Host of deepwater technical, operating issues tackled at MCEDD

The Marine Construction & Engineering (MCE) Deepwater Development conference and exhibition, a JV of World Oil and its parent, Gulf Energy Information, with Quest Offshore, was held in London at the beginning of this month. It featured an excellent technical program, as well as substantive panels of industry executives. If one could sum up the common threads of the presentations and comments on deepwater activity, the list would include a drive for yet more efficiencies in operations, along with an emphasis on collaboration, standardization and harnessing the digital transformation.

Operator and contractor executives noted that their push for further cost reductions and efficiencies is derived from a desire to remain competitive with the prolific onshore shale operations, principally in the U.S. They also are concerned about how to keep oil and gas “advantaged” vs. other energy forms, particularly renewables. And from a European point-of-view, there is a need to integrate climate concerns into E&P strategies, moving forward. Some of the major deepwater-oriented technical topics addressed included the use of flexibles and composites; better pipelaying productivity; subsea system reliability; improved and standardized drilling methods; technology qualification and assessment; and flow assurance.

Among the larger operators in attendance and/or presenting were BP, Total, Eni, Equinor, OMV and Shell. A wide swath of European and U.S. equipment/service and contractor companies participated, as well.

Due to the proximity of Parliament to MCEDD, the ongoing Brexit crisis was the subject of lunch and cocktail conversation, but it was not a significant presence during conference sessions. Most operators and their service/contractor partners are taking the situation in stride for now, believing that the upstream sector is more equipped to deal with major political and economic challenges than other local industries.