Fugro Wraps Large Site Survey Work at TotalEnergies' Offshore Block in Suriname
Dutch offshore survey services firm Fugro said Monday it had completed fieldwork on a site investigation program at TotalEnergies' Block 58 offshore Suriname.The project sits approximately 150 km offshore in water depths ranging from 60 m to 2100 m and involves the acquisition and analysis of geophysical data and geotechnical soil samples. Fugro will use this information to characterize site conditions and identify potential geohazards, helping the client to derisk potential development activities.TotalEnergies, with its partner Apache, has made several oil discoveries in the block in the past year
VIDEO: Installation of Innovative Floating Wind Turbine Foundation - TetraSpar
Offshore vessel operator and installation services firm Bourbon Subsea Services has recently completed the installation of the 3.6 MW TetraSpar floating wind turbine prototype at a test site in Norway.The TetraSpar Demo project is developed by Stiesdal Offshore Technology, TEPCO Renewable Power, Shell, and RWE and has been described as the world’s first full-scale demonstration of an industrialized offshore foundation.The TetraSpar foundation concept is the modular “building block” arrangement: each foundation is assembled from tubular steel modules, most of which are common to all
Busy Summer for Pipeline Tech Firm STATS Group
in the UK North Sea, on pipelines ranging from 20” to 36” in diameter. "The projects were on critical pipeline systems on behalf of multiple clients, with the isolation periods ranging from 10 to 45 days," the company said.Isolation activities were carried out onshore and offshore at various locations and included the use of STATS Remote Monitoring System, which allowed Tecno Plug isolation tools to be monitored continuously via satellite from STATS Remote Monitoring Centre in Kintore, Aberdeenshire."The satellite monitoring technology enables customers to reduce site
Tendeka Secures $30M in New Contracts
Completions specialist Tendeka has said it has secured more than $30million worth of international contracts within the last quarter which will cover the next three years."In addition to this unplanned revenue, the company has won long-term work with operators for its swellable packers and sand and inflow control technologies across key energy hubs, including the North Sea, Australasia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)," Tendeka said Wednesday.Tendeka also said it was delivering its first significant FloSure autonomous inflow control devices (AICDs) campaign in the United States,
Flotant Validates Dynamic Cable Concept for Floating Wind Projects
at the Dynamic Marine Component (DMaC) of the University of Exeter, UK.The next phase of the project for Innosea will be to finalize the floater global performance analyses to confirm its suitability versus project defined sites.Prof. Lars Johanning of The University of Exeter said: “Floating offshore wind (FOW) power will be a vital component of the EU strategy as we move toward a net zero economy. It will also have a profound effect on the local economies in European countries, creating new jobs in the supply chain and providing a key component for our post-pandemic recovery. The development
Unique Group Partners Up with GoSubsea in Norway
UAE-based subsea equipment maker Unique Group has appointed GoSubsea, a recently formed subsea equipment and service firm based in Norway, as its survey equipment agent for the Scandinavian region. The agreement will see GoSubsea offer a full range of autonomous solutions as well as survey and inspection equipment from Unique Group’s extensive portfolio."Experienced in rental and sale of survey products, GoSubsea has supported operations and projects in a diverse range of sectors internationally, delivering excellent results across the oil and gas, renewables, aquaculture, and educationa
Shell and Kongsberg in Well Digitalization Push
Oil major Shell and Norway's Kongsberg Digital have entered an agreement to collaborate and enable digital solutions and transformation for Shell's well delivery and performance.According to Kongsberg, Shell has used Kongsberg Digital’s real-time data products in its global wells portfolio for several years. Now, Shell is undertaking a digital transformation of its wells business with a need for digital solutions.Jon Crane, Vice President of Wells Digital in Shell International said:"Shell and Kongsberg both have a long track record of innovations over 100 years. We are
Ocean Sun, Partners Get Norwegian Gov't Green Funds
Norwegian floating solar tech company Ocean Sun has received, through its participation in consortiums Scatec and Norsk Hydro, the Norwegian government green funds.The funds have been granted through the Green Platform, a new initiative that gives companies and research institutes funding for research and innovation-driven green growth. The purpose of the initiative is to create green jobs and a more sustainable future.The consortium between Ocean Sun - Scatec and has been awarded NOK 79 million to develop the world's first large-scale hybrid hydro and floating solar power plant.At the same time
Imenco Launches Offshore Mooring Chain Corrosion Protection Tech
(ICT), a division of Imenco, has launched what it says is a transformational mooring chain cathodic protection technology, named Pacu.Initially designed for deployment on FPSO mooring chains, the system, Imenco says, is equally applicable to any mooring system such as those on floating wind platforms or offshore aquaculture installationsImenco says that the solution, made up of its Piranha clamp and an integrated bracket-mounted sacrificial anode, slows the rate of corrosion significantly and prolongs the life of mooring systems."Currently, the unpredictable rate of corrosion on existing mooring chains
Prysmian, Asso.subsea to Deliver Export Cable for French Floating Wind Farm
Italy-based subsea cable maker Prysmian Group together with subsea installation firm Asso.subsea, has signed a contract with RTE, Réseau de Transport d'Électricité, for the development of an export subsea power cable system for the Gruissan floating offshore wind farm located in Southern France.Prysmian will be responsible for the design, supply, termination, testing, and commissioning of one 66 kV three-core export submarine cable with EPR insulation for a total of 25 km and attached another 66kV submarine dynamic cables with EPR insulation for about 1 km connecting the shore
ScottishPower Renewables Supports Proserv's Offshore Wind Cable Monitoring Tech
ScottishPower Renewables, part of the Spanish renewables giant Iberdrola, has granted industrial sponsorship to Proserv Controls for its subsea cable condition monitoring system for the offshore wind segment.The system, called Electro Cable Guard, or ECG has been initiated and driven by Proserv with support from its consortium partners Synaptec, a power system monitoring firm, and cable engineering specialists BPP Cable Solutions. "The system offers a paradigm shift in present market offerings around condition monitoring of both inter-array and export cables," Proserv Controls said.
