Companies in the news

Maersk Supply Service has been awarded a second contract with Maersk Oil UK for the Leadon subsea structure decommissioning in fall 2017, which will be 120 mi off the Shetland Islands. Project planning for the Leadon decommissioning is already in progress. Up to five Maersk Supply Service vessels are expected to be utilized, and project completion is projected for December 2017. 

Eni SpA has agreed to sell a 30% interest in the Shourouk concession, offshore Egypt, to Rosneft. Through its subsidiary, IEOC, Eni holds a 90% stake in the block, after selling a 10% interest to BP in November. As part of the $1.125-billion agreement—which also includes the pro quota reimbursement of past expenditures, equaling an approximate $450 million—Rosneft has an option to acquire an additional 5% stake under the same contract terms.

Qatar Petroleum is combining operating companies RasGas and Qatargas. Integration of the two entities’ activities will allow it to expand in terms of size, services and operating capabilities. Operating under the name Qatargas, the company will manage all of Qatar’s LNG projects. Completion of the integration process is expected within 12 months.

AGR has secured a two-year extension to a frame agreement to supply personnel services to Engie E&P Norge. Under the agreement, AGR will continue to deliver technical manpower to Engie E&P projects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. These projects will include onshore, as well as offshore engineering positions.

Parker Bestobell Marine has secured its largest order, to date. The nine-vessel order, worth $5 million, was awarded by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in South Korea. The vessels are part of a series of 15 LNG carriers intended for Yamal gas field in Siberia. Parker Bestobell already has procured orders for the other six vessels. According to the company, each of the 15 icebreaker vessels has a capacity of 170,000 m³.

Tenaris has opened a new service center in Midland, Texas, establishing a stronger presence in the Permian basin. A $36-million investment project, the service center will manage the storage, inspection, rig preparation and delivery of oil country tubular goods, accessories, sucker rods and, eventually, coiled tubing. According to Tenaris, the investment has been an integral part of the deployment of the company’s newest business model, Rig Direct.

Churchill Drilling Tools has opened a bespoke tooling and service workshop in Abu Dhabi, UAE, strengthening its position in the Middle East. The facility is situated in ICAD III, Mussafah, and it covers more than 11,000 ft² of floor space, with an additional 2,000 ft² of office space. The workshop opening follows the launch of a base in Dubai at the beginning of 2016.

Global Marine Systems Limited has secured a contract with Tampnet, which is designed to further develop inter-oilfield communication networks in the North Sea. The contract will see work begin in 2018, by one of the company’s main installation vessels. The project will center around the installation of a platform-to-platform fibre optic cable, which will involve the laying and burial of approximately 75 km of fibre optic cable, from an existing Branching Unit (BU) to the platform. Additionally, a cable end module and an additional three BUs will be installed at designated locations along the route.

Ophir Holdings & Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ophir Energy, has signed a shareholders’ agreement with OneLNG, a JV between subsidiaries of Golar LNG and Schlumberger. The agreement will establish a joint operating company (JOC) that will work to develop the Fortuna project in Block R, offshore Equatorial Guinea. The JOC will carry out the financing, construction, development and operation of the integrated Fortuna project. OneLNG and Ophir will have 66.2% and 33.8% ownership of the JOC, respectively.

GustoMSC has announced details of its newest drillship design. The Scylax was designed specifically to make developments available in the mid- to deepwater market, while significantly reducing building and operating costs. According to the company, the drillship provides fit-for-purpose capabilities that focus on the necessary functions for deepwater drilling. Its compact design was constructed on a single derrick or drilling mast setup, with offline stand building, dual BOPs, up to 10,000-ft water depth competence, as well as sufficiently sized mud systems.

WellDog has partnerewd with Wyoming’s Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute (EORI)—an organization financially supported by the Wyoming State Legislature to work with state oil producers, in an effort to increase production—to adapt its patented downhole Reservoir Raman system. The memorandum of understanding, signed by both parties, outlines a plan to establish an industry consortium, which will identify potential research sites and provide engineering support, as well as the necessary tools to develop criteria for application as a commercial service.

Sandvik has opened a new distribution center in Singapore, located strategically to meet the needs of its customers in the Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific regions. The distribution center is the third to be opened in Singapore, offering tube, strip, wire, welding products and heating systems, while the first two centers deliver mining and machining products. The newest facility features a sizable capacity and will house tubing products, such as seamless high temperature tubes, furnace tubes and stainless steel hollow bar.

Emerson Automation Solutions has entered an agreement to collaborate with Integrated Petroleum Resource and Economic Services (IPRES). Under the terms of the agreement, Emerson will sell IPRISK and IPRESOURCE—the company’s flagship solutions—to its customer base.  According to Emerson, both IPRES solutions are highly complementary to its Roxar reservoir management software portfolio. The solutions also can be combined with Roxar Big Loop, Emerson’s comprehensive economic management solution.

Wärtsilä Corp. has signed a manufacturing license agreement with Jiujiang Precision Measuring Technology Research Institute, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp. (CSSC). The agreement will see that CSSC has access to technology, as well as the rights to manufacture the Wärtsilä Aquarius Electro-Chlorination (EC) Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) under license for applications to CSSC customers. Likewise, Wärtsilä will be granted access to CSSC’s new manufacturing facility. While Wärtsilä owns the Aquarius EC technology and all associated rights, CSSC will manufacture the system for sale and installation with CSSC newbuild and retrofit projects. Through the agreement, which has a six-year initial term, both companies will cooperate in the delivery of the BWMS technology.