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Basslink Repair Relies on Calm Sea and Good Weather

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Basslink Repair Relies on Calm Sea and Good Weather

Basslink operator has informed that repair work on the cable continues to progress well, and that the interconnector remains on track to return to service in June as previously advised.

Basslink’s cable repair vessel recently underwent planned modification works in Geelong which is necessary for it to carry out the next phase of the repair operations, before returning to Bass Strait on Tuesday.

“While in Geelong, the team unloaded more than 84 tonnes of damaged cable, prepared the vessel to receive the 90 tonne cable reel, loaded additional cable and specialist equipment, and changed over some crew members,” said Basslink CEO Malcolm Eccles.

“The team is currently utilising remotely operated underwater vehicles to conduct a survey of the seabed where it is proposed to lay the cable bight.

“We will then commence work on the first of three joints that need to be completed as part of the repair. Each joint will require six days of clear weather to complete.”

Requires calm sea and good weather conditions

As the jointing works take place on the deck of the vessel and are highly susceptible to weather conditions, each joint will require a window of relatively calm sea conditions and clear weather for six continuous days to allow such works to be completed safely. Bad weather or rough sea state can damage the cable, result in abortive jointing works or pose unnecessary occupational, health and safety risks for the repair crew. The jointing works will see the three lengths of new cables joined to the existing cables and bundled together, before being laid on the seabed.

Once all three joints have been completed, Basslink will lay the cable back in the existing trench where possible, and natural seabed movement will bury the cable over the coming months. Where this is not possible, Basslink will use a jetting process to excavate the seabed under the cable, after which it will sink into the sediment.

After the first joint has been completed, the vessel will return to Geelong where it will load the remaining spare cable required to complete the repair. The vessel is then not anticipated to return to port until all jointing works are finished.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kuwait Oil Workers to Push Ahead With Strike, Reject Compromise

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Kuwait Oil Workers to Push Ahead With Strike, Reject Compromise

Kuwaiti oil workers will go ahead with a strike starting on Sunday, their union head said, rejecting an offer from the state oil company to suspend the implementation of public sector pay reforms. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and its subsidiaries agreed to temporarily freeze a planned government overhaul of the payroll system and seek a compromise through a joint committee with the workers union, said the spokesman for Kuwait’s oil sector, Sheikh Talal al-Khaled al-Sabah. The union head, Saif al-Qahtani, called that “playing with words.”

“The KPC statement is talking about ‘freezing’ the decisions, while our demand is to cancel them,” Qahtani, head of the Oil and Petrochemical Industries Workers Confederation, told Reuters. “The strike is still on and on time.” The union has not said how long the strike, involving thousands of workers at state-owned oil, gas and petrochemical companies, would last. Workers fear the payroll overhaul would reduce salaries and affect other benefits.

Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC), a subsidiary of KPC and one of five state-owned companies that would be affected, has said there is a contingency strategy to ensure production and exports would not be affected. KPC called on the unions to work with it to find a way out of the dispute, and warned that under Kuwaiti laws it was illegal to obstruct work in public facilities in areas such as oil, gas and petrochemicals.

“There is no doubt that the commotion contains a direct and major threat to the stability of the oil sector which represents the main economic artery for the country’s revenues and is the source of its wealth and prosperity,” the statement said. It said that anyone inciting a work stoppage risked “subjecting himself to legal questioning.” Other firms whose workers plan to join the strike include Kuwait Oil Company, Kuwait Oil Tanker Company, Equate Petrochemical Industries Company and Kuwait Gulf Oil Company.

Strikes are relatively common among public sector workers in Kuwait – one of the world’s richest countries per capita – compared to other Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates, where unions are banned. OPEC-member Kuwait pumps three million barrels of crude per day and has three refineries with a combined capacity of 930,000 bpd. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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DeepOcean Ghana Wins with Tullow

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DeepOcean Ghana Wins with Tullow

DeepOcean Ghana has been awarded a 3-year contract with options for two additional years, to provide a light construction vessel (LCV) to Tullow Ghana.

Namley, DeepOcean Ghana has mobilized the DP2 ROV/construction vessel Dina Star with two DeepOcean Ghana-owned 220HP Constructor ROV systems, which started offshore activities mid March 2016.

The scope of work includes inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR), surveys and subsea construction on the Tullow Ghana-operated deepwater Jubilee and TEN Fields offshore Ghana.

DeepOcean Ghana, in which DeepOcean holds a 49% shareholding, began its working relationship with Tullow Ghana in February 2015 when it mobilized the Rem Forza to undertake multipurpose construction activities on Jubilee. The Rem Forza has now been replaced by the Dina Star, allowing the Rem Forza to continue working with Tullow Ghana to provide accommodation and construction support on the TEN project from March 2016.

