OGV Energy - Issue 25 - September 2019

ISSUE 25

UK’s No

.

ENERGY SECTOR

1

PUBLICATION

TEXO INTEGRITY PLUS CASE STUDY: DRILLING PACKAGE REMOVAL – WELL-SAFE GUARDIAN P.18

CONTENTS FEATURES THIS MONTH 06

UK North Sea Review

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Asset Integrity in Oil & Gas

12

SPE Offshore Europe 2019 Review

14

South America’s Oil & Gas Industry

16

The frack heard round the world

18

Texo Integrity + Case Study: Drilling Package Removal

22

Bespoke, flexible and innovative modular and containerised solutions by Dynamix Modular

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY 24

Sparrows Group - Manpower vs Machine Power

26

3T Energy Group - Gaming technology inspires latest generation of mobile drilling simulator

27

Sentinel Subsea - Innovation in Decommissioning: Safeguarding Our Wells and the Environment of mobile drilling simulator

28

Ziyen Inc. launches world's first SEC compliant oil and energy cryptocurrency

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12

18

22

24

26

EVERY MONTH 20

Women in industry - Dawn Robertson, Offshore Service Line Director, North Sea & North America, Bureau Veritas

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World Projects Map

32

Contract Awards

36

On the move - Recruitment

38

Bassoe Analytics - Rig Utilisation

40

OGA Project Tracker - Pathfinder

42

Events

45

Legal & Finance

22 27

28

45

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Editorial Kenny Dooley C-Growth Ltd / OGV Energy kenny.dooley@ogvenergy.co.uk +44 (0) 7825 885817

Advertising OGV Energy office@ogvenergy.co.uk +44 (0) 1224 084 114

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions published within editorials and advertisements in this OGV Energy Publication are not those of our editor or company. Whilst we have made every effort to ensure the legitimacy of the content, OGV Energy cannot accept any responsibility for errors and mistakes.

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LETTER AND CONTRIBUTIONS

Journalists Tsvetana Paraskova Kirsty Whyte Loren Steffy Design

Editor’s Letter

Kenny Dooley Managing Director

Ben Mckay Fara West Contributors Dynamix One TEXO Group Sparrows Group 3T Energy Group Sentinel Subsea Bureau Veritas Ducatus Partners Ledingham Chalmers Printed by C-Growth

FOR MORE INFORMATION VIEW OUR MEDIA PACK

This month, we dive into issue 25 after a successful week at Offshore Europe 2019. It was our first time hosting the OGV Energy pavilion at the event, with the support of our exhibitors and partners. With over 40,000 visitors, the event further emphasised the return of confidence in the industry. If you missed it, check out our Offshore Europe review to find out all you need to know.

We head across the globe to South America for our country focus. As one of the key Oil and Gas producing regions, it’s set to be one of the most important contributors to increased global oil supply over the next few years.

Asset Integrity is another key topic we explore this month. Since the downturn, the ability of AIM services to significantly drive down the cost of inspection, maintenance, and repair while improving the overall reliability and safety of a facility at the same time, has led to growing popularity of AIM services and systems.

This month’s front cover star is Dynamix, specialists in bespoke, flexible and innovative modular and containerised solutions. Read inside for their double spread which discusses their growth this year, after securing international contracts worth more than £350,000.

In the North Sea Review, reports about the state and the future of the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) from authorities and analysts, major field updates, and a number of corporate

contracts were the highlights of the North Sea oil and gas scene in the past month.

For this issue’s 'Women in Industry,' we put the spotlight on Dawn Robertson, Offshore Service Line Director – North Sea and North America at Bureau Veritas. She began a recruitment career before transferring to Oil and Gas and assisting with the creation, development and launch of Bureau Veritas Solutions - Marine & Offshore.

In his monthly article on the US market, Loren Steffy investigates the issue of fracking and how the rise of production from shale in the Permian Basin has cut oil imports, led to lower fuel prices for motorists and, in turn, allowed consumers to spend more with their savings.

Our Innovation and Technology zone is back with a round-up of the latest innovative products and technology impacting the industry. Sparrows Group raises the topic of 'Manpower vs Machine Power' with the introduction of their crane simulator training. We also take a look at 'ZiyenCoin,' a new cryptocurrency for the Oil and Gas industry that aims to greatly reduce oil and energy operational costs. Last up we look at Innovation in Decommissioning with an article from Sentinel Subsea. Their Sentinel Well Integrity Fluid Tracer (SWIFT) is a revolutionary well integrity monitoring system which will reduce both operational time and costs, protect the environment and give operators peace of mind.

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UK NORTH SEA

UK North Sea Oil & Gas Review

By Tsvetana Paraskova

U K

N O R T H

S E A

Reports about the state and the future of the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) from authorities and analysts, major field updates, and a number of corporate contracts were the highlights of the North Sea oil and gas scene in the past month.

The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) released at the end of August the UKCS Operating Costs 2018 report which showed that operating costs, efficiency, and expenditure on the UKCS remained stable last year.

Total operating costs (OPEX) rose by 6 per cent to £7.2 billion last year, mostly driven by new field activity, the report said. This has delivered an additional 70,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) compared to the previous year, the OGA reckons. Unit operating costs (UOC) also remained stable, increasing slightly by 2 per cent to £11.6/boe.

“More than half of operators saw a decrease in their average UOC, with this improvement in cost efficiency mostly being driven by production gains,” the OGA’s report showed.

Going forward, the authority expects OPEX to rise by 2 per cent (or 6 per cent in nominal terms) by 2020, thanks to new oil and gas fields coming on stream. After 2020, OPEX is seen down by 3 per cent per year, due to a combination of fields ceasing production and a decrease from what is predicted to be a year of high activity in 2020. For UOC, the authority sees costs steadily rising, by 10 per cent over the next five years to £12.8/boe, but mostly due to production decline rather than cost inflation.

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“This is more than 20per cent lower than the 2014 level in both real and nominal terms, demonstrating the industry’s ability to keep costs stable,” said the OGA. “Efficiency measures, put in place by operators during the last global oil price downturn, appear to have been sustained,” Hedvig Ljungerud, OGA Director of Strategy, said.

Deirdre Michie, Chief Executive, OGUK

On 21 August, Oil & Gas UK launched a new tool aimed at providing operators and licensees with a framework to re-evaluate methods to improve recovery from existing North Sea oil and gas assets. The tool, developed through industry collaboration, offers a detailed process to identify opportunities to learn from industry-leading practice.

OGUK also launched two important reports on

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the UK oil and gas industry, the Workforce Report and the Economic Report.

In the Workforce Report, OGUK said that rising activity on the UKCS has led to a welcome stabilisation in employment, with 2019 employments expected to rise by 10,000 jobs compared to 2018. A rise in drilling activity prompted an 18-per cent increase in drilling personnel offshore, the report said.

According to OGUK’s estimates in the report, every £1 million spent by the UK oil and gas industry creates eight supply chain jobs and induces another eight jobs across the UK economy. The report also acknowledged that the topical themes digitalisation, internationalisation, and the transition to a net-zero emissions future would require significant re-skilling for existing workers and the recruitment of up to 10,000 new roles in these areas, some of which don’t exist yet.

OGUK’s Economic Report 2019 showed that production from the UKCS was enough to meet 45 per cent of primary energy demand and 59 per cent of oil and gas demand in the UK last year. Oil and gas production contributed around £24 billion to UK gross domestic product in 2018, or 1.2 per cent of total GDP. Production is being boosted by new projects and production efficiency, which is now at 75 per cent — the highest level for a decade, the report showed.

UK NORTH SEA

“We now need a comprehensive UK energy strategy which recognises the continued role of oil and gas in a diverse energy mix and positions us to support net zero..."

Deirdre Michie, Chief Executive, OGUK

“The UK oilfield services market is expected to return to growth in 2019 in line with increasing activity levels. However, many companies continue to see significant pressure on margins,” OGUK said in the report.

The UK’s offshore oil and gas industry published A Blueprint for net-zero roadmap to outline its contribution to the UK and Scottish Government net-zero ambitions. The roadmap is one of the first major industrial responses to government plans to reduce or offset carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050 in the UK and by 2045 in Scotland.

“After several tough years, the sun may finally be ready to shine again on the UK offshore market,” Audun Martinsen, head of oilfield services research at Rystad Energy, said on the opening day of Offshore Europe.

Infield developments and contracts in the UKCS, Equinor and partners announced on August 15 first oil from Mariner. The field is expected to produce more than 300 million barrels of oil over the next 30 years.

“This was a significant investment which has helped secure hundreds of jobs and will deliver decades of productive life; benefiting the UK economy,” OGA Operations Director, Gunther Newcombe, said.

Audun Martinsen,Head of Oilfield Service Research, Rystad Energy

In early September, independent energy research and business intelligence company

OGUK also welcomed the start-up, with OGUK Upstream Policy Director Mike Tholen saying “With up to three billion barrels of oil in place, it contributes to industry’s shared ambition Vision 2035 – which looks to meet as much of the UK’s oil and gas needs from home-produced resources as possible.”

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On 12 August, OPEX said it had secured a new three-year multi-million-pound contract with CNOOC Petroleum Europe Limited to have its X-PAS™ predictive analysis service rolled out on the Buzzard, Golden Eagle, and Scott platforms, supporting operations across all topside oil, gas, water, and power systems.

Peterson said on the same day it had been awarded an 18-month contract extension with Chrysaor, with options for three further oneyear extensions. The deal will see Peterson support Chrysaor across all its North Sea assets and includes warehousing, transport, and marine services, as well as the recently added provision of eight Offshore Materials Controllers (OMC) for the production platforms Armada, North Everest, and Lomond.

Independent Oil and Gas plc said on 14 August it would accelerate the drilling and completion of the Elgood subsea well to bring Blythe and Elgood production online simultaneously three months after Southwark. This will entail higher Capex prior to Phase 1 First Gas, but will increase production over winter 2021 given relatively high forecast initial rates from Blythe and Elgood, thereby improving cash flows, IOG said.

Well-Safe Solutions announced on 15 August the award of two multi-million-pound contracts to continue the refurbishment of the Well-Safe Guardian into a bespoke plug and abandonment unit.

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S E A

“The start-up of Mariner, the first Equinor-operated oil field on the UKCS, establishes our foothold in the UK and reinforces our commitment to be a long-term energy partner,” said Hedda Felin, senior vice president for UK and Ireland Offshore in Equinor.

Mike Tholen, Upstream Policy Director, OGUK

N O R T H

Industry and government teamed up to back the net-zero ambitions by creating a new Net Zero Solution Centre at the Oil & Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) to accelerate the development and deployment of technologies to decarbonise offshore operations.

The acceleration of project approvals would lead to 65 per cent growth in the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) market through 2022, while the subsea and seismic markets are each forecast to expand by 35 per cent, Rystad Energy reckons.

U K

“The facts outlined in our report evidence that our industry remains a vital economic asset and is uniquely positioned to help the UK meet its net-zero ambitions and energy needs in the years to come,” OGUK Chief Executive Deirdre Michie said, commenting on the publication.

“We now need a comprehensive UK energy strategy which recognises the continued role of oil and gas in a diverse energy mix and positions us to support net-zero,” Michie noted.

Rystad Energy said that it expects a new wave of UK field development projects to be sanctioned by 2022. As many as 38 offshore projects could see final investment decisions (FIDs) over the next three years, representing US$22.6 billion in greenfield expenditure if UK prospective resources live up to expectations.

UK NORTH SEA

Prosafe said on 16 August that Equinor had exercised the fourth of six one-month options available to extend the Safe Boreas at the Mariner project to accommodate personnel working on Mariner in the hook-up and early production phase through October 2019.

Bilfinger UK announced on 21 August it had been awarded multi-million-pound contracts to deliver maintenance services for INEOS at the INEOS Chemical Infrastructure Assets in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth and the Forties Pipeline System (South) Assets at Kinneil.

Cluff Natural Resources said on 22 August that together with its operating partner, Shell, it had completed a broadband 3D seismic survey over the Pensacola Prospect on Licence P2252 in the Southern North Sea. The final results of the survey are expected to be received by early Q3 2020. i3 Energy plc said on the same day that the Borgland Dolphin semi-submersible drilling rig had arrived on location at the Liberator field and that the LPt-02 pilot well had been spud.

U K

N O R T H

S E A

Premier Oil said in its half-year results that a new Solan production well (P3) is planned for spring 2020 to boost production from the central northern part of the reservoir and to extend field life.

Jersey Oil and Gas was awarded 100-per cent working interest and operatorship of an additional block (Block 21/2a) in the OGA’s 31st Supplementary Offshore Licensing Round, the company said on 23 August. The additional Greater Buchan Area acreage in Block 21/2a includes the Glenn oil discovery and adds another 14 million barrels of oil equivalent discovered mean recoverable resources, Jersey Oil and Gas says.

Petrofac was awarded a three-year Operations & Maintenance Support Services contract from INEOS FPS, under which Petrofac will provide personnel to the Unity Platform in the Central North Sea, the onshore Cruden Bay Terminal and other landline sites.

Petrofac was also awarded a well plugging and abandonment contract with Hess Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hess Corporation, for four wells within the Rubie and Renee fields, 200 km north east of Aberdeen.

Wood said on 3 September it had been awarded a contract extension for engineering, construction and maintenance services on TAQA’s North Sea assets. Effective immediately, the 18-month extension builds on a previous agreement covering the Cormorant Alpha, Eider, Tern, North Cormorant and subsequently Harding Offshore Assets, and will see Wood’s activities continue to support these installations.

DeepOcean Group said on 8 September that it planned to split DeepOcean Cable Lay and Trenching into two entities, creating DeepOcean Subsea Cables and a new division with a standalone brand for its seabed intervention and trenching business. Pierre Boyde, Managing Director of DeepOcean CL&T, will head the seabed trenching division, headquartered at Port of Blyth, UK, the company said.

