MacGregor Provides Subsea Crane for ‘Island Intervention’

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has won a contract to deliver a 250-tonne SWL active heave-compensated (AHC) subsea crane for the 120m construction vessel, Island Intervention. The crane was ordered by Marine Procurement Ltd, part of the US company Edison Chouest Offshore.

An existing vessel operated by the US/Norwegian partnership between Edison Chouest Offshore and Island Offshore requires greater lifting capability; a MacGregor 250-tonne SWL AHC subsea crane fulfils the upgrade requirements. Island Intervention is currently operating in the North Sea for the US/Norwegian partnership between Edison Chouest Offshore and Island Offshore. The vessel works in the offshore construction market and was delivered by Norwegian yard Ulstein Verft in 2011; its current lifting capacity is 140 tonnes.

“The vessel simply needs a bigger crane for the jobs that it undertakes,” says Frode Grøvan, Director, Sales and Marketing for Advanced Load Handling. “The order confirms the trend that we see of subsea modules getting larger and heavier, therefore requiring operators to equip their vessels with ever more capable cranes.”

“At MacGregor, we have the expertise necessary to ensure that retrofit projects like this run smoothly and successfully, with downtime kept to a minimum.”

Source

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Fincantieri, NLI to Offer New Solutions to Offshore Industry (Norway)

The shipbuilding giant Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. and NLI, a Norwegian total supplier to oil & gas business, announce today the signing of a collaboration agreement, supporting the aim to penetrating the Mobile Drilling Units construction market.

This agreement includes the development of an innovative high quality drilling tower.  For NLI the partnership is a milestone. In 1974 they delivered the first derrick to the Norwegian offshore industry. Most recently they have developed a drill tower solution new to the global market. With this Italian-Norwegian partnership NLI sees a great opportunity to reach out with their innovative solutions.

From now on the parties will include each other when approaching the market and present their projects to the various contractors and operators / oil companies.

The agreement follows the recent creation of the new Fincantieri Offshore Business Unit, dedicated to the commercialization and production of high valued offshore vessels such as Drill ships, Semisubmersibles Drilling Rigs, Pipe Layers, Construction Vessels and Non Standard Supply Vessels.

The Fincantieri Offshore value proposition is based on the offer of new generation turn-key vessels, tailor made to meet specific client requirements.

Mr. Sigve Barvik, Marketing Director of NLI commented: “We now have a yard, with financial power and world class know-how, which is prepared to support the potential of our drilling tower. Fincantieri’s European deep-water drilling initiative is unique and will allow to fully develop a drilling tower with superior performance, efficiency, eco friendliness, and safety for the personnel”.

Commenting on the agreement, Mr. Giuseppe Coronella, EVP Fincantieri Offshore Business Unit said: ”We are very motivated to start this joint development process with a company delivering quality drilling and topsides engineering solutions. this will strengthen the capability of the established Fincantieri’s drilling supply chain, the “Polo Offshore”.

Read more about NLI’s innovative “Northern Light” derrick.

Source: Fincantieri, NLI to Offer New Solutions to Offshore Industry (Norway)| Offshore Energy Today.

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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.

Source

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Norway: PSA Conducts Audit of Major Accident Risk in Connection with Light Well Intervention

In December 2011 and January 2012, the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) conducted an audit of Statoil Petroleum AS (Statoil) and Island Offshore Subsea AS (Island Offshore). The audit was aimed at management of major accident risk and the barrier management system in connection with light well intervention on Island Constructor.

Each year, more than 500 well interventions are carried out on the Norwegian shelf, and this number is expected to grow.

There is a high level of risk associated with work on live wells (major accident potential) and many interfaces (multiple alliance partners).

A survey of well intervention activities carried out during the period 2003 – 2008 concluded that there was a significant need for well interventions on subsea installations. Verification on one of the facilities that carries out light well intervention was implemented to investigate HSE challenges linked with this type of operation.

Island Offshore Management and Island Offshore Subsea have an alliance with FMC and Aker Well Service for operation of the Island Constructor which carries out light well intervention on subsea wells for Statoil.

Objective

* Evaluate the companies’ understanding, knowledge and expertise as relates to major accident risk and managing barriers, on the part of both company management and among the employees.

* Evaluate strategies and principles which are to form the basis for design, use and maintenance of barriers so that the barriers’ function will be safeguarded throughout the entire facility lifetime.

* Verify that performance requirements are established and implemented.

