Offshore Technology -- July 2011

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TechnologyNorth Sea

The challenge of decommissioning

DrillshipsUltra-deep water

excitement

FPSOsDeepwell pumping

August 2011

Published by

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Chairmen and Key Speakers to dateu Chairman: Prof John Carlton,

City University London

u Chairman: Dr Paul Jukes, MCS Kenny

u Victor Santos-Pedro, Transport Canada

u Tomi Veikonheimo, ABB Oy

u Morten Mejlænder-Larsen, Det Norske Veritas AS

u David Sharp, SCF UNICOM

u W Ian Hamilton, Lloyd’s Register

u Ian Ball, INTECSEA (UK) Ltd

u George Winning, WGIM

w Day One Keynote: Prospects for safe shipping in harsh environments

w Polar Shipping Code w Designing for ice navigationw Podded propulsion in icew Preparing ships for ice navigation

and voyage planningw Prospects and risks for energy

developments in the Arctic

w Technical and design challenges for Arctic exploration and production

w Minimising the environmental footprint of Arctic exploitation

w Drilling in the Arctic post Macondo

w Pipeline engineering challenges and technical advances

w Safety studies for FPSOs in the Arctic

Forum Highlights

Register online at: www.imarest.org/events or call: +44 (0)20 7382 2600/2636 Quote ref: IAF11/OT

IMarEST Arctic Shipping and Offshore Technology Forum 2011

Overcoming the technical challenges and developing a safe and profi table environment

Arctic Shipping Technology – Wednesday 5 October 2011Arctic Offshore and Energy Technology – Thursday 6 October 2011

Central London

Save £100 if you register before 9 September 2011 Preferential rates for IMarEST members and marine partners

Offi cial Publication

Technology

Media Partners

w Plus Evening Lecture: 1st Annual IMarEST ClassNK Lecture Mr Noboru Ueda, Chairman and President of ClassNK and Chairman of IACS

This conference is eligible for

CPD Continuing Professional Development

Arctic JOT A4 advert.indd 1 19/07/2011 11:37

4 NewsTGS in ice search; Subsea fasttrack; ExxonMobil back inGoM deepwater; ITF getsHouston base; Solstad returnsfor further conversion work;Barents border deal

6 North SeaOil companies and contractorsare planning to spend billionsof dollars decommissioning ob-solete infrastructure. It’s acomplex business

14 New Vessels Swire Pacific picks a Havyarddesign for its new AHTS,while Boskalis-Smit backs anOSD design for a cable layer

17 SafetyEffective scaffolding is a cru-cial part of ensuring an asset’sintegrity throughout its life.Here, RBG discuss the skillsneeded for safe operation

18 WaterTreatmentDisposing of waste water fromremote locations requires spe-cialist equipment and plan-ning, and can have a profoundimpact on operations, writesSevern Trent De Nora

20 FPSOsElectric deepwell pumps liftFPSOs; Aker wins in Brazil;Guara working with Japaneseon pre-salt in Brazil;, BW Off-shore adopts psychometric tool

26 SeismicFugro Galaxy delivered andhas gas and windpower in itssights

27 ROVSaab Seaeye is increasingly in-corporating the Internet intoits technology, particularly forcommunication and control

28 Remote CommsFor those tasked with control-ling offshore communicationsmanaging compression is key

30 DrillshipsThe market for ultra deepwa-ter drillships is entering a new,positive phase with interna-tional demand seeing orders atAsian shipyards rising

32 RenewablesPlugging Europe’s energy gapwith renewable energy is criti-cal, says Alexander Hill of UK-based Critical Software

34 EventsKey exhibitions and confer-ences for your diary includingOffshore Europe; a jointIMarEST/SUT series of Meto-cean Awareness courses

36 New ProductsMooring for marginal fields;Flexible piping; Pressure test-ing, and Wireline kickover

38 SubseaNine of the world’s largest oilcompanies are working to-gether on joint response forsubsea well control incidents

40 SpotlightThe role of satellite communi-cations in the oil and gas in-dustry is explored SimonWatts, chief engineer ofHughes Europe

August2011Technology

EDITORIAL PANELThe vitality of any magazinedepends on there being a two-way conversation between thepeople who produce it and theaudience it hopes to please. Inorder to strengthen thatrelationship OffshoreTechnology has invited aninformal editorial advisorypanel of industry experts.Recently recruited to the role,their guidance and industryknowledge is warmlywelcomed.

While the panel's input will beinvaluable, we still welcomecomments, suggestions andstory proposals from all ourreaders and encourage you towrite to the editor [email protected]

Alistair BirnieChief Executive, Subsea UKAberdeen, UKwww.subseauk.org

Dr Paul JukesPresident of MCS Kenny Houston, Texaswww.mcskenny.com

Edward JonesHead of Strategic Services,Operations AMEC,Aberdeen, Scotlandwww.amec.com

Leen PoldervaartVice President, MarketingSBM, Monacowww.sbmoffshore.com

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Offshore Technology August 2011 3

Editor’s LetterAn eventful future

Editor:Bruce [email protected]

Publisher:Derek Wood [email protected]

Advertising:Peter [email protected]

Graphic Designer: Jo Cooper

Publication Sales & Subscriptions:Lorraine Jordan

© Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (2011). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproducedin any material form (includingphotocopying, storing in anymedium by electronic means ortransmitting) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisionsof the Copyright, Designs andPatents Act 1988 or underterms of a licence issued by theCopyright Licensing Agency Ltd,6-10 Kirby Street, London, England, EC1N 8TS, website:www.cla.co.uk email:[email protected]. Applicationsfor the copyright owner's writ-ten permission to reproduce anypart of this publication shouldbe addressed to the publisher.

An official journal of, and published by

80 Coleman Street, London EC2R 5BJTel: +44 (0)20 7382 2600Fax:+44 (0)20 7382 2669

E-mail: [email protected]: www.imarest.org

Cover Photo: Cutting edge equipmentfrom sat comms to wellarchitecture is vital foreffective operations andgood working conditions.Pictured, BruneiChampion West,offshore Brunei. (Photo courtesy, Shell)

OOffshore Technologyreaders looking tosee which way theoil and gas industry

is heading would do well to lookat the speaker line-up and com-panies exhibiting in the plethoraof conferences and exhibitionsthat populate diaries and calen-dars of industry people.

The upstream oil and gassector is faced with ‘challengesof enormous scale’ that theglobal industry must tackle if itis to provide safe, smart and sus-tainable supplies, while also con-tinuing to explore and developnew territories and frontiers - sosays Samir Brikho, chairman ofthis year’s Offshore Europe(OE) event in Aberdeen.

The big events, includingOffshore Europe in Aberdeen,Offshore Northern Seas in Nor-way and OTC in Houston aretouchstones for what industry isexpecting and planning for – it’sfar more effective than searchingfor a phase such as “what shouldI plan for in the international oiland gas industry over the nextfive years”, in Google. Events arethe industry’s opportunity tolearn, debate and challenge theideas needed if the industry is toestablish a safe, smart and sus-tainable supply for the future.

So what does a study of thisyear’s OE exhibition in thesprawling Aberdeen Exhibition& Conference Centre reveal?

This September, the bien-nial event is tackling a diverserange of topics. Key debatestackle deepwater explorationand how to deal with the costlydecommissioning, deepwaterexploration, efficient and safesubsea production and work-ing with state oil companies.The conservative-minded In-ternational Energy Agency hasrecently estimated that deep-water oil production will in-crease from 6% to 9% of thetotal global offshore figure,adding a forecast 2.8 millionbarrels/day by 2015. Recent ad-vances have seen deepwaterdevelopments brought on-stream or currently underwayin water depths ranging out to-wards 3,000 metres (9,843ft),incredible depths, almost un-thinkable just a few years ago.

This array of statistics hasencouraged the organizers todedicate an entire hall to thetechnologies and expertise beingemployed by the deepwater E&Pindustry. Activity in the zonewill include presentations byPetrobras, a world-leader in deepwater developments, and which

is leading the way offshoreBrazil, where capital expendi-ture of up to $54 billion is fore-cast between now and 2015 - thevast majority of that in deepwa-ter pre-salt projects.

In this issue of OffshoreTechnology, we cover many ofthese issues and more. Specialfeatures round up new offshorevessel designs, solutions forFPSO-operators and much moreincluding some of the most ad-vanced subsea, seabed and float-ing production hardware andexpertise being utilised in fron-tier projects around the world.

Brikho, chairman OE 2011,said that recent events had pro-vided a reminder of the impor-tance of health, safety, securityand environmental issues inaddressing the significant andunique challenges of operationsin ever-increasing waterdepths. He says that if the in-dustry is to provide a safe,smart and sustainable supply,as well as succeed in exploringand developing new territoriesand frontiers, it must challengeconvention, discuss and solvethese issues.

Bruce McMichaelEditor, Offshore Technology

[email protected]

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4 August 2011 Offshore Technology

News

ExxonMobil has announcedtwo major oil discoveries

and a gas discovery in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico afterdrilling the company's firstpost-moratorium deepwaterexploration well.

The KC919-3 wildcat wellconfirmed the presence of asecond oil accumulation inKeathley Canyon block 919.The well encountered morethan 475 feet of net oil pay anda minor amount of gas in pre-

dominantly Pliocene high-qual-ity sandstone reservoirs. Thewell, which is continuing todrill deeper, is located 250miles southwest of New Or-leans in approximately 7,000feet of water.

Drilling in early 2010 en-countered oil and natural gasat Hadrian North in KC919and extending into KC918,with over 550 feet of net oilpay and a minor amount ofgas in high-quality Plioceneand Upper Miocene sand-stone reservoirs.

ExxonMobil encountered200 feet of natural gas pay inPliocene sandstone reservoirsat its Hadrian South prospectin Keathley Canyon block 964during drilling in 2009.

“We estimate a recoverableresource of more than 700 mil-lion barrels of oil equivalent com-bined in our Keathley Canyonblocks,” said Steve Greenlee,president of ExxonMobil Explo-ration Company.

ITF, the industry technol-ogy facilitator for the

global oil and gas industry,has today opened a new basein Houston as it plans to cre-ate stronger links with thetechnology development com-munity and increase member-ship in North America.

ITF will be encouragingmore proposals for joint in-dustry projects from organi-zations in North Americawith up to 100% fundingavailable for innovative oiland gas solutions. It has set atarget of investing at least $15million in technology projectsin the region by 2015.

A not-for-profit organiza-

tion, ITF is owned by 26 ofthe largest operator and oilservices companies in theworld. They collaborate tofund ground-breaking tech-nology solutions that addressglobal industry challenges.

More than $5 million hasbeen distributed to US andCanadian research institutesand companies through ITFso far, with targets to in-crease joint industry projectsby 25% in the next four yearsand invest $1 million thisyear alone.

Dorothy Burke, Opera-tions Director at ITF said:“Through building links withNorth America’s leading aca-

demic institutes and cuttingedge technology companies,significant funding can beprovided to deliver game-changing technologies. Thecollaboration model is proven

to work. 100% funding isavailable for the right solu-tions, and developers have di-rect access to our globalmembership of 26 major oiland gas companies.”

ITF’s new office on PostOak Boulevard, Houstonwill provide a strategicmeeting point for the teamand a full-time in-countrymanager will be in placenext year. The majority ofITF members have a base inHouston, with MarathonOil the most recent to joinfrom North America. ITFalso intends to increase itstotal membership to 40 or-ganisations by 2015.

ExxonMobil back inGoM deepwater

ITF gets Houston base

Maersk Developer semi-submersible drillsExxonMobil's first post-moratorium deepwaterexploration well in the Gulfof Mexico

Dorothy Burke, OperationsDirector at ITF

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Russia and Norway haveagreed a deal to divide up

their shares of the Barents Sea.The deal follows many years oftalks between the two sidesover ownership and manage-ment of the region.

The accord will allow com-panies to explore for oil andgas in the 68,000 square milearea.

“With this treaty, Norwayand Russia are also making itclear that there is no ongoing

race for resources in the Arctic,but that we – as responsibleArctic coastal states – are ad-hering to international law, in-cluding the international lawof the sea,” said Norwegianforeign minister Jonas GahrStøre. EDIT

It splits the disputed part ofthe Barents Sea into twoequally sized areas.

