european oil and gas issue 100 final edition
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The latest edition of European Oil and GasTRANSCRIPT
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oil&gasf r o m e x p l o r a t i o n t o e n d u s e r
europeanFI
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europeanoilandgas.co.uk
this issUE: Marine transfer operations
energy worksoil and gas growth is increasing career opportunities
striking a balanceoperators should move towards a data-centric world
Buildingrelationships
relationship risk and the challenges of partnership working
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As the oil and gas industry expands, project complexity increases, and in this environment collaboration
and partnerships are essential to successful operations.
Of course, in that increased complexity the challenges of
partnership working also increase, as we discover in our lead
feature in this issue.
We were fortunate enough to gain valuable insight from Alex
Cameron and David Archer, both directors of Socia Ltd and
authors of Collaborative Leadership: Building relationships,
handling conflict and sharing control. On page four they
address the challenges of partnerships in oil and gas, pointing
out the greatest risks in any system are at the boundaries
between one part of the system and another and that's
never been truer than in todays interconnected business
environment.
If you are working in the energy industry the chances are that
partnerships and collaboration are part of your everyday life,
and with the risks that accompany this type of work, Alex and
Davids feature is essential reading. After all, as they explain,
In an even more interconnected world in the future, the
skills of collaboration and relationship risk management will
become critical.
editors Libbie HAmmond & mAtt HigH
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in an even more interconnected world in the future, the skills of collaboration and relationship risk management will become critical
pLeASe nOte: the opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor and publisher. every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information published is accurate, but no legal responsibility for loss occasioned by the use of such information can be accepted by the publisher. All rights reserved. the contents of the magazine are strictly copyright, the property of Schofield publishing, and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Chairman Andrew Schofield Group Managing director mike tulloch
Managing editor Libbie [email protected] matt [email protected] staff Writers Kirsty birkett-StubbsJo Cooperdrew dann editorial Administrator emma Harris
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Editors
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Profiles Regulars
4 Lead feature Relationship risk and the challenges of partnership working
12 News A look at some of the recent developments in the oil and gas industry
14 IT Why operators should move towards a data-centric world
16 Lead feature How oil and gas growth is increasing career opportunities 20 Special feature - marine transfer operations Robin Proctor of Reflex Marine on offshore crew transfer operations
8 Transvac Systems41 ALE45 Kuantan Port Consortium48 Seven Seas Services50 Zenith Structural Access Solutions53 Ugland Construction55 HMVT58 Thermtech60 Gasunie63 Top Oilfield Industries65 Ben Line Agencies68 CS Combustion Solutions70 Brubakken
72 Motherwell Bridge75 BAM Energie79 Providence Resources
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24 SPE Offshore Europe 2013
26 gE oil & gas
34 ITW Densit
39 oldham Engineering
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Contents
109 Enterprise Engineering Services113 Kongsberg Maritime116 Cryo AB119 Icon Offshore Berhad122 ms Neumann Elektronik125 Prime Drilling
81 Karmsund85 Ventspils Nafta Terminals91 Overseas AST Company95 Suretank101 Wessington Cryogenics103 Essar Oil107 VTT Vasiliko
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ind the gap its a phrase every visitor
to London has heard a thousand times.
Originally recorded in the 1960s as a short
automated announcement to passengers
to watch out for the gap between the
platform edge and the tube train door at curved station
platforms, its become an English language clich. But as a
safety announcement it contains a simple truth. People have
always known that the greatest risks in any system are at
the boundaries between one part of the system and another
and thats never been truer than in todays interconnected
business environment.
The oil and gas sector is more experienced than most at
working in this interconnected manner, and it might be
reasonable to suggest that some sectors newer to partnership
working (transport or Government, for example) might
have something to learn from the experience in the energy
industry. But we all know that its not so easy to make
these partnerships work over time. There are inherent
risks in sharing control with other organisations and being
dependent on their performance to deliver your business
objectives. And when these arrangements go wrong, the
consequences can be catastrophic. Theres no need to go over
the lessons from Macondo or Piper Alpha here, but its worth
reflecting on whether we are paying attention to all the right
factors in these complex interconnected situations.
Identifying relationship risksRisks that originate in your partners organisation, or risks
that arise because of the interaction (or lack of interaction)
between two organisations, need a place on a joint risk
register. They also need to be watched carefully because these
relationship risks have their own peculiar characteristics that
make them particularly difficult to manage.
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was ridiculed
for his remarks about unknown unknowns with regard to
Iraqs links to terrorist organisations, but there was some
truth behind his scrambled syntax. Conventional risks
registers deal in known knowns; risks whose impact and
likelihood can at least be reasonably estimated. These risks
are comfortable for engineers to handle, but when risks are
being managed across an organisational boundary, things are
never that transparent. Its difficult to interpret the potential
warning signs that may be seen coming from within your
partners organisation and, in turn, its difficult for them
to understand the signs from your organisation. Trying to
manage relationship risks brings us into the world of known
unknowns and unknown knowns.
Known UnknownsIn these situations you know your own organisation has
some vulnerability to how your partner may operate and
you may be unsighted on their lack of technical competence,
M
DavID archer andalex cameron discuss relationship risk and the challenge of partnership working in oil and gas
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Buildingrelationships
Belowdavid archerdirector of socia ltd
Belowalex cameron director of socia ltd
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Lead one
transparency and unwillingness of one partner to talk to
anyone else about a problem because they think they have it
under control again creates an unquantified risk.
However, in order to build a resilient collaborative
partnership to be able to explore the known unknowns
and the unknown knowns - both sides must be committed
to talking about their attitude to risk and to understand their
own and their partners risk profile. In our experience this
goes far beyond a simple high, medium or low risk profile
rating and means understanding more about your partners
business, its culture and its history.
All our attitudes to risk are informed by what we have
seen going wrong in the past, the price we have paid for it
and the lessons we have drawn from the experience. But
how does the industry put this experience into practice?
Tackling relationship risk When it comes to addressing relationship risks and
building a management framework for handling them
successfully, we cant just depend on the usual approaches
to risk management and the creation of risk registers. It
comes down to a balance between three aspects of how
the partnership is run, namely Governance, Operations
and Behaviours. Of course the amount of effort required in
each will depend on the specifics of the situation you face,
but a risk management plan that only addresses one or two
the capability of their subcontractors, etc. But what is largely
unknown is the likelihood of your partner triggering this risk
by their actions. Its difficult to get your partner to let you
know their vulnerabilities, particularly if they have over-sold
their capability when they contracted with you.
This is particularly true when partners are working
across different organisational cultures: all the subtle
cues that would indicate that something is wrong arent
there. In fact, there may be cultural barriers to discussing
problems or failings, and so the risk to project, well or
developments are unquantified.
Unknown knownsThen there are the situations where you simply dont know
what your partner knows the unknown knowns. These
could be instances where your partner has uncovered a
problem or a potential risk and is working very hard to
resolve that part of their process before telling you, or anyone
else, about it. These situations can sometimes be described as
guilty knowledge.
These may be risks that havent been considered: issues
that had not been conceived as likely ever to pose a problem.
And from your partners point of view, these can look like
risks that are contained totally within their own business:
things that are their responsibility to resolve, with little
or no knock-on impact on their partners. But the lack of
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people can make mistakes, but the consequences are much
more dangerous. A robust relationship risk system will
incentivise partners to identify these early indicators and
communicate them early to partners.
