Subsea Vision & Photogrammetry Lab Formed
Offshore robotics company FORSSEA ROBOTICS chose GMS as main technical partner to certify its real-time visual positioning technologies. A joint laboratory will be created to develop a common offer covering camera calibration, subsea image treatment and innovative photogrammetry solutions.FORSSEA ROBOTICS decided last year to adapt its Atoll ROV embedded visual docking technology into a stand-alone product. The company was already manufacturing and commercializing underwater cameras, mainly for R&D underwater vision applications.The so-called V-LOC (Visual LOCalization) technology has been designed
Oil Removed from WWII Era Shipwreck
A U.S. Navy led team has removed 229,000 gallons of oil from a sunken World War II era German heavy cruiser that has been resting on the seafloor near the Marshall Islands for more than 70 years.After being transferred to the U.S. as a war prize, the cruiser Prinz Eugen was loaded with oil and cargo and used to assess survivability of warships during the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests in the Pacific. The ship survived two atomic blasts before being towed to Kwajalein Atoll, where it capsized and sunk in December 1946.Now, 72 years later, a project team led by Stephanie Bocek of the Navy's
Artificial Intelligence Aids Subsea Object Detection
A developer of real-time 3D sonar technology and real-time subsea intelligence has launched a new product that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically detect and recognize distinct underwater objects.Coda Octopus announced Tuesday that it is launching the initial product of its AI-based Automatic Object Detection (AOD) software product series, the Survey Engine Automatic Object Detection Package (SEADP), which enables geophysicists to automatically accomplish the previously painstaking and costly task of manually sifting through data to identify, tag and report on boulders within a seabed
Ørsted Concludes Deepwater Wind Acquisition
Danish wind energy giant Orsted completed its previously announced takeover of Deepwater Wind from D.E. Shaw group in a deal valued at $510 million.The company closed the transaction of acquiring 100% of equity stake held by D.E. Shaw group in Deepwater Wind, which was announced in October this year, after securing approval from the US competition authorities.The new combined organization—Ørsted US Offshore Wind—will be able to deliver clean energy to every coastal state in the densely-populated east coast corridor between Massachusetts and Virginia. Seven states in that region have
iSURVEY Completes Nord Stream 2 Survey
obstructions and hazardous seabed features over a 40-kilometer section of route survey in the German Baltic prior to forthcoming pipelay anchoring and mooring operations for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project.Taking on a vessel charter, the iSURVEY team had full contract responsibility for the vessel, marine, survey, processing and reporting elements of the entire scope – a first for the group.The survey was carried out from the 42-meter vessel SeaZip Fix, on charter to iSURVEY. The vessel served as platform for the survey and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operations, with a moonpool deployment
Jumbo Wins Leviathan Work
Dutch offshore services provider Jumbo said it has been awarded a contract for the transportation and installation of a 410-ton subsea production manifold for the Leviathan development off the coast of Israel.Technip, which is preparing for a project including a subsea production system connecting high-rate subsea wells to a fixed platform located approximately 10 kilometers offshore Israel, awarded Jumbo's Offshore division with the contract to perform the task of lowering the manifold onto the seabed at a 1,643-meter water depth and installing various other SSIV’s and valve skids at a
Subsea Global Solutions Acquires Muldoon Marine Services
Commercial diving company Subsea Global Solutions (SGS) said it has acquired Muldoon Marine Services (Muldoon), a commercial diving firm based in Long Beach, Calif."This is an exciting day for the SGS family as this acquisition will further solidify our position as the market leader in underwater ship maintenance, repair and marine construction solutions both locally in California and abroad," said Paul Peters, Chief Executive Officer of SGS. "Muldoon has been operating in the Long Beach area and nearby ports for 30+ years with a solid track record and an exceptional customer service
Dunstall Named JFD Australia Chairman
the Managing Director of Canberra- based strategic advisory firm, Ngamuru Advisory, will assume the position on November 1, 2018.“Harry’s appointment as Chair of JFD Australia comes at a very significant and exciting time for our company which provides the safe, trusted and proven submarine rescue service to the Royal Australian Navy, (RAN),” said JFD Australia Managing Director, Toff Idrus.“With advanced manufacturing centers in Western Australia and New South Wales, a workforce of highly-skilled tradespeople and plans to strengthen our commitment to the local defense sector
UTEC Secures Floatover Project in the Middle East
