Greene's Energy Group has opened an operational base in Singapore to serve the company's Asia Pacific region. The 140,000ft2 location includes offices, a warehouse and heavy equipment yard space, and will provide a regional base for all of Greene's business divisions. John Johnston, general manager Asia Pacific & Middle East, will be responsible for leading the company's expansion initiative.
Veripos announced the opening of a branch office in Dubai to extend its Middle East operations. Jim Higgins will head the new office as Veripos area manager, Middle East.
Transocean announced that its senior management team, including CEO Steven Newman, would voluntarily donate safety bonuses awarded for 2010 to the Deepwater Horizon Memorial Fund. The fund was established to receive donations to assist the families of the 11 men killed in the 20 April 2010 disaster aboard the Transocean rig.
The name Kværner is set for an industry return following last month's confirmation of Aker Solutions' demerger strategy. Aker is seeking shareholder approval for an Oslo stock exhange listing for a ‘new' corporate entity, KværnerASA, which would inter alia assume: significant parts of the Aker Solutions group's activities within the former ED&S business area, including its activities within the field development sub-segment, but excluding its activities within the MMO and engineering sub-segments; and the Aker Solutions group's activities relating to its Houston EPC Centre and the Union Construction businesses in the US and Canada.
In a statement outlining its objectives, Aker said Kværner would serve as the parent company for a new independent group ‘established as focused global supplier of EPC services'.
GE Energy has entered into an agreement to acquire for approximately $3.2 billion90% of automation equipment and systems supplier Converteam from a controlling group that includes management, Barclays Private Equity and LBO France. The transaction, endorsed by Converteam's senior management team – who retain a 10% stake – as well as employee representative groups, is expected to close during 3Q 2011.
Halliburton plans to invest nearly $65 million in a new manufacturing facility in Lafayette, Louisiana, to produce precision-machined components for oilfield service.
Aberdeen-based well construction specialist Caledus is now a member of the Tercel Oilfield Products group,headquartered in the UAE. Caledus founding partner Derek McLeod continues to lead its engineering, R&D and manufacturing operations and also becomes Tercel's MD for Europe, Africa and the CIS. Other Tercel companies include Omni Oil Technologies of Dubai, Diamant Drilling Services of Belgium, and Encore Drill Bits of Houston.
MacDermid Offshore Solutions has begun manufacturing its offshore fluid products in Melbourne, Australia. Company president Mark Hollinger said the new facility would offer identical products – including the Oceanic and Erifon water-based fluids for hydraulic control of valves – to those currently manufactured at its US, UK and Brazil facilities.
Santrol Proppants has acquired PV Sand of Denmark from the Sibelco Group. PV Sand, which now becomes Santrol Europe ApS, has had a long association with Santrol having entered into a tollcoating agreement in 1994 to manufacture its line of resincoated proppants for the North Sea, Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Barrett Steel is establishing a purpose-built 33,000ft2 facility in Houston specializing in raw materials for downhole tools and equipment, including solid bar, hollows and tubing that meet the requirements of all oil patch grades. Barrett Steel Energy Products, under the new management team of president Tim Ryan and VP Scott Schwandt, will serve the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil oil & gas markets.
Geophysical contractor CGGVeritas has inaugurated a new processing & imaging center in Muscat, Oman.
UK-based Swire Oilfield Services has established a branch in Macaé, Brazil, to offer offshore cargo carrying unit and modular systems services across Brazil's pre-salt area.
Fugro has reached an agreement with Reef Subsea to acquire Bluestone Offshore and its subsidiaries. Bluestone's Singapore office will be consolidated into Fugro's existing Singapore operations.
American Pollution Control, or AMPOL, has entered into an agreement with ICS DB to establish an environmental services division based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The new division will offer rig and vessel cleaning services (pictured) out of docks in Rio de Janeiro through a 20-year contract with Wilson, Sons.
Issue: May 2011
D'Anne Mica has joined the National Ocean Industries Association as director of government and political affairs. Before joining NOIA, Mica was managing partner and co-founder of the public and government relations firm grasshopper media and founder and president of Mica Strategic Communications.
Jim Renfroe, group director well support since 2008, is stepping down from the John Wood Group board in anticipation of the division's sale to GE in a $2.8 billion deal (‘Firms', OE March). Joining the group board as an executive director on completion of Wood's acquisition of Production Services Network will be PSN CEO Bob Keiller, who becomes CEO of Wood Group PSN.
Tim Addington has been named chief geophysicist of Fugro Multi-Client Services. He will provide geophysical support for the Americas, including seismic data processing and quality control for the company in both North and South America.
Alistair Birnie is to step down as CEO of Subsea UK. A subseaengineer with over 30 years' experience, Birnie was global head of technology for subsea controls with Aker Solutions before taking over from David Pridden in the Subsea UK role in October 2008. The naming of his successor was said to be imminent as OE went to press.
Ian Edwards has been named VP multi-client EAME at Dolphin Geophysical. After joining Digicon Geophysical from Jebco Seismic in 1992 he held various senior positions with Digicon/Veritas and subsequently CGGVeritas, becoming SVP data library EAME and global new ventures last year.
Mike Simm has become the new director of oil & gas field engineering at the Penspen Group. He joins from Foster Wheeler, where he served in a number of senior management roles.
Dr Roger Digby has joined global oil & gas testing and advisory business Exova from Airbus as group technical director. ;
Wayne Henderson has joined Aberdeen-based inspect, assess and repair services provider RBG as its new commercial & sales director.
Laurence Ormerod , a nonexecutive director of chemical monitoring specialists Lux Assure since June 2010, has traded places with the firm's chairman Adam Christie. Ormerod began his career as a Schlumberger field engineer and was MD of EPS for 12 years prior to its acquisition by Weatherford in 2004.
Nelson Greer, Mark Handin and Darren Vorst have been promoted to vice president positions at Tidewater. Greer joined Tidewater in 1982 and supervises the company's Southeast Asia, Australia,Middle East, North Africa and India regions. Hardin, a Tidewater employee since 1996, oversees business activities in Europe and Africa. Vorst will serve as treasurer, a position he has held since joining the company in 2009.
Dave Cox has joined Aberdeen-based oil & gas environmental waste contractor TWMA in the new post of sales director. He was previously global commercial manager at Tubefuse Technologies, part of Shell's technology ventures portfolio.
Sam Toscano has been appointed executive director of operations, western division, for oilfield production and completion chemicals provider Multi- Chem. He joined the company in 2008 from Baker Petrolite where he was region technical manager. Stepping up to replace Toscano as US special projects manager is Annie Prejean , previously manager of global business development.
Carlo Pinto has joined Utec Survey Construction Services in Aberdeen as regional sales & marketing manager. Pinto, previously Geolab's commercial manager, will focus on developing new business in Europe, the Middle East and West Africa.
Sally Hayles has been appointed business development director of qedi, the Aberdeen-based oil & gas commissioning and technology specialist recently acquired by Amec. She previously served as VP global sales at Atlas Interactive. Stephanie Law has also joined qedi as business development coordinator.