CGG has confirmed that its new Multi-Physics Business Line is now up and running within its Acquisition Division. The new Business Line combines all of CGG's Airborne capabilities with its GravMag Solutions business.

The Multi-Physics Business Line offers clients timely and cost-effective solutions encompassing gravity, magnetic, electromagnetic and radiometric surveys with the most comprehensive and advanced range of airborne fixed-wing and helicopter systems.

Multi-Physics is also able to leverage CGG's decades of expertise in applying these geophysical methods offshore with gravity and magnetic data acquisition from a broad range of marine platforms and onshore with particular specialization in near-surface Multi-Physics to enhance onshore seismic imaging.

The internationally renowned interpretation geoscientists working for this new Business Line integrate multi-physics data with geologic, seismic and well data to add insight to the natural resource evaluation process. They develop and commercialize specialized software to process, invert and interpret potential field and electromagnetic data which are then used to model a large variety of geologic environments. These capabilities extend to the delivery of specialized magnetic models for use in geo-steering by the drilling industry.

The Business Line's multi-client library of gravity and magnetic data also helps to further reduce exploration risk by contributing to an integrated understanding of basin architecture and hydrocarbon potential in most of the world's petroleum basins.

Benoit Ribadeau Dumas, Senior Executive Vice President, Acquisition, CGG, said: "Our creation of this new Multi-Physics Business Line was a logical next-step for CGG as a fully integrated geoscience leader specializing in a unique combination of geological and geophysical techniques. We believe it offers our petroleum, mining, land management and governmental clients a unique resource of capabilities, experience, knowledge, software and data library, all available from a single source."

Companies in the deepwater drilling market have lost more than half of their value over the last year; Transocean, Seadrill, ENSCO and Diamond are currently priced 56% lower on average compared to January 2014 in line with the decrease in oil prices. While these sharp falls in share prices reflect similar trends across the oil and gas industry, the number of active ultra-deep water rigs have remained high with 171 units contracted versus 175 units last January. Dayrates have also increased slightly from an average of $470,000 to $485,465, though this is largely a result of contracts signed before the fall in oil prices.

Concerns about drilling contractors' backlogs and their ability to put their most expensive assets to use are well founded with operators announcing decreases in capital expenditure. However, based on Douglas-Westwood's offshore drilling forecast, there are still plenty of wells to be drilled if the 2015 oil prices average between $50-70bbl. Total wells drilled could be expected to increase by 17% by 2020 with deepwater wells growing at 32%, despite the current price environment.

A fundamental issue is not only a lack of demand, but one of the industry's own making. The recent build cycle has resulted in a sharp growth in supply that will need time to be absorbed by expected long-term growth in demand. Like other subsectors of the offshore marine industry such as offshore vessels and production assets, supply not just demand will determine the future direction of the offshore drilling market.

Kian Zi Chew, Douglas-Westwood Singapore
+65 6635 2004 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.douglas-westwood.com

Cal Dive International, Inc. (OTCMRKTS: CDVI) is a marine contractor that provides manned diving, pipelay and pipe burial, platform installation and platform salvage services to a diverse customer base in the offshore oil and natural gas industry. CDI offers its customers services on an integrated basis for complex offshore projects. Its global footprint encompasses operations on the Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the North-eastern United States, Latin America, Southeast Asia, China, Australia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned a fleet of 29 vessels, including 19 surface and saturation diving support vessels, six pipelay/pipebury barges, one dedicated pipebury barge, one combination derrick/pipelay barge and two derrick barges. In June 2014, Cal Dive International Inc. sold its United States Gulf of Mexico shallow water surface diving fleet to privately held company.

The company's stock lost more than 90% of its value during 2014, and was priced at $0.07 on 31st Dec, 2014. The stock price drifted downward steadily for years due to a downturn in drilling activity following the Maconda disaster in the Gulf which left the company with underused capacity. Cal Dive International's stock was delisted from NYSE at the end of October 2014, then made a hit on OTCBB with high trading volume. The stock price had been highly volatile for the rest of 2014.