TWMA, the specialist drilling waste management company, said on 4 September it had secured new contracts valued at £20 million with major North Sea operators in the first eight months of 2019.

BP's North Sea business has successfully carried out a pilot project testing drone inspection to remotely monitor methane emissions on its offshore assets, the UK oil and gas supermajor said on 10 September. Following the successful results, the specialist drone will be deployed to all of BP’s North Sea assets in 2020, including ETAP and Glen Lyon, BP said.

Siccar Point Energy E&P said on 29 August it had awarded an exclusive Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) contract to Sembcorp Marine Rigs & Floaters Pte for the design of a Sevan cylindrical FPSO for its Cambo field development on the UKCS.

Petrofac said on the same day it had been awarded a major contract extension in support of Repsol Sinopec Resources UK’s North Sea operations. Petrofac will provide engineering support services as a tier 1 contractor for brownfield modifications and projects across Repsol Sinopec’s operating assets and terminal at Flotta.

“This is another important milestone for the Cambo project and we look forward to working with our partner Shell as we progress towards formal project sanction next year,” Siccar Point’s CEO Jonathan Roger said.

Serica Energy has become the first operator to digitise safety in the North Sea after signing a deal to adopt the Restrata Platform providing real-time monitoring of people and assets, Restrata said on 4 September.

Hurricane Energy said on 2 September that the Lincoln Crestal operations have now moved onto preparation for drill stem testing. Lincoln Crestal is the second well in a three-well programme on Lincoln and Warwick (the Greater Warwick Area).

Ashtead Technology announced on 5 September that it is expanding its inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) and decommissioning capabilities with the acquisition of Underwater Cutting Solutions (UCS) for an undisclosed sum.

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8

Floating production and subsea engineering specialist Crondall Energy has been awarded a contract by Pharis Energy to deliver the Concept Select study for the operator’s heavy oil Pilot Field development in the Central North Sea, Crondall Energy said on 12 September. Pharis Energy hopes to become the world’s first operator to use steam flooding in a major offshore project, and this will be one of the concepts that Crondall Energy will explore.

Unmanned aircraft company Flylogix Limited said that together with Total SA, NATS, the UK’s leading provider of air traffic navigation services and the Oil & Gas Technology Centre (OGTC), it is launching a North Sea drone initiative, aiming to overcome the challenges associated with drone inspection activities in the North Sea.

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ASSET INTEGRITY Despite these possible growth hurdles, the asset integrity market is a vital part of every stage of the oil and gas industry.

Maintenance and inspection are important for every field, basin, and facility, especially in mature areas like most of the North Sea where asset infrastructure is aging.

IN OIL & GAS

By Tsvetana Paraskova

A S S E T

I N T E G R I T Y

Asset integrity, asset integrity management (AIM), and asset integrity management systems (AIMS) ensure that oil and gas facilities run smoothly and efficiently during their lifetime and are safely decommissioned when their production and/or exploitation lifespan come to an end.

Asset integrity, including maintenance and inspection, ensure that major accident hazards are prevented.

On-time and well-executed inspection and maintenance prevent unplanned outages, reduce downtime, save costs, and most of all, improve safety and could save lives.

The oil and gas industry are looking to continuously improve and optimise the maintenance of assets to ensure higher efficiency and to minimise risks of a major hazard accident.

According to Research and Markets, the global market for asset integrity manage-

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ment is set to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.41 per cent by 2024, to reach US$36.079 billion in five years’ time, up from the US$21.031 billion the market was worth in 2018.

Since the 2015-2016 downturn, the ability of AIM services to significantly drive down the cost of inspection, maintenance, and repair while improving the overall reliability and safety of a facility at the same time, has led to the growing popularity of AIM services and systems. Yet, the market growth has been impacted by a shortage of the required pool of skilled resources, ResearchAndMarkets said in its report on April 2019.

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In the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), every offshore installation has a Safety Case that demonstrates the ability to control major accident risks, the Health & Safety Report 2018 of Oil & Gas UK says. According to this latest report, the number of significant hydrocarbon releases continues to decrease year on year, while major releases have plateaued.

“This reduction has been supported by the focus on reducing safety-critical maintenance backlog, which continued to deliver improvements in installation average backlog in 2017,” Trevor Stapleton, Health and Safety Manager, Oil & Gas UK, said in the foreword of the report.

The industry has an asset integrity Key Performance Indicator (KPI) scheme which uses the data provided by Oil & Gas UK member companies on a voluntary basis at the end of every quarter.

At the UK Oil & Gas Authority (OGA), the Asset Stewardship Task Force works to improve asset stewardship in the UKCS area by leading four working groups, focused on production efficiency, reserves progression, integrity and asset stewardship, and cross-industry learning.

The working group focused on integrity and asset stewardship identified in 2018 the need for increased industry collaboration in order to boost asset integrity and extend operating life of facilities.

“The deployment of improved asset integrity technologies could deliver direct industry gains related to OPEX savings and higher than otherwise production and reserves re-

COUNTRY FOCUS

1

YEAR AGO

- BRENT OIL PRICE 2018 - $75.53 Glass Point Solar and Petroleum development Oman have launched SolaRISE, a technology centre to develop and test next generation solar technologies in the oilfield environment.

GE delivers centrifuges for monoethylene glycol (MEG) purification at BP’s West Nile Delta offshore natural gas field in Egypt.

Turkstream’s deep-water pipelaying has been completed in the Black Sea and the gas pipeline is moving along on schedule, Gazprom said.

5 covery. It would also provide support to future UKCS developments (e.g. Small Pools) by extending access to infrastructure; develop UK supply chain expertise; and improve safety,” the OGA says in the review of one of its key themes, asset integrity.

In today’s digital era, technology plays an important role in helping inspection, maintenance, and repair of remote offshore installations.

Aberdeen-based Oil & Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) is working with industry to address two key challenges the UKCS area is facing—process vessel inspection (VI) and corrosion under insulation (CUI).

These two challenges have become the focus of OGTC’s Solution Centre which aims to find cost-effective alternative solutions to enable uninterrupted production during inspection and reduce risk for workers who would have to otherwise enter into confined spaces.

The OGTC, in collaboration with companies, has been developing nonintrusive inspection (NII) and robotics for inspection and maintenance at oil and gas facilities.

In one project, the OGTC, in collaboration with ABB, carried out a survey of major operators, which showed that the adoption of non-intrusive inspection technology for inspecting process pressure vessels could deliver increased production and lower maintenance costs worth up to £242 million per year to the UKCS. Non-intrusive inspection could boost production efficiency and at the same time, improve safety, and reduce risks for workers, according to the survey.

In a field trial with Total E&P UK, the OGTC and the company found that NII could “deliver significant cost, safety and efficiency benefits compared with traditional intrusive methods.”

Increased adoption of technology by the oil and gas industry and the latest digital innovations —AI, machine learning, robotics, automation —have the potential to reduce downtime and costs, boost efficiencies in operations, and reduce health and safety risks for offshore workers.

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YEARS AGO

- BRENT OIL PRICE 2014 - $101.92 The Passenger Size workgroup agreed a standardised clothing policy to be worn under survival suits while travelling in helicopters to offshore installations in UK waters. UK-based Cairn Energy and its Senegalese partners have made an oil discovery, which had the potential to be a “significant standalone development”, on the deepwater FAN-1 well.

10

YEARS AGO

- BRENT OIL PRICE 2009 - $72.51 Environmental groups have petitioned a California superior court to stop Alon USA Energy Inc. from moving forward with a plan to expand existing receiving and processing options for North American shale light crude oils at its 70,000-b/d Bakersfield refinery. Governments of major producing countries and six multinational oil and gas companies formed a methane emissions reduction taskforce during the United Nation's global climate change summit in New York.

EVENT REVIEW

SPE Offshore Europe 2019 Shows Excellence and Innovation

E V E N T

R E V I E W

By Tsvetana Paraskova

Aberdeen hosted from the 3rd to the 6th of September SPE Offshore Europe 2019, the biennial event recognised by Offshore E&P Professionals as Europe’s leading E&P gathering.

decommissioning opportunities, and the path to a low-carbon future were all featured at various panels and discussions at SPE Offshore Europe this year.

This year’s theme of the event was “Breakthrough to Excellence—Our Licence to Operate.”

SPE Offshore Europe was held at a time when offshore activity is on the rise. Confidence is returning not only to operators; it is also slowly returning to the supply chain, says Hari Vamadevan, Sr. V.P. & Regional Manager, UK & West Africa, at DNV GL–Oil & Gas.

Thousands of attendees had the opportunity to speak to experts and industry professionals from over 900 suppliers, from leading companies on the market to innovative tech firms venturing into the oil and gas business.

Dozens of round tables, discussions, demonstrations, keynote speeches, panels and panellists discussed the future of the offshore industry not only in Europe but all around the world. Many firms held demonstrations, presented papers and case studies to showcase their experience and expertise in the offshore oil and gas industry.

The speakers included the top Managers from leading Oil and Gas E&P Companies and suppliers in the Offshore Industry’s supply chain.

Digitalisation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), subsea operations optimisation, process safety, reservoir analytics, data analytics and computing,

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Exhibitors at the event showed new solutions in digitalisation, cloud-based technologies helping the offshore industry, real-time production monitoring technology, remotely activated technology for deepwater well completion, tools for surveys in real-time, and advanced materials used in new technology.

According to DNV’s Industry Outlook 2019, confidence in the outlook for the UK Oil and Gas Sector quadrupled in two years, from 18 per cent to 71 per cent. At the same time, a total of 68 per cent of senior professionals in the sector expected to raise or maintain capital expenditure (Capex) in 2019.

“Just as mobile technologies have changed dramatically in a short timeframe, offshore operations will evolve,” Vamadevan said.

“Companies will gain much more from their data and the ability to control things remotely. These changes create real value for the industry and its people, who, with the right tools and training, will use technology as an enabler and be less riskaverse in the future,” DNV’s manager highlighted.

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Coinciding with the event, Rystad Energy issued an outlook on the subsea market, saying that Norway and the UK will lead the global subsea industry with a new wave of greenfield projects.

A growing number of greenfield projects in the North Sea offshore Norway and the UK will lead to a rapid rise in subsea tree installations through 2021, according to Rystad, which expects the number of final investment decisions (FIDs) to further rise in 2020 and 2021, from an already fairly high number.

A total of 67 per cent of offshore projects expected to be committed to offshore Norway and the UK over the next three years will be subsea tie-backs, higher than the historical average of 47 per cent between 2000 and 2014.

“This shift in market share demonstrates a greater preference by E&Ps for subsea tie-back solutions in Norway and the UK, post-downturn. The trend fits well with the overall direction we observe in offshore developments, which shows increasing numbers of scaled down projects, phased solutions and accelerated developments,” Rystad reckons.

To stay relevant and to be ready for what will come next, the industry needs to pay attention to collaboration, to digitalisation and the way it is being done, to the opportunities that decommissioning would open for a mature basin such as the North Sea, and to the energy transition, delegates and keynote speakers at the event said.

To be better prepared for the future, the industry needs greater collaboration, Total’s Chief

2019

Offshore Europe Review

"

SPE Offshore Europe was held at a time when offshore activity is on the rise. Confidence is returning not only to operators; it is also slowly returning to the supply chain.

"

also an essential part of the path to greater digitalisation in the industry.

“There are a lot of stakeholders today, who look at us as dinosaurs… The only way not to become a dinosaur is to act, to invest, to progress together,” Pouyanné said.

In decommissioning, Subsea UK hosted a session to discuss how operators and stakeholders develop strategies and technologies to manage the late-life of subsea systems in the North Sea.

A collaborative technology programme to accelerate energy start-ups was officially launched at SPE Offshore Europe 2019. Tech Xchange is a partnership between Aberdeen, Houston, and Perth, Australia, to provide global market-access and investment opportunities for start-ups.

“Due to the maturity of North Sea, the UKCS is leading the way globally in life extension and our session at Offshore Europe presents an opportunity to hear from the companies at the forefront of developing innovative technology and operations which have the capacity to extend the life of fields and maximise economic recovery,” said Neil Gordon, Chief Executive of Subsea UK.

“We’re delighted to have both Station Houston and NERA onboard for the next stage of TechX. This is only the beginning – it’s already proven to be a successful partnership, and we will continue to work with the global teams to promote cross-industry investment opportunities for our start-ups,” said David Millar, TechX Director at the Oil & Gas Technology Centre’s (OGTC).

In digitalisation, opportunities are there to improve efficiency and safety and reduce costs.

One obstacle to greater AI and machine learning adoption is the quality of data, as well as its storage, usage, and sharing, experts say. Here, greater co-operation is also essential, according to Chrysaor’s CEO Phil Kirk.

Companies need specific data strategies and strong data governance before embarking on initiatives in digitalisation, experts from the oil majors Shell, Equinor, and BP said, adding that connectivity and improved data platforms are

In energy transition, the OGTC launched at Offshore Europe the Net Zero Solution Centre to accelerate the development and deployment of technologies to decarbonise offshore operations.

The centre enjoys the backing of operators including BP, Chrysaor, CNOOC International, Equinor, Ineos, Shell, and Total, plus contractors Aker Solutions, Siemens, and Wood. The first few projects under the programme are likely to be announced by the end of this year, alongside a high-level plan for 2020.

“To transform the UKCS into a net-zero oil and gas basin, the Centre will champion the creation of an integrated offshore energy system, partnering with companies to accelerate the development of carbon capture, utilisation and storage, hydrogen capability and other net-zero technologies,” the OGTC said in a statement.

