BMT Asia Pacific (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, has been appointed Owners Engineer and lead design consultant by Endeavour Energy for the development of the LNG storage and regasification facility, a part of the Ghana 1000 Gas to Power Project and Africa’s first LNG import terminal.

Excelerate FSRU vessel “Exquisite” Courtesy Excelerate Energy

Endeavour is co-leading development with General Electric, Eranove and local partners Sage Petroleum with the aim of providing the Ghanian government with Sub Saharan Africa’s largest power park, providing more than 1000MW to the national grid once completed. Excelerate Energy is providing assistance in siting the floating LNG terminal infrastructure, engineering and providing the dedicated floating LNG regasification vessel - FSRU (Floating Storage Regasification Unit) to supply gas to the power plant, an integrated gas to power solution that is expected to lower the costs of electricity and provide additional gas for other consumers.

Through its LNG industry experts and marine engineers, BMT will be working closely with Endeavour and Excelerate Energy in conducting FEED level studies which include operability assessments, infrastructure design and optimization studies for the supply of gas from the offshore moored FSRU via subsea infrastructure to the onshore gas turbines at Aboadze, Ghana.

In March 2015, Shell and the Ghana 1000 consortium entered into exclusive SPA negotiations regarding a long-term supply agreement for liquefied natural gas. With current LNG prices approximately 35% less than the current price of light crude oil, the import of LNG is expected to both reduce the cost of generation and to reduce the gas shortage the country currently faces to power its generation plants. The five-year project is expected to boost Ghana’s power generation capacity by 50% from the current 2000MW installed capacity.

Crowley Maritime Corp. has announced the acquisition of Maritime Management Services, Inc. (MMS), a Seattle-based company with more than a decade’s worth of experience in crew management for offshore oil and gas vessels primarily in the U.S. Gulf, Singapore and Gulf of Mexico. The addition of MMS to Crowley’s international ship management division – which provides all phases of commercial ship management along with full technical management and government contracting – further strengthens the company’s global reach in the ship management industry and now allows the company to service a wide variety of international and domestic customers with a pool of trained and experienced crewmembers ready for hire.

MMS offers crewmembers services such as visas, flag-state and immigration documentation; crewmember certifications, including Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STWC) and any client or operational area requirements; logistics, administrative and travel support; and much more. In addition to MMS’ Seattle headquarters, the organization also has a secondary location in Singapore.

“What sets MMS apart from others in the industry is their level of customer service and crewmember loyalty,” said Crowley’s Mike Golonka, vice president, ship management. “Together Crowley Accord and MMS can offer total crewing solutions, from single hires and full crew management through complete technical management to the oil and gas industry. Our offshore clients will greatly benefit from this relationship.”

MMS was founded in 2005 and was acquired by Crowley following the unexpected death of former owner Trevor Stabbert in 2013. The group, comprised of eight employees, celebrated its 10th anniversary of service last month.

In April 2014, the Crowley formed Crowley Accord Management Pvt. Ltd., an international ship management venture managed globally by the company’s ship management group. Doing so immediately increased the size and scope of Crowley’s technical ship management offerings and supported the company’s expansion into the international ship management market with a foreign crewing presence. The Accord acquisition also made Crowley a rare U.S. company – one that provides third-party international crewing and technical ship management.

Helix Well Ops’s, new intervention semi-submersible, the Q5000, set sail from Singapore on her journey of over 13,000 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. Stopping at Mauritius, Namibia and Curacao en route, she will arrive in United States’ waters in the summer of 2015.

Helix is in discussions with various parties for work for the vessel for the period from her arrival date until the commencement of a five year contract in April 2016. Based upon the Q4000 design, the Q5000 is a much larger second generation intervention semi with enhanced capability for subsea intervention, construction and life of field services.

InterMoor Inc., an Acteon company and part of its foundations and moorings business, finished replacing critical components in an FPU mooring system offshore Equatorial Guinea on schedule, enabling the prime contractor, Boskalis, to expand the InterMoor work scope.

