Offshore Energy Production & the World Economy
As the price of gas continues to seemingly hold steady at around three dollars a gallon, the pocketbooks of Americans continue to suffer. Regretfully, due to global conflict and the outbreak of wars across Europe and the Middle East, oil prices are continuing to climb upwards, troubled by geopolitical conflict and fears of a potential shutdown of international oil and gas fields.Thankfully, the United States has long been blessed with tremendous sources of domestic energy that…
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 .
Rebuilding Confidence in Reactivated DP Assets
The offshore energy sector, like any industry, is constantly subject to market cycles. Challenging conditions may lower demand, resulting in a significant number of resources such as offshore support vessels (OSVs) and drillships being deactivated for potentially extended periods. Over time, however, cycles reverse and demand increases for these same assets.Operators reduced expenditures on offshore exploration and production activities…
Offshore Achievement Award winners Announced
Winners of the 2018 Offshore Achievement Awards were announced last night {22 March} in a celebration of industry talent, innovation and enthusiasm. The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Aberdeen Section revealed the 11 winners to an audience of more than 450 people, with categories covering technology innovation, company performance and individual achievement across the UK offshore energy sector. Ray Riddoch, UK managing director…
Morandi to Head GustoMSC’s Houston Office
Dr. Alberto Morandi has been appointed to the position of General Manager of GustoMSC’s office in Houston. He will be responsible for running the office and will act as point of contact for GustoMSC’s U.S. clients. GustoMSC is a design and engineering firm serving the offshore energy sector, and its U.S. office represents the company’s design solutions, associated hardware and specialist consultancy and engineering services in the local markets of the U.S. and the Americas. With Dr.
NWFTC, Petans Partner for Wind Farm Training
The National Wind Farm Training Centers (NWFTC) has announced a partnership with Petans to provide training to the wind industry. The state of the art facilities at Petans have been specially adapted for wind industry courses, which will be delivered by technical safety trainers in the UK. The courses initially on offer will include fully accredited GWO Basic Safety training – Working at Height, First Aid, Fire Awareness, Manual Handling and Sea Survival. Courses can be booked from August 2016.
IUMI: Gloomy Outlook for Offshore Energy Insurance Sector
Speaking at yesterday’s IUMI Genova conference, Simon Williams, Chairman of IUMI’s offshore energy committee, warned that the offshore energy sector was facing a series of significant challenges. He said: “We have not witnessed this level of downturn for 30 years – a drastic reduction in the oil price and a slowdown in activity coupled with a very soft insurance market where capacity continues to increase”. The depressed oil price…
Offshore Achievement Award for TWMA
Global integrated drilling waste management and environmental services firm, TWMA, has won the Export Achievement Award at this year’s Offshore Achievement Awards. The award recognises the company’s significant business growth resulting from successful export activity in the oil and gas and energy sector. Winners were announced at a prestigious awards ceremony last night at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre. Chief Operating Officer…
N-Sea Celebrates Safety Innovation Award
Subsea IMR provider, N-Sea, has won the Safety Innovations award at this year’s SPE Aberdeen Offshore Achievement Awards. Winners were announced at an awards ceremony last night at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC). The Safety Innovations Award recognizes excellence in innovative technology and products that have been developed in the UK and which contribute to offshore safety. N-Sea has received the accolade by…
MTS Assists Damen in Maersk Connector Sea Trials
Leading marine service provider, Marine and Towage Services Group Ltd. (MTS) has supported shipbuilder Damen during sea trials of its latest offshore cabling vessel, Maersk Connector. During the two-week testing period, MTS Vigilant, a Damen Shoalbuster, undertook essential anchor handling work to test the capabilities of the new vessel’s advanced mooring systems ahead of her handover to end client Maersk Supply Service and charterer DeepOcean.
