsea industry with riser consultancy MCS, serving in a variety of technical and managerial positions. This culminated in his appointment as Managing Director of MCS UK in 2009 - following its acquisition by Wood Group – a position he held until 2013. Subsequently running JP Kenny’s operations in Aberdeen, he most
Okeanus Expands Fleet of Deepwater Oceanographic Winches
Marine equipment and engineering services provider Okeanus Science & Technology has expanded its fleet of oceanographic winches to become the largest of its kind in the world. Available for rent or sale, the fleet supports projects globally with winches designed to meet the needs of survey companies, environmental contractors and scientific researchers.Oceanographic professionals and offshore surveyors can now select from an international pool of winches, from 2HP to 125HP with over 6,000 meters of cable capacity. The expanded fleet enhances Okeanus’ ability to service the growing number of
ABS Issues Subsea Processing Advisory
ABS has developed the Subsea Processing System (SPRS) Advisory that provides an overview of the SPRS and associated sub-systems that are currently available and addresses its technology maturity level.The advisory also describes the role of ABS as an independent classification society in the verification and validation of subsea processing technologies including new/unproven technologies through the ABS New Technology Qualification services.The advisory is the first in a series of publications planned by ABS over the next few years. Future publications will include guidance notes, advisories and white
Personnel Changes at Autonomous Robotics Limited
U.K. based autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) developer Autonomous Robotics Limited (ARL) announced the appointment of Rear Admiral (retired) Jon Westbrook CBE and Commodore (retired) Phillip Titterton CBE as Defense Advisor to the Board and Defense Consultant respectively, with effect from August 1, 2018.The company also hired additional engineering staff. Abhinav Bharti (lead software engineer) and Ella Richards (lead mechanical engineer) have joined the team led by Arran Holloway, ARL’s Engineering Director.The company’s board also announces that Rafael Albea has resigned from
Heijermans Joins Boskalis Management Board
During today's Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, Bart Heijermans was appointed to the Board of Management of Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. for a term until the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders in 2022.Heijermans will be responsible for the company’s offshore energy division, effective September 1, 2018.Heijermans brings to the board extensive experience in the offshore industry, having recently served as CEO and board member of subsea services provider DeepOcean. Prior to that, he held various senior management positions at companies including Helix Energy Solutions and
Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale to Test Response to Trump-era Regulations
A federal auction of exploration leases in the Gulf of Mexico next week will test energy companies' appetite for acreage after the Trump administration left royalty rates for deepwater parcels unchanged, bucking an industry call to lower them.The U.S. Gulf of Mexico has faced waning interest in recent years as competition stepped up from other basins globally, as well as from onshore shale basins and Mexico's waters in the Gulf.Oil companies had lobbied for lower royalty payments for deepwater acreage because of the projects' high cost and long lead time before production can begin. In
Hochoa Takes Over as Bourbon CFO
French offshore services provider Bourbon Corporation announced Thierry Hochoa has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer effective as of August 6. He reports directly to Gaël Bodénès, Chief Executive Officer of Bourbon Corporation.Hochoa replaces Astrid de Bréon who resigned from her position as Chief Financial Officer from July 11.A graduate of IAE Paris, ESCP Business School and also CPA, Hochoa began his career in 1994 as an external auditor at Arthur Andersen, then Ernst & Young (EY). In 2004, he joined Technip, first as Director of Internal Audit, then held
CGG Names Baidoukov CFO
CGG has appointed Yuri Baidoukov as Group CFO, effective September 1, 2018. He will be based in Paris and report to the Chief Executive Officer, Sophie Zurquiyah.Baidoukov brings to the role 25 years of international oil and gas industry experience. He is currently Group CFO at OiLSERV Group, a Middle East and North Africa Oilfield Services company. Prior to this, he was CFO of Maersk Oil US, and Group CFO of Integra Group, a CIS oilfield services company. Baidoukov spent 10 years of his career at Schlumberger in finance positions at the corporate and regional levels.Baidoukov holds an MBA degree from
McDermott Pipelayer Set for Major Refit
on innovative IHC technology. The project showcases IHC’s ability to combine our expertise to create integrated, customized solutions for our customers,” said Royal IHC’s Executive Director Services, Diederik van Rijn, who signed the contract with McDermott’s Global Vice President Marine Assets & Operations, Alan Marriott.“We are setting a new benchmark for installing a multi-joint J-lay system in a vessel of this size,” added Royal IHC’s Executive Director Mission Equipment, Paul Hardisty. “Our novel approach for this J-lay system will be a game-changer
