Offshore Technology Conference News

Bardex Corp. is pleased to announce that the Offshore Technology Conference has awarded Daniel Toerner a spot in its 2025 Emerging Leaders class. Each year, the OTC recognizes up-and-coming professionals whose work in the energy industry demonstrates the kind of talent and commitment that puts them on a course toward being future leaders in the offshore energy sector. Each recipient of the award, who has been in the industry for fewer than 10 years, is selected by the previous year’s class.Toerner, who earned a B.S.

In an industry first, ABS has published guidance to enable internal examination of tanks beyond the typical five-year requirements to once every 10 years with options to have additional expanded survey intervals.The new guidance has the potential to maximize operational uptime for site-dependent assets such as floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), floating production and storage and offloading vessels (FPSOs), floating storage and offloading vessels (FSOs) and floating…

A consortium led by Exxon Mobil that controls all oil and gas output in Guyana produced 668,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil last week, the U.S. company's head for the South American country, Alistair Routledge, said during a conference on Tuesday.The group is working to install its fourth floating output facility after receiving it in Guyana's waters in February. In March, the companies produced 627,000 bpd, and the 631,000 bpd average achieved in the first quarter was 3% higher year-on-year…

The U.S. Gulf of Mexico can continue growing oil output even amid geopolitical volatility not seen in decades, oil and gas industry leaders said on Monday.U.S. President Donald Trump's global tariff announcements have since last month contributed to a decline in oil prices and fears of an economic downturn, making it more difficult for oil producers to follow his call of "drill, baby, drill.""We've never been in a situation where we have so much geopolitical volatility," said Occidental Petroleum CEO Vicki Hollub…

Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) has welcomed Brandon Foy, P.E. as a naval architect to its naval architecture and marine engineering firm.Foy holds a Master’s degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Coast Guard Academy. Brandon is also a registered Professional Engineer in the District of Columbia.Before joining BHGI, Foy was an Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard and served aboard Coast Guard Cutters Hamilton and Resolute.

The ABS-classed Liza Unity has received the first REMOTE-CON notation for an floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) from ABS. The notation demonstrates the vessel’s alignment with remote-control functions and signifies that the design and construction of the offshore asset are assessed against and adhere to the ABS Requirements for Autonomous and Remote Control Functions.The Liza Unity is the second FPSO to be built for ExxonMobil Guyana’s Stabroek Block development and the first delivered under SBM Offshore’s Fast4Ward program.

Classification society ABS announced it has launched a new set of requirements to guide the burgeoning maritime aspects of the space flight industry in the safe design and construction of offshore assets.The new requirements, launched this week at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston amid growing global demand for offshore spacecraft launch and recovery, are said to be the first of their kind internationally.Spaceports are marine or offshore assets that conduct spacecraft launch or recovery.

Guyana is in "no rush" to draft a new production sharing agreement (PSA) for offshore oil development, its Natural Resources minister told Reuters, reversing a year-long drive to devise new rules for future output.The government of South America's newest crude oil producer said in 2021 it was planning a new agreement to revamp terms and boost royalties for future oil and gas projects. The proposed document was expected to improve terms for Guyana of a 2016 contract with Exxon Mobil and its partners for the prolific Stabroek block.But the tiny nation…

One of the world's largest conferences and exhibitions dedicated to the offshore energy industry will be postponed next year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.The Offshore Technology Conference, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Houston annually, will be postponed from May 3-6 to August 16-19, the event's board of directors announced Monday, citing continued challenges and health and safety concerns presented by the pandemic."By postponing OTC to the second half of 2021…

The 2020 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic."While OTC’s purpose is to provide an opportunity for those in the offshore petroleum industry from around the world to meet and share knowledge, our first priority is to the health and safety of our attendees and exhibitors. Therefore, OTC has made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s conference," Stephen Graham, OTC Executive Director, wrote in a letter to exhibitors.The major offshore energy conference…

Offshore Technology Conference 2020, one of the world's largest conferences and exhibitions dedicated to the offshore energy industry, will be postponed this year due to the coronavirus outbreak.The OTC 2020 organizers said on Friday that the conference, originally scheduled for May 4-7, 2020, would be delayed.“The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) recognizes the unprecedented global challenge associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic. The health and safety of our partners…

Thrustmaster of Texas acquired the ICON Dynamic Positioning business from Rolls Royce earlier this year, a DP product addition to the Thrustmaster product portfolio. In addition to the rights to produce and sell future units of the DP products, Thrustmaster also has responsibility for the maintenance, service and upgrades of existing DP systems presently in operation. To support this addition, Thrustmaster has added Jon Holvik to the Thrustmaster team as the Executive Vice President for Business Development of Dynamic Positioning Systems.

