UK: Helix Well Ops Charters Skandi Constructor from DOF Subsea

Aberdeen-based Helix Well Ops UK (Well Ops), a business unit of international offshore energy company Helix Energy Solutions Group (Helix ESG), is expanding its Europe and Africa well intervention fleet with an investment that will create 60 jobs.

A leading global provider of subsea well intervention, Well Ops will take control of the mono-hull well intervention vessel Skandi Constructor in spring 2013, after agreeing a three-year charter with DOF Subsea.

The move to strengthen Well Ops’ regional fleet, which currently includes the 132-metre (433ft) long Well Enhancer and the 114-metre (374ft) long MSV Seawell, will lead to the creation of approximately 50 jobs offshore and a further 10 onshore over the next nine months. At the moment the firm employs 70 staff in Aberdeen and a further 300 offshore.

Launched in 2009, Skandi Constructor is a 120-metre (393ft) long Ulstein SX121 DP3 mono-hull well intervention vessel that features the new X-bow design. The 8,500-tonne vessel accommodates up to 100 personnel and is capable of working in depths of up to 3,000 metres (9,842ft). It has a deck capacity of 1,470 square metres (15,822 sq ft) and features an 8m x 8m (27ft x 27ft) moon-pool, a 150-tonne crane, a multi-purpose tower with 140-tonne lift capability and two work class ROVs.

Well Ops will build and test, ready for use, a specially designed version of its 7⅜” subsea intervention lubricator (SIL) to enable subsea well interventions to be undertaken from Skandi Constructor. The SIL is a single trip well intervention system that provides well access, while managing containment when the well is ‘live’ and under pressure. The SIL is configured to undertake work through all types of subsea xmas trees. The vessel and SIL will allow Well Ops to provide its regional clients with a solution for deeper water wells and well interventions, which to date has been limited within the mono-hull vessel market.

Steve Nairn, Well Ops’ regional vice president of Europe and Africa, said: “Well Ops is extremely proud to announce the addition of a third vessel to our fleet and it underlines our commitment to providing well intervention services. Skandi Constructor strengthens our offering internationally and expands our well intervention service capability.”

The need for a third vessel in Well Ops’ fleet has been driven by demand from operators in the North Sea and in other oil and gas producing provinces. The firm recently secured contracts from a number of the North Sea’s major operators to provide light well intervention and associated subsea services from its existing vessels between 2013 and 2015.

Internationally, it has also received strong interest from operators, particularly in West Africa. This follows Well Enhancer’s deployment to the region earlier this year, where it completed what was believed to have been the region’s first well intervention project from a mono-hull vessel.

Mr Nairn added: “This is an exciting time for the company and the demand that we are witnessing is illustrative of the level of service and expertise that we can offer clients. As operators continually seek to make their operations more time and cost efficient, it is encouraging that more are turning to mono-hull vessels to conduct well intervention work.

“Our experience of providing an alternative to rig-based intervention systems has been built up over 25 years. MSV Seawell helped to pioneer light well intervention in the North Sea and we have built on this over recent years with Well Enhancer, which was the first mono-hull vessel capable of delivering coiled tubing intervention.”

Source

Related articles

• WWCS, DOF Subsea Conduct Subsea Services in US Gulf Of Mexico (mb50.wordpress.com)
• Aker Bags Subsea Intervention Services Contract Offshore Angola (mb50.wordpress.com)
• Forum Subsea Deploys Perry T-1200 Trencher in UK (mb50.wordpress.com)
• Helix Energy Announces 2Q Income Report (USA) (mb50.wordpress.com)
• Solstad, Ocean Installer Order Subsea Construction Vessel from STX OSV (Norway) (mb50.wordpress.com)

USA: Nautronix Supplies NASeBOP for Rowan’s Two Ultra-Deepwater Drillships

Nautronix have secured an order from a major BOP supplier to supply their NASeBOP (Emergency BOP Acoustic Control System) to be installed on Rowan’s two new ultra-deepwater drillships.

Nautronix’ NASeBOP Control System provides a method of backup control of critical BOP functions in the event of failure of primary communication and control. At the heart of the system is Nautronix’ ADS² (Acoustic Digital Spread Spectrum) signalling technology. The system achieves a highly reliable communications link from a surface vessel to a subsea isolation device, such as a full BOP, or a simple isolation device such as which would be used during surface BOP drilling.