Global Underwater Hub Appoints Its First Chair
opportunity, will come from cross-sector collaboration. The GUH will be uniquely positioned to connect the different institutions and companies with the market opportunity to deliver the underwater solutions of the future."It will be incumbent upon us to make sure that sectors such as defense, offshore renewables, and oil and gas all work together, collectively furthering their knowledge and improving their global offering."We have major strengths in each of those spaces with world-leading technology and expertise. The world is demanding change and, in helping bring that about, we can gain
Expro Completes P&A Work for Petronas in Mauritania
Oilfield services firm Expro has completed an integrated Plug and Abandonment (P&A) contract for Petronas in Mauritania.The well intervention scope of the P&A project used Expro’s integrated Open Water Intervention Riser System (OWIRS) for intervention and barrier placement on 15 wells for PCMPL’s Chinguetti Field Phase II works. "The system’s compact nature provided considerable time savings by retrieving the subsea trees without an additional run. This was further enhanced by the efficient parallel deployment of the OWIRS and rig blow-out preventer from the
Project Launched to Deploy Thermoplastic Composite Pipe Flowlines, Risers in Brazil's Pre-Salt Area
Thermoplastic composite pipe technology developer Strohm has entered a joint industry program with Shell and Petrobras with the goal of deploying its Thermoplastic Composite Pipe (TCP) Flowline and Riser technology offshore Brazil.Strohm said that the four-year contract had the potential to revolutionize the deepwater flowline and riser market in Brazil and with a corrosion-free solution that has a 30-year design life. "It is the world’s most advanced program to bring TCP Flowline and Risers offshore under actual field conditions," Strohm, which described the contract a sizeable
BV Grants 'First Ever' AiP for Offshore Floating Solar Tech
Testing, inspection, and certification firm Bureau Veritas (BV) has granted its Approval in Principle (AiP) to Dutch renewable energy company SolarDuck for its offshore floating solar solution King Eider. "This is the first time such an approval has been granted to an offshore floating solar technology, marking the beginning of a new era for this form of renewable energy," BV said.Launched in April, SolarDuck’s first pilot ‘King Eider’ consists of four triangular-shaped units, which are mounted by 156 solar panels and deliver a combined electrical output of 64
ABB to Power Chevron's Jansz-Io Compression (J-IC) Project in Australia
ABB has secured a contract worth around $120 million to supply the overall Electrical Power System (EPS) for Chevron's multi-billion-dollar Jansz-Io Compression (J-IC) project, offshore W. Australia.The Jansz-Io field is located around 200 kilometers offshore the north-western coast of Australia, at water depths of approximately 1,400 meters. The field is a part of the Chevron-operated Gorgon natural gas project, one of the world’s largest natural gas developments. Sanctioned by Chevron last month, the J-IC project, which moves gas from the deep seas to shore, marks only the third
Schlumberger Introduces Autonomous Directional Drilling
Oilfield services giant Schlumberger has this week introduced a service called Autonomous Directional Drilling, which, the company says, includes solutions to steer autonomously through any section of the wellbore. According to Schlumberger its intelligent and dynamic downhole automated control system instantly interprets and acts on data, enhancing well construction performance," the company said.Autonomous Directional Drilling is a significant leap forward for the industry digital transformation, helping our customers achieve new levels of well construction efficiency, consistency, and
ROVs: Time for Renewal in the Work Class world?