Ocean Infinity, NMOC Partner for R&D
Offshore ocean data and exploration company Ocean Infinity said it has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMOC), based at the Space Center in Stennis, Miss. During the next five years the collaboration will focus on combining and expanding technologies relating to a broad range of deepwater platforms and sensors focused on undersea data gathering and analysis.Oliver Plunkett, CEO of Ocean Infinity, commented, “We are very focused on being at the forefront of technology and this agreement to work and share knowledge
Decom North Sea Names Warrender as Chief Executive
Decom North Sea, the membership organization for the oil and gas decommissioning sector, has appointed John Warrender as Chief Executive, commencing on August 1.Warrender brings over 30 years of domestic and international experience to the position. His work with IOCs, NOCs and independent operators includes significant leadership experience in the strategic development of complex decommissioning programs in the North Sea.Most recently an independent advisor to the industry, applying his specific expertise in corporate governance and performance improvement, Warrender spent over 20 years with ConocoPhil
Transocean Signs 11 Well Contract with Chevron Australia
The international provider of offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells Transocean announced that the ultra-deepwater semisubmersible GSF Development Driller I was awarded an 11-well contract (approximately 955 days) commencing offshore Australia in the first half of 2019 with Chevron Australia.The estimated firm contract backlog, excluding integrated services, is approximately USD 158 million. Additionally, the contract includes four one-well options.Two days ago, Transocean announced that the midwater semisubmersible Transocean 712 was awarded a 13-well contract (approximately 580
Deepwater Survey Completed in Working Oilfield
Fairfield Geotechnologies completes Gulf of Mexico Ocean Bottom Node surveyFairfield Geotechnologies announces the successful completion in May 2018 of the Stampede deepwater ocean bottom node survey, located in the Green Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico. The field, operated by the Hess Corporation, is in approximately 3,500 ft. of water. The 238 km2 survey was the second successful deployment of Fairfield Geotechnologies’ ZXPLR system. ZXPLR is the newest generation of ocean bottom node technology and features a compact design, automated back deck systems, and powered and
N-Sea Hires van Peet as Survey Lead
U.K.- and Netherlands-based subsea provider N-Sea has appointed Hans van Peet as the company’s survey authority.Hans van Peet, who joins the organization from Heerema Marine Contractors, brings more than 30 years of specialist experience in survey, positioning and ROV intervention to the role. He previously led subsea services for a variety of leading offshore companies, including the technical management of major frame agreements for ROV and survey and positioning services.Based in the Netherlands, van Peet will be responsible for overseeing all survey activities within N-Sea, as well as
Schlumberger CFO Ayat to Retire Soon
Schlumberger NV Chief Financial Officer Simon Ayat plans to retire this year and a company insider has emerged as top candidate to replace him at the world's largest oil services firm, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.Stephane Biguet, currently vice president of finance, is the frontrunner to replace Ayat, according to the people who declined to be named because the matter is not yet public.Schlumberger declined to comment.The CFO change would come as rising oil prices and dwindling producer reserves are helping lift demand for oil services, which were hit hard by the 2014 oil
Kreuz Subsea Names Liew CFO
;s leadership team. He is the company’s fifth executive hire since AJ Jain took over the reins as chief executive officer in October 2017. In June, Jerry Starling joined as director of diving. In April, Pradeep Verma took up the role of chief commercial officer and Marek Kaminski became director of marine assets. Phil Bradbury started as QHSE director at the end of 2017 following Jain’s appointment
Symbiotic Autonomy for Deep Water Survey
Marine technology partners have developed a new long endurance, multi-vehicle, autonomous survey solution.ASV Global (ASV), in partnership with Sonardyne International Ltd., the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and SeeByte, have delivered a long endurance, multi-vehicle, autonomous survey solution after a two-week trial in Scotland’s Loch Ness. The tests were the culmination of the three-year ‘Autonomous Surface and Sub-surface Survey System’ collaborative project, part-funded by Innovate UK and Dstl, which set out to produce an integrated system to perform low cost, full water
Tidewater and GulfMark Announce Merger
Tidewater Inc. and GulfMark Offshore, Inc. announced Monday that the boards of directors of both companies have unanimously approved a definitive agreement to combine the two companies, creating the industry’s largest owner of offshore support vessels and continuing consolidation in the offshore sector.The combined company will be operated under the Tidewater brand and will be led by Tidewater president and CEO John Rynd, with the industry’s largest fleet and the broadest global operating footprint in the OSV sector, with an ability to support customers across geo-markets and water depths.
