On March 17, 2015 Hertel has announced the acquisition of Hertel by Altrad for its worldwide access solutions, insulation, corrosion protection and mechanical businesses. Hertel Offshore was not part of the acquisition by Altrad, but will continue its activities and business with the same shareholders (NPM Capital, Ackermans & van Haaren and Hertel Offshore Management) under a new brand name.

Hertel Offshore has now changed its name and will continue its business as per May 1, 2015 under its new name: CKT Projects.

Hertel Offshore was an amalgation (between 2005 and 2008) of three companies: Hertel Marine Services BV, CKT Projects BV and McGill Services Ltd. As CKT Projects BV has always been a reputable and reliable partner for many in the On- and Offshore Oil & Gas, Naval and Marine and Defense industries, this familiar brand name has been chosen and will be rejuvenated.

Robert Jan Dubbeldam, Managing Director of CKT Projects adds; “ We are convinced that we have a strong potential to further develop CKT Projects as a market leader in our businesses and to serve our customers locally and around the globe under our new brand name CKT Projects”.

Marsol International Ltd, a Dubai-based global marine solutions provider focused on the offshore oil terminal market and related infrastructure, has announced the registration of its new subsidiary, Marsol Oil & Gas Services LLC, which will be operated from a new office facility in the Port of Fujairah.

The launch of Marsol Oil & Gas Services LLC will consolidate Marsol’s presence in the area and is a strategic addition to support the company’s growth plans in the region, regarded as a major oil and logistical shipping hub.

Hose Burst Testing” with MDY and Operations and Project Managers.

Mike Young, managing director of Marsol International, explains: “This new office in Fujairah will give us the ability to better service our existing clients. By having our team based in the area we will have quicker and easier access to sites in the region which will enable Marsol to pursue projects that require a presence both onshore and offshore.

“Our team of engineers understand first-hand the real-life scenarios on a busy oil export hub and ensures their services, related infrastructure and products are designed, manufactured and installed to meet customers’ operational requirements. Wherever possible our experienced team trains and mentors the local workforce to ensure the high standards our clients expect. This is very much the case in Fujairah and I look forward to developing this new facility to better service clients in the region.”

Since 2005, based on experienced gained over 46 years, Marsol International has provided operational engineering and management solutions to clients, consultants and EPC contractors for new offshore terminal facilities, and operational integrity management and IRM services of existing facilities to offshore terminal owners and operators.

FoundOcean has completed the grouting for an 8-legged jacket in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico. The project, completed on behalf of McDermott, mobilized from Port Fourchon, Louisiana and is one of a number of successful projects completed by FoundOcean in the region.

With offices and equipment located in both the US and Mexico, FoundOcean is ideally placed to support its clients in the Americas.

FoundOcean were consistent in demonstrating their technical expertise, going the extra mile to ensure the project ran without delay, comments Joaquin Vazquez, Project Manager for McDermott. This included a visit to the fabrication yard in Tampico to conduct an inspection of the jacket’s grout lines in order to identify any issues that could cause costly delays to the offshore installation schedule.

FoundOcean consistently strives to provide innovative solutions to specific client requirements, drawing on its extensive experience of providing competent solutions to challenging installation projects for the energy construction industry, comments FoundOcean’s CEO Jim Bell.

In the case of Ayatsil-A, FoundOcean were able to provide a bespoke grouting solution, providing a customized high strength grout able to withstand the hot climate, whilst still being able to be mixed using the FoundOcean Recirculating Jet Mixer, in order to facilitate efficient, timely completion of the grouting operations.

Newcomer to the UKCS, Hungary-based MOL Group is set to discuss its high-profile entry into the North Sea market at a Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Aberdeen event on 6 May, 2015.

MOL Group, an integrated oil and gas company with operations in more than 40 countries, completed a deal in March 2014 to acquire 14 North Sea licenses which resulted in the creation of MOL Energy UK.

Managing Director of MOL Energy UK, Chris Bird, will speak at the next SPE Aberdeen Simplified Series event, organised by the Young Professionals Committee but aimed at oil and gas industry professionals of all ages.

