Gas Operator News

A Russian warplane destroyed a Ukrainian reconnaissance vessel in an area in the Black Sea where Russian gas extraction facilities are located, the Russian Defence Ministry said early on Tuesday.The ministry said in a short statement that the Ukrainian vessel had been destroyed by an SU-30 aircraft from Russia's Black Sea Fleet.There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, which rarely comments publicly on its operations inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory but which…

Ukrainian forces attacked drilling platforms in the Black Sea owned by a Crimean oil and gas company, the pro-Russian head of the annexed peninsula said on Monday, giving no details of what weapons were used.Three people were wounded and a search was underway for seven workers from the Chernomorneftegaz energy company, Sergei Askyonov, the Russian-installed head of Crimea, said in a post on Telegram.Crimean officials said work on three drilling platforms had been suspended after the hit, with fires reported.Reuters was unable to immediately verify the reports. Ukraine's military declined to comment.Russian-backed officials seized Chernomorneftegaz from Ukraine's national gas operator Naftogaz as part of Moscow's annexation of the peninsula in 2014. The company is under U.S.

Allseas' giant heavy lift vessel Pioneering Spirit will remove the DP3 and DP4 platforms in Morecambe Bay off the U.K. for independent oil and gas operator Spirit Energy.The two normally unmanned installations used to produce gas as part of Spirit Energy’s complex of eight installations in Morecambe Bay. As the field has matured, the reserves the platforms previously tapped into have been produced by the larger, manned Central Morecambe platform nearby.The 12 wells that were connected…

LOC Group, a provider of services to the offshore oil and gas industry, announced it has become the third-party provider for marine assurance and inspection with BP Egypt.LOC Egypt has been awarded a two-year marine assurance and inspection contract by BP Egypt. This is the first time LOC Egypt has been awarded work by BP, the major oil and gas operator in Egypt. The First vessel inspection is expected to commence imminently to ensure efficient participation in their offshore campaign/Project.Tamer Gamil, LOC Egypt Country Manager, said, “This is the first agreement we have won with BP Egypt, which demonstrates the considerable progress we have made as an organization since opening our office here in January 2018.”R V Ahilan…

The Norwegian oil and gas operator focused on the Middle East and the North Sea, DNO ASA said it has completed the private placement of USD 400 million of new, five-year senior unsecured bonds with a coupon rate of 8.375 percent.The bond placement received strong investor demand across international markets and was oversubscribed, said a press release from Norway's oldest oil company. The bond issue is expected to be settled on or about 29 May 2019, subject to customary conditions precedent.An application will be made for the bonds to be listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. In connection with the bond placement, the Company has agreed…

The consortium consisting Italy’s Snam, Spain’s Enagás and Belgium’s Fluxys has completed the acquisition of a 66 percent stake in Greek natural gas operator DESFA.According to a joint release, the purchase valued at €535 million ($613.9 million) has been completed with the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) and Hellenic Petroleum.The consortium, which won the tender for the privatisation of DESFA in April 2018, has closed the purchase through the new company Senfluga Energy Infrastructure Holdings. The consortium has obtained financing without recourse for more than 10 years, corresponding to approximately 65% of the value of the company.DESFA owns and operates…

Britain's Faroe Petroleum has agreed to swap oil and gas fields with Norwegian state firm Equinor as it fights a hostile takeover from Norwegian oil and gas operator DNO.It appears that Faroe in fight-back mode after DNO’s so-called ‘opportunistic’ bid.The oil and gas company focusing principally on exploration, appraisal and production opportunities in Norway and the UK said in a press note that it has signed a binding agreement with Equinor Energy to swap its interests in the Njord, Hyme redevelopment and Bauge development assets in return for interests in four production assets on the Norwegian Continental Shelf: Alve, Marulk, Ringhorne…

Subsea services provider Bibby Offshore said it has secured a fixed term framework agreement with independent oil and gas operator Spirit Energy.Awarded in April, the two-year agreement, which follows on from a previous five-year agreement, will see Bibby Offshore carry out inspection repair and maintenance (IRM) works, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) inspection and subsea survey operations across a number of North Sea structures and pipelines.The project will utilize Bibby Offshore’s diverse fleet capabilities, including its multi-role diving and ROV support vessel, Bibby Sapphire, a Quasar M

