Category Archives: Well Intervention
Well intervention, workover or ‘well work’, is any operation carried out on an oil or gas well during, or at the end of its productive life, that alters the state of the well and or well geometry, provides well diagnostics or manages the production of the well.
Subsea well interventions offer up many challenges and requires much advanced planning. The cost of subsea intervention has in the past inhibited the intervention but in the current climate is much more viable. These interventions are commonly executed from Light/medium intervention vessels or Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU) for the heavier interventions such as Snubbing and Workover drilling rigs.
Norway: FMC to Provide LWI Services to Statoil
FMC Technologies, Inc., a global provider of technology solutions for the energy industry, has signed two five-year contracts with Island Offshore Management AS to supply Light Well Intervention (LWI) services for use by Statoil in the North Sea, contingent on approval from Statoil’s partners. Each contract contains options for two, two-year extensions.
FMC’s LWI services enable cost effective intervention and maintenance operations to be performed on existing subsea wells, resulting in higher recovery rates and accelerated production volumes in mature subsea oil fields. The contracts will commence when the existing LWI contracts between the companies expire in 2015. The well intervention activities will be conducted from two Island Offshore vessels, the Island Frontier and the Island Wellserver.
“Reducing the cost of operations and increasing oil recovery are two key benefits of the LWI system,” said Tore Halvorsen, FMC’s Senior Vice President of Subsea Technologies. “Demand for these services will continue to grow as the number of subsea wells increase, and we are pleased to continue to support Statoil with our LWI services.”
Norrway’s oil giant Statoil yesterday awarded contracts for new light well intervention (LWI) vessels. These “category A” units will contribute to increased recovery from Statoil’s approximately 500 operated subsea wells on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). Statoil has awarded contracts to Island Offshore Management and Eide Marine Services for the charter of a total of three LWI vessels.
“These contracts prove that Light Well Intervention will also in the future be a common part of oil and gas recovery on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Island Offshore is proud to announce another milestone as a validation of our efforts and investments in this market segment,” commented Robert Friedberg of Island Offshore.
Related articles
- Statoil Charters Light Well Intervention Vessels to Increase Recovery (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Norway: Statoil Charters New Light Well Intervention Vessels (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Norway: Statoil, Aker Solutions Enter USD 1.9 bln Cat B Well Intervention Deal (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Norway: PSA Conducts Audit of Major Accident Risk in Connection with Light Well Intervention (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Norway: NPD Supports Statoil’s New Rig Concept for Subsea Wells (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Enhanced recovery through subsea compression at Gullfaks (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Norway: EMAS AMC Wins Fram SURF Deal from Statoil (mb50.wordpress.com)
Statoil Charters Light Well Intervention Vessels to Increase Recovery

Statoil has awarded contracts for new light well intervention (LWI) vessels. These “category A” units will contribute to increased recovery from Statoil’s approximately 500 operated subsea wells on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).
Statoil has on behalf of relevant licensees awarded a contract to Island Offshore Management and Eide Marine Services for the charter of a total of three LWI vessels.
These purpose-built vessels are used for performing light well interventions, well operations and well maintenance without a riser-based system. Statoil can reduce well intervention costs by about 60% by utilizing a LWI vessel instead of a conventional rig.
“Performing these types of conventional jobs on subsea wells with low volumes of oil in place is expensive. The LWI vessels ensure both cost-efficient and safe operations,” says Statoil’s head of drilling and well Øystein Arvid Håland.
“Having more and new vessels of this category also helps increase recovery from fields on stream by opening new zones in the well, and stopping water production downhole.”
The contracts are worth a total of NOK 9.4 billion (USD 1.57 billion).

Island Offshore vessels Island Frontier and Island Wellserver, which already have contracts with Statoil, have been awarded new five-year contracts. Eide Well Intervention, a new supplier in this segment for Statoil, has been awarded an eight-year contract for their new build, which employs a completely new technology.
The contracts with both companies come into effect in the spring of 2015, and include two options to extend for another two years.