Behaviours: Formal risk governance and efficient joint safety management systems are essential foundations for relationship
risk management, but they are not enough. The behaviour of
leaders plays a crucial part in setting the culture of the rela-
tionship and building its appetite to risk. Like any marriage,
strong enduring relationships dont happen by accident and
they have their ups and downs. Business relationships also
need tending carefully too. This means leaders must recognise
the need to invest their own time and resources in building
those relationships when the partnership is going well so that
the goodwill built up can be drawn down when times are
tough. If these relationships cross cultures, as they so often do
in the oil and gas sector, this can be seen as a reason to keep
your distance. But this natural reticence should be tempered
by the need to establish open and effective communication
and trust in these relationships. This has to be the priority for
the leaders of the partnership.
The future is more collaboration and so more relationship risksThe response to the high profile disasters of the past
means more scrutiny from regulators and new ways to
respond to avoid environmental impacts. Take the example
of the industry-owned co-operative Oil Spill Response
Ltd, which exists to respond to oil spills and works with
other industry organisations to share experience and
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of these areas will be less resilient than one that addresses
all three. And this needs to be set up at the start of any
new partnership at the point where the ink is still wet on
the new contract and there is sufficient goodwill to make
it work.
governance: The first step is to build relationship risk man-agement into the formal governance process. All organisations
and projects have risk registers that should be reviewed. But,
in our experience, these risk registers often dont focus on
the partners real worries and fears. Issues as complex as the
relationship between organisations are rarely identified in
these documents. If the future success of the venture depends
on building strong partnerships, then there needs to be an
agreed process to check that the risk register reflects the need
to manage relationship risks that could be overlooked. This
will mean addressing some sensitive issues that cant always
be quantified but are likely to be the issues that keep partners
awake at night.
operations: Operationalising the early warning systems is an important factor in the effective management of relationship
risk. Experienced managers pick up signs intuitively some-
thing just doesnt feel right but, between organisations, these
feelings are often dismissed. These early indicators might
include one party being excluded from a task, a key person
being unable to attend an important meeting or the late deliv-
ery of a report, etc.
But what happens when warning signs start to emerge
from such a system? Here its important to have the right set
of incentives and sanctions to hand. In a complex technical
environment such as oil exploration, equipment can fail,
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Socia LtdDavid Archer and Alex Cameron are co-directors of Socia Ltd, a consultancy specialising in advising private and public sector leaders, leadership teams and boards on managing critical business relationships. Their oil and gas sector clients include Premier Oil, Salamander Energy and Ophir Energy.They are co-authors of Collaborative Leadership Building relationships, handling conflict and sharing control (Routledge, March 2013).
For further information please visit:socia.co.uk
Lead one
develop knowledge. Here is an organisation that has to
have collaboration in its DNA: it can only deliver benefit
to the industry in times of crises by using the knowledge,
contribution and goodwill of all the participating
organisations. This means that if the relationships between
these partners dont work, then the risks in times of crisis
are significantly increased.
And the greatest risks in an interconnected partnership
are often found at the platform edge the points of high
interdependence between different parties. These are
where relationships matter, where communication needs
to be effective and trust needs to be high. Yet the greatest
opportunities are often found at precisely the same points.
Here different organisations have to work closely together.
This can be tricky, but the friction can also be creative:
people challenge each others assumptions, ask apparently
stupid questions that make people see in a new light,
and posit different ways of doing things. But this wont
happen without individual leaders taking relationship risk
seriously. Successful leaders in the oil and gas industry
have always been those who can manage relationships
well. In an even more interconnected world in the
future, the skills of collaboration and relationship risk
management will become critical.
The leaders response In essence, we would suggest that leaders have four
imperatives with regard to managing risks that could result
in failure or worse.
Leading across a partnership means you have to deal with 6
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the paradox of shared control. To create more systemic
control of joint risk means that you need to let go of some
aspects of control and focus on developing an open and
trusting relationship with your partners.
6 Leaders need to be skilled at effective communication that transcends cultural differences. This means being prepared
to admit to some vulnerabilities in your own organisation
and encourage your partners to do the same so you build
resilient ways of managing risk together
Set up any partnership in a manner where relationship 6risks are explicitly addressed as part of a risk management
process risks have their own place on the risk register.
Be aware of your own attitude to risk and what drives it. 6Does this fit with the risk profile of your own organisation
and with the demands of the objectives of the partnership
or project?
When it comes to addressing relationship risks and building a management framework for handling them successfully, we cant just depend on the usual approaches to risk management and the creation of risk registers. It comes down to a balance between three aspects of how the partnership is run, namely Governance, Operations and Behaviours
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We have just celebrated our 40th year, which was a couple of weeks ago,
says marketing manager of Transvac, Peter
Ainge. Its a nice milestone - we have been
around for a long time. At the heart of all of our
oil and gas solutions lies the Ejector, sometimes
also known as an eductor or surface jet pump.
They are essentially pumps that have no moving
parts, require little or no maintenance and often
require no new energy to run. They use a jet
of either liquid or gas to create a low pressure
region in the body of the Ejector which then
draws in a third fluid, which again can be either
a gas or a liquid. Its an old principle that has
been around for hundreds of years but is very
effective and offers some exciting opportunities
to the oil and gas industry.
The principles behind Transvacs Ejector
systems may be hundreds of years old but the
company is breaking new ground across a host
of industries. The oil and gas industry however,
has been the companys most important catalyst
for growth as it looks for ways to improve on the
levels of resources recovered. We use Ejectors
across a range of industries including nuclear,
oil and gas, food and pharmaceutical, water
treatment, steam and vacuum, Peter explains.
These have kept our business nice and steady
over the years, however the oil and gas industry
is our most exciting market. A very topical
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recoveryaboveTransvac's research & development test facility
BelowMarlim, Campos Basin, Brazil
A flare for
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There are two common ways in which an
Ejector can be driven, requiring no new energy
and no running costs. This means that any gain in
production is free, 100 per cent efficient. The first
opportunity is where there is a high pressure (HP)
well that is being choked to reduce its pressure.
This is common practice so as to maintain
production across other nearby wells sharing
the same production facilities. However, there
is energy being wasted across the valve, offering
no benefit. We can use this energy to drive an
Ejector. The Ejector becomes the choke device in
effect, but also creates a suction that can be used
to literally suck on the LP, dead well, bringing it
back to life. Liquid loaded wells are no problem
as, unlike mechanical compressors, Ejectors can
handle liquid slugs with without issue.
The second opportunity lies where
mechanical compressors are operating in recycle,
which is commonplace in mature fields where
the throughput has fallen off. By recycling
some of the gas from the discharge side of the
compressor and feeding it back into the suction
side, the compressor then sees a throughput
closer to its design point. Again, there is a
loop of wasted energy, which can be tapped
into and used to drive an Ejector. Weve had
some great success with this and the beauty of
our technology is that it has no moving parts,
it doesnt require any electrical power and it
doesnt require any maintenance, says Peter. It
looks like a simple piece of pipe to be honest,
its not an exciting piece of kit to look at but
what is going on inside, and the opportunities it
presents, really are.
Weve had huge success with these, they can
create hundreds of thousands of dollars worth
of revenue a day for no extra cost apart
from the cost of the Ejector. It doesnt
require any power or
maintenance, it will run itself
its just a principle of physics. A lot
of the time well have engineers saying,
That sounds too good to be true, whats the
catch?, but there really isnt one.