Mr. Bird said: “The future rate of production in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) depends on a number of factors, such as continued investment and the success of further exploration. Establishing operations in the UK North Sea has been a major step for MOL Group and a carefully planned, strategic move which I look forward to discussing at this SPE Aberdeen event.”

As part of the presentation, Mr.. Bird will focus on risk management, value creation and the importance of industry collaboration and partnership. He will also discuss the way forward for the oil and gas sector in the UKCS, as well as the importance of this region to the global oil and gas industry.

SPE Aberdeen chairman Shankar Bhukya added: “SPE Aberdeen is thrilled to welcome MOL Energy UK to present at our next Simplified Series event. The company’s global experience will offer valuable lessons to all attendees and its recent move into the North Sea promises to be an extremely interesting topic. This is an event not to be missed.”

Chris Bird has approximately 30 years’ experience in the upstream oil and gas industry and has worked extensively with operators and contractors across the full value chain, focusing on turning around and growing businesses by developing people and technology. Chris enjoys both a European and Chartered Engineer status while being a Fellow of the IMechE, IoD and APM.

The SPE Aberdeen Simplified Series, currently sponsored by RESMAN and GE Oil & Gas, is a monthly event highlighting a technical issue or project within the oil and gas industry, approaching it in ‘simplified’ terms so that it appeals to a wider cross-section of industry professionals.

This event, which is free to attend, will take place from 6.45pm to 8.30pm on Wednesday, 6 May at the Aberdeen Station Hotel. Please note that demand for this event is expected to be high. For more information and booking please visit www.spe-uk.org/aberdeen/events.

About SPE

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is a not-for-profit professional association whose members are engaged in energy resources development and production. SPE serves more than 124,000 members in 135 countries worldwide. SPE is a key resource for technical knowledge related to the oil and gas exploration and production industry and provides services through its publications, events, training courses, and online resources at www.spe.org.

About SPE Aberdeen

The SPE Aberdeen Section is the largest in the UK with more than 2,500 members and is run entirely by volunteers.

SPE Aberdeen members represent a range of ages, genders and nationalities, and the Section has student chapters at five universities in Scotland. SPE Aberdeen works closely with the oil and gas industry, Scottish universities and local schools, institutes and academia, to advance the learning and technical excellence in all aspects of the industry: offshore, onshore and internationally.

SPE Aberdeen won the SPE International Award for Section Excellence for the fifth consecutive year in 2014, the year it celebrated its 40th anniversary. For more information on the award winning section, please visit http://www.spe-uk.org.

About MOL Energy UK

MOL Energy UK Ltd. (a 100% subsidiary of MOL Group) was established in Aberdeen in March 2014. The company completed its first acquisition of four offshore licenses in December 2013, and then acquired six further offshore licenses in June 2014.

MOL Group is an integrated, independent, international oil and gas company, headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. The Group is active in over 40 countries with a dynamic international workforce of nearly 30,000 people and a track record of more than 100 years in the industry. MOL’s exploration and production activities are supported by more than 75 years’ experience. At the moment, there are production activities in eight countries and exploration assets in 13 countries. The Group operates four refineries and two petrochemicals plants, under integrated supply chain management, in Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia. MOL Group also owns a network of over 1,700 service stations across 12 countries in Central & South Eastern Europe.

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange publicly traded company based in Houston, Texas, is pleased to announce that its robotics subsidiary, Canyon Offshore, Inc., has executed a Master Charter Agreement (“MCA”) with Technip U.S.A., Inc. to provide Light Construction Vessels, ROV services, and tooling in support of Technip’s subsea construction projects in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The MCA includes a firm three year term, with annual renewal options available. Canyon will provide multiple vessel choices to Technip; each vessel includes dual 3,000m work class ROV systems on-board. The vessels consist of the M/V Rem Installer and Grand Canyon series of vessels with 250 ton, Active Heave Compensated (AHC), 3000m rated cranes, and the M/V Deep Cygnus, with a 150 ton AHC crane. In addition Canyon will supply tooling, personnel, and ROV project support to Technip.

