Lower Cost Solutions News

Subsea 7 said it was awarded a contract by BP as part of the deepwater Mad Dog 2 development, located approximately 190 miles south of New Orleans. The contract scope covers engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of the subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) and associated subsea architecture. Subsea 7 has worked closely with BP to deliver a lump sum integrated solution from design through to supply, installation and commissioning. Furthermore, by collaborating with OneSubsea, a Schlumberger company, our Subsea Integration Alliance partner that has been awarded the Subsea Production Systems (SPS) contract, additional areas of cost improvement have been identified to provide greater cost certainty and reduced risk.

Gas reforming company Gas2 said it has achieved a second milestone at its 3 bpd (barrels per day) Wilton Research Center pilot plant in Teesside, U.K. as it develops a new generation of natural gas-to-liquids (GTL) process technology which has the potential to deliver lower cost solutions for small scale plants. By successfully commissioning and starting-up the Fischer Tropsch (FT) reactor, using syngas produced in the syngas reactor, the company has produced hydrocarbon liquids.

Lloyd's Register Educational Trust-funded collegium provides innovative forum to find solutions for the carbon capture and storage industry. University of Southampton-based initiative combined students, faculty and the private sector. A collegium funded by the Lloyd's Register Educational Trust (The LRET) has produced four technical papers that the authors hope will spur discussion and further innovation as industry strives to find solutions to the challenges of carbon capture and storage (CCS).

With the economy as it is, one might expect to be able to walk into any shipyard, name your price and have construction of a brand new workboat commence instantaneously. While every shipyard is eager for new business, work is still coming in slowly and fairly steadily. As for price, now is a great time to buy, but don’t expect the deal of the century. Current prices for raw materials seem to mimic the price levels of nearly five years ago, but component and equipment pricing are still stuck in an inflationary pattern, increasing nearly four to 7 percent per year.

Shipowners want stronger ships. Regulators want stronger ships. Both want new requirements to apply across the industry - a level playing field. In response, the 10 Members of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) are progressing technical programs that will lead to more uniform scantling requirements and wastage limits for bulk carriers, oil tankers and, eventually, other ship types. At Posidonia, IACS Chairman Igor Ponomarev outlined work in progress that will culminate in new Unified Requirements (URs) for stronger vessels. For bulk carrier newbuildings, a major initiative - concerned with strength and safe operation - consists of new…