Energy Customers News

Viking Life-Saving Equipment has launched a new Walk-to-Work crew transfer suit that the company says overcomes a cumbersome feature of offshore wind turbine maintenance procedures without compromising safety."The new Viking YouSafe Walk to Work is a one-size immersion suit airtight packed into a bag that is attached to the user’s lifejacket instead of being worn during the transfer between support vessels and offshore installations. Sealed in a protective bag, the lightweight immersion suit has been developed in cooperation with leading offshore wind and Oil & Gas operators…

Finland-based marine engine and technology provider Wärtsilä has appointed Håkan Agnevall as its next president and CEO.Agnevall, who is currently president of Volvo's bus division, will start in his role no later than in April 2021, succeeding Jaakko Eskola, who will continue with the company as a senior advisor and executive until he retires on June 30, 2021, after 22 years with the group.Agnevall has been with the Volvo Group  since 2013. In the decade prior to that he held various leadership positions in Bombardier and in ABB…

Crowley said it overcame a number of challenges to lighter and deliver nearly four million gallons of military specification fuel to Eareckson Air Station on the Aleutian Island of Shemya in Alaska.Shemya’s radar and aircraft refueling station, Eareckson Air Station, and the 180 service members, contractors and civilians who operate it rely on Crowley’s twice-yearly fuel deliveries to supply fuel required for incoming aircraft for the Defense Logistics Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, Air Force and other state and federal agencies.

As marine operators and euipment manufacturers continue to explore alternative marine fuels as a means to help lower vessel emissions, technology group Wärtsilä said it has initiated combustion trials using ammonia.As part of the tests, ammonia was injected into a combustion research unit to better understand its properties. Based on initial results, the tests will be continued on both dual-fuel and spark-ignited gas engines. These will be followed by field tests in collaboration with ship owners from 2022…

Wärtsilä said it has established its latest Expertise Center (EC) in Singapore to provide support functions, including operational support and dynamic maintenance planning, for marine and energy customers.Together with nine other Wärtsilä EC units around the world, the new center supports Lifecycle Solution agreement customers with advice and recommendations based on the analysis of data from monitoring the condition and performance of the specified machinery.Based within the company’s Acceleration Center facilities…

Virginia officials have established a well-planned, extensive strategy to build out an offshore wind industry, including wind towers for electricity generation and the supply chain to support that extensive infrastructure and operations. The State’s big picture is ambitious: developing 2,000 MW of offshore wind by 2028.As currently envisioned, VA’s offshore wind development will likely start this year with two 8-megawatt wind turbines 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. This is a Dominion Energy pilot undertaken in partnership with the Danish wind company Orsted.

Two Belgian companies - Aerospace industry supplier SABCA and DEME Offshore - have formed a partnership to use drones for inspection services in the offshore wind energy industry.SABCA, a leading tier 1 aerospace industry supplier and DEME Offshore, a worldwide leader in solutions and services for the offshore energy market, have entered into a partnership for the development and deployment of Unmanned Vehicles to perform surveillance and inspection works in the offshore industry.Complementing each other’s core experience and know-how, both companies are convinced that these innovative, advanced technologies have a game-changing potential to increase health and safety of their employees…

Corvus Energy Holding, the Energy Storage Systems (ESS) supplier to the maritime industry, has signed an agreement to acquire all shares in the Norway-based Grenland Energy, which develops and manufactures lightweight lithium-ion batteries for the maritime, offshore and subsea industry.“The market for battery storage is increasing rapidly. It is the perfect time to combine resources, competencies, and technologies with an optimized global footprint. We are eager to join forces with innovative companies such as Grenland Energy to offer extended and more specialized solutions and services,” said Geir Bjørkeli, CEO of Corvus Energy.With this acquisition…

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s offshore services group has delivered Shell’s Appomattox semi-submersible Floating Production System (FPS) to the open waters of the U.S. Gulf from Kiewit Offshore Services' construction facility in Ingleside, Texas.Making the tow-out possible were Crowley’s Ocean Sky and Ocean Sun tugboats, which worked together on behalf of customer Heerema, alongside other third-party assets to deliver Appomattox.Demonstrating both nearshore and offshore capabilities, the company’s ocean class tugs safely towed the FPS through the Aransas Channel, then disconnected and provided escort services to the deep-water installation site.