Mr. Ian Edmonstone, Canyon’s President, said “We are extremely proud that Technip has chosen Canyon to support their subsea project Light Construction Vessel and ROV needs and look forward to providing a value added service to Technip. We believe that this award reflects Canyon’s long and successful track record of deepwater construction Vessel and ROV services, our quality and safety systems and most importantly our experienced staff of operators. We look forward to a continued, long and mutually successful relationship”.

Chet Morrison Contractors announced two changes to its senior management team. Leroy Guidry has been named president of Chet Morrison Contractors. In additon to this new position, he will continue to serve as chief financial officer, a position he’s held since 1998. He has over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, primarily in executive management positions. Guidry has played a key role in the growth of the Chet Morrison Contractors over the past 16 years, and he will be responsible for providing leadership to the senior management team as well as developing and executing corporate strategy. He will report to CEO and Executive Chairman of the Board Chet Morrison.

Kelly Reeves has been named vice president of marketing. Since 2007, she has served in various positions throughout the company and most recently as marketing manager for Chet Morrison Contractors and has been an essential part of promoting the company’s image and position within the marketplace. With this new role she will be responsible for developing marketing and corporate business development activities to support and promote sales.

“Leroy and Kelly, along with our entire senior leadership team, bring tremendous experience to our company,” said CEO Chet Morrison. “Their energy, creativity and strong leadership skills will be essential in maintaining long-term sustainability. I am fully confident in their ability to continue to drive our success.”

Asset integrity management specialist, XPD8 Solutions, has secured a £375,000 contract for work in West Africa with Tullow Oil.

Over six-months, the Aberdeen-headquartered firm will migrate Tullow Oil’s existing computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to the Maximo software package. The system will support planning, scheduling, performance monitoring and reporting of asset integrity key performance indicators at the Jubilee floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel in Ghana.

The scope of work includes cleansing, enrichment and migration of existing master data to the new CMMS and its implementation.

XPD8 Solutions will support Tullow Oil in its work aboard the Jubilee field’s FPSO in Ghana.

XPD8 is recognized as a leader in maintenance engineering, condition monitoring and integrity services for the oil & gas sector.

Mark Cavanagh, managing director at XPD8, said: “It is a pat on the back to our team that we have been chosen to work again with Tullow Oil, which is an existing client for us, on what is another significant contract for XPD8. We will be providing a system that meets the client’s standards and will support them to achieve industry best practice.

“Our maintenance engineering staff will deliver the project that helps to reinforce our position in West Africa and builds upon what has already been a successful partnership.

"It has been widely reported that the oil and gas industry is experiencing a difficult period and I believe we are able to support our customers in saving on costs through our effective maintenance programs.”

The Jubilee FPSO was installed in November 2010, at a water depth of 1,100m and is designed to operate for 20 years.

This latest contract compliments existing work being carried out by XPD8 on MODEC’s Tweneboa, Enyenra and Ntomme (TEN) FPSO, operated on behalf of Tullow Oil. The deal, announced during April 2014, sees XPD8 working as part of the engineering, procurement and construction team to develop a maintenance program and inventory data.

Formed in 2003, XPD8 is a privately owned company which provides skilled engineers for all areas of the asset management process.

XPD8 has received ISO9001 accreditation for its quality management systems which ensures high standards throughout the business.

Reservations are now open for Fugro’s program of technical workshops during the upcoming Offshore Technology Conference, May 4th – 7th in Houston, TX.

With a variety of timely topics, Fugro will showcase its unique technology in geotechnical, survey, and subsea disciplines with a series of brief workshops over three days. In the exhibition hall, the company’s display at Booth # 3721 will highlight its global presence that supports the exploration, development, production, and transportation of the Earth’s natural resources. The centerpiece – one of Fugro's in-house designed and built FCV3000 work class ROVs - will illustrate some of its extensive subsea capabilities and a specialist team will be at the booth to discuss this and other ROVs in Fugro’s fleet.

The workshop program begins on Monday morning with Fugro’s latest developments in ocean current hindcasts and metocean numerical modelling. The subsequent workshop covers GIS tools and methods, demonstrating how geophysical, geotechnical, and geohazard data sets can be integrated and analyzed. Monday’s final session is a presentation detailing a unique method of subsea visualization technologies, offering insight into industry advancements.

