Within a fortnight of closing its $3 billion acquisition of compression, flow technology, measurement and distribution infrastructure provider Dresser, GE last month announced plans to lay out another $2.8 billion to secure the well support division of John Wood Group. The Dresser businesses are being integrated into GE's Energy Services and Power & Water business units, while the Wood business along with its electric submersible pumps and surface wellhead products join GE Oil & Gas.
In line with its strategy of concentrating on core upstream oil & gas business, Aker Solutions last month completed the sale of its principal process and construction business operations to Jacobs Engineering Group. The transaction excluded the US EPC centre in Houston and the Union Construction business in the US and Canada, which now form part of a new company, Aker Contractors.
Proserv Offshore has sold its plug & abandonment, slickline intervention, and project management/contracting businesses serving US federal and state waters to Tetra Technologies for a net purchase price of $6.25 million. Proserv Offshore will continue to offer subsea cutting, repair and maintenance, offshore consulting, pipeline repair, dredging, coating removal and flushing services in the Gulf of Mexico and globally, as well as retaining its abandonment and decommissioning business in key markets such as the North Sea, Far East, Middle East and Latin America.
UK-based international engineering consultancy Genesis Oil & Gas Consultants, which is 100% owned by Technip, has opened a Norway office based out of Stavanger.
West Africa-focused offshore contractor Sea Trucks Group successfully priced an offering of secured pre-QPO guaranteed convertible bonds, raising $200 million from institutional investors. The offering was oversubscribed and the net proceeds will be used in part to finance a portion of Sea Trucks' capital expenditure programme, in particular the expansion of its fleet from four operational multi-segment DP3 vessels to seven. Three DP3 vessels are currently under construction for delivery over the next two years.
Spectraseis has expanded its Houston operations effective 1 March, with its CEO, CFO and head of marketing now based there. The Swiss-based low frequency and broadband passive seismic solutions provider is also establishing a new technology center in Denver for geoscience and IT staff.
Maritime Assurance & Consulting has been established in Aberdeen to offer marine, engineering and dynamic positioning assurance. MAC is headed by Graeme Reid, former European MD of Noble Denton Consultants. He was Poseidon Maritime (UK)'s operations director prior to its acquisition by Noble Denton in 2007.
Houston-based Knowledge Reservoir has formed a Real-Time Systems (RTS) division to provide situational awareness system implementation to the upstream oil & gas industry. The new division, headed by Marv LeBlanc, will provide integrated systems and services for real-time command and control and events-based surveillance solutions in drilling and production environments.
Greene's Energy Group has opened a new US pipeline services location in Houston with a bigger yard to allow for additional storage and equipment fleet expansion. With this move, the division is looking to grow its turnkey business and begin offering commissioning, nitrogen and water treatment services.
Fluid handling specialists Colfax Corporation recently announced the acquisition of Rosscor Holding, a global leader in fluid-handling solutions for critical applications, headquartered in Hengelo, The Netherlands.
Japanese class society ClassNK has established a new natural resource & energy development project team as part of a wider effort to expand its presence in the offshore sector. The establishment of this new team is said to signal a shift in ClassNK's approach to the offshore field, especially the burgeoning FLNG market.
Schilling Robotics has opened a new support center in Singapore and is completing another in Brazil, due to open next month. Both support centers will be in partnership with FMC Technologies and will be located in its facilities. Local staff trained by Schilling will staff them.
Ashtead Technology has been appointed exclusive global rental representative, within the oil & gas sector, for Vortex International's powerful 4in ROV and diver dredge unit, claimed capable of removal rates of 40-50t/h.
Reservoir Group has expanded and diversified its US operations through an alliance with 25-year old Gulf Coast surface logging services provider The Mudlogging Company. TMC joins Reservoir Group's formation evaluationfocused RG Geo business unit.
Hercules Offshore has invested $10 million in Discovery Offshore, a newly formed Luxembourgbased company, focused on ownership of ultra highspecification jackups.
The exclusive distribution agreement for a hardbanding weld overlay product between NanoSteel and Grant Prideco has ended. Under the five-year agreement, Grant Prideco could sell NanoSteel's patented SHS7272GP alloy, known in the industry by the Grant Prideco trademark Platinum HB. With the agreement concluded, NanoSteel is now offering the same product under the new NanoSteel trademark name Guardian HB.
