New vessels, acquisitions, and expertise are driving Dutch growth. Elaine Maslin reports. The Dutch offshore sector is leveraging its engineering and seafaring traditions to grow its presence in the global oil and gas industry. The…
Twenty years after it came online, the UK’s longest serving permanently-moored FPSO has been given a new lease on life. Elaine Maslin reports on the extent the UK’s largest offshore project in 2012. When production from the central North Sea Gryphon field came online in October 1993…
Bluewater’s Haewene Brim floating production and offloading vessel (FPSO) has been in dry dock for an upgrade at the Nigg fabrication yard in the Cromarty Firth, northeast Scotland. It is the first time the yard, operated by Global Energy Group…
The Next 50 Years is the strap-line of this year’s SPE Offshore Europe— underpinning those five decades will be technology, says BP’s North Sea regional president. Elaine Maslin reports. This year SPE Offshore Europe is celebrating its…
As subsea production systems are entering a new era, Statoil is finding that designing, qualifying and installing the subsea factory is just the start—the future will require a new breed of vessel, Elaine Maslin explains. Earlier this summer…
The global offshore heavy lift market is fragmented, but evolving, with new vessels expected to bring a step change in capability and flexibility. Elaine Maslin reports. Offshore heavy lifting capability has increased in waves, from the early heavy lifts of just a few hundred tonne…
Tanzania has become hot property, with BG Group and Statoil eying LNG export from the gas-rich offshore region. Tanzania’s recent rise up the resource rankings has been fast, despite it having taken a long time to reveal its potential reserves…
Mooring lines on floating production systems continue to fail, costing the industry lost time and production— why and what is being done? Elaine Maslin reports. The use of floating production systems in the offshore oil and gas industry…
A high level of fabrication activity in and around the North Sea is attracting new players. Elaine Maslin reports. Platform fabrication for new installations in North Sea will reach fever pitch this year as a historically high number of facilities are completed for load out…
Industry and government bodies think there is still a strong future in the UK North Sea, but they are not complacent about the challenges the basin faces. After more than 40 years of production from the North Sea, with declining output…
The subsea industry is doing incredibly well, but it needs to reduce costs and invest more in technology development—according to the key note speaker at this week's UTC 2013. Kristian Siem, chairman of Subsea7 and its parent company Siem Industries…
ClampOn won a Spotlight award last year—now its corrosion erosion monitoring system is taking off. Corrosion erosion is seeing increased interest in the subsea sector, both on old and new developments. It is proving a growing business area for ClampOn…
High oil prices are helping boost spending, and Norway’s subsea industry has been quick to provide full system packages to those looking to spend—at home and broad. High oil prices, a growing level of subsea infrastructure, and a drive…
Norwegian technology development company Biota Guard has developed a subsea leak and environmental monitoring system for the oil and gas industry. Monitoring the heart-beat of mussels and their shell movements may not sound like a traditional activity within the upstream oil and gas industry…
The world’s first subsea compression station is coming together in Norway— Elaine Maslin looks at the work ahead. Norway’s subsea laboratory is getting close to producing major results for Statoil and Aker Solutions. The two firms…