A session on “Law of the Sea” begins Tuesday’s workshops, addressing oil and gas concession blocks in contested waters. During the day’s program delegates can learn the latest information on Fugro’s specialist capabilities in seafloor drill technology as well as Fugro’s OARS™ system, which heralds a new wave of offshore monitoring operations and eliminates the need for an onboard surveyor. The last session on Tuesday explores the role of its new Echo Surveyor VII AUV technology in deepwater geophysical remote sensing.

Rounding off Fugro’s technical programs, Wednesday’s sessions open with a workshop on the Alaskan Arctic, offering insight into challenges where ice is the biggest obstacle. Delegates can discover Fugro's solutions including ice thickness mapping and ice gouge investigations. Also to be discussed on Wednesday is the hot topic of drones and Fugro’s unmanned systems through photogrammetry and remote sensing. The workshops conclude by exploring Fugro’s expertise in seep consultancy and how instrumentation and data analysis can address issues with wellhead and riser integrity.

Demand for Fugro’s workshops is expected to be high and seating can be secured by registering in advance.

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE: HLX) announces that on April 30th its wholly owned subsidiary, Helix Q5000 Holdings S.A.R.L., took delivery of the Q5000 semisubmersible well intervention vessel from Sembcorp Marine’s Jurong Shipyard. In conjunction with delivery of the vessel, Helix Q5000 Holdings S.A.R.L. used proceeds of the previously announced $250 million Q5000 credit facility to make the final shipyard payment. The remaining cash balance of the facility, approximately $148 million, will be used for general corporate and working capital needs.

About Helix

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is an international offshore energy services company that provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry, with a focus on well intervention and robotics operations.

Frontier International, specialists in international oil and gas resourcing, has announced significant contract wins across Asia and the Middle East during the first quarter of 2015.

Well known for providing personnel and associated services to the global oil and gas industry, the company has secured a significant number of new contracts in this period, appointed by seven major operators and service companies.

The announcement has come at a time of significant international growth for Frontier, following on from the launch of the company’s new Indian premises, which will support the increased activity in the regions.

L-R Mark Clarke, chairman and Paul Radcliffe, managing director, Frontier International

Frontier chairman, Mark Clarke said: “2015 has seen Frontier’s success continue to grow, with the Middle East and Asia side of operations, in particular, expanding considerably in a short space of time. The value of contracts won so far this year illustrates the excellent reputation we have within the international oil and gas industry.

“The unique combination of Frontier’s global footprint and depth of local knowledge combines our engineering and recruitment expertise together with an understanding of regional requirements, giving clients unrivalled access to relevant, international talent and skill. We are delighted that our work is being recognised by some of the regions’ key businesses and we look forward to continuing the expansion of our services in that area and beyond.”

In business since 1999, Frontier International was established by oil industry engineers Mark Clarke and Paul Radcliffe in response to industry requirement for expertise-driven management of specialist well design and drilling engineering. Quickly identifying a gap in the market, they moved to grow Frontier in answer to the lack of technical expertise in the staff recruitment and contractor recruitment/management sectors.

Frontier holds a substantial number of global contracts with the major oil and gas operators and service companies. International client demand in recent years has led the company to successfully expand in several key regions, with wholly owned subsidiaries covering East Africa and the Caribbean, as well as the Gurgaon-based subsidiary which serves both India and the Middle East.

- Demand for high level services met by expansion -

Intertek, a leading quality solutions provider to industries worldwide, has officially opened its newly expanded center of excellence for corrosion testing services. The company has invested £1.2m in its Production and Integrity Assurance (P&IA) facility in Manchester, UK to meet growing demand for high-end corrosion and materials testing in the oil and gas industry.

The official opening was conducted by Dr. Bill Hedges, Technical Authority for BP. Intertek has a long-standing relationship with the oil and gas operator, having provided consultancy and testing services for its global activities in the North Sea, North Africa and Gulf of Mexico.

