Subsea UK News Jun. 2013

SUBSEA UK NEWS THE MAGAZINE FROM SUBSEA UK WWW.SUBSEAUK.COM JUNE 2013

IN THIS ISSUE Focus on Business Activity in Asia Unveiling Subsea Target: Tackling the Subsea Skills Shortage New Innovations and Technologies

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FOREWORD

BUSINESS ASIA Welcome to this edition of Subsea UK News, focused on Business in Asia.

As we near the half-way point of 2013, it is a chance to reflect on the successes and challenges the subsea sector has faced so far this year. Much has been made of the skills shortage facing our industry as well as the growth in the international market. With 2013 expected to signal the biggest ever UK capex, this edition of Subsea UK News will look at how we are working to support members keen to move into the international arena as well as how they can bolster their workforce.

One of Subsea UK’s ambitions for this year is to ensure firms can capture the wealth of opportunities in the growing global market. With such huge potential open to companies, the challenge can often be where to do business. With that in mind, we are always looking at new ways to support members looking to internationalise their business and one of these is our “Doing Business” guides. The guide to Brazil was well received when it was launched last year and this month sees the publication of the Australia edition. The series, which we are running in partnership with Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International, will next turn its attention to West Africa, a region which accounts for a third of the world’s new oil discoveries.

June sees Subsea Asia, a one day conference running alongside Oil & Gas Asia in Kuala Lumpur. Matthew Sharpe of energy analyst firm Infield Systems has written a timely piece on market trends and opportunities in Malaysia and Indonesia which you can read in this issue. In it, he discusses the expected investment by operators of over US$18bn in the SURF market by 2017.

This month also signals the roll-out of our skills initiative, Subsea Target, which you can read more about in our centre spread feature. Following a successful bid to Skills Development Scotland’s Energy Skills Challenge Fund, Subsea UK has developed this programme to provide targeted support for both businesses looking to further build their teams and individuals keen to enter this diverse industry. The project is not a shortterm solution; rather we see this as the first step in building a talented, skilled workforce which can support our sector as it looks ahead to the opportunities in the years to come.

I hope you enjoy this edition of our magazine.

Subsea UK Subsea UK News, produced by Subsea UK, reaches over 15,000 subsea-affiliated people each issue.

Subsea UK is the champion for the UK subsea industry. We act for the entire supply chain bringing together operators, contractors, suppliers and people in the industry.

With some 50,000 employees, worth almost £6 billion in services and products and with over 800 companies, the UK subsea industry sector leads the world in experience, innovation and technology. The UK will maintain a leading technological edge by sustaining and expanding this important business sector.

Whether you are a company looking to join and reap the benefits or an individual looking to develop your career in the subsea industry, explore our website or contact us to find out how Subsea UK can help you, your business and your industry.

New Members • Brastrading UK Ltd

• Johnston Carmichael

• Celera Support Services

• MeteoGroup Offshore

• Continuum Blue Ltd

• Quick Hydraulics Limited

• Cortez Subsea

• Tekmar Energy

• GenSica To view the full Subsea UK members list, visit the Subsea UK Directory at www.subseauk.com

Forthcoming Events June 2013 Lunch and Learn with Technip Aberdeen 25 June 2013

July 2013 Subsea UK’s Parliamentary Reception & Networking Dinner London 3 July 2013

Neil Gordon Chief Executive, Subsea UK

Subsea UK’s Offshore Europe Dinner Aberdeen 4 September 2013 ROV 2013 Conference Aberdeen 6 September 2013

October 2013 Golf Day Inchmarlo 4 October 2013

September 2013 Developing the Next Wave (Deepwater Zone, Offshore Europe) Aberdeen 3 September 2013

February 2014 Subsea 2014 10th Anniversary Aberdeen 5-7 February 2014

These are some of Subsea UK’s events but please visit our website for full details of all forthcoming events www.subseauk.com

Subsea UK News | June 2013

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TECHNOLOGY

World’s First 3D Scanning Subsea Laser Designed for the Oil & Gas Industry CDL and 3D at Depth announce the release of the INSCAN Underwater Laser Imaging System.

The system provides fast, high resolution 3D data capture for surveying, as-builts and monitoring.

INSCAN is a subsea LiDAR system that uses proprietary technology developed by 3D at Depth and engineered by CDL for use in subsea environments up to 3000m in depth. The system collects up to 40,000 points per second, provides a 360 degree x 30 degree field of view and can either provide real time operator measurements or output to industry standard point clouds.

Neil Manning, President of CDL Inc said: “The use of laser scanning for metrology and inspection will drastically reduce the amount of time and costs while improving accuracy. We have just scratched the surface of how we can use this technology, and we plan to develop workflows and tooling for a variety of applications.”

“CDL is a leader in the development of high quality systems for the subsea oil and gas industry,” said Carl Embry, Founder and CTO of 3D at Depth. “This has been a tremendous partnership.

The INSCAN product is a result of CDL’s proven subsea engineering capabilities and our patented technology. LiDAR has become a common solution for surveying and data collection on land and we are bringing these best practices and tools to the deep water environment.”

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TECHNOLOGY

Fugro Upgrades DeepWorks ROV Tooling Simulation

Left: Close up of hot-stab tool simulation Right: 3D mouse control of manipulator tool simulation

Fugro Subsea Services is rolling out enhanced tooling capabilities on its DeepWorks simulators.

Improvements have been made to ROV manipulator deployed tools to provide easier access verification as well as more realistic deployment behaviours.

DeepWorks 2013 introduces a novel approach to simplify accessibility studies. As well as supporting the traditional approach using a Schilling T4 master arm, a new method has been introduced in DeepWorks Engineer to enable engineers who do not have specific ROV piloting skills or access to a master arm controller to precisely control manipulator tools. The tool tip is driven manually from a suitable input device such as a space navigator/3D mouse (as shown below) or automatically from a pre-defined set of instructions in a file. Manipulator joint positions follow the tool and are adjusted automatically. This engineering solution supports full collision detection and with user-configurable receptacle tolerances can be used for position feedback and to verify successful tool deployment.

Ian Murray, Fugro Subsea Services Engineer Manager, said:

“We have found this enhancement particularly useful for validating accessibility of ROV panels on new manifolds and templates. No longer do we need to rely on piloting expertise or manipulator control skills to offer up tools to the interface; studies can now be performed by our Engineering and CAD teams and we can pass on the benefits of faster studies to consider more cases or to complete studies more economically.”

Similar improvements have also been made on the DeepWorks ROV pilot simulator using powered tooling components. Using the master arm controller, pilots can lift tools out of a holster and deploy them into receptacles with realistic collision and dynamic response. Tolerances of receptacles can be changed to cater for the skill level and experience of trainees. Torque tools can turn a valve to its open or closed position and this can activate linear actuators or hydraulic rams.

Jason Tisdall, Fugro Robotic Technologies Business Line Manager said: “Tooling design and operation is an essential part of installation and maintenance support. Stab tools are used routinely to connect and disconnect hydraulic circuits underwater. Torque tools are used to open and close valves on subsea production systems. These tools need to be offered up to and inserted into the ROV interface panel in a very specific way. DeepWorks can be used to help ensure panel receptacles are accessible and ROV-friendly and correct alignment and rotation can be achieved. With DeepWorks, different panel designs can be evaluated quickly and pilots can be trained on a simulator that mirrors the real experience offshore.”

These enhanced tooling capabilities are available with new orders for DeepWorks and as an upgrade to existing installations.

Subsea UK News | June 2013

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TECHNOLOGY

Have You Checked Your Wrinkles Lately?

Hugh Davies, Director of Client Solutions at Optical Metrology Services (OMS)

For deepwater offshore pipelines, risers and flowlines, as well as pipes for onshore applications in oil, gas and petrochemicals, the demand for corrosion-resistant alloy (CRA) clad pipes is expected to grow, with more than 80% of developing oil and gas fields demonstrating corrosive properties.