Since the beginning of 2015, Cal Dive International has been making a spectacular move up on accelerating volume. Also, short-term moving average crossed long-term moving average from the below on January 12th, which seems to indicate ascent in stock price in the near term. However sustainable share rally has be supported by fundamental improvements in the company and oil industry, which cannot be seen in the near future.

One of the firm's main catalyst for growth is the deregulation in the Mexico Gulf. Cal Dive International is in a prime position to take advantage of deregulation in the Mexican oil and gas market as they are already working for Pemex, the state-owned oil Company, which is set to be privatized as part of deregulation.

Cal Dive International estimates to have its Q4 2014 Earnings Release on the 2nd March, 2015.

For a more detailed research report with analyst comments and recommendations on CDVI please follow the link. There is no cost obligation to view the analyst brief:
http://bit.ly/-CDVI-AnalystReport

BG Group (LSE: BG.L), a world leader in exploration and LNG announced on December 30, 2014, that its partner Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras), as the operator of block BM-S-11 in the pre-salt Santos Basin, has submitted the Declarations of Commerciality (DoC) to the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) for three separate oil and gas accumulations in the Iara area, offshore Brazil. As part of the DoC, the consortium has suggested that the new fields be designated Berbigão, Sururu and Atapú West.

The Iara area is located approximately 250 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, in water depths of around 2 270 meters. All fields contain good quality oil, of approximately 24 to 30 degrees API.

Iara and Entorno de Iara areas in the Santos Basin, Brazil

The DoC submission follows an exploration and appraisal program which began in 2008 and consisted of acquiring 3D seismic data, drilling seven wells as well as performing an extended well test. The encouraging results from this program continue to reinforce BG Group's view of gross recoverable volumes in the BM-S-11 Iara area. The DoC notification to the ANP includes the operator's estimates of total recoverable volumes of the three accumulations.

These three accumulations extend outside the BM-S-11 Iara concession area and into the Entorno de Iara Transfer of Rights area which is 100% operated by Petrobras and will therefore be subject to unitization agreements. Unitization of the Entorno de Iara area will be required with Berbigão to the north and south, with Sururu to the north and south and with Atapú West to the east.

The regulation requires a development plan to be submitted within 180 days of the DoC. However, because of the need for unitization agreements to be negotiated, the ANP may amend this deadline and allow submission of a unitized area development plan when the unitization agreement is signed.

The initial development of the unitized accumulations is expected to be based on three FPSOs, adding to the 10 production units currently planned for the Lula and Iracema areas. Subject to a complementary campaign for data acquisition, additional production units could be contracted by the consortium.

Ahead of the submission of the Development Plans for ANP, the partners will be working on the deployment and allocation of the initial planned FPSOs as well as negotiating the required unitization agreements.

The total amount of resource that BG Group believes will ultimately be recovered is not expected to be affected.

The DoC is another major milestone in the first phase of development of BG Group's significant interests in the region, marking the start of the production period of the fields.

BG Group has a 25% interest in the BM-S-11 concession, offshore Brazil (Petrobras, operator 65%, Petrogal 10%).

To maintain the continuous availability of its wide range of built-for-stock vessels, Damen Shipyards Group is currently shipping a diverse cargo of 16 new pontoons and tugs, as well as numerous modular barges, from China to the Netherlands. The latest shipment displays the efficiency of Damen's global construction and transport network and represents a major cooperation between its various product divisions and numerous local partners in China.

To perform the shipment, Damen mobilised ZPMC's Zhen Hua 28. The 232-metre semi-submersible vessel left Nantong, China at the beginning of January and is due to arrive in Rotterdam at the beginning of March. The whole process exhibits the significant cooperation with Damen's local Chinese partners such as Yahua Shipyards, Damen Yichang Shipyard, Damen Changde Shipyard, SHBM and local Nantong and Taicing Authorities.

The cargo includes eleven Stan Pontoons® of six different models (SPo 9127, SPo 8916ICE, SPo 7120, SPo 6020, SPo 6316 and SPo 2116) and numerous modular barges. The fully ballastable Stan Pontoon® 9127 is worthy of particular consideration: also known as 'North Sea Barge', its large deck with high loading capacity and predesigned plug and play options make it perfectly suited for ocean going transport and offshore projects. Two examples of this benchmark pontoon will be available for purchase from March – illustrating Damen's successful formula of building for stock to ensure minimum delivery times.