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Sir Ian Wood, Chairman of economic development body Opportunity North East, a partner of the OGTC, said, “I believe the North East of Scotland is on its way to becoming a global energy capital, applying our significant oil and gas capabilities and innovative technologies to reduce carbon emissions. We have the skills, knowledge and strong track record to convert the challenge of climate change into an opportunity, creating new technical solutions in the UK and globally.”

Andy Samuel, Chief Executive of the Oil and Gas Authority said, commenting on the programme: “We believe the oil and gas industry, with its long history of engineering excellence, infrastructure, subsurface expertise and worldclass supply chain, should play a leading role in the drive to Net Zero.”

Encompassing all topical issues in the offshore industry and its future path, SPE Offshore Europe 2019 reaffirmed itself as Europe’s leading E&P event. Michael Borrell, Conference Chair and Total’s Senior V.P., North Sea and Russia, summed up the mood in just one sentence:

“It is important to talk about keeping our costs low, pushing the boundaries of innovation, and focusing on excellence in our operations.”

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R E V I E W

Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanné told delegates at SPE Offshore Europe.

E V E N T

Hari Vamadevan, Sr. V.P. & Regional Manager, UK & West Africa, at DNV GL–Oil & Gas.

REGIONAL FOCUS

South America’s Oil & Gas Industry

By Tsvetana Paraskova

R E G I O N A L

F O C U S

South America is a key oil and gas producing region and is set to be one of the most important contributors to increased global oil supply over the next few years.

Despite the fact that it is a South American country that has seen the biggest non-war inflicted plunge in oil production in recent years Venezuela and other nations on the continent are set to boost their crude oil and natural-gas production, thanks to the development of both conventional offshore resources and unconventional shale reserves.

Global oil and gas upstream spending is expected to rise by 6 per cent this year, which would be the third consecutive year of modest spending increase after the plunge in 2015-2016, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its World Energy Investment 2019 report.

“There are signs in the 2019, guidance that conventional spending in general, and offshore investment in particular, maybe turning a corner.

This is being led by the Middle East and Latin America,” the Paris-based agency reckons.

According to the IEA, upstream spending in Latin America is set to rise by just over 10 per cent this year, mostly thanks to higher investments in Brazil, Guyana, Argentina, and Colombia. Brazilian state-held oil firm Petrobras said in its five-year strategic plan that it would lift spending, while international oil companies are increasing their activities offshore Brazil.

“Despite high declines from mature fields, and supply disruptions in Venezuela, South American production is slated to see a new growth wave, supported by supply additions from new projects in Brazil and shale developments in Argentina,” Rystad Energy said in June 2019.

The biggest producer in the region, Brazil, was the only country that boosted production despite the oil price downturn, thanks to investments in the Lula (x-Tupi) project made before

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the 2014 oil price crash. Brazil will also see production growing in the short to medium term, thanks to the Buzios, Iaram, and Mero (Libra NW) projects, Rystad Energy says.

Brazil will also drive the global floating production, storage and offloading vessels (FPSOs) market, which is headed for a major renaissance, Rystad said in August. As many as 24 FPSO awards are expected by 2020, mostly driven by Brazil.

Brazil is expected to award seven more FPSO awards in 2019, which would lift the country’s tally to more than one-third of the awards anticipated globally this year and next, according to Rystad.

“Brazil’s greater competitiveness on a global scale is a driver behind such huge FPSO awards, along with the region’s recovery from the Car Wash corruption scandal, Petrobras’ debt reduction, substantial pre-salt discoveries and healthier oil prices,” Audun Martinsen, Head of Oilfield Services Research at Rystad Energy.

Brazil’s oil production rose by 8 per cent year on year in August and is now estimated to be nearing 2.8 million bpd, IHS Markit said in September 2019. The Lula field in the pre-salt Santos Basin has been the largest producer. Over 95 per cent of Brazilian oil production currently comes from offshore areas.

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“Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras posted a long-awaited production boost in July after a disappointing June, as it ramped up production in the promising offshore pre-salt region,” OPEC said in its Monthly Oil Market Report in September.

According to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Brazilian crude oil production will increase by 320,000 bpd-360,000 bpd in the second half of this year compared to the first half. Total liquids supply from Brazil will grow by 180,000 bpd to average 3.48 million bpd in 2019, while 2020 liquids output will rise by 290,000 bpd to 3.77 million bpd, OPEC has estimated. Brazil will also be the main driver of non-OPEC supply growth right after United States, OPEC reckons.

Another large economy in South America—Argentina—is also set to see increased liquid production, both oil and natural-gas, thanks to the greater development of the Vaca Muerta shale play. Argentina exported its first liquefied natural-gas (LNG) cargo and resumed pipeline natural-gas exports to its neighbours Brazil and Chile, as rising gas production in the Vaca Muerta helped it lift its domestic supply, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a report in July.

Argentina was a net exporter of natural-gas between 1990 and 2007, but declines in production from mature fields made the country a net natural-gas importer in 2008. The development of Vaca Muerta has been the main contributor to the country’s rising natural-gas production, while Argentina’s oil and gas group YPF, as well majors Exxon, Chevron, Shell, and Total aim to

SEPTEMBER RIG STATISTICS

tap more oil from the Vaca Muerta formation.

The shale play is expected to lead the rig demand in South America over the next five years, despite the current economic problems in Argentina, Westwood Global Energy Group said in an analysis in September 2019.

“While the Vaca Muerta is expected to provide the cornerstone for rig demand in Latin America, opportunities for rig contractors are also anticipated in Ecuador and Peru, offering three potential ‘hot spots’ for activity over the next five years,” said Westwood Analyst Katy Smith.

While established oil and gas producing nations are expected to boost their production and demand for rig and oilfield services in South America, a newcomer from the region is also set to make its mark.

Guyana will begin contributing to the global oil supply as early as next year. ExxonMobil plans to start up the Liza Phase 1 development by the first quarter of 2020 and will produce up to 120,000 bpd. Liza Phase 2 is set to start up in 2022 and produce up to 220,000 bpd.

ExxonMobil has made more than a dozen oil discoveries offshore Guyana, and other companies

have also had exploration success recently.

Tullow Oil said in August that the Jethro-1 exploration well on the Orinduik licence discovered oil—the first discovery on the Orinduik licence that comprises high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs of Lower Tertiary age.

“It is an excellent start to our drilling campaign in the highly prolific Guyana oil province. We look forward to drilling both the Joe and Carapa prospects in our 2019 drilling campaign and the material follow-up exploration potential in both the Orinduik and Kanuku licences,” Tullow Oil’s Chief Executive Paul McDade said.

Commenting on the discovery, Rystad Energy’s Exploration Analyst Palzor Shenga said: “After dominating the list of major offshore discoveries in 2018, Guyana has extended its winning streak. With multiple prospects identified, Tullow and its partners could easily be sitting on a multi-billion barrel block.”

Other operators will also drill exploration wells offshore Guyana in the near future, so additional discoveries could also be made in the coming months.

South America, despite economic woes in some countries, is set to boost its oil and natural-gas production over the next few years, supporting the rig, FPSO, and oilfield Source: Infield Rigs 17/09/2019 The data above focuses on the marketed rig fleet and excludes assets that are under construction, retired,

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destroyed, deemed non-competitive or cold stacked.

REGIONAL FOCUS

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A new report shows just how significant the impact of the American shale revolution has been. In late August, MARINE DRILLING INSTRUMENTATION MARINE DRILLING INSTRUMENTATION economists with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas released a working paper that found that energy production accounted for one-tenth of the nation’s overall economic growth between 2010 and 2015.

abundant, and encouraging power generaShale drilling boosted the country’s gross turing has changed the nation’s energy landscape tors to switch from coal plants to gas-fired domestic product by 1 per cent during that and the dynamics of global oil markets.” generation. By 2016, new installations of retime, when overall GDP rose by 10.8 per cent. newable energy exceeded those of convenDuring that period, oil MOTION production The rise of production from •shale plays likeMONITORING • DECK MONITOR • RIG SYSTEM • domestic DECK MOTION MONITOR RIG MONITORING SYSTEM tional sources for the first time. almost doubled, •to 9.6 million barrels a day the Permian Basin in West Texas has•BOP cut&oil • BALLAST CONTROL BOP &WELL WELL CONTROL PANELS BALLAST CONTROL • CONTROL PANELS from 5.5 million.•Since then, it’s only continimports, led to lower fuel prices for motorists • LEAK DETECTION • DATA AQUISITION LEAK DETECTION • DATA AQUISITION of these benefits can be traced back to one ued to rise, topping 12 million TIGHT as the and, in turn, allowed consumers to spend more • WATER MONITORING TANK All MONITORING • WATERbarrels TIGHTDOOR DOOR MONITORING • TANK•MONITORING person: Houston oilman George P. Mitchell.

U.S. surpassed Saudi Arabia as the world’s with the savings.

• ANCHOR ANCHORWINCH WINCH MONITORING MONITORING • HAZARDOUS • • HAZARDOUS AREA AREA CCTV CCTV SYSTEMS SYSTEMS Mitchell, UPGRADES who died in 2013 at the age of 94, not largest producer.

• HAZARDOUS AREA SOLAR PANELS • OBSOLETE SYSTEMS • HAZARDOUS AREA SOLAR PANELS • OBSOLETE SYSTEMS UPGRADES only revolutionised The Fed study looked only at contributions to CONTROL •OFF OFFGRID GRIDPOWER POWERSOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS • CHOKE CONSOLES the energy industry but af• • CHOKE CONTROL CONSOLES fected the lives of every person who flips on a "The effect of the shale boom is significant, at GDP, but by 2015, fracking had saved every light switch or starts a car. about one-tenth of growth,” the report said. In a U.S. household an estimated $2,000 a year in energy costs and created some four milbroader sense, the report found that “the large inlion jobs. Fracking also unleashed vast new Under Mitchell’s stubborn guidance, his compacrease in oil production brought about by the apreserves of natural gas, making it cheap and ny, Mitchell Energy and Development, learned plication of horizontal drilling and hydraulic frac-

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DRILLING INSTRUMENTATION

REGIONAL FOCUS

George P. Mitchell.

Mitchell is sometimes called the “father of fracking,” but the nickname is inaccurate. He didn’t invent fracking.

The process had been used since the 1940s to widen natural fracture networks inside rock strata and increase oil and gas production. Mitchell Energy, however, found the right recipe of water, sand, and pressure to unlock those hidden gas deposits in the Barnett Shale west of Fort Worth, Texas.

to extract natural gas from shale formations economically using hydraulic fracturing. The process took 17 years of experimentation and required an investment of about $500 million excluding land acquisition expenses.

Mitchell’s company had been drilling there since the 1950s, having found gas in a shallower limestone formation known as the Boonsville Bend that other drillers had missed. But as that field was depleted, Mitchell looked to replace the reserves. He had a lucrative contract for supplying gas to Chicago at above-market prices, and he had invested in a processing plant near his leases. Both of those factors created an incentive to find new reserves in the same place as the old ones.

The engineer who finally discovered the recipe for fracking spent months monitoring gas production from a test well before he deter-

Providing quality, reliability and improved cost efficiency throughout a range of sectors

Fracking alone didn’t unlock the shale revolution. That took the combination of water fracks and another well-established technique, horizontal drilling. Wells drilled vertically into shale and then fracked did not produce enough gas to start a revolution. But by drilling to a specific depth, and then angling the wellbore to cut horizontally across the shale formation yielded enough gas per well to make fracking profitable.

At first, years of fracking produced only modest changes in Barnett Shale production. Mitchell’s team drilled its first well into the Barnett in 1981, but it took until the late 1990s for production from the formation to begin rising. By mid2007, five years after Mitchell had sold his company to Devon Energy of Oklahoma City, the Barnett was producing 350 million cubic feet a day from 8,000 wells. As companies adopted Mitchell’s techniques, natural gas production nationwide followed a similar trend. In 2015, the United States produced almost 50 per cent more gas — 27 trillion cubic feet — than it had in 2005.

Back then, the country had braced for a gas shortage, and companies invested billions of

• Well control • BOP control • Brake control

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• Data acquisition • Data logging • Renewables

Gas prices plunged because of the abundant domestic production, and power companies began shuttering generation plants that used coal, which was now more expensive. In April 2015, the amount of electricity generated with natural gas surpassed that of coal on a national basis for the first time.

Other companies took Mitchell Energy’s technique and adapted it to oil, sending a shock wave through the world of petro-politics. In mid-2014, oil prices topped one hundred dollars a barrel. Then, as American companies pumped more oil from shale formations, prices began to fall. By the end of the year, they would slip below $60.

U.S. imports of foreign oil fell to their lowest in two decades. Fracking unlocked oil in shale formations from North Dakota to South Texas and transformed the United States into a major oil producer for the first time since the 1960s.

As the report from the Dallas Fed shows, we are still assessing the full scope of the economic impact that stemmed for George Mitchell’s vision and persistence, but no other individual since John D. Rockefeller has had such a profound impact on the energy industry.

• Software services • Anti-collision systems • Hazardous area equipment

F O C U S

Mitchell is sometimes called the “father of fracking,” but the nickname is inaccurate. He didn’t invent fracking. The process had been used since the 1940s to widen natural fracture networks inside rock strata and increase oil and gas production. Mitchell Energy, however, found the right recipe of water, sand, and pressure to unlock those hidden gas deposits in the Barnett Shale west of Fort Worth, Texas.

Even after Mitchell Energy showed that the process worked, most other companies dismissed fracking as “Mitchell’s folly. ”The true benefits weren’t fully understood until Mitchell sold his company to Devon Energy in 2002.

dollars in liquefied natural gas import terminals along the Gulf of Mexico coast. A decade later, as fracking took hold, America found itself with more domestic gas than it knew what to do with. The companies that had spent billions on import terminals now spent billions more to convert them for exports to Asia and Europe.