The original contract covered replacing old mooring chains and wire ropes for eight of the 12 mooring lines along with two drag anchors on Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc.’s (MEGI’s) Zafiro Producer floating production unit. During the operation, Boskalis contracted InterMoor to replace an additional mooring line.

The engineering work began in Oct. 2014 in Houston and the Netherlands, where the Norwegian Anchor Handling & Construction (AHC) vessel Olympic Zeus was mobilized. InterMoor completed the installation work on location 64 kilometers west of Malabo, offshore Equatorial Guinea, from the Olympic Zeus.

During the installation, InterMoor thoroughly inspected all the mooring lines as they were being disconnected from the floating production unit to determine which portion of the line required replacement with new chain and connectors. The company also documented the installation to ensure the client had accurate, as-built information on the mooring system. The offshore installation was completed in March 2015 to MEGI’s satisfaction and the project will be finalized with all documentation delivered in April 2015. InterMoor had previously worked for MEGI in country, but this was the company’s first time working in conjunction with Boskalis.

Jim Macklin, vice president of projects and engineering, InterMoor, said, “Our past experience working with MEGI on their mooring installation leveraged our ability to deliver this work safely and on schedule. The current market conditions in the oil and gas industry mean that more of our clients are focusing on integrity management to maintain their production levels. InterMoor will work to ensure production is uninterrupted by complications from mooring failures.”

Not only was the project a success offshore, it also helped the local community onshore. InterMoor, MEGI, Boskalis and Olympic donated $30,000 to a local school, based on the onboard safety performance of the crews during the execution of the work. The local school, Escuela Unitaria de Bareso, will purchase new furniture, improve the playground, install washroom facilities and waterproof windows.

InterMoor, an Acteon company, is the leading mooring, foundations and subsea services provider delivering innovative solutions for rig moves, mooring services and offshore installation projects. We support operators and contractors worldwide with our engineering, fabrication, shore base, survey and positioning, and inspection services to provide truly customized solutions that reduce cost, time and risk.

Acteon provides a range of global subsea services from surveying, installation, asset integrity management through to decommissioning. Acteon’s companies are 2H Offshore, Aquatic, Claxton, Clarus Subsea Integrity, Conductor Installation Services (CIS), Core Grouting Services, InterAct, InterMoor, J2 Subsea, LDD, LM Handling, MENCK, Mirage Machines, NCS Survey, Offshore Installation Services (OIS), Probe Oil Tools, Pulse Structural Monitoring, Seatronics, Subsea Riser Products (SRP), TEAM Energy Resources and UTEC Survey. Acteon’s companies share knowledge and experience to add value and create effective, tailored solutions for clients across four business segments: survey, monitoring and data; risers and moorings; seabed foundation technologies; and project support services.

About subsea services: Acteon’s aim is to define, shape and lead subsea services through best-in-class expertise offering full market coverage across the whole life of a subsea field. Acteon’s integrated approach to subsea services makes it easy for clients to combine capabilities to meet their specific project needs. Acteon’s subsea services companies share knowledge and experience across four business segments to deliver highly efficient solutions tailored to a client’s unique challenges, thereby reducing overall cost, risk and complexity.

Risers and moorings: Acteon provides deepwater riser engineering, structural analysis, riser, conductor, flowline and pipeline services to add value and create effective, tailored solutions. Acteon offers world-leading capabilities in high-pressure, high-temperature risers, temporary and permanent moorings, design, supply, installation, relocation and decommissioning. With the largest global inventory of offshore mooring equipment, Acteon also provides global inventory management with rapid delivery.

The explosion-proof version of Alfa Laval’s chemical-free ballast water treatment system, PureBallast 3.1 EX, has received approval from the U.S. Coast Guard for use on barges sailing in U.S. coastal waters. The approval comes a year after Alfa Laval PureBallast received an IECEx Certificate of Conformity from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for use in explosive atmospheres on board ships in international waters.