Jonathan Lake, Engineer, Intertek Production and Integrity Assurance, maintaining a sour service test. (MG 3941)

Speaking about the impact of corrosion on the industry, Dr. Hedges said: “Controlling corrosion in increasingly challenging production environments is of paramount importance to the oil and gas industry. Corrosion can be a notorious problem if not managed properly; it is time consuming and costly to remedy and impacts on safety and asset lifespan. By being able to identify and predict areas that are prone to corrosion issues and when these will occur, the industry is able to plan its maintenance and downtime activities more effectively. All operators face challenges with corrosion and expanding this center of excellence will support improvements in this area.”

New contract awards worth over £1m won by the P&IA team in recent months include studies for major clients in the UK, Middle East and South East Asia. The work covers a wide range of technical areas, such as corrosion fatigue, pipeline wet layup simulations, corrosion in super critical CO2 environments, evaluation of corrosion resistant alloy sand non-metallic materials under high-temperature/high pressure conditions plus a range of studies related to corrosion inhibition. This has driven the site expansion which now covers 27,000 sq ft and is one of the world’s largest independent laboratories dedicated to corrosion testing.

Graeme Dicken, Business Manager for Testing at Intertek P&IA, said: “Corrosion is an important issue for the oil and gas industry, reportedly costing $1.4bn (£896m) annually, with subsea, topsides and onshore equipment all vulnerable. With asset life extension a key focus for the oil and gas industry, vital assets are increasingly expected to operate beyond their projected lifecycles driving a rise in demand for our experience providing advanced corrosion testing, technology development and research services.

“We would like to thank Bill for joining us today and sharing his experiences as we open the new laboratory. We have forged very strong relationships over the years with several major oil and gas operators, including BP. As a result of our collaboration on numerous projects over several decades, we have worked closely with the company to define ‘industry-standard’ testing protocols. We have a proven track record of developing test methodologies and constructing novel equipment, which then become industry-standard approaches.

“We have already seen the benefits of the investment, recently conducting a pilot plant-scale flow loop and full pipe section subsea simulation studies. The new facilities also include large-scale bespoke test rigs to simulate specific environments and issues, providing clients with accurate data and solutions.”

In addition to the expansion the facility has been granted accreditation for two tests under the UKAS ISO 17025:2005 standard - a vital requirement for clients seeking sour service testing. Jim Palmer, Director of Intertek Production and Integrity Assurance, said: “Our Manchester site employs 65 corrosion and materials specialists, offering a multidisciplinary resource at one location, supported by a team of internationally renowned experts. In addition to this investment in the Manchester center of excellence, the business has established an international network of corrosion and production chemistry laboratories in Aberdeen, Houston, Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi and Adelaide, which has significantly extended our global reach.”

ABS, the leading provider of classification services to the global marine and offshore industries, announces the appointment of Howard Fireman to the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in a move that strengthens alignment and generates further synergies across all of ABS' technical programs.

Fireman, who will report to ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki, assumes this role following former Senior Vice President and CTO Todd Grove's appointment as ABS Group President and CEO.

Technology continues to be a core element of the ABS mission of protecting life, assets and the environment. Fireman's appointment further strengthens the ABS commitment to technology and innovation needed to support our members and clients.

Fireman joined ABS in 2013 following a 35-year career with the US Navy, where he was recognized as a technical leader in ship design, total cost of ownership, systems engineering, design integration, research and development and operational support. He also served as Chief Naval Architect and Director of Surface Ship Design and Systems Engineering.

Fireman holds a BSE and MSE in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan and has a Master's degree in Technical Management from Johns Hopkins University.

"ABS continues to lead the industry in advancing the application of technology to meet today's marine and offshore challenges while anticipating those on the horizon," ABS Chairman and CEO Chris Wiernicki said. "Howard's strong technical experience will be important to continue our long history of innovation and drive our global research and development agenda."

This appointment was effective April 20.

About ABS

Founded in 1862, ABS is a leading international classification society devoted to promoting the security of life, property and the marine environment through the development and verification of standards for the design, construction and operational maintenance of marine-related facilities.

Flexible pipe specialist FlexTech has established its first foothold in the Southeast Asian energy market by securing a contract with an oil and gas major in Vietnam.

The project, due for completion in Q1 2016, comes on the back of FlexTech securing £250,000 in Q1 of 2015. It involves FlexTech engineers managing the system design, manufacturing, inspection and delivery of flexibles on a major floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility in the South China Sea.