A growing number of discoveries are developed via subsea wells, and it is important both to have equipment capable of maintaining these and to avoid using conventional drilling rigs for this type of work.
The rig market on the NCS is characterized by an aging rig fleet, and it is necessary to ensure sufficient and adequate rig capacity at sustainable rates. To address this, Statoil has put light LWI vessels – category A units – into service on a large scale.
“We have great ambitions and a long-term perspective on the NCS. Using purpose-built rigs and vessels in our operations is an important part of Statoil’s rig strategy. The high number of subsea wells in the future will require maintenance, and we are securing capacity in order to meet this need,” says Statoil’s chief procurement officer Jon Arnt Jacobsen.
“Island Offshore has delivered solid services and we expect the same going forward. At the same time we are pleased to have increased the number of suppliers in this market, and through the Eide Well Intervention newbuild we are also employing the latest available technology. Together these three vessels will provide us with an efficient service fleet for light well intervention services.”
Statoil has been pursuing riserless well intervention in subsea wells since 2000, and the technology has steadily improved.
The category A units will perform services for Statoil and the partners on the Åsgard, Norne, Gullfaks, Oseberg, Heidrun, Snøhvit, Tyrihans, Tordis/Vigdis, Snorre, Statfjord and Sleipner fields.
Related articles
- Norway: Statoil, Aker Solutions Enter USD 1.9 bln Cat B Well Intervention Deal (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Norway: NPD Supports Statoil’s New Rig Concept for Subsea Wells (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Enhanced recovery through subsea compression at Gullfaks (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Norway: Aker Solutions Wins Cat B Well Intervention Contract from Statoil (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Statoil Introduces New “Cat J” Jackup Rig for Norwegian Continental Shelf + [VIDEO] (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Norway: PSA Conducts Audit of Major Accident Risk in Connection with Light Well Intervention (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Norway: EMAS AMC Wins Fram SURF Deal from Statoil (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Statoil awards Aker US$1.9B contract for Category B rig for increased oil recovery (greencarcongress.com)
Successful final commissioning of Expro’s AX-S subsea well intervention innovation

Published: May 21, 2012
Leading international oilfield services company Expro is celebrating the successful commissioning of its ground-breaking AX-S™ well intervention system.
The AX-S system, on board the Havila Phoenix vessel, completed its final commissioning successfully on a subsea well in a fjord (Onarheimsfjorden), in Norway, in April. Many major milestones were achieved and preparations are now under way for its first commercial well intervention job in the North Sea.
All operations during the commissioning were carried out safely without any incidents. All the subsea packages were fully deployed twice in a complete stack-up and 34 tools runs were performed on the well deploying a variety of down hole equipment including callipers, production logging, CCL, gamma ray, deep set plug, crown plugs and wireline tractor.
More than 40 potential customers attended the commissioning and witnessed the successful demonstrations.
Dave Shand, AX-S Managing Director, said: “After more than seven years of development and innovation and $200million investment in technology, it is testament to the hard work of our AX-S team and the backing of Expro that the AX-S system is now ready for business.
“The final commissioning of this innovative well intervention system is an epic milestone and we are delighted that we have delivered a leading edge solution to the oil and gas industry which will significantly change how operators approach well intervention globally.
“The feedback we have received from this major milestone shows that AX-S has been recognised as a novel, safe, cost efficient and efficient way of performing well intervention.”
With its industry experience and innovative technology, Expro offers tailor-made solutions for its customers across the lifecycle of their wells.
Related articles
- Expro receives eighth safety award from RoSPA (maritime-executive.com)
- Well Intervention Specialists Set to Gather in Norway for Annual Icota Seminar (maritime-executive.com)
Norway: STX OSV Strengthens Specialist Technology with New Acquisitions

STX OSV Holdings Limited (“STX OSV”), one of the major global designers and shipbuilders of offshore and specialized vessels, announces that it is strengthening its technology and engineering competence through two separate transactions.
Seaonics AS (“Seaonics”), a subsidiary of STX OSV, is in the process of acquiring a shareholding interest in Castor Drilling Solution AS (“CDS”). Based in Kristiansand, Norway, CDS is a newly established company with specialist competence in offshore drilling technology.