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s ocean class tugboats and 455-series high-deck strength barges recently played an integral role in the tow-out and installation of Hess’ Stampede tension-leg platform (TLP) in the deep waters of the U.S. Gulf. Demonstrating both nearshore and offshore capabilities, six Crowley vessels worked together alongside other third-party assets to deliver the oversized, overweight platform, tendons and other equipment from the Kiewit facility in Ingleside, Texas, to the site of the Stampede floating production facility, about 150 miles offshore in 3,400 feet of water.

British engineering company Rolls-Royce said it would cut a further 800 jobs in its marine business to save an extra 50 million pounds ($63 million) a year, responding to weak demand from shipping and energy customers. The marine business, which depends on oil and gas-related customers for about 60 percent of its business and currently employs about 4,800 people with its main operations in Norway, has seen weak demand for new equipment and lower maintenance revenues as customers use their vessels less. Rolls, which has been cutting costs for three years to make the marine unit more competitive, said the cuts were part of a plan to save between 45 million pounds and 50 million pounds on an annualised basis from the middle of next year.

Teekay Corporation’s board of directors has elected Kenneth Hvid to succeed current president and CEO, Peter Evensen, who will retire January 31, 2017 after more than 13 years with the company. Hvid is presently serving as president and CEO of Teekay Offshore Group Ltd. “Kenneth Hvid is the natural successor to Peter Evensen as CEO of Teekay at this time,” said Teekay's Chairman, Sean Day. Hvid has served on the board of Teekay daughter companies, and has worked closely with all the business segments in Teekay in his previous role as Chief Strategy Officer.

Aberdeen-headquarted subsea cable and connector specialist Hydro Group plc announces multiple Asia Pacific Business Partner agreements as the firm continues strategic growth in the region. As part of international expansion plans in 2013 the firm formed its Singapore based division, Hydro Group Asia, which has shown an annual increase of sales in the region of over £1.5M. The five new Business Partner agreements with Uni-One in Taiwan, ISL in China, Oceanpixel in the Philippines, PT Indonesia in Indonesia and DKHG in Vietnam will aid Hydro Group’s cabling interconnect solutions presence in these important markets. Steve Ang, Hydro Group Asia technical sales manager…

RigNet, Inc., a global provider of remote managed offshore communications solutions, telecoms systems integration services and collaborative applications to the oil and gas industry, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Inmarsat to offer Fleet Xpress, the maritime version of its Global Xpress service, to the oil and gas maritime sector. The agreement will enable RigNet to extend high-speed communications to offshore service and supply vessels within the oil and gas industry across the globe. “RigNet differentiates itself in the oil and gas industry by providing fit-for-purpose technologies to help our energy customers operate remotely in a more productive, efficient and safe manner,” said Mark Slaughter, RigNet’s CEO and President.

SpeedCast International Limited (SpeedCast), a global satellite telecommunications service provider, announced that it has been awarded a multi-year communications contract from Gulf Marine Services (GMS). The new dual-beam Ku-band satellite service will provide high-performance broadband connectivity for client office applications and voice services across nine GMS barges. GMS is one of the largest providers of self-propelled, self-elevating accommodation jack-up barges in the world. The vessels work in offshore oilfields, often in harsh weather conditions, and therefore require a reliable and high-quality connection between the vessels and the land-based operations.