Oceanscan Invests in Sonardyne Acoustics
International equipment supplier Oceanscan has added underwater acoustic positioning technology from Sonardyne International Ltd. to its rental fleet. The Mini-Ranger 2 Ultra-Short Baseline (USBL) vessel-based systems and Wideband Sub-Mini 6 (WSM 6) transponders have been acquired by Oceanscan following client demand for accurate and reliable underwater tracking technology to support their projects, especially in the growing offshore wind and shallow water hydrographic survey markets. Compact, portable and quick to install, Mini-Ranger 2 offers a standard operating range of 995 meters, extendable
FairfieldNodal Changes Name
FairfieldNodal has changed its name to Fairfield Geotechnologies (Fairfield Geo). The name change reflects Fairfield Geo’s strategy and continuing evolution as a provider of life-of-field technology, data and solutions.FairfieldNodal pioneered the use of ocean bottom nodes (OBN) and is a leading provider of ocean bottom nodal technology, related services and data to Oil Majors, National Oil Companies and Independent Operators. The data and services are necessary to manage reservoirs, enhance productivity and mitigate risk over the entire life-of-field.Fairfield Geotechnologies continues
Airborne, Subsea 7 Launch TCP Riser Program
Oilfield technology firm, Airborne Oil & Gas, has started a qualification of a TCP Riser for deepwater and dynamic applications for a major operator in South America in collaboration with Subsea 7, effective today, June 26, 2018.As a leader in the manufacturing of Thermoplastic Composite Pipe (TCP), Airborne Oil & Gas has developed The TCP Riser qualification program, aimed to provide a disruptive new riser pipe technology for operators with international deepwater applications.The TCP Riser design delivers the lowest cost solution for total installation in comparison to existing solutions
TE Connectivity: AMP MCP 9.5 Connectors
TE Connectivity (TE) introduced its high-power AMP MCP 9.5 two position connectors designed for harsh environment wire-to-wire and wire-to-circuit board connections. AMP MCP 9.5 two position connectors are designed to withstand the extreme conditions of the trucking, agricultural, mining, construction and marine industries. The connectors utilize TE’s field-proven AMP MCP 9.5 contacts and have a current rating of 78 amps for 10 millimeter² wire.The AMP MCP 9.5 two position connectors are constructed of heavy-duty thermoplastic and withstand severe vibration and mechanical shock. They are IP 67
ION Sells Compasses for Subsea Vehicle Navigation
or acoustic navigation and without locally calibrating the compass. Our mechanically gimbaled optical magnetic heading sensor does not require calibration across different latitudes as the Earth’s magnetic field changes. We are exploring additional commercial opportunities for our technologies in marine robotics and other industries.”