The investment is expected to give STX OSV new insight into this segment of the offshore market, and give opportunities for development of integrated solutions primarily related to the growing market of Offshore Subsea Construction Vessels (“OSCV”). The investment, to be completed in two tranches by the end of the year, will give Seaonics a 34% stake in CDS.
Separately, STX OSV has entered into an agreement to acquire 70% shareholding interest in Brevik Partners AS (“Brevik Partners”). Established in 2010, Brevik Partners is an engineering company specializing in offshore technology and equipment. The investment in the company, to be renamed STX OSV Engineering Brevik, is expected to strengthen STX OSV’s ability to develop new concepts and integrated solutions for offshore and specialized vessels. The proposed transaction is expected to be closed by the end of May.
Both investments are in line with STX OSV’s strategy of increasing its technology and engineering competence in select parts of the offshore value chain. Through focused investments, STX OSV aims to strengthen its ability to develop and introduce vessels equipped with cutting-edge innovation and technology.
Related articles
- STX OSV to Build Two OSCVs for Siem Offshore (Norway) (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Norway: STX OSV Brevik Shipyard Hands Over PSV Island Captain (mb50.wordpress.com)
- STX OSV Adds to their Backlog, DOF ASA Sends Newbuild Order for Subsea Construction Vessel (mb50.wordpress.com)
Recap: Worldwide Field Development News (Mar 16 – Mar 22, 2012)
| This week the SubseaIQ team added 8 new projects and updated 32 projects. You can see all the updates made over any time period via the Project Update History search. The latest offshore field develoment news and activities are listed below for your convenience. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Related articles
- Anadarko Finds Hydrocarbons Offshore Sierra Leone (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Ghana: Aker Solutions Signs Well Service Contract with Tullow (mb50.wordpress.com)
- UK: Ensco Ranks 1st Among Offshore Drillers by Costumer Satisfaction (mb50.wordpress.com)
Halliburton Charters Island Captain for UK Operation
Norway’s Island Offshore reports that Halliburton has chartered the Company’s Island Captain as a well stimulation vessel on a 2 months firm contract.
The vessel will be operating on the Clipper South field in the Southern North Sea. The Island Captain is with this joining Island Commander and Island Patriot as the 3rd well stimulation vessel from IO, with a 4th vessel going into operation in January 2013.
“We are very happy to have made this deal with Halliburton and feel confident that the vessel will perform to the charterers’ expectations,” reads Island Offshore’s statement.
The Island Offshore Group is currently operating a fleet of 17 vessels ranging from Platform Supply vessels, Anchor Handling Vessels, Subsea Construction Vessels to Light Well Intervention Vessels. The group has several vessels under construction.
Related articles
- Norway: STX OSV Brevik Shipyard Hands Over PSV Island Captain (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Norway: STX OSV Delivers Platform Supply Vessel to Solstad (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Norway: Ulstein Launches New Platform Supply Vessel for Blue Ship Invest (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Baker Hughes Bringing High-End Well Stimulation Vessel to North Sea (mb50.wordpress.com)

Mar 22, 2012 – Salamander Energy has contracted the ENSCO 53 (350??? ILC) jackup to commence a four-well drilling program for License B8/38 offshore Thailand. The company will initially drill two development wells followed by exploratory drilling in May. The license houses the Bualuang oil field in 197 feet (60 meters) of water.
Mar 21, 2012 – Nido Petroleum announced that fabrication and installation of the turret mooring and riser system for Phase II of the Galoc field was progressing on schedule with production expected to resume at the end of 1Q 2012. Furthermore, the FEED for Phase II is being performed as planned and remains on track for FID in 2012.