R E G I O N A L

People often ask why I spent the past five years working on Mitchell’s biography. The reason is simple: I wanted to write about a businessman who had directly affected the lives of ordinary people.

mined if the new technique, which relied on water rather than gels to suspend the proppants, was successful.

Texo Integrity + Case Study: Drilling Package Removal – Well-Safe Guardian

The Scope The Well-Safe Guardian is a former semisubmersible drilling unit. Extensive work is currently being carried out to upgrade the rig, converting the asset into a bespoke plug and abandonment (P&A) unit.

Texo Integrity+ were tasked with the removal of the drilling package on the Guardian whilst the asset was berthed in the Cromarty Firth.

T E X O

I N T E G R I T Y

The Solution The scope of works included the removal of the Top Drive, Drill String Compensator and the Travelling Block. The HP, air, hydraulic and electrical service loops were disconnected and removed, ready for back-load.

Texo Integrity+ mobilised a 5-man multi-disciplinary Rope Access team to carry out the works. The team consisted of Construction Foreman, Welder, Rigger, Electrician and Inspector – accompanying our client to the asset to execute the work scope.

Whilst on-board, additional work-scopes were identified and carried out to assist other contractors in the overall project. This mitigated the need for mobilising additional personnel and equipment.

The Result Post project feedback from the client has been outstanding, with excellent scores across the spectrum for the project delivery metrics.

The work package delivery was extremely well received by the end client.

Ashley Simpson, Well-Safe Guardian, Barge Engineer said: “They certainly impressed me with their can-do attitude, excellent strong work ethics and eagerness to assist any other department when requested. The amount of work they achieved (most of which had a high potential for injury or major dropped object), to have completed this without one single incident is testament to

the level of leadership, teamwork and communication displayed by the MRDS/TEXO employees. Having had to reassess the task and look at alternative ways to complete the operation, presented certain challenges.

This was handled with the highest level of professionalism at all times.

Their experience and knowledge was vital to ensuring that the operation continued without the need for a project shutdown.”

Texo Integrity+ is Texo Group’s dedicated Inspection, Repair and Maintenance business unit; providing clients offshore and onshore with an advanced suite of IRM solutions.

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With our team of analysts offering more than 150 years of combined experience, ANSA can support your operations no matter which technology supplier or tool manufacturer is involved.

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WOMEN IN INDUSTRY

Women in industry

W O M E N

I N

I N D U S T R Y

Dawn Robertson, Offshore Service Line Director, North Sea & North America, Bureau Veritas

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WOMEN IN INDUSTRY

What was your first job in the industry?

My first move into oil and gas was when I worked in professional agency recruitment and moved to Aberdeen with my job to run the local operation. At this time I was recruiting senior finance candidates but ended up making the transition to HSEQ recruitment which was my first move into the realms of technical oil and gas. I had studied a BA (Hons) at Robert Gordon University from 1996 to 2000, so being asked to move to Aberdeen in 2008 was an easy decision to make.

Was the Oil and Gas industry always the industry for you?

I worked in professional recruitment for a long time with access across most industries and their individual nuances. When I did get involved in the oil and gas industry, I enjoyed the new challenge and I have relished it ever since.

What has been the high point of your career so far?

From your experience, what are the key skills/attributes you need to succeed in a senior management role?

There are many successful management theories and profiles that demonstrate the attributes required to be a successful manager.

However, being a successful manager also depends on the environment and the people you lead or have to engage with – these are all contributing factors to an individual’s success.

Personally, I think that you have to be a leader to be truly successful in a senior capacity, not only a manager. There are lots of effective managers that can manage a team and its tasks; a leader is something quite different they will make sure that everything is achieved while getting their team onboard and brought in to their vision of success.

This is an area I need to get better at – I wish I could switch off but that is a skill that I need to develop further. I want to take on the world at 100 miles an hour all of the time and I have been like this since I was a young child.

Working life is extremely busy and does stretch beyond the contracted 40-hour utopia but I wouldn’t do it unless there was value in the results. However, to get a better balance I do a compressed full-time week so that I have Fridays off to spend it with my two year old son. We pack it full of toddler groups, football lessons and playdates with his little friends.

The weekend is also full of swimming lessons, family adventures, rugby lessons and time outdoors if the weather permits. We have a full and fulfilling life – it’s exhausting but I love it.

Is there anything you would like to see change in the industry?

I would love to see the industry be more open to change and to become early adopters of new technologies and processes. We see numerous other industries utilising work practices and technologies long before oil and gas (e.g. nuclear, automotive, aerospace). The old oil and gas adage of “race to be second” needs to change. There are so many challenges within our industry and racing to be second is just not going to cut it in the fast-paced ever-changing world that we live in.

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Get involved! There are so many jobs across the industry where transferrable skills from other industries would really add value. I would love to see more girls study STEM subjects as we lose too many through higher education to other disciplines. The energy sector offers so much and is ever-evolving, with new oil and gas discoveries, decommissioning and renewables as the latest additions to the mix. It is an exciting global industry to be part of, so grab the opportunities.

"

I would love to see the industry be more open to change and to become early adopters of new technologies and processes.

"

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I N D U S T R Y

Life throws many challenges at you along the way. I think they are something to embrace as they make you who you are. Even after a really difficult challenge, which can feel overwhelming at the time, on reflection, when the dust settles, you will certainly have learned something through the process. Often it is your own level of resilience.

How do you achieve the work/ life balance?

What would be your advice to other women looking to enter the energy sector?

I N

Have you had to face any challenges?

You need to be a great communicator, engaging, genuine enough to let people in and allow them to know the real you. If they trust you and buy into you, they will buy into the journey you are presenting. You need to be up for taking calculated risks - if it doesn’t work, at least you tried and you will have learned along the way.

Continuous learning is important, whether through education or being hands-on; you are never the ‘finished article’.

W O M E N

The high point was probably being asked to be part of the creation, development and launch of Bureau Veritas Solutions - Marine & Offshore.

This is our brand for all our consultancy and outsourcing services which was launched in October 2018. I was involved in the development and structuring of the organisation along with all of the associated requirements of setting up a new brand – organisational structure, operations, business development, marketing. This is an exciting time for Bureau Veritas and it is wonderful to be an intrinsic part of the journey.

COMPANY FOCUS

Bespoke, flexible and innovative modular and containerised solutions www.dynamix-modular.com

Innovative container and modular buildings solutions specialist DYNAMIX ONE has secured significant six figure international contracts since the turn of the year.

The company is currently working on several new projects in various sectors, including oil and gas, decommissioning and renewables across the globe, as well as providing specialist knowledge to local community based organisations in Aberdeen.

With a strong pipeline of upcoming work, including contracts in Singapore, Norway and the UK, the company has seen a growth in demand. Renowned for its innovation, DYNAMIX can provide quality driven solutions to virtually any brief from refurbishment to new build.

DYNAMIX ONE is expanding to provide a range of accommodation, container and modular driven solutions. The goal is to design, build and deliver turn-key packages in partnership with our clients, to develop real solutions that address their problems The company has provided containers and modules for a variety of purposes, including well testing, intervention facilities, laboratories, workshops, valve testing and onshore facilities.

Bryan Gray, Managing Director of DYNAMIX said: “We are delighted to provide a first class service to our wide range of clients, across the various sectors. Since starting DYNAMIX, we have grown from a local company to an international supplier of bespoke solutions, recently increasing our capability with the addition of fabrication, HVAC and blast/fire rated door maintenance and supply. Winning these contracts is a testament to our commitment to our expansion at pace.

We have an entirely new way of looking at the sector as part of an integrated local and global supply chain."

“Demand is ever increasing and we look forward to exporting our creativity and manufacturing ability to a number of strategic geographic locations across the globe. There are many different challenges associated with each company’s requirements and there are various factors that are considered in order to make the solution as effective as possible for the end users.”

DYNAMIX is an independent Aberdeen-headquartered company founded in 2017, which offers a ONE project based solution in support of offshore operations, quick-time fabrication and accommodation & welfare. We think about the problem in an entirely different way, we don’t ‘think outside the box’, we think within it, we think about it, we think about why it exists and what it has to do, so that we only provide what is required. Precise, efficient and effective well contained thinking.

i

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COMPANY FOCUS

The alternative container, accommodation, HVAC and modular facilities solutions provider. Rental, sales and bespoke projects. Design and fabrication to DNV and ISO standards, for ALL new build and refurbishment projects.

• Modular • Accommodation • Engineering • Container • Project Management • Fabrication • HVAC and Door Maintenance • Special Projects • Subsea

DESIGN, FABRICATE, FIT- OUT & DELIVER

Our Values

Our Team

Solutions and Partnerships

To deliver innovative and quality driven modular solutions in line with our core values.

Over 30 years experience delivering modular, containerised, facilities refurbishment and fabrication projects.

With access to local and global supply chain networks we can source, fabricate and deliver locally or globally for any project, anywhere.

Safety / Schedule / Cost / Quality At DYNAMIX ONE We understand our clients and their Industry.

To reinforce our commitment to quality we are Bureau Veritas ISO9001:2015 OHSAS 18001 Certified

DYNAMIX ONE has the team of Engineers and Project Managers on hand to deliver your project.

With access and storage space within a 10,000 square foot facility we can deliver any scope.

Our focus is on delivering a cost effective and quality asset based solution to all our clients.

Integrity in Partnership. www.dynamix-modular.com

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INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY ZONE SPONSORED BY LEYTON

MANPOWER VS MACHINE POWER

I N N O V A T I O N

&

T E C H N O L O G Y

Z O N E

By Ewen Kerr, Chief Technical Officer, Sparrows Group

When discussing the future of the oil and gas industry, technology is a prominent topic. The application of AI, big data and digitilisation is seen to be driving the industry forward, allowing for more efficient, costeffective and safe operations.

Ewen Kerr

While this technology offers significant advantages, the human element of any activity, and particularly crane operations, will always be vital.

The world is undoubtedly captivated by advancing technology across all aspects of daily life, from the phones we use to the cars we drive. Last year, Waymo, a company derived from Google, was the first to commercialise a fully autonomous taxi service in the United States.

IT WOULD APPEAR THE FUTURE IS HERE, AND THIS COMES WITH A PERCEPTION THAT MANPOWER WILL SOON BE REPLACED BY MACHINES. In the 30 years I’ve been working in the energy sector, technology has played a huge role in improving crane operations. However, it is people who have continually remained, quite literally, in the driving seat of all activity.

Technology offers many merits, but it does not have the capability to think outside the box and recognise alternative or creative options like a human.

While the oil and gas sector is often known for being slow to adopt new technology, it has made significant strides as the benefits of AI and digitilisation continue to be realised. Projects last year included an autonomous robot which was deployed to an offshore rig in the North Sea to carry out tasks such as visual inspections and detecting gas leaks; and Shell announced its selection of C3 IoT with Microsoft Azure as its AI platform across upstream and downstream operations. The operator made the investment in a bid to enhance productivity and create greater economic value across its assets.

The introduction of such automation to the mainstream market may lead to an assumption that machine power will soon overtake manpower and it could eventually replace safety critical roles such as Crane Operators. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. While the industry is always evolving, I firmly believe that

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Sparrows Simulator Training

operations will continue to be managed and led by trained, competent individuals.

Cranes are a vital piece of equipment on any offshore asset. They are the link between the sea and the platform, from lifting essential cargo like food and water, to large scale equipment which is used in production operations.

When starting my career, the earlier friction clutch mechanical crane models were very manual and required the operator to use heavy pedals to control lifts. This was physically intensive for the person operating and could often lead to muscle and ligament strains from

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hours of operations. Technology has drastically improved this equipment and modern cranes now use robust hydraulics which has taken much of the physical aspect, and risk of injury, out of crane operating, while increasing the overall functionality of the equipment.

One of the most recent systems to be implemented in offshore cranes is Optilift. The system provides the Crane Operator with real-time information on the current sea state and weather conditions. It uses advanced speed camera software, much like what we see on the roads, to communicate with the operator so they are aware of any external factors which may not be visible.

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY ZONE

Whilst innovation plays a fundamental role in every economy, many UK firms remain unaware of the full range of Government incentives available to them in support of their product or service developments.

Crane op supply vessel offloading equipment

While technology has provided huge opportunities for offshore crane operations, it is only a proficiently trained person which can be fully in control during operations. It is vital we continue to advance as an industry and adopt new innovations, however technology will never replace the most valuable asset of any business – its people.

“Leyton’s specialism is not only in their tax knowledge around R&D legislation, but in their technical knowledge.

Their technical team have done our job, therefore they are readily able to identify areas of R&D that we previously thought were routine. The ease of the process really helps our staff get on with their work, and gives us peace of mind that such a niche area is being looked after. Would highly recommend them to businesses even if they already claiming, their record speaks for itself.”

MD, Oil & Gas Engineering.

With the changes in the industry, now is the ideal time to understand what help is available to your business from government incentives or to review your existing process in claiming relief.

Tyrebagger training quarry and crane

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The combination of both has enhanced our training operations significantly, allowing trainees to experience many of the situations encountered in-field, such as strong winds and high wave height. In the future, the use of Virtual Reality may even be introduced to training programmes to provide an even more immersive and realistic experience.

In the UK, in addition to our tax expertise, Leyton’s specialism sits with our Technical Consultants. Coming from a broad range of industries and sectors, they understand our clients’ processes and the challenges they face in day to day projects. As a result, they can easily relate to the advancements being sought to proactively highlight your R&D activity.

T E C H N O L O G Y

Simulators allow for beginner Crane Operators to be familiarised with many of the external factors met in the field in a controlled and interactive environment. When used in conjunction with the onshore crane, operators are more prepared than ever for the offshore environment.

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An area in which technology has proved particularly valuable for crane operations is training. Novice Crane Operators were traditionally trained using onshore pedestal cranes before being deployed offshore. While this method is still highly effective, simulators have become an integral aspect for training and development in recent years.