Bureau Veritas has agreed a technical cooperation deal with COPPE/UFRJ, the ocean engineering department of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, to set up a joint development centre. The deal is intended to speed the development of tools and technical requirements needed to facilitate Brazil's expansion into deepwater pre-salt offshore oil exploitation. The first development project, already under way, is evaluating DP systems for offshore offloading operations involving oil shuttle tankers.
ION Geophysical GX Technology Imaging Solutions group has established a new seismic data processing center in Rio de Janeiro. A joint venture of GXT and Brazilian consultancy Bratexco, GX Technology Processamento de Dados will provide advanced imaging services to E&P;companies operating in the highly prospective basins off Brazil.
Herbert Engineering and class society ABS are forming a venture company, Herbert-ABS Software Solutions, to offer loading and salvage analysis software packages as well as software design tools to the maritime and offshore industries.
Paradigm has opened a new office in the Oslo business district of Skøyen to provide local sales and support services for its seismic imaging, interpretation, reservoir modelling and characterization, and data management solutions.
Training and learning solutions specialist Atlas Interactive has opened an office in Abu Dhabi to service clients across the Gulf. Martin Lees, VP business development, has been joined in the new office by Mary Lou Marinda, business support executive, and Raju Venlcat, business development manager. OE
Marty Massey has been appointed as CEO of the fledgling US not-for-profit Marine Well Containment Company (see ‘Analysis'). Most recently, he served as US joint interest manager for ExxonMobil Production. Dan Smallwood , formerly ConocoPhillips operations manager for the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana, was named as COO; Astley Blair, previously division finance officer for Chevron Global Supply & Trading, becomes CFO, and Carmine Dulisse, formerly ExxonMobil Development's security and emergency preparedness and response manager, becomes HSE officer. MWCC's chief technology officer is Charles Miller , who previously served as VP production at Shell Brazil.
James Blackwell will succeed John Bethancourt as EVP for technology and services at Chevron. Blackwell was previously president, Chevron Asia Pacific E&P, a post now occupied by Melody Meyer. Jay Johnson has been named as president of Chevron Eurasia, Europe and Middle East E&P. Other recent appointments include Rhonda Zygocki, as EVP policy and planning; Guy Hollingsworth as VP production; Steve Green as VP policy, government and public affairs; Wes Lohec as VP for HSE, and Chuck Taylor as VP strategic planning, succeeding Paul Siegele, who becomes president of Chevron Energy Technology Company.
Mary Shafer-Malicki has been appointed to the McDermott International board and will also serve on the company's finance and compensation committees. She was with BP and predecessor company for 25 years before retiring in 2009, having served most recently as SVP and CEO of BP Angola and DG of BP Vietnam.
Bruno Chabas, COO at Acergy for the past eight years, will become COO of SBM Offshore on 1 May following the retirement of Francis Blanchelande. Other recent appointments at SBM Offshore include that of Jean-Philippe Laurès as chief commercial officer.
Olivier Cleret de Langavant has become Total Exploration & Production's SVP strategy, business development and R&D following Patrick Pouyanné's move to the chemicals division. Total E&P's new SVP business development is Michel Hourcard . Marc Blaizot (Right) steps up from SVP geosciences to SVP exploration while the MD of Total E&P Cameroun since 2006, Pierre Bang , takes over from Hourcard as SVP operations and SVP delegate for the company's scientific and technical centre in Pau.
Ken Boyle has assumed the GVP role for Taqa's worldwide human resources, based in Abu Dhabi. He served previously as BP's VP Middle East & Pakistan HR and VP HR for the North Sea.
Michele McNichol has been named president of Mustang's upstream operations. McNichol, who was project manager for the Thunder Horse topsides design, most recently served as upstream regional director, Americas, a position now filled by Eric Wensel . Wensel was engineering manager in Mustang's London office and most recently project managed facility design work for Ekofisk.
David Pridden has been appointed CEO of the Aberdeen-based National Subsea Research Institute. The offshore oil & gas industry veteran, who was Subsea UK's first chief executive, takes over the reins of NSRI from inaugural CEO Professor Albert Rodger.
Andy Woolgar, VP group projects and operations at the new-look Subsea 7 SA, has been inducted as president of the International Marine Contractors Association for the next two years in succession to former Acergy corporate VP Johan Rasmussen. Massimo Fontolan, Saipem VP commercial North Atlantic, takes over as VP.