of a renewal in the work class ROV fleet. But what form will it take?The work class ROV (WCROV) market has taken something of a battering over the past few years. The 2014 downturn and then a pandemic has meant the ROV services market and the fleet have suffered (see panels), alongside the rest of the offshore industry.Oversupply, thanks to a spate of investment in new vehicles through 2010-2014, and a drop in demand has meant there’s been little appetite for new WCROV investment, says George Shirreffs, VP sales and marketing, Schilling Robotics, TechnipFMC.In addition, there have been new types
Eco Wave Power Tech for Israeli Navy
Wave energy technology company Eco Wave Power has entered into a collaboration agreement with the Israeli Navy, to examine the feasibility of installing the Eco Wave Power technology in the Navy's bases.Eco Wave Power will start the procurement and deployment of wave measuring systems to collect extended wave data, in one to three potential locations in the Navy bases, while the Navy will secure all permits for the deployment of the wave measuring equipment. "The Navy’s specialized diving team will install the measurement equipment in the territorial waters of the Navy’s bases.
U.S. DOE Awards Grant for OPT's Next-gen Wave Energy Converter
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a grant to wave energy solutions provider Ocean Power Technologies to further the development of a next-generation wave energy converter."Investment by the U.S. government towards the commercialization of clean energy technology is critical to achieving our nation's net-zero emissions goals," said Philipp Stratmann, President and Chief Executive Officer of OPT. “This award from the DOE will allow OPT to continue innovative blue tech power and data solution development.”As per DOE’s recently announced awards for clean energy
Sustainable Marine's Tidal Turbine Drivetrain Passes Accelerated Lifetime Tests in Germany
Scottish tidal energy technology firm Sustainable Marine said Tuesday that its tidal turbine drivetrain has successfully completed ‘accelerated lifetime testing’ at the Center of Wind Power Drives at RWTH Aachen UniversitySCHOTTEL Hydro, Sustainable Marine’s German engineering partner, tested the SIT250 drivetrain.The key component, manufactured by propulsion expert SCHOTTEL, forms the ‘powerhouse’ of Sustainable Marine’s pioneering floating tidal turbine, converting torque - or rotation of the blades - into electricity, the company said."The ‘accelerated
Fugro Nets 3-year IRM Deal with Petrobras
Brazilian oil company Petrobras has awarded Fugro a three-year contract for subsea inspection, repair, and maintenance (IRM) services in Brazil.The contract is set to start in the fourth quarter of Q4 2021.Fugro will deploy the Fugro Aquarius vessel using two Fugro-built 3000 m work-class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). The award follows the successful completion of a previous 4-year contract for similar services aboard the same vessel, Fugro said."During the previous contract, Fugro accomplished more than 20,000 hours of successful ROV operations for Petrobras, helping to unlock insights from
Tekmar, DeepWater Buoyancy Target Floating Wind Opportunities
Offshore energy equipment supplier Tekmar Group has signed a partnership agreement with DeepWater Buoyancy, a producer of subsea buoyancy products for offshore oil & gas, energy, oceanographic, and technology companies. "...the companies will bring together their complementary engineering capabilities, and extensive track records in their respective fields, to enhance the range of services and technologies they offer customers, whilst helping to integrate and optimize offshore project supply chains," Tekmar said.The partnership is focused on the new and emerging floating offshore
TechnipFMC Joins Seabed Mineral Extraction Arena
TechnipFMC, a company best known for its offshore oilfield services and equipment, is looking to diversify its offering and has now joined forces with Loke Marine Minerals (Loke) to develop enabling technologies for the extraction of seabed minerals in Norway.The World Bank, World Economic Forum, and International Energy Agency have recognized marine minerals as one of the potential answers for meeting the growing demand for metals used in electric vehicle batteries, clean energy technology, and consumer electronics.Loke Marine Minerals was established in 2019 by experienced offshore energy professional
Silixa Claims 'World's first' as it Installs Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) System at BP's Gulf of Mexico Field
Optical fiber sensors provider Silixa on Wednesday announced the successful installation, validation, and borehole seismic acquisition from a permanently installed fiber-optic Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) system, Carina Subsea 4D, on BP’s Atlantis Phase 3 subsea field development.The Atlantis Phase 3 development involves a new subsea production system with eight new wells tied into the current Atlantis platform, 150 miles south of New Orleans. "The engineered fibre optic system enables high-definition seismic data acquisition along the entire subsea wellbore. This allows seismic
SMD to Build SEAJET's Controlled Flow Excavation Equipment
equipment.According to the two firms, SMD will build, test, and commission "the most advanced fleet of CFE equipment available in the market" in its production facility in Wallsend, Newcastle upon Tyne. The agreement follows SJS’s launch in May 2021, where the company offered the offshore energy industry the ability to own and operate CFE technology.Faisel Chaudry, Managing Director at SJS said: "Following our launch, we’ve seen significant interest in our solutions that have been honed over 25 years, and now together with SMD, we offer a real step-change in CFE provision
