ACE Winches said it has been awarded two contracts from Subsea 7 to use the Scotland-based company's linear winch pull-in systems in the US Gulf of Mexico.
ACE Winches did not reveal the exact contract values, but said each is worth more than £4 million ($5.1 million).
The first contract was awarded for the Shell Vito project, a deepwater discovery in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 241 kilometers south of New Orleans. The contract covers the engineering, project management, manufacture, operational personnel, installation and pull-in of a single 14” export steel catenary riser (SCR) pipeline, a single 10.75” export SCR pipeline, two 10.75″ SCR production flowlines, a single 10.75” SCR gas lift flowline and the dynamic umbilical system in a water depth of 1,260 meters.
The second contract award is for the BP Mad Dog Phase 2 project. This is a deepwater development located in the Southern Green Canyon area of Gulf of Mexico, approximately 320 kilometers south of New Orleans. ACE Winches' scope of supply includes engineering, project management, manufacture, operational personnel, installation and pull-in of six catenary and three flexible risers ranging from 8”-16” and four umbilical risers to the hang-off positions on the FPU in a water depth of 1,380 meters.
According to ACE Winches, its linear winching system design has significantly reduced the winch deck footprint and deck structure loadings for riser installations. Had traditional approaches been considered, for example using a traditional drum or traction winch, the space requirements would have increased, creating additional onboard vessel production equipment infrastructure integration challenges, it said.
Alfie Cheyne, CEO, said, “The Shell Vito and BP Mad Dog Phase 2 projects are major contract awards for ACE Winches, contracts such as these help us sustain and develop our workforce of almost 200 people in Aberdeenshire bringing jobs and significant value to the local economy. It also highlights how our business is uniquely positioned to provide innovative solutions across our engineering, manufacturing and rental services.
“Our creative approach in challenging traditional installation methods has created value for our clients through early project concept engagement and active involvement throughout all stages of the project. This has provided a smart, revolutionary, cost-effective and safe solution on installation and start-up of both these major US Gulf projects.”