McMurdo, the most trusted name in emergency readiness and response and part of Orolia Group, has announced a new family of EPIRBs that will accelerate the search and rescue process by combining multiple frequencies into a single EPIRB product.

The McMurdo SmartFind and Kannad SafePro EPIRBs will be the world’s first distress beacons that can support each of the four frequencies used in the search and rescue process: 406MHz and 121.5MHz for beacon transmission; GNSS for location positioning; and AIS for localized connectivity. This multiple-frequency capability will ensure faster detection, superior positioning accuracy, greater signal reliability and ultimately, accelerated rescue of people or vessels in distress.

“With this announcement, we continue our long tradition of market leadership and product innovation in the maritime industry,” said Justine Heeley of McMurdo UK. “From GMDSS shipsets to AIS man overboard devices to personal locator beacons, and now with these latest EPIRB advancements, we are dedicated to developing state-of-the-art technologies that keep people safe while navigating our world’s waterways,” she added.

Global and Local Technology Convergence – The majority of today’s EPIRBs use 406MHz and 121.5MHz frequencies via satellite communication to provide location and positioning data to global search and rescue personnel who may be several hundred miles away. The additional AIS channels on the new McMurdo SmartFind G8 AIS and Kannad SafePro AIS EPIRBs will send position signal information to standard AIS electronic equipment on nearby vessels for complementary, local tracking and rescue capabilities. This global and local rescue capability will result in quicker signal detection and faster response times.

Expanded Satellite Connectivity – McMurdo SmartFind and Kannad SafePro EPIRBs have a multiple GNSS satellite constellation receiver supporting Galileo (once the Galileo constellation is fully operational), GPS and GLONASS – from a single beacon. Advanced GNSS data processing results in faster detection of positioning coordinates and enhances the accuracy of the emergency location.

Part of a Cohesive Ecosystem – The McMurdo SmartFind and Kannad SafePro EPIRBs are part of McMurdo’s comprehensive search and rescue ecosystem. As the world’s only provider of an end-to-end search and rescue ecosystem – including distress beacons, satellite ground stations, mission control and rescue coordination systems and rescue response products – McMurdo uniquely builds, integrates and tests products as part of a live search and rescue system. This ensures greater cohesion between distress signal transmission and reception so that beacon owners can feel confident that their signals will get to search and rescue authorities quickly.

MEOSAR Compatibility – The McMurdo SmartFind and Kannad SafePro EPIRBs are designed to be fully compatible with MEOSAR, the next generation of the Cospas-Sarsat international search and rescue satellite system that has helped to save over 40,000 lives since 1982. MEOSAR will increase the speed and accuracy of beacon signal detection and location with new MEOSAR ground network infrastructure and additional MEOSAR satellites. When fully deployed, a MEOSAR-compatible beacon can be located with an accuracy of location within 100 meters (328 feet), 95 percent of the time – and within five minutes of distress signal activation, all without reliance on GNSS. McMurdo currently manufactures approximately 50 percent of the world’s MEOSAR infrastructure and is also leading the design of additional MEOSAR-capable beacons under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program’s HELIOS project.

“McMurdo’s new EPIRB announcement is a major step towards achieving a unified search and rescue vision,” said Bruce Reid, CEO of the International Maritime Rescue Federation. “The convergence of products and systems whether AIS and 406MHz or maritime domain awareness and search and rescue, respectively, will require a comprehensive understanding of the entire search and rescue ecosystem. I look forward to seeing more McMurdo solutions and innovations that will shape the search and rescue industry for years to come,” he added.

Aker Solutions is introducing a new executive management team as part of a broader reorganization aimed at further strengthening operational and financial performance and better meeting customer needs.

The new organization will have five delivery centers: Customer Management, Front End, Products, Projects and Services. This set-up will help drive further standardization and accelerate a companywide improvement program to boost cost-efficiency by at least 30 percent by the end of 2017. The new team will be operational from Nov. 1.

