Subsea Production Systems News

ABS is providing new technology qualification services for subsea ammonia storage technology from NOV Subsea Production Systems.The 200-cubic-meter prototype subsea storage unit is en route to NOV’s testing facility in Norway where large-scale product validation tests are planned for later this summer.The subsea storage system is part of a Joint Development Project that includes ABS, NOV Subsea Production Systems, Equinor, The Research Council of Norway and The Net Zero Technology…

Offshore oil services firm Subsea 7 has announced the award of a sizeable contract by Fieldwood Energy to Subsea Integration Alliance, a global partnership between Subsea 7 and OneSubsea, a Schlumberger company.The award is for the deepwater Katmai field development in the US Gulf of Mexico’s Green Canyon 40, said a press release from the company.This supplier-led integrated subsea development solution, combines OneSubsea’s subsea production systems (SPS) and Subsea 7’s subsea umbilicals, riser and flowline systems (SURF) expertise.The Subsea 7 scope includes project management, engineering, procurement, construction and installation of 40 km of pipe-in-pipe production flowline (12” outer pipe and 8” inner pipe)…

McDermott International and Baker Hughes (BHGE), a GE company  announced the selection of front-end engineering design (FEED) studies in advance of a substantial engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract for BP’s Tortue/Ahmeyim Field Development, a major gas project located on the maritime border of Mauritania and Senegal. During this initial engineering phase, McDermott will work on defining the subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) scope for the project, while BHGE will focus on the subsea production system (SPS) scope. The FEED is scheduled to begin and complete this year. The agreement contains a mechanism to allow transition of the contract to a lump sum EPCI contract at a later date.

Subsea 7 S.A. announced the award of a  contract by Wintershall for the Nova (formerly known as Skarfjell) oil and gas field development. Nova is located in the north-eastern part of the North Sea, 16 kmfrom the Gjøa field, in a water depth of approximately 360m. The Nova field development is a subsea tie-back to the existing Gjøa semi-submersible production facility. The contract award comprises the Engineering Procurement Construction Installation (EPCI) delivery of the pipeline and riser systems, and the transport and installation of subsea production systems and umbilical system. Fabrication of the pipeline will take place at Subsea 7’s spoolbase at Vigra, Norway. Project Management and engineering will commence immediately at Subsea 7’s offices in Stavanger, Norway.

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.

Aker Solutions and Fjords Processing have formed an alliance to develop technology and capabilities for advanced, cost-effective wellstream separation and treatment solutions for the subsea and topside oil and gas industry. The WellSep alliance will apply Aker Solutions' subsea processing experience and testing facilities and Fjords' topside and onshore separation technologies to provide complete solutions. "This is a great opportunity to further develop our key technologies with one of our most important partners, Aker Solutions," said Rune Fantoft, chief executive officer of Fjords Processing. "The alliance will further strengthen our wellstream separation technology portfolio, testing and in-house capabilities," said Alan Brunnen, head of subsea at Aker Solutions.

For Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS), 2014 marked the 101st year of its activities. The classification society said 2014 also marked a landmark year, as the construction of the world's first Arctic LNG carrier began to RS class. The new 300-meter-long ship carrying liquefied natural gas in membrane tanks will be able to operate in ice of about two meters thick. There are more than 150 vessels that are ordered or already under construction to the RS class with the total gross tonnage of about 2 million, RS noted, of which 11 are gas carriers, 21 icebreakers and specialized support vessels,  27 tankers, 30 tugs and seven fixed offshore ice-resistant platforms.

Maersk Drilling has ordered four Blow Out Preventers (BOPs) and two risers from GE Oil and Gas to be used in the Project 20K™ agreement with BP. The BOPs and risers are intended to be delivered and deployed on two Maersk Drilling 20K™ Rigs by year-end 2018. The order includes options for provision of further BOPs. The order is subject to BP and Maersk Drilling taking the final investment decision on a 20K™ Rig contract. BP and Maersk Drilling announced in February 2013 a joint study agreement to develop conceptual engineering designs for a new breed of advanced technology drilling rigs that will be critical to unlocking the next frontier of deepwater oil and gas resources.