The NASeBOP subsea system consists of two Subsea Control Units (SCU) connected to remote transducers. Each SCU is capable of controlling and monitoring up to eight functions. This includes control of an Emergency Disconnect Sequence (EDS). A 10 meter cable allows remote transducers to be positioned away from the SCUs, thus reducing the risk of shading or multi path effects caused by adjacent structures or subsea objects. Two SCUs provide system redundancy as each can be used independently for control and monitoring.

Mark Patterson, CEO of Nautronix comments: “We have invested more than £1M in Research and Development over the past year with a significant amount in the area of our NASCOM product family supporting acoustic switches for BOPs. We are very pleased to have been awarded these contracts only a few weeks after the NASDrill RS925 orders for these drillships. It is a great testament to the technology, products and the investment Nautronix has made and I am delighted that such a well known and respected company such as Rowan Companies, Inc. have chosen Nautronix ADS² acoustics for their new deepwater drilling rigs. Nautronix continues to build upon our strong track record in the Acoustic BOP control system market.”

The Nautronix system offered is the only system in the world that is fully compliant with API 16D and 17E standards and all test ports are testable to full operating depth (4000msw/5800psi)

The two NASeBOP systems will be delivered in 2013.

Source

Related articles

• UK: Nautronix to Supply Acoustic Positioning System for Noble’s New Drillship (mb50.wordpress.com)
• Noble’s New Drillship Enters Three-Year Contract in GoM (mb50.wordpress.com)
• Diamond Offshore Orders New Drillship in South Korea (mb50.wordpress.com)
• Maersk Bags Gulf of Mexico Contract for Its Under-Construction Drillship (mb50.wordpress.com)

Norway: Expro’s AX-S System Installed on Havyard’s Havila Phoenix Vessel

There are great things happening aboard the vessel “Havila Phoenix” nowadays. During the last two years there have been installations and tests of a whole new system likely to revolutionise the offshore light well intervention market.

The vessel, a Havyard 858 design, is designed and constructed by the ship technology group, Havyard Group AS, and owned by Havila Shipping, both located in Fosnavåg at the west coast of Norway. The offshore construction vessel was delivered from Havyard Ship Technology in Leirvik, Norway in 2009.

The vessel has over the last year-and-a-half been working on a contract for Fugro-Salt Subsea, part of the massive Fugro group, which is a Dutch-based corporation with more than 14.000 employees spread across 60 countries. Fugro-Salt Subsea cooperates with Expro in terms of developing the new “AX-S”-system aboard Havila`s advanced construction vessel.

So far the development of this new system has been running for seven years and cost NOK 1.2 billion in research and investments in ground-breaking new technology. The breakthrough appeared around a month ago when tests in the Norwegian Onarheim fjord proved very successful.

“AX-S” is a brand new system for well intervention involving remote-controlled subsea tools. The new system is, according to both the Havila management and the management of Fugro-Salt Subsea, a revolutionary system using solutions so far never utilised in subsea operations from a construction vessel. This involves employing extremely advanced remote-controlled subsea tools during well intervention that can handle up to eight different tools within the same operation, as well as using a light fibre rope instead of heavy steel wires. These are the main elements of the recent innovation. Should the system also win approval in a business sense, it could have a major impact on the offshore light well intervention market.

STABLE HAVYARD VESSEL

In the last year-and-a-half the 110 metre long vessel, a ship now docked in the port of Montrose between Dundee and Aberdeen, Scotland, has looked more like a research station than an offshore vessel. Havila Phoenix has been outfitted with a 35 metre tall tower and several modules on deck with a combined weight of over 500 tonnes. And there is no coincidence that the Scottish group has chosen a Havyard 858 design for this unique project.

– We needed a big, solid and modern vessel, and Havila Phoenix has lived up to all our expectations. If we fully succeed with this project we will likely be looking to acquire vessels of a similar design, but we will then need to be part of the planning straight from the start and get more of the system directly integrated below deck, says Operation Manager Darren Bown of AX-S.

The captain of Havila Phoenix, Leif Magne Lynge from Gursken, Norway, confirms that the vessel still remains impressively stable despite the enormous added weight.

– Yes, things have been working really well and the vessel also performs really well for its purpose. Facilities are also excellent, says Lynge who`s been captain aboard the vessel since the initial delivery. Captain and crew are definitely looking forward to heading out to the North Sea in order to start using this exciting new system.

UNIQUE REMOTE-CONTROLLED TOOLS

Michael Earlam of Fugro-Salt Subsea informs that there are several factors making the AX-S system a world sensation. In addition to the utilization of fibre ropes instead of wires for AX-S deployment, Earlam emphasizes the remote-controlled handling and deployment of the subsea packages with the ability to deploy 8 subsea tools is each time is unique.