UTEC, a surveying company in subsea services group Acteon, said it has, in partnership with offshore services provider Zamil Offshore, secured a contract in Saudi Arabia for the floatover, from Oman to Saudi Arabia, and installation of multiple platform topsides.UTEC said its scope includes topside dimensional control, positioning and motion monitoring during topside transportation and installation, and metocean and weather prediction services.“2018 has been a great year for UTEC in the Middle East and we have seen a sharp increase in demand for our services,” said Bill Hickie, UTEC Middle
Subsea State? Steady with Waves of Optimism
and gas still suffering from a poor reputation among many young people, not helped by the recent downturn, it’s even more imperative that we demonstrate to the next generation that subsea is an industry in its own right; an industry which works across many diverse vertical markets in oil & gas, marine renewables, aquaculture, defence and ocean science.Against this backdrop, Subsea UK provides leadership to help the sector deliver the growth and high value performance that ensures it makes a valuable contribution to the economy. It’s worth reminding ourselves of the vital role subsea plays
Collaborators Make ROVs Smaller and More User-friendly
Putting together a highly specified remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) is a complex business, often requiring fluid integration of components and software from several different manufacturers. Getting it all to work together takes a high level of collaboration between professionals, located around the world.The Defender models now being produced by Pennsylvania-based VideoRay, a world leader in inspection-class ROVs, are a prime example.For these vehicles, Norwegian Doppler specialist Nortek deployed its DVL1000 Doppler Velocity Log in collaboration with both VideoRay and Vermont’s
UTEC Introduces New AUV Launch and Recovery System
UTEC, a global surveying company in subsea services group Acteon, recently commissioned its new launch and recovery system (LARS) for the fleet of seven autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) it uses for seabed surveys in the oil and renewables industries.UTEC’s new LARS is a floating garage that enables an AUV to be launched and recovered without needing a small boat, thereby simplifying operations and improving safety. It also increases efficiency and reduces costs by enabling AUV surveys in parallel with construction or laying activities, as the LARS can be deployed from the same work vessel.
Schlumberger, TGS Bags New US Seismic Project
Norwegian seismic specialist TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company (TGS) and oilfield services providers Schlumberger have announced a new multiclient nodal seismic project in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The project, named Amendment, will comprise acquisition of a 2,350-km2 multiclient seismic survey in the Mississippi Canyon and Atwater Valley protraction areas of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. This prolific area includes open acreage, existing producing assets and new discoveries.Seismic data will be acquired using Fairfield Geotechnologies 4C nodal acquisition technology with operations expected to commence in Q4
New GPS Interference Mitigation Solution
it matters most, the manufacturer said.“This innovative new product builds on core Hexagon PI technology, to bring proven solutions that minimize vessel downtime and keep crews, operations and equipment working at a time when GPS denial events are increasing in frequency,” said David Russell, Marine Segment Manager at VERIPOS. “GAJT also combines with reliable correction services, Apex or Ultra, to provide an accurate and reliable positioning solution.&rdquo
DOF Subsea Selects Sonardyne Navigation Tech
International subsea services provider DOF Subsea has chosen acoustic and inertial navigation technology from Sonardyne Brasil Ltda. to support its deepwater operations from three vessels offshore Brazil.The three vessels will be equipped with Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav all-in-one subsea navigation instrument for underwater vehicles. A remote operated vehicle (ROV) on one of the vessels will also be fitted with a Sonardyne Syrinx Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), in place of its existing system. All three vessels are on long-term contract in Brazilian Waters.SPRINT-Nav combines Sonardyne’s SPRINT
UTEC Makes Two Key Appointments
Surveying company UTEC, part of subsea services group Acteon, has appointed Jon Beatty to lead its Geomarine business unit and long-term employee Greg Hammond to head its StarNet business unit.Beatty joins UTEC Geomarine as managing director and is responsible for its range of geotechnical services, which, when combined with UTEC’s geophysical survey offering, provides a one-stop solution for seabed characterization and sampling. He has more than 25 years of international experience with Schlumberger, having served in technical and management positions spanning reservoir characterization, well
Orsted Expands US Business with $510 Mln Acquisition
Orsted, the world's largest offshore wind developer, said on Monday it would buy U.S.-based Deepwater Wind LLC for $510 million as part of its strategy to expand in a major growth market.The still small U.S. offshore wind sector is seen as one of the most important markets outside the core European region, where subsidies that have underpinned the industry since the early 1990s are starting to be wound back.Deepwater Wind, the builder of the only operating U.S. offshore wind farm, has a portfolio with a capacity of around 3.3 gigawatts (GW). Orsted's U.S portfolio currently has a capacity of 5.