The region has becomemore accessible recently asglobal warming has caused the

ice to melt. Melting ice opensup the possibility of new,shorter, shipping routes be-tween Russia and Norway andAsia.

State oil companies fromboth countries have expressedan interest in exploiting re-serves in the region.

Russian owned Gazprom isalready working with Nor-way's Statoil on the Shtokmanfield, 310 miles off the Russiancoast.

Seismic survey group TGShas started a multi-client

3D seismic data in the HoopFault Complex area of the Bar-ents Sea, north of Norway.This survey is an extension ofthe previously announcedHoop Fault Complex surveyand will add 1,800 km2 to theexisting data in the area. Ap-proximately 500 km2 of thesurvey are infill in the north-ern area of the 2009 surveyand the remaining 1,300 km2

are an extension to the east ofthe 2009 survey area.

Blocks have been awardedin the survey area during thelast two rounds and with the2011 acquisition, TGS will beable to provide extended cover-age for future rounds, says thecompany.

The M/V Polar Duke tow-ing 10 x 6,000 m streamerswith 75 m separation will ac-quire the 2011 survey. Dataprocessing will be performedby TGS and will be available toclients in late 2011. The sur-vey is supported by industryfunding.

Norway’s Solstad Off-shore has returned to

Gibdock for the conversionand dry-docking of the 84mlong, 4500 dwt platform sup-port vessel Normand Vester.This follows on from the con-version of the NormandTrym and Normand Vibranat the Gibraltar yard, suc-cessfully completed for thesame owner last year.

While the NormandVester project is similar inscope to these earlier conver-sions, there are some differ-ences. In this case the fresh

water capacity is being in-creased by converting two ofthe stability tanks fromwater ballast to fresh water,while eight mud tanks arebeing converted for increasedfuel oil capacity. Further-more two wing tanks arebeing converted to voidspaces due to the conversionof the stability tanks.

This work is necessary

to prepare the vessel for anew role, under a four yearcharter that Solstad has re-cently agreed with Petro-bras of Brazil. This contractrequires that the vessel isable to supply offshoreunits with 1,600m3 ofpotable water and 1,600m3

of fuel oil.Malcolm Rosie, technical

director, Solstad Offshore

(UK) says: “Gibdock waschosen to carry out this workas they offered a very positiveattitude to the project, werein a good location en route toBrazil and offered competi-tive rates.” Gibdock also de-livered the Vibran and Trymconversions in 2010.

Statoil has awarded Subsea7 a contract for marine in-

stallations and pipe-laying tohelp develop theFossekall/Dompap discover-ies off the coast of Helgeland,northern Norway.

The contract value isaround NOK 970 millionwithout options and extracharges due to the weather.

Discovered in early 2010,Fossekall will also make it pos-sible to develop the earlier find

Dompap, said the company.This is Statoil’s fifth fast-

track development and thelargest so far.

“With all of the contractsawarded, we can already startproduction at the end of2012. We’re very happy aboutthis,” says Ivar Aasheim, Sta-toil’s head of field develop-ment on the Norwegiancontinental shelf.

Statoil considers it vital toreduce the time from initial

discovery to production.“We are about to reach

this goal,” says Aasheim.“This development will onlytake two and a half years, andthereby meets the fast-trackprinciples.”

The Fossekall/Dompapdevelopment will comprisethree subsea templates tiedback to the Norne ship in theNorwegian Sea. The distancefrom the field to the Norneship is around 26 km.

Solstadreturns forfurtherconversionwork

TGS in icesearch


Subsea fast track

Normand Vester inGibdock

Barents border deal

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North Sea

Projections indicatethat in this decade,£9 billion will bespent on decom-

missioning approximately 280installations and 940 wellsacross 144 individual NorthSea oil and gas fields, saidBrian Nixon, of Decom NorthSea, speaking at the seminar.However, any attempt to fore-cast the actual cost of decom-missioning an installation ischallenging as the calculationmust take multiple variableswhich are difficult to predictaccurately into account, in-cluding:

i) the applicable tax regime,which may change on anannual basis; oil and gasprices, which affect prof-itability and therefore theeconomic cut-off date foran installation;

ii) the availability of financeand applicable interestrates; and

iii) the legislative and regula-tory regime, which, ifchanged, can create insta-bility and affect investmentdecisions.

It is hoped that the costs ofdecommissioning may be re-

Against thebackdrop ofdwindling oil andgas productionfrom the UKContinentalShelf, taxincreases and thecosts ofdecommissioningageinginfrastructureestimated at over£30 billion, thesubject ofdecommissioningis increasinglyconcentrating theminds of thoseinvolved in theUK oil and gasindustry.International lawfirm HerbertSmith North Seahosted a seminarto discuss theissues


Jacket removal for disposalonshore (Courtesy GL Noble Denton)

Making offshoredecommissioningwork effectively

Northseavessels.qxp:Layout 2 20/7/11 16:02 Page 6

duced through the use of jointventures and other collabora-tive projects, allowing previouslearning and best practice to beshared between operators.Such an approach would helpto spread investment costs overa number of projects andshared or co-ordinated use offacilities and equipmentneeded for decommissioning(harbours, heavy lifting vesselsand other equipment) could re-duce an operator's expendi-ture.

Decommissioningliability The Government's approach todecommissioning is, in thewords of the 26th President ofthe United States, TheodoreRoosevelt, to "speak softly andcarry a big stick", said StephenMurray, Herbert Smith LLP.The key provision is section 29of the Petroleum Act 1998 (theAct), under which the Secre-tary of State may serve a notice

on certain persons requiring adecommissioning programmeto be prepared and submittedin respect of specific items ofoffshore infrastructure. The re-cipient of the notice is also re-sponsible for implementing theprogramme once approved.

Persons who can be issuedwith a notice include the oper-ator of the installation andother parties to the joint oper-ating agreement pertaining tothe installation, owners of theinstallation (other than per-sons with ownership interestsas security for a loan) and li-censees (where explorationand production activities bene-fitting such licensees are car-ried on in the licence area bymeans of the installation.

If there is more than onerecipient of a section 29 notice,liability is effectively joint andseveral. The ability to serve anotice on associated corporatebodies allows the Secretary ofState to pierce the corporate

veil and gain access to the as-sets of an entire group. It is notpossible to isolate decommis-sioning liability within a singlelimited liability company.

A section 29 notice can berevoked, for example when arecipient disposes of its inter-est, but revocation does not re-lease that party from potentialliability. As in the famous linefrom the Eagles' song "HotelCalifornia", it seems that "youcan check out anytime you like,but you can never leave" -under section 34 of the Act,anyone who is, or at any timesince the first section 29 noticewas issued, has been, withinthe category of persons thatcould have been issued with asection 29 notice can poten-tially be held liable. However, todate DECC has never exercisedits powers under section 34 andviews them as a last resort.

Where the Secretary ofState is not satisfied that a per-son liable for decommissioning

will be capable of carrying outthe decommissioning pro-gramme, he may issue a noticeunder section 38 of the Act re-quiring the recipient to takethe action specified in the no-tice. There are no express lim-its on the scope of the actionsthat can be stipulated in a no-tice. DECC has indicated thatthis could include the provi-sion of security for decommis-sioning obligations, but has notruled out taking other action aswell. DECC’s policy is not touse its power under section 38of the Act if decommissioningsecurity agreements that meetDECC’s requirements are al-ready in place. DECC and Oil& Gas UK have collaborated todevelop a model form decom-missioning security agreement,but the model form does notprescribe solutions to a num-ber of key commercial issueswhich are left to the parties tonegotiate.

The Secretary of State's


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draconian powers under theAct reflect the Government'sdetermination to ensure thattaxpayers do not foot the £30billion plus decommissioningbill. At the same time, DECChas pursued a policy of reas-suring the industry that itsharshest powers will only beused as a last resort and thatits primary objective is to workwith the industry to ensurethat the credit risk of section29 notice holders is activelymanaged and appropriate se-curity arrangements are inplace. Despite DECC's reassur-ances, decommissioning secu-rity has already become amajor stumbling block in up-stream M&A transactions assellers seek protection from fu-ture exposure to decommis-sioning liability. Consequentlythere is a risk that the regula-tory regime's overriding objec-tive of seeking bullet-proofprotection from tax payer lia-bility will end up deterring fu-ture investment and associatedtax revenues.

A financier'sperspectiveAs oil and gas fields approachthe end of their economic life,and oil and gas majors departfrom the region, decommis-sioning costs are becoming agreater factor in the invest-ment decisions of small tomedium-sized oil and gas com-panies operating in the UK

North Sea, said Charlie Hous-ton, Lloyds Banking Group. Liability for the costs of de-commissioning lies with all thefield partners on a joint andseveral basis. Management ofthis however usually resideswith the operator and is con-trolled through the Joint Oper-ating Agreement (JOA) whichsets out requirements for de-commissioning security. Suchsecurity is typically provided inthe form of cash, a parental

company guarantee or a bankletter of credit (LC). LCs havebeen the most common form ofsecurity as they benefit from abank’s credit rating (typicallyrequired to be a minimum ofAA/Aa2) and do not lock upcash which can otherwise beused for investments. How-ever, since the financial crisisintra-lender credit worthinesshas started to cause complexi-ties within LC funding struc-tures.

Decommissioning is alsoincreasingly influential whenconsidering funding of merg-ers and acquisitions. Aprospective purchaser may berequired to indemnify and pro-vide security to the vendor fordecommissioning obligationsthat may arise through section29 of the Act, creating the re-quirement of funding "doublesecurity". One possible solu-tion to this problem is the par-ties entering into the templateDecommissioning SecurityAgreement, which allows allparties to benefit from a singlesource of security thus miti-gating the need for over collat-eralisation. However thesehave not yet been taken up dueto the difficulties in negotiat-ing with multiple parties, somewhich may have long since ex-ited the JOA.

Given the lack of decom-missioning experience withinthe industry, Government sup-port through holistic legislativeand regulatory stability is es-sential. As decommissioningshifts from being a long-termto a medium or even short-term consideration, it will fea-ture more prominently ininvestment decisions, poten-tially locking in cash thatcould be invested in enhancingrecovery thereby prolongingfield life. More collaborationand commitment is requiredfrom the industry and regula-tors to ensure that the costs ofdecommissioning do not cutshort the North Sea's eco-nomic shelf life.


North Sea

Internal pile cutter,stabilising arms and cutterextended in action(Courtesy GL Noble Denton)


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North Sea

It is appears that at last therate of platform removalfrom the North Sea may begathering pace. Several

larger structures have alreadybeen removed and there is theprospect of new marine equip-ment being brought into servicefor the removal of structures verymuch bigger than currently. A lec-ture given to IMarEST’s YoungMembers Group on 3rd Marchhighlighted some of the technicaloptions and tasks ahead.

LegislationThe legal framework for de-commissioning work is now

well established, that underOSPAR Decision 98/3 struc-tures must be removed whenthey have ceased to produce oilor gas, unless alternative usagecan be found and imple-mented. Arrangements mustbe agreed with the UK’s De-partment of Energy and Cli-mate Change using theirGuidance Notes (January2010). Safety issues must be ac-cepted by the Health andSafety Executive with the sub-mission of a formal SafetyCase. Certain structures suchas concrete and the footings or‘bottles’ of the very largest steeljackets may be allowed to re-main in place (derogation),though the IMO requirementallowing 100m clear waterabove any material remains isseen as much less stringent.

Environmental IssuesThe overall objective must be totry and return the seabed to itsoriginal condition and then en-sure through regular monitor-ing that this continues. Due toseabed movements redundantpipelines can become exposedand create a hazard to fishingnets. For the removal operationitself, the greatest hindrance toprogress is from the sea and theweather. Installations may havesurvived twenty five years ofstorms, but now the marinecraft used for lifting and trans-portation, and their crews,must be capable of workingunder hostile marine condi-tions. Work must be planned toensure that at delicate stages a

regular weather forecast allowssufficient ‘weather window’ tocomplete the task in hand, or topause awhile.

Safety At all times the safety and pro-tection of the workforce as theplatform size is diminishedmust be ensured and this is oneof the planning features in theHSE Safety Case. The materialmay be heading for the scrap-yard and recycling, but at everystage features may need to beadded for safety and access asthe platform is deconstructed.