US Announces $18.5 Mln for Offshore Wind Research
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today that $18.5 million has been made available for offshore wind research and development (R&D).The DOE selected the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to administer an $18.5 million cooperative innovation hub that will bring together industry, academia, government and other stakeholders to advance offshore wind plant technologies, develop innovative methods for wind resource and site characterization, and develop advanced technology solutions for installation, operation, maintenance and supply chain.The overall goal
Rock Installation ROV Delivered to Van Oord
Subsea technology company Seatools said it has delivered a highly automated fall pipe remotely operated vehicle (ROV) on behalf of its client Van Oord.The 450-kW rock installation ROV underwent extensive sea trials and is ready to be deployed for subsea rock installation (SRI) campaigns from Van Oord’s new SRI vessel Bravenes.The ROV positions the fall pipe above the target (e.g., a pipeline) and with high accuracy facilitates rock installation in over 1,000 meters water depth. The ROV features an advanced dynamic positioning (DP) system enabling the vehicle to pursue a preprogrammed track with
Fugro Tallies ROV Services Contracts with Petrobras
in Petrobras oil fields. The ROVs are being deployed in water depths of 3,000 meters on the Brazilian continental shelf.The first of the two contracts commences in the second quarter of 2018 and is being executed from the Far Santana, an anchor handling and towing support (AHTS) vessel owned by Norwegian marine contractor SolstadFarstad. The contract duration is 319 days.During the second contract, which starts in the third quarter of 2018, Fugro and SolstadFarstad will jointly manage operations, which will involve Fugro’s ROV being deployed from SolstadFarstad’s Far Scout AHTS offshore vessel
MacArtney, OSIL Partner in China
with Ocean Scientific International Ltd (OSIL).The newly established strategy and business plans applying to the Asian markets, among others, have led MacArtney Singapore to enter into the exclusive sales agreement with OSIL, a provider of tailored integrated systems for environmental monitoring in all marine environments, from shallow coastal waters to full ocean depth.With such an agreement, MacArtney said it is confident of being able to cover the ocean science industry and improve business relations in the Chinese market as well as provide optimized after-sales service in a demanding market.Initiatives
Ocean Infinity to Deploy AUVs for Scarborough Survey
Seabed exploration company Ocean Infinity said it has been awarded a contract to provide data in support of the development of the Scarborough field 375 kilometers west-north-west of the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia.The contract, awarded by Australian oil and gas company Woodside Energy, involves a deepwater geophysical pre-engineering route survey, extending approximately 300 kilometers from the Scarborough subsea field in 950- to 1,400-meter water depths up the scarp break toward existing onshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing facilities on the Burrup Peninsula.The deepwater geophysic
EU Grant Supports New Unmanned Survey Vessel
A pioneering hydrographic survey company has been awaded grant funding from Marine-i, the EU funded program set up to boost the marine technology sector in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.The company, Ultrabeam Hydrographic, which provides ultra high resolution hydrographic surveys for clients with marine based assets, such as harbors, subsea pipelines and oil and gas platforms, has developed a new type of unmanned surface vessel believed to be the first of its kind.The Ultra-USV 3-meter catamaran carries a full suite of high-tech survey equipment and has been designed to gather fast, accurate and
TechnipFMC Wins Subsea Contract Offshore China
TechnipFMC said it has been awarded a subsea contract by CNOOC Limited for the Liuhua 16-2, 20-2 and 21-2 Oilfield Joint Development Project in the South China Sea, at water depths ranging from 380 to 430 meters.The contract covers the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of subsea equipment, including 26 units of Enhanced Horizontal Christmas Trees (EHXT) as well as wellheads, subsea control systems, manifolds, tie-in systems and intervention workover control systems (IWOCS). This contract also covers support services for the installation and commissioning, as well as the provision of a
SOCAR Inks Deals for Caspian Fields with Equinor
Azeri state oil company SOCAR and Norway's Equinor on Wednesday signed a risk service contract for the development of the Karabakh offshore oil and natural gas field in the Caspian Sea.The two companies also signed a product-sharing agreement for Ashrafi, Dan-Ulduzu and Aypara exploration area."The agreements signed today represent a natural next step in the region. This will strengthen our position in a prolific basin and develop growth options," Equinor Chief Executive Eldar Saetre said in a statement.To operate the licences, Equinor and SOCAR will form a 50-50 joint operating company.
