Subsea Contractor News

Norwegian offshore vessel operator Solstad Offshore said Friday it had has received a Letter of Intent from an undisclosed subsea contractor for hire of the construction support vessel (CSV) Normand Maximus.The subsea contractor would hire the CSV for a period of a minimum of 490 days with the start-up in the first quarter of 2024.The commercial terms are confidential between the parties but are in line with present market terms for this vessel category, Solstad Offshore said.The subsea construction vessel Normand Maximus is the largest vessel in the Solstad fleet…

Ocean Installer, a Norwegian company mostly known for its offshore oil and gas services provider, is increasingly turning towards the offshore wind industry.Following a recent establishment of an offshore wind branch, and the naming of a director to lead it, Ocean Installer on Monday announced it would enter into a partnership with shipbuilder Vard - a Fincantieri company - "to develop one of the world's most advanced turbine installation vessels for offshore wind." Erik Haakonsholm…

Norwegian subsea contractor Ocean Installer and Norwegian multinational energy company Equinor ASA have signed a contract that covers the floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO) mooring installation, tow out and hook-up of the Johan Castberg FPSO in the Barents Sea.Johan Castberg is one of the largest subsea field developments on the Norwegian continental shelf. The project includes Skrugard, Havis and Drivis, which lies about 240 kilometers from Hammerfest and about 100 kilometers north of Snøhvit.The water depth is between 360 and 405 meters. Ocean Installer’s new scope is extensive and will be carried out in combination…

Rising costs of doing business in Singapore has forced Subsea7 to switch its regional headquarters from the city to Kuala Lumpur (KL), says a report in Business Times. Against a backdrop of persistently low oil prices, fresh concerns have emerged over Singapore's competitiveness as an offshore and marine (O&M) hub, following a decision made by a fourth top-tier international subsea contractor to ship out most of its operations to KL. The Oslo and Nasdaq-listed Subsea 7 will offer only a handful of its staff in Singapore relocation options to Kuala Lumpur. The move will see about two thirds of the 90-strong staff in Singapore made redundant. The switiching office is expected to complet by the third quarter of 2016.

UK offshore vessel owner  Subsea contractor Ceona has gone into administration, with the loss of 102 jobs. Ceona and Ceona Services (UK) Ltd have been hit by the depressed subsea market caused by the low price of Brent crude oil. The group – a heavy subsea engineering contractor operating in the deep water oil and gas market –  has ceased trading and 102 employees will be made redundant from the firm, which was headquartered in London but had offices in Aberdeen and Houston. Ceona provided engineering and project management services to deliver complex subsea construction and pipe laying projects, utilising a fleet of ships. The administrators now intend to take steps to market for sale the assets of the group, including the state-of-the-art flagship Ceona Amazon.

Ocean Installer has been awarded North Sea umbilical installation and riser replacement contracts from Statoil, the company announced yesterday. The Norwegian subsea contractor signed amendments with Statoil for umbilical marine installation at the North Sea's Visund field and for riser replacement at the Troll B field. The work will be executed under the SLMP Marine Installation Contract. Ocean Installer will utilize the large construction support vessel (CSV), Normand Vision, as the installation vessel for both projects. The water depth in both areas is approximately 330m.

Deep Sea Supply is pleased to announce multiple contract awards with an international major subsea contractor for a total duration of approximately 1000 vessel days. The three PSVs of PX105 design "Sea Spider", "Sea Springer" and "Sea Spark" have been awarded contracts for ten, ten and four months, respectively. The AHTS "Sea Lynx" has been awarded a contract to be performed in two phases; first phase 40 days and second phase 250 days. Commencement is expected to be November 2014 for the three PSVs and phase 1 for "Sea Lynx" and May 2015 for phase 2 for "Sea Lynx". In addition to the firm periods described, the contracts also contain option periods.

U.K.-based engineering group Houlder has launched a new venture to support clients headquartered in the United States following an increasing number of successful global projects for oil majors, operators and service providers. Houlder Americas Inc. opened its San Felipe Plaza doors earlier this year and is already undertaking work for a growing number of clients including Ensco and Schlumberger. Key to the business’s success is employing local engineers to work alongside the small team that has relocated from the U.K. led by Garry Kennie, Houlder Americas Inc. president.

A charter agreement between expanding subsea contractor DeepOcean and Maersk Supply Service has triggered an order for a Damen Offshore Carrier DOC 8500 - the second order for this new ship design from Damen Shipyards Group. The DOC 8500 will extend DeepOcean’s capabilities in the larger cable laying end of the market, representing a new focus on Interconnector projects, in addition to oil and gas sector and renewables work. The specially-equipped vessel will be delivered from the Damen Galati yard in Romania.

