Europe

Optime Subsea has signed a long-term framework agreement with Wintershall Dea for use of the company’s remote controlled subsea well completion and intervention systems.

Under the agreement, Wintershall Dea will rent three Remoted Operated Controls System (ROCS) including its universal landing string system (panpipe), and two wireless electric subsea control and intervention systems (eSCILS) from Optime Subsea. The latter will also provide technical service personnel to support Wintershall Dea’s operations.

Jan-Fredrik Carlsen, CEO of Optime Subsea, commented, “This contract manifests our position as the leading global supplier of remote-controlled well completion and intervention systems. Our solutions are tailored to simplify subsea, entailing less equipment offshore, lower weight, less logistics, lower HSE risk, lower emissions and lower costs. We look forward to supporting Wintershall Dea in achieving this.”

The ROCS is a fully battery-powered and umbilical-less system for well completion operations, eliminating the need for the costly and heavy umbilical’s which normally run from topside to seabed, as well as the need for a hydraulic unit. In total, this avoids the mobilisation of approximately 50 tonnes of topside equipment. The eSCILS is also a battery-powered and umbilical-less device, used for subsea well interventions and workover operations. eSCILS is lowered to the seabed next to the well and can connected to any type of subsea tree, requiring only a computer for a topside control system, rather than additional rig equipment, and can be mobilised and demobilised in one day. As a result, operations can be done significantly safer, faster and more cost-effective than conventional solutions.

The agreement is valid for a firm period of three years plus two additional two-year options. If both option periods are exercised, Optime Subsea estimated that the contract could generate total revenues of around NOK500mn.

Rovco has successfully completed a contract awarded by Well-Safe Solutions to support its plug and abandonment and decommissioning operations in the southern North Sea.

Rovco provided Well-Safe Solutions with field survey operations, to ensure the safe and efficient decommissioning of a platform which ceased production in 2015. Last year, Well-Safe Solutions signed an agreement with Ithaca Energy to plug and abandon six wells on the platform and work will continue to be carried out by the company this year.

The project utilised the VOS Star, on charter from Vroon, equipped as standard with Seaeye Leopard work-class ROVs, fitted with multi-beam echo sounders, the highest quality 4K stereo cameras, manipulators, recovery basket and photogrammetry technology to carry out specialist hydrographic surveys and underwater asset inspections.

As part of the project, the company supported the client with debris survey and clearance solutions in water depths of 20 to 30 metres, as well as habitat characterisation surveys to mitigate risk and eliminate uncertainty about seabed conditions prior to the client deploying a jack-up vessel at the site.

Using its innovative SubSLAM X2 technology, Rovco also performed jacket inspection operations, providing the client with highly detailed 3D models of the platform footings to precisely identify any scouring across the structure.

Powered by sister company Vaarst, SubSLAM X2 produces 3D reconstructions of underwater assets in real-time, from which users can take measurements with sub-millimetric accuracy. Mounted on an ROV, travelling dynamically at general visual inspection speed, SubSLAM’s ability to zoom in, rotate and fly means that it can provide full coverage of a structure from all angles, as well as the seabed and surrounding environment.

Simon Miller, Chief Revenue Officer at Rovco, commented, “Being awarded a second contract with Well-Safe Solutions underlines their confidence in Rovco’s proven track-record.

“Accurate data sets from subsea surveys and inspections is key to the safety and efficiency of their operations and they know they can rely on our people and our technology to provide the highest quality data in real-time.”

“We’re pleased to be able to play a continuing role in decommissioning and the energy transition in the North Sea, supporting Well-Safe Solutions in its quest to safely and cost-efficiently plug and abandon wells in the Southern North Sea.”

This is the second contract that Rovco has secured with Well-Safe Solutions, having previously performed survey work on an abandoned subsea wellhead in UK waters in 2021.

The OWI EU 2023 conference is just around the corner, coming to Abderdeen from April 25-26, and looks to be back bigger and better than ever in order to capitalise on the breadth of opportunities being presented by companies across the entire well lifecycle.

Building on the success of last year’s first face-to-face format after the pandemic, Offshore Network’s flagship conference has undergone a complete revamp to maximise its offerings to its clients in order to promote the most valuable elements OWI EU has to show.

One of the biggest changes to the conference this year is that of the technology showcase hall, where the largest expo in the event’s history will be held, doubling in size to allow the most diverse technologies and services on the market to be demonstrated. This makes way for exhibitors such as Helix, TechnipFMC and Welltec to have the opportunity to showcase their innovations to regional, major and independent European operators.

Another key highlight at OWI EU 2023 is the new ‘Consult an Operator’ feature, where organisations can hear about a current challenge Shell and BP are facing, and then have the chance to book a closed-door appointment with the operators to pitch a solution. As well as there, there are ample opportunities for networking across the 10 sessions which are incorporated into the agenda, especially as 35% of the registered delegates are major, independent or national operators. These session also include a dedicated drinks reception, courtesy of IWCF and in celebration of Offshore Network’s 10^th birthday party.

With this year’s tagline ‘Evolving the industry: Unlock the value of your well stock by utilising revolutionary production enhancement, well integrity and P&A tech in line with regulatory guidance and current market dynamics to exceed goals’ ­– OWI EU 2023 is set on aiding the necessary steps forward into implementing a more efficient and sustainable roadmap for transformation within the industry.