EngineeringFor many structures, especiallythose in the northerly anddeeper North Sea waters, thesecannot be deconstructed andremoved in the same manneras when installed. This ispartly due to the method ofconstruction and installation,but in the case of removal thereis no longer any reward to en-courage higher expenditurewith the prospect of earlier on-stream oil / gas.

After sealing the wells andremoving toxic materials, thenext step will be to sever thetopsides in a single unit or inpiecemeal parts from the sup-porting module support frameon top of the jacket. It is vitalto ensure that there is completedisconnection before a piece islifted clear by crane and to thisend it may be advisable to cleara swath of material adjacent tothe remaining structure. Thiswill also permit some swing of

Balancing HSEwith cost and law

Decommissioningof offshorestructures:aspects andoptions for theirremoval, byProfessor WilliamPenney, MarineConsultant

Ampellmann self-stabilising platformreaches out to adecommissioned unit(Courtesy GL Noble Denton)


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North Sea

the lifted unit due to seastateand wind.

Before removing steeljacket structures piecemeal, tu-bular members will have to becut using either diamond wire-saw, grit jet or perhaps explo-sive cutting methods. Tubularsmay have a diameter of morethan two metres with wallthickness 40mm. After perhaps40 cuts have been made and ajacket unit checked as com-pletely disconnected, the piececan be lifted aboard a cargobarge for transport ashore. Thedeconstruction time is min-imised if big units can be liftedor even the whole structurelifted as a single piece.

If structural units are to belifted, then adequate meansmust be provided for attachingslings. Slings may be wrappedaround existing structure, butto lift topsides units new pad-eyes may need to welded toperhaps corroded material andof course tested for adequatestrength. It is vital that suffi-cient crane capacity is availablefor all the desired outreaches,with some tolerances for ‘un-expectations’.

Marine WarrantyA review of decommissioningprocedures, documentationand calculations with an eye tosafety and issue of formal Re-view Notes is no different fromthose prepared during installa-tion. Site attendance will fol-low with further issue ofCertificates of Approval once

previously agreed proceduresand precautions are seen to bein place so enabling an opera-tion to commence. Basicallythis is common sense with co-operation on all sides.

Craft and prospectivecraftThe principal choice for liftingstructures lies between thecrane ship and the semisub-mersible crane barge with afactor of about three on liftingcapacity. In deep and hostilewaters the barge will undoubt-edly be preferred, but at amuch higher daily rate thoughless dependent weather per-formance. Crane upreach andoutreach are also superior andthe barge may also be used forcargo to carry deconstructedunits ashore. In relatively shel-tered waters there is an addi-tional option of using a dumbsheer legs with tug support: acargo barge can be dispensedwith if the load can be takenashore while hanging from thehook and suitably tied back toprevent pendulation. Then re-flotation buoyancy devicesshould not be discarded,though at present these havenot been tried or a major scale.

Very large new floatingequipment is now on the hori-zon with Allsea’s catamaran-type Pieter Schelte. Otherexpensive proposals have beenpublished over the years, butcoupled with the technology isthe question of who will spon-sor the huge cost and back itwith guaranteed work.

Case StudiesThere is no standard methodfor removing offshore platformstructures, as indeed many dif-ferent types of structures haveevolved over the 40 years thathave passed since the firstsmall structures were installedin shallow 30m waters of theNorth Sea. Those structurescan be readily lifted out by asimple crane ship. In deepermore exposed waters the

choice may shift to the semi-submersible as was used for re-moving the large North WestHutton jacket, but under goodweather conditions the mono-hull barge may be a cheaper op-tion as demonstrated at theOdin field.

The classic removal sce-nario and one that had a con-siderable impact on thedecommissioning business wasthe Brent Spar. Shell had gov-ernment approval to tow andsink at the edge of the AtlanticContinental Shelf, but theCompany changed its plans fol-lowing activists’ actions. Thelesson for the oil industry wasto ensure public dialogue andperhaps debate, and that wasthe decision followed byPhillips in preparation for re-floating and removal to shoreof its Maureen Platform.

ConclusionThere are still more than 250structures to be removed fromUK waters, and an indetermi-nate number around the world.Though many overseas struc-tures may be left in place, therewill be a substantial quantity ofmarine work and associatedplanning to be undertaken.The market size is variably es-timated to be in tens of billionsof pounds whatever methodol-ogy and equipment becomesavailable. High decommission-ing costs, for no tangible re-ward, are leading to thedevelopment of new and per-haps cheaper methodology. Re-use of structures into windfarms is possible despite dis-tant location from shore.

Successful decommission-ing is a balance between Legis-lation, Safety, Cost andEnvironment, and anyweighted formula linking theseissues will undoubtedly changewith time and circumstance.

This article is based on a talkgiven at London Headquarters to

the IMarEST Young MembersGroup 3rd March 2011

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13.QXP:Layout 1 22/7/11 11:07 Page 1

Swire Pacific Off-shore has orderedfour AHTS of aHavyard 844 XL de-

sign at the Singapore Tech-nologies Marine (ST Marine)shipyard in Singapore. ST Ma-rine says that the shipbuildingcontract is worth around SGD171m ($137.5m). The firstship is scheduled for deliveryduring the first half of 2013and the last vessel during thefirst half of 2014.

This is the second series ofvessels that Swire will buildusing Havyard design andthese Havyard 844 XL AHTSsare sister ships of the four cor-responding ships being con-structed at DrydocksWorld-Singapore. The first ves-sel of this series will be deliv-ered during the first half of

2012. The contract value of thedesign package between theparties is confidential.

Swire Pacific Offshore isone of the leading operators ofoffshore vessels in the world.They are based in Singaporeand operate much of their fleetin Asia and Australia, but en-gage in activity in most parts ofthe world where there is off-shore oil exploration. Swire Pa-cific Offshore has a fleet of 77offshore vessels today and afurther 17 newbuilds being

constructed. The majority ofthis fleet is AHTSs and theyare on average less than 9 yearsold. The shipping company fo-cuses on offering high qualitysupport services for the off-shore oil industry through afleet of modern, environmen-tally friendly and efficient off-shore vessels.

Havyard 844 XL AHTS isdeveloped by Havyard Design& Engineering in close cooper-ation with Swire Pacific Off-shore.

New vessels Swire Pacificpicks HavyardAHTS design


The global offshore supportvessel sector isbooming. Herewe look at twonew designsmaking theirmark

Main particulars: Havyard 844 XL

Loa: 92 mBreadth: 22 mBollard pull: Minimum 200 tonnesDeck area: 650 m2Speed: 17 knotsAccommodation: 37 persons

An artist’s impression ofthe Havyard 844

vessels.QXP:Layout 2 1/7/11 11:13 Page 14

15.QXP:Layout 1 20/7/11 16:13 Page 1

OSD-IMT, the UKarm of Ijmuiden,N e t h e r l a n d s -based Offshore

Ship Designers, has been se-lected by Samsung andBoskalis-SMIT Engineeringto develop the basic design,detailed design and produc-tion drawings for a 99 mcable-laying vessel.

Neil Patterson, managingdirector of OSD-IMT, says,“It is a unique new vessel andwe will carry out the modeltesting programme, noise andvibration analysis and impactand damaged stability analy-sis in addition to developingthe design.”

The vessel combines alarge, obstruction free maindeck with ample accommoda-tion facilities, allowing for

multiple future configurationpossibilities. In the currentcable-laying configuration,the deck has a cable loadingcapacity of 5,000 tonnes.

Under a separate con-tract OSD-IMT has beentasked by Dales EngineeringLtd, Aberdeen to design anddevelop the upgrade conver-sion production drawings forthe Farstad-owned UT 755multi-role 67 m PSV FARSCOTIA. The new designwill provide upgraded exist-ing and new additional ac-commodation, ROVequipment and associatedseating, new A-frame and as-sociated winches/seating,new deck cranes and associ-ated column/stiffening, newworkboat and associateddavit and seating.

New vessels


OSD design forBoskalis-SMIT

A graphic of the OSD CableLayer concept

vessels.QXP:Layout 2 1/7/11 11:13 Page 16

RBG, the Aberdeen-based internationalservices company,carried out a fun-

damental review of scaffoldsystems with a view to devel-oping a more sophisticated al-ternative which wouldmitigate risk and improvesafety, whilst simultaneouslyreducing operating costs andoptimising productivity.

As part of this review, thecompany consulted TurnerAccess – scaffold materialmanufacturer and supplier toRBG for the last five years -who presented several newscaffold concepts. Followinga period of development andrefinement to suit the off-shore environment, bothcompanies developed a be-spoke guard rail systemwhich met the operational re-quirements of the offshore oiland gas industry. NamedPlusGard, the system im-proves offshore scaffoldsafety and reduces the associ-ated operating costs.

Innovation As opposed to traditionalmethods, the PlusGard ad-vanced guard rail system is de-signed to provide increasedsafety by way of a protectiverail around the scaffolder. Thisis designed to prevent any pos-sible fall whilst allowing thescaffolder to work more freely,significantly improving theirworking conditions.

The PlusGard system al-lows for safer erection, keep-ing the scaffolder in a secureenclosure whilst ensuring thescaffold boards and ladder are

securely advanced to the nextlevel. Positioned in advance ofthe scaffolder, it facilitates anupper perimeter railing allow-ing for safer access. The sys-tem also provides asemi-permanent railing struc-ture, which remains in placeuntil the scaffolder attachesthe upper level rails and worksin conjunction with existingstructures offshore.

Bottom-line benefitsPlusGard is the first system ofits kind to be used offshore, ad-dressing all the requirementsof the 2005 Working at Heightregulations, which specifiesthat collective preventativemeasures be investigated be-fore implementing any fall ar-rest equipment. It also enablesscaffolders to work morefreely, as opposed to inertiawires which restrict move-ment, providing improved flex-ibility within the security of anenclosed area.

The system also signifi-cantly reduces the overall proj-ect costs as it does not require astand-by vessel to be on-site,which can lead to savings of upto £6,000 per day. A stand-byvessel is traditionally requiredduring work over the side of anoffshore platform to ensure fastrecovery if required.

Product in actionPlusGard was used to access acooling water pipe onApache’s Forties Delta plat-form in the North Sea. Usingthe system, RBG worked forsix consecutive days withoutthe need for a stand-by vessel.The PlusGard system savedApache approximately£60,000 in operating costs,mainly due to the stand-by ves-sel not being required, and theproject was completed aheadof schedule.

Scaffold systemaimed at safety boost

Safety


A crucial part ofmanaging theintegrity of anasset throughoutits lifecycle is therequirement toerect scaffoldingat regularintervals in orderto carry out tasksfrom generalmaintenance tocleaningactivities. Withmore than 8,000scaffolds in useeveryday in theUKCS alone, it isan activity thatrequiresspecialist skillsand highlytrainedpersonnel due tothe inherentrisks of workingat height andoffshore. By BillAbbott, RBG,group scaffoldmanager

By Bill Abbott, RBG, group scaffold manager

PlusGard reduces theoverall project costs

safety.qxp:Layout 2 1/7/11 11:17 Page 17

Understanding thebasics of waste-water treatmentand how they re-

late to the overall treatmentprocess is an important firststep in evaluating the availablesewage treatment technologies.Terms like biological oxygendemand (BOD), total sus-pended solids (TSS), aerobictreatment, and hydraulic load-ing are often used when dis-cussing wastewater treatmentprocesses. Knowing the theorybehind these basic processes ofwastewater treatment makes iteasier to review the pros andcons of membrane bioreactors,physical/chemical separation,biological treatment and elec-trolytic treatment systems forsewage treatment.

Black and greyWastewater to be treated off-shore is typically composed of

black and grey water. Blackwater is sewage such as toiletwaste, paper and flushingwater. Grey water is other liq-uid or semi-solid wastes in thesoil drain system from the gal-ley, laundry, showers, lavato-ries or other soil drains. Amanufacturer will typicallyoffer equipment based on per-sonnel compliment and hy-draulic waste loading ratings.Since per-person waste vol-umes can vary widely depend-ing on ethnic regions andspecific diets, it is alwayspreferable to design and size anoffshore sewage treatment sys-tem based on daily hydraulic

loading. The hydraulic loading- approximate wastewaterusage - will vary depending onthe collection method used. Avacuum collection method willuse lower man rating standardsthan a gravity drain system.For example, the approximatewaste usages for OMNIPURESeries 55 sewage treatment sys-tems manufactured by SevernTrent De Nora are detailed inTable 1.