As a pioneer in the ballast water treatment arena, Alfa Laval introduced PureBallast, the first commercial chemical-free ballast water treatment system in 2006. Three years later, the company launched PureBallast 2.0 EX, which complied with ATEX directives, the European Union Directives for equipment use in potentially explosive atmospheres, such those on tankers carrying volatile cargo. Last year, PureBallast EX received an IECEx Certificate of Conformity from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for use in explosive atmospheres on board ships in international waters. Now this third-generation ballast water treatment system is approved for use on barge applications sailing in U.S. coastal waters, making it one of the first to be approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.

“We’re pleased that PureBallast EX meets the stringent criteria for approval by the U.S. Coast Guard,” says Alfa Laval’s Stephen Westerling Greer, Global Business Manager of PureBallast. “U.S. Coast Guard approval, together with IECEx certification, sends a strong signal to ship owners and operators that they can trust our ballast water treatment system to comply with strict national and international regulations while effectively cleaning ballast water.”

In addition to U.S. Coast Guard approval for use on barge applications, PureBallast EX comes with other noteworthy news regarding safety. To enhance safety onboard, Alfa Laval simplified the PureBallast design, enabling the lamp drive cabinets to be placed up to 150 meters away from the reactors they serve. This means the power supply can be safely located outside any potentially hazardous zone.

Westerling Greer says that there are other PureBallast innovations that enhance system performance, making it more attractive to ship owners and operators. These include 50% space savings, energy management and power ramp to optimize disinfection treatment whilst operating at full flow in low-clarity waters where UV transmittance is just 42%.

“We’ve also introduced a new PureBallast reactor for system sizes from 170 m3/h to 32 m3/h, our customers have access to leading edge technologies for a broader range of applications. Alfa Laval is now able to offer ship owners with vessels, large and small, the means with which to comply to international, national and regional regulations and local port requirements the world over.”

Eco-friendly HullWiper technology to fight fouling and enhance efficiency for oil & gas company fleet

GAC EnvironHull has signed a contract with the international energy company Statoil to provide underwater hull cleaning services for its vessels operating in Scandinavia, the Middle East and the Far East.

From the second quarter of 2015, GAC EnvironHull, part of global shipping, logistics and marine services provider GAC Group, is using its pioneering HullWiper technology to remove fouling from the Statoil fleet of long term chartered vessels to enhance efficiency and reduce fuel consumption, whilst also preserving and protecting the delicate maritime environment.

Signing of agreement between GAC EnvironHull and Statoil at Statoil’s headquarter:

HullWiper is a diver-free underwater hull Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) which uses high pressure water jets to remove marine fouling. It can clean up to 2,000 m² of hull per hour without causing any damage to anti-fouling surfaces. As no divers are involved, cleaning can be done alongside during loading or discharging operations, and any risk to life is significantly reduced. HullWiper cleans about five times faster than conventional cleaning methods, reducing the cleaning time by approximately half.

The entire process is in line with the GAC Group’s stringent Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) and compliance policies, as well as all local and regional environmental regulations. Residues and harmful marine growths captured during cleaning are disposed of in an environmentally-friendly manner instead of being discharged into the sea as done using traditional methods.

GAC EnvironHull’s agreement with Statoil ASA comes after the Norwegian-based company used HullWiper to clean the hull of one of its chartered vessels at Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

Simon Doran, Managing Director of GAC EnvironHull, says: “The energy industry focuses on minimising the impact of their operations on the environment and HullWiper meets their high green standards and eliminates the risk to human life.

“This contract represents an important milestone for GAC EnvironHull, as it further strengthens our steady position in a market with growing demands for cost efficient and eco-friendly technology.”

Launched in late 2013, GAC EnvironHull’s diver-free hull cleaning technology is now available in the Swedish port of Gothenburg, the ports of Jebel Ali, Sharjah and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, the port of Sohar in Oman and most recently in Singapore.