– By using traditional well intervention equipment you can only perform one task at a time before the equipment needs to be raised to the surface in order to swap tools and then perform a subsequent operation. The equipment used in the AX-S system manages to handle eight various tools while on the seabed, without having to be raised to the surface to swap over any tools. This makes the operation much more effective and cost-efficient, Michael Earlam informs.

And after seven years of preparation the system is nearing its baptism of fire. In September, Havila Phoenix with 500 tonnes of “subsea factory” on deck will be heading out to work in the British sector of the North Sea.

– Yes, following the successful commissioning of the AX-S system on NUTEC’s “cold well” in Onharheimsfjord, south of Bergen, during April and May be performing operations in the North Sea, the Operations Manager for AX-S, Darren Bown of Expro, confirms.

Source

Related articles

• Successful final commissioning of Expro’s AX-S subsea well intervention innovation (mb50.wordpress.com)

McDermott Bags Two Offshore Contracts in USA and Gabon

McDermott International, Inc. announced that one of its subsidiaries has been awarded a fabrication contract for components of a deepwater platform in the Gulf of Mexico, by Heerema Marine Contractors Nederland BV.

McDermott will construct 16 tendon buoyancy modules (“TBMs”) for the deepwater project, which will be used during offshore installation of the platform, approximately 225 miles south of New Orleans in waters up to 5,185 feet deep.

“McDermott’s high quality fabrication procedures for deepwater projects meet the demanding customer specifications for delivery of structures,” said Stephen M. Johnson, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of McDermott. “Additionally, our HSES practices are closely aligned with the stakeholders on the project team,” said Johnson.

McDermott will carry out procurement, fabrication and loadout of the TBM structures from its Morgan City facility in Louisiana. Consisting of an upper and lower module, each TBM is designed to be interchangeable as either an upper or a lower module. Fabrication work is expected to commence during the second quarter of 2012.

A McDermott subsidiary has also been awarded a design engineering and procurement management contract, by VAALCO Gabon Inc., for the Etame platform and a design engineering contract for a potential Southeast Etame / North Tchibala (SEENT) platform, both located offshore Gabon, West Africa.

“McDermott’s Houston-based engineering teams have a track record of designing structures for the West Africa market,” said Johnson. “Our early planning activities and knowledge of the technical issues that may arise during the design scope, coupled with our unique understanding of fabrication and installation constructability requirements, allowed us to develop a robust design proposal for VAALCO,” said Johnson.

The new oil and gas wellhead production platform(s) will be located in the Etame Marin block off the coast of Gabon and will be engineered to produce oil and gas.

VAALCO has requested McDermott’s engineering team to design a safe, reliable and predictable production facility that will minimize operational and maintenance issues. It is anticipated that engineering activities will be supported by a combination of technical and commercial personnel focused on identifying and specifying the materials and services necessary to help ensure project execution excellence.

Detailed engineering is already underway at the McDermott Houston engineering office.

The values of both these contract awards will be included in McDermott’s second quarter 2012 backlog.

Source

Related articles

• McDermott Wins Siakap North – Petai Subsea Contract in Malaysia (mb50.wordpress.com)
• Norway: OTS Takes Delivery of CSV North Ocean 105, Begins 5 Year Charter (mb50.wordpress.com)
• Spain: Ibercisa Provides Deck Machinery for McDermott’s Vessel North Ocean V (mb50.wordpress.com)
• USA: Thrustmaster to Provide DP Solution for McDermott’s Heavy-Lift Vessel (worldmaritimenews.com)

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.

Related articles

• Norway: Lundin to Drill 12 Wells with Island Innovator Rig (mb50.wordpress.com)
• Statoil Charters Light Well Intervention Vessels to Increase Recovery (mb50.wordpress.com)
• STX OSV to Build Two OSCVs for Siem Offshore (Norway) (mb50.wordpress.com)
• Norway: STX OSV Strengthens Specialist Technology with New Acquisitions (mb50.wordpress.com)
• Odfjell Offshore Raising up to $500M to Develop Fleet (mb50.wordpress.com)
• Diamond Offshore Orders New Drillship in South Korea (mb50.wordpress.com)

WASACE Seeks Cable System Supplier for Atlantic Basin Project

 

WASACE Cable Company announced that it has begun the procurement process to select a cable system supplier for the construction of its undersea fiber optic cable system, which will create new and unique communication routes to support the communities around the Atlantic Basin.

WASACE will develop, operate and build a new network connecting Africa to the U.S., and connecting the 2 BRICS economies in the Southern Hemisphere, Brazil and South Africa, for the first time. WASACE’s new- submarine cable network will also connect the two largest economies in America, USA and Brazil, and will provide a full diverse route to the aging transatlantic cable systems between USA and Europe.