As well as standardised built-for-stock models, the Zhen Hua 28 is also carrying a custom-built spill pontoon that will be delivered to its owner just a few months after ordering. Spill pontoons are utilised to prevent spillage of dry bulk products during transhipment by crane barge. Damen's Pontoons & Barges Division designed this so-called Spill Pontoon to specific customer demands in answer to stricter European port regulations.

Topping off the diverse shipment are several workboats – including Stan Tugs 1205, Stan Launches 1305 and two large Shoalbusters.

Damen is experiencing significant growth in sales of its pontoons and barges – the past few months have witnessed deliveries around the world to customers in five different continents. To meet the demand, there are two further shipments of more than 20 pontoons planned for later this year.

Constructed in accordance to Lloyd's Register regulations, Damen's pontoons and barges can be designed to client-specific demands such as customised crane barges and various hopper barges. All models are prepared for plug and play installation of options like pumps and generator sets and can be commissioned within a very short time.

With a considerable part of Damen's broad portfolio directly available from stock, clients can take advantage of the company's presence in the Middle East, West Africa and China. Final construction and outfitting can be performed in short time scales to guarantee ultra-short delivery times. Local construction is also possible in combination with Damen Technical Cooperation.

Eni was awarded on Tuesday, January 20, 2015, by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy two exploration licenses in the Barents sea and in the North Sea as part of the Norwegian Award in Pre-Defined Areas (APA) 2014. With these awards, Eni confirms its long-term strategy on the Norwegian continental shelf, in particular in the Barents Sea.

San Donato Milanese, 20 January 2015 - Eni was today awarded by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy two exploration licenses in the Barents sea and in the North Sea as part of the Norwegian Award in Pre-Defined Areas (APA) 2014.

Following the award, Eni is now operator of the area PL 806, in the Barents Sea, with a 40% stake, while E.ON E&P, Edison International and Petoro are partners with 20% respectively.
In the North Sea's area PL 044 C Eni is partner with a 13,12% stake, ConocoPhillips as operator with 41,88% stake, Statoil with 30% and Total with 15%.

With these awards, Eni confirms its long-term strategy on the Norwegian continental shelf, in particular in the Barents Sea.

Eni has been present in Norway since 1965 and is currently producing about 112,000 boe per day through its subsidiary Eni Norge.

AVEVA has announced the opening of its new office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The new office strengthens its presence in the Middle East and further enhances its growing global network. The office will offer sales and support for all of AVEVA's solutions and services, with particular focus on Owner Operators (OOs) and Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPCs) contractors in the very important oil & gas and power sectors.

'This strategic location in Saudi Arabia positions AVEVA to add even greater value to our growing client base in the Middle East', said Richard Longdon, CEO, AVEVA Group. 'The new office is another example of our continued investment to deliver local sales and support where our customers operate. We will be focused on helping our OO and EPC customers improve their businesses through predictable project delivery and reliable operations.'

'At AVEVA we recognise how important it is to provide service and support in local language and in accordance with local culture,' Helmut Schuller, Executive Vice President, Group Sales, AVEVA added. 'Saudi Arabia represents a key market. It has the world's largest crude oil production capacity and the plan to increase electricity generating capacity to 120 gigawatts (GW) by 2032. We will be on the ground to offer solutions that can be used across the project and asset life cycle, ensuring our customers can anticipate changing technology needs and business objectives.'

The first new-build semi-submersible drilling rig incorporating Wood Group Mustang Norway's (WGMN's) GG5000 floating hull design has been delivered to COSL Drilling Europe (CDE). The COSLProspector was designed to operate in water depths up to 1,500 metres (5,000 feet) and drill wells up to 7,600 metres (25,000 feet). The unit is planned for use on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

WGMN was responsible for the basic design and participated in the detailed design of the semi-submersible hull and main marine systems. The 50,000 man-hour project was engineered to Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) standards.

