OAA finalists announced
By Elaine Maslin
The 2014, 28th Offshore Achievement Awards are due to be presented in Aberdeen this month, with a crop of talented individuals and companies shortlisted.
The awards, organized and hosted by the Society of Petroleum Engineers Aberdeen Section, and supported by Offshore Engineer, celebrate safety innovations, technology breakthroughs, company successes and more, both through individual achievements, and collaborative working.
Ian Phillips, director of energy business consultancy Pale Blue Dot Energy Limited and the SPE Aberdeen board member responsible for organizing the OAAs, said: “This year’s judges were extremely impressed by the talent that the UK industry has to offer.”
The finalists for the 2014 Offshore Achievement Awards are:
Safety Innovations
Emerging Technology
The Innovator
Great Small Company
Great Large Company
Working Together
Young Professional
Inspiring Leader
Environmentalist
Subsea excellence recognized
By Elaine Maslin
Aberdeenshire-based Bibby Offshore picked up the Company of the Year award in Subsea UK’s ninth annual business awards, held February in Aberdeen February.
The event, attended by more than 800 people from the subsea sector, was held during the Subsea Expo conference and exhibition.
Aberdeen-based ROV specialist ROVOP, secured the New Enterprise award.
The innovation and technology award went to Portishead-based Viper Subsea. The firm developed a method of combating water penetration, which results in system failure and loss of production (OE: January 2014).
The award for emerging talent was won by Richard Bell of Aberdeen-based Apollo Offshore Engineering.
The innovation for safety award was awarded to St Andrews-based Photosynergy for Lightpath, a low-power light source that provides guide path illumination for a number of subsea applications with battery back-up to provide a fail-safe system in the event of mains outage.
Expro Group won the award for exports and Glasgow-based European Circuits, which provides integrated electronic assembly solutions, won an award, supported by UK Trade and Industry, which recognizes companies who are enhancing their competitiveness and providing tangible economic benefit to the UK from trade development activity.
This year’s outstanding contribution award went to John White, of VerdErg, formerly FUEL.
Maersk Drilling names two drillships
Maersk Drilling’s second and third ultra-deepwater drillships were named morning in a ceremony held at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in Geoje-Si, South Korea.
Lisa Lance, wife of Ryan M. Lance, chairman and chief executive officer, ConocoPhillips, had the honor of naming Maersk Valiant, and Annell R. Bay, vice president global exploration, Marathon Oil Corp, had the honor of naming Maersk Venturer.
Maersk Valiant and Maersk Venturer are the second and third in a series of four ultra-deepwater drillships to enter Maersk Drilling’s rig fleet.
The four drillships represent a total investment of US$2.6 billion and will be delivered from the SHI shipyard in 2014.
Gulf Coast Shipyards joins Port of Gulfport
US-based vessel manufacturer Gulf Coast Shipyard recently signed a three-year lease with one-year options with Port of Gulfport, located in Mississippi. Gulf Coast Shipyard Group will use 400ft of the Port’s dock space and 15,000sq ft of warehouse space to outfit dual-fuel LNG-powered vessels for Harvey Gulf International Marine. The Port of Gulfport is undergoing a US$570 million restoration and is about 18 months from completion. Gulf Coast Shipyard expects the first vessel to be at the Port of Gulfport in mid-March.
Prysmian Group sets up new Houston office
Milan’s Prysmian Group has established a new headquarter office in Houston under new Head of Subsea Umbilicals, Risers and Flowlines (SURF), Robert Conners.
Prysmian will manufacture umbilicals and flexible pipes in Vila Velha, in Brazil’s Espirito Santo state. Josè Luiz Dacal Castro will temporarily support the business handover before taking the lead of the Brazilian operations.
Petrobras awarded Prysmian a new frame agreement for umbilical products worth approximately US$260 million with 50% minimum purchasing commitment and call-off orders to be placed within a two-year period. The Brazilian company also extended an existing frame agreement for flexible pipes until 2016. The contract is worth a total of US$95 million, of which US$20 million have already been called off for the Macabu, Jubarte and Marlim Leste fields.
Downhole video technology specialist EV has recorded significant international growth by opening a new base in Australia.
MacArtney France adds pressure test facility
MacArtney France is enhanced its Rousset workshop with a fully-equipped pressure test facility Powered by a newly-installed pressure vessel system with a height of 1100mm, an internal diameter of 650mm, and a pressure capacity of up to 600bar, the test facility is able to submit underwater connectors, cables, moldings, junction boxes and other types of equipment to extensive ocean depth pressure tests. The pressure vessel system is can be pre-programmed, with all measurements undertaken and recorded in real-time.
With the new test facility, MacArtney France becomes the fourth MacArtney Group location to offer professional pressure testing services to local and global customers.
McMurdo Group launched
McMurdo Smartfind S10 Personal Automatic Identification System Beacon. Orolia has combined its Positioning, Tracking and Monitoring division, including Boatracs, Kannad, McMurdo and Techno-Science Inc. into one cohesive brand: McMurdo Group. McMurdo Group was launched to provide a single-vendor provider of end-to-end life-saving and tracking solutions including distress beacons, satellite connectivity infrastructure, monitoring/positioning software and emergency response management. With more than 140 years of collective experience in emergency preparedness, vessel management and rescue operations, McMurdo Group will focus on three key strategic areas:
Halliburton constructs completion center
Halliburton announced plans for a new Integrated Completion Center in New Iberia, Louisiana. The company broke ground on the facility in spring of 2013, with occupancy scheduled 4Q 2014.
The new facility will expand the company’s resources and capabilities for deepwater completion tools while continuing to focus on service alignment, equipment maintenance, preparation and job execution for its Gulf of Mexico (GOM) customers.
It will house more than 250 employees, will be located on 103 acres on Admiral Doyle Drive. It will include a 219,000sq ft maintenance facility, a 30,000sq ft administration building, an operations command center and several learning auditoriums for training. Halliburton is investing about US$45 million in land and building costs.
The company will be consolidating some of its GOM operations from Houma and five locations in New Iberia, Broussard and Lafayette at the new center.
MicroSeismic picks up RII’s US assets
Houston-based MicroSeismic Inc. purchased the US assets of Calgary’s Reservoir Imaging Inc. (RII). The acquisition includes geospace equipment, wireline units, and equipment for downhole microseismic data acquisition services.
The new downhole acquisition capabilities are complemented by MicroSeismic’s downhole EventPick processing technology and can be used on a standalone basis or in conjunction with MicroSeismic’s surface microseismic products and services. This combination enables MicroSeismic to offer a full suite of completions evaluation services to its customers, allowing them to optimize production through an understanding of the discrete fracture network, estimates of stimulated reservoir volume, and fracture geometry and azimuth.
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