In 2010 Transvac opened its research and
theme in the
industry,
particularly
in the North
Sea is about
recovering more,
extending field life and
if possible restarting dead wells. With a
mature field and depleting reserves one
of the challenges is not to abandon a well or a
field when it has only had 40-50 per cent of its
resources recovered. Our patented production
boosting Ejectors reduce backpressure on
wells, or indeed lower the backpressure from a
separator, to enhance recovery.
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It looks like a simple piece of pipe to be honest, its not an exciting piece of kit to look at but what is going on inside, and the opportunities it presents, really are
BelowTransvac subsea Ejector for Petrobras' Marlim Field
aboveTransvac conducts detailed CFD Ejector performance analysis
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Hone-AllHone-All would like to congratulate our valued partner Transvac on their 40th Anniversary! Specialising in deep hole boring, deep hole drilling, CNC honing and CNC turning on components up to three metres long, Hone-All is the market leader in providing precision machining services for the key suppliers into the oil and gas industry. Come and meet us at Offshore Europe, Hall 2E Stand 125, and see for yourself just how we could be your sourcing solution.
Transvac Systems LtdTransvac.co.uk
ServicesProduct boosting and recovery solutions
development test facility, which has allowed the
company to break new ground in a big way. A
great example of this is Transvacs new flare gas
recovery solution, FlareJet. We have over 20
years experience in delivering flare gas recovery
solutions to the industry, but armed with this new
performance data and some cutting-edge Ejector
designs we can now offer gas compression up to
90:1, says Gary Short, R&D director. FlareJet is
the result of many years of development and our
latest IP. It has opened up many new opportunities
for our clients who can now enjoy zero-flare
operation at their facilities.
In many cases produced water can be used
to drive an Ejector. This can achieve very high
compression, which allows flare gas, often close
to atmospheric pressure, to be compressed up to a
pressure high enough to either re-enter production
or be used as a fuel gas elsewhere on the facility.
Its a very effective solution and a great alternative
to liquid ring vacuum pumps or mechanical
compressors that are often plagued with
maintenance issues and spiraling running costs.
Elaborating on the success of Transvacs
research and development centre, Peter says We
have used the research and development facility
for a number of projects including sand cleaning
packages, and we are currently in the process
of testing a gas-flaring package for flare gas
recovery in Oman for PDO. Its groundbreaking
work were doing, we have been making liquid
jet Ejectors for 40 years but now we have
been able to completely rewrite the rulebook
regarding what we are able to do with them.
Moving beyond 2013 Transvac is determined
to push into its largest market, the oil and gas
industry, as well as developing the way it operates
in other sectors. Alongside delivering its FlareJet
system, the company will look to take advantage
of the growing subsea industry, which it sees as
perfectly suitable for its Ejector products.
Many technologies have fallen by the wayside
and many require complete redesign to operate
subsea. Ejectors do not and as such, Transvac
has been part of some of the subsea industrys
most groundbreaking projects, such as Marlim,
the FMC/Petrobras subsea separation and
reinjection module currently installed in the
Campos Basin off the coast of Brazil. Transvac
also supplied the worlds first subsea Ejector to
Tordis, the FMC/Statoil separation module. This
was the worlds first full-field subsea separation
system. Ultimately, 2013 is looking very exciting
for Transvac.
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leftTransvac supplied the world's first subsea ejector for Tordis - the world's first full field subsea separation system
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Next months SPE Offshore Europe exhibition and conference will be the largest in the events
history with more exhibiting companies and countries represented than ever before.
The sold-out exhibition halls, covering a record 27,082.42 square metres equivalent to four
football pitches will feature the complete supply chain of companies including operators,
drilling contractors and oilfield service companies. Over 1500 organisations are expected this
year, including 262 companies exhibiting for the first time. With 22 operators taking stands, this
is the largest operator representation in the history of the event. E.ON and Talisman Sinopec are
new additions this year, and Statoil has increased its presence, alongside the majors such as Shell,
BP, Chevron, Total, GDF Suez and Saudi Aramco. All of the big four service companies Baker
Hughes, Schlumberger, Halliburton and Weatherford are exhibiting at the event for the first time
in a decade.
Vasyl Zhygalo, senior exhibition director, Reed Exhibitions, says: We are delighted that the
exhibition space is sold out and larger than ever before. This is especially fitting as we celebrate the
events 40th anniversary this year. Visitors will have a rare opportunity to see a huge range of goods
and services from small, medium and large companies and, even more importantly, talk to the
experts on hand. And attendance is free to all registrants.
Chain reaction
Show time
At this years Offshore Europe, igus UK, will be showcasing its industry-leading e-chain cable
carriers and chainflex continuous-flex cables developed specifically for mechanically and
environmentally challenging offshore applications, as well as its maintenance free range of plain,
spherical and linear bearings. Visitors to the stand will be able to see live demonstrations of
the worlds largest plastic energy chain, E4.350, and meet industry experts to discuss the latest
innovations.
igus energy chains are manufactured from high performance plastics making them tough, resistant
to corrosion and impact, offering high UV, temperature and precipitation stability. They are lubricant-
free so require no maintenance and have very long working lives, making them an extremely cost-
effective choice.
They are also available in ATEX-ESD compliant versions, and have been proven by test to
function reliably even at extreme temperatures and in adverse weather conditions, making them the
perfect solution for offshore applications. For example, the E4.350 is well suited to carrying large
cables and hoses 15 metres up and down during operations such as drilling head stroke or lateral
rig skidding. In addition, igus will show its chainflex range of flexible cables, which are designed for
millions of moving cycles in energy chains.
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learning togetherA new Shell Centre for Exploration
Geoscience is to be established
jointly by Shell International
Exploration and Production B.V.
and Heriot-Watt at the Universitys
Edinburgh campus. The Centre,
headed by Professor John Underhill,
a renowned geoscientist, represents a
3 million investment by Shell over a
five-year period.
Based within the Universitys
highly regarded Institute of
Petroleum Engineering, the Centre
will establish a seismic interpretation
and exploration geoscience research
group. Researchers will deploy
the latest technologies, data,
and industry insights to further
understanding of some of the worlds
major petroleum systems, including
the UK Continental Shelf.
Professor Underhill, holder
of the Shell Chair of Exploration
Geoscience, will lead a group
consisting of sponsored post-
doctoral, PhD and Masters (MRes)
students. He said: Taken together,
Shells significant investment and
Heriot-Watt Universitys commitment
to applied academic research activity
provide a tremendous opportunity
to undertake new, novel and
fundamental geoscientific research
at the Centre. The results will
help further our understanding of
the development, evolution and
deformation of sedimentary basins
and complement existing strengths
within the Institute of Petroleum
Engineering.
Ceri Powell, executive vice
president, Shell Exploration,
said: Shell is pleased to partner
with Heriot-Watt University.
This collaboration highlights our
commitment to facilitate world-class
research at leading universities in
subjects of importance in meeting
the worlds growing energy demand.
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Bookings have officially opened for the annual Offshore
Decommissioning Conference organised by Decom North Sea
in partnership with Oil & Gas UK.