BOD is one of the mostcommonly measured con-stituents of wastewater. Waste-water is composed of a varietyof inorganic and organic sub-stances; requiring oxygen forthe process of breaking largemolecules into smaller mole-cules to eventually form carbondioxide and water. BOD5 is themost common measure of theamount of biodegradable or-ganic material in sewage. BODhas traditionally been used tomeasure the effectiveness of thetreatment of effluent releasedfrom a sewage treatment systeminto ocean waters. Effluent dis-charges that are high in BODcan deplete oxygen in receivingwaters, causing fish kills and ir-reversible ecosystem changes.

Cellulose wasteTSS found in wastewater areboth organic and inorganic innature. A large percentage ofTSS material is found in the

Knowledge ofbasic wastewaterprinciples allowscustomers tochoose thecorrect sewagetreatmentsystems, writesDana Casbeer,Marine &Offshore ProductLine Manager,Severn Trent DeNora(dcasbeer@severntrent

denora.com)


Water Treatment Clean water

A semi-sub, a typicalend user for SevernTrent technology

Type Black Water Black and Grey Per Person Water Combinedper day

Gravity Drain System 98 liters/day 299 liters/day(26 gallons/day) (79 gallons/day)

Vacuum Collection 5 liters/day 125 liters/dayMethod (1.3 gallons/day) (33 gallons/day)

Table 1

water.qxp:Layout 2 1/7/11 11:31 Page 18

form of cellulose from toilet tis-sue, stringy cotton fibers andsmaller debris from galleywastes or the showering facili-ties. Cellulose-based TSS mate-rial is very difficult to destroydue to its tough cellular nature.As a result, biological treat-ment and electrolytic treat-ment systems will have thesame amount of solids gener-ated. This is a key point to un-derstand since it directlyrelates to the methods of solidshandling across commerciallyavailable sewage treatment sys-tems. Its also worth noting thatthere is no conventional off-shore sewage treatment systemthat can actually reduce theTSS material to a degree wheresolids removal is not required.

Typical offshore sewagecontains 500 mg/l BOD5, col-iform of 1.5 to 4 x 109 and sus-pended solids of 900 mg/l. TheIMO MEPC.159(55) effluentdischarge standards are notedin Table 2.

Aside from electrolytic dis-infection sewage treatment sys-tems, most processes arebiologically based and degradesewage through destruction byliving microorganisms. Differ-ent environments favor thegrowth of various microorgan-ism populations, which in turnaffects the efficiency, end prod-ucts and thorough treatment ofthe sewage. Biological environ-ments for wastewater treat-ment include aerobic andanaerobic conditions; however,most offshore sewage treatmentsystems utilize some form ofaerobic treatment. Aerobictreatment is able to rapidly andcompletely digest sewage, re-ducing BOD to low levels.Most aerobic treatment systemsprovide an artificial surface onwhich the sewage-digestingbacteria can grow.

These surfaces can includemembranes, moving and staticbed media, bio-balls and more.Effective biological treatmentof sewage wastes requires thata colony of microorganisms be

maintained in order to prop-erly consume the active fecalcoliform bacteria that is pres-ent in any raw sewage. To ac-complish this in an offshoreenvironment equipment largespace is required to accommo-date tank volumes to supportan active colony. Since elec-trolytic disinfection treatmentsystems do not require tanks tosupport an active colony, theirfootprint is smaller and weighsless then biological treatmentsystems.

With a firm understandingof the basics of wastewatertreatment, oil and gas profes-sionals are better positioned tounderstand the competitive ad-vantages being presented bysewage treatment system man-ufacturers.

www.severntrentservices.com


MSD Standards

Standard IMO MEPC.159(55)BOD5 (mg/l) 25Suspended Solids (mg/l) 35Thermotolerant Coliforms/100 ml 100COD (mg/l) 125Residual Chlorine (mg/l) > 0.5pH Value 6.0 - 8.5

Omnipure Series 55,marine sewage

treatment system –an effective tool forwaste watertreatment

Table 2

Jackups move frequently between fields, and so needefficient waste disposal systems

water.qxp:Layout 2 1/7/11 11:32 Page 19

Electrically-drivensystems are havingan impact on theoffshore market,

and fluids handling specialistHamworthy is amongst thosecompanies benefiting when itcomes to the electrically-drivencargo pumps it supplies to thespecialised floating productionstorage and offloading vessel(FPSO) sector.

In January, the companyannounced that its electrically-driven deepwell cargo pumptechnology had been accepted

in a significant new shipbuild-ing market, following a break-through contract in Brazil.

Its cargo pump systemshave been specified for eightFPSOs by Brazilian shipyardEngevix Construcões Oceâni-cas. The equipment will be de-livered between 2012 and2014.

Lars Fischer, HamworthySvanehøj offshore sales direc-tor said, “Ship owners haverecognised the benefits of elec-trically-driven deepwell sys-tems for many years but now

FPSO operators are becomingincreasingly convinced.”

Earmarked as a strong areafor growth by the company, thelatest order sees Hamworthyquickly following up on astring of contracts for FPSOdelivery into Brazilian watersfrom overseas shipyards.

Earlier this year, Gusto BVspecified seawater lift pumpsand electric fire pumps fromHamworthy for installation onboard the Cidade de ParatyFPSO, initially converted froma VLCC at the Keppel yard,

FPSOs Electric deepwellpumps lift FPSOs

FPSOs and Brazilare offeringpump specialistHamworthy newmarkets withoperatorstempted byelectrically-driven systems

fpso.QXP:Layout 2 20/7/11 16:28 Page 20

Singapore, and due for deliveryin 2013 after completion inBrazil. The run of contractsalso saw Hamworthy selectedto supply cargo pump roomsystems equipment for thePapa Terra FPSO, for BW Off-shore, converted at COSCODalian.

The latest eight FPSOs,each having the storage capac-ity of 1,600,000 barrels of oil,are in principle assigned to var-ious field developments in thepre-salt area of Santos Basin.Hamworthy said that, for eachFPSO, it would deliver twelvecargo pumps, two slop pumps,two ballast pumps and twoemergency pumps, includingswitchboards and electric mo-tors.

Mr Fischer said, “We havebuilt up a reasonable referencelist. Now, an increasing num-ber of operators are coming tosee the benefits of electrically-driven pumps.”

The breakthrough in sup-

plying electrically-driven FPSOdeepwell pumps to feature elec-tric drives came in 2004 whenHamworthy was chosen tosupply the cargo handling sys-tem for the 900,000-barrel stor-age capacity FPSO Nganhurra,built by Samsung for the Aus-tralian oil company Woodside,which is now operating at theEnfield oilfield in Australia.

Among its growing FPSOreference list have been a num-

ber of Chinese-built vessels, in-cluding the circular type FPSOand Drilling unit from SevanMarine and several conver-sions from COSCO. Hamwor-thy also supplied pumps for aBW Offshore FPSO operationin the Gulf of Mexico as well as

a shipset of 12 deepwell pumpsfor the 750,000 bbl MODECvessel Stybarrow VentureMV16.

Efficiency studiedHamworthy’s progress in theoffshore sector has been builton a study by well-known tech-nology consultancy Delta-marin, which compared therelative cost and performancebenefits of electric versus hy-

Hamworthy pump engineersworking offshore


draulic cargo pump arrange-ments on board a FPSO with anominal offloading rate of 1million barrels per day.

Deltamarin’s study con-cluded that, installed ontankers, electric pump systemsused energy more efficientlythan their hydraulic counter-parts, with fuel savings of ap-proximately 23%.

The study also concludedthat control problems once as-sociated with electrical systemswere a thing of the past. “Oneadditional benefit of havingfrequency converters to controlthe motor is that they can beprogrammed to be softstarters,” Delatamarin said.“This means that electricmotor and pump can be startedfrom zero speed and graduallyincreased. This reduces wearand tear of all system compo-nent as well as reducing gener-ators ratings onboard

diesel-mechanical ships.” According to Mr Fischer,

when comparing electric andhydraulic solutions: “Onboardmaintenance is also lowerwhen it comes to the electricsystem because of the shaft lu-brication system used, the factthat the pump house is easilydismantled and cards on con-verters are easily inter-changed.”

It was also the case thatthere are no limits onboard adiesel electric ship to the num-ber of pumps being operatedconcurrently, whereas the sizeof power packs limits the num-ber of hydraulic pumps beingoperated concurrently.

Mr Fischer added that con-cern for the marine environ-ment was also driving themarket towards electric drives.

“In the operational phase,electric equipment is more en-vironmentally friendly, be-

cause C02 emissions are mini-mal due to higher efficiencyand lower power utilisationand there is no hydraulic oilspillage risk. There are alsofewer parts to wear out and thecomponents that do sufferwear and tear are cheaper toreplace.”

ContinuousdevelopmentElectrically-driven pumps arealso showing themselves to beamenable to further develop-ment to meet the requirementsof the offshore operators oftoday and tomorrow.

Hamworthy Svanehøj re-cently launched the first ofwhat will become an entirelynew range of combined seawater lift and fire pumps thatmeet the requirements of theoffshore market.

The new deepwell seawa-ter lifting pumps and fire

FPSOs


AKER SOLUTIONS has wontwo contracts worth NOK120million ($22m), from CQGOil & Gas Contractors Inc.and CCI Oil & Gas Contrac-tors Inc., for the supply ofPusnes offloading systems totwo FPSOs in the Brazilianmarket.

The offloading systemswill be installed on the twoFPSOs P-58 and P-62, whichare being converted and builtfor Petrobras.

The vessels are spreadmoored FPSOs, and will usethe field proven Pusnes of-floading system at both bowand aft ends. These offloadingsystems include tanker moor-ing and crude oil transfercomponents as well as emer-gency offloading stations.Crude oil from the FPSOs willbe loaded on to dedicated dy-namic positioned shuttletankers. Aker Solutions hasmooring contracts for the

same FPSOs.The Pusnes

offloading connects the FPSOvia a crude oil hose to the dy-namic positioned shuttletanker's bow loading system.In the event of an emergency,the oil flow can be quicklystopped and the vessels dis-connected rapidly and safely.

“Aker Solutions' mooringand loading systems have at-tained a unique position inBrazil. We have signed morethan a dozen contracts forvarious clients in Brazil,” saysLeif Haukom, head of AkerSolutions’ mooring and load-ing systems business.

Aker Solutions is also sup-plying Pusnes mooring sys-tems to P-58 and P-62, underthe terms of a contract withPetrobras.

Delivery of the offshoreloading systems to P-58 and P-62 FPSOs is scheduled for late2011, early 2012.

Aker wins in BrazilIn Brief


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23.QXP:Layout 1 22/7/11 11:54 Page 1

pumps ’DWS’ will eventuallybe available ranging in capacityfrom 700 m3/hr to 1700 m3/hrand with a differential pressureup to 180 mlc. In the first in-stance, Hamworthy has devel-oped two new DWS pumpswith a capacity of 950 and1425 m3/hr.

“Combined with our exist-ing pump technology we cannow deliver sea water liftpumps up to a capacity of 2600m3/h and meeting API610 re-quirements,” said Mr Fischer.

These pumps are driven bya dry mounted electric motorin explosion-proof execution,through a pipe stack withtransmission shaft and cargolubricated bearings. Thesepumps are in addition to in-line Hamworthy pumps al-ready available for seawater liftand firewater applications.

He said that, the pumphead had been designed for op-timum efficiency using thecompany´s design experience,computational fluid dynamicsand full scale tests. Impellershave been trimmed to provide15% higher head per flow unit,while the semi-radial designprovide a more stable perform-ance curve at higher capacities.

After finite element analy-sis, moulded intermediatechambers had been selected tomaximise stiffness, with the re-

sult that weight across the newrange had been reduced by30% compared to similarlyconstructed units featuringwelded chambers.

Considerable attention hasalso been given to bearing per-formance. The use of conicalthrust bearings in the upperdrive shaft arrangement min-imises vibrations. Furthermorethe thrust bearing arrangementhas been designed with oil cir-culation for American Petro-leum Institute (API)compliance and increased lifes-pan. The distance between thetransmission shaft bearings isin accordance to API610 inorder to assure stable operation

under all service conditions.The pump can be delivered

either with a labyrinth seal ormechanical seal. The mechani-cal seal is of the cartridge typeand as an option it can be de-livered in compliance withAPI682.