Mar 16, 2012 – Santos has found a new gas reservoir through well Sangu-11 in the Sangu area with about 66 feet (20 meters) of good-quality gas pay. The well will be completed and tied into the Sangu facilities. The operator is continuing to assess the volumes and flow potential of the reservoir. After completing Sangu-11, the Seadrill jackup Offshore Resolute (350??? ILC) will be demobilized. Sangu-11 was the final well in a three-well drilling campaign in Block 16 PSC that commenced in September 2011. The first well, South Sangu-4, found gas in one target but was unable to add further reserves due to encountering anomalously high formation pressure, and had to be abandoned prior to reaching its primary objective. The second well, NE Sangu-1 drilled in December 2011, failed to encounter commercial hydrocarbons and was also abandoned.
Mar 20, 2012 – FMC Technologies has signed an agreement with Statoil for the manufacture and supply of subsea production equipment to support the Fram H-Nord development. The scope of work includes one subsea production tree, one manifold and one multiphase meter. Deliveries are expected to occur throughout 2013.
Mar 16, 2012 – Trap Oil will acquire a 15 percent working interest in the Athena oil field from Dyas UK Limited, subject to DECC and Dyas partners’ approvals. The effective date for the transaction is Jan. 1, 2012. Ithaca Energy is the operator and currently holds a 22.5 percent stake in the block. Following completion of the acquisition, the remaining equity holders will be Dyas, the largest equity holder with 32.5%, EWE Energie AG with 20% and Zeus Petroleum with the remaining 10%. The field will be developed via four existing production wells and one water-injection well tied to a stand-alone FPSO, the BW Athena vessel. The vessel is expected to arrive at the Athena location this month and, since the majority of the subsea elements for the field have already been installed, all of the production wells are ready for hook-up.
Mar 22, 2012 – Woodside’s Pluto LNG project has reached ready for start-up and first gas has entered the processing train. First production of LNG will take place in the coming weeks, followed by deliveries to foundation customers and project participants Kansai Electric and Tokyo Gas. The initial phase of the Pluto LNG project comprises an offshore platform in 279 feet (85 meters) of water, connected to five subsea wells on the Pluto gas field. Gas will be piped through a 112-mile (180-kilometer) trunkline to an onshore facility.
Mar 21, 2012 – Woodside reported that the Vincent field has produced roughly 27 MMbbl of oil since start-up in 2008, with 2011 production around 8.5 MMbbl. In September 2011, the company boosted Vincent???s overall production rate with two infill wells (VNB-H5 and VNB-H6) coming online. This resulted in the Ngujima-Yin FPSO achieving its highest production rate of almost 53,000 bopd. Woodside will complete a third infill well at Vincent, VNB-H7, and bring it online in 1H 2012.
Mar 16, 2012 – Santos has shut-down production at its Mutineer-Exeter oil field due to the approaching Severe Tropical Cyclone Lua. Mutineer-Exeter’s floating production storage and offloading vessel was disconnected March 15 and has been sailing to avoid the cyclone since then, a Santos spokesman said in a statement.
Mar 16, 2012 – INPEX has agreed to acquire a 17.5 percent participating interest in the Prelude FLNG project from Shell. This transaction is pending necessary governmental approval. The Prelude FLNG project is located in WA-44-L, approximately 295 miles (475 kilometers) north-northeast of Broome, off the coast of Western Australia. The project includes the Prelude and Concerto gas fields. These fields will be developed utilizing a FLNG facility and will produce at least 3.6 million tonnes per annum of LNG, along with 0.4 million tonnes per annum of liquefied petroleum gas and approximately 36,000 bopd of condensate at peak.
Mar 21, 2012 – The Chinese Government’s State Oceanic Administration has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment for the Beibu Gulf project, which compromises the development of the WZ 6-12 and WZ 12-8 west oil fields located in the South China Sea. This approval allows the company to commence offshore development activities on the project. Subject to final approval, onshore fabrication activities are ongoing and offshore pipeline installation is anticipated to commence during March. On completion of platform installation during 1H 2012, drilling activity is expected to start mid-year and will include four exploration/appraisal wells, which will be followed by the development drilling program. The operator anticipates first oil production from the Beibu Gulf project by the end of 2012 with full-field peak production anticipated by 2013.
Continents of the World


