Category Archives: United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain).
Source: Wisdom From Steve Jobs On The Coming System Reset
April 30, 2014
Santiago, Chile
by Simon Black via Sovereign Man blog,
Steve Jobs used to tell a very inspiring story about an article he read in Scientific American when he was a boy:
He said that the article measured the ‘efficiency of locomotion’ of various species– essentially how many calories different animals spend getting from Point A to Point B.
The most efficient of all? Not human beings. Not by a long shot. It was the condor. The condor expended the least amount of energy per meter or kilometer traveled. Human beings were pretty far down the list.
But as Jobs recounts, the authors had the foresight to also test the efficiency of a human being on a bicycle. And this absolutely blew all the other species away.
Jobs later said that this was incredibly influential on his thinking because he realized that human beings were fundamentally tool creators. We take our situation, however grim or rudimentary, and we make it better.
There’s undoubtedly a lot of bad news in the world these days. Some people realize it. Others refuse to believe it and stick their heads in the sand.
Our century-old monetary system is unraveling before our very eyes.
This absurd structure in which we award a tiny central banking elite with the dictatorial power to control the money supply in their sole discretion is now drowning the world in paper currency.
ALL financial markets are manipulated by central banks, predominantly the Federal Reserve. One woman– Janet Yellen– has the power to affect the prices of nearly everything on the planet, from the wholesale price of coffee in Colombia to the cost of a luxury flat in Hong Kong.
Moreover, politicians in some of the most ‘advanced’ economies in the world (Japan, the US, France, the UK, etc.) have accumulated so much debt that they have to borrow money just to pay interest on the money they have already borrowed.
They have indebted generations who will not even be born for decades.
They wage endless, costly wars. They spy on their citizens. They tell people what they can and cannot put in their bodies. They confiscate private property and wages at the point of a gun.
They abuse the population with legions of heavily armed government agents. They conjure so many codes, rules, regulations, laws, and executive orders that it becomes nearly impossible for an individual to exist without being guilty of some innocuous, victimless crime.
And they arrogantly masquerade the entire ruse as a free society.
This system is on the way out. It will reset.
Like feudalism before, our system will go the way of the historical dust bin. And future historians will look back (just as we view feudalism) and say “why did they put up with that nonsense…?
This reset is nothing to fear. Human beings are incredible creatures who have a long-term track record of growth. We rise. We progress.
First Subsea Invests in Test Rig for Mooring Connectors (UK)
Subsea mooring connector (SMC) specialist, First Subsea has invested over £200,000 in new mooring connector test rig facilities at its production site in Lancaster, UK.
The test-rig is being used in the manufacture of ‘next generation’ SMCs for industry leading, deepwater mooring projects: the Jack & St Malo field’s semi-submersible platform and Lucius field’s Spar moorings, both in the Gulf of Mexico.
The SMC test rig is used for proof load and Minimum Breaking Load (MBL) testing up to 2,600mT (25,497 kN).
‘Next Generation’ Mooring Connectors
First Subsea leads the world in research into large scale steel forgings. In collaboration with the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Microstructural and Mechanical Process Engineering (IMMPETUS), the company has systematically improved the performance of its mooring connectors. The metals forging research is now being applied to the manufacture of the company’s latest Ballgrab Series III male connectors – the largest produced so far with an un-corroded 2,599mT (25,491kN) MBL, and compliant with the ABS Mooring Guide 2009.
“This is a significant investment that will ensure our Ballgrab subsea mooring connector continues to set the standard for deepwater moorings,” says John Shaw, managing director, First Subsea Ltd.
First Subsea Invests in Test Rig for Mooring Connectors (UK)| Offshore Energy Today.
UK: SMD Carries Out Testing of WROVs at Stoney Cove
2012 has seen SMD evolve the Q-series range of Work Class ROVs with extensive type testing carried out at the UK’s National Diving Centre at Stoney Cove, Leicester. The latest systems are configured to ensure SMD’s WROVs meet the demands and expectations of customers well into the future. Testing has successfully been carried out on the Atom which has been delivered to Bibby Remote Intervention and the first new Quantum (code named MkIII) recently delivered to Hallin.
The new Quantum uses many of the multi-platform Curvetech™ components first seen on the Atom. This gives SMD’s fleet customers interchangeable parts between systems.
It can interface as standard with the latest instruments such as high bandwidth sonars and high definition cameras. It uses the new single pedestal Curvetech™ HTE430 thruster for class leading bollard pull and high current operation. Available with a 200hp and 250hp HPU, the system comes with 245 LPM isolated tooling for demanding applications. A 350kg payload (after manipulators and core instrumentation is fitted) completes a package which cannot currently be matched for heavy WROV construction duties.