“We are very pleased that with this new contract we have the opportunity to increase the scope of work we are undertaking offshore Ghana for Tullow. Our commitment to local content which is in line with Tullow’s has been the key element of our work. We continue to demonstrate this through our use of local crew and incountry services, including Ghanaian ROV pilots and engineering support. Available competence in DeepOcean will be used to train and develop these local resources,”  said representative of DeepOcean Ghana.

 

PHOTO: Culzean WHP Jacket En Route to UK

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PHOTO: Culzean WHP Jacket En Route to UK

culzean maersk sail away

A 114 meters tall jacket, built for Mearsk Oil, has left Heerema’s Vlissingen yard, and it is heading to the Culzean field offshore UK.

Maersk Oil received an approval for the field development from the UK Oil & Gas Authority in August 2015.

The jacket is a part of a wellhead platform, which along with a central processing facility platform and a separate utilities and living quarter platform will be part of Culzean field.

The wellhead platform jacket is expected to reach its destination in 2-3 days, Maersk Oil informed through its social media.

At the end of March, the jacket was loaded onto a barge which is now transporting it to its location in the Central North Sea approximately 200 km east of Aberdeen in license block 22/25a.

The field reservoir is located around 4,300 m below sea level.

Subsea World News Staff; Photo: Maersk Oil

GE, SapuraKencana in Asia Pacific Well Intervention Alliance

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GE, SapuraKencana in Asia Pacific Well Intervention Alliance

GE Oil & Gas and SapuraKencana Well Services have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) announcing an Asia Pacific wide agreement to deliver cost effective light well intervention services.

The alliance should enable oil and gas operators to bring wells into production, deliver life-of field intervention services, as well as to suspend and abandon these wells later in their life without the need for mobile drilling units, the company explained.

“The generally prohibitive cost of performing interventions on subsea wells has meant that the volume of hydrocarbons extracted from offshore fields with subsea wells is typically far lower than offshore fields with platform wells,” said Nick Dunn, Global Leader, Subsea Services & Offshore at GE Oil & Gas.

“By combining regionally-based assets with local infrastructure and support, this strategic alliance will bring a cost-effective Light Well Intervention solution to the market and create immediate value for the Asia Pacific operator community. This alliance is an excellent example of the changing market trend where trusting relationships result in added value and cost savings for operators across the globe,” Dunn added.

The MoU signifies the formalization of the business relationship between the companies, which is already in operation with an initial focus on the Australian waters province.

“We are very excited to be working with GE Oil & Gas on light well intervention projects in this key growth region where we both have a strong history and presence. Both parties are committed to a long-term relationship where we collaborate with operators in region to fully understand their challenges and provide appropriate enabling intervention solutions,” said Vivek Arora, Senior Vice President of Engineering & Construction of SapuraKencana Petroleum.

 

Remora III ROV to Recover Another Towfish Lost in MH370 Search

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Remora III ROV to Recover Another Towfish Lost in MH370 Search

Dong Hai Jiu 101 departed for the MH370 search area on April 11, carrying Phoenix International’s Remora III remotely operated vehicle (ROV) which will be used in the recovery of the lost SLH‑ProSAS‑60 tow system.

Namely, on March 21, the failure of a tow cable connector resulted in the loss of the SLH‑ProSAS‑60 towfish and the attached depressor. Another towfish was lost earlier this year after it hit a mud volcano.

According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the two items were connected by 50 meters of synthetic tow rope. The torpedo-shaped depressor weighs up to 800 kilograms and acts to keep the slightly positively-buoyant towfish at the right depth as it is towed through the water.

Phoenix International’s Remora III remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) was flown in from the United States of America and mobilised on the Dong Hai Jiu 101. The Remora III has been used in other recovery operations, including Air France Flight 447. It has a maximum operating depth of 6,000 metres and is equipped with a sonar which will be used to detect the towfish and depressor. The ROV is also equipped with tools such as cutters, grabs and manipulators that will be used in the recovery of the missing equipment.

In addition to the ROV, a launch and recovery system was fitted to Dong Hai Jiu 101 and additional ROV specialists have joined the mission crew.

 

US Sets New Offshore Oil Safety Rules

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US Sets New Offshore Oil Safety Rules

The Obama administration on Thursday unveiled new oil well control rules to prevent the kind of blowout that happened six years ago on a BP Plc rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement announced the finalized regulations, which include more stringent design requirements and operational procedures for offshore U.S. oil and gas operations.