"We are taking this step to generate even greater synergies across the group and enhance our ability to create value for customers and shareholders," said Chief Executive Officer Luis Araujo. "The move will speed up our global improvement efforts by putting in place even leaner workflows, eliminating duplication and cultivating our strengths as a leading offshore oil-services provider."

As part of the plan, Dean Watson has been named chief operating officer. Watson joins from Schlumberger, where he has held various leadership positions, and will report to Araujo.

The other executive management team members were selected internally. Valborg Lundegaard, currently head of Engineering, will lead the customer management center. Svenn Ivar Fure will continue to lead the company's front end efforts. Egil Boyum, currently head of the subsea business in Europe and Africa, will lead the products center. Knut Sandvik will lead the projects center, moving from being head of Maintenance, Modifications and Operations. David Clark, currently regional head for Europe and Africa, will lead the services center.

Svein Stoknes will remain as chief financial officer and Mark Riding will continue as head of strategy. "The new set-up will facilitate a strategy to grow our services organization and pursue a more international business with a diverse customer base," said Araujo. "It will build on the consistently strong execution we're showing on major projects globally."

Current Head of Subsea Alan Brunnen and Head of Operational Improvement and Risk Management Tore Sjursen will remain at Aker Solutions through to the end of the year to maintain the good momentum and help in the transition to a new structure.

"I wish to thank both Tore and Alan for their strong dedication and valuable contribution over many years in the development of Aker Solutions," said Araujo. "I wish them every success."

The company will continue to report financial figures for the third quarter, fourth quarter and full year of 2016 based on the existing organizational structure.

Leading global deck machinery specialist, ACE Winches, has recently been awarded a spooling contract with Vard Group AS for Norway’s largest construction vessel. The scope of work includes the spooling of two 3,500 metre ROV umbilicals, the spooling of a crane boom wire and aux wire, including 3,900 metres of 135mm wire on to the vessel’s crane. The largest wire on this project weighs 360te, ACE Winches had to build a new upgraded spooling winch to accommodate the weight. The contract will see a dedicated team work on the project.

Alfie Cheyne, CEO, ACE Winches said: “This project is a huge achievement for ACE Winches and demonstrates our capacity to take on large scale contracts where we are given responsibility for the whole project.”

The project comes as ACE Winches announced the appointment of Andy Thom to its board as Chief Commercial Officer. Andy joins ACE Winches from Sea Trucks Group where he had held several senior management roles since 2008. Andy will be attending ONS 2016 along with Alfie Cheyne and the ACE Winches Norge team. ONS takes place from 29 August – 1 September.

Alfie continued: “We are thrilled to be welcoming Andy to the team. Andy’s experience and knowledge will be invaluable to the company and I look forward to working closely with him to steer the company through the current challenging market conditions.”

Add Energy, the international oil and gas upstream consultancy provider, has expanded its operations with the launch of a new advisory service, ADDvisor.

The bespoke service offers a team of Subject Matter Experts (SME's) with over 30 years experience who can provide specialized expertise within oil and gas, well construction and operations.

The unique business model of this service means that SME expertise is available to the industry on an 'as needed' basis, meaning that expertise and advice can be called upon as and when required. The SME services range from being a 'sparring partner' at the end of the phone, to delivering concrete assessments and advice as a report or in meeting attendance and facilitation/contribution.

Terje Løkke-Sørensen, Add Energy CTO commented: “We are thrilled to be launching this new service for both existing and prospective clients. Our company is proud to have a number of highly experienced and qualified industry professionals and technical authorities within our team whose expertise can be even better utilised through the ADDvisor service".

“In the current market, our clients are looking for the most cost effective solution to their problems. We saw a real demand for this service as companies continue to streamline operations, and our team of experienced ADDvisor’s are well suited to help."