JW Fishers Pipe Tracking Made Easy
What do modern day people and ancient Egyptians have in common? You guessed it; underground piping! It has been discovered that the very first metal piping can be traced back thousands of years to copper pipes buried and used by Egyptians to carry wastewater. The first manufactures of modern metal pipes, however, first appeared well over a century ago in Great Britain. No matter what material is used to manufacture buried or undersea piping, keeping track of these complex systems has been a challenge from the very beginning. The Global Positioning System constellation of satellites revolutionized
UK Hydrographic Office Appoints Makewell CTO
(UKHO) appointed Terry Makewell to the position of Chief Technology Officer. Makewell has more than 20 years’ experience in leadership positions in government, academia and the creative industries, and will be instrumental in further developing the UKHO as a world-leading center in the marine domain. This will support the UKHO in delivering its vision of becoming the world-leading marine geospatial information agency and hydrographic office by 2020. Makewell joins the UKHO from the Office for National Statistics, where he held the role of Chief Digital Officer. His previous
AUV Tracking System Tested in Loch Ness
A collaborative research project called Autonomous Surface and Sub-surface Survey System (ASSSS) aims to deliver an integrated system to provide a means of conducting low cost, shore based, full water column marine surveys using multiple unmanned systems. The project, part funded by Innovate UK, hopes to encourage wider adoption of unmanned systems.The project is being led by a U.K. based developer of unmanned and autonomous marine systems, ASV Global. It combines the advantages of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) to further data gathering opportunities.
InterMoor Delivers H-Links Connectors for Appomattox FPS
InterMoor, a provider of mooring services, foundation solutions and offshore installations in subsea services group Acteon, completed the delivery of all H-Links connectors for the Appomattox Floating Production System (FPS) mooring lines. The Appomattox facility will be a four-column semi-submersible production platform moored using 16 mooring lines arranged in 4x4 clusters, in 2,255m (7,400ft) of water approximately 130km (80 miles) offshore Louisiana. The platform will become Shell’s largest floating platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Collaborating with Oceanside Equipment Ltd out of Nova
Unique Grillage Design for Offshore Wind Farm
Conbit has developed a unique grillage design as part of a collaborative scope for an offshore wind farm project in the U.K. and one of the biggest in the world.Conbit said it is providing the specialist offshore engineering for parent company ALE, who has been contracted to provide the marine transportation, sea-fastening, load-out and ballasting of over 100 TPs for Ørsted’s Hornsea Project One in the North Sea, set to be the biggest wind farm in the world.For the structural engineering, Conbit used its internal structural engineering expertise to conduct the structural integrity and sea
Offshore: Nippon Foundation, Deepstar Sign MOU
Japan's Nippon Foundation and Deepstar signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently which essentially will allow Japan to tap the expertise and resources of DeepStar to help Japan discover and recover new-found subsea resources, as well as educate future generations of Japanese. The MOU was signed on May 1, 2018 at the Hotel ZaZa in Houston, and speaking at the event Nippon Foundation Chairman Yohei Sasakawa said "We need to acquire the resources to discover and reach (our) natural resources. There is no question that Houton is the hub of space exploration, but ehere are two
Aker to explore options for Aker Energy after Ghana plan filing
Norwegian investment firm Aker will consider options for its stake in oil startup Aker Energy after the unit has appraised its offshore field in Ghana and submitted a development plan for the site to the Ghanaian government.Aker Energy bought a 50-percent stake in Ghana's ultra deepwater Tano Cape Three Points block from Hess for $100 million in February.Options for the stake include listing Aker Energy separately, offering it for sale to oil companies in the area or those seeking to enter Ghana, or a combination of both, Aker's CEO Oeyvind Eriksen told Reuters.Aker Energy is 50 percent owned
Shell Awards Deepwater Installation Contract in GOM
In another sign that activity in the moribund offshore sector is starting to loosen, Jumbo said that it has won the installation contract for the Shell deep-water Vito development in the US Gulf of Mexico. The Vito development is located in the Mississippi Canyon, approximately 150 miles south of New Orleans in water depth of more than 4,000 feet. Jumbo’s installation contract involves the initial pre-lay of the mooring system as well as the subsequent tow and hook-up of the FPS. Roddy Lafontaine, VP Offshore for Jumbo says: "The Jumbo Offshore team is very
In US Gulf, Robots, Drones Take on Dangerous Offshore Oil Work
industry has turned to robots and drones to cut costs and improve safety in some of the world's tougher working environments. Drones inspect gear high up on floating rigs. Robots crawl underwater to test subsea equipment for microscopic metal cracks. Remotely operated mini submarines can replace divers. Big oil producers such as BP and Statoil are racing to create the oilfields of the future, where smart devices replace workers. They have the potential to cut costs, save lives, and reduce the scope for human error. "This is going to change the way oil and gas does