Leyton is proud to have returned over £35million in R&D Tax Relief, R&D Allowances, Patent Box Relief and Grant Funding to our Oil & Gas and supply chain clients. In many instances, our clients were already claiming under these schemes, often with the support of accountants or other specialist firms. In these situations we have been able to enhance their existing claims processes, resulting in a typical claim uplift of 40% for R&D tax relief alone.

I N N O V A T I O N

This provides valuable information that allows the driver to make decisions by mitigating risk. But the final judgement call as to whether a load is safe to be lifted has, and will always lie with the operator.

Leyton, with 20 offices, is Europe’s largest R&D Tax Consultancy, having assisted over 8,000 UK clients and returned over £500million in reliefs and incentives. The challenges and opportunities faced within Oil & Gas mean that now more than ever, firms are thinking differently about how they do things and are continually developing and improving their products and services.

I N N O V A T I O N

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INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY ZONE

GAMING TECHNOLOGY INSPIRES LATEST GENERATION OF MOBILE DRILLING SIMULATOR

By Clive Battisby, Director of simulator operations for 3T Energy Group

Immersive and easy-to-use gaming technology has been used to develop the latest generation of software for advanced simulator developer, Drilling Systems,’ revolutionary mobile On-The-Rig (OTR) simulator.

Drilling Systems has released a new version of its its mobile OTR system, which has all the capabilities of a full-size simulator but is compact enough to be transported to remote locations to train drilling crews in all elements of operations, from well control to drilling and crane lifting.

The new software incorporates even more realistic graphics and an enhanced instructorfree learning management system (LMS), making it easier and more engaging to follow learning programmes. It was developed in conjunction with Neutron VR, which like Drilling Systems is part of the 3T Energy Group.

Neutron’s heritage is rooted firmly in the gaming industry as both of its founders previously working for games developer, Eutechnyx, with extensive experience in creating striking visuals and immersive experiences.

As well as an updated touch control screen system and highly immersive on-screen graphics, the OTR’s new software update includes shortened learning exercises with instant performance feed-back to enhance learning. The software also uses a cloud hosted system, allowing user data to be uploaded remotely and synchronised across different units so someone could start an exercise on

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one OTR and finish the same programme on another, as well as providing a dashboard on user performance.

Drilling Systems’ OTR simulator system is already being used successfully in the field to prepare drilling crews for operations. Earlier this year, the OTR was used on the Ocean Great White rig to rehearse the specific conditions faced at Blackrock, off Shetland. The OTR was programmed with specific training scenarios, allowing the crew to practice anticipated scenarios in a safe environment beforehand so they knew exactly how to react when faced with similar situations on board. Feedback following the campaign showed the simulator to be ‘an asset to the project’s success’ helping to maximise up-time and develop crew skills and confidence.

Clive Battisby, Director of simulator operations for 3T Energy Group, said: “Our new OTR software has been developed following extensive research with existing clients to make it even easier and more intuitive to use our learning programmes without an instructor.

Neutron VR brought its experience of the gaming sector to the project and you can see this in the extremely realistic graphics and engaging and easy to follow training scenarios.

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Clive Battisby

We’ve also introduced instant feedback so that operators can understand mistakes as soon as they happen - helping to speed up the overall training process.

“The oil and gas sector can benefit enormously from the gaming industry’s vast expertise in areas such as the creation of digital twins or immersive learning environments and our new OTR software is a great example of this. We’ve started the roll out and are confident our clients will be impressed.”

For a free demonstration of the new Drilling Systems’ software or to find out more about the OTR system visit www.drillingsystems.com or contact +44 (0) 1202 582255.

INNOVATION IN DECOMMISSIONING: SAFEGUARDING OUR WELLS AND THE ENVIRONMENT OF MOBILE DRILLING SIMULATOR

By Sentinel Subsea

The long-term sustainability of suspended and abandoned wells is vital to the late life and decommissioning process whist ensuring ongoing emissions reduction. There is, however, currently no legislation in place to track abandoned or decommissioned wells meaning a loss of zonal isolation could potentially go undetected.

• Fast action: as soon as the well loses its integrity, SWIFT provides a notification to Sentinel making subsequent remediation action, clean-up costs and financial penalties considerably less or even non-existent.

• Operating costs: Sentinel’s passive technology eliminates the need for ROV/AUV fly-by inspection, reducing vessel time and operational costs as well as reducing carbon emissions.

• Peace of mind: SWIFT provides a guarantee that wells are in a secure state and if a leak was to ever occur, the technology would provide a safety net to prevent further incidences.

By passively monitoring the environment, the in-situ technology comprises a unique, environmentally-sound chemical, beacon and trigger. SWIFT is sealed below the barrier within a suspended or abandoned well while an alert beacon, sensitive to the fluid tracer, is placed proximate to the well and held in place by its own trigger. Should the well’s integrity be compromised, SWIFT will emanate out, dissolving the beacon trigger which will be released to surface, where it is activated, producing a signal which alerts Sentinel to the beacon’s location.

Categorised as environmentally-friendly, further environmental concerns have also been eliminated as the chemicals at the core of SWIFT’s structure are extracted from renewable biomass material.

The company was a proud winner of Scottish EDGE’s 14th round of funding in June and, along with further funding from The Oil & Gas Technology Centre, has since successfully completed onshore field trials at Buckie Harbour with offshore trials taking place throughout September.

The significance of decommissioning in the North Sea for the industry is clear. Sentinel Subsea’s innovative solution is the ideal solution to the concern of potential unplanned emissions in the future. SWIFT provides a safer well integrity strategy, reduces both operational time and costs and safeguards our environment.

For more information visit www.sentinel-subsea.com

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• Environmental stewardship: Operators that use SWIFT will be demonstrating exceptional environmental stewardship.

T E C H N O L O G Y

SWIFT HAS FOUR KEY BENEFITS:

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Over the last 18 months, Sentinel Subsea has taken the decommissioning industry by storm. Having quickly been nicknamed the smoke alarm of the sea because of its

obvious safety features, Sentinel’s technology has the potential to significantly reduce the consequences of undetected losses of zonal isolation. Sentinel Well Integrity Fluid Tracer (SWIFT) is a revolutionary well integrity monitoring system which will reduce both operational time and costs, protect the environment and give operators peace of mind.

Additionally, the solution is set to meet, if not exceed, the Oil and Gas Authority’s target of reducing decommissioning costs by 35%.

I N N O V A T I O N

With over 5,000 wells forecast to become plugged and abandoned in the North Sea in the not-so-distant future, the ramifications of such incidents could have a significant impact on the company responsible and the environment.

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY ZONE

ZIYEN INC. LAUNCHES WORLD'S FIRST SEC COMPLIANT OIL AND ENERGY CRYPTOCURRENCY

By Kirsty Whyte, OGV Energy

I N N O V A T I O N

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T E C H N O L O G Y

Z O N E

Technology-driven, energy company Ziyen Inc. was incorporated in the State of Wyoming, U.S.A. in April 2016. Ziyen Inc. was originally a software company which provided information on the Oil, Gas, power and energy sectors, Ziyen Intel specialises on business information, contracts, news and information by developing cutting edge procurement and supply chain software to provide clients with intelligence on industry specific government and private contracts. Seeing a unique opportunity, the company strategically pivoted and created an oil and energy company by securing the first oil asset in 2017.

ZiyenCoin is a new division created by Ziyen Inc., which will focus on oil blockchain and will be in collaboration with leading industry professionals to develop technology that will greatly reduce oil and energy operational costs.

ZiyenCoin aims to transform the oil and energy industry by solving long-standing inefficiencies within the global energy sector by introducing blockchain technology and an equity backed digital token which will create liquidity in a historically anachronistic industry.

Given the data-intensive opportunities available through the growth of the internet, the oil industry sees blockchain as vital means to transform the ways the industry manages and shares data. The company has launched an energy trading platform to tokenise the producing assets of oil and energy companies which will allow investors to easily trade these tokens creating a new level liquidity to be introduced across the industry.

ZiyenCoin will be an SEC regulated digital energy currency that will operate directly with the blockchain, allowing all transactions to happen immediately, more securely and avoiding banking and currency transactions fees across anywhere in the globe.

ZiyenCoin is the first Oil & Energy Security Token Offering (STO) to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and is filed under the same regulation, as JPM Morgan's, JPM Coin, 506c Security Token Offering.

ZiyenCoin is being developed as an energy trading token to integrate seamlessly into the blockchain and will be supported by an energy trading platform. Ziyen Inc. is positioned to tokenise energy assets deployed on Ethereum Blockchain.

The company is now capable of accepting Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptocurrencies as payment for ZiyenCoin.

A key interest in Ziyen is to use a percentage of the proceeds raised in this offering, to further develop the tokenisation of the energy trading platform and implement carbon reduction protocol. This is to incentivise the major energy companies to produce energy by reducing carbon emissions and receiving credits for this effort. Ziyen Energy Trading Platform will serve as a solution to climate change by serving as a universal carbon credit.

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY ZONE SPONSORED BY LEYTON

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WORLD PROJECTS MAP

WORLD

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PROJECTS MAP

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SEPTEMBER 2019 1

3 Source: Equinor

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“This is good news. The Ørn discovery proves that there are still opportunities on the Norwegian continental shelf and reconfirms the Norwegian Sea’s importance to our domestic activity,” says Nick Ashton, Equinor’s senior vice president for exploration in Norway and the UK. Exploration well 6507/2-5 S in production licence (PL) 942 was drilled around 12 kilometres southwest of the Marulk field, 38 kilometres southwest of the Norne field and 20 kilometres northwest of Skarv. The partnership will evaluate the discovery and clarify the need for delineation.

“The discovery follows several discoveries we have made in the same area during the past years, adding considerable volumes in an area with an already developed infrastructure. This gives us the opportunity to recover the resources profitably for both the licensees and society,” says Ashton.

In June, Equinor announced the Snadd Outer Outer/Black Vulture oil and gas discoveries southwest of the Norne field. Since 2017, Equinor has been operator of or partner in several discoveries in the Norwegian Sea totalling an estimated volume of 200-650 million boe.

6507/2-5 S is the first exploration well in PL942, which was included in the 2017 awards in predefined areas (APA). The licensees are Equinor (operator, 40%), AkerBP (30%) and Wellesley (30%).

Drilled by the West Phoenix drilling rig to a vertical depth of 4147 metres below sea level, the well was concluded in the Tilje formation in Early Jurassic rocks. Water depth in the area is 332 metres.

The well has been permanently plugged and abandoned.

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3 Source: Reuters

Equinor and its partners AkerBP and Wellesley Petroleum have found gas in the Ørn exploration well south-west of the Marulk field in the Norwegian Sea. Recoverable resources are estimated at 8–14 million standard cubic metres of oil equivalent, corresponding to 50–88 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe).

Source: Tullow Oil

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NORWAY- Gas discovery in the Norwegian Sea

GUYANA - Joe-1 oil discovery Tullow Oil plc (Tullow) announces that the Joe-1 exploration well has successfully opened a new Upper Tertiary oil play in the Guyana basin.

The Joe-1 exploration well was drilled by the Stena Forth drillship to a Total Depth of 2,175 metres in water depth of 780 metres. Evaluation of logging and sampling data has confirmed that Joe-1 has encountered 14 metres of net oil pay in high-quality oil bearing sandstone reservoirs of Upper Tertiary age. Joe is the first oil discovery to be made in the Upper Tertiary and de-risks the petroleum system in the west of the Orinduik block, where a significant number of Tertiary and Cretaceous age prospects have been identified.

Tullow and its Partners will now evaluate data from the Joe-1 discovery alongside data from the Jethro-1 discovery announced in August 2019 and await the outcome of the Carapa well to determine the optimal follow-on exploration and appraisal programme.

The non-operated Carapa-1 well on the Kanuku licence (Tullow 37.5%) is scheduled to commence drilling in late September with the Rowan EXL II jack-up rig and will test the Cretaceous oil play with a result due in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Joe-1 was drilled on the Orinduik licence, offshore Guyana by Tullow’s wholly owned subsidiary Tullow Guyana B.V. Tullow Guyana B.V. is the operator of the Orinduik block with a 60% stake. Total E&P Guyana B.V. holds 25% with the remaining 15% being held

by Eco (Atlantic) Guyana Inc. On completion of operations, the Stena Forth drill ship will depart Guyana and return to Ghana.

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ARGENTINA - Argentina's YPF reports well fire after leak at Vaca Muerta gas field Argentina’s state-controlled oil company YPF said a gas well caught fire at its vast shale oil and gas formation of Vaca Muerta following a gas leak on the previous day.

The cause of the leak and fire, in the LLLO X-2 well in the Loma La Lata West gas field in the southern Patagonian region of Neuquen, are still unknown, YPF said in a statement.

“No injuries have been reported and two fire-fighting teams with 12 fire-fighters each have been deployed to the area,” it said. More resources will be added over the course of the morning,” it added.

A spokesman for the company told Reuters that production was only affected in the burning well.

It said it had set up a security perimeter of one kilometer around the area.

YPF is the main operator in Vaca Muerta, which represents the world’s second-largest gas reserve and the fourth-largest of unconventional oil.

According to the Ministry of Energy, Vaca Muerta may allow the country to eliminate its energy deficit this year and achieve a surplus in 2020 while also allowing an increased inflow of much-needed U.S. dollars to the country.

Late last month, YPF said the recent depreciation of Argentina’s peso and President Mauricio Macri´s decision to freeze fuel prices for 90 days to avoid further jumps in the inflation rate had increased the risk of expenses outpacing revenue.

WORLD PROJECTS MAP

Source: Bloomberg

Source: africaoilandpower.com

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SOUTH AFRICA - South Africa’s new oil law: Government will take a free stake in energy projects

IRAN - UK - Flagged Tanker Held by Iran to be Released ‘in Days': Iran Iran said that it will release a UK-flagged oil tanker it has detained for nearly two months, a conciliatory gesture as the fallout from the weekend’s attack on Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil plant raises the risk of conflict in the region.