CRA clad pipes are protected from the production fluid by a liner that is mechanically bonded to the inside of the pipe. Production fluids (oil and gas) often contain a high sulphur or CO2 content that requires the use of materials that are suitable for corrosive environments. When the sulphur and CO2 content are too high for the corrosion resistance properties of standard carbon-steel pipes, a CRA liner is often employed.

Once oil and gas pipes have been manufactured and lined, they are often subjected to bending or reeling trials in order to verify whether the CRA liner is likely to buckle or wrinkle (and the extent of this) due to the high bending stresses involved. These trials normally take place during the bending process itself after the pipes have been lined. This simulates the pipe being continuously bent and straightened whilst reeled and unreeled from the spool onboard an ocean pipelaying vessel.

the ring. These systems are relatively crude and much more sophisticated, reliable measurement systems are now available.

For example, OMS has developed various systems for inspecting the inside profile of CRA lined pipe. Since 2002, OMS has been performing pipe bending trial measurement surveys for the likes of BP, Technip, Subsea 7 and Exxon Mobil.

These surveys range from relatively simple ovality measurements of pipes, through to much more detailed 3D profile surveys.

OMS’ system for pipe bending trials – the Automatic Pipe Checker™ system – uses a high precision laser profile measurement probe, which is part of a fully calibrated measurement module, which in turn is mounted to a rotary arm. The system uses a precision linear slide, which moves down the inside of the pipe, stopping at regular intervals to measure the circular profiles (inside diameter cross-sections). In this way, entire sections of pipe can be profiled within a consistent coordinate frame.

System accuracy By inspecting the inside profile of these pipes, varies from 0.5mm to companies can verify whether the liner has 0.05mm, depending on wrinkled or buckled during the bending trials (and the pipe and customer the extent of this), or whether the liner is likely to requirements.

wrinkle under repeat bending and straightening aboard the pipelaying vessel.

Traditionally, inspecting the inside of lined pipes has been done manually or by projecting a laser ring around the inside of the pipe and then estimating measurements based on a camera view of

The internallycalibrated laser profile measurement module is able to record up to 2,048 measurements per ID cross-section (which are typically smoothed out and reduced to 600 points). Smoothing of data points is critical, since this will remove any

outliers caused by features such as debris inside the pipe. Any unwanted features can also be manually edited such as debris on the wall of the pipe.

For typical bending trials, pipe sizes range from 125mm up to 1,200mm. Often, measurements are confined to a small area of the pipe, but at other times, these can include the complete length of a pipe.

Each profile takes about 15 seconds to measure. It takes another 15 to 30 seconds to review the profile and move on to the next measuring position. For example, full measurement of an 8m long pipe at 20mm intervals will require 400 separate measurements. These will take 400 x 45 seconds to complete or around 5 hours of continuous work. Accounting for breaks and data calibration checks, one 8m long pipe normally takes one day to arrive, set up and measure.

These overlapping profile measurements enable pipe sections to be “stitched together” or mapped in the Automatic Pipe Checker software to form a consistent 3D model of the interior of the pipe.

Comprehensive surveying of the internal profile of pipes can be carried out every 1mm through the pipe – at every stage of a project if the customer requires. Measured data can then be mapped into accurate 3D CAD models in a format (e.g. SolidWorks) that the customer requires in order to drive further analysis, for example, Finite Element Modelling. This, in turn, can facilitate part of a life prediction for the pipe.

The Automatic Pipe Checker™ system is fully calibrated and measurements are traceable to National Standards. OMS staff carrying out the inspections will typically be responsible for all stages of the measurement survey: setting the tool, calibrating the tool, measuring the pipes, verifying the tool (calibration checks), and then checking the measurement data itself.

Subsea UK News | June 2013

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TECHNOLOGY

MARIN Teams Up with WFS for Wireless Data Links between Moving Underwater Vessels MARIN’s Seakeeping and Manoeuvring basin, based in Wageningen, the Netherlands, is one of seven model testing facilities used for testing scale models of both surface and underwater vehicles. The basin is a huge model test facility, measuring 170m x 40m x 5m, with state of the art wave makers and wave absorbers offering the capability to test a vehicle in uni and multi-directional waves from various directions.

The purpose of tests in the basin is to quantify and demonstrate the behaviour and performance of a vessel under particular conditions. Each vessel goes through an extensive series of tests and refinements to ensure that its physical characteristics are all optimised to produce the desired results.

MARIN approached WFS with a requirement for a wireless data link to allow communications to and from moving underwater vessels in their Seakeeping and Manoeuvring basin. The wireless data link would be used to control the vehicle in the tank at up to a range of seven metres, and also to retrieve data from the on-board instrumentation to optimise behaviour and performance.

The solution was delivered using a broadband data link from the seatooth® family of subsea

wireless instruments from WFS, enabling a high rate of data to be transmitted over a short range, underwater. seatooth® can provide a reliable wireless communications link in the most challenging subsea environments: shallow water or turbid water; in the presence of bubbles or contaminants; near to large subsea structures; and through ground, seabed, concrete and non-metallic structures.

For testing of moving underwater vessels, a hard-wired method of communication and control is not practical. Wires between a freesailing vessel and a monitoring system will also introduce extra drag which is both undesired in testing and will affect the accuracy of the test results. A wireless link like seatooth® enables continuous monitoring for safety and efficiency and is preferable because it provides both continuous information and the opportunity to intervene on a real-time basis if required.

“Real-time wireless underwater communications is a key factor in efficient and accurate testing of model scale submarines,” said Haite van der Schaaf, Project Manager, Measurement & Control Systems at MARIN. “We hope that in the future, we will be able to use seatooth® wireless technology in numerous projects at MARIN’s test facilities.”

MARIN is one of the leading institutes in the world for hydrodynamic research and maritime technology, providing services to the shipbuilding and offshore industry and governments.

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TECHNOLOGY

Technip Offshore Wind Deploys Industryleading Cable Technology on First German Contract Brand new, industry-leading cable-lay technology, which promises to deliver cable handling, transportation, installation & burial spread, is being deployed on Technip’s first Offshore Wind Array Cable Installation project offshore Germany.

The contract for Phase 1 of Trianel’s Borkum Wind Farm development will utilise for the first time Technip’s new CBT 1100 Trenching System, as well as a state-of-the-art integrated cable-lay spread consisting of a 1200Te carousel, a loading tower, a 7.5Te tower-mounted cable tensioner and a 15Te deckmounted cable tensioner.

The CBT 1100 Trenching System - developed specifically for effective cable burial - can both jet and cut simultaneously, thus significantly increasing cable burial efficiency by allowing cables to be laid in varying soil types without the need for interchangeable tool sets.

The cable-lay spread significantly improves project efficiency by offering a fully integrated system that is easily transported by road, and can be mobilised to a vessel within just 10 days (including shore-side assembly), providing considerable savings in vessel time. The equipment can be controlled by one operator and can be moved to the vessel as a whole in just one lift.

The electrically-driven system provides a smooth, responsive operation compared to its hydraulic counterparts, using smart technology to safeguard cable integrity. A full monitoring system is in place to provide data outputs on the process, ensuring all parameters are logged and reported. Technological improvements in this area bring a welcome step-change in installation practices that will have a real impact on the future of the industry.

The technology has been installed on Technip’s Normand Pioneer vessel, a proven and tested marine platform, which departed the Port of Sunderland for Borkum at the end of April.

Technip’s scope of work is due to be completed in the second semester of 2013.

Technip will be installing and burying 43 array cables in a water depth averaging 28 metres on the Trianel Wind Farm Borkum.

The development of phase 1 with 40 wind turbines and 200 MW total power, completed in 4Q 2013, will supply ecoelectricity for approximately 200,000 households.

Subsea UK News | June 2013

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TECHNOLOGY

Successful Inspection of Flexible Risers in the North Sea Following years of R&D and qualifications, Innospection Ltd successfully completed its first flexible riser inspection in the North Sea in February 2013. The inspection of the flexible risers was performed using the sophisticated self-crawling inspection system named MECHUG, wholly developed and built by Innospection.