Sparrows Group is set to further grow its presence in the Asian Pacific market following the formation of a partnership between Sparrows Offshore Services Pte Ltd and SapuraKencana Technology Sdn Bhd, the latter being a wholly-owned subsidiary of SapuraKencana Petroleum Berhad.

The partnership will see both entities collaborating in the provision of offshore and onshore crane services including manufacturing, supply, operations, maintenance and overhaul of offshore and onshore cranes for the oil and gas industry in Malaysia.

SapuraKencana’s fabrication yard at Lumut, Sparrows Group will collaborate with the firm across Malaysia.

Sparrows Group is currently working with a number of drilling firms in Malaysia but this new alliance will see the group’s activity with operators in the country grow significantly.

Stewart Mitchell, chief executive officer at Sparrows Group, said: “SapuraKencana Petroleum is a prominent and well respected company and this partnership is right in many regards for us. It brings together two companies that have a reputation for delivering quality to the energy sector and SapuraKencana’s commitment to excellence is in line with our own values.

“Our specialist capabilities will complement SapuraKencana Petroleum’s diverse range of service offerings and we are confident that their knowledge and experience will support us in further establishing our presence in the country.”

Vivek Arora, Senior Vice President of Business Acquisition of SapuraKencana Petroleum said: “The collaboration with Sparrows Group will expand our range of service offerings in operations and maintenance (O&M) services. We are confident that this partnership will enable sharing of knowledge and technologies in providing high quality solutions to our clients in the oil and gas industry.”

Decom North Sea has appointed Nigel Lees as the new Chairman of the Board.

As Vice President responsible for Decommissioning at Wood Group, Mr. Lees has amassed considerable experience in decommissioning, as well as an extensive industry network, and has been an active member on the Decom North Sea board of directors for the past five years.

Nigel Less, Decom North Sea new chairman

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Lees said: “As the spotlight intensifies on decommissioning and how the industry will prepare for the challenges ahead, this is an exciting time for me to take up the reins as Chairman. I believe that Decom North Sea has a crucial role to play in representing its membership as the recognised body for the decommissioning supply chain, working closely with our industry partners and government to ensure these challenges are met and opportunities realised in the most appropriate manner.

“I look forward to utilising my knowledge of the industry and working closely with the board to ensure that Decom North Sea continues to be at the forefront of the decommissioning agenda.”

Roger Esson, Decom North Sea Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to announce Nigel's election to the post of Chairman, as we have valued his input and commitment to the body over the last five years.

“This is a challenging time for the North Sea industry in general, with late life asset management and decommissioning increasingly appearing on the agenda. I have no doubt that Nigel’s significant experience and network will contribute to helping our members - and the wider industry - understand and prepare for what lies ahead.”

Mr. Lees’ election follows the decision of Callum Falconer to step down after two years, during which time he was instrumental to the development of the organisation.

Decom North Sea will once again be hosting its annual Offshore Decommissioning Conference on 14-16 November, in conjunction with Oil & Gas UK. One of the main focuses of the event will be late life planning and asset management, which has been recognised as a significant opportunity for the industry in the decommissioning process.

Ashtead Technology, a global leader in marine technology and subsea services has expanded its equipment rental pool following a significant investment in a state-of-the-art subsea navigation system which has been proven to deliver faster, more accurate results in the toughest environments.

The iXblue RAMSES is an acoustic synthetic baseline positioning tool with self-contained computing, for simple, efficient, real-time underwater navigation. Coupled with iXBlue inertial navigation system (INS), it delivers extreme precision in even the world’s most challenging seas.

It can be used to track the position of subsea structures without the need for multiple transponders or umbilicals, enabling immediate and simplified mobilization. Traditionally, achieving subsea accuracy required the deployment and calibration of subsurface equipment – an often lengthy and very costly process.

With the iXblue RAMSES system, an ROV can place a single beacon on the sea floor and achieve positioning precision, allowing for improved operational flexibility, significant cost savings, improved operational efficiency and higher levels of acoustic accuracy.