This years event, sponsored by Ernst & Young LLP, will be
held at the Fairmont Hotel, St Andrews, on 2-3 October. With
annual expenditure for North Sea decommissioning projects
forecast to top 1 billion in the coming years, this years event
will focus on collaboration and promoting knowledge share and
best practices among operators and supply chain members.
The two conference days feature a full schedule of
workshops and presentations including market updates
on global decommissioning, well abandonment, industry
initiatives and an investigation of the future of the industry.
The programme will also feature case studies on collaboration
as well as a panel debate on the subject.
The conference will be chaired jointly by Brian Nixon,
Decom North Seas chief executive, and Mick Borwell, Oil &
Gas UKs environmental issues director. They will be joined by
a line-up of industry experts, who will share their knowledge
of decommissioning and encourage delegates to participate in
a range of interactive discussions on topical issues including
current and projected decommissioning levels, lessons learned
from recent major projects and collaboration and re-use.
For further information and to register, please visit: oilandgasuk.co.uk/events/Offshore_Decom_Conf_2013.cfm.
Supervisory roleHydro Group Plc, a global designer and manufacturer of
underwater cables and connectors for subsea, underwater,
topside and onshore applications, has announced plans for
further investment in South East Asia and the appointment of
a technical support supervisor to aid growth in the region.
Doug Whyte, Hydro Group managing director, said: Hydro
Group has invested close to 300,000 in developing the South
East Asia operation, with plans to invest further and increase
staff numbers considerably. These significant developments
mean we are on track for the Singapore office to become self-
sufficient by the end of 2014.
We are already moving onto the next phase of development
ahead of schedule, appointing two new members of staff to the
Singapore office, with the key appointment of Gabriel Tan as
technical support supervisor.
Gabriel spent 16 years in the Republic of Singapore
Navy (RSN) and as a result is a highly qualified electronic
technician and trainer. Currently based in Hydro Groups
headquarters in Aberdeen, Scotland, Gabriel has been
brought to the UK for intensive and extensive training over
four months.
Following his time in the UK, Gabriel will be returning
to the Singapore office where he will take up his new role
of managing the technical support team and passing on his
knowledge of Hydro Groups technologies and products.
Save the date
Above: Gabriel Tan, technical support supervisor and Steve Ang, technical sales manager, Hydro Group
News
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ven before the Facebook entrepreneur
Mark Zuckerberg was born, in the
mid-1980s the oil and gas industry was
working with big data and solving complex
mathematical problems. By the time
he had started high school, Schlumberger had launched
the GeoQuest product line and Landmark Graphics
Corporation had acquired GeoGraphix, before being in turn
acquired by Halliburton.
When Zuckerberg launched the social media site from
his dorm in Harvard University in 2004, Schlumberger had
already completed the purchases of Technoguide Petrel
and VoxelVision. The oil and gas industry was pushing the
technology envelope, driving innovation and expanding
compute boundaries. Fast forward nearly ten years and its
clear that early leadership has not entirely delivered against
the vision and aspirations of users.
In an ideal world, complex reservoir models would
now be dynamically updated with inputs from drilling
and production sensor data. Investments in digital oilfield
technologies would ensure that predictive algorithms are
monitoring complex production systems and alerting
operators of potential hazards, allowing them to visualise
the information and recommend corrective action from their
handheld device.
New insights would be generated on an almost daily basis
from data streaming from permanent arrays on the ocean
floor, and then used to plan interventions that continually
improve reservoir management.
So what has prevented the realisation of this operator
utopia? One of the most likely factors was the oil crisis that
occurred back in the 1970s. Under pressure to reduce costs,
huge numbers of people that worked in the industry were
made redundant.
This greatly affected the burgeoning information
technology groups in major operators as investment in
research and development of new computing solutions
dried up. Nature abhors a vacuum and as a result,
the service providers stepped in. With the growth of
worldwide oil exploration triggered by the OPEC oil
embargo of 1973, companies like Schlumberger were able
to invest heavily in technologies, applications and software
to support the oil industry.
Over the last 30 years we have seen the concentration of
specialised domain expertise and application development
skills in the service providers and their software
application divisions.
Todays operators primarily rely on service companies
for the delivery, support and operation of applications that
enable various parts of the workflow. The service companies
in turn have grown by acquiring smaller application
companies that have developed highly specialised tools,
adding them to their growing software portfolios. This has
had a number of consequences for the industry.
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k RatheR than being held hostage by cuRRent it systems oR solution vendoRs, opeRatoRs should look to move fRom an application-centRic enviRonment towaRds a data-centRic woRld, says niall oDohErty
balancestriking a
Belowniall odoherty, international director of business development at teradata
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TeradaTaNiall ODoherty is international director of business development at Teradata and works in the Emerging Industries Team. In his current role, Niall is responsible for growing Teradatas presence, solutions and strategies in the emerging industries of manufacturing, oil and gas, government and utilities.
For further information please visit: teradata.co.uk
IT
solution could be developed.
Today, the need for the different factions to work together
has never been greater. IT vendors must acknowledge that
specialist domain expertise is required to build solutions
that work. For the incumbent service providers that own
the current application stack in E&P, there is a need to
understand that technology capability has dramatically
changed over the last number of years and they should take
advantage of these changes.
In the era of big data, sensor data and the Internet of
Things, most other industry verticals are now facing many
of the challenges that the oil industry has been facing for
decades. IT companies are providing technologies that really
do allow operators to leverage horizontal solutions for the
data management challenges.
Moreover, the increasing use of sensor data is bringing
scientific and mathematical calculations and geospatial
functionality into the data management arena for many
verticals. Both have what the other craves, so there would
appear to be a natural synergy to working together.
But what about the customer? After all, arent they the ones
that really matter? Some operators may be happy to wait for
the IT and industry vendors to get together and build what
they want. Others may actively encourage the union.
Whats clear is that the leading operators need to take back
control of the key part of the entire equation and the part
that has the most value: the data. In spending vast amounts
of resources obtaining data that is the key raw ingredient
in E&P, this should be then valued accordingly. After all,
the data is only created once; the seismic trace, the well log
measurement, the resistivity, the flow sensor reading; all these
are unique in time and space.
How you use each data point over the lifetime of an asset
will vary greatly, and the value that will be derived from
each data point will depend on the people and tools made
available to the data. The real value will be in ensuring that
users are able to find and use all the unique data points
and the information derived from that data so that they can
impact the business; make better and safer decisions.
Operators that move from the current application centric
architecture to a more open data centric architecture will be
best positioned to do more with their data. They will be able
to leverage the best that the IT vendors and the specialist
solution vendors can provide, today and long into the future.
The proliferation of applications across the E&P
workflow, many of which are standalone, has resulted in a
complex application and data management landscape. This
complexity has led to many IT deployments failing to live up
to expectations and many operators questioning why they
are making significant investments in IT solutions that are
not really addressing their most pressing challenges or even
offering the same level of sophistication they get from the
consumer technologies that they are using at home.
There has also been a migration of specialist skills and
research away from the operators to the software startups and
key service providers. Leading operators are now concerned
about the uniformity of solution capability. If they are relying
on their service provider vendors to develop and deliver
new capabilities then they are resigned to having the same
capability as everyone else in the business. Where is the
competitive advantage going to come from?
Now look at the IT vendor side of the equation. When
you consider that, according to a paper delivered in 2012
by Piotr Luszczek of the University of Tennessee, The iPad
2 could have stayed on the list of the worlds fastest super-
computers through 1994 faster than a Cray 2, you start
to get a sense of the explosion in computing power that has
occurred over the last decade.