An Aberdeen based advanced NDT specialist and solution provider for subsea and topside inspection tasks with extensive field experience, Innospection is providing new ways of deploying advanced electromagnetic inspection technologies, particularly the SLOFECTM technique, in the most challenging inspection environment.

caused potentially by cracks or pitting corrosion in the single wires or multiple wire areas.

As the required scans per work scope were performed within a single shift, this inspection job has proven that the technology and its mechanical hydraulic driving mechanism allow an effective and fast scanning.

MEC-HUG riser inspection system in deployment from the installation and in operation at flexible riser in the North Sea

The MEC-HUG riser inspection system was deployed from the platform and brought in position above the splash zone by rope access personnel. After the MEC-HUG inspection tool was in place, as the name implies, the inspection tool “embraced” and moved along the risers through the splash zone to perform the inspection.

Excellent signal to noise ratio of the electromagnetic inspection technique SLOFECTM enabled a high detection sensitivity setup, for the identification of cracks and pitting corrosion in the tensile armoured wire layers while scanning the risers above, through and below the splash zone.

Although the inspection system could move down to -70m, the inspection task was to scan the production risers only from -30m to +5m with the focus on potential damage at the dedicated areas. The aim of the inspection was the detection of defects and wall loss in the first and second tensile armoured layer

The scans demonstrated excellent signal response not only for clean wire conditions but also at a known potential area with shown indications which allowed the assessment of the wire condition. Due to the technology capability, it was additionally possible to determine the wire layer from which the indications were reflected.

The MEC-HUG inspection system is scheduled to be deployed to Australia in Q2 of 2013 for a subsea pipeline inspection job and thereafter to Equatorial Guinea for the next flexible riser inspection job in Q3 of 2013.

Aquatec’s Hot Stab HYDROlogs Delivered to South East Asia Aquatec Group have recently integrated their HYDROlog 2000 Hydrotest Data Logger instruments with a hot stab connection to provide a simple ROV-deployable and retrievable solution for a major pipeline pre-commissioning company in South East Asia.

The HYDROlog range was developed to provide a pressure and temperature record of pipeline hydrostatic test procedures that take place during the pipeline precommissioning phase.

A steady pressure record that remains above the required minimum test pressure allows the contractor to sign off on the installation.

The temperature record is used to account for pressure variations due to changing ambient temperature.

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By coupling the instrument to a hot-stab, it can easily be removed by an ROV immediately after the minimum pressure hold time has been met, and taken to the surface for data download and analysis, thus saving valuable ship time.

The integral hot stab is one of several methods for deploying the HYDROlog instruments. Other solutions include the use of subsea ROV-readable displays, real-time optical data links, and acoustic data links. Models are currently available to monitor test pressures up to 1400 bar.

BUSINESS

Apollo Scores Highly on FPAL Verify Apollo Offshore Engineering has successfully completed FPAL’s advanced registration questionnaire and verification audit, thus reducing the need for purchaser led supplier audits.

Apollo scored an impressive 8.4 for competence and training, and achieved similarly high scores in all other areas. The scorings reflect Apollo’s development of an innovative project risk assessment system born out of its commitment to engineering competency, and gives the wider purchasing community confidence in its delivery of safe, appropriate engineering design and analysis solutions.

Apollo’s Managing Director Jonathan D’Arcy commented;

“Few of our competitors have opened themselves up to this level of scrutiny, and our verification audit scores simply reflect a management led commitment to engineering excellence.”

Auditing is a familiar theme at Apollo, with the company undergoing ISO 9001:2008, BS OHSAS 18001:2007 and ISO 14001:2004 audit under the BSi PAS99:2012 integrated management system standard in the coming weeks.

Apollo has recently moved to much larger premises in Aberdeen’s Waterloo Quay. Nautilus House comfortably

accommodates the existing team of 30 staff, and has the space to allow for projected growth in Aberdeen based staff numbers to upwards of 50 in 2015.

Apollo grew impressively in the last financial year to September 2012 by increasing revenues some 400%. With UK wide staff numbers now approaching 40 the ambitious outfit is on target to double turnover to over £3M this financial year, which is in line with a domestic and international growth plan to employ 100 staff and generate profitable revenues of £10M by the end of 2015.

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BUSINESS

OIS Successfully Completes Sixteenth Rigless Suspended Well Abandonment Campaign Offshore Installation Services (OIS), an Acteon company, has successfully completed its 16th rigless suspended-well abandonment campaign involving multiple operators in the Southern North Sea. The multi-operator model for programmes of this kind can deliver significant customer benefits in terms of cost-effectiveness. A total of nine mudline wells in categories 1, 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 were abandoned during the operation including four on behalf of GDF SUEZ E&P UK Ltd. and two for RWE Dea. The scope of work for OIS, part of Acteon’s activity and resource management business, included the initial approval processes; formulating the contracting strategy; developing detailed procedures; procurement; appointing specialist service providers; overall logistics; and recycling and disposing of the recovered wellheads.

OIS conducted the two-phase abandonment operation from a chartered DP2-class anchor-handling tug supply vessel (AHTS). During phase one, a proprietary twin low-pressure packer tool from Acteon sister company Claxton Engineering Services Ltd. was deployed through the vessel’s moon pool to set cement plugs across all the casing annuli. The second phase involved abrasive severance of the wells using Claxton Engineering’s SABRE cutting tool.

“We have a strong track record in providing commercially efficient decommissioning solutions which are particularly important for non-revenue-generating assets,” said OIS

vice president of commercial and business development Tom Selwood.

“Multi-operator campaigns such as this, enable operators to share the associated costs which, when combined with the rigless nature of our offering, makes this the most cost-effective way to comply with UK oil and gas decommissioning legislation.”

Max Proctor, GDF SUEZ E&P UK drilling manager, added: “We started this campaign immediately after the request came from DECC for operators to fully abandon suspended wells by reviewing the history of the wells and confirming the status of each with an independent well examiner. OIS is a valued partner of GDF SUEZ and the success of this project is testament to the team’s strong technical skills and experience.”

BUSINESS

Reef Subsea Power & Umbilical Starts Cable Installation at One of Europe’s Largest Offshore Wind Farms Reef Subsea Power & Umbilical (RSPU), with offices in Stockton-OnTees and Aberdeen, is marking its first year in business with the start of inter-array cable installation operations at one of Europe’s largest offshore wind farms.

After securing the £40m contract on the Gwynt y Môr (GYM) Offshore Wind Farm earlier last year, RSPU employed a team of skilled onshore and offshore engineers to begin the complex pre-engineering work. RSPU, who specialises in the installation and burial of submarine cables, flexible products and umbilicals, performed major vessel enhancements to allow for the specialised simultaneous cable installation spread and managed the build of a new cable plough with equipment manufacturer, SMD. Several months on, and using its sophisticated equipment and highly experienced personnel, RSPU is now working offshore on the installation and burial of the total 161 inter-array power cables of GYM Offshore Wind Farm, which is expected to continue into 2014.

RSPU has deployed the subsea construction vessel, Polar Prince, as part of the installation and burial spread, and will also assist with engineering, project management and survey operations linked to the installation and burial of all inter-array cables. The spread is designed for future Offshore Wind Farm developments, calling for increasing maximum bend radius of inter-array cables. This will put RSPU in a good position for securing the UK Round 3 Tenders to come, as well as for other large wind farm developments in the North European waters.

Above: Plough being launched offshore Main: Vessel leaving the Mersey en route offshore

Another vital part of the installation spread is RSPU’s new Heavy Duty Inter-Array (HDIA) cable plough, which is performing the simultaneous lay and burial of the inter-array cables. The cable plough is a proven design, capable of providing the safe burial of submarine cables in consolidated soils, including stiff clays.

Subsea UK News | June 2013

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BUSINESS

Centrica Awards BRIL Contract Worth up to £40million in Biggest Deal to Date Bibby Remote Intervention Limited (BRIL) has successfully secured a contract with the potential of a seven year commitment. Centrica Energy has awarded a three year contract with two, two-year extension options, worth up to £40million. It is the largest Inspection, Repair & Maintenance (IRM) contract Centrica has ever awarded.

