Offshore Installation Services (OIS), an Acteon company, has successfully completed its sixteenth rigless suspended well abandonment campaign involving multiple operators in the Southern North Sea. The multi-operator model for programs 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 are committed to fulfilling our responsibility to the environment as an operator and are leading the way in the North Sea with the decommissioning of redundant wells. 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.”

Since 1996, the OIS team has successfully completed more than 100 well decommissioning projects without a single lost-time incident.

AMEC, the international engineering and project management company, has been awarded a two-year integrated services contract renewal by BP to provide operations, maintenance and project support to the Forties Pipeline System (FPS) in the North Sea.

The contract is valued at between £10 million and £15 million per year, depending on activity levels and is scheduled to run through to December 2014.

Under the contract, AMEC will take on increased responsibility to run, maintain and improve the year-round, 24-hour operation of the Unity offshore platform and four onshore pumping stations which form a major part of the FPS. AMEC and BP personnel will work closely together on the project. The current workforce will be retained, with additional recruitment occurring as and when the work scope demands.

Mike Horgan, managing director of AMEC’s Asset Management business said: “We have been supporting the Forties Pipeline System for the past 16 years and this latest contract is testament to our continued delivery of excellence for BP. We are pleased to be continuing our long term relationship with BP and supporting them to meet the needs of the Central North Sea’s oil and gas development.”

AMEC has an exemplary safety record on the project, with no lost time incidents (LTIs) over the last 15 years.

The FPS has a carrying capacity in excess of 750,000 barrels per day and carries around 40 per cent of the UK’s oil production.

CGG and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group (LDA) announces the creation of a ship management joint venture, GeofieLD Ship Management Services. Co-owned 50 % by CGG and 50 % by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group, the new joint venture will provide maritime ship management services for five of CGG’s high-capacity 3D seismic vessels.

This equal ownership reflects the common vision of CGG and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs to combine their seismic and maritime expertise and experience in order to align QHSE systems, streamline communication and define the JV’s strategy. This move also underlines the commitment shared by both parties to establishing a reliable maritime platform and maximizing the overall seismic performance of the five vessels managed by the joint venture. 

The joint venture will be based in Suresnes, France. Alain Coatanhay from Louis Dreyfus Armateurs will be the Chairman of this new joint venture and David Rapidel from CGG has been appointed as Managing Director.

Jean-Georges Malcor, CEO of CGG, said: "This second joint venture marks another milestone in our performance action plan. It reinforces our strategy to streamline the number of our maritime partners, following our first ship management joint venture with Norwegian shipowner, Eidesvik Offshore, in May 2011. We are confident that by pooling our expertise, culture and history with Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group, a leader in marine activities and our long-term partner since 1990, within this new joint venture, we will provide first-class ship management services to meet the expectations of our clients.”

Philippe Louis-Dreyfus, President of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group, declared: "This joint venture further strengthens our ties with CGG, which started in 1990. This move comes as recognition of the skills and commitment of our teams. The sea offers great opportunities and I am proud of this new step forward in our strategy of partnerships with large industrial groups, such as CGG, a worldwide leader in geoscience.”

Leading Norwegian exploration seismic contractor Dolphin Geophysical of Bergen has awarded Veripos a new three-year contract for provision of satellite positioning services aboard its fleet of specialist high-capacity vessels, Artemis Arctic, Artemis Atlantic, Polar Duke and Polar Duchess;  the services will also be extended to include Sanco Swift, a new 96-meter vessel due to be commissioned later this year.

All five vessels will use Veripos’s latest Apex² and Ultra² dual beam Precise Point Positioning (PPP) services employing both GPS and Glonass constellations supported by an NTrip internet-based correction service.   Associated onboard hardware for each vessel comprises triple Veripos LD6/LD2 modular receivers together with Verify QC processing software for real-time monitoring and control.

Commenting on the contract award, Angus Scott, Veripos Vice-President for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, said that it marked a further important stage in the company’s continuing support of Dolphin Geophysical’s worldwide operations following earlier supply of GNSS positioning services which began in 2011.

Leading international oilfield services company Expro has been awarded a contract to provide equipment and services in support of a client’s offshore project in Latin America.

Located in the Santos Basin, in Brazil, the BS-4 block encompasses two post-salt wells and one pre salt well. Expro has been contracted to provide heavy oil well testing to post-salt wells and data management services through partner company Baker Hughes, in a contract valued at more than $10mn.

Expro will provide Queiroz Galvão Exploração e Produção SA (QGEP) with subsea equipment, Drill Stem Testing (DST), data acquisition, surface well testing, fluids services and wireline intervention services.

Expro has been providing extended well testing services internationally since 1983 and is recognised as a global leader in the delivery of fast track production facilities.

Jean Moritz, Expro’s Latin America region director, said: “We were invited to tender for this project because we offer high-quality integrated service packages. We have a good relationship with both Baker Hughes and QG and this is a great opportunity for Expro to introduce a full package well testing job in to Brazil.”