Heavy lift operations offshore are an awe-inspiring feat, but an operation that requires consistent monitoring of man, machine and procedure to ensure they are conducted in as an efficient and safe manner as possible. Due to a growing focus on safety related to subsea lifting operations, DNV GL recently established a Joint Industry Project (JIP) to develop practical methods for reducing the risks and lifetime cost of steel wire ropes for subsea lifting applications, using an integrated systems approach.

Offshore mooring rope specialist, Lankhorst Ropes was awarded a contract by NOV Flexibles, Denmark, to supply Lankoforce riser tethers for the Knarr field development, located in 410m of water in the North Tampen region of the Norwegian Sector of the Northern North Sea. The riser tethers will be the first to use Dyneema DM 20, a high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) rope, for permanent subsea anchoring of flexible risers. Lankoforce riser tethers are designed to hold risers and umbilicals in position…

BP signs agreement with Maersk Drilling to develop designs for a new breed of advanced technology offshore drilling rigs. The agreement is part of BP’s Project 20KTM, a multi-year initiative to develop next-generation systems and tools for deepwater exploration and production that are beyond the reach of today’s technology. BP and Maersk Drilling will collaborate on concepts for deepwater drilling rigs that can operate in high-pressure and high-temperature reservoirs up to 20,000 pounds per square inch and 350 degrees Fahrenheit. A jointly staffed engineering team will be located in Houston, with back-office support from Maersk Drilling’s headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Aker Solutions has acquired the Norwegian companies Subsea House and SSH Engineering and plans to further expand and recruit 50-100 people in Stokke, located in the Vestfold county of Norway. The transaction value is undisclosed. Subsea House and SSH Engineering, currently owned by Subsea Holding, employs 40 people in total. The companies were established in 2007 and have a solid background within development, assembly, testing and refurbishment of subsea tools and products. The companies developed a state-of-the-art subsea facility in Stokke…

FMC Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: FTI) won a contract by BG Norge, a subsidiary of BG Group, for the manufacture and supply of subsea production equipment to support the Knarr oil and gas field. The contract has a value of approximately $135 million in revenue to FMC Technologies. The Knarr field, formerly known as Jordbaer, is located in Norwegian block 34/3 of the North Sea in water depths of approximately 1,320 feet (400 meters). FMC's scope of supply includes three each of subsea production trees and water injection trees.

Bureau Veritas is extending its partnerships in the Russian shipping and offshore sector, focussing on High Arctic offshore projects. Bureau Veritas and the Russian Register are working together to provide basic design review for the Shtokman FPU for the two tenderers: SAIPEM, SAMSUNG and SOFEC (SSS) and AKER, TECHNIP and SBM (ATS). The process has called for a comparison between BV and RS rules, design review and documentation review, and performance of thermal, linear and non-linear hydrodynamic and structural calculations with VeriSTAR Hull.

GE (NYSE: GE) Oil & Gas has announced that its Wellstream business, acquired in March, has been awarded a long-term, flexible pipe and subsea equipment logistics services contract by Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras), one of the largest companies in Latin America which also controls significant energy assets in 18 countries worldwide. The long-term contract is initially valued in excess of $200M. To perform the long-term contract, GE will build a dedicated 55,000 sq. meter, $90M investment Wellstream flexible pipe and subsea equipment Logistics Base in Niterói, a commercial hub located 14 kms outside Rio de Janeiro. Petrobras will use the new facility to support its development of pre-salt oil and gas field projects in the Campos and Santos basins offshore Brazil.

Cameron (NYSE: CAM) has received an order for the supply of subsea production systems for a deepwater and offshore gas processing and pipeline project in the South China Sea. The project will include subsea equipment, as well as an agreement to provide additional services across the life of the field. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in late 2011 and continue through 2012. Cameron President and Chief Executive Officer Jack B. Moore said, "At water depths of nearly 5,000 feet, this represents the deepest prospect to date in the Asia-Pacific region. We are pleased to have the opportunity to provide Cameron's equipment and technology in support of this important development.