"The delivery of the rig as designed is the result of a highly successful collaboration among WGMN, CDE and Yantai CIMC Raffles Shipyard," explained Otto Søberg, president of WGMN. "We worked closely with CDE to ensure the design of the rig would meet its needs and objectives and with the shipyard to deliver the rig as planned, thereby avoiding costly construction modifications common to the industry."

Prior to designing the COSLProspector, WGMN performed the modification design and engineering for three CDE drilling rigs: COSLPioneer, COSLInnovator and COSLPromoter.
"The success of the COSLProspector project is due to hard work from all parties involved. COSL, the yard and WGMN worked closely together, resulting in a rig that I know will do an excellent job for COSL and our clients," said Jørgen Arnesen, CEO of CDE.

WGMN is currently providing engineering services for another semi-submersible to CDE's parent company, China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL). COSL chose WGMN's A5000 semi-submersible drilling rig design for its new-build HYSY982 rig, which is planned for operation in the South China Sea. WGMN's scope is the result of another successful basic design project and includes detailed design work for the hull, marine systems and the integration of the drilling equipment package.

EFC Group, a leading designer and manufacturer of instrumentation, monitoring, control and handling systems for the global oil and gas industry, has completed a £1.3million {$2.2million} contract to design and build a BOP and diverter control system for China based Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Offshore Co (DSIC Offshore).

The system is installed onboard DSIC's new build jack up drilling rig, JU2000E-13. DSIC is supplying the rig to drilling contractor Apexindo, where it will be known as 'Tasha'.

Bob Will, CEO at EFC Group, said: "This is a major contract for EFC, continuing our growth plan to become world class leader in control systems for both rig upgrades and new builds alike. It is also a significant project that's been supported by our manufacturing base in Forres which gives us the additional capacity required to undertake projects of this scale.

"EFC aims for this to be the start of a strong relationship with DSIC. In the new build market as a whole, we know there is a high demand on shipyards and their current vendors to delivery on time and on budget and we have invested in our facilities and resources to support this."

EFC's Surface BOP HPU can be supplied modular or as one integrated unit to fit rig requirements.

The BOP and diverter control system delivers a robust solution with central architecture on a fiber optic network. These systems are used to control the blowout preventer to seal, control and monitor the well and are critical for ensuring the safety of the crew, the rig, well integrity and the environment.

The EFC Group designed system provides full functionality from two or more locations, typically local hydraulic control, drillers' electric and toolpushers' electric remote panels. A solenoid valve enclosure is included to provide an interface from the electric signals from the remote panel and provide pneumatic or piloted hydraulic signals to the BOP control actuators. A hydraulic power unit can be included as part of system supply, or it can be limited to hydraulic control skid only.

Representatives from Apexindo visited EFC Group's base in Forres where the system was built during its Factory Acceptance Test (FAT).

Kenneth Gibbs and Jean Wojcik at Apexindo, said: "We are pleased that DSIC chose EFC Group to supply its BOP controls technology as part of the rig package. The high quality of the equipment used and the stringent safety levels that EFC Group works to were important factors for us."

EFC Group designs and manufactures BOP control systems for both surface and subsea stacks. BOP control projects can both update and convert controls systems, so they can be readily supported in the future as well as meet API 16D compliance. Surface BOP control systems can also be API 16D monogrammed.

Noble Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NBL) has announced that the Madison exploration well in the Gulf of Mexico reached the targeted Upper and Middle Miocene objectives and did not encounter commercial hydrocarbons. Drilled to a total depth of 16,859 feet on Mississippi Canyon 479, the well has been plugged and abandoned and the drilling rig has been released. Noble Energy operated the well with a 60 percent working interest and Stone Energy Offshore, LLC had the remaining 40 percent.

Noble Energy is a leading independent energy company engaged in worldwide oil and gas exploration and production. The Company has core operations onshore in the U.S., in the DJ Basin and Marcellus Shale, in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore Eastern Mediterranean, and offshore West Africa. Noble Energy is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is traded under the ticker symbol NBL. Further information is available at www.nobleenergyinc.com.

As of January 5, 2015, Imtech Marine has appointed Fergus Campbell as the new Director of Imtech Marine USA.

