Rds News

ABB has secured an order from Norwegian shipyard Ulstein Verft to supply an advanced power and propulsion system for a new cable-laying vessel (CLV) being built for Nexans.Upon delivery in 2026, the vessel will join Nexans Skagerrak and sister ship Nexans Aurora – also equipped with ABB technology – as the third and most advanced CLV in the Nexans fleet.An integrated system comprising main power generation and distribution, energy storage, and electric propulsion will allow the new CLV to execute its cable laying…

Japan’s third-largest oil refining company, Cosmo Oil, , has started building stocks of very-low-sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) for supply to domestic marine fuel markets from next month (October 2019) ahead of the IMO 2020 mandate requiring ships globally to reduce their bunker fuel sulfur content to 0.5% from the current 3.5% from January 2020.Cosmo Oil is using VLSFO produced at its residue desulfurizer (RDS) unit at its Chiba refinery near Tokyo to build the stocks, Cosmo Oil’sPresident Shunichi Tanaka said on Sunday…

ABB has won a contract to supply ABB Ability Remote Diagnostic Systems for Marine to eleven Sovcomflot vessels operating in the Arctic and Russia’s Far East, helping optimize safety and performance through 24/7 remote support.Sovcomflot’s vessels will be among over 1,000 ships connected to ABB Ability Collaborative Operation Centers worldwide. From here, ABB experts monitor operational shipboard systems, coordinate remote equipment diagnostics and offer predictive maintenance services – 24/7. This can be especially crucial for vessels operating in remote areas.

Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com company, announced that Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) selected AWS as its preferred cloud provider to support its digital transformation.Samsung Heavy Industries is turning to AWS’s expansive infrastructure, unmatched performance, scalability, and industry-leading services to gain competitive advantage in the smart shipping industry.Samsung Heavy Industries leaves the heavy lifting of its infrastructure to AWS, the world’s leading cloud, so that its team can rapidly innovate on its autonomous shipping platform, a system that enables self-piloting of large container ships, LNG carriers, and floating production systems.Samsung Heavy Industries will continue to expand its smart shipping capabilities using the breadth and depth of AWS’s services…

ABB’s marine and ports business will partner with Presserv to offer maintenance packages for vessels that serve the oil and gas industry that are laid-up for prolonged periods. The two companies will combine specialized services to enable the preservation of equipment onboard, which will eventually allow the smooth and timely resumption of service. As part of the cooperation, ABB will utilize its Remote Diagnostic Service (RDS) to provide key data to optimize the care packages.

ABB is deepening its analytical and predictive approach to vessel maintenance with the latest upgrade of its Remote Diagnostic Service (RDS). ABB is one of the leading advocates of the digitalization of shipping and has already launched Integrated Operation Centers in Asia, Europe and the USA where data produced by ships is received and monitored. The upgraded software functionalities will give more power and transparency to the shore side operations of ship owners whilst ABB has stepped up its proactive monitoring of the data and predictive analytics.

Independent Oil and Gas PLC (IOG) is extending its seismic remapping agreement with Baker Hughes’ Reservoir Development Services (RDS) group to better understand resource potential for its Blythe and Cronx/Elgood projects in the Southern North Sea (SNS), with an expected delivery date of late July 2015. “We are pleased to strengthen our relationship with RDS as the initial results from the seismic remapping work are positive,” said Mark Routh, IOG’s Chief Executive Officer. “We believe that the added field remapping will help to better predict resource potential and accessibility,” said Scott Reeves, President of Reservoir Development Services. RDS will also evaluate IOG’s future prospects and discoveries in the SNS including, Truman, Harvey, Hambleton, Tetley and Rebellion.

ACE Winches has appointed Colin Black as chief commercial officer, a newly created board of management position. Black is responsible for leading and managing the firm’s overall commercial strategy and the management of the ACE Winch Academy. Colin Black stated: “ACE Winches has an enviable reputation as the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and market leader in deck machinery solutions, and with my operational background I fully understand the demands of an industry facing the challenges of low oil price.

Europe's oil majors will strike a sober note in their fourth-quarter results and investors will focus on companies' plans to maintain cherished dividends and their strategies to cope with the oil prices collapse that caught many unawares. Having sold around $120 billion in assets in recent years to boost balance sheets and keep up dividend payouts, companies are expected to increase borrowing and further cut costs as they come to terms with oil prices that have more than halved since June to around $50 a barrel. "Lower oil prices pose the biggest threat to oil and gas industry earnings and financial solidity since the financial crash of 2008," consultancy Wood Mackenzie said in a note.

Specialist back-deck equipment provider Maritime Developments has won contracts worth in the region of $10.6 million and broadened its product portfolio. The company, which supports subsea industry operations worldwide, has secured the first order for its innovative portable overside vertical lay system (PVLS) from a leading installation contractor. Maritime Developments will deliver a bespoke vertical lay system tower along with a four-track tensioner to support a major North Sea field development.