In a revision to the previously tabled terms, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) told parliament on Friday that it is considering legislation that will give the government a stake in new oil and gas projects.

The Stena Impero will be released “in days,” said Abbas Mousavi, spokesman at the foreign ministry in Tehran. The judicial process for the release of the vessel is almost finalised and once bureaucratic procedures have been cleared the ship can leave Iran, he said.

Source: Gulf Today

Source: chron.com

USA - Weatherford to appear back in bankruptcy court

Aramco’s industrial security teams have controlled the blazes and their spread in Aramco’s two facilities were limited, the ministry added, and further investigations are being undertaken regarding the incidents.

Struggling oilfield service company Weatherford International is due back in a Houston bankruptcy court on Wednesday afternoon, where a judge will review the company's proposed reorganisation plan.

Online videos apparently shot in Buqyaq included the sound of gunfire in the background. Smoke rose over the skyline and glowing flames could be seen a distance away at the Abqaiq oil processing facility. The Saudi-owned satellite news channel Al-Arabiya later aired a segment with a correspondent there as smoke from the blazes clearly rose behind.

Company officials and their attorneys are expected to appear before Bankruptcy Judge David Jones, who is expected to review the company's proposed reorganisation plan, at the U.S. District Courthouse in downtown Houston.

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According to Arab News website, one strike hit the oil company’s Abqaiq facility, which is near Dammam in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, while another attack hit Khurais oil field, a ministry security spokesperson was reported by state news agency SPA as saying.

“The minister will be empowered to reserve a block or blocks for 10 per cent black-owned companies with relaxed requirements. The bill will also empower the minister to develop a Petroleum Resources Charter to pursue the transformation agenda,” said Ngcwabe.

In 2015, the government left the country’s energy sector in a state of uncertainty after it tabled its plans to give the state a 20 per cent free stake in all oil and gas projects and the right to acquire a further 60 per cent at a price determined by the state.

As a result, British oil major, Shell exited the Orange Basin in 2017, citing political uncertainty as one of its reasons.

This new law aims to provide certainty to new and potential investors as well as companies such as Total who announced a significant gas discovery off the southern coast of South Africa in February and Shell who have since acquired a 40 per cent stake in deep-water blocks 5,6 and 7 in the same area.

Weatherford filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 1. The prepackaged bankruptcy plan was supported by 80 per cent of the company's creditors.

In addition to its own terms, the DMRE proposes that the National Treasury draft a separate legislation which will charge energy companies royalties on their profits ranging from 0.5 per cent to 5 per cent.

Since its initial filing, the company has filed two amended reorganisation plans, with similar levels of support from creditors. The latest plan, filed on Monday, would give Weatherford access to $600 million in credit and the ability to issue $2.1 billion of unsecured senior notes.

This new law was first announced in November last year by Minister Mantashe who said then that exploration in South Africa’s energy sector could not be delayed and explained that the DMRE’s intention is to “accelerate investment and boost investor confidence in the economy.”

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The legislation, which will be submitted to parliament in Q4 2019, will provide oil and gas companies that have already secured exploration rights with more clarity regarding the government’s commercial terms. To this point, Ngwabe said one of the terms would include Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe having the right to reserve some exploration blocks for Black Economic Empowerment partners.

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Iran seized the Stena Impero on July 19 shortly after the U.K. detained a vessel in Gibraltar that was allegedly carrying Iranian crude to Syria.

Last month, Gibraltar released that ship, which has been renamed the Adrian Darya 1. Gibraltar and the U.K. have since accused the vessel of delivering its cargo to Syria.

Drone attacks caused fires in two major Saudi Aramco facilities in the kingdom, said the Saudi interior ministry.

The fires began after the sites were "targeted by drones," the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. It said an investigation into the attack was underway.

Saudi Aramco describes its Abqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq as "the largest crude oil stabilisation plant in the world."

Ntokozo Ngcwabe, Deputy Director-General at the DMRE, said the law would provide security in the country’s petroleum industry and noted that the lack of regulations in the sector had hindered development.

The Iranian government is facing increased pressure since two Saudi oilfields and a major oil processing plant were hit on Saturday. The U.S. has blamed Iran for carrying out the attacks, which wiped out about 5% of global supplies. Iran has denied the accusation, while Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility.

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SAUDI ARABIA - Drones hit Saudi Aramco facilities, fires now under control

The new law which is still in draft stages will see the government securing 10 per cent ownership in all energy projects at the exploration phase and the rights to 10 per cent of their production at no cost.

C O N T R A C T

A W A R D S

CONTRACT AWARDS

CONTRACTS Next Generation North Sea: Contract Win Sees ASCO Support Neptune Energy Global logistics and materials management provider, ASCO, has secured a fiveyear contract with international independent, Neptune Energy.

The contract, which will fully kick-off in October this year will see ASCO assume responsibility for all Neptune’s shorebase, logistics, marine and materials management services for the North Sea. Commended by Neptune for their commitment to safety excellence and the professional, high-quality approach to the tender process, ASCO’s expertise will be utilised across all the operator's

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current and future assets and projects in the UK. ASCO's Aberdeen General Manager, Jamie Marr, said: “ASCO has maintained a strong reputation within the industry for more than 50 years and in a highly competitive UK marketplace, winning this contract is a clear illustration of our continued ability to lead the way in logistics and materials management services.

"The nature of the market in the North Sea is changing with new, exciting and innovative players investing in the basin.

Neptune is on a growth trajectory in the

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UK and elsewhere, and we are excited to be supporting them on this journey. In the preparation for the commencement of the contract we are already building a strong relationship with the Neptune team and are eager to see this develop further in the years to come."

Neptune’s UK Managing Director, Pete Jones, said: “We take a collaborative approach with all our partners and service providers. We look forward to a successful and mutually beneficial working relationship with ASCO which will support the continued growth of our UK business.”

Register your CV at www.oilandgasvisionjobs.com

CONTRACT AWARDS

C O N T R A C T A W A R D S

to stay up to date with the latest industry jobs

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CONTRACT AWARDS

Weatherford signs $87m contract With Petrobras represents the largest fishing contract ever signed

by Weatherford. It also constitutes the largest single global award for this scope in the recent past.

“Weatherford is the global leader for fishing and intervention services which facilitated this contract win,” said Dean Bell, President of Well Construction for Weatherford. Bell added, “Customers trust us to get the job done right the first time. Our best-in-class crews and unequaled global support have experience that makes the difference between hours or days offline. Securing a contract of this magnitude further demonstrates our commitment to this vision and validates that our strategy is working.”

Weatherford International plc (the “Company” or “Weatherford”), announced the signing of an $87 million contract for fishing and intervention ser-

vices with Petroleo Brasileiro S.A., which is more commonly known as Brazilian-based multinational corporation Petrobras. The four-year agreement

For over four decades, Weatherford has provided fishing services to worldwide customers. Today, the Company provides the industry’s most comprehensive set of fishing and intervention capabilities along with skilled people ready for any contingency, anytime and anywhere throughout the globe.

C O N T R A C T

A W A R D S

$2 Million Work For Environmental Management Company A leading environmental management service company has secured work worth $2 million since the beginning of this year.

Aberdeen-based Turnkey Environmental Management Services International Ltd (TEMS International) has won the work in a range of significant locations, including the Gulf of Mexico and Trinidad.

It has also successfully completed its first threemonth contract in Malaysia, a key emerging marketplace for the ambitious business which was founded in 2017.

As well as adding positively to the balance sheet, the busy year has already led to the creation of eight new jobs to fulfil the requirements of a growing customer base which features contracts ranging in duration from three months to up to five years.

Particularly in demand is the company’s bespoke Environmental Drilling Performance Management which minimises environmental impact whilst

achieving substantial cost savings for the operator.

A turnkey approach enables environmental waste management and the containment of drilling fluids to be covered by a single plan, ultimately ensuring more effective and efficient drilling.

The recent busy spell has also seen an upturn in requirement for TEMS International’s Environmental Compliance Service offering which ensures that operators maintain or exceed legislative requirements thanks to daily analysis and the production of detailed reports.

Commenting on the success of 2019 so far, TEMS International Managing Director Bill Walkingshaw said: “We are delighted at the levels of business achieved during the year to date, and that this has led to new jobs across the team.

“Our growth plans are ambitious in terms of scale and geography and this tranche of work positions us well to continue expanding our corporate horizons and growing our global footprint.”

Subsea 7 awarded contract offshore Saudi Arabia Subsea 7 announced the award of a large(1) contract by Saudi Aramco for Marjan Increment Projects - Package 2, offshore Saudi Arabia.

The engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract is awarded for execution in consortium with L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering (LTHE), a subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro.

The consortium’s workscope consists of EPCI of new tie-in platforms, production deck manifolds, approximately 217 kilometres of rigid

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pipelines, approximately 145 kilometres of power cables, and a fibre optic cable in the Marjan field in water depths of approximately 45 to 52 metres. Offshore execution is due to take place in 2021 and 2022.

Adzariat Monergi, Subsea 7’s Vice President Middle East said, “This award builds on our track record of reliable project execution in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the close collaboration we enjoy with LTHE. We look forward to continuing our successful relationship with Saudi Aramco, supported by the recent offshore completion of several projects.”

Register your CV at www.oilandgasvisionjobs.com

CONTRACT AWARDS

Shearwater wins Isometrix projects from Lundin and Spirit Energy Marine geophysical services company Shearwater GeoServices has secured new Isometrix seismic acquisition projects for Lundin and Spirit Energy Norway in the Barents Sea. The company also secured a master services agreement from Lundin Norway that covers about 180km² at license PL965. Shearwater’s project signed with Spirit Energy covers 130km2 and is located at license block PL962.

Lundin Senior Geophysicist Eivind Dhelie said: “In addition to the unique Isometrix streamer technology, we have redesigned the source configuration down to a very small point source of only 1m by 3m.

“Combined with wide tow and four of the small focused sources, we believe we will obtain a super-high resolution image with almost zero-offsets as well as give us accurate amplitude versus offset measurements for reservoir property prediction.”

Both the Lundin and Spirit Energy projects are

Flexisource quad-source Isometrix projects with 50m streamer separation. They are expected to deliver a true three-dimensional (3D) deghosted high-resolution Isogrid dataset.

Spirit Energy Senior Geophysicist Mark Ackers said: “This novel hybrid acquisition setup, which combines elements from 3D marine and site-survey operations will deliver a very high-resolution dataset that we believe will enable high fidelity imaging of our target.”

Amazon Conqueror will conduct the marine acquisition surveys of the two projects, starting from the third quarter of 2019.

Shearwater GeoServices CEO Irene Waage Basili said: “The combination of our Amazon class vessel and Isometrix multi-sensor technology gives our clients access to the industry’s most technologically advanced and efficient platform for marine seismic acquisition.”

Iran signs $440 million deal to develop Belal gas field

The contract was signed between Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC), a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), and local development company Petropars.According to Iran’s Shana news agency, POGC will serve as the employer of the contract, making reservoir studies and performing sideline licensing for the purposes of the project. Petropars, in turn, is to drill eight wells in the offshore oil field, build and install a gas production top-

“This contract and other upcoming contracts show that we are working under the sanctions. From now on, we plan to sign one contract and set in motion one development plan every two weeks and we will show that the development of the country’s oil industry has not stopped [and] we are active,” Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said at the contract signing ceremony on Saturday, emphasising that the country's energy sector is alive and kicking despite US sanctions.

“We showed that US cannot bring our exports to zero. We will not announce our measures

US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018, and then restored crippling economic sanctions on Tehran, targeting mostly the oil industry, vital for Iran’s economy, in what it dubbed a “maximum pressure campaign” to force Tehran to curb its missile and nuclear programs.

Relations between Washington and Tehran have since deteriorated, with the sanctions accompanied by a military buildup in the Persian Gulf. On June 7, Washington imposed yet another set of sanctions on Iran’s largest petrochemical holding, Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries, as well as more than 30 of its subsidiaries and branches. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the US “intends to strip away the key elements of the Iranian petrochemical sector.”

Spain’s Sener wins contract for Brooge oil refinery in Fujairah UAE-based Brooge Petroleum and Gas Investment Company (BPGIC) has reportedly awarded a contract to Spanish engineering firm Sener for the construction of an oil refinery in Fujairah as part of its expansion plan.

According to Thomson Reuters, the first phase of the 250,000 barrelsper-day refinery is expected to finish by Q1 2021 and will produce bunker fuel that complies with new international laws.

As part of the new regulations from International Maritime Organisation, ships can only use fuel with a sulphur content below 0.5%.

Established in 2013, BPGIC is among the largest holders of storage assets in Fujairah.

to stay up to date with the latest industry jobs

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A W A R D S

Tehran has signed a $440 million contract with a local company to develop the Belal gas field Iran shares with Qatar. The country's oil minister has celebrated the deal as a sign that no US sanctions can stop Iran's oil industry.

Under the contract, in 34 months the oil field is to produce 500 million cubic feet (the equivalent of 14 million cubic meters) of rich gas a day. The produced gas is to be processed at the onshore refinery of South Pars Phase 12.

The Belal gas field is located in the Persian Gulf east of South Pars, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) southwest of Lavan Island.

regarding oil exports since they will make enemies more vigilant,” he added. The minister predicted Iran’s petrochemical production to hit above 100 million tons in the near future.

C O N T R A C T

side and construct a 20 kilometers (12 miles) seabed pipeline.

www.ducatuspartners.com ON THE MOVE

Sponsored by

Sean Buchan

O N

T H E

M O V E

Managing Partner - EMEA at Ducatus Partners

advisor to investment and portfolio executives.