VIDEO: CorPower Builds 'World's largest' Wave Energy Test-rig
us to perform a broad range of isolated tests, involving individual modules and equipment, before eventually testing the device as a complete integrated system in the ocean. Dry-rig testing is a highly effective process helping debug, improve, stabilize, fine-tune and optimize WEC systems before offshore operations, which are costly and weather dependent by comparison. As we now progress to full-scale we will continue with our rigorous approach to prove the robustness and durability of CorPower’s technology.”CorPower’s commercial-scale WEC – 9m in diameter with a 300KW power
ExxonMobil Hires Oceaneering for Offshore Surveys in Guyana
ExxonMobil has hired offshore services firm Oceaneering for the provision of two surveys offshore Guyana, where Exxon has over the past few years discovered around nine billion barrels of oil.Oceaneering will carry out a towed and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) geophysical survey and a shallow geotechnical survey off the coast of Guyana.Oceaneering will use the DP-2 Cape Davis, equipped with the 3,000 m-rated OS-VI AUV, towed geophysical sensors, and geotechnical sampling and testing equipment.The surveys are scheduled to begin in Q3 2021. In addition to the geophysical and geotechnical survey
Prysmian Takes Delivery of High-tech Cable Layer Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci. “Leonardo da Vinci is the most efficient cable layer in the world and from now onwards it will support the group’s long-term growth in the submarine cable installation business. It will be a game changer in strengthening our leadership in the interconnection and offshore wind farm markets,” stated Valerio Battista, CEO, Prysmian Group.The first mission assigned to the new vessel is the installation of the the world’s longest power interconnection, the Viking Link submarine cable connection between the U.K. and Denmark. The vessel has just arrived
Fugro Completes USV Remote Inspection for Woodside
Fugro has used its first operational Blue Essence uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), the 12 m Fugro Maali, to complete an entirely remote nearshore inspection of three gas trunklines in the North West of Australia for the Woodside operated North West Shelf Project.Fugro’s Blue Essence next-generation USVs are operated remotely from onshore remote operations centers (ROCs) and the Fugro Maali is the first Blue Essence in service anywhere in the world. The name Maali is a Noongar term for “black swan”, which is both the state bird and emblem of Western Australia, where the USV is based.
OTC & Offshore Innovation: From Sarajevo with L(ament)ove
As the world has been shut down in stages due to COVID for the past 18 months, the same can’t be said for innovators in the offshore energy sector, many of whom will be honored in Houston August 16-19, 2021, with an OTC Spotlight on New Technology Award.If you read Offshore Engineer regularly, OTC needs no introduction. Better yet, if you’re reading (the print edition!) right now, you are probably in Houston at OTC, as this is where the July/August edition of Offshore Engineer (barring any unforeseen circumstances) is being distributed.At its peak in 2014, OTC drew more than 100,000
Brownfield Boost: Vigdis Gets a Subsea (Pump) Lift
The Vigdis subsea field in the North Sea has produced oil via the Snorre field for 24 years, and when it came on stream in 1997, it was projected to produce 200 million barrels.To date, according to Equinor, it has produced twice that amount, and courtesy of installation of a new subsea pumping system, that total is anticipated to reach or surpass the 475 millon barrel mark, as a pump on the seabed will give the Vigdis field a boost that increases production by around 16 million barrels.“Increasing production from existing fields is important for value creation on the Norwegian continental shelf
Nova VOLT gets $2.8m injection from Scottish government
Nova Innovation was awarded a $2.8m cash injection from the Scottish Government to advance its tidal turbine manufacturing to a global level.The funding, delivered through Scottish Enterprise, is directed at Nova’s VOLT (VOlume Manufacturing and Logistics for Tidal Energy) project that aims to develop the first European assembly line to mass manufacture tidal turbines, and trial innovative techniques and tools to ship, deploy and monitor turbines around the world.The project will examine how to improve turbine performance, logistics for mass manufacture, and develop new techniques to ensure
World’s Longest [37 km] ETH Production Pipeline installed offshore Norway
, close collaboration with Neptune Energy, and by leveraging TechnipFMC’s experience in the technology," said Ståle Ryggvik, TechnipFMC’s Project Director. "This technology has the potential to unlock future developments with challenging reservoir properties.”The offshore installation was carried out across two subsea campaigns in 2020 and 2021 by TechnipFMC’s vessel, approximately 120 km north of Kristiansund, Norway, at a water depth of about 320 m. The fabrication and assembly of the ETH-pipe was conducted by TechnipFMC.Drilling of the Fenja production wells
Subsea Mining: All Eyes on Marine Minerals Offshore Norway