Allan Pirie, chief executive of Ashtead said: “Our existing pool of inertial navigation systems has proven to be extremely popular with our customers and we have enhanced our rental fleet to meet their growing demands.

“This investment underlines our commitment to the subsea market, by offering the latest, most efficient technologies available and will see our clients experience a more cost-effective, reliable solution for ROV and AUV navigation, offshore support, metrology, and demanding subsea applications across the UK and beyond.”

A leading provider of navigation, positioning, and mapping solutions for challenging operations at sea and on land, iXblue’s RAMSES offers a variety of new features, including a sparse-array positioning system and enhanced interoperability, making it more versatile, faster to deploy and easier to use – delivering tangible cost savings. The system can communicate with a range of third party transponders, allowing for deployment on existing sensor networks.

Brook Rodgers, iXblue’s Regional Sales Manager said: “We are pleased that Ashtead has added iXblue’s innovative, inertial-acoustic systems to its rental fleet. INS is being increasingly used in subsea operations to provide improved positioning data. The high level of accuracy and ease of operation of RAMSES makes it an ideal choice for a wide range of applications. We believe that our systems offer unrivalled performance and flexibility while maintaining the openness and ease of use which is vitally important to Ashtead and its customers.”

Sparrows Group and SPIE Oil & Gas Services have strengthened their existing service portfolios by signing a global agreement to work in collaboration to support the energy sector.

The deal will see the companies work together to initially deliver their collective service offering throughout Africa before they expand the scope of their collaboration globally.

SPIE Oil & Gas Services is one of the world’s leading technical services providers for the oil and gas industry; and is the general maintenance contractor for a number of offshore assets around the world.

Sparrows Group is the world’s market leading specialist in the area of cranes, lifting and mechanical handling, fluid power, and cable and pipe lay. The partnership will enable Sparrows Group to aid SPIE in delivering a comprehensive world-class service.

Stewart Mitchell, chief executive officer at Sparrows Group, said: “The synergy between our companies, which are both committed to excellence, will allow us to deliver an unrivalled technical competence in Africa. SPIE have an extensive footprint across Africa which will allow us to reach new customers who require the highest possible standards in crane operation and maintenance, lifting, mechanical handling, inspection, training, fluid power, and cable and pipe lay services.

“Our specialist expertise complements SPIE’s existing service portfolio and together we are confident that we can deliver seamless and cost effective services to our customers around the globe.”

Yves Compañy, managing director at SPIE Oil & Gas Services, said: “Our companies share the same performance, safety and responsibility values. Their expertise and delivery capabilities complement each other enabling us to propose unique packaged solutions to the oil and gas industry.

“Sparrows Group's internationally recognized expertise will bring a key added value to our SPIE Asset Support Solutions product line, and Global Maintenance Contracts. It will also enrich the extensive operator's local training programs we deliver.

“This strategic alliance will strongly benefit our customers willing to rely on a seamless local support with top international standards, to increase safety and integrity, extend lifetime and make the most out of their assets. Our matching geographical footprints mean we look forward to extending our services to a more global scale shortly."

Trelleborg's offshore operation in Norway is expanding its production capability with a new manufacturing line. The addition will complement its current range of thermal insulation materials by adding Fusion Bonded Epoxy (FBE) powder coating and polypropylene (PP) to its portfolio, solidifying the company’s leading position as a subsea system thermal insulation provider.

Hans Leo Hals, Managing Director of Trelleborg's offshore operation in Norway, says: "We are very excited to expand our offerings to our customers with additional materials and a wider product range. The new materials complement our current activities and ensures we continue to focus on our customers first, allowing us to offer the optimum solution based on customers’ project requirements, meeting their cost and performance needs."

In addition, to establish and operate the new production line initiative, Trelleborg will strengthen its team with two new hires. With a combined experience of over 40 years working with thermoplastics, Eirik Simonsen and Adam Jackson, will take on the roles of Thermal Insulation Business Group Director and Technical Manager.