Whilst this presents as an uncomplicated mandate, when it comes to the optimal way to recruit, deploy and incentivise individuals, the position becomes far more difficult to capture in generalities. There are limitless ways for firms to structure these elements, with little consensus around the ‘best’ approach to create an environment for success.

Whilst some parallels can be drawn from investors at different ends of the market, this is essentially where the ability to benchmark ends. Instead, the composition of operating resource should be fed by a firm’s investment strategy on a case by case basis.

bility of both the private equity and portfolio teams.

As an example, investors committing capital to start-ups commercialising new technologies may rely on former engineers turned commercial executives, whilst those focused on distressed businesses often prefer to appoint sector generalists with situational turnaround experience.

Candidates fitting the mould of industry veteran or functional expert may appear plentiful on paper, however firms must be mindful of the need to implement a multifaceted evaluation process to examine individual and team behaviours given the attributes which drive the ability to effectively coach and influence for example, can be impossible to assess by interview alone.

Private equity’s historic divestment cycle of three to five years has increasingly followed a longer holding pattern when looking at the oil and gas sector over the last decade. With quick turnarounds becoming something of a rarity, we have seen firms adopt a much more hands-on role to successfully navigate the evolving road to exit. A strategic priority for a number of our clients has been to ensure value is maximised for the duration of the investment lifecycle and one means to approach this which we have supported on has been to commit to developing and upgrading operating resource.

Models typically deployed vary widely in terms of their integration. At high level, those we commonly see include firms drawing on an ad-hoc network for functional experts to alleviate short-term pain points, those who lean on the strategic appointment of board members with a dual role to support or mentor portfolio executives and finally, at the opposite end of the spectrum, there are investors who commit to hiring an active in-house team who can be used as a ‘bench’ and deployed as required, or utilised from cradle to grave working hand in glove with the deal team.

The role of an Operating Partner is relatively simple in principal; add value by serving as a meaningful

In terms of profile, this aspect is again vastly nuanced, interlinking not only with the operating model selected, but the leadership dynamic and capa-

Ultimately, it’s safe to say that successful Operating Partners have one thing in common; each one is different.

Jason has more than 23 years of international oil and gas experience with 16 years working in the offshore energy sector. Until recently he was Vice President Americas with Ampelmann Operations following his time as President and Chief Executive Officer of X-Subsea Precision Dredging and Excavation. During his career, he has also held senior positions at Advanced Maritime Transports, Deep Ocean and Trico Marine Group.

close partnership with clients on search, advisory and market mapping assignments. As a fully qualified leadership coach certified by the Rice University Doerr Institute, he will also enhance the company’s executive coaching and corporate onboarding offering.

Ducatus Partners Grows Team with Two New Appointments Ducatus Partners, the global executive search and leadership consulting firm serving the energy, private equity and infrastructure industries, has bolstered its expanding team with the appointment Jason Miller as a Partner based in Houston, as well as hiring Karyn Sherrifs as a Senior Associate based in Aberdeen.

Arlene Chow

Interim Chief Executive Officer appointed at Heritage Petroleum A temporary appointment to the position of Chief Executive Officer at Heritage Petroleum Company has been announced, with Arlene Chow named as interim Chief Executive Officer.

Arlene began her career as an Operations Geologist at Trintoc before joining AMOCO and subsequently BP. Arlene was Chief of Staff in the Executive Office of the Production Division at BP’s Head Office in London, where she supported the Executive Vice President in overseeing global standards, policies and processes of the group’s production function.

Most recently, she assumed the position of Vice President Corporate Operations for BP in Trinidad and Tobago as well as Chief Operating Officer for Atlantic LNG.

www.ogvenergy.co.uk

Jason will focus on business development within the energy and private equity sectors, working in

Paal Kibsgaard

Borr Drilling Announces Paal Kibsgaard as Chairman of the Board

Further still, compensating operating resource adds an additional layer of complexity to consider, with this element is typically driven by where a model falls in terms of integration. Whilst some firms may successfully incentivise Operating Partners by tying long term reward to the fund as a whole using carry, this becomes a far more complex recommendation when considering how to weight the remuneration of those retained on an ad-hoc basis as just one scenario.

Karyn joins from search firm Odgers Berndston with more than 12 years of industry experience. In her new role, she will be focused on supporting the delivery of research assignments for the Europe Middle East and Africa team.

The Board of Borr Drilling has recommended Paal Kibsgaard as new Chairman of the Board.

Paal has over 27 years of industry experience and has held a variety of notable executive positions at Schlumberger including Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, President of the Reservoir Characterisation Group, Vice President of Engineering, Manufacturing and Sustaining, and Vice President of Human Resources. Paal will replace Fredrik Halvorsen whilst Tor Olav Troim will continue to serve on the board as Vice Chairman. Patrick Schorn will also continue to be Schlumberger‘s representative on the board.

Officer at the end of this year, and will be succeeded by John Evans, who is currently Chief Operating Officer. Jean has over 40 years of industry experience and has served as Chief Executive Officer of Subsea 7 since 2008, having previously worked for Transocean and Schlumberger. Following his retirement, Jean will continue as a Non-Executive Director.

Jean Cahuzac

Subsea 7 CEO Jean Cahuzac To Retire Subsea 7 has announced that Jean Cahuzac will retire from his position as Chief Executive

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John Evans has been Chief Operating Officer of Subsea 7 since he joined the company in 2005 and has over 30 years’ experience in the offshore energy services industry. John previously worked for KBR in a number of general management, commercial and operational roles.

www.ducatuspartners.com ON THE MOVE

Encana Announces Executive Changes Encana has made changes to its executive leadership including the promotion of Michael McAllister to President, Brendan McCracken to Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and External Relations and Greg Givens to Chief Operating Officer.

Paul Leonard

Michael joined Encana nearly 20 years ago and previously served as Encana's Chief Operating Officer. In his new role as President, he will assume leadership responsibilities for the company’s operations, exploration and land, marketing and midstream and corporate services. Brendan will be responsible for leading business development and corporate strategy, investor relations, corporate communications and government affairs. Greg joined Encana in 2018 and previously served as Vice President of Texas Operations where he managed the efficient development of Encana’s Eagle Ford and Permian Basin assets.

Wood Appoints Paul Leonard to Americas Role Wood has appointed Paul Leonard as President of Operations Services in its Americas business to succeed Tim O’Leary, who is retiring from the company after a 20 year tenure. Relocating from St John’s, Newfoundland, Leonard will be based in Houston in his new role and will be responsible for the company’s operations services business across the US lower 48, Alaska, Canada, Trinidad andTobago, Brazil, Mexico and Guyana

Michael McAllister

Oil Search have announced that Joe Balash, a former top US Department of the Interior appointee, has joined the company’s Alaska organisation as Senior Vice President External Affairs.

Oil Search, who entered Alaska in late 2017 and are operator of the Pikka development on the North Slope, a project anticipated to eventually produce 120,000 barrels a day, said Joe brings significant regulatory and external affairs experience to the business.

Prior to joining Oil Search, Joe was the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management where he was responsible for the oversight of four interior department agencies.

Before working in Trump’s administration, Joe held notable positions in State government including Chief of Staff to US Senator Dan Sullivan and Natural Resources Commissioner for Alaska. He was a special assistant to Sarah Palin when she was Alaska’s governor, advising on energy and natural resource development.

Linn Katrine Høie

Quintin Kneen

Tidewater Appoints Quintin Kneen As President, CEO Tidewater has appointed Quintin Kneen as Chief Executive Officer following previous incumbent John Rynd’s retirement. Quintin, who has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Tidewater since Tidewater’s November 2018 merger with GulfMark Offshore, was Chief Executive Officer of GulfMark prior to the acquisition. He joined GulfMark in June 2008 and during his tenure, also served as Senior Vice President Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer.

Previously, he was Vice President Finance and Investor Relations for Grant Prideco.

Petrolia NOCO AS Appoints Linn Katrine Høie as Managing Director Norwegian exploration and production company Petrolia NOCO AS has appointed Linn Katrine Høie as its new Managing Director.

Linn comes to Petrolia NOCO with broad experience from the energy sector, most recently working with digitisation of field development in Aker BP as a Senior Advisor. She has held various management positions during her career with Cairn Energy and Grupa Lotos, the Polish based vertically integrated oil and gas company.

Oman Shell. He lead joint ventures Petroleum Development Oman, Oman LNG and Shell Oman Marketing Company as well as Shell’s strategic partnership with the Omani government. During his career in Shell, he held senior positions in planning, mergers and acquisitions, business development and government relations. These roles spanned Shell’s interests across Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and the Middle East.

Walid Hadi

Mathieu Kharfan

Shell Development Oman Welcomes New Country Chairman Shell Development Oman has appointed Walid Hadi as the new Country Chairman for

37

Prior to this appointment, he held the role of Vice President Finance for the Upstream Joint Venture business in The Hague which included an accountability for Oman. Walid was previously the General Manager Commercial for Shell Kazakhstan and served as a shareholder representative for the Caspian Pipeline Company and was a member of its Board of Directors.

www.ogvenergy.co.uk

M O V E

Joe Balash

T H E

Oil Search Alaska Appoints US Government Official as Senior Vice President External Affairs

O N

Paul joined Wood’s Eastern Canada business in 2014 as Director of Operations servicing multiple clients and projects in Newfoundland, most notably ExxonMobil’s Hebron project. He has more than 18 years industry experience, with 14 years spent at ExxonMobil where he began his career as a project engineer before going on to lead major projects.

BASSOE ANALYTICS

17/09/2019

B A S S O E

A N A LY T I C S

www.bassoe.no

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BASSOE ANALYTICS

www.bassoe.no

17/09/2019

B A S S O E A N A LY T I C S

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PROJECT TRACKER

P ATHFINDER - UKCS Status Report Decommissioning Projects

P R O J E C T

T R A C K E R

OPERATOR

FIELD

BP EXPLORATION BP EXPLORATION CENTRICA STORAGE HOLDINGS CNOOC LIMITED CNR INTERNATIONAL CONOCOPHILLIPS CONOCOPHILLIPS CONOCOPHILLIPS CONOCOPHILLIPS DANA PETROLEUM E&P DNO NORTH SEA ENDEAVOUR ENERGY ENI UK LIMITED ENI UK LIMITED ENI UK LIMITED ENI UK LIMITED

Don Miller Rough Ettrick/Blackbird Ninian CMS Caister CM MacCulloch Murdoch Hudson Schooner Renee / Rubie Little Dotty Hewett Dawn Big Dotty

TAQA EUROPA B.V TAQA EUROPA B.V

Cormorant Alpha North Cormorant

Minke Juliet Inde North (Under Construction) Welland Leman Thames Indefatigable (Under Construction) Pickerill (Under Construction) Glamis Caledonia Huntington Balmoral Rita & Hunter Buchan (Under Construction) Beatrice Fulmar (Under Construction) Brae Bravo East Brae Various Brent Atlantic and Cromarty Curlew Goldeneye Markham Ann & Alison Annabel Audrey Trees York Eider Tern

NEPTUNE E&P NEPTUNE E&P PERENCO OIL & GAS PERENCO OIL & GAS PERENCO OIL & GAS PERENCO OIL & GAS PERENCO OIL & GAS PERENCO OIL & GAS PREMIER OIL PLC PREMIER OIL PLC PREMIER OIL PLC PREMIER OIL PLC PREMIER OIL PLC REPSOL SINOPEC RESOURCES REPSOL SINOPEC RESOURCES REPSOL SINOPEC RESOURCES ROCKROSE ENERGY ROCKROSE ENERGY ROYAL DUTCH SHELL ROYAL DUTCH SHELL ROYAL DUTCH SHELL ROYAL DUTCH SHELL ROYAL DUTCH SHELL SPIRIT ENERGY SPIRIT ENERGY SPIRIT ENERGY SPIRIT ENERGY SPIRIT ENERGY SPIRIT ENERGY TAQA EUROPA B.V TAQA EUROPA B.V

UKCS Status Report For additional project summaries, locations and contact details, follow the link www.oilandgasvisionjobs.com/project-pathямБnder

www.ogvenergy.co.uk

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PROJECT TRACKER

Date Generated: 13-SEP-2019 09:20:20

Current Projects OPERATOR

FIELD

ALPHA PETROLEUM UK HOLDINGS BP EXPLORATION

Cheviot Storr Clair Ridge (Under Construction)

BP EXPLORATION

Vorlich (Under Construction)

APACHE CORPORATION

Alligin (Under Construction)

BP EXPLORATION

ETAP Captain

BP EXPLORATION

CHEVRON CORPORATION DANA PETROLEUM E&P

Platypus

All UKCS

ENQUEST PLC

Thistle (Under Construction)

ENQUEST PLC

Utgard Darwin

HIBISCUS PETROLEUM

Marigold & Sunflower

ITHACA ENERGY INC.

Cook (Under Construction)

PARKMEAD GROUP PLC

Perth

FAIRFIELD ENERGY LIMITED

Skye

HURRICANE ENERGY

Lancaster (Under Construction)

NEPTUNE E&P

Seagull

PERENCO OIL & GAS

Wollaston

P R O J E C T

FAIRFIELD ENERGY LIMITED

EQUINOR ASA

LEMAN and INDEFATIGABLE

PERENCO OIL & GAS

Avalon

PING PETROLEUM LIMITED

T R A C K E R

Tolmount (Under Construction)

PREMIER OIL PLC

Catcher (Under Construction)

PREMIER OIL PLC

Arran

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL

Penguin Area

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL

Fram

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL

Jackdaw

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL

Gannet D Pipeline Replacement Project

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL

Columbus Cambo

SERICA ENERGY

SICCAR POINT ENERGY

Suilven

SICCAR POINT ENERGY

Tornado

SICCAR POINT ENERGY TAQA EUROPA B.V

Morrone (Under Construction) Edradour

TOTAL UPSTREAM UK LIMITED

Glenlivet

TOTAL UPSTREAM UK LIMITED

Bentley

WHALSAY ENERGY

Sillimanite

WINTERSHALL B.V.

