MacArtney Norge has a long standing relationship with ROV manufacturer SAAB Seaeye - and the two companies have worked together on numerous projects related to the production, maintenance and sale of the versatile Sea Owl 500 observation class ROV system. Now MacArtney and SAAB Seaeye have developed an upgraded XTi version which, while staying within the realm of the original and proven Sea Owl 500 design, features significant upgrades of all system facets.
The Sea Owl
The Sea Owl system was developed by SAAB in the early 90’s and has since proved itself as an extremely reliable and also a very popular ROV among its users. Applications include observation and inspection of subsea installations and light work tasks in challenging environments.
The primary market for the Sea Owl is firmly rooted on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and the XTi has been developed to meet the requirements of operators who perform subsea work on behalf of, for instance, Statoil. Among the new features, the XTi boast a 360 degree control programme (6 DOF), a 3000 metre depth rating and a 400 metre tether length on the top-hat TMS. In addition, the SAAB Seaeye ICON control system enables easy integration of sensors. Finally, tooling package application is made even more flexible and user-friendly.
To realise this exciting system upgrade, MacArtney Norge has worked closely with the MacArtney Group HQ in Denmark - to develop a complete launch and recovery system that meets customer demands for ‘No Manuel Handling’ and HSR requirements.
For more information on MacArtney launch and recovery systems visit www.macartney.com/systems/launch-and-recovery
The entire Sea Owl XTi solution is marketed by MacArtney Norge AS and is now available for delivery. Already, MacArtney is experiencing significant interest among existing as well as new customers.
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Knowledge Reservoir, a leading global energy consulting company, announces its acquisition by RPS Group plc (RPS).
RPS is a global, multi-disciplinary consultancy providing advice upon the exploration and production of oil and gas and other natural resources; and the development and management of the built and natural environment. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, RPS employs more than 5,000 people in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Africa, the Middle East Australia and Asia.
The acquisition of Knowledge Reservoir by RPS creates a substantially enlarged geoscience and engineering consulting group with global reach and one that is better equipped to meet the challenges posed by complex, multi-disciplinary projects. The new organization will be known as RPS Knowledge Reservoir.
Dr. Ivor Ellul and the Knowledge Reservoir management team, along with all current staff, will remain with the business which will continue to operate from its existing office locations.
.Offshore Installation Services (OIS), an Acteon company, has named Mike Earlam as president.
Based in the company’s Aberdeen office, Mike will be responsible for driving the development and growth of OIS and will play a key role in exploiting opportunities to work together with other Acteon companies.
Earlam has wide experience of the subsea market and joins OIS from his position as managing director with Fugro Salt Subsea. In that role, he was responsible for establishing and building the company’s subsea construction and trenching business in the North Sea and Europe. Previously, he was the global chartering manager for Subsea 7 and played a key role in developing the company’s fleet. His other career experience includes 10 years with ASCO running marine operations and logistics and managing a subsea construction contractor in Australia and the Far East.
“OIS has a very encouraging start to 2013 and is well-positioned to take advantage of the growing markets in the North Sea and further afield,” said Acteon Group vice president Neill Kelly. “The company is heading for a period where we anticipate significant opportunity and growth in the areas of offshore installation, inspection, repair and maintenance and suspended well abandonment. I am confident that Mike’s experience will be of great benefit to OIS.”
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Terry Loftis, a veteran of the industry and the Director of Engineering of Transocean, has been appointed as the new Chairman of DNV’s prestigious Rig Owners’ Committee. The members of the Rig Owners’ Committee represent owners and managers of Mobile Offshore Units (MOUs) and Floating Production Units. The objective of the committee is to provide an active forum for the industry to share and discuss current and future developments in technology, practices and support initiatives that will benefit the industry. The functions of the committee also include providing industry’s input to DNV’s current and future activities including DNV’s innovation programs, industry initiatives and rulemaking process.
While DNV updates the industry in the committees meetings held annually at Houston, Aberdeen and UAE on its activities, the committee typically offers feedback on the quality and scope of DNV’s services related to floating drilling and production units. Mr. Loftis, as Director of Engineering for Transocean, oversees the company’s engineering services and supports upgrade and major repair projects and new construction of ultra-modern high specification drilling units. Mr. Loftis has been actively engaged with Transocean’s engineering development efforts and newbuild design program for the past decade.
Mr. Loftis‘technical involvement with MODUs began as an independent consultant for Transocean in the design and construction of semi-submersible drilling rigs in the mid-80s and he joined Transocean in 1997. After being actively involved in the design and construction of several ultra deepwater drillships in Korea, he returned to Houston to lead the DP & Controls group within Transocean Engineering until he was appointed to the current position as Director of Engineering.
Mr. Loftis received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Houston and has continually enjoyed living and working within the Houston community. He remains active within the Marine Technology Society, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, and currently serves as vice-chairman for IADC’s Advanced Rig Technology Committee.
.Interest in Tritech’s industry-standard products has grown over recent years, prompting the company to hold live in-country product demonstrations.
Tritech is to showcase its anchor chain and riser monitoring system RAMS™ on Wednesday 8 May at LabOceano, COPPE, Rio de Janeiro. Subsea engineers, naval architects and subsea maintenance and inspection personnel as well as publishers and editors are encouraged to attend in order to gain first-hand experience of the real-time monitoring capabilities RAMS™ offers Floating Production, Storage and Offloading Unit (FPSO) assets.
The company is also pleased to announce its partnership with MACSea Ltda, who will provide support for future in-country deployments of Tritech’s RAMS™ systems.
