Robotics: Autobots Transform in the Offshore Energy Sector
Robots and robotics have slowly been entering our lives, in various shapes and forms (and fictional characters), from self-driving household vacuum cleaners to highly automated manufacturing systems. Now they’re heading for the offshore world – in just as many shapes and forms.There could be a lot to gain from robotics, but platforms and offshore wind turbine structures are also very challenging places to put them on. For oil and gas, key drivers are around safety and cost . For the offshore wind sector, the sheer volume of structures being installed is driving a push for robotic systems to do inspection…
New Wireless Gas Monitor Introduced
Emerson has introduced its first fully integrated wireless gas monitor in response to the critical need for monitoring of toxic hydrogen sulphide gas in wellheads, tank farms and other remote locations. The Rosemount 928 Wireless Gas Monitor is a fully integrated WirelessHART toxic gas monitoring solution designed to improves safety in areas and applications that were previously considered to be too expensive and difficult to monitor due to remote or difficult-to-access locations, challenging topology, and other issues.Workers…
Baker Hughes Explores Sale of Gas Metering Unit
Baker Hughes, the oilfield services company controlled by General Electric Co, is exploring a sale of its gas detection and metering business that could be worth around $900 million, people familiar with the matter said on Monday. Oilfield services firms are seeking to tighten their focus to their core operations, as oil prices continue their recovery from their January 2016 lows. Baker Hughes' unit for sale, which makes sensors and monitors for industrial clients such as petrochemical makers and power generators, is expected to attract interest from other manufacturers of such devices, according to one of the sources.
New Contracts for Dräger Safety UK in Energy and Marine
Dräger Safety UK has secured new contracts worth in excess of £3 million ($4.2 mln) after diversifying into new technology and training service areas focused on upstream and downstream operations in the North Sea. The marine and offshore safety equipment supplier, which has supported operations in the UKCS from its base in Aberdeen since 2011, has boosted its North Sea presence by winning several high-profile contract awards from operators and oilfield service providers in late 2017, and early this year. Known for its life-saving fixed and wireless gas detection technologies…
DNV GL Launches CFD Software JIPs
The oil and gas industry is under pressure to develop cost effective designs without compromising safety. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software is used for this purpose, but improvements are needed to help solve complex safety and design challenges in oil and gas offshore engineering. DNV GL is launching two CFD joint industry projects (JIP) to meet the industry’s need for more cost efficient and precise decision support. Both JIPs are still welcoming new participants. CFD software uses numerical analysis and algorithms to assess and solve problems involving fluid flows…
First Damen Twin Axe Workboat for Middle East
Damen Shipyards Group has delivered a Damen Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 2610 workboat, named AOS SWIFT for the Atlantic Maritime Group on 20 August 2015. This is the first Damen Twin Axe vessel to be used in the Middle East for safe passenger and crew transfer as well as for the transport of industrial persons, materials and equipment to unmanned offshore platforms in the Strait of Hormuz. Within less than 3 months, and this includes the vessel’s transportation from Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, Damen has customised, commissioned and delivered the stock vessel.
RAstar Tugs Selected Again for LNG Terminal Support
The Robert Allan Ltd. RAstar Series tugs are well proven LNG terminal support/escort tugs, in operation at major LNG facilities worldwide, including terminals in the United Kingdom, Yemen, Mexico, Indonesia, Norway, and the United States. Now Smit Lamalco has introduced five new RAstar 3400 escort tugs to the Port of Gladstone in Australia for LNG terminal support with the fifth and final vessel having just safely arrived in the Port. The five tugs SL Curtis Island, SL Quoin Island, SL Boyne Island, SL Heron Island, and SL Wiggins Island are named after local islands and will serve LNG export terminals in the Port.
Semco Maritime Expands in Houston
Rig upgrade and repair specialist Semco Maritime opens new Houston office on January 23, offering services for rig customers in Canada, Gulf of Mexico and Brazil. Project management and offshore engineering company Semco Maritime is now opening a new, larger office in Houston, where the Danish company has been present for several years with a sales office. According to the company’s vice president Tom Dalton, “Oil prices may fluctuate, but rig customers’ need of service and upgrades for their drilling fleet remains. Semco Martime said it has recently expanded its rig facility upgrade capabilities significantly.
$140m Awarded for GoM Oil Impact Research
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) has selected 12 research consortia to conduct scientific studies of the impacts of oil, dispersed oil, and dispersant on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and public health. These research investments focus on improving our fundamental understanding of the implications of events such as the Macondo well blowout, and on developing improved spill mitigation, oil and gas detection, characterization and remediation technologies. The consortia were chosen following a competitive, merit review process that evaluated research applications submitted to GoMRI in response to its RFP-IV program solicitation.
Borgøy: the World’s first LNG-Fueled Tug
Late last year, an innovative project to design and build the world’s first LNG fuelled escort tugs became a reality when the Borgøy was handed over for sea trials by builder Sanmar in Tulza Bay near Istanbul. For the Christening at the Sanmar Shipyard in Tuzla, representatives from the Turkish shipyard were joined by executives from Norwegian tug operator Buksér og Berging AS and from Rolls-Royce. Neil Gilliver, Rolls-Royce, President – Merchant, believes that delivery of the Borgøy and Bokn, each with 65-tonne bollard pull and a transit speed of 13.5 knots, will mark a step change in tug propulsion.
Kongsberg: New Drilling Rig and Ship Simulator
Kongsberg Maritime has introduced two new Diesel Electric models for its Engine Room Simulator, K-Sim Engine (previously Neptune). The DE88 Semi-Submersible Drilling Rig model, containing eight Wärtsilä 16V26 engines and eight thrusters, is already available, while the DE66 Drill Ship model, simulating full operation of six MAN 16V32/40 diesel generators powering six thrusters, will be released in Q1 2014. Both new models are designed to support critical learning objectives for offshore engineering crew including complete system understanding under normal operation, fault detection and correction, and decision making training.