Marine minerals are coming under sharp focus offshore Norway. Analysts suggest it could be a $20 billion annual revenue industry by 2050, which is why many are taking an interest and developing the technology to make it happen. Marine mineral mining has been something of a slow burner in the wider marine world. It has some clear challenges, not least location and depth of these potential resources, but also concerns around its environmental impact.Yet it now appears to be coming into a distinctly sharp focus, not least in Norway where, early June, Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy Tina
ROBOTICS: Meet Your New Offshore Robotic Co-workers; Charles, Eddie, ANYmal & Spot
Within the last 12 months, a series of significant steps have been made in the world of offshore robotics; a number of legged and tracked robots made their first steps onto and around offshore facilities in Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway and the US. For operators, it’s a big leap to have these things on facilities. For technology developers, it’s a big step towards future potential adoption offshore.In August last year (2020), Total Netherlands claimed a first offshore autonomous mission for an ATEX robot. The Taurob vehicle was used in the condensate recovery area of the bridge-linked
Subsea 7 Takes Majority Stake in Floating Wind Tech Player
Offshore services firm Subsea 7 on Monday revealed has reached a deal to acquire a majority interest in the equity of Nautilus Floating Solutions S.L., a Bilbao, Spain-based developer of technology for the floating wind market.Nautilus has developed a concept for a floating wind foundation based on a semi-submersible steel structure that supports a centrally-placed wind turbine. Subsea 7 said it will provide technical expertise, and engineering and project management capabilities, to support the advancement of this design, and it is envisaged that the concept will be included in tenders for demonstrator
Seismic Firm CGG Sells GeoSoftware Business
French seismic data firm CGG has signed a deal with Topicus and Vela Software, for the sale of CGG’s GeoSoftware business.According to the description on CGG's website, GeoSoftware product suite, among other things, helps oil and gas operators unlock the maximum hydrocarbon potential from their reservoir assets with advanced seismic interpretation features."Being a perpetual owner of businesses, Topicus and Vela look forward to maintaining the standard of excellence that CGG has instilled in the Company’s solutions," said Gabor Czegledy, CEO of Vela’s Energy Portfolio
Nexans' Cable for World's First Harsh-environment Floating Solar Plant
Offshore cable manufacturer Nexans will deliver export cable for Equinor's floating solar pilot offshore Frøya in Norway. The floating solar project is slated to come online in December 2021 and will be the world’s first floating solar plant operating in rough offshore waters.The Frøya floating plant will measure 80 m x 80 m, with a height of less than 3 meters above the sea surface, hosting an array of solar panels capable of producing up to 1 megawatt.Utility-scale floating solar power is currently one of the fastest-growing renewable technologies as governments and
VIDEO: Subsea UK and the Creation of the “Global Underwater Hub”
Subsea UK is embarking on a new adventure as The Global Underwater Hub, a new organization with already nearly $18 million in funding. ‘The Hub’ aims to leverage the UK’s strong maritime heritage, as well as its underwater expertise that transcends offshore defense and research. Subsea UK has been around nearly 20 years, set up to champion the UK subsea industry. It was fortuitous timing, as that $2.7B CapEx industry in oil and gas grew to more than $12B by 2013. Neil Gordon, Chief Executive at Subsea UK, discusses the path ahead.While Subsea UK was formed in 2003 to champion the UK
Digitalization: Petrofac, James Fisher Cut Need for Offshore Survey Ahead of Modification Scopes
Oilfield services firm Petrofac said Monday it has with the help of digitalization, and in cooperation with James Fisher Asset Information Services (JF AIS), managed to eliminate the need for offshore surveys ahead of modification scopes, reducing time and cost.The digital process enables the offshore crew to capture detailed visual and measurement data through a process called Self-Capture Point Cloud, Petrofac said."Photogrammetric data is collected using intuitive camera equipment, transferred directly to the asset’s Digital Twin, and converted into a point cloud, which can be used to
Ocean Floor Geophysics, PGS Complete Towed Streamer CSEM System Transaction
adds: “With the addition of the towed-streamer CSEM system developed by PGS, OFG now offers the broadest range of CSEM technology in the industry, covering both surface towed and AUV based systems, applicable to a variety of applications including decommissioning and environmental studies, offshore windfarms, seabed mineral exploration and offshore ground water studies.&rdquo
Neptune Energy Deploys Gaming Tech at Norwegian Wells to Boost Output, Cuts Costs
drilling and production operations in real-time and gain better understanding of the wells’ history.As previously reported, in its digitalization path, Neptune has recently created digital twins of several of its operated platforms in the Norwegian, UK, and Dutch sectors of the North Sea, enabling offshore site inspections and maintenance planning to be carried out from shore.Neptune Energy: Tech Built for Astronauts to Reduce Need for Offshore Trave
DNV to Conduct Safety Study at Offshore Hydrogen Production Site in France