WASACE will deploy the latest “100G” technology to connect four continents comprising “WASACE Americas” – connecting Brazil (Santos, Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza) to the U.S. (Florida). WASACE Americas will also provide optional and on demand connectivity to Colombia, Panama and South Carolina; “WASACE Africa” – connecting Nigeria and South Africa to the USA. WASACE Africa also provides optional and on demand connectivity to Niger-Delta Oil and Gas region at Bonny Island and to Angola; “WASACE Europe” – connecting Florida to Virginia Beach and across the North Atlantic to San Sebastian in Spain.

WASACE has engaged the services of premier international telecommunications consultants, David Ross Group to administer the procurement process and lead the development of the project. The comprehensive Invitation to Tender has been released to four of the major undersea telecommunications cable system suppliers and WASACE expects to select the cable system suppliers for its network in July 2012. In addition, WASACE has retained two financial services companies including Aterios Capital as financial advisors to source funding for the project.

The Company’s plan is to develop the network in phases, beginning with the WASACE Americas and WASACE Africa cable systems, which are scheduled to be in service by the first quarter of 2014.

“The commencement of the selection process for the cable system supplier(s) for our network is a critical milestone in our plan to enable new, critical routes focused on enhancing connectivity for the populations in the Atlantic Basin,” Ramón Gil-Roldán y Sansón, Chairman and CEO of WASACE Cable Company stated.

“The David Ross Group is pleased to take part in the development of this unique undersea cable system which will add critical new routes to the global telecommunications network,” David Ross, President of the David Ross Group said.

“We believe this project is timely and provides a unique opportunity for freeflow of information and data between the two largest economies in the Americas (USA & Brazil), Africa’s largest economy (South Africa) and Africa’s fastest growing economy (Nigeria) as well as with the rest of the world. It ties in with our focus on infrastructure development in sub-Saharan Africa and we are proud to be associated with it,” Olabode Abikoye, CEO of Aterios Capital added.

WASACE Cable Company was formed to meet the rapidly-evolving needs of developing markets in the Southern Hemisphere.

The David Ross Group Inc. has supported undersea telecommunications projects resulting in 80,000 Km of deployed fiber optic cable and over $2 billion in investments in more than 40 different countries. Most recent projects include undersea networks in the Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Caribbean Sea, China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean.

Aterios Capital is strategically focused on infrastructure development in sub-Saharan Africa and provides advisory services to prominent organizations and financial sponsors in various infrastructure sectors such as power, telecommunication, public transportation, financial institutions, agriculture, health, education, municipal waste management and real estate.

Source

Related articles

• New Submarine Fibre Optic Cable To Link BRICS Countries (techweekeurope.co.uk)
• Africa Infrastructure Growth Supporting ccTLDs and New gTLD Growth (circleid.com)

McDermott Wins Siakap North – Petai Subsea Contract in Malaysia

McDermott International, Inc. announced that its Malaysian affiliate Berlian McDermott Sdn. Bhd. was recently awarded a significant subsea contract for executing a deepwater engineering, procurement, construction, transportation, installation and commissioning project offshore Malaysia. The value of this contract is included in McDermott’s first quarter 2012 backlog.

The award is for the subsea infrastructure of the Siakap North – Petai (“SNP”) Development Project operated by Murphy Sabah Oil Co., Ltd. (“Murphy”), comprising rigid flowlines, flexible risers, an umbilical and subsea hardware and controls. The SNP field is located nearby the existing Kikeh field, northwest of Labuan Island, Malaysia, in waters 3,900 – 4,900 feet deep.

“Our subsea engineering expertise, fabrication track record at our Batam Island facility, state-of-the-art subsea construction vessels and understanding of the Malaysian market, contributed to this successful award,” said Stephen M. Johnson, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of McDermott. “We look forward to delivering the facilities for this important field development for Malaysia.”

The SNP field architecture consists of two rigid, insulated, pipe-in-pipe production flowlines, one rigid water injection flowline and one main umbilical system connecting eight new manifolds and subsea distribution units to existing riser slots on the Kikeh FPSO. The development calls for five water injection and eight production wells, drilled from the manifolds at each of the four drill center locations.

Detailed engineering and procurement for the project are underway, and fabrication of PLETs, jumpers and other installation aids is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2012. Following the infrastructure installation, McDermott will undertake a comprehensive System Integration Test of the subsea units and provide commissioning assistance. The project scope is scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of 2013.

Source

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.

Source

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)