IT vendors are looking at the budgets and data volumes
in the oil and gas industry and thinking that they can do
better than the traditional service company based application
vendors. After all, they are real IT guys who develop leading-
edge software and technologies and not a bunch of oil service
guys who set up a programming division to build some
solutions. How hard can it be?
This has, in some cases, led to arrogance on the part
of IT vendors, who assume that there is nothing difficult
in dealing with oil and gas data. They believe that the
industry has simply fallen years behind other industries like
telecommunications, banking and retailing because they
are insular, they dont keep up with IT trends and the latest
technologies, or that they are resistant to change and stuck
in the past. And they view those in oil and gas as either
geology types who prefer crayons to computers, or a bunch
of roughnecks who have just read coding for dummies.
So a bunch of arrogant computer jocks or a herd of
roughneck coding dummies? As usual, the truth is always
somewhere in the middle. There is reluctance from the oil
and gas industry to try horizontal IT solutions since they
wont work with our data because our data is different"
its too big, or too complex, has strange formats, or is too
scientific. But its also true that the solutions that IT vendors
assumed would work easily didnt work that easily at all,
because of data volume, or data structure, or the way the
scientific calculations are used so frequently.
Vendors discovered that, in this complex environment,
it was not just a case of loading the data and pushing a
button. The science needed to be better understood and time
invested in really understanding the problem so that the
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ts no secret that the worldwide war for
engineering talent is intensifying. More
than half of the workforce is due to
retire during the next decade and this,
combined with the fact that many skilled
workers have failed to return to European shores after the
recession forced them overseas, means we are facing a tough
fight. However, it also means that oil and gas skills are in
huge demand and that there are an abundance of career
opportunities available for those with the necessary skill sets
and experience.
Skills shortageThe oil and gas skills shortage is the biggest barrier to
growth for companies in the North Sea. According to UK
Government figures, there are an expected 15,000 jobs to
be created in the oil and gas sector over the next five years.
However, more than half of the respondents to the latest
Labour Market Intelligence Survey by oil and gas body Opito
said that finding appropriately skilled staff was the number
one challenge facing their company.
North Sea operations have long been seen as a training
ground by global operators, who quickly snap up talented
workers. While Europe is home to some of the very best
engineering talent in the world, this, combined with
the exodus caused by the recession, means demand is
outstripping supply and companies are struggling to find the
professionals that they need.
Although the UK and Europe in general has suffered in
recent years from maturing assets, several new discoveries
have been made in the North Sea and this, together with
the advancement of technology that prolongs field life, is
I
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Simon Coton of NES Global TalENT diScuSSES carEErS iN ThE oil aNd GaS iNduSTry, aNd why Now may bE ThE riGhT TimE To coNSidEr workiNG iN ENErGy
Energyworks
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Lead two
this view point adding that Britain must be at the heart of
the shale gas revolution.
OpportunitiesWith so many new projects in the pipeline, the talent
shortage poses a very serious problem for the oil and gas
industry. However, it also means that there are plenty of
opportunities available for people interested in a career in
oil and gas. In fact, there has never been a better time to join
this exciting sector.
If its variety that you are looking for then the oil and gas
sector delivers. As the industry develops and transforms,
new roles are being created within areas such as crisis
management, sustainability, and digital and social media,
meaning there is something to suit a whole spectrum of
skill sets.
boosting productivity.
At the same time, the UK Government is introducing new
fiscal and regulatory measures, which will also encourage
new investment. Indeed, trade body Oil & Gas UK said that
following the introduction of tax changes earlier this year, the
industry has responded by investing the highest amount for
more than 30 years. Investments totaling almost 100 billion
are now in companies plans, the organisation added.
Outside of the North Sea, the UK is also trying to
cash in on the shale gas revolution. Although more
restrained than other countries, with no commercial shale
gas production to date, Energy and Climate Secretary
Ed Davey recently said that shale gas could contribute
significantly to the region's energy security, reducing
reliance on imported gas as it moves to a low carbon
economy. The Prime Minister David Cameron reinforced
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projects such as Gorgon in Australia, there are a host of
new projects worth in excess of $25 billion which are being
developed in a number of global locations
The future certainly looks bright. Brazil and Iraq remain
hotspots for exploration and production activity with Africa,
Asia, Australia, Europe and the US also experiencing a surge
in oil and gas jobs. With an estimated talent shortfall of
40,000 engineers in Brazil alone, engineering skills will be
in huge demand. In addition, just building or rebuilding the
infrastructure required in many emerging countries to meet
economic growth targets will take a massive share of the
worlds graduating civil, electrical and mechanical engineers
for years to come.
Its clear that theres an abundance of opportunities within
the oil and gas industry for suitably qualified technical and
engineering personnel. However, new entrants shouldnt
be under any illusion that securing such opportunities will
be easy. Its important to remember that experience is key.
Caution is often shown towards hiring less experienced
professionals ahead of their more knowledgeable peers.
In order to succeed, your qualifications must meet certain
standards, but you must also have the relevant work
experience.
SolutionsIn regards to the skills shortage in Europe, while there is no
quick fix, many of the measures being adopted globally are
helping those who are interested in embarking or moving
into a career in the oil and gas industry.
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Not only are there a wide range of disciplines to choose
from, but candidates will also have the flexibility of working
on either temporary or permanent assignments. Of course,
there are pros and cons with both types of work, with higher
earning potential and variety among the positive aspects of
contract roles, while permanent positions often offer benefits
such as a pension and provide more job security.
The choice of whether someone prefers to work on a
contract or permanent basis is their own. However, its
important to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages
and if you are a new entrant it is wise to try and secure
a permanent role as these positions tend to offer the best
opportunities for training and development. Once you have
gained the necessary practical skills and experience, you may
then decide that contract work is more preferable, depending
on your circumstances.
During the recession, NES Global Talents consultants
noted that there was a preference among oil and gas
companies for permanent workers as it allows for greater
budget control and also cuts the cost of labour. This is
another reason to consider playing it safe by opting for a
permanent position at the start of your career.
Fortunately, while we are not out of the woods yet, the
financial crisis is easing and the oil and gas industry is getting
back on track. A number of approved energy projects that
were put on the back burner during the global recession are
now developing well and getting closer to peak manpower,
while there are more new projects in the pipeline for 2013
and beyond. As well as the continued development of mega-
Oil and gas companies are also re-training and recruiting people from other heavy industries, for example structural engineers and electrical engineers from the shipbuilding or infrastructure industries due to similar skill sets. This phenomenon is not unique to Europe, its happening worldwide given the increase in energy demand and the retirement of skilled, experienced workers
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NES Global TalENTSimon Coton is NES Global Talents managing director. He joined the company in 1995 as a graduate and has since risen through the ranks, leading both its UK and Houston teams as part of his career progression. Established in 1978, NES Global Talent is an award winning manpower specialist that has placed over 70 different nationalities into 69 countries across the oil and gas, power and infrastructure sectors worldwide.
For further information please visit:nesglobaltalent.com
Lead two
The sector is focused on working with educational
establishments and institutions to educate the younger
generation about the amazing careers available working as
an oil and gas engineer. Schemes such as the Institute of
Chemical Engineers Whynotchemeng campaign help to
promote the oil and gas industry to students at an age where
theyre making key decisions about their future.