Awarded Multi-Vessel Contracts - Containers to Caribbean Ports

Signet Maritime Corporation has completed Phase II of a $250M capital expansion program with the acquisition and integration of the Harvey Gulf OTV fleet. The corporate strategy was to design and own vessels for multi-disciplinary work, and diversify with the addition of the powerful offshore vessels. This has enabled Signet to broaden its services into new market segments and meet the global needs of our customers.

Continuing this US expansion, Signet has been awarded multi-vessel, long term charters by Trailer Bridge, Inc., an international freight service company, to perform weekly sailings from Jacksonville, Florida to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. The contracts were brokered through Compass Maritime Services, LLC, specialists in the sale, purchase, and charter of ships and offshore vessels.

The particulars of the towing vessels are as follows:

m/v SIGNET TROJAN, ABSXA1, Towing Service, XAMS, SOLAS Compliant, 75.70 MTBP

m/v SIGNET TITAN, ABSXA1, Towing Service, XAMS, SOLAS Compliant, 82.81 MTBP

m/v SIGNET LIGHTNING, ABS Loadline, Towing Service, 98.76 MTBP

Mr. Timothy M. McGriff has been appointed to the position of Marine Superintendent, Operations & Engineering in Jacksonville. This Signet office will provide 24-hour customer service with on-site management and control all aspects of the operation. The SIGNET TROJAN, SIGNET TITAN, and SIGNET LIGHTNING underwent a combined $2.3 million in upgrades for these projects. Signet Shipbuilding & Repair provided the labor, refurbishment and management oversight.

Mr. Joshua T. Ervasti, Manager, Ocean Towing Scheduling & Logistics, reported, “The expansion into Jacksonville exemplifies Signet’s commitment to going above and beyond in every aspect of our business. We are ensuring that we are there every step of the way to support our customer, our employees, our vendors and continually strive to exceed their expectations. I’m excited to see the partnership between the two companies expand throughout the years.”

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has secured a contract with the Brazilian shipowner and shipbuilder Grupo CBO. The contract is to supply Triplex deck handling equipment and cranes for four customized Havyard 843 anchor handling tug supply vessels (AHTS). The order was booked into first quarter 2015 order intake.

The 81.5m Havyard 843 is a modern anchor-handling vessel with a maximum speed of 16 knots. It has a 400 ton anchor handling winch and accommodation for up to 30. This Havyard design will be adapted to meet the particular requirements of Brazilian energy company, Petrobras. Two vessels will be built at Grupo CBO's Estaleiro Aliança yard and two at the Estaleiro Oceana yard.

Under the contract with CBO, MacGregor will provide each vessel with two sets of Triplex shark jaws (H-700) and guide pins (S-200), one cargo rail crane (KNC-60) and one knuckle boom deck crane (KN-150).

"We are delighted to sign another contract with CBO, further growing our good relationship," says Even Arne Kippernes, sales manager for Triplex products at MacGregor. "The Triplex shark jaws and guide pins are market leading products. They will help to ensure safe working deck operations on the new vessels; the jaws have a unique quick release system and, when not in use, they lie flush with the deck. The combination of Triplex cranes will provide very flexible, safe and reliable lifting capabilities."

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s global ship management group has been awarded a new contract with Sunrise Operations LLC, a subsidiary of The Pasha Group, of San Rafael, Calif., for the operation, crewing and maintenance of four Jones Act ships operating between the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii. The news follows the recent announcement that Pasha Hawaii, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Pasha Group, a family-owned global logistics company, will assume operations for all of Horizon Lines’ Hawaii business, including these four U.S.-flagged container ships.

“As a long-time Jones Act carrier, Crowley is well-suited to manage these U.S.-flagged vessels,” said Crowley’s Mike Golonka, vice president, ship management. “We are confident that our ability to offer company-wide resources and flexibility to work within their operational model is what set us apart, in addition to our proven experience in managing steam vessels for other companies. We look forward to working with Pasha in the management of their new ships.”