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is conducting an investigation into the fatality of a platform worker in an area of the Gulf of Mexico known as West Cameron 215A, about 64 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The offshore oil and gas operator, Energy Resource Technology GOM, LLC, a subsidiary of Talos Production LLC, reported that the fatality occurred at approximately 10:30 am on Feb. 17, 2018. The deceased worker was involved in replacing firewater piping at the time of the incident. No other personnel were harmed. There was no pollution as a result of the incident.

Developing the capability to discriminate between ships and icebergs in northern latitudes is a common interest shared by Canada’s Department of National Defense (DND) and the oil and gas industry. For DND, the focus is on ship detection for maritime security, whereas oil and gas companies are interested in detecting icebergs to ensure primarily the safety and also the productivity of offshore exploration and production operations. The Polar Epsilon and Polar Epsilon-2 applied…

Aker Solutions won a framework agreement to provide engineering and construction services for several offshore oil and gas fields in the UK North Sea. The contract has a fixed period of five years as well as an option to be extended by five years. Aker Solutions' maintenance, modifications and operations (MMO) business in the UK will deliver on the assignment, which was awarded by an international oil and gas operator. "Winning this contract in such a competitive market proves Aker Solutions' ability to find effective ways to support our customers at a challenging time for the industry," said David Clark, Aker Solutions' regional president for Europe and Africa. The contract was booked as part of Aker Solutions' fourth-quarter 2015 order intake.

Atlantic Offshore Rescue will unveil the third new vessel in the past 12 months as part of its fleet modernization program, representing an investment totaling $458 million. Ocean Falcon, a new Class A Multi Role and Emergency Response and Rescue (MRV/ERRV) vessel, is to be christened at a ceremony at Aberdeen harbor before commencing a contract with a major U.K. operator. Atlantic Offshore Rescue will provide emergency recovery, rescue cover, tanker assistance and general field support for offshore operations at the Curlew Field, in the North Sea.

Nordic liquefied natural gas operator Skangass  has celebrated a topping out ceremony at its Pori LNG terminal. The company said it was making progress in the construction of the storage tank for Finland's first LNG import terminal at the southern port of Pori. “Excellent progress has been made in the work, and the weather has also been on our side” Project Manager Stanislav Lysak from Gasum commented in a note, not elaborating on when the structure would be ready to receive LNG. The LNG terminal will comprise the LNG storage tank, loading docks, process units, flare torch, three loading docks for road tankers, a transformer building and a heat production unit. Skangass is investing €86 million on the Pori LNG import terminal in order to strengthen the Finnish LNG infrastructure.

Intelligent Engineering (IE) has supplied TNKC (UK) Ltd with SPS Citadel Access Protection doors for all nine of the bulk carriers in their fleet, with the last set being delivered in late February 2015. The bulk carriers which operate in high risk areas are now fitted with this innovative system which delivers protection against maritime piracy. Dimitar Dimitrov, Technical Superintendent, TNKC (UK) Ltd commented, “With minimal financial commitment, we have been able to achieve a safe haven for our crews - our most valuable asset. The system has been simple to install.

More than US$160 million worth of contracts won by the subsea services, offshore support services divisions, and the energy services division. EMAS, the operating brand of Ezra Holdings, a global offshore contractor and provider of integrated offshore solutions to the oil and gas (O&G) industry, has announced that its subsea services, offshore support services and energy services divisions (EMAS AMC, EMAS Marine and EMAS Energy respectively) have been awarded multiple contracts for projects in the North Sea and Asia Pacific. EMAS AMC has been awarded several new contracts and options worth up to US$85 million in aggregate for several projects in the North Sea and Asia. This includes a project with an oil major in the Asia Pacific region worth up to US$45 million.

