TechnipFMC and OneSubsea have, along with Aker Solutions, secured new subsea maintenance framework agreements from Statoil on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). The contracts have a total estimated value of more than NOK 8 billion (USD 960 mln) and a duration extending to 2023. In addition, the contracts include options for a total of 20 years. The estimated total value will be approximately NOK 40 billion (USD 4.8 bln), should all the options with the assumed scope of work be exercised, Statoil said. Aker Solutions informed recently that its scope of work is currently estimated at about NOK 3 billion (USD 360.6 mln) for the fixed period and will be booked in fourth-quarter orders. The n

Robotics In Maintenance Strategies BV (RIMS) have received a certificate as a ‘Recognized External Specialist’ from ABS and RINA, for the use of Remote Inspection Techniques (drones) during surveys of enclosed spaces. This follows the recent announcement that RIMS was the first company to receive an attestation from Bureau Veritas (BV) Marine & Offshore, as an approved service supplier. RIMS are a global provider of high tech, safe, autonomous and sustainable surveying and maintenance solutions. Their services aid the replacement of old, expensive, slower, high-risk and resource intensive maintenance activities, with new smarter drone and robotic technologies. The approval allows shipowners

The top priority for Bahco designers and production engineers is to ensure that any hand tool or equipment bearing the Bahco name, designed for working at height or in potentially explosive workplaces, is absolutely safe to use. “The safety of trade professionals who choose to use our tools will always be our top priority,” says Mark Haywood, who leads the Bahco team in the UK and Ireland. “We have pioneered the design and manufacture of ergonomic tools which not only make work safer and less demanding but also protect users’ hands from muscle strain or injury.” Bahco’s reputation for quality, spanning more than 135 years, has always been strongly linked with safety and a new Bahco Safety at

The Underwater Centre, a world leading provider of subsea testing and training, based on the tidal waters of Loch Linnhe in Fort William, has successfully supported the delivery of a complex Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) operational testing project in collaboration with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd (KHI). This significant 15-day operational trial was planned for almost two years and involved the use of workshops, vessels, deep water test sites, ROVs and specialist support staff, amongst other assets. With a focus on the growing demands for pipeline maintenance in the offshore oil and gas fields, Kawasaki has been developing cutting-edge component technologies of AUVs, utilising the s

Oil and gas and marine services company, OEM Group, is celebrating after winning a second accolade two years in a row at the prestigious WeDo Scotland Entrepreneur Awards held at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh. The company picked up the High Growth Award for showcasing growth across the business covering increased revenue, profit, staffing levels and geographical locations. Last year, Managing Director Barry Park won the WeDo Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. This followed on from picking up Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year at the Elevator Awards a few months prior. The WeDo Scotland Entrepreneur Awards is an annual celebration of outstanding enterprising success recognising the

The GWO Basic Technical Training Standard has been developed in response to the demand for basic technical training in the wind industry. Global Training Provider HTL Group, whom currently serve the industry with a portfolio of Wind Energy tailored courses, saw the GWO BTT Standard as a necessary and fitting addition to the range of courses delivered at their Northumberland training centre of excellence. Covering 3 modules, the standard consists of Hydraulic, Mechanical and Electrical elements, ensuring that this course is ideally suited to all Wind Turbine Technicians who are involved in the installation, service and maintenance of wind turbine generators and wind power plants. Bob Fogerty,

UK manufacturing is making a positive start to the final quarter despite rising price pressure, the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) showed. While the market is certainly busy at the moment, many manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the demand and there are well-documented worldwide delivery issues. Linked to low stock holdings, insufficient capacity at suppliers and shortages in raw material, the PMI shows that October was yet another month of lengthening vendor lead times. The rise of factory automation is certainly contributing to the increased demand for linear motion components. Responding to market demand, linear motion expert HepcoMotion has increased stock levels of the HLG re

Leading subsea IMR provider N-Sea has announced the launch of Magsense, a vertical gradiometer array specifically designed for highly accurate Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) campaigns. Developed in-house by N-Sea, the system has been designed to collect and record high resolution data in magnetically noisy subsea environments and hostile conditions, delivering unprecedented accuracy, greater efficiency and enhanced safety in the detection of UXO. N-Sea Chief Operating Officer, Roddy James said: “N-Sea holds an impressive track record of UXO campaigns, with proven experience in the investigation and mapping of potential targets." “Magsense has been developed using this knowledge and experience. Sp

Consolidated product platform offers technologically advanced solutions to expanding customer base. Probe Technologies Holdings, Inc. (“Probe”) announced it has completed a strategic merger with Hunter Well Science Ltd. (“Hunter”) that significantly expands its product offering to better serve its growing international customer base. By joining forces, Probe and Hunter plan to accelerate the commercial release of a combinable and technologically-advanced solutions platform that initially includes Reservoir Evaluation, Production Logging, Well Integrity and Petrophysics tools and services. “Short-term, the merger of Probe and Hunter will allow us to better serve our existing customers by expa

UK-based Rovco has successfully completed a subsea cable survey and inspection for the world’s largest and most technologically advanced offshore renewables test site, Wave Hub. The inspection programme included the first commercial trial of Rovco’s 3D visualisation technology to create scaled, high resolution models of subsea infrastructure with millimetre accuracy. Rovco also delivered a detailed bathymetric survey utilising a state-of-the-art multibeam echosounder (MBES), alongside an ROV video inspection with ultra-short baseline tracking for Wave Hub’s entire offshore cable network, off the coast of Saint Ives Bay, Cornwall. The 3D system, collects raw data which is then processed to ob