Crowley’s ship management group provides all phases of commercial ship management, along with full technical management and government contracting. Crowley’s contract will encompass ship management for the Horizon Enterprise, Horizon Pacific, Horizon Reliance and Horizon Spirit. The company is providing a scaled, customized package of crewing and technical management services. Crowley provides similar services to other customers’ container ships around the world, including those in other Jones Act trades.

Pasha’s chief executive officer, George Pasha IV, noted, “Crowley Maritime shares the same strong values and vision of the Pasha Group. Both organizations have been family managed for decades, with third-generation leadership maintaining the spirit of their founders. Pasha team members exhibit a passion for quality service that is matched by Crowley’s high performance in ship management and exceptional maritime workforce. With Crowley as a trusted partner, Pasha Hawaii, its customers, and the people of Hawaii will derive substantial benefits.”

The Pasha Group, one of the nation’s leading Jones Act shipping and integrated logistics companies, has been serving the Mainland/Hawaii trade lane since 2005.

Two of Fugro’s vessels currently searching the southern Indian Ocean for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, were recently involved in an historic find - the discovery of a previously uncharted shipwreck at a depth of around 3,900 meters.

The wreck is likely to be that of a 19th century merchant sailing ship and so great is the detail that what is believed to be scattered coal can be seen throughout the debris, which may indicate that it had an auxiliary steam-powered engine. The debris also appears to include an anchor and the stunning imagery will be provided to expert marine archaeologists for possible identification.

It’s a fascinating find,” said the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s (ATSB) Peter Foley, Director of the Operational Search for MH370, “but it’s not what we’re looking for. Obviously, we’re disappointed that it wasn’t the aircraft, but we were always realistic about the likelihood. And this event has really demonstrated that the systems, people and the equipment involved in the search are working well. It’s shown that if there’s a debris field in the search area, we’ll find it.” How the story unfolded
When the deep tow system operated by Fugro Equator detected a cluster of small sonar contacts in the southern part of the search area, 12 nautical miles to the east of the 7th arc, the sonar data was carefully analyzed. It was categorized as Class 2 – ‘of potential interest but unlikely to be related to MH370’.

“It could not, however be ruled out,” said Peter Foley. “There were characteristics of the contact that made it unlikely to be MH370, but there were also aspects that generated interest, multiple small bright reflections in a relatively small area of otherwise featureless seabed.”

All sonar data collected by Fugro goes through a detailed analysis and an exhaustive review process to ascertain its quality, coverage and most importantly any sonar contacts of interest. “The analysis starts with the mission crew on board the search vessels,” continued Peter. “The data is then reviewed again ashore by sonar analysts at Fugro’s office in Perth and then it is independently reviewed by the sonar experts in the ATSB’s Operational Search team. The process is methodical, meticulous and it is designed to ensure that nothing is missed. In this case we planned to resurvey the contact in more detail.”

The Fugro Supporter was tasked to further investigate the contact, performing a high resolution sonar scan using Fugro’s Echo Surveyor VII autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The high resolution data revealed a large number of sonar contacts lying very close to the seafloor, at a depth of around 3,900 meters. The majority of the contacts were comparatively small – around the size of a cricket ball – interspersed with a few larger items, the biggest being approximately 6 meters in its longest dimension. Although the debris field appeared to be of man-made origin it did not exhibit all the characteristics of a typical aircraft debris field.

An additional AUV low-altitude mission was then undertaken using the underwater camera to gather images of the field. Analysis of the images revealed that the debris was actually the wreck of a ship.