Jean-Maxime Saugrain has been appointed corporate VP technical at Nexans in Paris, replacing Patrick Barth who has retired.
Former corporate banker Gary Gerrard has been appointed nonexecutive director of Aberdeen-based buoyancy, insulation and elastomer product manufacturer Balmoral Group Holdings. He left Lloyds in December 2010 to concentrate on other commercial interests in the oil & gas and property sectors.
Emily Farquhar has been named president of Fugro Gravity & Magnetic Services. She served most recently as the Houston representative for Fugro Electro Magnetic.
Arthur McGinnis (Mac) Polhamus has been appointed VP for operations at Atwood Oceanics and will be the principal operating officer of the company. Most recently he served as MD for West Africa South at Transocean.
David Allan has joined Red Spider in Aberdeen as COO. He has worked for more than 17 years in the oilfield chemicals sector, latterly as operations manager at Intertek Testing Services.
Jesus G Melendrez has been appointed SVP and COO at W&T Offshore. He recently served as SVP and CCO and acting CFO and treasurer at Mariner Energy.
Martin Robertson has been appointed sales and marketing manager of the A&P;Group, based at the company's headquarters in Tyne & Wear, UK. He previously worked as divisional manager (energy) for 4Projects.
Norman Murray and Roxanne Decyk became independent non-executive directors of Petrofac on 1 March. Murray is due to succeed Rodney Chase as chairman at the conclusion of the company's AGM on 13 May. At the same time, Chase and Kjell Almskog will step down from the Board.
Brad Nelson has joined oil & gas consultancy Maxoil Solutions as Houston-based BDM for the firm's North & South America operations. He was previously with subsea maintenance, abandonment and decommissioning specialist Proserv Offshore.
Gary Bauer has joined Northern Offshore as SVP operations. Most recently, he served as Transocean's division manager for Egypt and the Middle East.
Bart Heijermans has resigned as EVP and COO at Helix Energy Solutions Group. Helix president and CEO Owen Kratz and other senior managers will assume his duties.
Jerry Boatman ocean science and technology director of QinetiQ North America, has taken over the presidency of the Marine Technology Society and will serve a two-year term. He succeeds Liz Corbin, who remains on the MTS board as a past president. Drew Michel , owner and principal consultant of ROV Technologies in Houston, is president-elect.
Stephen Wright has been promoted to VP Europe and Middle East operations at Solomon Associates and will also serve as MD of the company's UK entity. Wright, who succeeds the retiring Lawrie Anness, was with KBC Process Technology before joining Solomon in January last year.
Andrew Clark has joined G&G;specialist Prospectiuni as VP business development, marketing and strategy. Most recently he was MD of United Geophysical in Nigeria.
Ray Loo has been appointed regional sales manager for Southeast Asia at McCrometer.
Mike Clarke has joined Offspring International as sales engineer for the Middle East, Africa and Baltic regions. He was previously with Bridon International.
Phil Day has become First Subsea's sales manager for North and South America. A chartered mechanical engineer, he previously served as an international trade advisor at UK Trade & Industry.
Michael Thornton has stepped up from VP analysis to CTO at MicroSeismic. The company's former chief geophysicist Michael Mueller takes over as VP analysis.
Ben Stonecipher has been named HR director at Knight.
Lucy Plant has been appointed international marketing manager at Fugro Multi Client Services. She was previously BDM for the Americas at Fugro Robertson.
Robert Stevenson has been named COO at TerraSpark Geosciences. Previously he served as CEO of Translation Technologies (TTI) and president of Halliburton's Geographix business unit.
Xodus senior consultant Matt Kirk has been promoted to Americas regional director and will head up the company's new Houston office, opened early March. Lawrence Lambon steps up from integration technology manager to Houston operations director. OE
FIREFIGHTING FORCE: Resolve Marine Group and T&T Bisso have formed a coalition through which the two companies' extensive firefighting infrastructure will provide overlapping coverage and higher volume marine firefighting capacity in US waters. The coalition was crafted specifically to help tank vessel operators fully comply with the new Oil Pollution Act of 1990 regulations that became effective on 22 February. A T&T Bisso firefighting team is pictured on deployment exercises in Alaska's Cook Inlet.Xodus senior consultant Matt Kirk has been promoted to Americas regional director and will head up the company's new Houston office, opened early March. Lawrence Lambon steps up from integration technology manager to Houston operations director.