C-Job Naval Architects will expand its business to the United States by opening a dedicated branch office in Houston, Texas this summer.Basjan Faber, CEO at C-Job, an independent ship design and engineering company in the Netherlands, said “At C-Job we believe clients should be closely involved in the entire ship design process as it benefits the design which is why we work in close cooperation with ship owners and shipyards.“Opening an office in Houston, Texas allows us to be…

ABS Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki explored the transformational potential of digital technologies in the offshore industries at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2019 in his presentation ‘Demystifying Digital’.“The digital oilfield is a complex ecosystem of technologies, structures, people and processes operating in harmony. The development and operation of offshore oilfields is being greatly enhanced by digital technologies through improved data collection, analysis and real-time decision making. Performance and predictive analytics made on data-in-motion can dramatically improve safety, reduce cost, and enhance operational visibility and decision support…

As the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) celebrates its 125th Anniversary, the new executive director shares his thoughts on the path forward for a successful future.I’m Gene Sanders, and I have been given the enviable opportunity to take SNAME into its next phase in one the most important industries in the world! In my first few months as SNAME’s new Executive Director, I’ve been working with the Board and various committees on new ventures and directives…

The Japan Ship Machinery and Equipment Association (JSMEA) and Maritime Reporter & Engineering News hosted a reception on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at Minute Maid Park in Houston in conjunction with the Offshore Technology Conference. More than 200 guests from around the world enjoyed hospitality at the ballpark in downtown Houston, and a highlight of the evening was Nippon Foundation Chairman Yōhei Sasakawa delivering the first pitch of the game with a perfect strike down the middle of home plate.

DNV GL announced it has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with shipyard China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd (CMHI) for the classification of two multi-activity jack-up units at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston.Ordered by OOS Energy B.V., which is affiliated with Netherlands-based Overdulve Offshore Services (OOS) International, these 96 m long units will be purpose-built for the decommissioning market. Construction is scheduled to start later this year.The two identical four-legged…

For thousands of years sailors have looked out to sea, anticipating the motion of their craft from the waves they see coming. The nature of this constant motion, phasing in and out with the groups of waves, influences the safety of operations, from moving about the deck or rigging to transferring people and materials between craft. Waves and the resulting motions are a key factor in deciding whether to perform an operation. Could you do better than your eyeball for predicting when that next big wave is going to knock you off your feet? When the U.S.

Power train specialist REINTJES will demonstrate its new BAE HybriGen Zero system at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston. The recently developed hybrid step-up gearbox for retrofit offers reduced operating costs, reduced emissions and reduced maintenance costs, REINTJES said. This latest product line in REINTJES’ portfolio features a front-engine mounted gearbox combined with a permanent magnetic electric generator up to 300 kWe. With its high torque, this electric motor/generator can also be used as a starter to substitute the air-starting system.

Classification society ABS convened industry partners at the Offshore Technology Conference on Wednesday, May 4, to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) establishing a unified joint industry project (JIP) for standardization. The goal of the JIP, which includes participants from Korean shipyards, operators, drilling contractors, engineering companies and classification societies, is to develop offshore design standards that will help to improve safety and increase efficiency for offshore projects. ABS COO Tony Nassif praised participants for their willingness to join this milestone JIP, stepping out of their comfort zone to enter into this unique collaborative effort.

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director Brian Salerno and U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Paul Thomas participated in a luncheon panel discussion today ​at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC)  in Houston. The discussion focused on topics relevant to joint inspections of offshore facilities and other offshore regulatory issues. Center for Offshore Safety Executive Director Charlie Williams hosted and moderated the session on the final day of OTC. The Director and Rear Admiral discussed their coordinated approach to joint inspections and incident investigations and how they’re carried out. They described the protocol for sharing information on worst case discharge scenarios, as well as how joint working groups and quarterly meetings enhance collaboration.

The Barge Master T40 motion compensated knuckle boom crane has been recognized for technological innovation, winning the Spotlight on New Technology Small Business Award at this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston. Barge Master develops motion compensation systems for the maritime industry that compensate vessel motions, creating a platform that is not moving with respect to the stationary fixed world. The systems are developed to increase the safety and workability of offshore lifting operations.

Unfamiliar specifications and processes often result in rework, delays and misunderstandings, and are adding thousands of engineering hours to the design and construction of offshore oil and gas installations. Cost savings are delivered by addressing variations in owner, operator, and regulatory requirements during engineering and construction phases. Phase one, led by DNV GL, established new proposed international standards for offshore oil and gas projects and a second phase…