Fugro’s search director Paul Kennedy of Fugro Survey explained: “This find has given us a great deal of confidence. It shows we are able to find small pieces of metal on the seafloor, a long way down. Pieces from MH370 would be roughly 10 times as big as those of the wrecked ship.” Extended search
Senior Ministers from Malaysia, Australia and the People's Republic of China recently agreed to extend the search by an additional 60,000 square kilometers to bring the search area to 120,000 square kilometers and thereby cover the entire highest probability area identified by expert analysis. At an April meeting they received a detailed briefing on the thorough and rigorous work being undertaken to search for the aircraft, including details of the technology used in the underwater search, assessment and analysis of data collected and classification of sonar contacts.

Discussions also covered the challenges and risks in the search operations in such a remote and difficult location in extreme depths. The additional search area may take up to a year to complete given the adverse weather conditions in the approaching winter months. Regularly updated information, including illustrations, is available online.

On 20 April, Damen gave a sneak preview of their newly designed 2nd generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) during the annual OPVs & Corvettes Asia Pacific conference in Singapore. Damen’s Design & Proposal Manager Piet van Rooij explained how this new OPV has been configured for various missions.

This new generation of re-configurable Damen OPVs is highly efficient and incredibly versatile. Damen’s famous Sea Axe hull shape is used for these 2nd generation OPVs. Due to this hull design, these vessels demonstrate superior seakeeping including exceptional low heave accelerations. This makes the vessel very comfortable, even in stormy sea states. Since the hull is designed to reduce water resistance, the new OPV is also very fuel efficient and capable of speeds up to 25/26 knots.

Versatility has been reinvented by three newly developed multi-mission locations – namely the bridge, hangar and bay. The Multi-Mission Bay (MM Bay) can be equipped with dedicated mission modules (e.g. mission containers) for missions such as counter piracy, counter-drug operations, anti-mining warfare (AMW), search-and-rescue (SAR) etc. The MM Bay is also equipped with a nine metre RHIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boat), which can be launched over a dedicated slipway through the rear of the vessel while the OPV is sailing. In the Damen-built Holland Class Ocean Patrol vessels for the Royal Netherlands Navy this system has already proven to be safe in operations up to SS 5 conditions.

Unlike other OPVs, the command-and-control centre (C2 Centre) is located directly behind the bridge. Damen calls this development their Multi-Mission Bridge (MM Bridge). Both spaces can be separated by means of a blinded sliding wall. OPVs are less likely to take part in combat situations such as those faced by a frigate. During a mission, when lowering the sliding wall, situation awareness in the C2 Centre is improved, allowing C2 Centre officers to observe the situation immediately with their own eyes.

Mr Van Rooij comments: “Today OPVs don’t engage in combat situations as often as frigates do, however, fast and effective coordination during a ‘chase’ is essential for an OPV.”

The Multi-Mission Hangar (MM Hangar) is capable of storing an 11-tonne NH-90 helicopter and a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) such as the Boeing ScanEagle®. The MM Hangar has been designed so that the OPV crew can deploy either the helicopter or the UAV without having to move either one. Furthermore, there is space for a spare parts store and workshop for both the helicopter and UAV.

The Damen OPV 2nd generation is available as a standard in four series [sizes]:

• 75 meter – 1400 tons

• 85 meter – 1800 tons

• 95 meter – 2400 tons

• 103 meter – 2600 tons

Caterpillar Marine announces it has completed the acquisition of ESRG Technologies Group, LLC, a vessel monitoring and data analytics leader in the marine industry. The acquisition includes ESRG’s comprehensive software suite for the remote monitoring and diagnostics of more than 65 on-board systems as well as the expertise to provide meaningful recommendations to ship owners to help increase efficiency, reduce downtime on their vessels and assist shipyards in reducing warranty expenses.

Headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, ESRG has provided leading-edge data analysis and remote monitoring technology for assets in the marine and naval defense sectors since its inception in 2000. ESRG serves as a data analytics provider for the United States Navy, providing remote monitoring and analytics services for warships. Currently ESRG’s proprietary software is monitoring thousands of assets on vessels operating around the world, providing leading edge prognostic recommendations to ship operators and owners.