Fergus has worked for the Imtech Martine company previously (Radio Holland USA) from 2000 to 2010 as respectively Branch Manager Florida, National Service Manager and National Sales manager. Before Radio Holland, Fergus worked amongst others at Consilium Marine as sales and service manager and at Caledonian MacBrayne as superintendent. In 2010, he pursued his career as General Manager at C-MAR America Inc. in Houston, a leading global marine offshore and DP services provider. Fergus holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and amongst others studied at the Glasgow College of Nautical Studies.

André Meijer: "We are happy that Fergus returns to our company. With his wide knowledge and experience of our company, both in sales and service management as well as international business development, and adding to that his experience at C-MAR in the offshore segment, he is a welcome addition to our team. He will lead our US team in our drive to be the service provider of choice, specifically focusing on our service & maintenance, connectivity and nav/com business."

Fergus Campbell: "I am very excited to be a part of the Imtech Marine family again, and to be given this opportunity to lead the US organization at this pivotal time. Particularly, with the re-introduction of the Radio Holland brand into the market place. I have always had the greatest respect and admiration for the services that the RH organization provides to the shipping community, ever since experiencing such services during my time at sea, and having witnessed first-hand the dedication of my colleagues during my previous years within the organization. I am very fortunate to have a great team of engineers, support and administration staff in the US and I look forward to the continued success of our company in the future."

McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE: MDR) ("McDermott") has completed the installation of a 3,086-ton central processing platform ("CPP") topside using the tight-slot float-over method in the Kepodang gas field, Muriah Working Area, offshore Indonesia for PC Muriah Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PETRONAS. This brings the installation of all structures for the Kepodang project to a close.

McDermott commenced operations on this fast-track project, one month after the contract was awarded, in January 2013.

"The overall success of this project was made possible by the smart engineering of the float-over sequence to position the CPP topside next to an existing wellhead module already installed on the jacket at the installation site," said Hugh Cuthbertson, Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific. "Our global team of in-house engineering experts, high performance fabrication at our Batam, Indonesia yard and our strong supplier relationships in Indonesia were our key differentiators. We are also proud to be recognized by PETRONAS as "Best Contractor HSE Performer 2013" for our exemplary project safety record."

The project scope included procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of the CPP topside and jacket, a wellhead module, a wellhead platform and jacket, 1.7-mile-long 10-inch diameter infield flowline, and installation of remote control facilities at an onshore receiving facility. The total weight of overall facilities is close to 11,000 tons.

The Kepodang field is located approximately 112 miles northeast of Semarang, Central Java, in water depths of up to 230 feet, and is expected to supply gas to the Tambak Lorok power plant in Semarang, Central Java.

NYC-based PIRA Energy Group reports that federal activity to regulate fracking has picked up in December and so far in 2015. In the U.S., record weekly commercial stocks were reported. In Japan, crude runs eased and crude stocks built. Specifically, PIRA's analysis of the oil market fundamentals has revealed the following:

Fracking Policy Monitor
Though slowed by the desire to avoid contentious issues ahead of November elections, federal activity to regulate fracking has picked up in December and so far in 2015. The Obama Administration announced the next steps to implement its Methane Strategy, seeking to reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas sector by 40-45% from 2012 levels by 2025. On the state level, induced seismicity continues to be an emerging issue. Ballot measures in the November election seeking to ban fracking had mixed results across Ohio and California, but notably passed in Denton, Texas.

Record Weekly Commercial U.S. Stocks Reported
Total commercial stocks built last week to the highest weekly total ever reported. With a sharp decline in crude runs, crude stocks built, the four major refined products built, and all other oils drew. With a total commercial stock draw this week last year of 10.3 million barrels (-7.7 crude, +5.0 four major refined products, -7.6 all other oils), the year-over-year commercial stock excess ballooned out 20.5 million barrels to 112.6 million barrels, or 10.8%.

Japanese Crude Stocks Build, as Crude Runs Ease, while Finished Product Stocks Draw
Crude runs eased fractionally on the week and crude imports remained sufficiently high to build stocks. Finished product stocks drew, largely on lower naphtha and jet-kero stocks. Gasoline demand was modestly lower and stocks built slightly. There was a minor draw on gasoil stocks, as demand rebounded from low levels and incremental exports rose. Kerosene demand was higher and stocks resumed drawing. Indicative refining margins remain relatively strong.