The contract, due to start this month and possibly extending as far as 2020, with BRIL’s Survey, IRM division and Bibby Offshore’s (BOL) diving services, will create 10 new onshore jobs in Aberdeen and up to 40 offshore.

The company will provide Centrica Energy with all onshore and offshore support functions for both remote operated vehicles (ROVs) and diving support vessels (DSVs). The work will include full pipeline survey activities, structural inspection as well as a multitude of intervention, maintenance and repair activities. The project will cover the Northern, Southern, Central and East Irish Sea as well as Dutch regions and potentially Trinidad.

BRIL managing director, Mike Arnold, said: “This is a significant contract win and really showcases the impressive level of work and resources BRIL can

14

Subsea UK News | June 2013

provide. The scope of work includes the provision of both DSV and ROV support across Centrica’s global assets.

Centrica tendered for separate DSV and ROVSV contracts but elected to award this to a single source, which would view and deliver this contract as its core business. BRIL was successful due to its established reputation in the provision of remote intervention, diving and project services.

“We are immensely pleased with the level of confidence shown

by Centrica as a major global operator in our ability to deliver new and innovative solutions.

“2013 has been an incredibly successful year so far, with the recent

addition of the multi-purpose offshore vessel “Toisa Warrior” to our fleet – the company’s first long term charter.

Staff numbers have also soared with BRIL now boasting over 60 offshore and more than 30 onshore, with future recruitment plans in place.”

BRIL was established at the end of 2011 to manage the increased market demand for ROV services and has since expanded to support the company’s own vessels and diver-less intervention services to external clients.

BRIL and BOL, part of Bibby Offshore, has grown from 10 employees in 2003 to now employing 1,000 people onshore and offshore worldwide, with offices in Aberdeen, Liverpool, Singapore and Trinidad. The company has an international fleet of six subsea support vessels including the most modern fleet of DSVs in the North Sea.

BUSINESS

Emerging Markets Legal Instability - What are the Risks and Barriers to Business?

Greg May, Partner and Service Sector Specialist in the Oil and Gas Team at Brodies LLP When doing business in emerging markets it is vital to consider the risks that arise from legal instability. In my experience, even the best efforts of the most diligent contractor cannot anticipate all the risks that relate to the rule of law.

However, paying close attention to the most common issues – such as the definition, extent and implementation of applicable laws – can save businesses much heartache (and expense) in the long-run.

It is essential, when drafting and negotiating a contract, to understand those risks that a contractor cannot predict and/or manage.

If the risks of applicable law (the law which a contract will typically expect a contractor to comply with) cannot be anticipated or controlled by a contractor, it is critical for the contract to be drafted in a way that provides for a balanced allocation of exposure to them.

• Does the provision of services involve a vessel? If so, you may also require a definition of applicable law that includes classification society rules for the vessel, as well as rules and regulations of the vessel’s flag state.

Compliance with applicable law will be a continuing obligation under the contract; it will therefore be equally important to recognise the commercial risks related to such compliance and consider whether this contract commercial burden is one that should run with the obligation.

It is common for a service sector in the oil and gas industry to have a definition of applicable laws. As a general principle, this type of obligation should be recognised by a contractor as reasonable.

Though the general principle is sound, in my experience the way it is expressed in the contract is not always so sensible.

Traps for the unwary do exist and awareness of risks is critical to negotiating and drafting a contract which allocates liability and commercial exposure in a balanced way that will enable a contractor to have a sustainable business model in an emerging market.

In order to properly manage and allocate risk related to the rule of law in an emerging market, you have to start by getting the definition right, considering the following points: • Should applicable law be confined to the jurisdiction in which the scope of work is being performed or also include laws in other jurisdictions?

If, for example, you have a contract for provision of services in Ghana, but the parties to the contract are domiciled in a different jurisdiction, then it might be prudent to have a definition of applicable law that is not restricted to Ghana. If one of the parties is domiciled in England you may want the obligation to comply with applicable law to include the UK Bribery Act, as well as other laws beyond the jurisdiction of Ghana relevant to business ethics and/or corporate governance.

Let us assume, for example, that a contractor has an obligation to comply with the laws of Ghana and this obligation includes compliance with local import and export requirements. Let us also assume that the contractor has quoted rates under the contract on the basis of a known amount of import and export duty chargeable for the clearance of equipment and materials into and out of the country. Let us further assume that the contract is signed on January 1 2013, with a view that the work will be performed in July 2013.

underpinning the rate may be affected by a change of law - such as payroll and benefits, a change in the composition of the workforce due to nationalisation/national content policies and the costs of insurance and of importing equipment or materials.

Though parties may agree in principle that these types of risk should be shared or shifted, the contractor should also recognise that precise drafting is required to give this principle proper effect. The same commercial exposure described above may not only arise from a change of law, it may also arise from a change of application, interpretation or enforcement of an existing law.

The above observations drawn from practical experience in emerging markets hopefully will show that a seemingly simple concept such as compliance with law can become complicated when commercial consequences are not carefully considered and language is not carefully constructed.

The contractor should recognise that commercial risks may arise from a change of applicable law within the intervening six month period.

If a contractor earns a rate for services, the cost structure Greg May

Subsea UK News | June 2013

15

FEATURE ARTICLE

Subsea Target How would a subsea career sit with you?

Be it OTC, Subsea Asia or Subsea Tieback, anyone attending any of the recent offshore conferences will have seen first-hand the increasing opportunities available to British firms looking to move into international markets. With the global subsea market expected to be worth $70 billion by 2017, we need to continue to work together to ensure that the UK subsea industry is able to capture this increasing global growth in the face of strong competition from other regions.

The North Sea is recognised as a test bed for new subsea technology and the wealth of skills and knowledge our workforce has developed from decades of experience in harsh conditions means that we should be in a prime position to capture our share of this revenue.

However, the only way we can only respond to these new opportunities and maintain our world-leading reputation is to invest in additional resources, chief amongst these being a skilled workforce.

Subsea UK has already been working hard to address the skills shortage that faces our industry by supporting members looking to attract and develop talented workers. Following on from a successful bid, this work is now being underpinned by the Energy Skills Challenge Fund of Skills Development Scotland (SDS).

The Energy Challenge Fund, which is managed on behalf of the Scottish Government by SDS, aims to complement firms’ own existing skills initiatives in developing a sustainable supply of talent, thereby ensuring that the UK’s energy sector continues to be both robust and vibrant. The fund builds on the Scottish Government’s on-going commitment to fund 500 Modern Apprenticeship starts in the energy and low carbon sectors every year until 2014.

The funds will enable the roll-out of our new initiative, Subsea Target, which launches this month. With a key focus on transition training, it will look to bring those people with cross-over potential from previous careers and who require limited amounts of additional knowledge and skills, into the industry in order to have them contribute to British subsea businesses as quickly as possible.

Whilst the over-arching aim is to stem the skills gap, the project will tackle this in two important ways: by supporting member companies in developing their capacity and capability to bring in and absorb new staff; and by

Subsea in Numbers

500 Modern Apprenticeship starts in the energy and low carbon sectors every year until 2014

10,000

people needed within the next year to meet skills shortage

targeting individuals - of all ages - looking to make the move into our industry by providing current, relevant and practical guidance and information to inform their choices.

Several of our members already boast well-established and highly successful in-house programmes for transition training. We will look to develop this best practice and support members looking to establish a similar scheme by providing a shared tool-kit which companies can modify as befits their business. This toolkit and accompanying guidance has been developed in conjunction with members such as Subsea 7 and Bibby Offshore whose established schemes have encouraged many new entrants.

Ahead of the launch of Subsea Target, we have been working to accelerate and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of how companies manage both cross-over professionals; those people boasting existing professional qualifications needing a very basic level of understanding of the subsea sector, and conversion practitioners; technicians and job changers from other sectors who require additional knowledge and skills as well as an understanding of the sector.

Of course, it isn’t just people with prior technological or engineering experience that we need to reach.

fast-track these experienced entrants by providing a top-up of those skills necessary to work in the industry.

Consequently, we have developed a “Grow Your Own” programme which will see in-house training and development programmes that recognise existing staff as well as allowing companies increase the numbers of entry-level recruits they can take on.