Simonsen says: "I am delighted to work on establishing the new production line and look forward to introducing new materials to our customers. It is extremely important to meet customer needs and we believe we are now better equipped to do so.”

The new production line will be built at Trelleborg's facility based in Krokstadelva, Norway and is planned to initially occupy 1,000 square meters. The initiative will add FBE powder coating and PP material options to the facilities vast range of Vikotherm™ thermal insulation materials including rubber, silicone, glass syntactic polyurethane and solid polyurethane. The manufacturing line should be in production from quarter one of 2017.

CGG announced at ONS 2016 the launch of TopSeis™, the latest evolution in offshore broadband seismic, specifically designed to overcome the intrinsic lack of near offsets inherent in 3D towed-streamer seismic.

Exacerbated by the use of progressively wider spreads to meet the industry’s quest for greater efficiency, the lack of near offsets leads to an inability to image shallow geological features, such as faults, gas pockets, channels and stratigraphic pinch-outs, effectively. By overcoming this shortcoming, TopSeis enables exploration and development teams to make critical investment decisions on the basis of superior high-density broadband data delivered at a lower cost compared to other techniques, notably ocean bottom seismic.

TopSeis is the latest outcome of eight years of collaboration between Lundin Norway AS and CGG to develop innovative broadband solutions, including early benchmarking of CGG’s BroadSeis™ solution, to improve subsurface understanding and increase exploration success. Its dual-vessel acquisition design, which places CGG’s broadband source over a customized receiver spread, combined with proprietary imaging, is an industry first. Extensive field trials have shown TopSeis to be a highly-effective solution which delivers unsurpassed broadband imaging of shallow targets.

Turning the concept of shooting-over-the-spread acquisition into reality required a team of experts from multiple CGG business lines, including marine, multi-client, subsurface imaging and Sercel equipment.

TopSeis will play a key part in a forthcoming integrated geoscience study, including an extensive commercial survey CGG plans to acquire in the Barents Sea in 2017. This will offer other early adopters of this new technology the opportunity to benefit from the anticipated step-change in image quality for exploration and development in this region. TopSeis is also expected to have significant potential for applications in other areas offshore Norway as well as other parts of the world.

Halvor Jahre, Exploration Manager, Lundin Norway AS, said: “After successful close cooperation with CGG to develop, design and test the TopSeis acquisition concept, we view TopSeis as the next generation of broadband seismic acquisition. Results from a test offshore Gabon appear to confirm the data uplift indicated by modeling studies and we plan to move forward with full-scale TopSeis surveys on the Loppa High in the Barents Sea during 2017.”

Jean-Georges Malcor, CEO of CGG, said: “CGG has once again drawn on the multi-disciplinary expertise within its integrated geoscience offering to spearhead another step-change in seismic imaging to enhance subsurface knowledge. We are delighted to have had the opportunity to work so closely with Lundin on the development of TopSeis and look forward to seeing how this solution will open the door to a better understanding of shallow reservoirs to help oil and gas companies extract the full potential of these highly prospective fields in the Barents Sea and beyond. As we have seen with StagSeis™, the full-azimuth solution that we purpose-designed for subsalt imaging in the Gulf of Mexico, these made-to- measure approaches can prove very successful and reap dividends for the industry as a whole.”

Independent subsea remotely operated vehicle (ROV) service provider, ROVOP, is set to increase its Houston workforce as a result of further business growth including recent contract wins in the Gulf of Mexico region.

The growth follows the successful completion of a pipeline installation campaign in Mexico with Drebbel de Mexico, which has led to follow-on work.

The initial project with Drebbel involved the use of an ROV for concrete mattress installation for the first time in Mexican waters.

As a result of the successful project, ROVOP and Drebbel will work together again on another new scheme with a large multi-national service operator to provide ROV services for pre-lay survey, riser inspection and crossing fabrication with concrete mattresses.