Support systemFor sea-water lift pumps andfire pumps installed in cais-sons, Hamworthy Svanehøjcan supply its patented inflat-able intermediate support sys-tem. The support system isdeveloped in order to secureproper installation and supportof the pump in the caisson.

Mr Fischer said that thenew DWS pumps will be avail-able in a wide range of materi-als, such as AISI 316L, Duplexand Super Duplex. Optionallythe pumps can be deliveredwith strainer, galvanic protec-tion and anti fouling system.

The company is also in theprocess of rolling out a newrange of offshore process andcargo pumps (OPCs), whichare also API 610 compliant.Featuring an explosion-proofelectric motor on deck, oil-lu-bricated transmissionshaft/bearings with oil circula-tion and filtration, a doublemechanical seal with liquid-filled cofferdam, the new rangehas been specifically designed

FPSOs


refurbishing a Hamworthypump in Singapore

THREE JAPAN-HEAD-QUARTERED companiesModec, Mitsu, and Mitsubishiare investing in building andchartering an FPSO, forGuara, a Dutch company be-longing to the Brazil-focusedBM-S-9 consortium.

The FPSO will be deliv-ered offshore Brazil and usedto develop the pre-salt regionof the Santos Basin, in theBM-S-9 block under conces-sion to the consortium Brazil’sPetrobras, BG E&P-Brasil, and

Repsol Sinopec.Modec is currently convert-

ing the VLCC Radiant Jewelinto an FPSO, which whencomplete will be renamedFPSO Cidade de Sao PauloMV23 and be deployed to theBM-S-9 block off the Braziliancoast, where vast oil reserveslay beneath a layer of rock andsalt at a depth of 5,000 meters.

The FPSO is scheduled fordelivery towards the end of2012. It will have a 20-yearproduction life.

Guara deal In Brief


to be suitable for liquids con-taining solids, abrasive liquidsor aggressive chemicals.

Other significant designfeatures picked out by Mr Fis-cher included the fact thatHamworthy’s new range ofOPCs are capable of at least a 5% head increase at rated con-ditions by replacement of theimpeller with one of larger di-ameter. Furthermore, “Thewear ring clearance is accord-ing to API 610 and designed insuch a way that there is no con-tact between impeller and sta-

tor,” said Mr Fischer. “Wearrings are available in differentmaterials in order to preventgalling, secure a hardness dif-ference of minimum 50 Brinelland low abrasive wear. Thethrust bearing is also designedaccording to API610, oil-lubri-cated, with a minimum life ex-pectancy of 25,000 hours.”

He added, “With our strongfocus on the offshore industry,we are fulfilling overall objec-tive to develop a series of seawater lift and fire pumps andOPCs that meet the require-ments of API610 and NFPA-20,secure long mean time betweenrepair, and reliable and efficientoperation.”


BW Offshoreadoptspsychometric tool

LLOYD’S REGISTER EMEAhas been awarded the globalcontract to provide MaerskFPSOs with a suite of techni-cal services to assure the reli-able operation of its fleet ofFPSO units which servessome of the world's biggestoffshore fields.

The multi-year agreementincludes including integrityand inspection management,classification, verification andengineering support -- to helpensure safe and sustainableoperations. There is an optionto extend beyond the originalcontract period.

"This is a very importantcontract for Lloyd's Register,not least because it offers fur-ther evidence of our ability todeliver a wide portfolio oftechnical services to elitecompanies in the offshore in-dustry," said Iain Light,Group Energy Director,Lloyd's Register. "We areamong very few organisationssupporting the offshore in-dustry that has the requiredglobal reach and depth ofknowledge to deliver such acomprehensive and consistentrange of technical supportacross the world.”

LR to support Maersk FPSOs In Brief

Pump parts are loaded ontoan FPSO

Oslo-based BW Offshore, one of the world’s leading op-erators of floating production and storage offshore(FPSO) vessels, is switching to the new APRO on-line psychometric testing tool, recently introduced by

computer-based training specialist Seagull AS. The company isnow using this tool as an integral part of its global recruitmentprogramme, and the online APRO test will be undertaken asstandard by all recruits, whatever grade and job function.

Test, modifySeagull has now upgraded the APRO test process and modifiedit so that it can be undertaken online. The web-based product,hosted by Seagull on one of its servers, only requires users tohave a web browser.

APRO comprises seven sub-tests, designed to assess how acandidate perceives, processes and acts on information, essen-tially measuring speed versus accuracy. The test, which takesabout 1.5 hours to complete, has a standardised scoring methodwhich allows results to be quantified and compared with otherpotential recruits taking the test.

Arne K. Jorgensen, Senior Vice President, Global HR Oper-ations for BW Offshore, has had considerable experience ofAPRO, having previously used the tool in connection with se-lection of maritime cadets from Russia, Latvia and the Philip-pines as a representative from the NSA. On taking his presentpost at BW Offshore in 2006, Mr Jorgensen introduced the man-ual version of APRO to assess all recruits in the selection process.“APRO has proved to be a valuable tool in the selection processand also in the process of identifying our future leaders,” he says.

“The new web-based tool looks better, has more functional-ity and there are a lot of practical advantages compared with themanual system. Feedback from my HR team has been very pos-itive.”

Recruitment processOver the past five years, APRO has become a central tool in therecruitment process adopted by BW Offshore. Mr Jorgensen ex-plains: “We want to have a long term relationship with our em-ployees and we hope they will stay with us for many years, oftenrising up the ranks to positions of management. It is importantthat as a global company we have a standard method that can beapplied to all recruits at an early stage to ensure that we recruitthe right staff.”

He adds: “APRO also helps us quickly determine who we def-initely don’t want from a large group of applicants. When youwant to reduce a group of 300 down to, say, the five you want tocall for interview, APRO is a great tool.”

BW Offshore is now in the process of training staff to use the on-line testing tool. So far five of its HR team members have attendedSeagull’s assessor courses in Oslo and Singapore, and more will betrained as time goes on. This one day training seminar for shore-based staff is a vital part of the overall APRO process.


Seismic

Seismic group Fugrohas taken deliveryof its latest new-build vessel, Fugro

Galaxy, the second of the com-pany’s FSSV 65 series of dedi-cated survey vessels.

The vessel was launched tomeet challenges posed by theever more remote and extremeenvironments of new offshoreoil and gas and renewable de-velopments have led to a newstandard of survey vessel.

FSSV 65 is the design namefor a state of the art 65m longFugro Standard Survey Vessel.Designed to Fugro specificationsthe specially designed hull formand propulsion system ensuresacoustically quiet and economi-cal running at higher than stan-dard survey speeds.

Fitted with the latest sur-vey equipment, the FSSV 65’sare the most advanced vessels

of their type in the world. Thefirst vessel MV Fugro Searcherwas commissioned in March2010 and is also operated byAberdeen, UK-based FugroSurvey Limited. This vesselhas proved to be an extremelycapable survey platform; re-ceiving highly complimentaryfeedback on reliability, comfortand excellent data quality fromclient’s offshore representa-tives, said the company.

The vessel is designed tocarry out the full range of siteand route survey tasks to obtainthe high resolution data neces-sary for safe, efficient and cost-effective planning, design andengineering activities for the in-stallation of pipelines, plat-forms, manifolds, wind turbinesand other seabed structures.

The Galaxy is a multi-task-ing DP1 vessel with a perma-nently mobilised suite of highresolution geophysical and hy-drographic survey equipmentincluding Kongsberg EM710multi-beam, Topas PS 40 para-metric sub-bottom profiler andsolid digital seismic streamers.Environmental, Geotechnicaland ROVSV equipment will bedeployed using both stern and

side hydraulic A-frame deploy-ments and handling equipment.The vessel is fully networked toprovide plug-and play intercon-nectivity and has Fugro’s dualDGPS high precision surfacepositioning and HiPAP acousticunderwater positioning.

With the focus on highquality, high-resolution data ac-quisition, the survey instru-mentation and vesselconfiguration enables the de-tailed mapping required for safeand cost-effective offshore op-erations and engineering de-sign. Multiple off-line dataprocessing workstations facili-tate quality control analysisand enable onboard reporting.Data can be assembled,analysed and interpreted in afully integrated way.

“The significant invest-ment made in this vessel high-lights Fugro’s commitment tothe NW European energy sec-tor and our determination todeliver the high quality site in-vestigation service demandedby our clients’ developmentprojects,” said Phil Meaden,Fugro Survey’s managing direc-tor, at the formal naming cere-mony in Bremen, Germany.

A new seismicvessel has oiland gas andwindpower in itssights


Fugro Galaxy delivered

From l-r: PhilMeaden, SusanMorse, KlaasWester and HaraldFassmer

M/V Fugro Galaxy

siesmic.qxp:Layout 2 1/7/11 10:49 Page 26

Saab Seaeye has de-veloped a fresh con-cept for usingremotely controlled

ROVs with the focus on usingthe internet to enhance com-munication and control.Through a gateway into theheart of the vehicle, users canaccess diagnostics, softwareupgrades and system inven-tory directly over an enabledweb interface.

Through a gateway intothe heart of the vehicle, userscan access diagnostics, soft-ware upgrades and system in-ventory directly over anenabled web interface.

Called iCON (the intelligentcontrol of nodes), the conceptenables each microprocessor(node), to report its unique sta-tus to the central control system− and take action if necessary.

Such precise and instanta-neous feedback means the op-erator no longer has to makeassumptions about the state ofthe ROV.

Essentially, iCON managesthree modes: operational, diag-nostic and update.

In the case of a thruster, forexample, the operational modecontrols, start, stop, speed anddirection; the diagnostic modegives a health check and allowsinterrogation of parameterssuch as power, temperature,hours run and vibration; theupdate mode allows new con-trol software to be downloadedto the thruster when updatesare available and new featuresare introduced.

Should an operator want toadd or enhance equipment onboard, interfaces have beenstandardised into a common

unambiguous format to makethe task easier.

Also, the introduction ofnew systems and their suc-cessful integration will bespeeded-up using developmentand de-bugging tools builtaround iCON.

Recognising that an ROVworks in a hazardous environ-ment, and is likely to suffer asystem failure at some time,iCON brings to the ROV a newself-awareness of each deviceon board that makes it easierto survive the loss of one ormore system or component −and keep working.

For instance, should athruster get entangled, iCONinstantly recognises a loadproblem and shuts itself down.At the same time it alerts therest of the system so that theremaining thrusters automati-cally compensate for the loss ofthe compromised thruster andkeep the ROV under control.

Before iCON, the onlywarning a pilot had was whenthe ROV started going roundin circles leaving him battlingfor control and boostingpower, unaware of the poten-tial damage being done to thethruster.

Now the pilot can concen-trate on completing the task inhand before retrieving the ROV.

Back on deck, iCON willidentify the problem and therepair needed, also what toolsare required and the skill levelnecessary.

If required, engineers at SaabSeaeye can remotely interrogatethe problem on the ROV wher-ever it is in the world, directlyover the web, and assist the userin diagnostics and repair.

With each device constantlysensing its state of health andinstantly reporting back a prob-lem, the operator not only hasgreater control, buttheir role is mademuch easier and sim-pler.

And not only doesiCON generate a sys-tem failure alert, butwill predict it. This ismade possible becausedata is both active and histori-cal, and therefore capable ofarriving at a dynamically ana-lytical predictive conclusion.

Usage hours on compo-nents are tracked, and prob-lems that might be brewinghighlighted. Therefore it pre-dicts when and if a device willfail and alerts maintenancecrew before a problem occurs,says the company.

It means operators are bet-ter able to keep a vehicle in op-eration than would otherwisebe possible.

Spares management is alsoimproved as remote examina-tion of systems within theROV by the operator allowshim to accurately monitor bothequipment and spares inven-tory through its part numbersand serial numbers.

The thinking iCON ROV


The Jaguar is a fullyiCON-centred work ROV

Primary Flight Screenprovides the pilot

feedback onnavigation, auto-pilots,

primary sub-systemsand any critical errors

or faults

ROV.qxp:Layout 2 1/7/11 11:57 Page 27

For those operatingrigs and offshore ves-sels in remoter partsof the globe, commu-

nication has long been a chal-lenge. The ability to have aconversation or exchange in-formation with colleagues,friends and family has untilnow been restricted, on thegrounds of both cost and lackof communications channels.

