Lighthouse Lidar Aids 3-year Wind Farm Study
Details of a novel three-year project to enhance the energy assessment and revenue forecasting for the proposed Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm 15km off the Angus coast in the East of Scotland demonstrates significant benefits of adopting bespoke technology to gather data.A ZephIR wind Lidar system was installed on an existing lighthouse structure thanks to a custom-built solution developed by SgurrEnergy (now Wood). The solution not only negated the need for an independent offshore structure but the Lidar also took a comprehensive data set at heights from its installed location up to the projected
Enpro Subsea Drives $1.8mln into Flow Assurance Project
£50 billion ($61.5bln) global subsea market. Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, visited oil and gas firm, Enpro Subsea Ltd to announce its new £1.5 million ($1.85mln) investment to support innovation, a key theme of the plan. Scotland already accounts for around 14 per cent of the global subsea market, comprising approximately 370 companies generating an estimated turnover of £7.5 billion ($9.2bln). Supported predominantly by the oil and gas sector, with the right investment and support, the world-renowned skills
Bibby Offshore Hosts Scotland Minister
Bibby Offshore, a subsea services provider to the oil and gas industry, hosted Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell, and Scotland Office Minister Andrew Dunlop, as they announced a new trading partnership between Aberdeen and the Mozambique town of Pemba. Mundell and Lord Dunlop formally announced the move during their visit, when they met with representatives of the offshore industry and Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Council. A tour was conducted of The Hangar, Bibby Offshore’s 50,000 ft² purpose built state-of-the-art workshop and warehouse facility, where they met some
NorSea Invests in First Scotland Supply Base
NorSea Group and the Scrabster Harbour Trust in Caithness have agreed on construction of the new supply base for the oil & gas sector. Under the agreement NorSea Group will work with the Trust to bring in new business and develop Scotland’s most northerly mainland port as a one-stop supply base servicing the oil and gas industry. "We are very excited about co-operating with Scrabster Harbour Trust to develop business for the strategically important port of Scrabster. The vision and commitment of the Trust have been fundamental in our decision to establish NorSea Group there. We are
Scotland’s First Graduate Training Program for Divers
Scotland’s first graduate training program for divers has been launched by diver training facility The Underwater Center and Stork Technical Services (Stork), a global provider of knowledge-based integrity services for the oil and gas, chemical and power sectors. The Stork Dive Trainee Program is a three-year work-based training initiative, which will offer a number of newly qualified commercial divers the opportunity to step straight into a job within the oil and gas industry. The scheme highlights the increasingly close ties The Underwater Center enjoys with the sector, and is aimed at
Surveyors Find Torpedo-like Object off Scotland
Shipping vessels have been advised not to anchor where an object thought to be a torpedo was discovered on the seabed of Scapa Flow, Scotland. On Saturday, February 27, Orkney Vessel Traffic Services informed the U.K. Coastguard that a 7-meter torpedo-like object had been found during a routine seabed sonar survey carried out by SULA Diving on behalf of Orkney Islands Council Marine Services. Video footage was then captured using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), which has now been forwarded to the relevant authorities. U.K. Coastguard has informed the Explosive Ordnance
Bowtech Donates Camera/Light System to Scotland Police Marine Unit
Bowtech Products Ltd. announced that it has donated a £7,000, state-of-the-art camera and light system to aid Police Scotland’s Dive and Marine Unit in Aberdeen, U.K.; building on a 15 year working relationship. The new system incorporates Bowtech Products’ latest vision technology, as Police Scotland continues to upgrade its equipment, ensuring it operates using the best quality imaging products available. This is now the fourth system that has been supplied; the first of which was built around the unit’s strict requirements. The system will assist officers from the Dive
L&N Scotland Introduces Synthesis System to Subsea Market
Specialist subsea manufacturer, L&N Scotland has expanded its product portfolio with the launch of its named Synthesis system. In accordance with the company’s review and development program, L&N Scotland has introduced its latest product and service offering to combat the current constraints faced by subsea operators during product integration stages. By definition Synthesis is the combination of components or elements to form a connected whole. The new system, designed and developed by L&N Scotland, showcases a significant advancement in the application of small-bored tubing
Hydro Group Shortlisted for Made in Scotland Awards