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) along with Mercury Continuity (MC) have demonstrated the Tactical Reachback Extended Communications (TREC) system in the port of Miami. The NRL-developed communications technology, which provides a very high data rate transmission over long ranges, was tested as part of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with MC and Intelligent Designs, LLC. The full-duplex connection was set up between a node on top of a 760-foot-tall building near the harbor and another on board the vessel Norwegian Sky…

As part of the company's new vessel build program, Crowley Maritime Corp. christened the latest of its four tugboats in the ocean class series, Ocean Sun, today in Lake Charles. The ceremony served to formally welcome the fourth dynamic positioning 2 (DP2) tugboat to the company’s expanded ocean towing fleet, which has been involved in most of the major offshore oil production installations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico over the past 18 months. Todd Busch, senior vice president and general manager of Crowley’s solutions group, opened the ceremony to approximately 80 guests.

On the heels of the recent delivery of Olympus, the largest tension-leg platform ever to be developed for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Crowley has once again shown support for the domestic petroleum industry by providing ocean towing and positioning support services for the Lucius spar in the Gulf of Mexico for Anadarko Petroleum. Three of Crowley’s ocean class tugs, Ocean Wind, Ocean Wave and Ocean Sun, towed the 605-foot long, 110-foot wide spar from Corpus Christi, Texas, through the Ingleside Channel and out to Keathley Canyon Block 875 some 300 miles offshore.

Global IP to introduce Ku-band maritime services to oil, gas and energy customers across the vast Indian Ocean region. Intelsat S.A., a  provider of satellite services, announced today that Spain-based Global IP, a provider of satellite communications for maritime, energy and corporate customers, has signed multi-year agreements allowing it to provide broadband service to its maritime customers in the Indian Ocean region. Global IP will use capacity on Intelsat 22 at 72° East, Intelsat 702 at 33° East, and the IntelsatOneSM terrestrial network to introduce advanced mobility services. Global IP will collocate its DVB-S2 high-throughput platform at Intelsat's teleport in Fuchsstadt, Germany, enabling access to the IntelsatOne infrastructure and Intelsat's satellite fleet.

Intelsat S.A. said it signed a multi-year agreement with Digital Networks to provide capacity via its satellite fleet and IntelsatOne terrestrial network, enabling Digital Networks to more effectively support very small aperture terminal (VSAT) communications networks in North America. Digital Networks will leverage Intelsat's teleport services and capacity on the Galaxy 3C satellite to expand its network in the United States and Canada. "This agreement will enable Digital Networks to quadruple its available throughput for delivering integrated voice, data and real-time applications for our energy customers," said Digital Networks CEO Curtis Blankenship.

Four of Crowley Maritime Corp’s ocean class tugboats , the 'Ocean Wind', 'Ocean Wave', 'Ocean Sky' and 'Ocean Sun', recently completed the successful delivery of the offshore oil production and drilling platform, Olympus, to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The project was significant because it provided the first opportunity for all four of the company's new high-bollard-pull, ocean class tugboats to work together on any single job. The rig, owned by Royal Dutch Shell, is also considered the largest tension-leg platform ever to be developed for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

DONG Energy, a leading energy group with offshore interests in Northern Europe, announce that Goldman Sachs will subscribe for new shares for DKK 8 billion, ATP for DKK 2.2 billion and PFA for DKK 0.8 billion. Coincidentally, Carsten Krogsgaard Thomsen will step down as CFO after 11 years with DONG 
Energy. His successor will be Marianne Wiinholt, who comes from the position of 
Senior Vice President of DONG Energy's Customers & Markets division. Henrik Poulsen, DONG Energy’s CEO, says: 

“I would like to thank Carsten for the huge contribution he has made to the 
company over many years.

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc), a European satellite operator, and iDirect, a company in satellite based IP communications, jointly announced that TSBc has chosen iDirect’s new Velocity product line as the ground infrastructure solution for its new THOR 7 high throughput satellite (HTS). Using iDirect technology, TSBc will deliver a Ka-band HTS payload of up to nine Gbps of throughput across 25 spot beams, providing capacity over the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Mediterranean, Baltic Sea as well as the Middle East. TSBc chose the iDirect platform for several reasons. The platform will enable automatic, seamless spot-beam handover across all beams on the THOR 7 satellite, ensuring continuous mobile connectivity.