In addition, the sector is boosting the number of graduate
engineering schemes and investing in entry-level training or
re-training in order to strengthen the oil and gas workforce.
For example, earlier this year the UK Government gave 7
million to Newcastle University to establish the Neptune
National Centre for Subsea and Offshore Engineering, which
will help produce the highly skilled graduates needed to
address the skills shortage. A new facility has also been
opened at Expro, an offshore and technology services
specialist in Aberdeen, which shows the industry is working
hard to address the talent challenge.
Oil and gas companies are also re-training and recruiting
people from other heavy industries, for example structural
engineers and electrical engineers from the shipbuilding
or infrastructure industries due to similar skill sets. This
phenomenon is not unique to Europe, its happening
worldwide given the increase in energy demand and the
retirement of skilled, experienced workers. Particular skills in
demand globally include deepwater subsea engineers as well
as LNG and shale specialists.
Another sector the industry is keen to tap into more is
the military. Ex-servicemen and women are highly trained
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and well-disciplined with strong leadership skills, lots of
systems and project management experience, a strong eye
for detail and the ability to follow processes and procedures
closely. These qualities are highly sought after in the oil and
gas industry. Military personnel are also used to moving to
multiple international locations and operating in challenging
environments. Most servicemen and women have travelled
far and wide, and are familiar with the locations where the
oil and gas sector operates.
As you can see, there are plenty of different paths into the
oil and gas industry, and whether you are a new entrant or
are looking to transfer your engineering or technical skills,
the opportunities are there waiting. Hard work, a desire
to solve problems and a determination to help meet the
increasing global demand for energy are all required by those
looking to establish themselves. And if youre prepared for
that, youll reap the rewards.
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s the industry continues to develop
offshore exploration and production is
booming like never before, increasingly
in extreme environments with some of
the most difficult and hostile operating
conditions. With that growth comes the inevitable need to
transfer increasing numbers of workers to offshore platforms
and installations, and with each drilling rig accommodating
up to 100 people, companies are transporting thousands of
people every month to and from their installations on an
enormous scale.
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transferA seamlessrobin proctor of Reflex MARine tAlks to euRopeAn oil And GAs About offshoRe cRew tRAnsfeR opeRAtions
belowRobin proctor,business manager for europe at Reflex Marine
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Special feature - marine transfer operations
and offshore access until now, with our two key products
being the FROG and TORO, with some 650 units being
supplied over the last 20 years, he explained by way of an
introduction. More recently however we have been striving
towards becoming more than just a manufacturer and
supplier, but a true partner and expert on the topic of marine
personnel transfer.
Reflecting the industry in general, the field of offshore
transfer has advanced enormously since Reflex Marine
was established, when higher risk practices were more
commonplace, as Robin highlighted. Our success relates
to our roots in innovating and introducing products that
were far ahead of the methods being used at the time,
both in terms of technology and accepted practices. This
culture of innovation and drive to raise standards further
continues with our design team currently developing an
all-new FROG, which incorporates 20 years of experience
and learning. The new FROG-XT will be an even more
comfortable and secure experience for passengers, more
compact, quicker to fit a stretcher, and easier to ship and
The oil and gas industry is global, and as such the method
of offshore crew transfer varies from region to region.
Yet, while the majority of journeys are still carried out by
helicopter transfer, recent events, particularly in Europe, have
seen other methods of marine transfer, largely by vessel and
crane, coming to the fore particularly for inter-field transfers,
evacuations, medevacs or other emergencies, and during
inclement weather that may hinder the use of aviation. This is
truer nowhere more than in the North Sea, where a string of
recent events including the grounding of EC225 helicopters
in October 2012 prompted operators to refocus on marine
transfer, with one UK operator noting the advent of a
paradigm change in North Sea personnel transfer.
European Oil and Gas recently spoke with Robin Proctor,
who is business manager for Europe at Reflex Marine, a
global leader in marine access solutions. As a leader in
the field the company is determined to drive standards in
offshore marine personnel transfer, and thus, Robin is ideally
placed to give insight to the industry.
Reflex Marine has largely specialised in crane transfer
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transfer
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clouds, no-fly zones, and helicopter incidents, including
the grounding of the EC225 fleet, all of which have caused
disruption to crew transfer operations and have highlighted
the need and value of having viable alternatives.
These events have really brought to the fore the need for
available alternatives to air travel, Robin confirmed. The
Paradigm change in North Sea personnel transfer statement
was from one of our clients in Aberdeen after they were
directly affected by the helicopter grounding and there was
a real air of change in the philosophy for offshore transfer.
Whereas before you had people not using crane transfer
unless for emergencies or other special circumstances,
since then the industry has shifted perspective and this has
become a standard practice.
Alongside these various incidents there has been an
increasing general trend for updating and upgrading existing
equipment to raise and improve safety, whether that is due to
operating in deeper waters or extreme environments or just a
general focus on improving standards, he added.
Broadly speaking you have offshore access, said Robin,
which can be split between aviation and marine. Marine
itself can be divided into crane based transfer, which is
the type of solution that Reflex Marine provides, then the
walk-to-work systems that are popular in Europe and use a
motion compensated gangway from ship to installation.
The choice of solution depends on a number of factors
including prevailing weather, distances and operations. For
example, in the Caspian in 2008 a study was undertaken by
an operator who commissioned the DNV to quantify risk
measurements of the different transport options and as a
result they completely switched from helicopters to vessel
and crane transfer. In the Gulf of Mexico there is a lot of
marine transfer activity taking place, whereas in Europe and
the North Sea the helicopter is still the primary method.
In Canada aviation and marine transfer run side-by-side
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maintain. The new FROG-XT will be launched at Offshore
Europe (Aberdeen 3rd-6th September) where visitors will be
able to see, and sit in it.
Traditionally, when working offshore personnel were
transferred from vessels to installations using simple rope
baskets, with few alternatives. It was the industry standard
method with few accompanying standards or guidelines
existing to ensure safety. This was not really acceptable
considering that in reality, all that was happening was
something very routine people going to work.
In a bid to improve marine transfer Reflex Marine
introduced the FROG to the industry although as Robin
explained, achieving a step change in all regions is never
straightforward. Initially the response varied according
to region or operation and even now things are not too
different, he said. For example, a lot of the earliest
challenges that existed are still prevalent today to some
extent in that there continues to be a debate over what is the
safest method of offshore transfer.
There are a lot of different views on what the safest methods
are based on perception, personal experience and of course
from region to region, rather than it being based on actual
data or objective analysis, something we are working hard to
change. Peoples perceptions of risk and safety can be quite
subjective, so throughout the industry the debate is quite
varied. In Europe for example, while aviation remains the
favoured and most commonly used method, rules for marine
transfer are strict. Whereas in other parts of the world they are
still using more basic devices or relying solely on aviation.