Angus Lugsdin RAMS™ Business Development Manager, comments:
“This is a significant demonstration of Tritech’s FPSO monitoring system and comes at a time where there is notable shift change in industry requirements to have asset monitoring in place. Tritech is also committed to delivering localised support to our South American customers and our partnership with MACSea provides Tritech with a local presence in Macaé, to ensure our Brazilian customers receive the high levels of professional customer after sales support Tritech is renowned for.”
Antonio Silva, the Commercial Manager for MACSea Ltda, comments:
“We look forward to assisting Tritech with the demonstration of their proven RAMS™ technology and to supporting Brazilian customers with the deployment of this unique technology.”
Participants are invited to a presentation on the RAMS™ technology from 1130 to 1300 where a complimentary buffet lunch will be provided; the presentation will be followed by a live demonstration in the LabOceano test tank.
Places are strictly limited, to register to attend Tritech’s RAMS™ demo, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 1 May.
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Fugro GeoServices is pleased to announce several recent promotions within the company, including two key management appointments: Mr. Ted Hampton, president, and Mr. Adam Jackson, senior vice president.
Mr. Hampton is a licensed geologist and former vice president of the company. He replaces longtime leader Mr. Tom Hamilton, who will retire this spring after nearly 30 years of service with Fugro. Together, Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Hampton led the formation of Fugro GeoServices in 1999 to provide oil and gas clients in the Gulf of Mexico with high quality marine geophysical surveys. Under their leadership, the company has developed from a conventional survey company for the Gulf of Mexico to a high-tech survey organization with expanded reach into South America and Alaska markets.
Mr. Jackson also enjoys a long tenure with Fugro, having worked in field and management positions in the United States and abroad. For the past decade, he has served as business development manager for Fugro GeoServices, helping to win new projects and manage their successful completion. As senior vice president, Mr. Jackson will work closely with Mr. Hampton to support the company’s goals while having direct oversight of marketing and project management functions. Mr. Jackson works from the company’s Houston, Texas, office, which allows close contact with the company’s oil and gas clients.
In addition to the senior management appointments, the Lafayette office announces the following promotions:
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Comprehensive range of products and applications on display demonstrate expertise in offshore and marine technology
Thanks to its worldwide application expertise and comprehensive research and development activities, Bosch Rexroth offers components and system solutions for offshore support vessels, exploration and drilling, offshore wind installation and deep sea applications. Several of those technologies will be on display at the Offshore Technology Conference, May 6-9, in Houston, TX, booth #5447.
Topside Lifting System reduces cost, increases safety in decommissioning platforms
As the major engineering partner to the Allseas Group, Bosch Rexroth has developed and engineered the drive and control system solution for the world’s largest mobile lifting mechanism for offshore installations. The special vessel equipped with this topside lifting system (TLS), “Pieter Schelte,” can lift and transport topsides of offshore platforms with a weight of up to 48,000 tons in one piece.
To disassemble topsides of offshore platforms, workers used to have to manually disassemble the structure into transportable individual parts on the high seas – work that is both time consuming and hazardous. In the future, the new special vessel from the Allseas Group will completely lift the platforms from their steel “jacket” and transport them onto land, making disassembly considerably safer and more cost-effective.
Continuous jacking systems for increased productivity and safety
The market for wind energy puts challenging additional demands on traditional jacking systems for installation and maintenance vessels and platforms. Bosch Rexroth meets the latest demands with a new standard in jacking: the high performance continuous jacking system. Besides the increasing the load capacity, working at higher jacking speeds, and an advanced control system, specifically integrated features lead to more reliability, safer operations and a considerable reduction of required power. The jacking cylinders are equipped with CIMS (Cylinder Integrated Measuring System), which provides a most accurate signal required by the control system to evaluate the status of the system in relation to the precision, motion pattern and leveling of the vessel or platform. The cylinder rods are protected by a surface technology that is suitable for harsh environment conditions.
And a modern operator will benefit from a tight integration of the jacking system with the crane, mooring, handling and sea fastening systems. This integration adds to the redundancy and reliability of the vessel and to interesting cost savings. Secondary controlled drive systems for the vessel crane combine high performance with reduced power consumption, occupied space and weight.
Standard components adapted for deep-sea applications
Rexroth is the first to adapt numerous standard components to fit the special requirements for deep-sea applications such as pressure compensation and corrosion protection to provide equipment with a longer maintenance-free life span and optimal performance.
In order to test its designs, Rexroth developed a Subsea test power unit equipped with a water-proof motor/pump assembly that can drive an axial piston motor and hydraulic cylinders via an encapsulated valve control. The hydraulic system comes in a pressure-compensated design. Rexroth tested the equipment in a unique pressure chamber facility, was able to demonstrate suitability of its hydraulic components to a depth of 6,000 meters below sea level.
Enduroq 3200: Surface Technologies for Large Hydraulic Cylinders
Large hydraulic cylinders are used in many offshore applications, like riser tensioning, heave compensation, skidding, deck mating and jacking. The piston rod surface of these engineer-to-order products is one of the most essential parts of the hydraulic installation.
With more than 50 years of experience and service data feedback from the largest installed cylinder base in the world, Rexroth now offers Enduroq 3200 as an extension of its existing in-house technologies for piston rods of large hydraulic cylinders. These solutions include the existing Enduroq 3000, a single layer Ultimet based surface technology, and Enduroq 2000 and Enduroq 2200, both based on the proven HVOF technologies.
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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.
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