The need to improve oper-ational efficiency and controlthe cost of voice and data com-munications is crucial to staycompetitive. In the area of oiland gas, for example, the latesttechnologies generate huge vol-umes of data which needs to betransported securely and reli-ably from individual explo-ration sites to the head office or

data centre. Similarly, newcrew welfare regulations areputting increased pressure onoperators to provide high qual-ity, low cost voice and datacommunications for employeeswho are often away from homefor long periods of time.

However, there is nothingless than a revolution currentlytaking place in the world ofsatellite communications.Businesses and their staff op-erating in distant maritime lo-cations can now benefit fromthe kind of high quality voiceand data communications theyhave become increasingly usedto at head office or at home.

Bandwidth efficiencyOptimising communicationover the Internet demands a

Controlling offshorecommunicationscosts – the key iscompression, bySandy Johnson,COO, SatComGlobal


RemoteComms Keep in touch

Sandy Johnson, COO ofSatCom Global

Sat comms are vital forremote communications.(Photo courtesy BP)

satcoms.qxp:Layout 2 1/7/11 10:51 Page 28

solution that can use band-width more efficiently andgives users more control overhow much data they consume.

Our Horizon suite of prod-ucts provides a best practice ex-ample of this – as a highlybandwidth-efficient voice overIP (VoIP) platform specificallydesigned to meet the challengeof off-shore and other remoteareas where there is limitedbandwidth available.

The key to deliveringhighly available, reliable andsecure communications at anaffordable cost is compression.It means that every part of thesolution is designed to use aslittle bandwidth as possible –and consume minimal data.

For the first time, eight ana-logue telephones can be con-nected for simultaneous callingover a single Internet link. Atits heart lies the company’sSmartPacket™ technology,which enables VoIP from only2kbps – compared to around8kbps from other G.729 VoIPexisting solutions. Horizon is76% more efficient in networkperformance. This approachextends to a range of data ap-plications, including com-pressed email, optimisedweb-browsing and instant mes-saging services which are alsodesigned to minimise the vol-ume of data consumed andcosts for the user.

A desktop app informsusers as to how much band-width they are using - and thecosts incurred – by indicatingin real-time the volume of dataconsumed after each mouse-click on a web page or wordspoken in a call.

Two other features high-light the value of minimisingbandwidth usage. A flexiblecodec allows the user to choosefrom three levels of call qualityin maintaining the best balancebetween cost and perform-ance.

Unlike traditional VoIPcalls, which send the sameamount of data in both direc-

tions irrespective of whethersomeone is speaking or not,the Horizon solution can de-tect silence. By sending heart-beats instead of data users cantell that the line has not beendropped. This requires a datarate of just 0.25kbps, com-pared to the 8kbps of more es-tablished G.729 VoIPalternatives. And, as band-width is money, this dramati-cally cuts the cost too.

This is supported by aflexible billing system. Allusage, including logging on, isrecorded against each user’sPIN, which enables detailedcall data records per user -rather than per device - socosts to be allocated and billedto an individual user. And asthe system supports both pre-paid and post-paid billing, itmeans that staff using pre-payservices for personal commu-nications and post-pay serv-ices for business can be easilymanaged as part of one cen-tral account.

Improving crew welfareFor employees working in in-dustries such as cargo trans-portation and oil and gasexploration, the ability to ac-cess the Internet and stay incontact with home on a regu-lar basis in this way – byphone, email and instant mes-saging will dramatically im-prove the working conditionsand the quality of life for thecrew working in these re-mote places. Horizon hasnow made it entirely afford-able for the crew to accessthese services.

And for the employer orbill payer, the visibility andcontrol of communicationscosts which such tools providemeans that they can offer thesebenefits without the fear of ex-penditure spiralling out of con-trol, as they look to recruit andretain the best staff.

www.satcomglobal.com


Horizon Multi VoIP product

Internet connectivityimproves the workingconditions and quality of lifefor remote crews (Courtesy Shell)

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Renewed confidencein demand forul tra -deepwaterdrillships saw Sead-

rill exercise an option to build aUS$600 million dual derrick atSamsung Heavy Industries inSouth Korea in April, with de-livery scheduled for the thirdquarter 2013.

Also enjoying renewedconfidence, Norway-basedSeadrill has simultaneously se-cured an extension for a fur-ther option agreement to builda further drillship. While itcurrently has no specific planto exercise this option, theowner said it “might considerit if the strong underlyingtrend currently seen in thedeep water market continues”.

Announcing the latest firmorder, Alf C Thorkildsen, chiefexecutive officer of SeadrillManagement AS, said: “Thedecision to add another ultra-deepwater newbuild to ourmodern fleet is based on the re-cent improvement in marketoutlook for ultra-deepwaterunits, with significantly moretender activities.”

The latest unit will be sim-ilar to drillships already deliv-ered by Samsung to the owner,and to two more under con-struction, ordered in Novem-ber 2010. These ships aredesigned for enhanced waterdepth capacity, with increasedaccommodation capacity com-pared to previous generationdrillships. The dynamic posi-tioning ships are capable of op-erations in water depths up to12,000 feet, and have a hookload capability of 1,250 tons.

“We have had excellent ex-perience with the Samsung

yard and this design,” said MrThorkildsen.

Common to all of theseships, and indeed to eight Sead-rill semi-submersible drillingrigs from Samsung (2 units de-livered), Daewoo Shipbuildingand Marine Engineering (2units delivered) and JurongShipyard Pte (3 units delivered,one under completion), areABB electrical systems andthrusters.

Indeed, ABB’s systemshave become a mainstay of thisdeveloping market, a fact thatthe supplier puts down to itscommitment to system simplic-ity, in terms of both installa-tion and operation.

The success of the ‘systemssimplicity’ strategy is clearly re-flected in ABB’s continuingstrong relations with SouthKorea’s leading shipbuilders.Aside from the Seadrill orders,the company has secured a se-ries of other drillship referencesvia Samsung and Daewoo, withfruition due over the coming

two years. As such, it has con-solidated its position as themarket leader in drillship elec-trical system supply. In all casesABB is taking on total electricalsystem responsibility, systemengineering, necessary studiesand calculations, in addition toproject execution and commis-sioning.

Also buying into the Sam-sung 12000 design, for exam-ple, and featuring ABBtechnology is Pride, which hasordered one Drillship (+1 Op-tion), with the vessel due deliv-ery in the third quarter of 2013.

Again, ABB systems are in-tegral to Samsung’s twin shiporder for Queiroz Galvão Óleo eGás, under construction to theSamsung 10000 design. Theseships will be delivered in thethird quarter of 2012 and will beoperated by Petrobras in Brazil-ian waters, with electrical equip-ment due delivery up to the endof the second quarter 2011.

While power ratings varyacross these projects, common

Drillships Deepsea boom

Alf C Thorkildsen, ceo at Seadrill


Demand forultra-deepwaterdrillships isentering a new,positive phasewith orders atAsian shipyardson the rise

Seadrill’s West Siriusdrilling rig

drill.QXP:Layout 2 1/7/11 11:59 Page 30

to all is ABB’s supply of AMGgenerators, 11kV UniGearswitchboards and 11kVthruster connection panels de-signed to operate in a radialsystem, Resibloc distributiontransformers, AMI thrustermotors including ACS6000water cooled frequency con-verters and Q24 pulse Resiblocwater cooled transformers.

These systems have beenspecifically designed to recoververy fast should either a partialor total black out occur.

At DSME, meanwhile,ABB is again taking total sys-tem responsibility in a projectto deliver a Semi SubmersibleDrilling Rig to the GVA 7500design by fourth quarter 2012to Petroserv, Brazil. Again,where power ratios differ, thedelivery will be characterisedby AMG Generators 11kVUniGear switchboards, Resi-bloc distribution transformers,the Q24 pulse Resibloc watercooled transformers and AMIthrusters. Here, though, MNSmain distribution switch-boards are to be installed aswell as the larger ACS800water cooled frequency con-verters.

ABB is also sustaining itsworkload in Singapore’s rigsector, where the supplier hasorders at Keppel FELS Pte, Ltdto supply systems for two JackUps for an Indian Owner, twoJack Ups for Clear Water andone Jack Up for Jasper. Else-where, at Jurong Shipyard PteLtd, ABB is supplying systemsfor a Super Jack Up type Gusto

MSC CJ70 for drilling down to492 ft water depth.

Simplified thinkingOver recent years, the companyhas advised owners to use sys-tems based on marine standard,high quality equipment, imbuedwith the redundancy that avoids‘engineering mistakes’ in the de-sign phase and minimises thehidden faults that are difficult todiscover in tests.

ABB Technology ManagerAlf Kåre Ådnanes explained:“We decided to design electri-cal systems that use industry-standard components adaptedto marine requirements and tofocus the design on minimizingthe risk that a single failure canshut down an entire rig ordrillship. Our thinking wasthat such a design would beeasier to install, easier to oper-ate and easier to maintainthrough the life of the vessel.And operational concerns indrilling rigs’ electrical systems,such as blackout preventionand lean fuel consumption, arebetter addressed by adaptingthe performance of industry-standard products and systems,rather than engineering in-creasingly complex customisedsolutions”.

Jorulf Nergard, Vice Presi-dent Sales – Floaters, ABB AS,BU Marine & Cranes, added:“In simplifying our offering,we have focused on so supply-ing systems where the opera-tion and the maintenancebecomes easier and more intu-itive for personnel.

“ABB will continue tofocus on developing simple butefficient solutions to increasethe robustness of our systems,”said Mr Nergard. “One of theareas that has seen more andmore focus from operators andowners is to avoid rig black outsituations to achieve a safe andfast recovery of the thrustersand drilling system. Althoughblack out is unlikely to happenin a modern drilling rig instal-lation, the conditions and reli-able measures to recover mustbe in place.”

Acknowledging the recentscarcity of new shipbuildingorders, Mr Nergard said thatsystem simplicity also had abearing on costs. “The twomain drivers for owners con-sidering new orders at the mo-ment are timely building slotsand low prices. New drillshipconcepts are being developedby the main shipbuilders butthe market is currently one forrepeat business.”

Chinese openingReflecting its need to locate pro-duction close to growing ship-building markets, and to includelocal content, ABB will open anew factory close to Shanghaithis summer to turn out its Cand CZ Azipod Thruster units,where Mr Nergard said thatsimplicity of design had alsobeen a design priority. He saidthat simplicity was reflected par-ticularly in the thrusters units’single piece shaft, the fact thatthere are only three main bear-ings (one roller type bearing at

each end and the slewing bear-ing), and it has a electric steer-ing gear solution.

The CZ Azipod Thruster,officially launched last year, isreckoned to offer the same per-formance as comparable con-ventional thrusters systemswhile drawing on lower in-stalled power, as well as bene-fiting from reduced installationcosts, and reduced fuel con-sumption. The last attributecontributed to reduced envi-ronmental impact, Mr Nergardemphasised.

“ABB's Azipod CZ type hasa range of up to 83 tonnes effi-cient thrust generated from a4500kW electrical motorpower,” said Mr Nergard.“This can be comparable withtraditional mechanicalthrusters with motor ratings ofabout 5000kW, generating fuelsavings of about 10%, whilethe ‘green effect’ is even higherin the lower part of thethrusters power range. Therange which is used during DPoperations, for example, rang-ing from 0 - 1200kW, can ap-proximately add a further 5%in fuel savings.”

The company already hadorders in place for 19 thrustersfor delivery starting from end of2011, he said. “This factory isimportant for us to cover theAsian market, but also the totalglobal market with high qualitythrusters,” he said. “And also itis important for ABB as a wholeand will enable us to offer very‘green’ and safe solutions withvery low emissions.”


Seadrill’s West Capelladrillship

Seadrill’s West Geminidrillship, built in 2011

drill.QXP:Layout 2 1/7/11 11:59 Page 31


Renewables Plugging Europe’s energy gap

With the UK rapidlyheading for blackouts

in 2016 (despite warningsfrom government energy ad-visors since 2008), whenolder coal and nuclear sta-tions must be phased out,green energy really needs tostart coming into its own. Allthe more so should the gov-ernment feel moved to followGermany’s over-reaction tothe Fukushima disaster, de-claring an intention to be-come entirely non-nuclear by2022 in favour of developingnew coal stations and invest-ing in green energy, writesAlexander Hill, UK EnergyBusiness Development, CriticalSoftware.

