Trelleborg Tackles Lower Costs at SPE Offshore Europe

The sharp fall in oil prices has resulted in intensified competition within the offshore oil and gas industry and the prevailing market situation confirms a continued uncertainty ahead. The market was quick to reevaluate its processes and budgets, redirecting its primary focus to cutting costs, adding value and increasing efficiency.
 
Fredrik Meuller, Business Area President, Trelleborg Offshore and Construction, said, “The natural reaction when the barrel price falls is for operators to cut costs wherever possible. However it is vital that operators save in the right areas and resist the temptation to simply buy cheap. It remains important to invest in solutions which will continuously deliver high performance over a long lifecycle, to protect projects in the long term, even in tough times.”
 
In light of these challenges, events like SPE Offshore Europe (September 8 to 11, 2015, Aberdeen) are central to sharing knowledge. At this year’s show, Trelleborg’s experts will demonstrate just some of the innovative key solutions which can help operators bridge the gap between cost and performance on stand 1H81. Trelleborg will also highlight some of the ways in which the market can lower project costs, optimize productivity and retain competitiveness as barrel prices recover.
 
John Drury, Managing Director within Trelleborg’s offshore operation based in the UK, said, “In increasingly rougher seas, pipelines unsupported over free spans are prone to Vortex Induced Vibration (VIV) fatigue and this is a growing concern. VIV can lead to serious issues such as pipe girth weld failure or premature pipe malfunction. As such, we have designed the T-Strake, an innovative new VIV system which protects flowlines by suppressing the effects of these vibrations on pipes, avoiding damage and downtime.  
 
“The unique design enables more efficient transportation and installation. The innovative manufacturing process for T-Strake means they can be produced up to six times faster than systems manufactured using traditional techniques, ensuring shorter lead times.”
 
Downtime caused by failure or maintenance often yields a considerable cost that can also be avoided. Henk-Willem Sanders, FPSO Focus Group Leader at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions says: “Our innovative SealWelding  technology allows seals to be welded in-situ on an FPSO platform, eliminating the need for the platform to disconnect and return to shore. Facilities will no longer need to shut down operations for weeks at a time, causing significant loss of earnings from lost production. Solutions such as ours not only add value, but save a significant amount of time and naturally, costs too.”
 
Trelleborg will exhibit its range of innovative offshore solutions at SPE Offshore Europe on stand 1H81. Products are designed with quality, performance and efficiency front of mind and include high performance pipeline protection and insulation, buoyancy and sealing solutions.