The first 360° ROV to work in any orientation - even upside down - has been re-launched by Saab Seaeye. The Sea Owl concept, successfully introduced by Saab in the 1980s, has been completely re-engineered with new chassis, advanced technology content and increased work capability…
Eni Norge’s exploration well on the Bønna prospect was dry, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD). The wildcat well 7016/2-1 was the first drilled in production license 529 in the Barents Sea, about 185km southwest of the Snøhvit field and 160km northwest of Tromsø…
Two agreements announced today will see subsea services firm DeepOcean take on a newbuild installation vessel and Norwegian shipyard Kleven undertake its largest order to date. DeepOcean has agreed to a five and a half year charter, starting March 2016…
A consortium of companies, including Royal Dutch Shell plc, Petrobras, Total, CNPC and CNOOC, won today a 35-year production sharing contract to develop the giant Libra pre-salt oil discovery located in the Santos Basin, offshore Brazil. The Brazilian regulator…
Corrosion has long been the bane of the oil industry. Now new approaches and coatings are resolving the difficulties and providing intriguing possibilities for offshore pipelines, explains Tony Collins of EonCoat. In the oil and gas industry…
IHC Merwede has signed a contract for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) delivery of an active heave compensation (AHC) system. The system will be designed for use in deepwater subsea installation of heavy modules in dynamic sea states…
Subsea 7 has been awarded to new contracts for pipelay support vessels with Petrobras worth an estimated US$600 million. The contracts are for operation of the pipelay support vessels (PLSVs) Seven Mar and Seven Condor on a day rate basis for approximately three years…
IHC Engineering Business, part of IHC Merwede, is benefiting from a demand for greater capacity in the pipelay market. It is currently working on five orders from Seabras Sapura for 550-tonne capacity vertical flex lay systems (FLS) to…
A high level of investment creates an opportunity for new entrants into the pipelay vessel market, says Douglas Westwood’s Singapore-based analyst Thom Payne. About 32,000km of offshore pipelines are expected to be installed over the next five years…
Waterjet cutting went deepwater during the BP Macondo crisis. Now it is ready to go even deeper. By Elaine Maslin Ultra-high pressure (UHP) waterjet technology has been used since the mid- 1980s in the marine environment. Its use is well…
BP has selected a new head of exploration to replace Mike Daly, who is leaving BP at the end of 2013 after 28 years with the company. Richard Herbert returns to BP after serving as executive vice president at Talisman Energy since 2009…
Industry body Subsea UK is rebranding its flagship event for its tenth anniversary. The major exhibition and conference will now be known around the world as Subsea Expo and will stretch to three days as opposed to two in previous years. Subsea…
Growing numbers of subsea wells in increasingly deeper waters will continue to drive the market for well intervention capabilities. Infields’ James Hearn outlines the market. Depleting oil and gas reserves within established shallow water…
The US Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has clearly returned to the spotlight as one of the hottest offshore regions in the world. The impact of Macondo appears to be in the past and the number of both drilling rigs and major production projects are increasing…
Increasing construction and installation activity globally is driving a demand for fabrication and manufacturing capabilities. With its shipbuilding and petrochemical heritage, northeast England is rising to meet the challenge. From a cluster of towns centering on Newcastle…