In Europe, as Robin explained, the North Sea has been at
the forefront of using new marine transfer technology despite
aviation being the primary method of transfer. However, as
previously mentioned, a number of aviation related events
have prompted a rethink on the topic. In recent years the
industry in the North Sea has experienced volcanic ash
We are seeing a trend for higher capacity transfer devices in order to provide more efficient operations involving fewer lifts all of which could ultimately reduce the risk. Alongside technology will continue to develop to further improve safety
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Reflex MaRineRobin Proctor is business manager for Europe at Reflex Marine, a global specialist in providing the oil and gas industry with safe, high quality crew transfer solutions. Over the past two decades the company has partnered with oil and gas operators, lifting specialists and vessel operators around the world, and its main transfer devices, the FROG and TORO, have helped to significantly raise the standard for the safe transfer of personnel to and from offshore installations and vessels.
for further information please visit:reflexmarine.com
Special feature - marine transfer operations
depending upon weather conditions. The difference in this
market, however, is that it is seen as a standard operation,
so they have developed the vessels, the training, the systems
and logistics, as well as the infrastructure to complete the
work successfully.
This highlights the importance of ensuring that the
correct infrastructure is in place for marine transfer to
work. At present, there is little or no regulatory advice
on the topic and whereas activity levels and incident data
in the helicopter sector are carefully monitored with the
oversight of international aviation authorities the marine
alternative lags, with no systematic industry collation of
transfer data. In addressing this Reflex Marine has taken
a leading role in some key initiatives, particularly the 10
Golden Rules of Crane Transfer and the establishment of a
Marine Transfer Forum.
In the case of the 10 Golden Rules, Reflex Marine
co-operated with Seacor Marine and Sparrows Offshore
to create a set of ten rules for the safe marine transit of
offshore oil and gas employees. It provides a high level
industry best practice guide on the different elements
involved in a crane transfer, said Robin. Its about
recognising that the device alone is just one way of
addressing risk but there are other important variables
like training, practice, other equipment involved (like the
vessel of the crane), and the safety management systems.
So, its based on recognising the importance of each aspect
of the operation to the overall success.
The Marine Transfer Forum will be a focal point for
companies showing leadership in this area to help the
industry quantify risks, levels of activity, and develop and
share best practices. We recognise that there is formal
reporting, governance and regulation of helicopter operations
but this isnt the case for marine transportation so we are
working with others in the industry to form a body to focus
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on this. It will be a global forum involving operators, vessel
operators, lifting and transfer specialists, manufacturers, and
the regulatory, trade and safety bodies.
The Marine Transfer Forum should play a key role in
the growth and progression of marine transfer operations.
Of course, as the industry develops, the need for viable
transfer options will continue to increase. Concluding, Robin
highlighted a number of trends foreseen at Reflex Marine.
We are seeing a trend for higher capacity transfer devices
in order to provide more efficient operations involving
fewer lifts all of which could ultimately reduce the risk.
Alongside technology will continue to develop to further
improve safety.
Environments like the Arctic will see a closer emphasis
on the methods used for crew transfer. Operating
temperatures are often below the limit of helicopters, for
example, so its one area where I predict an increased use
of marine methods. Ultimately, the post-Macondo legacy
across the industry has increased the focus on safety
in every area. As the crew transfer market diversifies
initiatives like the Marine Transfer Forum will play an
important role moving forwards.
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The 2013 exhibition is set to break records
in every sense, with the space welcoming 262
first-time visiting businesses to SPE Offshore
Europe from small, innovative start-up
companies through to global service companies.
Furthermore, this year sees 22 of the worlds
operators taking stands in Aberdeen, completing
the largest operator representation in the
history of the event. Statoil is increasing its
presence this year, alongside the majors such as
Shell, BP, Chevron, Total, GDF Suez and Saudi
Aramco, while E.ON and Talisman Sinopec are
new additions to event. In addition, all of the
big four services companies - Baker Hughes,
Schlumberger, Halliburton and Weatherford -
are exhibiting at the show for the first time in a
decade. Of course, as well as these established
names visitors will find a wide selection of small
innovative companies, whose stands provide the
ideal opportunity to see a vast range of new and
exciting technological developments.
Despite its European location, SPE Offshore
Europe has become a truly global event, and
this year is no different. There is set to be a
large international exhibitor presence that will
see participating companies from 37 countries
- spanning the continents from the Americas
and Africa, to Asia and Australia - and 33
international pavilions. For the latter, visitors can
expect to see pavilions from Korea, Denmark
and Australia for the very first time at SPE
Offshore Europe, whilst the Norwegian presence
will extend over three pavilions.
Alongside this standard exhibition space lies
the Deep Water Zone, which was launched at
the last event in 2011. This year Mexicos state-
This year marks the 40th anniversary of SPE Offshore Europe, the worlds leading
offshore, and oil and gas, conference and
exhibition experience that attracts a global
audience of engineers, technical specialists,
industry leaders and experts, who meet to share
ideas and debate the issues of the moment in the
upstream industry.
For years this event has proven to be one of
the key dates in the E&P communitys calendar,
providing a forum for continuous learning,
and showcasing the innovation, solutions and
tools required to compete in an accelerating
technology race and an increasingly complex
industry. This years event, to be held between
the 3rd and 6th of September in Aberdeen
promises to be the largest in history, with more
exhibiting companies and countries represented
than ever before.
In fact, exhibition space in the halls, covering
a record 27,082 square metres - equivalent to
four football pitches - has already sold out and
will feature stands and presentations from the
complete supply chain of companies, from
operators and drilling contractors through to
oilfield service companies. We are delighted
that the exhibition space is sold out and
larger than ever before, said senior exhibition
director, Vasyl Zhygalo, ahead of the event.
This is especially fitting as we celebrate the
events 40th anniversary this year. Visitors will
have a rare opportunity to see a huge range of
goods and services from small, medium and
large companies and, even more importantly,
talk to the experts on hand. Attendance is free
to all registrants.
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futureLooking to the
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SPE Offshore Europe 2013
SPE Offshore Europe takes place between the 3rd and 6th of September in Aberdeen.
For further information please visit:offshore-europe.co.uk
The technology imperative - collaborating 6today to realise the next 50 years of North Sea
potential
Oil & gas skills - your future today 6
Alongside these more general topics, a range
of technical sessions have been organised to
address all of the key technical developments in
the industry, as well as looking at the potential
innovations that may be needed to secure
long-term E&P. These cover areas such as
developments in pipeline analysis, exploration
case studies, health and safety, enabling field life
extension, reservoir depletion and production
enhancement, advances in subsea construction
and technology, drilling technologies, managing
oil spills, ensuring structural and marine
integrity of floating production installations,
reservoir evaluation, cementing and completion,
and environment.
Essentially, whatever area of the industry you
operate in, SPE Offshore Europe is an event
that cannot be missed. Not only is it widely
recognised as the leading global platform to
connect with the upstream oil and gas industry,
it provides the perfect opportunity to meet key
suppliers in your field of business, network
and connect with industry leaders from around
the world, share and learn technical expertise
and innovative techniques, gain a better
understanding of the market, and have first hand
involvement in the most important debates.
Most importantly, a visit to SPE Offshore Europe
provides the inspiration and motivation that
enables the E&P industry to remain one of the
most important in the world.
owned oil and gas company, PEMEX, which
ranks fifth in crude oil production and eighth
as an integrated company worldwide, will be
the featured operator in this zone. This reflects
the fact that the Gulf of Mexico is still regarded
as one of the key areas globally for deepwater
E&P, and a proving ground for new techniques
and innovative equipment. Alongside PEMEX,
38 specialist subsea companies from Aberdeen,
the rest of the UK and abroad will display their
products and services.