Craig Keyworth, FlexTech Engineering Director

FlexTech Engineering Director, Craig Keyworth, said: “This is a significant contract for us, highlighting our capabilities and reputation within the global flexible sector. Breaking into the Southeast Asian market marks another milestone in our international growth strategy, and showcases the potential for our products and services in the region.”

The project involves the design of a replacement flexible pipe system to allow change out of major vessel infrastructure. It also covers infrastructure modifications to facilitate the replacement flexibles and, once sourced, FlexTech will manage the manufacturing and delivery of the flexible pipes.

Mr Keyworth continued: “We consistently aim to go above and beyond our clients’ expectations and this contract is another boost in our efforts to achieve international acclaim. This, together with previous global contracts, highlights that FlexTech is well placed to provide engineering services and support for flexible projects worldwide.”

Since its inception in 2013, FlexTech has completed work in the UK, Middle East, Far East and Norway, offering a complete ‘life of product’ service, from project inception to decommission and disposal. Its core business is the successful delivery of flexible pipe and riser engineering projects, offloading systems and integrity management and inspection. It also has a range of innovative products designed to facilitate ease of installation, ensure operational integrity and prolong the life of the flexible in field.

With premises in Aberdeen and Grimsby, FlexTech currently has a team of 11 subsea and marine specialists.

The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) appointed 23 industry leaders to its Board of Directors on April 16, 2015 during its Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Appointed to first term on the Board of Directors:

Erik Bartsch, Vice President Exploration North America, Shell Energy Resources Company

Beau Blake, President and Chief Executive Officer, Blake International USA Rigs, LLC

Paul Danos, Executive Vice President, Danos 

John Gellert, President and Chief Executive Officer, SEACOR Holdings, Inc.

Darrell Hollek, Senior Vice President Deepwater Americas, Anadarko

Lee Jackson, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jackson Offshore Operators, LLC

Doug Pferdhirt, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, FMC

Dave Welch, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Stone Energy Corporation

Reappointed to the Board of Directors for a second term:

Stu Brightman, President and Chief Executive Officer, TETRA Technologies

Cappy Bisso, Chairman of the Board, Bisso Marine

Richard Clark, President, Deep Gulf Energy

Robert Hobbs, Chief Executive Officer, TGS

Robert Drummond, President North America, Schlumberger

Todd Hornbeck, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hornbeck Offshore

Paul Howes, President and Chief Executive Officer, Newpark Resources

Kevin McEvoy, Chief Executive Officer, Oceaneering International Inc.

William New, President, New Industries

Jason Nye, Senior Vice President US Offshore, Statoil

Jeff Platt, President and Chief Executive Officer, Tidewater

John Schiller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Energy XXI

Jamie Vazquez, President, W&T Offshore

Robert Workman, President and Chief Executive Officer, DistributionNOW

Appointed to first term on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors:

Robb Erickson, Vice President Sales, Dockwise

In a separate press release, NOIA announced the election of Cindy B. Taylor, President and Chief Executive Officer of Oil States International, Inc., as Chairman of the Board and Kevin McEvoy, Chief Executive Officer of Oceaneering International, Inc., as Vice Chair of the Board. NOIA officers serve three-year terms with the exception of the Chair and Vice Chair, who serve a one-year term.

About NOIA: NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of both traditional and renewable energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf. NOIA’s mission is to secure reliable access and a fair regulatory and economic environment for the companies that develop the nation’s valuable offshore energy resources in an environmentally responsible manner. The NOIA membership comprises about 325 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine and air transport, offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance, and renewable energy.

The next MTS Houston Section May luncheon will be held on May 28, 2015 and will feature a presentation by George Pettigrew, Vice President and Head of Chissonga Development (Angola) for Maersk Oil. Mr. Pettigrew will discuss the current state of major capital projects and operations trends. As the price of oil hovers in the $40-$60 per barrel range and the global supply glut persists, many companies are hitting the “pause” button on the sanctioning of new major capital projects.

