Discovering Arctic Europe
Resources and business conditions in Arctic Europe will be the subject of a mini-seminar during Offshore Europe organized by the cities of Aberdeen, Bodø and Kirkenes.
A large new area became available when the delimitation line agreement between Norway and Russia came into force in July this year, dividing this previously disputed area into two equal parts. The agreement also includes principles for the unitisation of border crossing structures, similar to those that work successfully between the UK and Norway. Norway has already started seismic surveys in its area.
Joint operations between Gazprom, Total and Statoil are helping to ensure international co-operation in the development of the giant Shtokman gas field. International co-operation is also possible for the Kara Sea and the Yamal peninsula.
Access in Norway is also being developed through impact assessment studies for the promising Lofoten and Vesterålen region, and through consideration being given to the opening up of areas close to the coasts of Nordland and Finnmark. Fields close to the Bodø region are also being considered for development. A large and strategic oil discovery – Skrugard – has been made outside Hammerfest.
Enhancing safety Focusing on equipment upgrades that improve the efficiency and safety of offshore operations continues to produce results at Cargotec. One recent example is the MacGregor Chain Wheel Changer (pictured right), a system for windlass replacement and installations on AHTS vessels.
The CWC is remotely-controlled from a portable panel and is designed to perform entire successive series of windlass replacement/installation operations with minimum manual labour while at sea, unlike traditional systems which require such operations to be performed manually at quayside. Another recent upgrade, this time to one of the company's deck cranes, saw the introduction of a remotely-controlled deck handling manipulator system designed to minimise crew exposure to a vessel's hazardous aft deck area.
DNV swoops for software
Through its recent acquisition of Synergi Solutions, DNV has inherited 30 new employees and substantially enlarged its risk-based software portfolio.
'We are now able to provide the most complete set of risk based software for operational integrity management and asset integrity to the energy and maritime industries, 'says Are Føllesdal Tjønn, managing director at DNV's software house.
Based in Stavanger, Synergi's software is available in 20 languages and used in 150 countries by some 500,000 users. Existing and new Synergi customers are expected to benefit from DNV's global presence, with Tjønn targeting 'especially strong growth in China, Korea, Singapore, the Middle East, South America, and with further expansion in North America'.
Flow coating Nord Stream
A recent major order for paint supplier Hempel has been the provision of internal coatings for the Nord Stream pipelines. The company says the so-called ‘flow coat' (Hempel's HS gas pipe coating 87830) used on this project will serve to speed the flow of gas by reducing friction, thus allowing it to be transported more efficiently over the two parallel lines' 1224km route from Vyborg, Russia to Greifswald, Germany.
The 87830 product has been supplied since 2009 to Germany's Mülheim Pipecoatings, a supplier of pipes for Nord Stream among other projects. Hempel also supplied coatings for the 440km North European gas pipeline that will link Nord Stream to Europe's existing natural gas transport systems.
The market inroads made by 87830 persuaded Hempel to develop the HS 87831, which has been adjusted to extend shelf life. ‘This aspect can be a challenge for high solids paints applied with low dry film thickness,' the company explains. ‘The new 87831 allows high speed of application, low wear of spray gun nozzles, and easy cleaning of spray nozzles.'
Hempel also recently supplied Norsok M-501 standard coatings for Shell's deepwater Ormen Lange gas project and coatings for 14 tanks for China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation's new Yhenhai Lanshan crude oil storage facility.
Hose management for life
A new hose management system from Tess, Norway's leading supplier of engineered systems and services for oil industry hoses and hydraulics, offers total life cycle care for hoses, improving planning and security and reducing downtime and cost.
According to Tess' Kristian Capellen use of the system helps prevent accidents, reduces the risk of harmful emissions to the environment and helps prevent operational downtime. Should an accident occur, both Tess and the hose owner have quick access to the information necessary for delivering new hoses within the shortest possible time.
Tess, which also has bases in Denmark, Scotland and Brazil, provides full project management including engineering, procurement, construction and installation of hose handling systems, hydraulic flying leads, bundles, subsea umbilicals and hydraulic power units.
Songa satellite deal
Norwegian maritime satellite communications company Marlink recently landed a contract with offshore drilling specialist Songa Offshore to deliver and install its Sealink C-band VSAT services on Songa's semisubmersible rigs including the newbuild Songa Eclipse, a sixth generation Friede & Goldman ExD ultra-deepwater rig.
Marlink is providing each rig with 1024kbps bandwidth to support a range of business critical applications. The company has also recently opened a new customer support office in Stavanger to accommodate its field engineers and logistics personnel.
Replacing Norway's old PAGA systems
Thanks to the prolonged lifetime and connection of subsea satellite fields, Phontech Communication Systems continue to benefit from being the number one PAGA system supplier to the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, reports Jotron.
In 2011 the Sleipner B (amplifier capacity 4.800W) has already been installed and Sleipner A (amplifier capacity 18.400W) is currently being produced.
Sleipner A is scheduled for installation sometime during this autumn. The order comprises the complete project deliveries of PAGA and UPS including planning, documentation, site surveys, STIPA (sound/intelligibility) measurements, installation and commissioning.
Two parts of Statoil's Sleipner gas field are in SR 8301 (microphone receptor) SR 8300 production, Sleipner West which started production in 1996, and Sleipner East which came onstream in 1993. To date, three new satellite fields have been connected to the existing platform infrastructure. OE
Subscribe