A Snapshot of the Positions on NYMEX Crude Oil Options Provides Insight
A snapshot on NYMEX WTI option exposure provides insight as to market protection levels, time coverage, and market depth. The option open interest on WTI, traded on the NYMEX, as of January 13th was 1.81 million "call" contracts (the option to buy crude oil at a specific strike price), and 1.47 million put contracts covering delivery from February 2015 through December 2022. Some 92% of total put contracts outstanding are in 2015, while 2016 accounts for only 7%.This is consistent with hedging positions of shale crude producers.

Low Oil Prices Are Bringing Down Global Inflation, Creating Room for Policy Easing
Headline inflation rates have come down sharply in developed economies because of low oil prices. Emerging world inflation has also broadly decelerated. The global low-inflation environment has created room for policy easing in key economies, most notably in the euro area. But the expected announcement of quantitative easing by the European Central Bank next week has also created unanticipated volatility in the foreign exchange market this week.

Ethane Cracker Margins Suffer
Inexpensive propane prices relative to ethane continue to make C3 the most economical petrochemical cracker feedstock in the United States. At $0.43 per lb ethylene produced, C3 remains just over 10¢/lb better than ethane, per PIRA calculations. Butane's cracking margin, which was nearly equivalent with propane over the last few weeks, fell. Strong ethane prices relative to LPG, should they persist, complicate plans for the construction of at least six world scale ethane crackers on the USGC by 2020.

Ethanol Prices Decline Again
U.S. ethanol prices stumbled to a six-year low the week ending January 9, following petroleum values rather than corn costs. The weakest demand in about a year and the highest inventories in about 22 months also put downward pressure on prices.

Ethanol Stockpiles Jump to the Highest Level in Two Years
U.S. ethanol Inventories built by nearly 1.4 million barrel the week ending January 9, reaching 20.2 million barrels for the first time since February 2013. This was the largest week-on-week gain ever reported.

Fuel Price Subsidies: Crude Price Weakness Accelerating Moves to Market Pricing
Since PIRA's August 2014 update on fuel prices and subsidies, oil prices have collapsed, from an August average of $102/Bbl to below $50/Bbl. Several governments have taken advantage of the weak price environment and removed subsidies for major petroleum products, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and India. In most cases, the move away from a fixed (and previously subsidized) price coincided with a retail price cut, reducing the risk of political backlash. However, these policy changes will affect just 5% of global gasoline and diesel demand in 2015. Most oil importers now price major petroleum products at or near market levels, while the majority of subsidies remain in large oil-exporting countries, where price hikes do not appear imminent for political reasons.

The information above is part of PIRA Energy Group's weekly Energy Market Recap - which alerts readers to PIRA's current analysis of energy markets around the world as well as the key economic and political factors driving those markets.

Oceaneering International, Inc. (NYSE:OII) announced that it secured a contract in December 2014 from Hess Corporation (NYSE: HES) to supply the umbilicals and umbilical distribution hardware for the Stampede Project located in the Green Canyon area of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. This hardware will be used to transmit hydraulic control fluids, chemicals, and electrical power signals to operate and monitor subsea wells and manifolds.

The order is for electro-hydraulic, steel tube umbilicals totaling approximately 14.3 kilometers (8.9 miles) in length, umbilical termination assemblies, hydraulic and chemical distribution units, electrical distribution units, flying leads, and junction plates. Oceaneering plans to manufacture the umbilicals at its plant in Panama City, Florida and to manufacture the distribution hardware at its facilities in Houston, Texas. Umbilical production is expected to commence in the second quarter of this year, with delivery scheduled for mid-2016.

Subsea Services/Diving Support: Offshore Seen from Sea Depths

A module containing technicians, and you have to use an airlock to get out of it to work in a challenging environment: an orbiting space station? Not quite, although the living and working conditions are similar... The module is on the deck of the Bourbon Evolution 806, for a new diving support mission off the coast of Saudi Arabia.

Subsea construction and maintenance work on oil facilities can be performed by saturation divers working at depths of up to 200 m, operating from an IMR vessel.