Aberdeen-headquarted, Hydro Group plc is recognised as a finalist at the 2016 Made in Scotland Awards for the categories Manufacturer of the Year and Exporter of the Year. The subsea cable and connector specialist is at the forefront in the development and innovation of subsea product technologies, with involvement from prototype concept through to design, manufacture and project management. The company has been named as a finalist for the Manufacturer of the Year as a result of its continued, and outstanding manufacturing efforts. From its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities
US-based Actuant Acquires Scotland's Viking SeaTech
Actuant Corporation has completed its acquisition of Viking SeaTech. Total consideration for the previously announced transaction was £150 million (approximately $225 million) which was funded from the Company’s cash and revolving credit facility. Headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland, Viking is an offshore support specialist providing a comprehensive range of equipment and services to the offshore oil and gas industry, primarily in the North Sea (U.K. and Norway) and Australia. The majority of Viking’s revenue is derived from offshore vessel mooring solutions which include design
VisualSoft Selected for Cable-laying Vessel NKT Victoria
1,600m2 of deck space and two large offshore cranes. The high capacity cable lay system features a battery energy storage system to assist the cable loading in the event of failure of the shore power used during loading. The Caithness Moray High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) project in Northern Scotland is the largest investment in north Scotland’s electricity network since the hydro development era of the 1950s. It will see the electricity grid on either side of the Moray Firth connected via a new submarine cable capable of carrying up to 1,200 megawatts of electricity, equivalent to the
Scottish $2.6 Bln Offshore Wind Project Green Lighted
The developer of a 2 billion pound ($2.6 billion) Scottish offshore wind power project said on Wednesday it had won a two-year court battle with a bird charity over plans for the site. Scottish ministers in 2014 approved plans to build the 450-megawatt Neart na Gaoithe wind farm, off Scotland’s east coast. The project had been held up, however, by a legal challenge from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which said it could cause the death of hundreds of native birds. Mainstream Renewable Power, the developer, said the decision in Scotland's Court of
Hopes Lifted for Norway-Scotland Power Cable Project
The prospects for a planned 1.4 gigawatt (GW) power interconnector linking Norway and Scotland have improved following the re-election of Norway's right-wing government this month, the project's chief said. NorthConnect's 650-km subsea cable could meet about a quarter of Scotland's peak demand with clean energy from Norwegian hydroelectric dams and wind turbines. Opposition Labour leader Jonas Gahr Stoere had said before the election he would not back the NorthConnect concession application if his party took power. "The election result is a positive result for NorthConnec
World’s First Floating Wind Farm Starts Production
The world's first offshore floating wind farm has started to deliver electricity to the Scottish grid, providing power to approximately 20,000 households. The 30MW Hywind Scotland wind farm, operated by Statoil in partnership with Masdar 25 kilometers offshore Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, was officially opened today by First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon. “This marks an exciting development for renewable energy in Scotland,” First Minister Sturgeon said. “Our support for floating offshore wind is testament to this government’s commitment to
UK’s Largest Marine Robot Mission is Underway Off NW Scotland
An ambitious two-week mission involving ten marine robots has commenced off northwest Scotland. The third in a series of demonstrator missions, this latest phase sees the largest fleet of marine robotic vehicles simultaneously deployed in UK waters. The mission comprises seven submarine gliders and three surface Wave Gliders that are working together in fleets to collect a range of environmental data. The National Oceanography Center (NOC) started the ‘Exploring Ocean Fronts’ program in 2014, working with partners across science, government and industry to field-test novel marine
Olympic Ares Undertaking Renewables Contract in Northern Scotland
Bibby Offshore, a services provider to the subsea industry, has announced the Olympic Ares is currently being utilized to install a tidal energy turbine in the Pentland Firth, Northern Scotland. The Olympic Ares, which is equipped with a 250te AHC Knuckle Boom crane, was selected for its excellent seakeeping ability to work in challenging conditions. Bibby Offshore’s owned and operated ROVs will also be utilized on the project. Barry MacLeod, Managing Director, UKCS, Bibby Offshore, commented, “We continue to expand our credentials in the renewables sector, an area
UTEC Makes Key Appointments in Scotland and Italy
One of the world’s largest independent offshore survey companies has announced a significant step forward in its growth plans with key appointments in Aberdeen and Naples. UTEC has recently appointed new general managers Jamie Laing and Andrew Stenson in Aberdeen, Scotland and Naples, Italy respectively. The Naples office welcomes Andrew Stenson who holds 25 years’ experience in land, marine and transition zone surveys, working in a range of locations which include Europe, Africa, South America, Canada, Middle East as well as the Far East. His recent consultancy role allowed