Subsea UK firmly believes that Subsea Target should make a real and longlasting difference. There needs to be a sustainable pipeline of talent into our sector so that we can continue to flourish and capture growing international markets. Because of that belief, the work streams within Subsea Target are predicated on real issues that our member companies tell us they are facing immediately. We want to work together to develop solutions to the problem.

For those individuals with no prior experience looking to enter our industry, Subsea Target will provide a comprehensive overview of the sector as well as the information and guidance necessary to increase their chances of success in joining subsea companies.

Delivered via the accompanying website (www.subseatarget.com – launching in June), people will be able to learn about the variety of roles on offer and through case studies and videos, will see just how diverse both the work and the workforce can be.

One of the flagship programmes being rolled out under this initiative is our “Mobilising the Military” scheme. This highly targeted approach, which offers specific guidance and match-makes firms with service-leavers, is tailored to meet the particular needs of service personnel who can bring a range of both soft and hard skills to subsea roles. With many ex-Forces men and women already possessing extensive engineering knowledge, member firms will be able to

With 10,000 people needed to fill the skills shortage in the next year, it is vital to keep all avenues of entry into the industry wide open.

Many of our members have told us that the challenge is building their own capacity and capability to assimilate and equip new entrants rather than the availability of raw recruits. Our members need practical responses that they can implement in ways that suit their businesses. Subsea Target will allow them to do this.

This isn’t a quick fix to a short-term problem.

Subsea Target is a longterm plan that will ensure our industry maintains its world-leading edge in the months, years and decades ahead.

$70bn Expected worth of global subsea market by 2017

www.subseatarget.com

BUSINESS

Subsea Market Trends and Opportunities in Malaysia and Indonesia

By Matthew Sharpe, Infield Systems

As the G8 economies recover from the global financial crisis, the Asian region remains a strong driver of global hydrocarbon demand and a focal point for offshore investment. However, many of Asia’s key producers including China, Malaysia and Indonesia are in a potentially difficult position because they have substantial fuel subsidy systems in place which have contributed to soaring domestic demand growth, but with depleting rates of offshore shallow water hydrocarbon reserves to satisfy them.

A key driver in Chinese natural gas demand is the government’s target to cut fossil fuel emissions from power generation, increasing natural gas as a share of the country’s energy mix. Meanwhile, much of China’s vast natural gas reserves remain locked in shale in the arid South West of the country. However, despite this potential, a lack of ‘fracking’ experience, equipment, water supplies and marketing opportunities mean that China is unlikely to replicate the ‘revolution’ currently underway in the US shale industry within the next five years. Chinese shale gas production is unlikely to progress at rates seen in the US, potentially to the benefit of LNG exporters like Malaysia, Australia and Mozambique/Tanzania.

According to Infield Systems’ data, operators in the South East Asia region are forecast to invest over US$18 billion on the Subsea, Umbilicals, Risers and Flowlines (SURF) market between 2013 and 2017. Malaysia and Indonesia are anticipated to be the primary focus countries for operators, with SURF Capex totalling US$7bn and US$5.6bn for each country respectively.

Following strong domestic natural gas demand, as well as surging export demand from China and post-Fukushima driven Japan, Malaysia is expected to be the key driver of Asia’s subsea market, with operator spend forecast to total almost US$3.7bn over the next five years. Translated into subsea completions, Infield Systems forecasts that operators will bring on-stream 109 units in Malaysia between 2013 and 2017. US Independent operator Murphy and Integrated Oil Company Shell are anticipated to be the key operators driving

Malaysian subsea infrastructure demand over this period, with forecast spend of over US$1.7bn each respectively. Murphy’s developments on its ultra deepwater Siakap North & Petai fields are expected to be the key drivers of future activity; however the operator is also expected to invest heavily in subsea infrastructure for the Rotan Area FLNG project.

Anglo-Dutch operator Shell is also heavily investing in deepwater subsea production, with the firm’s future Malaysian Capex expected to be driven by activity on the Gumusut-Kakap, Kamunsu Satellite and Ubah fields. Malaysian National Oil Company (NOC) Petronas recently announced plans to spend US$61bn over the next five years, expanding production on mature shallow water developments using Enhanced Oil Recovery methods, marginal field development and deepwater production which could further increase the size of Malaysia’s subsea market going forward.

Following decades of under investment and soaring domestic demand, Indonesia, South East Asia’s most populous country, became a net oil importer in 2004 and left the Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2009. The country has a large natural gas reserve base however and is anticipated to see strong investment in its subsea sector in the coming years, with 65 subsea completions forecast over 2013-17, and total operator spend of just under US$2bn during the same period. Indonesia is anticipated to see the greatest activity between 2015 and 2017 due to Chevron’s investment on its ultra-deepwater Gehem and Gendalo fields. Eni is also forecast to contribute to subsea activity levels around

$61bn

Petronas spending over the next 5 years

18

Subsea UK News | June 2013

Vietnam 14%

Brunei 5% Indonesia 31%

Thailand 5% Philippines 4% Myanmar 3%

Malaysia 38%

the end of the forecast period through the installation of subsea infrastructure on its deepwater Jangkrik, Aster and Tulip/Tulip East fields. Near-term activity in Indonesia is forecast to be supported by ConocoPhillips which is undertaking significant work to bring its South Belut and Tembang Satellite fields on-stream.

In summary, Indonesia and Malaysia have seen similar demand dynamics as China and the rest of South East Asia over last decade. As their economies continue to develop, both countries will face a juggling act between satisfying rising domestic demand and exports by capitalising on soaring import demand from China. These drivers are expected to support an increase in offshore operator activity in Malaysia and Indonesia, providing a positive outlook for the region’s subsea industry. It is important to note however that as a large number of Malaysian and Indonesian projects will be in capital intensive deepwater and ultra-deepwater areas, project cost control will remain vital for operators in order to maintain competitiveness.

This is particularly important against a growing backdrop of rival LNG producers, including Australia, Qatar and potentially Mozambique, Tanzania and Canada and even the US itself.

-

SKILLS

Hydratight Increases Capacity at Aberdeen Training Centre Hydratight, the market leading joint integrity specialist, has recently unveiled a revamped training facility in Aberdeen, increasing the number of people that can be trained at the centre.

The facility, one of three operated in the UK by the company, now has three dedicated state of the art training bays with standardised training rigs and a dedicated technical testing bay.

Additionally there will be three classrooms for the provision of theoretical learning, a training reception area and a technical testing suite. The company also has a number of portable training rigs, which allow them to carry out training and testing onsite for customers, at locations around the world.

Hydratight has over 17 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience providing training in joint integrity, and has been offering ECITB-approved courses since their inception in 1995 to thousands of trainees, and now deliver the ECITB Mechanical Joint Integrity (MJI) approved courses and technical tests which were devised to update materials, standards and methods, and came into effect in October 2011.

Hydratightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s joint-integrity engineers contributed significantly to the formulation of the new courses, due to their expertise and experience and also due to the key positions they hold on the Step Change/ ECITB review committee.

20

Subsea UK News | June 2013

The new technical training standards MJI10, 18 and 19 replace the former ECITB TECSkills PF10, PF18 and PF19 units and cover hand and hydraulic torque bolted connections techniques, hydraulically tension bolted connections techniques and the general dismantling, inspection, assembly and tightening of bolted connections respectively.

A previous logbook system has been replaced by work-based task assignments, normally completed three to 12 months after an initial approved training course.

The trainee can then take the new ECITB approved technical tests (TMJl10, 11, 18, 19 and 20) based on each of the courses.

Employers use the courses to ensure their workforce has the necessary skill, ability and knowledge to carry out critical bolting safely. Trainees receiving the certificate of achievement gain a qualification recognised by many employers around the world.

SAFETY

Underwater Centre’s Diver Training Given a Boost with Latest Design Advances from C-Tecnics C-Tecnics, of Aberdeen, is donating a number of its CE-approved JOK Diver Recovery Harnesses to The Underwater Centre in Fort William to aid divers’ education and competence, by using up-to-date equipment such as the harnesses and ensuring their training experience is as practically accurate and realistic as possible.