As ever the enormous exhibition runs
alongside the in-depth conference, which this
year will be opened by Malcolm Webb, SPE
Offshore Europe 2013 conference chair and
chief executive, Oil & Gas UK. The conference,
which starts on 3rd September and runs the
length of the event, features 11 keynote sessions,
100+ technical papers and ePosters, and daily
breakfast briefings and topical luncheons. The
keynote sessions in particular are billed as not
to be missed and cover a broad spectrum of
industry topics including:
Oil and gas in the future energy mix 6 The global opportunity: exporting oil and gas 6services, goods and expertise
Planning for long term North Sea drilling 6 The independent oil company - mighty oaks 6from little acorns grow
Industry progress since Macondo 6Taking operations to frontier areas 6 Decommissioning and value extraction for 6end of life
Journey from procedure to practice 6 Financing investments in the oil and gas 6industry: challenges and opportunities
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Most importantly, a visit to SPE Offshore Europe provides the inspiration and motivation that enables the E&P industry to remain one of the most important in the world
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subsea equipment, going back to the early days
of subsea exploration and production in the
1980s when companies were developing their
own individual, project-by-project operations
and in an era when fewer government
regulations existed. Only after subsea activities
became more commonplace did these niche
project specifications start to cause problems in
terms of project delivery times.
Flash forward to the 2000s. With more
offshore companies now needing faster
equipment delivery times to meet their urgent
project timetables and with the global energy
Facing a surging global demand for critical subsea oil and gas production equipment
as the energy industry also deals with a
shortage of skilled engineers, GE Oil & Gas
is expanding its Structured Products Portfolio
of pre-engineered subsea product lines to
dramatically reduce the time it takes to design,
deliver and deploy vital subsea production
equipment to customers, meet evolving
equipment needs, and tackle the challenges
faced by offshore companies.
Traditionally, large super-major oil and gas
companies have long required more customised
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that is pre-designed and pre-aligned with a
customers needs.
Initially, GE focused its attention on smaller,
independent companies that require detailed
solutions but also are more comfortable using
more standardised equipment when compared
to the larger super major companies, which
preferred the more customised approach until
they, too, began to recognise the economic
benefits of becoming less dependent on
customised systems.
Instead of rolling out the programme
independently, to foster early industry
acceptance of its new Structured Products
strategy, GE has collaborated with a number
of key customers to design and evaluate the
new subsea manifold option for a number of
projects, including off the coast of Angola.
These companies could also expand their
discussions to include offshore projects in
Asia, the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil. So far the
initial response from customers has been very
positive as they recognise the logistical and cost-
savings gained by reducing their dependence on
customised technologies.
Looking ahead, to make the Structured
Products Portfolio initiative work as effectively
as possible, GE recognises the need to work
with customers to meet their quality inspections
requirements in a way that does not impede the
streamlined delivery schedule. GE is committed
to building customer confidence in its new
streamlined supply chain strategy; in contrast to
industry facing a shortage of skilled engineers,
GE introduced its Structured Products Portfolio
to include more standardised, prefabricated
products, while also still offering customised
components when required by a customer.
The company first utilised the Structured
Product approach in the development of
more standardised subsea production trees to
complement its more customised product lines.
GEs subsea manifold systems are the latest
to join its Structured Products product family.
Conventional manifold systems were designed as
modular blocks that were customised to meet a
customers individual configuration requirements
and design options. GE Oil & Gas has more
than 20 years of experience in this segment and
has deployed more than 100 custom manifolds
around the world. The new subsea manifold
offering can be more quickly deployed to
meet a diverse range of applications. The new
manifolds option can help reduce manifold
delivery times by up to 50 per cent, depending
on various project factors. Meanwhile, GEs new
manifold offering can still be reconfigured to
meet individual project conditions, up to a fully
customised solution if customers prefer.
The Structured Products approach represents
a significant evolution in how GE designs,
delivers and deploys its subsea product lines
on behalf of customers. Previously, GE would
meet with customers in advance to discuss their
specific project requirements and then design
customised product solutions for them.
But now GE also can offer customers the
option of a pre-engineered tree or manifold
solution that can meet a variety of project
conditions. The goal of product structuring
is not to make something different but, rather,
to optimise the execution model by avoiding
special adaptations while also working
proactively, ahead of time, to develop something approach
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GE Oil & Gas has more than 20 years of experience in this segment and has deployed more than 100 custom manifolds around the world. The new subsea manifold offering can be more quickly deployed to meet a diverse range of applications
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GE Oil & Gasge.comFollow GE Oil & Gas on Twitter @GE_OilandGas
ServicesAdvanced oil and gas and offshore technologies and services
costs by requiring their engineering employees
to more closely examine the cost-benefit ratio
of selecting a customised solution over a more
standardised approach.
In addition to helping its offshore oil and
gas customers streamline their own project
installation schedules, the new Structured
Products strategy also enhances GEs competitive
position as a leading supplier of subsea
components as the industry seeks ways to
streamline their engineering, manufacturing, and
delivery supply chain delivery times and costs.
GE recently embarked on a modernisation and
expansion of its UK subsea equipment production
facilities, including at its subsea headquarters site
in Aberdeen, as well as in Montrose, Scotland.
The upgrades will support GEs smooth rollout
of the Structured Products Portfolio by giving the
company more flexibility to adjust equipment
production schedules at a given facility. In short,
GEs Structured Product Portfolio represents a
productivity game-changer in the subsea segment
from both an engineering capacity and supply
chain optimisation perspective.
the current model in which the customers need
to be able to inspect components all the way
back to the steel mills where forgings are taking
place. If this process can be improved then its
a win win situation for GE, for the customers
and suppliers that will all be in the same boat,
pulling in the same direction.
In addition to reducing their project delivery
times, offshore companies also are looking for
more standardised equipment that is easier to
operate in the face of a continued global shortage
of skilled engineers. The lack of sufficient
personnel with subsea project experience
means customers cannot develop the desired
volume of projects that they would like to
at the pace they want to maintain under the
current labour supply conditions. This skilled
workforce shortage has become a major driver
in generating customer interest in expanded
standardisation of products specifications and
document requirements.
Also driving this move to greater acceptance
of standardisation is the fact that customers
are also looking to lower their own operational
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GE's Structured Product Portfolio represents a productivity game-changer in the subsea segment
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Wandfluh is recognised as an international market leader in the design and manufacture of
hydraulic valves and electronic controls systems. It serves a worldwide market through its sister
companies and distribution network with a wide range of products covering most industries.
The principle advantage of Wandfluh Worldwide is that it has, for many years been able to
design and manufacture bespoke valves for customers' requirements based on its standard
range. Wandfluh's hydraulic valves, solenoids and electronics are designed in-house, which gives
greater flexibility to offer a comprehensive range of products.
Wandfluh UK designs bespoke integrated manifold systems, with full in-house test facilities able
to set valves etc.
Considerable development time has been invested in the digital electronic controls for
proportional valves. The SD6/7 and MD2 ranges offer both simple amplifier features to closed
loop control, including PQ. The user friendly PASO software is available FOC.
The MD2 can control up to eight solenoids, both proportional and switching. The solenoids
operations can be linked. For switching solenoids there is a feature to reduce power after the
initial operation, this reduces the amount of heat the solenoid generates.
The SD6/7 and MD2 cards are being increasingly used to control other manufacturers valves
due the ease of set up and analytical information, with built in oscilloscope type graphs that
prove very useful for closed loop set up.
Wandfluh UK ha