Topside, a revised cabin layout with monitor display options and increased space for third party survey equipment creates an ergonomic and pleasant environment for operators. SMDs DVECSII SCADA PLC control system gives operators advanced real time information on vehicle subsystems.
Mark Collins – SMD’s ROV Business Stream Manager commented:
“Through 2012 SMD have made significant progress re-vamping the Q-Series range. The recent Atom and Quantum trials were a huge success and we are now on track to complete trials of the new Quasar in December. The evolution of the SMD Work Class ROV brings increased versatility and flexibility to meet market demands into the future but also lower through life operating costs.”
Stoney Cove started life as a quarry, and first became popular with divers in the 1960s after it was abandoned and allowed to fill with water. The centre has been used for the testing of marine machinery since the 1970s. The facility offers depths of up to 35 metres, good visibility and good hard standing adjacent to the water, allowing loads of up to 20 tons to be deployed easily onto the water, not to mention the on-site pub!
Subsea World News – UK: SMD Carries Out Testing of WROVs at Stoney Cove.
Helix ESG’s T1200 Trencher Completes First North Sea Oil and Gas Project
Helix Energy Solutions Group’s new T1200 burial and trenching unit is quickly establishing a positive track record following the completion of an oil and gas project in the North Sea. The T1200 features a 1,200hp jet trenching spread, capable of burying product in water depths to 3,000m (10,000ft).
T1200 was deployed to bury a 14km long (8.7 mile), 10 inch export pipeline that included a 3 inch piggyback methanol line. The project specialization called for the line to be buried 2m (6.5ft) deep, with one meter of covering fill. The subsea trenching unit’s water jetting system trenched and simultaneously buried the pipeline under 1.4m (4.5ft) of sand in a continuous run that took just 48 hours.
The successful project is the T1200’s first oil and gas operation, and proves the versatility of the asset which has also been deployed to trench and bury high voltage undersea cables used to transport electricity from offshore wind farms to onshore power stations.
The T1200, operated by Helix ESG’s robotics subsidiary, Canyon Offshore, performed its first trenching job in early July 2012 at the Sheringham Shoal offshore wind farm trenching and burying an approximately 700m (2,300ft) long power cable between the wind turbines. Out of the 80 sections required in the field, the T1200 trenched and buried 37.
The T1200 was built in the UK by Forum Energy Technologies’ Perry Slingsby Systems ROV brand. The T1200’s design was based around the time proven T750 trencher( also owned and operated by Canyon Offshore) but has over 50 percent greater power and the capacity to trench larger diameter products (36 inches) to burial depths of 3m (10ft) depending on soil strength.
Subsea World News – Helix ESG’s T1200 Trencher Completes First North Sea Oil and Gas Project.
- ROV Support Vessel Grand Canyon Completes Sea Trials (Norway) (worldmaritimenews.com)
UK: PEMEX E&P and BP to Share Technology, Expertise for Deepwater Well Cap
Petroleos Mexicanos Exploration and Production (PEMEX E&P) and BP today announced an agreement for BP to share the technical information it used to build its global deepwater well-capping equipment.
Under the Technology License Agreement, BP will make available technical information that PEMEX E&P, one of four subsidiaries of PEMEX, can use, in addition to PEMEX E&P initiatives already in place, if it decides to build and maintain its own well capping system for use in Mexican waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
In addition, BP has agreed to conduct workshops in Houston to brief PEMEX E&P on the technical information and operational aspects of the system, as well as to introduce PEMEX E&P specialists to key vendors and fabricators that BP used to develop its global deepwater well cap and tooling package.
“The agreement marks another step forward in PEMEX E&P’s ongoing efforts to help protect the rich Gulf of Mexico environment in which we operate, as well as to apply state-of-the-art technology as we develop Mexico’s deepwater oil and natural gas resources,” said Carlos Morales, president of PEMEX Exploration and Production.
Richard Morrison, BP’s Head of Global Deepwater Response, said the agreement underscores BP’s commitment to sharing lessons learned during and following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident and response.
“Today’s announcement builds on our commitment and the work we have done — and continue to do — to help advance global deepwater response capabilities around the world,” he said.
“We are pleased to provide PEMEX E&P with access to our recent technological innovation and information so that operators in both the USA and Mexico areas of the Gulf of Mexico can be equipped to respond to a subsea well control incident in the Gulf of Mexico.”
BP’s global deepwater well cap is a 100-ton stack of valves that can be lowered onto a leaking well to halt the flow. The system can operate in 10,000 feet of water and is rated to pressures of 15,000 pounds per square inch. Stored in Houston, it can be sent by heavy-lift aircraft to any country where BP operates in a matter of days.
Under the Technology License Agreement, BP will share at no cost to PEMEX E&P technical information on BP’s capping stack, and PEMEX E&P has agreed to make any future advancements to this well-capping technology available at no cost to BP. BP will retain intellectual property rights, so it can continue to share the plans with others.