DNV, an energy industry consultancy and assurance provider, said Thursday it would lead the process safety study to identify the main environmental, safety and operational risks for what they say will be the world's first offshore hydrogen production facilities.The offshore hydrogen production facility, developed by Lhyfe and powered by electricity from a floating wind turbine, is planned to be operational in 2022, off the coast of Le Croisic, at SEM-REV, Centrale Nantes' offshore test site.Lhyfe is a producer and supplier of green and renewable hydrogen for transport and industry. Centrale
Equinor, Ardyne Extend Offshore Well Decommissioning Tech Partnership
casing recovery methods."The process is proven. The ability to cut days off existing processes through the innovative use of resonance is compelling at a time when the industry is seeking to maximize efficiencies at every opportunity," he said.“Equinor has already identified wells offshore Norway for the commercial deployment of TITAN RS next year. We look forward to providing them with a unique and industry-leading method to reduce operational costs and carbon emissions.”Pål V. Hemmingsen, Task Leader Low-cost P&A Equinor said: “The benefits of TITAN RS match
Chinese Seismic Giant Buys 18,000 Seabed Nodes from Sercel
did not say where exactly in the Middle East the nodes would be deployed.To remind, Abu Dhabi's national oil company ADNOC in November 2020 said it had awarded BGP a contract worth up to $519 million to further expand the scope of what it said was the world’s largest combined 3D onshore and offshore seismic survey, taking place in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
Sustainable Marine's 'Ultra-durable' Tidal Turbine Rotors Can Stay in the Field for 20 Years
in Ireland.The company teamed up with the MaREI Centre at the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway), through German engineering partner SCHOTTEL Hydro, to test its new 'ultra-durable' turbine rotors.The project was delivered under Marinet2 – Horizon 2020 program supporting offshore renewable energy testing across the EU.It took place within the Ryan Institute and School of Engineering at the National University of Ireland Galway, which houses a 375m2 Structures Research Laboratory - the largest of its kind in Ireland. Sustainable Marine’s floating tidal energy system
Aker Solutions Confirms Major Subsea Compression Contract with Chevron
Norway's Aker Solutions confirmed Tuesday it had secured a "major contract" from Chevron to provide a subsea gas compression system for the Jansz-Io field, offshore Western Australia. The contract follows Chevron's sanction of the $4 billion project last week. Aker Solutions said last week its subsea compression tech had been selected for Chevron's Jansz-Io Compression Project, but that the companies were in ongoing talks to finalize the contract.The confirmation came Tuesday when Aker Solutions said it had won the deal and had booked around NOK 7 billion ($815,59 million)
VIDEO: 'Eye of fire' Near Offshore Platform in Mexico Extinguished
A fire on the ocean surface west of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula early on Friday has been extinguished, state oil company Pemex said, blaming a gas leak from an underwater pipeline for sparking the blaze captured in videos that went viral.Bright orange flames jumping out of water resembling molten lava was dubbed an "eye of fire" on social media due to the blaze's circular shape, as it raged a short distance from a Pemex oil platform.The fire took more than five hours to fully put out, according to Pemex.The fire began in an underwater pipeline that connects to a platform at Pemex's
Case Study: Acoustic Tech Help Offshore Wind Industry Adapt
metocean survey and consulting company Partrac to provide floating windfarm developers with detailed and accurate data on metocean conditions at potential development sites. Using acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs), Partrac are able to extend their capabilities and adapt to increasingly complex offshore environments.To date, virtually all offshore wind energy produced globally has come from turbines located in water shallower than 50m, where the turbine tower can be directly attached to the seabed. But with demand for wind power growing fast – and suitable shallow-water sites filling up in
Aker Solutions' Subsea Tech Picked for Chevron's Australian Project
Norwegian oilfield equipment and technology provider Aker Solutions has said its subsea compression tech has been selected for Chevron's Jansz-Io Compression Project, offshore Western Australia."Aker Solutions remains in ongoing discussions with Chevron to finalize the contract. A further announcement will be made when a contract is finalized. The value of the contract is expected to be about NOK 7 billion [$807,6 million]," Aker Solutions said Friday.The news comes as the U.S. oil and gas major Chevron, as the operator of the Gorgon gas project, on said it would dto proceed with the
L3 Harris Tapped to Deliver USV for Offshore Oil Spill Response
An unidentified "leading integrated oil and gas company" recently took delivery of an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) from L3Harris Technologies, a USV designed to help out during oil spill response operations.C-Tug 3 is an 11-ft. USV outfitted with L3Harris' ASView control system,a system designed to enable USV remote operations from a land-based control station. C-Tug 3 is designed to execute pre-programmed mission plans and real-time teleoperation via a remote touch screen unit. Once deployed, the USV can tow an oil containment boom into position to prevent the spread of