Aker Solutions to Supply Subsea Production System for Mero 1
Aker Solutions said it has secured an order from Petrobras to provide a subsea production system and related services for the Mero 1 project, the first full production project within the major Mero field development, one of the largest oil discoveries in Brazil's pre-salt area.The ultra-deepwater Mero field is located in the northwestern area of the original Libra block, which is about 180 kilometers south of Rio de Janeiro. First oil was produced in November last year.Petrobras is the operator of the consortium developing the Libra area. Shell, Total, CNPC and CNOOC Limited are partners. Pre-Sal
Hunting Hydrocarbons
acoustic monitoring (PAM) projects to aid environmental and anthropogenic monitoring during seismic surveys and, it hopes soon, also around offshore wind piling operations monitoring. For PAM operations, broad spectrum hydrophones are mounted to the gliders to record low and high frequency acoustics from marine life.Blue Ocean’s first PAM survey was in 2016, offshore Western Australia, during 3D seismic acquisition operations. The glider was deployed in the survey area and traversed four days, covering about 30km/day, depending on the current, before performing simultaneous operations with the seismic
New Research Vessel for Virginia Institute of Marine Science
A new research vessel for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has completed sea trials and is transiting to its home port in Virginia.The new vessel, the R/V Virginia, will support the institution’s fisheries research projects and greatly expand VIMS’ capability to perform general oceanographic research in the Chesapeake Bay as well as mid-Atlantic coastal waters. Interest in the new research vessel is already growing rapidly as next season is almost fully booked with science cruises.The 93-foot vessel was built by Meridien Maritime Reparation. JMS Naval Architects performed
Unique Group to Provide Survey Vessel Package to Major Government Entity
Subsea and offshore solution provider Unique Group announced that its Marine & Subsea division has entered into a high value contract with the Southern African Shipyards to provide a turnkey package for hydrographic survey vessels and hydrographic office set up.The project will include multiple new build vessels - main vessel and support vessels. Unique Group will act as a technology partner to the shipyard and provide the vessel’s dynamic positioning systems and Navigational equipment package. As part of the project, Unique Group will also provide complete integration of the Hydrographic
Sonardyne Hires Paull as Business Development Manager
instrumentation and systems company Aquatec Group, will also focus on other developing ocean industry markets, such as subsea mining, for Sonardyne’s widening portfolio of products.The ocean space is home to an increasing number of offshore renewables facilities, including offshore wind farms and marine energy devices, and aquaculture operations, as companies look to diversify and countries seek to grow their energy and food production.“Increasingly our oceans are being looked at as engines of growth – be it in renewable energy, aquaculture, mineral resources and even biotechnology.
RNLN Integrates SeeByte’s Neptune into its AUVs
The Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) has integrated SeeByte’s Neptune software into its new generation Remus 100 fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV).Neptune provides a payload control architecture, goal-based mission planning, and real-time autonomy engine for Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMS) to plan and execute well known patterns of behavior. Neptune expedites and optimizes single-vehicle and multi-vehicle operations.Neptune can be used to coordinate fleets of unmanned assets for MCM missions enabling operators to easily coordinate various assets to search, classify and map, reacquire
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