BP, which has had a presence in Mexico for around 50 years, has collaborated with PEMEX E&P through a variety of non-commercial technology, scientific and training mutual cooperation agreements over the last decade. Those have resulted in hundreds of workshops, seminars and exchanges to share best practices and technological expertise.
Related articles
- Pemex Signs Deal to Use BP’s Well-Capping Technology in Gulf (ibtimes.com)
- Mexico Announces New Significant Crude Oil Discovery in Gulf of Mexico (hispanicallyspeakingnews.com)
Boltight Launches Technology Trial for Customers (UK)
Specialist bolt tensioner manufacturer Boltight Ltd has put together a new tool hire service that allows customers to trial hydraulic bolt tensioners, hydraulic nuts, pumps and ancillary equipment before making a final decision on whether to buy the equipment. The costs of hire can then be offset against the final purchase price.
The ‘try before you buy’ initiative has been launched in response to growing interest from companies from a wide range industry sectors who are contemplating making the switch from older types of legacy tools to the latest bolt tensioning technology.
Offshore oil and gas companies are increasingly using hydraulic tightening systems for subsea applications and working on compact flanges. The tools offer the end user a quick, precise and reliable means of bolt tensioning in difficult conditions, making it much easier to work quickly and achieve even flange and gasket compression.
Boltight’s tools are a popular choice because they are lightweight, easy-to-use, flexible and reliable. All the products are manufactured to exacting standards to strong and robust designs to ensure durability and a long operating life. The tools use the latest technology like low friction long life composite material seals that need little maintenance and simplify piston retraction. In addition, Boltight is able to provide comprehensive product and application support and technical back up at all times.
Explained Boltight director Fred Heaton: “We believe the best way to appreciate how far bolt tensioning technology has moved forward in recent years is to use these tools in a day-to-day workplace environment. Customers can conduct their own technical trials and compare our bolt tensioning tools with their existing equipment. If they like what they find, we can agree a special purchase price that takes into account the initial hire costs already incurred.”
Subsea World News – Boltight Launches Technology Trial for Customers (UK).
- UK: Helix Well Ops Charters Skandi Constructor from DOF Subsea (mb50.wordpress.com)
- ReCoila hose reels integral to subsea works (recoila.wordpress.com)
Britain appoints oil and gas friendly decision-makers
(Reuters) – Britain sent a clear signal of support to its oil and gas industry when it named an advocate of shale gas fracking as environment minister and a wind farm sceptic as energy minister.
The appointments in Prime Minister David Cameron‘s ministerial reshuffle on Tuesday mark a departure from his pledge to run Britain’s greenest government, in favour of the fossil fuel sector that generates billions of pounds in tax revenue.
“There is a shift away from greener ministers in posts towards less green ministers and I think that’s serious,” Alan Whitehead, a member of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee, said during an industry event on Tuesday.The government last year put a brake on the development of shale gas extraction due to environmental concerns after it triggered two small earthquakes near Blackpool.
But Owen Paterson, a member of Cameron’s Conservative Party who was appointed Environment Secretary in the reshuffle, has hailed the potential economic benefits of shale gas, a message likely to sway the country’s decision in favour of the drilling method.
“If developed safely and responsibly, shale gas could generate massive economic activity and a wealth of new jobs,” Paterson said in May, when he was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
He said huge shale gas deposits in Northern Ireland could be exploitable, adding that discoveries in the United States had shrunk its gas price to a quarter of British levels.
“(Shale gas) has also ended America’s dependence on unreliable and dictatorial regimes,” he said.
The decision on whether Britain will resume shale gas fracking, a method of drilling through shale deposits to retrieve gas by injecting liquids and chemical, is in the hands of the energy ministry, but support from the Department for Environment could speed up a decision.
NEW ENERGY MINISTER
John Hayes replaced Charles Hendry as Energy Minister in the reshuffle.
In his final media interview as Energy Minister, Hendry said a decision on shale gas was not imminent, but that Britain could not ignore its impact on the U.S. energy market.
Hayes has been a vocal opponent of wind farms, a technology the government regards as key to meeting climate change goals.
“Such tall structures will have a detrimental impact on the quality of life for local residents, the attractiveness of the area and its potential for tourism,” Hayes said at a local council meeting, reflecting the views of his constituents campaigning against the construction of a wind farm.
He said wind farms would always be backed up by conventional power plants because of their unreliability and that they had a detrimental impact on wildlife.
“Wind power (considerably) increases the average household energy bills as the profit-hungry energy companies continue to chase the taxpayer funded subsidies and credits,” the new Energy Minister said.
(Reporting by Karolin Schaps; Additional reporting by Susanna Twidale; Editing by David Cowell)
Related articles
- Pennsylvania’s Booming Shale Gas Energy Industry (tarpon.wordpress.com)
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