Both projects build on ROVOP’s track record for delivering inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR), decommissioning and installation projects in the US Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico as well as West Africa and South East Asia over the last three years.

In support of these project wins, ROVOP - which currently employs around 135 people globally - continues to actively recruit for its full service Western Hemisphere base in Houston and anticipates increasing its workforce by up to 10% this year.

This latest success closely follows the firm’s recent announcement that it had secured more than $4million in contract wins spanning the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, West Africa and Europe.

President of ROVOP’s Houston operations, Wayne Betts, said: “We are particularly pleased with our performance in the initial contract with Drebbel because with safety being of paramount importance, precisely positioning the mattresses in zero visibility meant that we eliminated the risk to divers by deploying one of our high-performance ROVs and expert operators. We look forward to working together on future projects.

“ROVOP is bucking the trend in an industry by adjusting to the lower oil price and increasing focus on efficiencies to meet our customer’s needs. In Houston, we have seen a steady growth curve since inception and we expect that to continue for the rest of the year.”

ROVOP also supports industry education and collaboration in the US.

Betts said: “We supported the first Marine Technology Camp in Traverse City, Michigan, by sharing our knowledge with tomorrow’s industry pioneers. This proved an excellent platform for demonstrating how better collaboration, communication and education can support the younger generation and ultimately benefit the sector in the long-term.

“ROVOP also plans to further support education by making a solid contribution to industry events in and around our area and are committed to strengthening our position and contribution to the region.”

In Asia Pacific, DOF Subsea has secured several contracts and work under existing frame agreements, securing utilization of the vessels Skandi Singapore and Skandi Hercules.

Add Energy, the international oil and gas upstream consultancy provider, has doubled its workforce in Aberdeen and Houston to 55 personnel as a result of recent UK and abroad contract wins.

The contract wins, which include BP and two additional oil and gas operators and expansion into power generation, has allowed the company to secure the jobs for the next three years in its asset and integrity management division, despite the current low oil price environment.

Add Energy has recently seen an increase in business, acquiring a number of contracts for maintenance optimisation and cost saving solutions to support companies operating in the challenging environment.

Peter Adam, Executive Vice President, Add Energy commented: “We are thrilled to have increased the headcount in our Aberdeen office, especially at a time when many companies are looking to reduce personnel. We have endeavoured to recruit locally during the process to ensure opportunities for both the development and employment of graduate engineers in the city.”

“Recruiting locally also allowed us to attain the local expertise and build a pool of highly experienced principle engineers to consult for our clients and also mentor and coach younger engineers for the future.”

Add Energy plan to invest further into the local economy and secure work for another 10 personnel before the end of 2016 in order to continue the business, and service other clients and contracts.

Quest Offshore Resources, Inc. ("Quest Offshore") announces the sale of its data and subscriptions business to Verisk Analytics, Inc. (Nasdaq:VRSK), a leading data analytics provider.

"We welcome the addition of Quest Offshore's data and subscriptions business," said Scott Stephenson, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Verisk Analytics. "This follows our strategy to invest in businesses with unique data assets, deep domain expertise, and market-leading analysis."

The data and subscriptions business will become part of Wood Mackenzie, a Verisk Analytics business, and will complement Wood Mackenzie's existing upstream analysis expertise.

"Through this acquisition, our upstream oil and gas clients will be able to make better investment decisions through access to a unique understanding of availability, capability, and price in key offshore equipment and service markets," added Neal Anderson, president of Wood Mackenzie.

"The sale of Quest Offshore's data and subscriptions business to Wood Mackenzie, including the market sector specialist personnel who drive it, will enable our collective clients to receive an expanded service offering and added strategic value," added Paul Hillegeist, President of Quest Offshore.

Quest Offshore's Retained Business

Quest Offshore's dedicated focus on the energy markets will continue through its Consulting and Conference Divisions, both of which will be retained by Quest Offshore. The sale of the data and subscriptions business will allow Quest Offshore to better serve its Consulting and Conference clients and rapidly grow these enterprises.