Ezra Holdings announces multiple contracts, worth + US$160-million, for its subsea, offshore & energy services divisions. Ezra divisions, EMAS AMC, EMAS Marine and EMAS Energy have been awarded multiple contracts for projects in the North Sea and Asia Pacific. The average tenor for all contracts is approximately 2.6 years including options. EMAS AMC has been awarded several new contracts and options worth up to US$85 million in aggregate for several projects in the North Sea and Asia. This includes a project with an oil major in the Asia Pacific region worth up to US$45-million. Other awards include a new subsea and moorings installation…

ITF (Industry Technology Facilitator) welcomes to its ranks Lloyds Register, the world's oldest certification authority. ITF, the technology facilitator for the global oil and gas industry, is a not-for-profit organisation owned by 30 international oil and gas operator and service companies. It says it is the only global collaborative R&D funding programme operating across continents. Founded in 1760, Lloyds Register is the first certification authority to be part of ITF. As an energy and maritime classification society and independent risk management organisation, the company has expertise in a number of industries including oil and gas, nuclear and renewables, and provides an alternative angle of technology challenges for the energy sector.

If and when Brazil gets its maritime act together, oh what a shipbuilding market force it could be. The modern Brazilian shipbuilding industry was established in the 1960s, induced by a broad and effective governmental policy. The 1960s and 1970s saw the rise of the merchant marine and shipbuilding industry in Brazil. The creation of the “Merchant Marine Fund” and the “Tax for the Merchant Marine Renewal,” in 1958, together with other specific targets set by the government at that time, made investments available to the shipbuilding industry and for the development of the merchant marine in general. Counting on such incentives, new shipyards such as Ishibras and Verolme were built…

LQT Industries , a full-service provider of accommodation facilities, design-build construction services, and support services to the oil and gas industry, has engineered and built a new series of aluminum accommodation buildings that will be utilized by a major oil and gas operator on a platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The buildings are 10’W x 35’L and weigh only 16,000 pounds. These newly built buildings, along with one of LQT’s modular helidecks which will be placed on top of the buildings, have been allocated for a major oil and gas operator and commissioned on a platform in the Gulf of Mexico in September 2014. The fleet expansion adds another option to their wide variety of buildings to give customers more flexibility to choose the optimum accommodation package for their project.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is responding to an explosion at West Delta 105 in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 12 miles off the coast of New Orleans. The offshore oil and gas operator, Fieldwood Energy, reported the explosion on its Echo Platform just before 3pm this afternoon. The operator has reported that there is one fatality and three others being treated at an onshore medical facility as a result of the incident. The Echo Platform was not in production at the time of the incident. The facility damage was limited to the explosion area and there was no pollution reported. BSEE is coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard during the response. BSEE will investigate the incident.  More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Mermaid has secured a 2-year contract for its dive support vessel, ‘Mermaid Commander’, to provide subsea construction support in the Gulf of Thailand for a repeat international fabrication and installation contractor whose end customer is a major international upstream oil and gas operator. The contract has an estimated value of USD 50 million. The 2-year contract will be for subsea construction and will be performed using saturation diving and will include the installation of numerous spool pieces, risers, wyes, tees, etc. Additional services include the provision of a remotely operated vehicle (“ROV”), survey, and a spool fabrication spread.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) informs it is responding to a report of an emergency disconnect and production shut-in onboard the Helix Producer 1 located approximately 100 miles southwest of Houma, La. The offshore oil and gas operator, Energy Resources Technology Gulf of Mexico, LLC (ERT)/Talos reported to BSEE that the facility experienced an electrical black-out at approximately 1:45 p.m. CDT. ERT performed an emergency disconnect of the transfer system buoy. A buoy release causes a full production shut-in.

Mermaid's Subtech Qatar Diving & Marine Services unit wins US$ 25-million contracts from international upstream oil & gas operator. This contract will be performed utilizing Mermaid’s specialized DP Barge ‘Mermaid Siam’ and its associated saturation diving system and other specialized diving equipment and personnel. The scope of services includes ongoing offshore field maintenance, remedial and call-off work. The duration of the contract is for a period of five years with the work scope expected to be performed within a window of three months each contract year. Contract revenues are expected to be approximately US$ 25-million over the five year period, or an average of US$ 5-million per contract year. Performance of services for the first contract year has already commenced.