“As a result of the ESRG acquisition, Caterpillar Marine is evolving beyond engine-focused monitoring to provide monitoring and diagnostic solutions for an entire vessel,” Nigel Parkinson, Caterpillar Marine managing director noted. “Our customers are asking for solutions to drive down operating costs and maintain leading-edge uptime. Together with ESRG’s experience, Caterpillar Marine is prepared to offer solutions to our customers today to help them achieve this goal. This acquisition enables Caterpillar Marine to move closer towards our strategic vision of serving our marine customers as a complete systems solutions provider.”

ESRG will become a part of Caterpillar Marine, which operates within the Marine and Petroleum Power Division of Caterpillar Inc. ESRG software solutions will be rebranded as Caterpillar and sold and supported through the global Cat® dealer network. The technology will operate in alignment with the broader Caterpillar Inc., Cat Connect monitoring initiatives.

To achieve customers’ financial targets, Caterpillar is now able to make vessel productivity and equipment recommendations utilizing aggregated data and automated analytics supported by account-dedicated fleet advisors. Caterpillar Marine Asset Intelligence solutions can be implemented on vessels operating with Cat equipment or with any other competitive power solutions. The solutions are not limited to the engine, but focus on the entire ship as well as all of the operating systems. The suite of solutions will bring value to customers not only in equipment management, but also in the areas of productivity, safety and sustainability.

“Marine customers have been asking for this technology for the past few years as communication costs have declined and Big Data is becoming more commonplace. However, managing data and establishing analytical driven rules are not the core competency of most operators today,” Leslie Bell-Friedel, Caterpillar Marine Asset Intelligence business development manager stated. “Our role as Caterpillar Marine is to introduce a full suite of analytics solutions to our customers which are tailored to their individual pain points. Some customers will want to focus on increasing the reliability of machinery operations, while others will be focused on optimizing vessel productivity, ensuring safety, and/or operating more sustainably. This technology not only monitors running conditions, but it leverages analytics to understand the interrelations of different variables on the overall system and incorporates historical data to predict future failure modes. Regardless of the individual challenges, Caterpillar Marine is now able to offer a full suite of analytics solutions to help our customers achieve their objectives.”

“We are excited about joining Caterpillar Marine in providing marine owners and operators with technology and service solutions to increase uptime and decrease total cost of ownership,” Ken Krooner, ESRG’s President, noted. “We believe the combination of Caterpillar’s product and service leadership in the marine industry and ESRG’s technology and expertise creates additional customer value that neither of us would be able to deliver alone. Together, with the reach of the global Cat dealer network, we look forward to helping customers optimize their maintenance and operations across the total vessel, including both Cat and non-Cat equipment, as well as across an entire fleet.”

Petroleum Geo-Services ASA ('PGS' or the 'Company') commenced operations of a MultiClient 2D seismic program offshore Mexico on 16 May. The two 2D vessels Atlantic Explorer and will acquire multiple projects recently approved by the Mexican government. The first program to be acquired is the Mexico Well Tie MC2D which will provide clients with an excellent grounding for understanding the hydrocarbon prospectivity in the area. Fast track products will be available in June 2015.

"PGS is proud to conduct its first commercial seismic acquisition project in Mexico after approval of the Mexican Energy Reform," says Gregg Parker, Regional President NSA MultiClient in PGS. "We have worked diligently to position the Company as a first mover in Mexico and we are now very pleased to say that we have been successful in our endeavor. PGS views Mexico as a viable investment market for many years to come for the full suite of all our solutions."

These surveys will be acquired using PGS proprietary GeoStreamer technology and are supported by industry pre-funding.

Gauthiers’ announces the acquisition of an equity share of Modex, a leading international manufacturer of DNV-certified offshore equipment. As part of the transaction, Gauthiers’ will merge its operations with Modex to create the world’s third-largest offshore container company, with an inventory of 17,000 units, a global presence and comprehensive service offerings from engineering and manufacturing to the sale and leasing of offshore containers and modules. Modex currently has operations in Norway, Brazil, UAE, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China and the United Kingdom (Aberdeen) with further growth planned in the near future.