* Develop the PSA’s expertise in following up management’s work to reduce major accident risk, and clarify the need to develop a framework and supervision methods.

* Contribute to the PSA developing its own methods that will form the basis for more effective barrier supervision.

Result

The audit activity uncovered three nonconformities and four improvement items as regards Island Offshore.

The nonconformities related to deficient analysis of defined hazard and accident situations, layout of kill and stimulation lines, and deficient basis for and documentation of maintenance.

Source

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LWI Vessels: Important Tool for Increasing Recovery

Statoil is cutting the costs of increased recovery from fields in operation by hiring in light well intervention vessels. As of December Statoil has three light well intervention vessels in operation.

Statoil awarded Island Offshore a framework agreement earlier this year for light well intervention (LWI) services from their Island Constructor vessel.  The new vessel is set for operation in December, and is Statoil’s third light well intervention vessel in operation on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

Light well intervention vessels – known as cat A – are an important tool to increase recovery from the fields on which Statoil operates.

Compared with conventional drilling units, these LWI vessels reduce the cost of well interventions substantially. Reduced well intervention costs also helps increase the number of interventions.

“Performing conventional jobs of this kind for subsea developments in areas with low volumes of oil in place has been expensive,” says Statoil drilling and well technology operations manager Øyvin Jensen.

“To address this, Statoil has put LWI vessels into service on a large scale. This is of high value to us, both in terms of efficiency and cost reduction.”

Light well intervention vessels are an important tool in Statoil’s toolbox to increase field recovery. A growing number of discoveries are developed via subsea installations. At the same time, production from mature fields is declining.

Wells need workover in order to maintain their output. These have historically been expensive operations on subsea developments.

Utilising light well intervention vessels contributes to a more cost-effective maintenance of subsea wells, improves drilling efficiency, and provides the potential to offset rig capacity.

Statoil has pursued riserless wirelining in subsea wells since 2000, and the technology has steadily improved.

Statoil issued a new tender for light well intervention vessels this autumn. The invitation to tender was issued in October, and the bids are due in December this year.

“We already have three light well intervention vessels in our portfolio. The new tender process will cover our needs for light intervention services when the existing vessels come off contract,” says Statoil vice president for drilling and well procurement Terje Rognan.

“We are tendering for a minimum of two such vessels and are open for long-term commitments. With 487 subsea wells on the NCS, it is evident that this is an important market segment for Statoil going forward and subsequently of high interest for the supplier industry and shipowners.”

Facts

• Light well intervention vessels are connected to a well with the aid of a toolbox lowered to the seabed
• The vessels can carry out logging and wireline operations, but not drill
• During LWI, downhole equipment is remotely operated via a wireline from the surface and – unlike rigs – without a riser.
• Currently three LWI vessels – Island Wellserver, Island Frontier and Island Constructor – have been contracted by Statoil on the NCS.

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Well Enhancer en route to Africa for region’s first LWI project

The Well Enhancer is making her African debut this winter to complete the region’s first ever Light Well Intervention (LWI) campaign offshore Equatorial Guinea.

The campaign will include another first for the Well Enhancer as she will be undertaking her deepest project to date at approximately 1,540 ft (470 m) water depth. The Well Enhancer’s current specification allows her to work in water depths of up to 1,970 ft (600 m).

The Well Enhancer’s arrival represents the emergence of the LWI market for a region which is experiencing rapid development.

The Well Enhancer’s strong track record and Well Ops UK’s reputation as a market leader in providing subsea well intervention services in the North Sea was key in obtaining the award for the African project. This is because Well Ops North Sea clients also own significant interests offshore West Africa and key personnel already understand the methodology and technology behind riserless well intervention operations.

The campaign will include remedial workscopes on six wells by way of a subsea tree replacement, production enhancement, well maintenance and well integrity work.

The Well Enhancer, launched in 2008, provides oil and gas production companies the opportunity to undertake a multitude of workscopes across a number of wells in various locations with the ability to transit between wells and gain access to a well via a Subsea Intervention Lubricator (SIL) well control package to intervene.

This method is both a much quicker and less expensive option to the conventional approach of using a drilling rig. Using LWI vessels also frees up drilling rigs to undertake the operator’s drilling, completion and well work-over projects.

The Well Enhancer, as with sister vessel Seawell, can also provide the operator with up to an 18-man saturation diving system rated for 984 ft (300 m). This offers clients increased options and flexibility when undertaking well work and can support light construction and inspection, repair and maintenance projects within the field, thus maximizing the capabilities of the assets.

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