The JOK Diver Recovery Harness was designed with the intention of producing a high quality product which could compete as a leader in its field.

“We are grateful to the team at C-Tecnics for kindly giving us this top of the range product, and we very much look forward to trialling it with our commercial diving students.”

Essential to any diving rescue situation, the harness is required to hold the weight of a fully kitted diver, which can be up to 150kg.

Vigorous testing methods certified by Life Support Engineering (LSE) included load tests of up to 900kg, which the JOK Harness successfully completed with no damage to the stitching or webbing.

In keeping with C-Tecnics reputation for hightech, cost effective and durable products, the harness is tailored with useful and innovative fittings including easily identifiable certified lifting points and a more comfortable and improved secure fit.

James Ridgeway, The Underwater Centre’s Training Operations Manager, said the Centre was extremely grateful for the donation: “At The Underwater Centre, we are constantly striving to be at forefront of health and safety and this latest product from C-Tecnics will help us to do so.

During the development stage, research was carried out with top industry professionals, as well as an arranged seminar which included divers from a range of different companies.

Their feedback provided the design team with solid knowledge allowing them to improve and supersede existing designs.

Lee Duncan, Business Development Manager of C-Tecnics, added: “The JOK Harness

Lee Duncan (left) is pictured with The Underwater Centre’s Training Operations Manager, James Ridgeway.

has so far been successful within the diving industry with buyers ranging from subsea industry organisations to the Navy and Police diving forces.

“C-Tecnics is confident that the harnesses will stand up to the challenge and positively assist and support the divers during training for their future diving careers.”

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SAFETY

Worldwide First for Bibby Offshore as it Completes Hyperbaric Evacuation Trials on Entire Diving Support Vessel Fleet Subsea installation contractor Bibby Offshore has announced the successful completion of hyperbaric evacuation trials across its entire Diving Support Vessel (DSV) fleet.

“We are fully committed to diver safety and the successful completion of the evacuation trials confirms that we are exceptionally prepared operationally, should an evacuation situation arise.

Bibby Offshore is the only company worldwide to carry out this procedure on its entire fleet, which includes the Bibby Sapphire, Polaris and Topaz, and the only diving contact with audited outcomes using performance-based standards for this level of contingency planning.

“We successfully completed a trial on the Bibby Sapphire in August last year, with commendation from diving authorities within two major oil and gas operators. In conjunction with Mimir Marine, this latest trial confirms that our evacuation plans meet the required standard across our entire DSV fleet.”

The trials involved mating a Self-Propelled Hyperbaric Lifeboat from the DSV to a Portable Hyperbaric Reception Facility onshore, deployed by Mimir Marine.

The onshore facility is specifically designed to accept divers transferred from the isolation of a lifeboat in the event of vessel abandonment. Specialist technicians from Mimir Marine were also present to support the hyperbaric evacuation training exercise.

Nigel Kenrick, Diving and Dive Systems Operations Manager at Bibby Offshore said:

22

Subsea UK News | June 2013

The latest trial involved a simulated dockside rescue of divers from the Topaz hyperbaric lifeboat. This was the first time Bibby Offshore had trialled with the Bibby Topaz lifeboat

and the simulated transfer of the divers was completed within three hours of the lifeboat arriving on the quayside.

Bibby Offshore’s Chief Executive Howard Woodcock said: “Evacuation contingency plans must run like clockwork and the repeatability of these exercises enhances their strength. To ensure that we are able to respond as quickly as possible, we have taken a unique approach to our evacuation planning strategy by mating different lifeboats from different vessels in a number of dockside locations. This will give greater flexibility and ensure we are more prepared than ever. Safety of our staff is imperative to Bibby Offshore and we are thrilled to be the first company internationally to have completed this essential trial on the entire fleet.”

Bibby Offshore currently has more than 1,000 people working onshore and offshore worldwide, with offices in Aberdeen, Liverpool, Singapore and Trinidad. It recently added two new vessels to the fleet and continues to expand its subsea construction, engineering and project delivery services.

GROWTH

etpm Adds New Engineering Division Aberdeen-based subsea and marine recruitment specialist etpm is continuing its programme of expansion by adding two new lines to meet the ongoing demand for staff in the global marketplace â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and is helping address the issue of shortage of women working in the oil and gas sector by adding two new women to its team.

A new Engineering Division, which will operate alongside the existing Subsea and Marine Divisions, has now been established in response to increasing demands for

experienced onshore personnel to support work on some of the North Seaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most significant Brownfield projects, and for personnel to work on local and international Greenfield developments.

The new division has grown from etpmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offshore recruitment services and will focus on subsea project engineering plus topsides and onshore engineering roles. In addition, a separate Commercial line of the Engineering Division will provide support staff in administration, finance, HR and sales & marketing.

It will be headed up by Sarah Hutcheon, previously the Aberdeen branch manager of Morson International recruitment agency, who joins etpm as the new Engineering Manager.

Also in direct response to client demand, etpmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Subsea Division has added a new dedicated ROV recruitment line to its service and has brought in Kerry Hadden, who already has a wealth of experience in the sector, as specialist ROV recruiter.

The new line will focus on providing experienced personnel at all levels from pilot technicians through to superintendents and inspectors for both

observation and work class vehicles operating around the world. etpm Managing Director Jeff Mountain said the new additions mean that more than 50% of etpmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recruitment staff are female.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Recent figures show that while women make up 41% of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total workforce, that figure drops to just 4% in the oil and gas industry so we are very pleased that we are helping to reverse that trend,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sarah joins us in a senior position on our management team to build up the new division and Kerryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in developing our new ROV line will be an important part of our company expansion. We also recently promoted recruiter Natasha Ross to a new supervisory role in our Subsea & Renewables Division. In addition, Kate Yuill of Key Communications is a regular addition to our team as our independent communications consultant.â&#x20AC;?

Kerry Hadden, left, and Sarah Hutcheon who have joined the team at etpm

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GROWTH

Contracts Trigger Growth for Ocean Installer Over the last year, Ocean Installer UK has grown from two to 36 members of staff. Whilst the initial recruitment efforts served to put in place the organisational foundation, more recent appointments have typically been related to developments in the backlog, and the last 14 positions created have been linked to two recent project wins. With the contract awards on umbilical installation at the Arkwright field for Talisman Energy Sinopec UK and at the Bittern field for Shell UK, Ocean Installer has seen the need to expand in terms of project engineers, HSEQ capacities and various support roles in areas such as procurement and subcontracts.

Martin Sisley, Managing Director of Ocean Installer UK does however underline that building the organisation further goes beyond increasing the number of staff: “With our continuous expansion, there are two things that are very important to us: making sure that we maintain our transparent and dynamic structure where people feel that they have real influence over their work, and to create and nurture a sense of belonging, not only among the ones who have taken part

since the beginning, but also among our latest arrivals,” Sisley explains.

In order to promote such a company culture, Ocean Installer operates with direct lines of communication, extensive cooperation across departments, and informal mentoring schemes. Moreover, employees join forces outside the subsea arena and over the last year, employees have taken part in various charity initiatives.

Micro ROVs in Asia Pacific Over the past eight years, AC-CESS has developed a global distributor network to enable the focused promotion of its products around the world from its manufacturing base in Aberdeen, Scotland. Some of the most recent business successes have come from its distributor based in Singapore (Trekar Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.), who promotes to the Asia Pacific region, identified as a stable and growing market for AC-CESS products.

In Asia Pacific, as in other regions, traditionally the oil & gas sector is the dominant market for ROV equipment & services and this seems to be growing as more companies continue to expand or renew their fleet of vehicles.

Some are already looking at including a micro class ROV system such as the AC-ROV100 for specialist projects, which may require inspection in confined spaces or for ultra portable solutions. There are also many other companies performing underwater inspection work in shallow water using divers; the use of a portable micro class ROV system provides an additional dimension to their capabilities, especially in various hazardous environments.