Ocean Installer appointed Michael Newbury as President for its U.S. office, located in Houston, Texas. The office has been established to cater for projects run out of the US. Entering his new position in April 2013, Michael Newbury brings with him managerial experience and track record from the U.S. subsea industry. He comes from a position as Vice President for Operations and Business Development with the U.S.-based subsea contractor Deep Down, Inc. and has senior experience from the U.S. subsea industry, including Subsea 7 and Halliburton. The process of opening an Ocean Installer U.S.

Mark Preece is to step down as CEO of the Reef Subsea Group by mutual agreement. The board has acknowledged and thanked Mr. Preece for his efforts in developing and positioning Reef Subsea as a strong subsea contractor in the oil and gas and offshore wind farm sectors. Duncan MacPherson, the current managing director of Reef Subsea Norway, will assume the interim role of CEO for the Reef Subsea Group. Prior to joining Reef Subsea, Mr. MacPherson was an executive VP of DOF Subsea and general manager in DOF Subsea Norway. Meanwhile, Mel Fitzgerald has been appointed board chairman. Mr. Fitzgerald has been involved in the oil industry since he joined Brown and Root in 1974 as a Project Engineer and has worked in a number of positions and locations.

Reef Subsea rebrands all its companies in Norway & extends geographical footprint to improve service to clients. Reef Subsea announce that it is set to fully rebrand and align its companies in Norway – namely Technocean and Scanmudring-Rotech Subsea – to position itself as a dynamic and integrated contractor in the subsea market. Coupled with an extension of its geographical footprint, the Group is well positioned to serve its clients with specialised services under one company name.

Cal Dive International has entered into a 50/50 strategic partnership with Fugro for the long-term charter of the DP2 Toisa Paladin, a 2007 purpose built, DNV classed, diving support vessel. The charter party agreement with Toisa Pte Ltd will be shared equally between Cal Dive and Fugro and has a three-year term plus two six-month extension periods. Cal Dive and Fugro will bring together their respective expertise to jointly pursue the growing number of subsea projects to provide construction, diving, ROV and other services to the offshore energy industry. The Toisa Paladin is currently working on its first project in Malaysia. Cal Dive…

Hallin Marine, a Superior Energy Services Company, has appointed a new managing director for its West Division as it grows the capability and assets of its Aberdeen-based operation. Hallin has promoted Giovanni Corbetta to the Managing Director’s role after he distinguished himself as the division’s projects director. Giovanni has strong, industry-wide experience and is considered ideal to lead Hallin’s expansion in the region as it continues its growth from ROV operations to an integrated subsea contractor. Hallin’s West Division has successfully operated a large fleet of ROV vehicles in the northern hemisphere and is emulating the success of the company’s Singapore-based East Division as it adds specialist DP2 vessels, saturation and air diving and engineering to its offering.

Integrated subsea contractor Hallin Marine is mobilizing its vessel, Ullswater, after winning a saturation diving contract offshore Angola. The DP2 Ullswater, equipped with saturation and air diving systems, a Hallin C-ROV and all personnel, will repair a 16-inch pipeline and carry out inspections on various platforms. Operatec, an Angolan company, and Superior Energy Services have been performing diving services under a long term maintenance contract since mid 2009. The Ullswater saturation diving project is an extension of this ongoing maintenance contract.

Integrated subsea contractor Hallin Marine has expanded its fleet with the purchase of the dynamically positioned (DP2) vessel the Penrith. Hallin already knows the 67 metre Penrith well, having operated the vessel since its launch in 2008 under a time charter from owners Seacor Marine. Hallin believes the purchase of the Penrith from Seacor for an undisclosed sum will ensure it has total control of the vessel and allow it to offer clients competitive vessel packages, including its range of air diving systems, remote operated vehicles (ROVs) and survey equipment.

Subsea contractor Stolt Comex Seaway S.A. reported results for the fourth quarter and the year ended Nov. 30, 1999. Net loss for the latest quarter was $1.5 million, on net operating revenue of $149.4 million, compared with net income of $9.6 million, on net operating revenue of $223.9 million for the same period last year. Net income for the year ended Nov. 30, 1999 was $16.2 million, on net operating revenue of $640.7 million, compared with a net income of $57.3 million, on net operating revenue of $649.8 million for the same period in 1998.