Scottish, French Firms Partner Up to Speed Up Tidal Energy Development
and France. "The alliance will include co-operation across French and UK sites, driving down costs, catalyzing opportunities for funding, and delivering economies of scale to tackle the climate emergency," the companies said.In November 2020, the European Commission published the European Offshore Strategy setting out the challenge of delivering marine energy capacity targets of 100MW by 2025, and 1GW by 2030. The move spurred talks between Nova Innovation and Sabella on how to combine efforts to meet the targets, resulting in the signing of this transformational MoU, Nova said Wednesday
PXGEO Buys Fugro's OBN Subsidiary Seabed Geosolutions
Offshore seismic surveyor PXGEO has completed the acquisition of Fugro's subsidiary Seabed Geosolutions, a company specializing in Ocean Bottom Node surveys."The acquisition includes a substantial ocean bottom node inventory, handling equipment, related technology, intellectual property and project backlog. In addition, a significant number of personnel responsible for the successful delivery of over 44,000 sq. km. of OBN projects have accepted employment with PXGEO," PXGEO said. It did not say how many people exactly had joined the company.Duncan Eley, CEO of PXGEO said:
Shell, RWE Hire Akselos to Build Digital Model of TetraSpar Floating Wind Foundation
Shell and RWE have hired Akselos to model the TetraSpar floating wind foundation demonstrator, which will be installed offshore Norway later this year.Akselos said it would use Integra, "the world’s most powerful structural simulation software," for the project."Akselos’ software will help accelerate the demonstration of the industrialized offshore foundation. The TetraSpar project aims to dramatically reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE) for floating wind farms," Akselos said."The ‘Digital TetraSpar’ will interface with sensors on the
Safety Boost: 4Subsea to Monitor Var Energi's Drilling Ops at Balder
Subsea solutions provider 4Subsea has secured a three-year service agreement with the Norwegian oil and gas firm Vår Energi to monitor and analyze wellhead integrity to ensure safe operations for the Balder Future drilling and completion operations in Norway.The company said it would monitor the West Phoenix drilling rig for Var Energi.4Subsea said that its SWIM service employs retrofittable subsea sensors to measure movement and strain on the wellhead. "It applies advanced algorithms and machine learning combined with the deep domain expertise to monitor fatigue damage accumulation
Eco Wave Power Installs Spotter Buoy in Portugal
Israeli-Swedish wave energy company Eco Wave Power has installed a Spotter Buoy near the Barra do Douro breakwater in Portugal.Installed following approval from the Port Authority of the Douro, the Spotter Buoy will collect wave data for Eco Wave Power's proposed wave energy project in the area."The installation of the Spotter Buoy was performed today by the Portuguese diving company - OCEANSUBTECH, which has several decades of experience in commercial diving for the purpose of projects installation, maintenance, and inspection of underwater structures, maritime and hydraulic works," Eco
Ocean Sun, Statkraft Working to Retrieve Sunken Solar Plant in Albania
Norwegian floating solar tech company Ocean Sun is working to retrieve its floating solar power plant that sank in Albania earlier this month.As previously reported, Statkraft and Ocean Sun said the first of four Ocean Sun floating solar plants - covering 4,000 square meters and with nearly 1600 solar panels - had started operation on Wednesday, June 2, at the Statkraft Banja reservoir in Albania.However, a week later on June 9, Ocean Sun said there was an incident with the floater, located on Statkraft’s 72-megawatt hydropower plant, where the floating ring with membrane and two connected
Ashtead Technology, Hydromea in Subsea Wireless Tech Deal
at depths of up to 6,000 meters with remarkably low latency," Ashtead said.David Mair, Ashtead Technology’s Business Development Director, said: "Adding Hydromea’s wireless optical modems to our existing capabilities means we can now offer a more efficient monitoring package during offshore construction projects, allowing our customers to further reduce project complexity, driving down overall project costs.”Ross McLeod, Ashtead Technology’s Technical Director, added: “We have been using LUMA modems on construction projects over the past 2 years and we were very pleased
Miko Marine Delivers Magnetic Blanking Set for Bacalhau FPSO
Norwegian company Miko Marine has shipped out the first magnetic blanking set destined for the Brazilian offshore sector from its fabrication plant in Haugesund, Norway. However, the set is not going to Brazil, but to the DSIC yard in Dalian, China, where it will then be installed aboard a new Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel being completed by Japanese FPSO specialist MODEC. Upon the completion of the construction, the new FPSO will be transferred to Equinor's recently sanctioned Bacalhau development offshore Brazil.According to Miko Marine, the new blanking set
V&SH Offshore Solutions Becomes Part of WTS Energy