Are green energy compa-nies going to be able to plugthis growing energy gap orwill we start to see parts ofEurope being turned off infive years’ time?

All of this remains to beseen, but alternative energyso far has not had an easyride, with the public opposinggiant wind turbines for in-stance. Governments acrossEurope are massively subsi-dising companies managingalternative energy projects,and bearing in mind the im-pending energy crisis, theyare clearly making sound in-vestments without whichgreen energy would not yet beso far advanced.

However, it’s no secretthat green energy (particu-larly tidal and wind power) ismore expensive to producethan energy from nuclear andfossil fuel powered stations,but it could be made more ef-ficient and streamlined by in-troducing more up to date

technologies. Surely if greenenergy becomes cheaper toproduce then more compa-nies will start to realise itsbusiness potential and there-fore be more willing to in-vest?

One area, vital to the op-eration of all renewable en-ergy facilities, that seriouslyneeds to be streamlined andimproved, is the technologydeployed to monitor thestructural and componentlevel health of critical equip-ment, such as offshore windturbines and rotating blades.This kind of equipment isconstantly exposed to the nat-ural elements and isn’t al-ways easily accessible; there’sa clear case for condition-based maintenance based oncontinuous, remote structuralhealth data monitoring soft-ware that will identify prob-lems quickly.

The main issue at the mo-ment is that the renewableenergy industry is still very

immature with many firmsdepending on primitive tech-nological interfaces and soft-ware that quite frankly arefrom the dark ages. Thereare few systems that warn ofpotential problems, so thatthey may be mitigated beforethey cause any severe disrup-tion. Rather, systems tend tobe reactive, alerting a teamtoo late when millions ofpounds-worth of damage hasalready been caused and thesystems have failed.

Renewable energy infra-structure is as complex asany other system uponwhich our society dependsand a traditional, simplisticapproach to monitoring andmaintaining the health ofcritical equipment and soft-ware is simply not goodenough. Industry leadersmust strive towards a stan-dardised monitoring interfaceto streamline operations, in-crease maintenance efficiencyand boost availability.

Looking for help and ad-vice from more mature indus-try sectors that rely onsimilar systems, would defi-nitely be beneficial. For in-stance, the alternative energysector would learn a lot fromthe aerospace sector which isat the forefront of monitoringcritical systems. Taking afew lessons on structuralhealth monitoring from aero-space engineering will helpthe alternative energy sectormeet its undoubted chal-lenges, tempting more firmsto enter what is still an im-mature sector, and to playtheir part in helping both theUK and Europe head off theblackouts.

Alexander Hill, UK EnergyBusiness Development,Critical Software

renewpp.qxp:Layout 2 1/7/11 10:58 Page 32

33.QXP:Layout 1 20/7/11 16:19 Page 1

Offshore Europe2011September 6 - 8AberdeenThe upstream oil and gas sec-tor is faced with “challenges ofenormous scale” that the globalindustry must tackle if it is toprovide safe, smart and sus-tainable supplies, while alsocontinuing to explore and de-velop new territories and fron-tiers.

Samir Brikho, in his role aschairman of the huge biennialSPE Offshore Europe 2011,said that recent events had pro-vided a reminder of the impor-tance of health, safety, securityand environmental issues inaddressing the significant andunique challenges of opera-tions in ever-increasing waterdepths.

Mr Brikho, who is ChiefExecutive of AMEC plc, saysthat the upstream industry isfaced with the challenge ofovercoming today’s technicaland logistical pressures, as wellas the new science and knowl-edge required. He continued:“Of course running through allour activities, onshore and off-shore, are Human Factor issuesthat must be taken into ac-count, in terms of facility de-sign, staffing and operations. Ifthe industry is to provide asafe, smart and sustainablesupply, as well as succeed inexploring and developing newterritories and frontiers, itmust challenge convention anddiscuss these issues”.

Capex risingGlobal capital expenditure ondeepwater projects is forecastto total US $167 billion be-tween now and 2015, confirm-

ing its status as a major plat-form in the growth strategies ofthe world’s oil and gas players.The crucial role that this sectornow plays in the E&P indus-try’s future will be reflected atthis year’s SPE Offshore Eu-rope exhibition and confer-ence, with the launch of theDeep Water Zone. This will bea brand new area dedicated tothe latest state-of-the-art tech-nologies helping the upstreamsector advance into one of theworld’s most challenging envi-ronments.

The organisers of SPE Off-shore Europe 2011 are dedicat-ing an entire hall to thetechnologies and expertisebeing employed by the deepwa-ter E&P industry at this year’sevent, which runs from 6-8thSeptember in Aberdeen, theenergy capital of Europe.

Deep water zoneThe OE Deep Water Zone willfeature a dedicated technicalpresentation area where ex-perts will present case studiesand participate in panel dis-cussions. This will give atten-dees the opportunity to learnabout some of the very latestdevelopments in the sector,with content programmed bythe leading organisations in thefield, including the BrasilianPetroleum, Gas and BiofuelsInstitute (IBP), the Society ofPetroleum Engineers (SPE),the Society for UnderwaterTechnology (SUT) and the Eu-

ropean Association of Geosci-entists & Engineers (EAGE).

This will include presenta-tions by Petrobras, a world-leader in deep waterdevelopments, and which isleading the way offshore Brasil,where capital expenditure ofup to $54 billion is forecast be-tween now and 2015 - the vastmajority of that in deepwaterpre-salt projects. There willalso be a technical presentationsession in the Zone entirelydedicated to deepwater explo-ration, organised by the EAGE.

The biennial conferenceand exhibition is organised byThe Offshore Europe Partner-ship, a joint venture betweenReed Exhibitions Ltd. and theSociety of Petroleum Engineers(SPE).

www.offshore-europe.co.uk

IMarEST/SUTMetoceanAwarenesscourses The Metocean AwarenessCourse run by the Institute ofMarine Engineering, Scienceand Technology (IMarEST)and the Society for UnderwaterTechnology (SUT) is provinginvaluable to those working inthe offshore oil and gas and ma-rine renewables industriesaround the globe – more UKand USA dates have now beenadded to the calendar.

The next dates in the cycleare Tuesday 31 May-Thursday2 June in Aberdeen, Tuesday 6-Thursday 8 September in Lon-don, and Tuesday 18-Thursday20 October in Houston, Texas.

Registration is now open,with preferential rates forIMarEST and SUT members.

www.imarest.org


Events Diary

Samir Brikho, chairman ofOE 2011

events.qxp:Layout 2 1/7/11 11:05 Page 34

OffshoreConventionAustralasia 2011August 23 – 25, 2011Perth, AustraliaAustralasia 2011 (OC Aus-tralasia 2011) is the 2nd An-nual industry conference thatfocuses on the booming off-shore and deep offshore E&Psector in Australasia Region.OC Australasia 2011 will beamong the most importantevents that addresses opportu-nities that emerging from off-shore market place inAustralia, New Zealand, PNG,and Timor Leste.

www.neoventurecorp.com/oc/aus/

Tertiary FanReservoirs of theNorth Sea August 31 – Sep 2Aberdeen, ScotlandThe discovery of the giant For-ties Field in 1970 triggered a 40year history of exploration andexploitation of Tertiary deepmarine fan reservoirs in theNorth Sea.

To date there has been noevent specifically dedicated tothese important reservoirswhich have made such a majorcontribution to the success ofthis hydrocarbon province andcontinue to present opportuni-ties from new exploration dis-coveries through to there-development of maturefields.

This conference aims toshowcase the geological diver-sity that exists across a range ofdepositional and structural set-tings.For further information and reg-

istration, please contact: SteveWhalley, Event Co-ordinator:

+44 (0) 20 7432 0980 or email:[email protected]

Offshore India/UnconventionalOil & Gas IndiaSeptember 14Mumbai, IndiaAddressing the demandingneeds of the Indian market, theinaugural Offshore India andUnconventional Oil & GasIndia provide a unique co-lo-cated platform for assemblingthe region's key leaders for dis-cussion of technical, strategicand business topics affectingIndian oil & gas.

www.offshoreoilindia.com

Commercial Diverand DivingOperationsInternationalConference andExhibition(CDDO)3 - 4 April 2012Marina Bay SandsExhibition Centre,SingaporeThis show is the only exhibi-tion and conference for civil,naval and military diving inSoutheast Asia and outside theUnited States.

Exhibiting at CommercialDiver & Diving Operations

Asia 2012 is an extremely effi-cient way to place your prod-ucts and services in front ofyour existing and potential cus-tomers in a highly prestigiousenvironment.

The event will be held atthe brand new Marina BaySands exhibition centre andwill be accompanied by an in-ternational conference fordivers and contractors, individ-uals and companies involvedwith diving operations. Thisconference will touch on all cri-teria related to this complexglobal and high value industry.

This industry is growingworldwide with particular em-phasis in Southeast Asia.

Civil, naval and militarydivers and contractors world-wide are invited to attend thefirst global conference and ex-hibition for the fast-growingand high-value commercial div-ing industry.

During the conference sub-jects such as training, safetymeasures, innovative tools andtechnology and certificationwill be discussed, along withthe future of commercial diving.The exhibition will mirror thiswith exhibitors showing theirproducts and services. Interna-tional organizations, delegatesand visitors working on closingthe gaps in training and safetyregulations will contribute bycreating a lively atmospherewhere networking is made easy.

Demand for commercialdivers is growing but vacan-cies remain open due to thelack of availability of trained

divers. This situation re-quires international recogni-tion and joint efforts to solve.This applies not only todivers but also very much tocontractors and companiesinvolved in diving operations- from the oil and gas indus-try to the renewables sector,to ship maintenance and divesupport vessels and areassuch as save and rescue andsecurity operations.

Official supporters of theshow include IMCA, Interna-tional Marine Contractors As-sociation, The UnderwaterCentre, the National Hyper-baric Centre and companiesfrom around the world.

Contact Nele Andersch on+44(0)159067 9977 or [email protected] for book-

ings and further information


Commercial Diver and DivingOperations

Delegates consider a modelsubsea layout

Acergy technology ondisplay at OE 2009

events.qxp:Layout 2 1/7/11 11:05 Page 35

Mooring Systems Ltd hasannounced a tricatenary

mooring and riser system forfloating production, storageand offtake (FPSO) vessels inmarginal, deepwater andultra-deepwater, oil and gasfields. The deepwater tricate-nary mooring system (TCMS)provides a simpler, more cost-effective mooring, and re-quires less FPSOmodification, than traditionaldeepwater mooring systems,says the Aberdeen-based com-pany.

Deepwater TCMS com-prises three synthetic fibrerope mooring lines radiatingat equal angles from a con-necting node below the seasurface, with a mooring pen-dant rising from the node tothe bow of the mooredFPSO. Flowline risers arefed through a guide framewithin the pendant to on-board processing plant. Tocope with wave and wind

movements offshore, theTCMS allows the FPSO toweathervane.

In the event of adverseweather conditions, the bow-mounted riser productiontower is fully disconnectableand can be abandoned to 70mwater depth while the FPSOsails to a safe port. When theFPSO returns, and is on sta-tion, the tower is retrievedand reconnected to the bowof the vessel.

Deepwater TCMS is de-signed to offer independentoperators an alternative toconventional deepwatermooring systems which arecomplex and expensive to de-ploy in marginal fields atwater depths greater than1,000m. In addition, theyoften require substantial mod-ifications to the FPSO such asthe addition of a mooring tur-ret. In a marginal field, a tur-ret capable of handling asmall number of risers is

overkill compared with adeepwater TCMS designed forfour or five risers, which ismore practical and quicker todeploy.

“Since the late 1990sTCMS systems have provideda cost-effective mooring solu-tion in marginal shallowwater fields. The deepwaterTCMS builds on this successand experience to give inde-pendent operators a methodof maximising the profitabil-ity of deepwater marginalfields,” says Mooring Sys-tems, general manager, DougDavidson.

Deepwater TCMS buildson the success of the shallowwater, tricatenary mooringsystem where the simplicityand speed of mooring line de-ployment, and the ease ofvessel bow modification, hasled to its use on a number ofFPSO and floating storagevessels.

www mooringsystemsltd.com


NewProducts Mooring for marginal fields

Aker Solutions has success-fully completed engineer-

ing work on the Buzzardplatform which saw an inno-vative flexible piping systemused on a produced water sys-tem for the first time in theNorth Sea.