24

Subsea UK News | June 2013

Sectors such as recreational diving are also a growth area in the Asia Pacific region as various dive operators and “live-aboard” lifestyle companies look at new ways to add value to their packages; being able to offer real-time video of the dive site in a pre-dive briefing using a micro class ROV can add an extra level of excitement and safety to their customers.

The various naval sectors are also moving more and more towards the use of unmanned equipment for underwater recon and investigation. This could be, for example, a hull inspection for underwater IEDs on a naval vessel or searching for contraband items towed from a commercial vessel.

By using a portable micro class ROV the operator is removed from the immediate point of danger while still allowing the task to be completed effectively.

The Asia Pacific market for the AC-ROV100 micro-class ROV system is continuing to expand and more market sectors are coming to appreciate the value and capabilities that a micro class ROV system can bring to the table.

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We are on track to deliver this multifunction pipelay vessel for project work in December 2014.

We have signed the contract for our new deepwater flexlay vessel, the Polar Onyx, which is designed for pipelay and construction projects in the deepest and harshest environments. Currently in construction, she will be available for operation in the SURF market from March 2014.

Our team is growing. To view upcoming opportunities at Ceona, visit ceona-offshore.com.

For regular news updates, sign up to the Ceona newsletter by emailing info@ceona-offshore.com.

GROWTH

Teijin Aramid Strengthens Asian Presence Teijin Aramid, a global leader in high performance fibres, have opened a new office and a Technical Centre Asia (TCA) in Shanghai, China.

The facility will play an important role in supporting Teijin Aramid’s customers and their applications in Asia.

The expansion of the office is a result of close to 10 years of consecutive growth of the Twaron brand in China since the beginning in 2004. Teijin Aramid decided to integrate a state-ofthe-art Technical Centre focusing 100% on Twaron, Technora and Teijinconex solutions, because of the growing demand for local experts to cooperate with customers and test local applications.

21 people are employed in the Shanghai office and an additional four employees will be working in the new Technical Centre Asia.

The Technical Centre is open for clients to cooperate and test new applications. It is offering all kinds of customer support and testing methods for developing new solutions, such as: tensile testing of yarns, cords and textiles, protective testing, textile testing of ballistic fabrics, microscopy, twisting and rewinding of yarns and paper making (excluding conex paper).

Gert Frederiks, CEO Teijin Aramid, said:

During the opening, many Asian customers attended the lab tour and celebratory banquet that followed. The actual opening was done by Teijin Aramid’s CEO Gert Frederiks and CTO Jan Roos, together with the Vice Mayor of Xuhui district, Mr Bao Binzhang and Mr. Huub Buise, Vice Consul of the Dutch Consulate in Shanghai. As well as customers, local authorities and representatives of the Dutch consulate were present.

Inset top: Teijin Aramid’s Technical Center Asia is officially opened by Teijin Aramid’s CTO Mr Jan Roos Main Image: The new office is officially opened by Teijin Aramid’s CEO Mr Gert Frederiks

“We have been serving the Asian region for a long time with our Twaron products with a small local team, and it’s becoming more and more important in our business strategy. By moving to this new office and opening the Technical Centre Asia in Shanghai, we are able to support our customers much better and faster with technical and innovative solutions.”

Jee Ltd Introduces New Training Course in Australia

Trevor Jee, Managing Director of Jee Ltd

Jee Ltd, a leading independent multi-discipline subsea engineering and training firm, has introduced a new public training course to its Australian programme, due to popular demand.

The company, which provides a range of engineering expertise on a variety of disciplines, will expand its current course schedule in Perth, Australia, to include subsea controls, following positive feedback from delegates who took the preceding subsea systems course.

Jee managing director, Trevor Jee said: “We are proud to offer courses in Australia, as it is a large and developing market in the energy industry. We have been delivering courses there for many years, and are pleased to see our offerings in the region increase in line with the industry’s growth.

The two-day course focuses on how control systems operate and is designed to provide a clear understanding to delegates of the basic components of offshore production control. It provides delegates with an independent comparison of the equipment available and the issues surrounding the design and manufacture of subsea controls equipment. The course also provides delegates with a look at future technologies and market drivers.

In addition to its in-house courses, Jee has launched Jeenius, a mobile training app designed to complement the company’s world-renowned course notes and enhance its delegates’ learning experiences. Jeenius is particularly beneficial to offshore and mobile workers who can access all their Jee course notes in one convenient place, wherever they are in the world.

Jee’s Australian course programme also includes subsea systems, subsea pipeline design and construction and risers, umbilicals and flexibles.

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Subsea UK News | June 2013

Jeenius includes a PDF reader for easy access, allowing users to bookmark points of interest, comment and highlight. It is available to delegates who have attended courses in the past two years or are currently enrolled on any of Jee’s courses.

GROWTH CDL Announces Establishment of its Singapore Office and Singapore Operations Manager Appointment Continuing to execute aggressively on an innovative business model for the efficient delivery of high quality subsea navigation equipment, CDL is pleased to announce its Singapore office. The new location is being launched to improve communications, as well as enhance and expand our offerings to meet the needs of a growing roster of Singapore-based clients.

Andy Doggett, Managing Director of CDL said: “Expanding and establishing a local presence in the Singapore market will enable us better to meet our clients’ needs by providing greater access both to companies and agents in this major oil and gas hub. We have so much contact with the area that it just makes sense to put people in Singapore on a permanent basis. Now we will be better situated to not only serve these customers, but also support them.”

Current CDL employee, Daniel Roscoe-Hudson, has been selected to lead the development of CDL’s Singapore office and will operate as Singapore Operations Manager. Daniel echoes Andy’s support of the move: “I eagerly accepted the position posting in Singapore as I can see eye to eye with CDL’s perspective on the benefits of having expanded support, sales and a technical presence in the region. In Singapore and its surrounding regions, I look forward to meeting the challenges of starting and growing CDL’s Singapore offices by bringing my experience and expertise with CDL to the region.”

The success of CDL’s most recent office expansion into Brazil is a source of great encouragement, and CDL plans to continue the trend.

“We are thrilled at the success of our Brazil office and we anticipate the same results in Singapore,” added Andy. “Our goal is to continue developing our brand globally.”

NCS Survey Reaches 100 Employees NCS Survey, an Acteon company, reached a milestone in April when four experienced senior offshore staff commenced employment, taking the total number of employees to 102. This number includes two employees in Norway and two in Brazil, both of which commenced trading at the end of 2012.

“Our recent recruitment campaign has been very successful with a total of 11 offshore staff being employed in the last four months,” said NCS Survey president Andy Gray.

102

Employees across three bases.

“This demonstrates our (UK, Brazil and Norway) ability to attract experienced personnel to continue to grow our business, service our increasing requirements from our existing customers whilst winning work with new customers. We will continue to recruit trainees both into our graduate programme as well as experienced personnel from the military.”

GROWTH

BEL Valves Investing in their Future: Subsea The subsea market is a large and attractive one seeing significant growth – estimates have put its value at between €30-40bn with a growth rate set to double this figure within five years. No small surprise then that there is a growing focus on this market amongst not only the oil and gas majors and contractors but throughout the supply chain.

For suppliers like BEL Valves, who have been designing high integrity valves since the 50s, it is undoubtedly an attractive market, but not one without its challenges.

Natural Challenges Since the first of the subsea wells was drilled in the 60s the search for hydrocarbons has pushed the frontiers of exploration to deeper waters, higher temperatures and pressures and towards longer step outs. BEL Valves’ subsea designs have developed incrementally since the 70s to counter these challenges, now delivering valves seeing 3,000m water depth and pressures up to 15,000 psi.

And the UK supply chain as a whole is well-placed to rise to these new challenges with experience and key working partnerships formed over more than three decades. This scale of investment, learning and skills development over such a prolonged period should not be underestimated.

Reliability is Key Businesses like BEL Valves need to make significant investment year-on-year in order to maintain their position ahead of the competition and to deliver consistent reliability at these new extremes of service; investing in research and design programmes in collaboration with some of the most respected academic establishments in the country, and investing in their end-to-end processes including that of their own supply chain.