V&SH Offshore Solutions, an offshore contractor specialized in testing and terminations, cable repairs, and outfitting of offshore high voltage assets has become a part of WTS Energy, an energy services firm providing engineering support and manpower supply."V&SH Offshore Solutions is one of the pioneers and early innovators in the cable testing and terminations industry relating to offshore wind parks," WTS Energy said."During and after the installation of the offshore wind turbines, a complete electrical grid plus export lines are installed whereby many essential electrica
X1 Wind Gets Funding for Floating Wind Project
Spain-based floating wind technology developer X1 Wind said Tuesday it had secured a €2.5 million ($2,97 million) grant to launch its first commercial floating wind project.The floating wind technology developer has been allocated the grant through the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator program.X1 Wind was named among 38 of the most promising start-ups by the EIC after being shortlisted from 4200 applications to receive funding to ‘develop and scale up ground-breaking innovations.’The company, based in Barcelona, is currently preparing to deploy its PivotBuoy technology at
As Big Oil Pushes into Offshore Wind, Seabed Lease Prices Will Rise
The world's largest offshore wind developer Orsted is concerned that Big Oil's eagerness to harness wind at sea could push up prices for seabed leases, making the technology less competitive, its chief executive told Reuters.European oil firms including Total, BP, Equinor and Shell have all outlined plans to speed up investments in renewables, including offshore wind, as they look to reduce their reliance on oil and gas to satisfy investors and governments which are demanding reductions in emissions."Short term we have seen it already, and it's a real and genuine concern," Orsted
MENCK Delivers 'World's Largest' Hammers for Offshore Wind Installation in Taiwan
Dutch offshore installation company Heerema Marine Contractors has signed a contract with Acteon's offshore pile-driving operating subsidiary MENCK for the provision of two of the world’s largest hammers to support offshore wind installation activities in Taiwan.The contract includes the delivery and operation of the MENCK MHU 4400S hydraulic hammers and the newly developed MENCK underwater Noise Reduction Unit, MNRU, and a live penetration depths measurement system.Menck manufactured and assembled the essential hydraulic drive unit and the external shock absorber ring at its headquarters in
ABB Wins UTC Award for Subsea Electrification Technology
ABB's subsea power system, capable of distributing up to 100 MW of electricity over long distances and in ultra-deepwater, has won this year’s Underwater Technology Conference (UTC) Award.ABB’s US$100 million Subsea Power Joint Industry Project (JIP) involved the development of subsea power and conversion technology able to work in down to 3,000 m water depth and over distances of up to 600 km.The technology unlocks the ability to move entire process systems to the seabed, lowering emissions, reducing environmental impact, enabling greater digitalization and integration with renewable
Rovco, PanGeo Subsea in 3D O&M and Survey Services Pact
Subsea technology companies Rovco and PanGeo Subsea have teamed up to respond to what they say is the offshore energy market’s growing need for a prompt and detailed understanding of the performance of subsea infrastructure such as anodes, CPS, scour, cable burial, and the effect of marine growth during the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) lifecycle.The duo said it planned to capture and provide early insight into changing subsea components and environmental conditions that may lead to wider problems or failures without planned intervention. The partnership combines Rovco’s
Floating Wind: New Mooring Line Monitoring Tech Passes the Test
CSignum announced the testing of the prototype solution developed with Tfl Marine as part of the Floating Wind Technology Accelerator Competition (FLW TAC) was successful. TfI developed a unique Sea Spring to reduce snatch and fatigue loads on floating offshore wind structures. The Sea Spring incorporates CSignum’s HydroFi low frequency subsea wireless communication system which enables real-time autonomous full life fatigue monitoring. The TfI Sea Spring design includes piezoelectric ceramics embedded within the system to generate power for the CSignum wireless monitoring system.
C-Innovation Wraps Guyana Survey Remotely from U.S. HQ
C-Innovation, LLC (C-I), an Edison Chouest Offshore affiliate, said on Monday that it has completed its first remote survey scope in Guyana.Remote survey operations are based in C-I’s headquarters in Mandeville, Louisiana, U.S., and conducted by C-Survey (C-S), an internal division of C-I. "This type of survey services enables C-S to be fully operational 24/7 without personnel being onboard the vessel, eliminating associated travel time and expenses, offshore health and safety exposure, and the need for COVID-19 related quarantines," C-I said.Tim Bingham, survey manager, C-I, said
Mocean Energy’s Wave Energy System Produces First Power at EMEC Test Site
, and we will test operations including towing, installation, removal, and access at sea. The device is standalone and operated wirelessly. A 4G connection allows us to send commands and download data from shore. He said the company believed its Blue-X technology is ideally suited to a number of offshore operations, where it can make a direct contribution to net zero goals. “Longer-term, we think grid-scale machines will be able to tap into deep ocean waves to generate significant quantities of clean energy,” he said. Next year, the plan is to connect the device to a subsea
August 2021