The Aberdeen operationof the international engineer-ing and construction servicesgroup used the Elastopip FOR(Fire and Oil Resistant) tech-nology when carrying outwork to install a temporarycompact flotation unit on theNexen installation.

Developed by TrelleborgOffshore Norway, Elastopipe isa patented corrosion free and

fire-resistant piping systemoriginally designed for delugeand sprinkler systems in harshenvironments. Made of syn-thetic rubber, it replaces rigidpipe materials like steel, tita-nium, copper nickel and fibreglass used in firewater systems.

With the development ofElastopipe FOR, TrelleborgOffshore Norway have takentheir proved technology intotransportation of hydrocar-bons and chemicals.

Elastopipe FOR was usedby Aker Solutions during theinstallation of new producedwater piping tie-ins, inlet, out-let and return lines back to theexisting degasser and over-

board to the produced watercaisson on the Buzzard plat-form.

Thomas Cook, Aker Solu-tion’s lead piping engineer onthe Nexen E&C project, said:“Work on the project began inJune 2010 and we were awarefrom the start that the schedulewas extremely tight. By look-ing beyond the conventionalNorth Sea solutions we havesaved our client an estimated£400,000 and up to 10 weeksproject time compared to ifwe’d gone the traditional piperoute.

“This would have in-volved the onshore fabrica-tion of numerous pipespoolsand pipe supports. This, alliedto the timescale of delivery ofmaterials and manhoursspent on the dimensional con-trol of pipespools, would havemeant missing the target in-stallation completion date andwould also have incurredmany more offshore man-hours for the constructionand scaffolding manpower re-quired for the more conven-tional installation.”

www.akersolutions.com

Flexible piping

new products.qxp:Layout 2 1/7/11 12:12 Page 36

Wireline and well inter-vention technology

specialist Wireline Engineer-ing has launched its next gen-eration Advanced KickoverTool to provide greater opera-tional efficiency and lower in-tervention costs to the oil andgas industry.

BP is the first operator touse the new patented down-hole technology, hailed as abreakthrough in enhancingthe efficiency of gas lift man-drel interventions by improv-ing wireline conveyance andtool orientation. This is im-portant in high deviationwells where the gas lift man-drel is set at challengingdepths and angles.

The tool’s ability to runsmoothly into a deviated wellreduces the risk of access fail-ure and its advanced designmakes it more effective at de-

ploying or retrievinggas lift valves at thefirst attempt, mini-mizing downtime.

Aberdeen-basedWireline Engineer-ing estimates thatthe Advanced Kick-over Tool can deliververy significant costsavings as the risk ofmisruns and operat-ing overruns is re-duced.

The AdvancedKickover Tool hasevolved from the de-sign elements of thecommercially provenEnhanced Perform-ance Kickover Tool,improved to be even more re-liable and to perform betterin challenging downhole con-ditions.

The new tool has com-

pleted its first commer-cial project deliveringsuccessful gas lift man-drel intervention andconveyance operationsto BP in one of thesuper-major’s highly de-viated wells in the UKNorth Sea, located in theMagnus field in the EastShetland Basin.

Bill Petrie, managingdirector of Wireline En-gineering, said: “TheAdvanced Kickover Toolcan be run in conjunc-tion with our RollerBogie tools and ourLow-Loader jarringtool. Collectively thiswireline intervention

package provides an efficient,reliable and cost-effective so-lution to gas lift servicingchallenges.”

www.wireline-engineering.com


Emerson Process Manage-ment has launched its

Roxar Downhole Wireless PTSensor System – Annulus B.The new instrument willmeasure online and in real-time previously inaccessiblepressure and temperature in-formation behind the casing insubsea production wells, pro-viding operators with an im-portant new tool for wellintegrity monitoring.

With online pressure mon-itoring, the Roxar DownholeWireless PT Sensor System –Annulus B can provide posi-tive confirmation of the pres-sure barrier’s integrity. Thetool will also negate the some-times excessive and expensiveover dimensioning of casingsthat can take place to compen-sate for worst case scenariosand will also potentially pro-vide operators with significantcost savings previously in-

curred in shutting in wells, dueto their lack of ability to verifybarrier integrity. The newwireless PT Sensor System andits permanent monitoring ca-pabilities will give added cer-tainty to the well integritymonitoring process as well asvaluable input during welltrouble-shooting.

“The Roxar DownholeWireless PT Sensor System –Annulus B represents a realstep change in protecting sub-sea well integrity, as it trackspressure in an area which waspreviously off limits for all op-erators,” said Terje Baustad ofEmerson Process Manage-ment.

“The new wireless instru-ment attaches to the samecable as the reservoir monitor-ing gauges and will detect anyvariations in pressure behindthe casing string. It will pro-vide early warning of these

conditions and allow interven-tion or other remedial actionsto be planned and imple-mented in a timely manner.The system consists of an Inte-grated Downhole Network(IDN) system to carry signalsfrom the wellbore to the cus-tomer monitoring system witha Downhole Network Con-troller Card (DHNC) placed inthe subsea structure and con-

nected to a ¼” electrical cablecoupled to a tubing hangerpenetrator and a series of up to32 sensors distributed through-out the completion string.Other key components of thesystem include a wirelessreader, a wireless PTTransponder and antennae tomonitor activity in the B An-nulus, and a transponder andreader carrier. The system hasan accuracy of +- 2.5 psi - +-0.18 degF.

www.emersonprocess.com

Pressure testing

The Roxar DownholeWireless PT Sensor System

Wireline kickover

Wireline Engineeringtechnician working on thenew technology

new products.qxp:Layout 2 1/7/11 12:12 Page 37

Subsea

International oilfield serv-ices company Expro hasannounced a major newinvestment programme

that will reinforce the com-pany’s leading position as asupplier of innovative technol-ogy and specialist services tothe upstream oil and gas sector,says the company.

The programme includesexpanding Expro’s establishedfleet of subsea safety systemsand well test packages, as wellas globalisation of the group’sstrong drill stem testing (DST)heritage and emerging, innova-tive telemetry capability.

Investments are also beingmade to fuel specific customergrowth initiatives in the wire-line and production systemsproduct lines as well as newproduct developments in pro-duction surveillance (multi-phase metering) and fluidanalysis, said the company.

The funds for the pro-gramme are being provided bya $250m (£154m) equity in-jection from the company’sshareholders. Additional flexi-

bility and the opportunity toaccelerate growth have alsobeen provided by increasedcovenant headroom under the

mezzanine facility and the ex-pansion of the group’s revolv-ing credit facility from $100mto $160m


Expro invests

Expro’s fleet ofsubsea safetysystems will beexpanded under thenew programme

Subsea well response

NINE OF the world’s leading oil and gas companies – BGGroup, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Petrobras,Shell, Statoil and Total – have launched the Subsea Well Re-sponse Project (SWRP), an initiative designed to enhance theindustry’s capability to respond to subsea well control incidents.

Acting on the recommendations of the International Asso-ciation of Oil & Gas Producers’ (OGP) Global Industry Re-sponse Group (GIRG) the companies have signed an InterimJoint Development Agreement, with Shell as the operator.

The project team will: Design a capping toolbox with a range of equipment to allowwells to be shut in.Design additional hardware for the subsea injection of dis-persant.Further assess the need for and feasibility of a containmentsystem for shared use.

Keith Lewis, former Vice President of Front-End Studies forShell in the Americas, has been named as project manager.“OGP [GIRG] has brought forward a comprehensive set of rec-ommendations for intervention on flowing wells following awell control incident. Designing systems that can be deployed ef-fectively in different regions of the world is an immense chal-lenge but member companies have assigned leading specialists tothe task,” Lewis said.

The Subsea Well Response Project (SWRP) is a not-for-profit joint initiative, and the project team consists of technicalexperts and senior management from nine of the major oil com-panies. SWRP’s objective is to manage the selection and designof caps and associated equipment to enhance industry capabili-ties to respond to well control incidents, and recommend amodel for international storage, maintenance and deployment ofthis equipment. SWRP is operated by Shell, on behalf of thenine member companies, and its headquarters is in Stavanger,Norway.

This new project complements the work that is being under-taken in the US, via the Marine Well Containment Company,and in the UK via the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Advi-sory Group.

www.subseawellresponse.com

In Brief

subsea.qxp:Layout 2 1/7/11 11:07 Page 38

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APRIL.qxp:Layout 1 1/7/11 10:44 Page 1

Remote searching

In supporting the oil andgas industry the world ofcommunications is devel-oping rapidly, both in

terms of the needs of differentusers and the technologies ca-pable of meeting the sector’sconstantly evolving demands.

Where it is commerciallyor technically unfeasible to layfibre optic cable or use longhaul microwave connections,satellite becomes the only vi-able option; in other locationssatellite can act as back-uppath should the primary fail.With near-shore exploration inareas such as the North Sea,the requirements are broadlyin line with those of most data-dependent industries. Yet inmoving towards exploration indeeper waters and more re-mote geographies, the commu-nications landscape changescompletely.

One area in which the ex-ploration industry is unlikemany other sectors is the flowof data. In the majority of ITapplications, most data travelsfrom the centre to outlying lo-cations, such as regional officesor manufacturing units.

However, in the oil & gasindustry, huge volumes of rawgeological and SCADA (super-visory control and data acqui-sition) type data aretransmitted from explorationvessels and production facili-ties to each company’s datacentre. Equally, relatively littledata tends to flows back fromthe centre to unmanned loca-tions and usually relates toconfirming precise details as towhere to focus local explo-ration efforts based on ananalysis of that data.

Unlike most satellite-based

solutions which are data cen-tre-centric therefore, here mostof the required bandwidth is ateach of the remote locations. Astandard enterprise-grade serv-ice focused on the data centrewill be unsuitable in such anenvironment: what is requiredis a solution which can offer aQuality of Service with largeupload capacity.

As a result, the typicalsatellite-based solution de-ployed by oil and gas compa-nies today is a single carrierper channel (SCPC) solution –in effect, a ‘leased line in thesky’.

Optimising bandwidthOil and gas companies are notimmune from the intense fi-nancial pressures which con-tinue to result from the mostrecent economic downturnand so need to make the mostof the bandwidth available tothem.

Companies today typicallyhave a dedicated communica-tions link to each rig or ship.And here the potential exists tooptimise bandwidth perform-ance by sharing connectivitybetween multiple remote sitesand the data centre.

So, if each individual plat-form, for example, uses 2 Mbpsof burst connectivity, it may bepossible to share that band-width between, say five or 10platforms, so requiring a sub-stantially lower bandwidth in-vestment. Use of powerfulVSATs such as Hughes HX se-ries satellite routers will allowcommitted information rates(CIRs) to be created to ensuredelivery of critical data; actingmore like a MPLS circuitrather than a leased line. The

big issue for any explorationcompany is that of bandwidthcost: so, by moving away froma dedicated to a shared re-source, this provides the op-portunity to make much betteruse of existing bandwidth.

For many, the move awayfrom a bottom-up, per-rig to atop-down, fleet-based approachmay require a fundamentalchange of mindset: however,the potential savings in sharingin-route communications aresubstantial. Though the initialcost of a shared solution will beslightly higher compared to aSCPC solution, the medium tolong-term savings on band-width will far outweigh any ad-ditional initial upfrontinvestment.

Looking aheadProviders of satellite technolo-gies face a constant battle tokeep up with the oil & gas in-dustry’s insatiable appetite forbandwidth, as data volumescontinue to grow exponen-tially. The resulting challengefor providers is to meet theseincreasing capacity demands,at the same time providing arobust service at competitivecost.

Looking ahead, the nextmove is already underway -from Ku band to Ka band - inlooking to further increasebandwidth without a parallelincrease in price.

The industry will continueto put pressure on providers todrive such technology im-provements as quickly as pos-sible, as faster voice and dataspeeds deliver the substantialbenefits of lower cost and bet-ter performance.

www.hugheseurope.com


Spotlight

Remoteexploration: therole of satellitecommunicationsin the oil & gasindustry, bySimon Watts,chief engineer,Hughes Europe

Simon Wattsof Hughes Europe

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Offshore Technology -- July 2011

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