One of Teesside’s leading fabrication and engineering specialists - Francis Brown Limited - has successfully secured over £1m worth of business in only a matter of a few weeks to deliver a series of projects to leading global companies. Based in Stockton on Tees, the family run business has secured four new contracts over multiple sectors - including oil and gas, renewable energy and petrochemical - which are all scheduled to be completed by the end of the first quarter next year. The awarded contracts - with both new and existing clients – will see projects managed from concept right through to final assembly, installation and inspection. Speaking about the contract wins, Mark Roddy, Managi

The Oil and Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC) has today announced the signing of three new industry projects with emerging technology companies, Resolute Energy Solutions, Oilfield Innovations Limited, and Trevelyan Trading Limited. Upon signing the 50th project, OGIC has once again reached its project target ahead of schedule, and is now set to exceed this milestone with new projects currently in discussion. OGIC’s total investment in collaborative work with oil and gas companies and academic expertise in Scottish universities now stands at £1.9m in funding. Additional private sector funding across these 50 projects brings the total projects value to £4.7m – almost doubling the total projects va

BRINGING A NEW VISION TO THE REFINERY Sonomatic, a global market leader in the provision of advanced and conventional NDT inspection and engineering services, recently won the NDT and Rope Access contract for Petroineos Manufacturing Limited. The contract is for two years with the potential for a one-year extension. Sonomatic has been in operation for over 40 years and brings together extensive experience of Conventional NDT Inspection, Specialised Inspection and Rope Access Technicians along with industry leading Integrity Engineering capability. The term contract covers all conventional NDT methods, including Radiography, Ultrasonic Testing, Eddy Current, MPI, Dye Pen, Long Range Ultrasoni

UK engineering services firm RED Engineering sees ‘strong opportunities’ in the offshore oil and gas sector for firms with capacity to deliver innovative fast track projects. Despite the volatility of oil markets, continuing uncertainty over Brexit and pressure on costs, Business Development Director Toby Bailey predicts that demand for leading-edge subsea technologies will remain robust over the next 12 months. “As reserves become more difficult and costly to recover, the opportunity is there for those companies developing ‘innovative’ engineering solutions, which cut lead times on subsea developments." “We will see strong opportunities in areas such as subsea vehicles, pipe and cable lay s

Global oil and gas solutions provider Tendeka has appointed Brad Baker as its new Chief Executive Officer as the independent completions and production optimisation specialist gears up for further growth. Mr Baker joins Tendeka after a 27-year career with Baker Hughes, most recently as Vice President of Stimulation and Production Enhancement. He has held a number of global executive roles, where his responsibilities have included large legacy divisions and leading international operations, global product line management and engineering. He has worked across key oil and gas regions including the US, Latin America, Caribbean, the UK and Far East and has extensive technical experience in the co

Pupils from North-east schools have triumphed in this year’s STEM in the Pipeline competition, which tasked them with finding a solution to an oil and gas challenge. The Reservoir Dogs from Banchory Academy took first prize, Team Wanderer from St Margaret’s School for Girls in Aberdeen was awarded second prize and Rigged for Success from the Gordon Schools in Huntly took third at yesterday’s final at BP’s North Sea headquarters in Dyce. An additional prize for Project Management was awarded to Team Wanderer, the smallest team with just four participants, while Cheeriosity from Aboyne Academy was given the Innovation prize. Oil Be There For You from Kemnay Academy picked up two further prizes

Innovative cable sealing solutions designed by Roxtec have been used in the construction of Dana Petroleum’s new Western Isles floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which started production in the UK North Sea last month. Roxtec UK Managing Director Clive Sharp said enclosure seals are being used aboard the platform to allow cables to pass between separate areas, while protecting people and equipment. The firm’s cable sealing systems can also be found in the vessel’s hull area, living quarters and within power utility modules. Bulkhead seals and deck seals are being used topside to allow cables to pass between the FPSO’s sections safely and securely. “Roxtec seals are p

Hydrex recently carried out a repair to a crack in the port side grey water tank of a 145m chemical tanker. The damage was permanently repaired by Hydrex technicians, using an insert, during the vessel’s routine port call in Amsterdam. The Hydrex team of diver/technicians began by carrying out a comprehensive inspection of the damaged area, working both underwater and onboard. The crack was found to be 480mm long, and had split in two at the port side end. The proposed repair was discussed with the vessel’s superintendent and the attending class surveyor, the decision being to install an insert, 700mm long and 300mm wide. The engineers took measurements of the rounded hull shape using a spec

Oilfield Machinery Ltd (OilMac), based in Forfar, has invested a significant seven figure sum in the Port of Dundee, as it continues its commitment to the city. OilMac, renowned for buying and selling redundant and surplus equipment to maximise value recovery and reuse, has purchased a 1500-tonne crane to be utilised within its new heavy lift division - OM HEAVY LIFT. One of the largest capacity fixed cranes in Europe, it is capable of lifting up to 900 tonnes of the centre of a boat or barge. Located permanently on the new heavy lift pad, on the newly constructed quayside, the crane will significantly enhance the Port’s decommissioning capabilities and is a vital asset for future offshore w

Ashtead Technology and Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. have agreed to form a joint venture, creating the industry’s leading provider of subsea survey and ROV equipment rental and associated services. Forum will contribute its subsea rentals business, currently trading as Forum Subsea Rentals. The combined group, with a rental fleet of 19,000 assets valued in excess of USD 139 million will service all major subsea hubs from its bases in Aberdeen, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, London and Houston. The business, which will trade as Ashtead Technology, will provide an independent one-stop shop for customers’ equipment requirements. In addition to offering the largest equipment rental capability in the se