Discovery Projects

FIELD

OPERATOR

BP EXPLORATION BP EXPLORATION CNOOC LIMITED ENQUEST PLC EQUINOR ASA EQUINOR ASA EQUINOR ASA EQUINOR ASA EQUINOR ASA HURRICANE ENERGY

Murlach Clair South Blackhorse Eagle Rosebank Peik Frigg Mariner East Bressay Lincoln, Warwick (Under Construction)

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EVENTS CALENDAR

EVENTS 2019 - 2020 OCTOBER Kazakhstan International Oil & Gas Exhibition & Conference 30th Sep -2nd - Almaty, Kazakhstan OilComm Conference & Exposition 2nd-3rd - Houston, USA Oil & Gas Thailand 9th-11th - Bangkok, Thailand Global Oil & Gas Fiscal Systems Course 10th-11th - London, United Kingdom Automa 14th-15th - Zurich, Switzerland IADC Advanced Rig Technology 2019 Conference & Exhibition 22nd-23rd - Amsterdam, Netherlands

7th Frankfurt Gas Forum 11th-12th - Frankfurt, Germany JANUARY

International Conference For Oil, Gas & Energy Industry Conference 01st-03rd - Lahore, Pakistan

National Biodiesel Conference & Expo 20th-23rd - Tampa, USA

LDC Gas Forums SouthEast 06th-08th - Atlanta, USA

Oil & Gas IoT Summit 22nd-23rd - Lisbon, Portugal

Atyrau Oil & Gas 08th-10th - Atyrau, Kazakhstan

Industrial Market Outlook & Networking Event 23rd - Houston, USA Energy

International Mining & Oil Expo 08th-10th - Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

FEBRUARY SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference & Exhibition 5th-7th - The Woodlands, Texas

OTC Brazil 2019 29th-31st - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Nigeria International Petroleum Summit 9th-12th - Abuja, Nigeria

NOVEMBER

International Petroleum Week (IPW) 25th-27th - London, UK

ADIPEC 11th-14th - Abu Dhabi, UAE DECEMBER World Energy Capital Assembly 2nd-3rd - London, UK O&G Supply Chain & Procurement Summit 3rd-4th - Houston, USA

APRIL

International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC 2020) 13th-15th - Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

SPE/IATMI Asia Pacific Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition 29th-31st - Bali, Indonesia

Africa Oil Week 4th-8th - Cape Town, South Africa

The 11th International Petroleum & Natural Gas Summit 27th-28th - Beijing, China

MARCH The 6th CWC China LNG & Gas International Summit & Exhibition 4th-6th - Shanghai, China Australasian Oil & Gas Exhibition & Conference 11th-13th - Perth, Australia

Hydrogen + Fuel Cells EUROPE 20th-24th - Hanover, Germany MAY OGV Open 2020 - OTC 3rd - Houston, USA OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE 4th-7th - Houston, USA OGV Business Breakfast - OTC 4th - Houston, USA Canada Gas & LNG Exhibition and Conference 12th-14th - Vancouver, Canada International Fair Petrol Station 13th-15th - Warsaw, Poland

3rd CWC Japan LNG & Gas Summit 24th-25th - Tokyo, Japan

JUNE Global Petroleum Show 9th-11th - Calgary, Canada

For more information about all events visit www.ogvenergy.co.uk

EVENTS SPONSORED BY

SERVICE SAVINGS SOLUTIONS

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CORPORATE

TRAVEL

For all enquiries visit www.traveleads.co.uk or contact Sally Cassidy on m. 07715 079 723 scassidy@traveleads.net

BO O NO KI W NG

EIC

NATIONAL DINNER 2019

3 OCTOBER

The venue 8 Northumberland Avenue is one of central London’s hidden gems.

It was originally the residence for the Percy family in the 1600s and has been immaculately restored, boasting high ceilings, impressive chandeliers, and ornate detailing.

Accommodation is also available at the Club Quarters Hotel at 8 Northumberland Avenue.

THE MOST EXCLUSIVE EVENT IN THE UK ENERGY I N D U S T R Y ’ S S U P P LY CHAIN CALENDAR Join us at the most prestigious event in the UK energy industry’s supply chain calendar as we celebrate the achievements and successes achieved by YOU, our members.

Your guest speaker Dara Ó Briain will host the 2019 EIC Awards Ceremony. Dara is a celebrated stand-up comedian and host of well known TV shows including Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You. In addition to comedy, Dara has a love of all things science, co-hosting Stargazing with Professor Brian Cox.

Take advantage of this exclusive platform to host and entertain your own VIP guests at an unforgettable evening.

Cost Table of twelve: £4,200+VAT Individual place: £365+VAT

Awards ceremony

Most of the major Tier 1 and Tier 2 EPC contractors, OEMs, operators and developers are represented within the audience, making this a unique opportunity to promote your brand. Please contact:

The EIC Awards Ceremony will recognise individuals and companies which offer a product or service with a positive and significant effect on the UK energy supply chain.

Jamie Lowes, EIC Sales Executive +44 (0)1429 874 453 jamie.lowes@the-eic.com

BOOK TODAY

T: +44 (0)1429 874 451 E: nationalevents@the-eic.com www.the-eic.com/nationaldinner

© EDF Energy 2017

Sponsorship opportunities

Details of award categories and how to enter will be announced soon.

3RD ANNUAL

D D P N S

2 0 1 9

Organised by

DATA-DRIVEN PRODUCTION NORTH SEA CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION • 16-17 OCTOBER MERCURE ARDOE HOUSE HOTEL • ABERDEEN

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DIGITAL PROJECTS FOR MAXIMUM ECONOMIC RECOVERY

260+

OIL & GAS EXECUTIVES

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OPERATOR ATTENDANCE

Digital Projects Being Revealed: Wintershall Dea’s data assimilation and deep learning for real-time production prediction

18+hrs

OF NETWORKING OPPORTUNTIY

20+

EXHIBITORS

Companies that have attended the DDP Series:

AkerBP’s digital changemanagement strategy Total’s digital smart rooms Equinor’s data-driven low carbon platforms One operator’s full-asset visualisation technology Total’s out of HQ ‘start-up’ offices for digital project execution Stena Drilling’s business transformation and digital change-management strategy

‘The conference was exactly what we were looking for - great presentations from real world examples that I can use today to improve my business results’ Dell EMC

REGISTER HERE NOW TO SECURE YOUR PLACE WWW.UPSTREAMINTEL.COM

LEGAL & FINANCE

Risky business?

Rod Hutchison, partner, Ledingham Chalmers

Contracting liability in oil and gas

smaller contractors, the liability for a project could exceed the likely commercial gain, or securing insurance may be nigh-on impossible or financially prohibitive.

As such, it seems sensible to continue with the mutual hold harmless status quo.

What’s up for grabs?

That said, no matter how collaborative you are, there are contract areas where it would be unrealistic to expect to have uniformity.

One of these areas is suspension clauses.

The oil and gas sector’s a challenging and inherently hazardous operating environment.

And that means risk and liability allocation calls for careful consideration, and even more careful contract drafting.

One example of commonplace risk allocation is mutual indemnities: a familiar fixture in UKCS contracts for well over two decades.

Here, contractors agree to hold each other harmless for loss and damage to people and property, even if the contractor relying on the indemnity was at fault. The underlying principle recognises potential huge losses, such as the destruction of an entire oil rig or platform, could not be borne by a single contractor.

However, much has happened in the North Sea during that time, not least of which the introduction of the Oil and Gas Authority in 2016.

So are mutual indemnities still fit for purpose, and what other aspects of liability should energy businesses bear in mind?

Up to the job?

While the Oil and Gas Authority-mandated requirement to collaborate only applies to

BRENT vs WTI 1 YEAR

operators, it is the service and supply chain sector where these collaborative projects are increasingly being initiated.

Collaboration brings together particular skill sets for specific work and there is an argument risks and liability need to be apportioned in line with these divisions.

And that change may be seen by some as a reason to seek to contract out the of mutual hold harmless regime. This isn’t something we’d see as a positive change.

The value in these indemnities is a clear understanding of liabilities, which allows contractors to take appropriate steps to insure against risk for damage to property and injury to personnel, regardless of the cause.

As a contracting structure, it continues to be the initial negotiating position for many industry contracts and a move away from that would mean more time spent round the negotiating table. Perhaps even for some

WTI 1 MONTH

Strategic, specialist legal advice for the oil and gas industry ledinghamchalmers.com

Here, work is stopped generally in two circumstances: firstly, there’s fault of one party; secondly, that it’s convenient to, say, the operator. Perhaps, for example, a project’s no longer commercially viable.

In the second circumstance, where it’s not your fault as a contractor, you’d be looking for some form of compensation.

And what about financial caps on liability? Your liability may be capped at a fixed amount, perhaps the value of the purchase order, or a percentage of it. Plus, payment terms need careful consideration, as does when the obligation to pay kicks in. For example, should a contractor further up the chain only pay a subordinate contractor when it has been paid?

When it comes to liabilities and risk in the oil and gas industry, it still makes sense that mutual hold harmless is the starting point for any negotiation; however, allocation of risk and liability doesn’t end there. As ever, it’s important contracts are carefully drafted to ensure contractors don’t end up disadvantaged, whatever happens.

Written by Rod Hutchison, Partner, Ledingham Chalmers.

BRENT 1 MONTH

Aberdeen Football Club

Tips from the top

is committed to putting fans first and working to engage their fanbase further in the amazing offers being provided each month through By Official Appointment (BOA) partners.

With our Business Development expert, Quintin Milne

Remember the human factor With the rise of the digital era, the next generation faces a completely different outlook to the one that exists now. Millennials have grown up with the introduction of social media and digital marketing, allowing them to adapt and improve along the way. However, Generation Z will be completely technology focused, being born and fully immersed in a digital world.

Today, more and more children sit behind a computer screen, fixed to the latest gaming trend or app. Human interaction is on the decline and this could be problematic for business development in the future. If the next generation favours communicating through email or social media, we lose the element of developing face to face relationships. Suddenly, it becomes harder to read emotions and interpret the right tone when it comes through a cold and not quite as charming, glass screen!

It is crucial that we nurture young people now and encourage them to consider the human factor. After all, they will be our Business Developers of the future. The lack of confidence with face to face interaction could create a barrier one day, preventing a stream of potential opportunities.

Whilst digital technology continues to improve every aspect of our lives, we must embrace the positive changes and use them as tools to support our existing procedures. In business development, we can instil the perfect balance of human and digital interaction to achieve results. A perfect example of this is our DQ Intel platform, which provides exclusive access to early leads for the energy industry.

By logging in to our database, the information is there and ready to be used. However, it can’t physically do the work for you. You still have to go out and follow it up, build those relationships and utilise the human factor to make things happen.

Today, a smile, a laugh or a nod can all be signals for success. These positive reactions are indicators which can’t be gained digitally.

It may seem the norm now but one day these signals could become completely non-existent, replaced by emojis and bots!

That’s why it’s so important to remember the human factor today, to ensure it still holds the same value in the future.

At the match against Hibernian on Saturday 5th October at Pittodrie, BOA will enjoy more of a spotlight with additional activation planned pre-match and at half-time to bring supporters closer to the brands that are supporting their club.

‘By Official Appointment’ (BOA) brings together local businesses and loyal Aberdeen FC fans. Supporting local businesses and giving Dons fans access to the best possible products, offers and service.

Through the BOA Programme, businesses are able to create special offers which are targeted to the Clubs extensive fan base and shared with supporters through AFC’s range of marketing and media channels.

“We have nothing but positive feedback about being a BOA partner, we’ve had new patrons who have booked in with us from seeing our presence on the club website, …

It’s such great value for small businesses like ours to get involved with Aberdeen Football Club, … such a high profile platform … ”. MSK Therapy & Sports Injury Clinic.

Over 90 businesses signed up over the first year of BOA, popular brands such as: Malmaison, Jamieson & Carry, Central Coaches, Gary Walker Wealth Management, Ardene House, TEAM Recruitment, Morrison Motors, TINTO Architects, Trinity Centre, Aberdeen Framing, Fresh Mex, The Ashvale, Flexistore, Decidedly Dogs, Snappy Tomato Pizza, The Foundry, Maryculter House, Beer 52, Maggies Grill, Siberia, Skyline, Aberdeen Whisky Shop, McWilliams Butcher, Mackies of Scotland, Belmont Filmhouse, GOALS, Aunty Bettys...

“Participation in the BOA programme enables local businesses to increase awareness, prestige and status, while growing market share coupled with creating loyalty and affinity among our supporters. With more than 100,000 stakeholders, that is quite an incentive,” Robert Wicks, Commercial Director, Aberdeen FC.

How do I become a BOA Partner?

This programme is aimed at bringing together local businesses and loyal Aberdeen Football Club fans, in order to generate more business, boost the local economy and help supporters receive the best possible deals.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of businesses at the BOA speed networking event, giving it a more relaxed feel and providing a less daunting atmosphere.”

Any local businesses wanting to get involved in the BOA programme should contact Laura Butler on 01224 650497 or laura.butler@afc.co.uk.

Tickets for Aberdeen’s match with Hibernian on Saturday 5th October are available online at afc.co.uk/etickets, in person from the Pittodrie Ticket Office or over the phone by calling 01224 63 1903.

We are your expert negotiator, working hard on your behalf.

Delivering clarity and advice for a better financial future.

Futura +44 1224 582185, info@futurainvestments.co.uk Victoria House, 259 Union Street, Aberdeen, AB11 6BR, Scotland www.futurainvestments.co.uk

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