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Reliability is imperative for subsea infrastructure and that includes those seemingly simple components like nuts and bolts. That’s why BEL Valves have invested significant time and energy in ensuring that their whole supply chain meets the same high standard they have set themselves for safety, quality, reliability and open, honest business practices.

And it’s a similar story with the completed valve. Leading edge test equipment is required to ensure that valves and actuators are tested in ‘as true to life’ a situation as possible.

But these are ‘frontier’ conditions so on-going investment is needed in test equipment like hyperbaric chambers that can simulate deeper waters, pressure testing equipment delivering in excess of 20,000 psi and test rigs designed to ensure that testing cycles can be achieved in an effective manner.

Plans for Expansion All this additional investment in infrastructure has resulted in some exciting expansion plans for BEL Valves.

With the relocation of one of their sister companies from the St Peters site, BEL now also have the space to physically grow and are using the opportunity to redevelop the whole of their Newcastle site. Detailed plans are in their early stages, but it is expected that their multimillion pound investment plan will be completed by 2015.

No business can make these kinds of investments without having some reassurance of a return, and focusing on subsea provides that reassurance with some analysts suggesting that the market will more than double within five years.

Building on Success BEL Valves appear to have already capitalised on this growth with their turnover more than doubling in the last two years and further significant growth predicted. They need to make sure that they are well placed to serve this growth as the industry is very rightly a conservative one, preferring to select tried and tested, high reliability suppliers with proven track records.

Neil Kirkbride, BEL Valves Managing Director comments:

“We have been fortunate enough to work with some of the bestin-class organisations within the industry, and those very same customers have commended us on the work done at BEL Valves to cement foundations in support of our - and their - future growth.”

Market Focus Today BEL Valves successfully service the large subsea markets of the UK and Norway - for their home markets but also as technology leaders for export markets.

With their on-going investment BEL are now well positioned to capitalise on the next big subsea growth markets of Australia, Western Africa and the Gulf of Mexico. And following close on the heels of these markets is the long awaited growth in Brazil’s subsea market. Again, BEL Valves have significantly progressed plans to address this key market with a BEL Valves Brazil venture to provide local content by early 2014.

TRAINING

Kongsberg Maritime Ltd Reports Growth in Demand for Marine Training Courses Marine technology company Kongsberg Maritime Ltd has reported a rise of almost 25% in the number of delegates attending its stateof-the-art training centre in Westhill. The training centre supports customers of Kongsberg systems, by offering a portfolio of courses in specialist areas including dynamic positioning, acoustic positioning and marine automation.

The growing demand for technical and product specific training programmes for the maritime sector has also enabled the company to expand its team of training instructors from three in 2009 to 12 in 2012.

The level of courses delivered and delegates trained by Kongsberg Maritime has increased year on year since 2009. The number of courses rose to 249 in 2012 from 206 in 2011, while delegates increased from 1,001 to 1,239 over the same period.

Kongsberg Maritime expects the trend will continue into 2013 as operators place further emphasis on staff training to bridge the skills gap in the offshore industry. Increased interest in training for the maritime sector was one of the key drivers for the company investing £2 million in its new training and simulation centre at Westhill.

While the training centre provides a range of industry-standard courses for the marine offshore sector, the centre is also equipped to offer bespoke courses to meet specific requirements.

Operations supervisor, Kerry Johnston, comments: “We are thrilled to report phenomenal growth for the training division over the past four years. In 2009 we ran 74 training courses and by last year this had increased by more than three times that to 249. The number of delegates coming through the facility increased from 337 to 1,239 over the same four-year period.

249

Training courses ran last year

£2m Investment in new training and simulation centre

“Offshore operators now realise that training and development of staff members needs to be an integral part of their own plans to grow, especially in the current climate when the skills shortage remains one of the biggest problems facing the industry.”

Kongsberg Maritime Ltd now runs between five and 10 courses throughout the week, with the number of attendees often reaching 50 per week.

The facility - Thermoplyae House – opened its doors in 2012 and later this year will launch a new ship simulator system, which is one of the most advanced dynamic positioning systems currently available on the market. The simulator will be the only one of its kind in Aberdeen and will be backed up by qualified trainers with real operational experience of Kongsberg equipment.

Kongsberg Maritime Ltd operations supervisor Kerry Johnston

Subsea UK News | June 2013

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TRAINING

Singapore Diving Contractor Travels Across the World to Use Leading Hyperbaric Welding Trials Facility Kreuz, an integrated offshore subsea service provider based in Singapore, flew their diver-welders across the globe to take advantage of Aberdeen’s National Hyperbaric Centre and its world renowned testing facilities.

Specialising in offshore subsea construction, installation and IRM, Kreuz have taken on some major industry projects and their mission statement is ‘to create and deliver a safe, efficient operation’ and the ‘Cause No Harm (CNH)’ is part or their ‘Corporate DNA’.

Companies need to carry out vigorous and comprehensive hyperbaric trials for the welders’ coding and testing of the welding procedures.

These are performed in simulated conditions to ensure the safe and successful completion of all their projects.

The National Hyperbaric Centre in Aberdeen, UK, proved to be the best choice. The NHC has established itself as one of the leading trials centres world-wide with their ‘ready-to-go’ facility for safe and rapid testing. “The NHC has invested significantly in upgrading its hyperbaric welding facilities and equipment following diver and client feedback collected over the past six years, since becoming an independent business,” explains Managing Director, David Smith. “The old style of running welding trials in converted diving chambers with limited access, poor atmospheric gas management and difficult handling of heavy equipment has been recognised as dangerous and unacceptable.”

The NHC’s Welding Habitat Simulator offers safe mechanical handling and gas regeneration systems for efficient hyperbaric welding trials to over 300 metres depth.

The NHC’s improved trials facilities assure clients that they are testing to the highest certified quality industry standards.

“Initial concerns regarding logistics of transporting equipment and personnel to Aberdeen were easily overcome when Kreuz recognised the huge savings in time and efficiency which can be made with our rapidly-commissioned system,” said Smith.

Kreuz were very satisfied with their decision to choose the NHC and despite travelling half way across the world, they commented on the ease with which the whole process was carried out.

Hyperbaric welding continues to be a favoured method for major tie-ins and pipeline repairs. The NHC is anticipating continued work for its system during 2013 and already has bookings for 2014.

Scotland’s First Graduate Training Programme for Divers Launched Scotland’s first graduate training programme for divers has been launched by renowned diver training facility The Underwater Centre and Stork Technical Services (Stork), the leading global provider of knowledge-based integrity services for the oil and gas, chemical and power sectors.

The Stork Dive Trainee Programme is a three-year work-based training initiative, which will offer a number of newly qualified commercial divers the opportunity to step straight into a job within the oil and gas industry.

The scheme highlights the increasingly close ties The Underwater Centre enjoys with the sector, and is aimed at offering those undertaking diver training an opportunity to gain valuable experience and knowledge of the industry, following their initial training.

Steve Ham, General Manager of The Underwater Centre, said that the collaboration further strengthened the Centre’s already strong links with industry.

The initiative comes at a time when the UK is facing a dramatic skills shortage in the oil and gas sector, as well as an ageing population of commercial divers.

“In this day and age, experience of the sector is very important, and this scheme will ensure that the trainee receives a solid introduction to a career as a diver, as well as a chance to learn about other areas of the business.”

Stork will offer four trainee places a year to candidates who successfully complete the 13-week Commercial Diving Premium Industry Career programme at The Underwater Centre. Representatives of Stork will visit the Centre once a quarter to meet and observe the students before inviting the top three or four to attend an assessment day at its Aberdeen premises, of which one will be chosen.

Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, Fergus Ewing said: “The need for divers in relation to subsea work, and maintenance of infrastructure is considerable, and therefore we hugely welcome this initiative which will help to build further on the quality of training delivered there.”

Successful trainees will spend three years working with Stork at various locations. They will initially start working with dive technicians and be involved in maintaining dive systems, logistics and processes to help familiarisation. They will also work with the onshore dive team and complete around 80-100 days diving offshore.

Annual fixed-term contracts will be available to candidates successfully completing the threeyear programme.

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Subsea UK News | June 2013

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Start right.

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