The principle: divers are kept at a constant pressure equal to the pressure at the sea bottom (up to 20 bars), enabling them to live and work over a long period - up to 4 weeks in a row - without having to undergo a decompression period with each dive. 3 teams of divers work in shifts at the intervention site, which they get to using a pressurized capsule, or diving bell, that acts as an elevator between the sea bottom and the vessel.

Work at the bottom becomes almost continuous (3 x 6hr shifts) and there is only one single decompression phase at the end of these 4 weeks. This single decompression is longer than usual, since it takes nearly 3 days to bring divers back to atmospheric pressure. Among the missions performed:

Taking measurements prior to interventions,
Connecting pipes,
Cleaning, maintenance, or repair work.

Bourbon Evolution 800, The Safety Advantage
"Diving support differs from other missions because of the human stakes," says Jean-Charles Audouin, Subsea Project Manager. "Divers work under risky conditions, so we need to ensure maximum safety for them. In this context, class 3 dynamic positioning (DP 3) is one of our advantages." Indeed, the Bourbon Evolution 800 series is equipped with DP 3. This system, highly redundant, allows the vessel to maintain its position in the event of a failure, but also in case of a fire or a leak. It's an important guarantee of safety for all types of subsea operations, but even more so when divers' lives may depend on it.

In the worst-case scenario of an evacuation of the vessel, divers can take refuge in a pressurized capsule, called the HRC (Hyperbaric Rescue Craft), which is launched and recovered by a second vessel, the safety vessel, constantly holding in the area to take charge of it within 30 minutes. The capsule will then be brought back to land, to be depressurized safely. .

A Bustling Vessel
During the operation, which can spread out over a period of 2 to 6 months, the vessel becomes a beehive of activity. Nearly a hundred people are working on board. On its own, the station housing the divers is managed by three command posts: one for handling pressurization, another for handling the daily lives of divers, and one for subsea operations.

The 1,000 m2 deck of the Bourbon Evolution 800 is well suited to integrating these systems and makes it possible to maintain clear deck space for storing the parts to be installed. In addition to the diving system, the capsule, and the essential equipment for a subsea intervention, the vessel also houses an ROV on deck. The ROV ensures both the monitoring of the operation and provides assistance to divers during certain tasks. At these depths, nothing can be left to chance...

Quick, Efficient Installation
In the past few months, BOURBON has conducted several such operations in Malaysia, New Caledonia, and China, thus taking advantage of the versatility of its vessels. After the mission is accomplished, the diving system is dismantled and the vessel can be reconfigured for any other subsea operation.

In this market segment, efforts are now being focused on optimizing the mobilization time for the diving system. Halved over the last two operations managed by our vessels – 7 days instead of 15 – Studies are underway to move towards a system similar to plug & play, with a vessel mobilization time reduced to a few days

Oceaneering International, Inc. (NYSE: OII) announces that it has entered into a two-year, multi-service vessel charter agreement with Shell Offshore Inc. (Shell) for use of the Ocean Alliance in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) commencing January 1, 2015.

The Ocean Alliance is a state-of-the-art, U.S. flagged vessel built in 2010. It has an overall length of approximately 309 feet (94 meters), a Class 2 dynamic positioning system, accommodations for 69 personnel, a helideck, a 150-ton active heave compensated crane, and a working moonpool. The vessel is outfitted with two Oceaneering work class remotely operated vehicles and is equipped with a satellite communications system capable of transmitting streaming video for real-time work observation by shore personnel.

The vessel is expected to be used by Shell to perform subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) projects and hardware installations. IMR projects are anticipated to include a wide range of intervention tasks, including chemical well stimulation and hydrate remediation. Hardware installations are anticipated to include flowline jumpers, umbilicals, production trees, and flying leads.

Under separate installation and IMR frame agreements, Oceaneering may also provide project management, engineering, fabrication, and vessel equipment and service packages to Shell on an as-needed basis to support the Ocean Alliance's operations.

M. Kevin McEvoy, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are extremely pleased that Shell has committed to this term agreement with us to support their deepwater GOM operations. Shell is one of our largest customers for subsea services in this geographic area, where we expect good growth prospects for the next several years."