Billions of dollars’ worth of spending on major upstream and downstream projects have been placed on hold, including Shell’s $6.5 billion Al Karaana petrochemicals project in Qatar, Sasol’s $14 billion gas-to-liquids project in Louisiana and Total’s $11 billion Joslyn oil sands project in Alberta. Final investment decisions have also been postponed for the foreseeable future on Chevron’s $10 billion Rosebank field in the U.K. North Sea and Statoil’s $16 billion-$19 billion Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea of Norway.

An executive from Saudi Aramco recently stated that the global oil and gas industry is poised to “potentially cancel about $1 trillion in capital funding” in 2015. This is having a significant impact on countries around the world that have been counting on revenues from higher oil prices to balance their budgets, as well as operators and service companies that are being forced to drastically reduce their costs. Nonetheless, many believe there is still significant potential for long-term value in proceeding with major capital projects.

About the Speaker

George Pettigrew joined Maersk Oil as Vice President and Head of Chissonga Field Development (Angola) in February 2015. George heads a Project Leadership Team of nine managers (including Subsurface, Facilities, Operations, Drilling & Completions, Legal, HSE, Integration, Project Services and HR). George began his career as a Project Engineer with Britoil in 1982. He became Project Manager and Deputy Business Unit Leader for BP in Aberdeen in 1996. From 2000-2004, he headed up New Assets in BP’s Norwegian Business Unit where he oversaw the discovery, appraisal drilling, concept selection and negotiation of gas export for Skarv Development and managed a recovery program for the failed installation of a jacket and water injection platform (including contractor settlement).

From 2004-2009, George served as General Manager of the BP/ENI Joint Venture in Egypt and delivered Phase One of Gas Growth in Egypt on schedule and below cost. He established a multi-discipline and national subsea organization with competency to deliver this and future subsea projects. George was Global Director of Project Management and Execution for BP in London from 2009-2012, and he most recently served as BP’s Vice President of Projects in the West Nile Delta. George holds a Master’s degree in Marine Technology from the University of Strathclyde.

UPCOMING MTS HOUSTON PRESENTATIONS AND EVENTS IN 2015

June 25 - LLOG Delta House Floating Production System, Rick Fowler, Vice President, LLOG Exploration.

July 23 - Golf Tournament September 24 - Kodiak - GOM Tieback, Danny Hough, Deep Gulf Energy

October 13-14 - Dynamic Positioning Conference

October 29 - MTS Houston Barbecue (Note revised date) December 3 - Anadarko Lucius Project, S. Michael Beattie, General Manager GOM Deepwater Facilities, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation

Enhanced geomechanics technology and services strengthen geoscience portfolio

CGG announces that its GeoConsulting Business Line has acquired Taurus Reservoir Solutions Ltd., based in Calgary. Taurus offers reservoir and geomechanical simulation and engineering technology along with consulting services to the global petroleum industry. With an offering that spans single-well to large field-scale solutions, Taurus brings new subsurface understanding to both conventional and unconventional reservoirs.

CGG’s GeoConsulting Business Line offers a broad range of geological and geophysical (G&G) consulting services and non-exclusive products to the E&P industry. The addition of Taurus will strengthen CGG’s G&G expertise and help clients make more informed decisions across the E&P lifecycle, from where to drill and how to best complete wells, to optimizing production over the life of the field.

Sophie Zurquiyah, Senior Executive Vice President, Geology, Geophysics & Reservoir, CGG, said: “We are delighted to extend the scope of our Geoscience portfolio further towards the reservoir with the geomechanical and engineering capabilities of Taurus. The leadership Taurus has developed globally in its domain fully aligns with CGG’s culture and the addition of its technology and expertise will enable us to further assist our customers in meeting their increasingly complex reservoir development and production challenges through tighter integration of the geoscience and engineering disciplines.”

Dr. Tony Settari, President and co-founder of Taurus, added: “We are very pleased to join CGG and look forward to bringing our technology and expertise in geomechanics, classical reservoir engineering and fracturing to the Geoscience portfolio of CGG. This unique combination will yield solutions that better address the most difficult subsurface challenges and enable oil and gas companies to further reduce the risks and costs associated with the production of hydrocarbons.”