This new partnership provides substantial advantages to both parties. Gauthiers’ benefits from adding full in-house manufacturing design and production capacity as well as capital support for its continued growth, while Modex gains access to the North American oil and gas market via Gauthiers’ locations, expertise and relationships with operators, contractors and service companies in the Gulf of Mexico.

Gauthiers’ branding materials will be updated to include “A Modex Company” to reflect its expanded capacity and new global service offerings. Meanwhile, Gauthiers’ existing Louisiana locations (in Lafayette, Houma and Port Fourchon) will continue under the same management while offering an even broader range of customized units along with a larger available inventory.

“It will be business as usual – only better – with the merged company. Our customers will still receive the same outstanding service they always have, only now they will gain access to additional units, more facilities, new models and direct factory support,” said Gauthiers’ President Robert Gauthier. “What’s more, we can now serve customers anywhere in the world.”

Modex is the leading integrated Cargo Carrying Unit (CCU) manufacturer and rental provider in the world. Unlike other CCU providers that subcontract their production, Modex owns and operates the most advanced CCU and cabin manufacturing facility in the world, capable of producing 5,400 CCUs and 120 cabin units per year.

“Gauthiers’ is an ideal partner for us because of their experience, facilities and long-standing customer relationships throughout the Gulf region. And just as importantly, they are industry leaders in the development and implementation of international safety standards,” said Modex CEO Eric Snellen.

Following an order announced in October 2013, MacGregor, part of Cargotec has delivered and commissioned 45 variable frequency drive (VFD) winches and a full control system for the recently completed heavy-lift crane barge Hyundai HLV-10000, one of the largest heavy lift vessels in the world.

Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries, built the large floating crane to meet the increasing demands for heavyweight shipbuilding support activities, along with offshore lifting operations.

"This delivery extends MacGregor's heavy lift vessel portfolio," says Francis Wong, Head of Sales and Marketing at Offshore Deck Machinery at MacGregor. "It also confirms our ability to meet the developing needs of specialist vessels, supported by our good track record for all types and sizes of winches and cranes from merchant ships to offshore support vessels.

"We won this contract because we offer the most advanced winch and crane technology, underpinned by our worldwide service support organization."

MacGregor's electric winches consume 25 to 30 percent less energy than equivalent hydraulic winches. In lowering mode, they generate energy rather than consume it. Electric winches benefit from reduced installation and maintenance costs, reduced environmental impact and simplified diagnostics.

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has been awarded a contract by Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding Limited for two subsea knuckle boom cranes to be installed on the world's first seabed mining vessel. Delivery of the cranes is scheduled for Q1/2017. The order was booked into first quarter 2015 order intake.

The 227m production support vessel has a beam of 40m. It has been designed by Singapore's SeaTech Solutions for Dubai-based owner Marine Assets Corporation (MAC). Following delivery at the end of 2017, it will operate under long-term charter to Canadian seafloor exploration company Nautilus Minerals Inc.

The MacGregor order consists of two knuckle boom cranes; a 200t active heave-compensation (AHC) subsea crane with the capability to operate to a depth of 2,500m, and a smaller 100t subsea crane.

Mike Johnston, CEO of Nautilus Minerals, says, "We are very pleased to have such a world class supplier providing key equipment for use on our Production Support Vessel. The cranes are an essential component in ensuring operations can be performed safely across all of our large working deck areas. We look forward to reporting on the progress of this equipment as we move closer to production in 2018."

"We are delighted that we have been chosen to supply the cranes for this exciting and prestigious new vessel," says Tom Svennevig, Vice President, Offshore Load Handling, MacGregor. "The demands of offshore operations are constantly changing. At MacGregor, we work hard to understand our customers' requirements and to ensure that we are always ahead of the competition in our ability to offer exactly the right hardware for the job, supported by our global service infrastructure."