Rig design and engineering specialist RDS has been awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract by AMEC for Premier Oil’s Sea Lion development in the North Falklands Basin. RDS is the rig design and engineering subsidiary of international drilling and engineering contractor, KCA Deutag. The FEED work is part of AMEC’s overall FEED contract for the Sea Lion development and follows a concept study which was executed by an RDS team in Houston. The contract, which is expected to be carried out over the next 12 months, will see RDS deliver the design of drilling rig modules for a Tension Leg Platform (TLP), 200km north of the Falkland Islands.

RDS, a rig design and engineering subsidiary of international drilling contractor KCA Deutag, has been awarded a $10 million contract to carry out front-end engineering design (FEED) work on Statoil’s Johan Sverdrup development in the Norwegian North Sea. The FEED work will be undertaken by the RDS team in London through a subcontract with Aker Solutions for full front end engineering of the drilling facilities throughout the platform. Whilst RDS has worked with most of the major topsides contractors in London and Houston, this will be its first contract with Aker Solutions. Simon Drew, Senior Vice President of RDS said, “This will be the fourth major Statoil project we are currently working on from our London office.

Oil and gas industry body, the Intervention & Coiled Tubing Association (ICoTA) European Chapter, has appointed Former vice-chair Kelly Murray as the new chair and vice-chair. Murray will be the first women to take the helm as chair of the organization in the chapter’s 20-year history, while fellow committee member Andrew Louden has been appointed as the new vice-chair. Murray becomes chair after spending five years as an ICoTA committee member where she has played a pivotal role increasing awareness of the organization within the industry and the wider community.

Born five years ago, ABB’s remote diagnostics service (RDS) is still in its infancy. But this brainchild of service technology is growing fast – and its future looks bright. The quality of ABB’s marine after sales service is stepping up a notch with the opening of a new control center in Norway and the addition of remote diagnostics service (RDS) connections fitted to vessels in shipyards. Systems specialists are available from a control center just outside Oslo to troubleshoot faults in electrical installations onboard ships anywhere in the world.

ABB, a power and automation technology group, has secured an offshore marine industry contract covering electrical power and propulsion systems onboard a DP class 3 Drill Ship to be conferred with "Enhanced Reliability" and  Dynpos Autro notation from Det Norske Veritas(DNV). The contract covers installations onboard a BT-UDS dynamic positioned ultra-deep water drill ship ordered by Sigma Drilling, the joint venture between Norway’s Skeie Technology and Houston-based Vantage Drilling, from STX Offshore and Shipbuilding. The vessel, to be built at South Korea’s STX Jinhae yard, is scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2015. The new Dynpos ER class notation for Enhanced Reliability from DNV recognizes advances made in flexibility…

Malta Drydocks was awarded a contract by Brovig-RDS of the U.K. to convert the former Shell tanker Northia to a floating storage and offloading unit. The contract is the first of its type for the Malta yard in nearly 20 years. Malta Drydocks said a group of international experts from Poseidon Maritime of Aberdeen, Scotland and Petromaritime Consulting of Monaco had assisted it in the preparation of the winning bid and will be working with the yard on the execution of the contract. The 133,500-dwt Northia was built in 1971 for North Sea Operations. The conversion work will be handled between February and April next year, after which the vessel will be based in the Isis field off the coast of Tunisia.

Hebridean Island Cruises has pulled out of a $7 million conversion contract with Malta Drydocks and awarded it to a British yard instead, the Malta company said on Tuesday. Scotland-based Hebridean had already issued a letter of intent in favour of Malta Drydocks for the conversion of a modern ship into an old style classic cruise liner, the Malta firm said. Malta Drydocks did not reveal the name of the U.K. yard or the name of the cruise liner. The Maltese yard recently won a $6 million contract to convert the tanker Northia, owned by Brovig RDS of the UK, into a floating production storage and off loading unit and another $6 million contract for maintenance work on the U.S. sixth fleet flagship La Salle. – (Reuters)

Officials of the British Safety Council are due to carry out a safety audit of Malta Drydocks in March, Reuters reported. The council had carried out an audit of the yard last year and awarded it a three star rating out of five. A Malta Drydocks management official told the press it was hoped a better result would now be achieved. The loss-making Maltese yard is currently enjoying an upswing of work. The tanker Northia, owned by Brovig RDS of Aberdeen, is currently being converted into a floating production storage and offloading facility in the first project of its kind. Drydocks officials told the press that the $8 million contract was being carried out on time and the yard had been praised for its workmanship. The ship is being renamed Ikdam. The U.S.

The Altamira LNG regasification terminal operated by Anglo-Dutch oil major Shell (NYSE: RDS) on Mexico's gulf coast could begin expanded operations as early as 2012, Altamira managing director Carlos Barajas told BNamericas. The plant, on Mexico's Gulf coast, currently has two storage tanks with a 3.5Mt/y LNG capacity. The expansion is not on the table in the short term because there are several other sources of natural gas supply for the zone. Sources include imports from the US and production by state oil company Pemex in northeast Mexico. The expansion will take roughly two years, Barajas said, without providing figures on the size of the project. Possible investment is still unknown given volatile prices for construction works.