DW: Offshore Energy Sector Under Pressure
This week, DW looks at some of the key takeaways from an event held last Thursday in London, hosted by the Society of Underwater Technology. Douglas-Westwood (DW) presented its outlook for the offshore energy sector, including outputs from its latest, soon to be published studies, in the context of a highly-turbulent start to the year that saw oil prices on the day of $27/bbl. Research Director Steve Robertson opened the event with…
Block Island Wind Crew Transfer Contract Awarded
Agreement enables high-speed catamaran ferry company Rhode Island Fast Ferry to commission first US-built crew transfer vessel, to be built by Blount Boats, and launch Atlantic Wind Transfers, its commercial wind support services division. This long-term charter services agreement is the first deal of its kind to be signed in the United States and marks another milestone in the development and deployment of US offshore wind. Expectations within the North American offshore wind market have escalated in recent months…
SPE Award for Survitec Group
Two safety and survival systems developed for use in the UK’s offshore sector by the Survitec Group were recognised for their industry-leading importance when they won the Safety Innovations Award in the recent Offshore Achievement Award organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). The Safety Innovations Award recognises excellence in innovative technology and products that have been developed in the UK and which contribute to offshore safety.
Proserv Wins Offshore Achievement Award
Proserv has won a third industry accolade in as many months after being named Great Large Company at the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Offshore Achievement Awards (SPE OAA) Thursday, March 12. The company was honored with the top title in recognition of its performance in the offshore energy sector including its business growth and clear strategy for continued expansion. Proserv’s chief executive officer, David Lamont, said the…
Norway's Oil Sector Repeating Mistakes of last Downturn?
Some 10 pct of oil workers laid off; Energy sector at risk of cutting too much. Norway's offshore energy sector may be repeating the mistakes of the last big oil slump, removing too much capacity too soon and leaving the industry unprepared for any eventual rebound, senior sector insiders said. Faster than many others, western Europe's biggest oil producer is scrapping assets and laying off highly skilled workers even though rebuilding this capacity to meet future demand will be costly…
Norway's Politics Threaten Oil Competitiveness
Norway's high carbon tax, reduced tax allowances for investments and political meddling in oil and gas projects is threatening the competitiveness of the country's vital offshore energy sector, the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association said on Wednesday. The country still scores among the top producers for competitiveness but a study by consultancy IHS, commissioned by the industry lobby group, is showing growing risk. Norway is the…
The History of Offshore Energy
Offshore exploration is a history of man v. Prospecting for oil is a dynamic art. From a lake in Ohio, to piers off the California coast in the early 1900s, to the salt marshes of Louisiana in the 1930s, to the first “out-of-sight- of-land” tower in 1947 in the Gulf of Mexico, the modern offshore petroleum industry has inched its way over the last roughly 75 years from 100 ft. of water ever farther into the briny deep, where the biggest platform today, Shell’s Perdido spar, sits in 8,000 ft. of water.
Iberdrola Ingeniería Launch Offshore Wind Substation R&D Project
In collaboration with a group of Basque (France/Spain area), companies, Iberdrola Ingeniería say they have launched the Marin-El R&D project which aims to design a marine electrical sub-station for offshore wind farms. The initiative has been allocated a €10 million budget and is supported by the Basque government. It also intends to offer an alternative to the existing substations, which are too bulky and heavy. This will in turn…
Ferguson Group Appoints East African Partner
The Ferguson Group, specialists in the rental of DNV 2.7-1/EN12079 certified containers, tanks, baskets, refrigeration containers, accommodation and engineering modules to the offshore energy sector, will partner with Alpha Logistics Services (EPZ) Ltd., extending its reach across East Africa. Alpha Logistics is a division of the Alpha Group – Marine Division, which provides efficient and cost effective solutions through its operational bases in Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Rwanda, DRC, Uganda and Mozambique.
Ferguson Norge Boosts Product Range
Ferguson Norge AS, part of the Ferguson Group, specialists in the rental of offshore containers, refrigeration/chiller modules, engineering modules and accommodation solutions to the offshore energy sector, has increased its fleet in Norway ahead of this year’s Offshore Technology Days (OTD) exhibition. Ferguson Norge has invested in a number of new offshore containers and workspace units, which will be available from its bases in Stavanger, Bergen and Kristiansund.