Quest Consulting will continue its focus on strategy and management consulting across the full spectrum of the energy landscape, including expansion of Quest Offshore's strategic due diligence services related to mergers and acquisitions working with major financial clients globally, including a specialized focus on U.S. private equity. Quest Consulting also specializes in providing customized analysis to help businesses, government agencies and other groups make strategic data-driven decisions led from both qualitative and quantitative research. Quest Offshore's industry expertise and wide array of knowledgeable expert contacts across the supply chain will continue to serve as key assets to Quest Consulting. Quest Offshore will continue its client-driven consulting process to provide accurate and concise results in a tailored customer format.

Established in 2000, Quest Offshore's Conference Division has organized "Deepwater-Focused" events from 100 to 10,000 attendees, primarily in the United States, Europe and Brazil and will continue to strive to deliver the highest quality technical conferences and exhibitions in the Upstream sector. Quest Offshore's annual MCE Deepwater Development conference, first held in Amsterdam in 2003, returns to Amsterdam for its 15th anniversary, April 3 through 5, 2017, and is considered by many to be one of the world's premier Offshore conferences.

"The sale of the data and subscription business will allow us to focus more effort and resources into MCE Deepwater Development, as well as expand our network to serve future industry events," said John Chadderdon, CEO of Quest Offshore.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) has announced that it will donate $500,000 to the American Red Cross and the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank to support local flooding disaster relief assistance in Louisiana.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with our friends and neighbors in Louisiana who have been impacted by storms and severe flooding in the region," said Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation. “We hope that this donation will help provide some relief to Louisianans as recovery efforts begin."

ExxonMobil employs more than 5,500 employees and contractors in the Baton Rouge area where it has operated for more than 100 years. Baton Rouge employees spend more than 40,000 hours volunteering in the community each year supporting 168 local organizations. Annually, the company donates about $5 million to agencies and schools in the Baton Rouge area.

The Red Cross provides food, shelter, counseling and other assistance to the victims of disasters. The agency has supported more than 10,000 people at over 50 shelters during this response effort. The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank services an 11-parish service area, provides food to 130 agencies and distributed more than 8.7 million meals in 2015. The agency’s food warehouse was severely impacted from the flooding.

D3 Consulting, specialist decommissioning and demolition consultants, has been awarded a six figure contract with a major operator, following the successful completion of a decommissioning project with another operator.

The eight month contract started in April 2016 and involves the preparation of materials inventories for 21 platforms in the Southern North Sea, with eight associated subsea installations and pipelines. The work scope includes the quantification of assets with subsequent characterisation and classification of the waste and materials.

The contract win succeeds a successful three month project for a major operator which was completed in June 2016. D3 Consulting developed a waste and materials inventory as part of the planning phase for a decommissioning project in the North Sea.

Martin Bjerregaard, director of D3 Consulting, said: “The team at D3 Consulting has more than 20 years of decommissioning experience, and I’m delighted that our expertise was recognised by two major operators in the industry. Our pragmatic and streamlined approach ensures that we can support these operations with bespoke solutions to facilitate safe, regulatory compliant and cost effective decommissioning works.”

The company will utilise its unique Decommissioning Assurance through Waste kNowledge (DAWN) system - the world’s only information management system for preparing materials inventories and managing waste throughout the decommissioning process. Martin continued: “As market leaders in offshore decommissioning materials inventories, we are typically engaged at the front end planning and engineering phase of decommissioning operations.

“DAWN has been specifically developed for offshore decommissioning and allows regulatory compliance in waste and materials management to be a timely and simple process. Outputs from the system ensure that the right waste information is provided at the right time to the right people, and ultimately provides waste assurance support for the complete decommissioning cycle.”

D3 Consulting is a multi-disciplined consultancy which provides management services for projects within offshore and onshore decommissioning, including nuclear and oil and gas.