FMC Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: FTI) announced that it has been awarded a contract by Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) (NYSE:PBRA) to supply a subsea separation system for the Marlim field, located in the Campos Basin, offshore Brazil. The contract is valued at approximately $90m in revenue to FMC Technologies. FMC's scope of supply consists of a subsea separation and pumping system. The subsea separation module will separate heavy oil, gas, sand and water at a water depth of approximately 2,950 feet (900 meters). The system will apply FMC's separation and sand management technologies, utilizing a novel pipe separator design, licensed and developed in cooperation with StatoilHydro.

FMC Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: FTI) announced on Jan. 15 that it has signed a contract with BP for the manufacture and supply of subsea equipment for the BP and Sonangol Sinopec International Block 18 field development, located offshore Angola. The contract is valued at approximately $140m in revenue for FMC. FMC's scope of supply includes one gas export regulation manifold, foundations and controls, a high-integrity pressure protection system, chokes and two pipeline end manifolds. The equipment will be manufactured in Angola and at FMC's Kongsberg, Norway facility. Deliveries will commence in 2009. "For several years FMC has worked closely with BP…

FMC Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: FTI) and Schilling Robotics announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby FMC Technologies will acquire a 45% interest in Schilling Robotics LLC for $116m in a transaction expected to close no later than December 31, 2008. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to FMC Technologies’ earnings per share in 2009. FMC Technologies is a manufacturer and supplier of subsea production systems. Schilling Robotics is a producer of ROVs (remotely operated vehicles), ROV manipulator systems, control systems, and other technology equipment and services for oil and gas subsea exploration and production. FMC Technologies Chairman, President and CEO, Peter D.

As the first containerships officially credited with capacities topping 8,000-TEU, the series of newbuilds ordered at the start of the year by Vancouver-based Seaspan for long-term charter to China Shipping Group embodies a design, which has been the subject of the most thorough structural analysis. The boxship sector has always been characterized by a propensity for driving developments to the limits of technical possibility. Its outstanding structural safety record over the years is testament to the industry's unflagging efforts to ensure long-term vessel integrity in combination with advancing scale. The considered technical approach expressed in current projects in the 8…

There are 2,511 identified pending, probable and possible subsea production wells forecast (base case) worldwide over the next six years. Some 18 percent of these subsea completions will be installed in North America, 30 percent in Africa/Mediterranean, eight percent in Asia-Pacific, 26 percent in the North Sea and 18 percent in Brazil. These subsea projects are in various development stages, including: 23 percent at the pending/construction stage, 11 percent bidding, 9 percent in detailed engineering, 16 percent at the front-end engineering design (FEED) stage, 16 percent of the wells probable and 26 percent possible indicating possible development in the future.

Aker Kvaerner has signed a letter of intent with Statoil ASA to enter a five-year frame agreement for the delivery of subsea production systems and related operational services. The agreement will make Aker Kvaerner's subsea division a preferred supplier to deliver complete subsea solutions to Statoil's new field developments as well as additional equipment to new and existing fields. The frame agreement for aftermarket services is valid for new fields. The agreement for delivery of subsea production systems is awarded for a five year period with an optional period of two x two years. The contract for operational services will run for five years. The extent of the frame agreement is first and foremost to cover Statoil's needs on the Norwegian continental shelf.

The top executive of Brazilian state oil giant Petrobras on Tuesday defended his company's acceptance of an industry achievement award despite suffering the loss of the world's largest deepwater oil rig in March. Petrobras president and CEO Philippe Reichstul dedicated the 2001 Offshore Technology Conference Distinguished Award for Companies and Organizations to the 11 workers who died when two explosions rocked the P-36 rig on March 15. Reichstul said Petrobras accepted the award because it recognizes the company's advances in subsea production systems, not the drilling platform proper. The subsea systems were not damaged in the sinking, he said. "We've been amazed by the way everything is impeccable subsea," Reichstul said at the 2001 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) yesterday.