Saturation Diving Systems News

The provider of  comprehensive services to oil and maritime companies,  Chet Morrison Contractors (Morrison) has acquired two pipelay/construction barges and a saturation diving system from an undisclosed seller in a move to double the size of its pipelay barge fleet.Louisiana based energy services company said in a press release that the first asset it acquired is LB Super Chief, a 265 ft x 72 ft ABS-classed pipelay barge with accommodations for 93 personnel. It is outfitted with a 100 KIP pipe tensioner, is U.S. flagged and provides extended capabilities for pipe size and water depth lay and recovery.It also acquired DLB Subsea Vision, a 415 ft x 100 ft ABS-classed pipelay and construction barge with accommodations for up to 140 personnel.

James Fisher has acquired the entire share capital of Lexmar Engineering Pte Limited and Lexmar Sat Systems Pte Limited (together 'Lexmar'). Lexmar, which was founded in 1996 in Singapore and a specialist providing diving equipment, will become part of JFD and will enhance JFD's saturation diving capability and offering. Together JFD and Lexmar will improve the regional support and capability to defence markets within the Asia Pacific region. The business, complementary to JFD’s specialist technical division, is currently completing three 18 man twin bell saturation diving systems. They are currently in the process of undertaking installation and commissioning in China and will commence the third system in Singapore early 2017.

JFD, part of James Fisher and Sons plc, announced that it has won a contract with Singaporean company Flash Tekk Engineering for the design and manufacture of up to eight Self-Propelled Hyperbaric Lifeboats (SPHL). A development to improve operational safety standards, SPHLs are to be installed as part of the saturation diving systems on the new Red-Class fleet of Diving Support Vessels (DSV). The SPHLs are currently under construction for Flash Tekk’s parent company Ultra Deep Solutions, the builder and operator of ultra-deep diving heavy construction vessels.

International inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) company Harkand aims to be a $1 billion company. MR’s Tom Mulligan recently met with John Reed, the company’s CEO, to discuss his vision for the future and how Harkand aims to achieve its goal of being the leading subsea IRM and light construction contractor globally. Established in 2012 and headquartered in London with operations bases in Aberdeen, Houston, Mexico, and Ghana, global subsea IRM group Harkand has been expanding its business operations rapidly throughout North America…

Royal IHC and Dräger have joined forces to offer the market a single source for fully integrated Diving Support Vessels.   The initial focus will lie on the market segment of vessels with automated, 18-person, twin bell saturation diving systems. The alliance will bear total responsibility for the execution of projects, including full integration and certification, while maintaining interaction with the client.   In understanding the complexities and commercial risks associated with procuring, integrating and certifying a DSV, the IHC and Dräger alliance is specifically structured to simplify the process. This simplification results in a solution through a single contract between the customer and IHC, with Dräger as a fully allied subcontractor.

Irwin F. Edenzon, the retired president of Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division, accepted the Navy League of the United States' Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Award last night. The Navy League presented the award at the annual Sea-Air-Space Black Tie Reception and Banquet at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. The Nimitz award honors an industry leader who has made a major contribution to the nation's maritime strength or enhanced national security.

Harkand won a multi-million contract with Maersk Oil North Sea Ltd for the provision of DSV services in the North Sea region. The 12-month contract will be serviced by Harkand’s two DSVs, the Harkand Da Vinci and Harkand Atlantis, supported by project management and engineering from Harkand’s Aberdeen office. The contract covers well tie-ins, structure installation, piling, flexible flowline lay, flexible riser installation, pre-commissioning, riser recovery, decommissioning and general inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) work.

Offshore equipment and operating practices are routinely improved in the constant quest for ever-greater levels of safety and efficiency. The International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA) newly published ‘Diving Equipment Systems Inspection Guidance Note (DESIGN) for Saturation (Bell) Diving Systems’ (IMCA D 024 Rev 1) reflects the changes that have taken place since its initial publication in 2001. “It is intended that this document should be used in conjunction with IMCA D 018 ‘Code of practice on the initial and periodic examination…

In the early days of subsea technology, there were a number of pioneers: men and women who stepped over the edge of what we knew about the underwater world. These individuals left the comfort of solid ground to explore beneath the waves and report back to the rest of us what they had seen. They pushed boundaries, raised the stakes and in some instances opened our minds to the possibilities. They were subsea visionaries. Today, those boundaries continue to be pushed, and undersea technology, now more than ever, is reaching new heights.

1 Engineering & Manufacturing (1EM) develops compact Saturation Diving System (SAT) for Dulam International of Dubai. After three months of internal design work that utilized the company’s years of experience in building 10 large-scale Saturation Diving Systems (SAT Systems), 1EM completed the model for a new “Mini” SAT System that incorporates features of a larger system and offers greater portability while accommodating four to six men. Dulam International signed on as the first customer in July 2012 and delivery is on track for early spring 2013.

Cal Dive International charters out diving vessel & also wins 3 Australian saturation diving contracts. The company's diving vessel Kestrel is chartered to a major contractor in Mexico to perform repair and maintenance work for Pemex. The charter started in mid-October and has a fixed term of two years with an additional one-year option. The charter is expected to result in EBITDA of approximately $10 million per year during the two-year charter term. The vessel is expected to generate approximately break-even EBITDA in 2012.

Divex, the international diving equipment technology company and a manufacturer and supplyer of both commercial and defense diving solutions, has made two senior appointments to support the company’s ongoing development and growth globally. As of April 2012 John Hunter was appointed Project Engineering Manager at Divex’s Global Headquarters in Westhill, Aberdeen, Scotland while in May 2012 Greg Hewitt was assigned the post of General Manager for Divex’s Asia Pacific region. As a result of increased demand for saturation diving systems…

A new generation of diving support vessels (DSVs) is providing challenges for inspectors. The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) recognises that certain new-build DSVs, some of which are on, or shortly due to come onto, the market, have diving systems using programmable logic control (PLC) technology to control applications of their saturation diving systems. “The introduction of these new control systems could have a significant impact on the application of ‘Diving Equipment Systems Inspection Guidance Note (DESIGN) for Saturation (Bell) Diving Systems’ (IMCA D 024),” explained Jane Bugler, IMCA’s Technical Director. “We have engaged consultants to help take this issue forward and to help produce IMCA guidance for use by both contractor and client members.