The new standards come nearly six years after a deadly explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the cost of Louisiana, which led to the worst oil spill of all time. The Macondo well blowout and the fire on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20, 2010, killed 11 workers. “The well control rule is a vital part of our extensive reform agenda to strengthen, update and modernize our offshore energy program using lessons learned from Deepwater Horizon,” said Interior Secretary Sally Jewell.

To improve the “culture of safety” on oil rigs and prevent future spills or blowouts, the new rule tightens requirements for blowout preventers, well design, well control casing, cementing and sub-sea containment. It also calls for real-time monitoring, third party reviews of equipment, regular inspections and safe drilling margin requirements.

“We listened extensively to industry and other stakeholders and heard their concerns loud and clear,” said Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Janice Schneider. “This rule includes both prescriptive and performance-based standards.” Ocean protection advocacy group Oceana said that since Congress did not enact legislation to improve offshore drilling safety, the new standards by the Interior Department were “a significant improvement over the status quo.”

Oceana Vice President Jacqueline Savitz said many measures in the final rule were standards already used by industry. The Interior Department bureau has reported that offshore drilling caused at least 1,066 injuries, 496 fires and explosions, 22 losses of well control, 11 big oil spills and 11 fatalities since the Deepwater Horizon accident. “The only way to truly ensure there will never be another disaster of the magnitude of Deepwater Horizon is to stop drilling offshore,” Savitz said. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Saipem Lands Trans Adriatic Pipeline Contract

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Saipem Lands Trans Adriatic Pipeline Contract

Saipem has been awarded a new contract regarding the offshore section of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline project.

The contract has been awarded by Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG, a joint venture between BP, SOCAR, Snam S.p.A., Fluxys, Enagás and Axpo.

The EPCI contract (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation) involves the installation of a gas pipeline between the coastlines of Albania and Italy, across the Adriatic Sea.

Specifically, the activities envisaged by the contract include marine surveys, the installation of a 36” 105 km offshore gas pipeline, the supply and installation of an offshore fiber optic cable, pre-commissioning activities and civil works at the landfalls in both Albania and Italy. The landfall in Italy will be located at San Foca in Puglia and will be carried out using micro-tunnelling technology.

Offshore installation works, which at their deepest point will reach 820 meters below sea level, will be carried out using Saipem’s semisubmersible pipelay vessel Castoro Sei and the trench/pipelay barge Castoro 10. Works will start in 2016.

 

EMGS to Cut 15% of Workforce

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EMGS to Cut 15% of Workforce

Norway’s Electromagnetic Geoservices (EMGS) will reduce its global headcount by about 15 per cent due to decline activity levels on the market.

The Oslo-listed company informed it will implement several structural changes to the organisation, including centralising and / or merging departments, in addition to other measures to reduce cost.

EMGS said it expects to book restructuring charges of approximately USD 0.7 million in the second quarter of 2016. The additional cost measures will be implemented immediately and yield effects gradually, and are expected to further reduce the annual cost base by approximately USD 10 million.

“Whilst the interest in our technology continues to be high, our customers are delaying, cancelling or reducing work scopes, resulting in a lower demand for our services. Therefore, we continue to focus on cost control and cash flow, and implement changes to increase the efficiency of the organisation,”says Christiaan Vermeijden, CEO of EMGS.

 

Kongsberg AUV Makes Unexpected Discovery in Loch Ness Survey

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Kongsberg AUV Makes Unexpected Discovery in Loch Ness Survey

Kongsberg Maritime’s UK division has uncovered the long lost model of Nessie which was used during filming of 1970’s “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes”.

The discovery was made during a survey of Loch Ness, led by Kongsberg Maritime Ltd and supported by The Loch Ness Project and VisitScotland.

Operation Groundtruth is the first survey of its kind in Scotland, making use of Kongsberg Maritime Ltd’s recently-launched MUNIN AUV. The underwater vehicle features sonar and camera equipment, which provide the ability to map areas up to a depth of 1,500 meters.

As Loch Ness has a reputation of being incredibly difficult to survey, the MUNIN AUV should help reveal brand new information regarding the Loch. Uncovering the 46 year old Nessie model was just the beginning.

Craig Wallace, senior subsea applications engineer at Kongsberg Maritime Ltd, said: “Kongsberg Maritime Ltd began surveying Loch Ness with some of the world’s first multibeam sonar back in 1987. Over the years, the company has returned many times, bringing the latest technology to uncover the Loch’s mysteries.

“We expect to uncover new information from the Loch during this survey, as MUNIN is the most advanced low logistics AUV on the market and is the first of the next generation AUVs from Kongsberg Maritime. Merging the cutting edge technology from the commercial sector whilst maintaining the robust reliability from the military market, the vehicle is providing insight to the Loch’s depths as never before imagined. Finding Nessie was, of course, an unexpected bonus.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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