For more information and session details, the full brochure can be downloaded here. Any questions regarding the conference please reach out to Isobel Singh at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Well-Safe Solutions has signed a multi-year framework agreement with Apache Corporation (now a subsidiary of APA Corporation) to decommission wells in the North Sea, as part of the company’s Plug and Abandonment Club offering.

The deal will provide Apache with access to the specialist decommissioning assets Well-Safe Defender and Well-Safe Guardia to complete the P&A work on its well stock.

Chris Hay, Director of Strategy and Business Development, Well-Safe Solutions, said, “We are ready to assist Apache with its well decommissioning requirements, affording it the flexibility to book its wells into our campaigns when required.

“Our multi-well, multi-operator P&A Clubs give our clients cost certainty and leverage the cumulative experience gained by our specialist decommissioning teams on both assets across hundreds of wells to date.”

Separate from the frame agreement, Apache has secured a slot for Well-Safe Solutions to plug and abandon subsea wells in the UK Continental Shelf. This work is expected to begin in 2024 as part of a continuous campaign, enabling Well-Safe Solutions to maximise schedule flexibility and improve efficiencies for the member companies within the campaign.

The P&A Club’s focus on operational and cost efficiency aligns with the industry regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority’s, target to reduce the cost of decommissioning upstream oil and gas infrastructure in the UKCS by 35% by the end of 2022.

Europe’s largest provider of well integrity solutions, Unity, is developing a new additive manufactured lightweight gate which can be retrofitted to Christmas Tree gate valves to remediate seal integrity issues in low-pressure wells.

The gate has been designed as a solution for late life, depleted and shut-in offshore wells, where the tubing head pressure is too low to effectively seat the gate and seal the well. The patented design reduces the weight of the gate by around 60%, while retaining its intrinsic strength and would save operators around UK£250,000 per well by replacing a single surface component rather than the complete well control package.

The new technology is a result of a collaborative research and development project with Net Zero Technology Centre and Spirit Energy.

Technical Sales Director at Unity, Stuart Slater, explained, “The use of metal additive manufacturing means that we can offer attractive cost-savings and efficiencies to the industry, reducing raw materials, waste and operator investment in stock holding. The delivery of single items is fast and more energy efficient than traditional forgings, with an impressive 90% average reduction in lead times.

“But the real saving in this case is achieved by approaching the problem from a different angle, so rather than replacing the whole surface well control package we can quickly replace just a single small component, which offers huge cost and efficiency benefits.”

According to the most recent ‘Wells Insight Report’ from the UK’s North Sea Transition Authority, the current active UKCS well stock comprises of 2,629 wellbores, 1,661 of which are producing, while the number of shut-in wells rose by 65 to 781 in 2021. Shut-in well stock is now at a historical high, with 30% of all wells being shut in as significant intervention on infrastructure is cited as one of the top three limiting factors.

Unity’s technology is entering the latter stages of development as prototype testing has already been completed on a 2-1/16” gate, with a 5-1/8” gate now in manufacture to qualify the product for commercialisation.

Data and subsea service provider, Reach Subsea ASA, has secured a decommissioning contract for work in the North Sea.

The contract represents about 40 project days for execution in Q1 2023, and will see the utilisation of the Olympic Delta vessel. Reach Subsea have an existing cooperation with Olympic Subsea for the vessel, and both parties have agreed to extend their collaboration for the entirety of 2023.

“The market activity is high, and we are pleased to see that we are able to secure contracts across a range of segments. Continuing the good cooperation with Olympic both on ROV services and joint marketing of vessels, shows that our common service offering has been well perceived by clients,” said Jostein Alendal, CEO of Reach Subsea.

The extended collaboration comprises an additional 150 days of frim work for the two ROVs currently mobilised on the vessel. Reach Subsea is contracted to provide this service to Olympic for the charter duration to a tier 1 oil and gas contractor.

DOF Subsea has been awarded an Engineering, Preparatory works, Removal, Transportation, Recycling and Disposal (EPRD) contract by Norwegian energy giant Equinor Energy AS.

The contract is in relation to the Heimdal subsea decommissioning works and includes the recovery and disposal of approximately 2,000 tons of subsea equipment. The offshore work is scheduled in two main campaigns across three DOF vessels between 2024 and 2028, with project management and engineering work to start immediately. The preliminary work will be delivered by DOF’s expert cessation team based in Bergen, Norway.

Mons S. Aase, Group CEO, DOF, said, “I’m pleased that we are once again trusted to deliver a complex subsea project for Equinor. I look forward to completing the project successfully and safely.”

Heimdal is the Equinor-operated field in the North Sea, which has been operational since 1985. The contract states DOF Subsea are responsible for the removal, dismantling and recycling of the main platform topsides and jacket.

Aker Solutions can now offer operators a Second Life Report on the raw materials a platform contributes to the circular economy as part of its decommissioning offering in light of the fact that 99% of a drilling platform can be recycled.

The report spotlights the quantity of materials yielded in decommissioning work, and for topsides with heavy lift records, that leads to a lot of valuable raw materials. Maintaining more sustainable economic activity relies heavily on reusing as many materials as possible, as far less energy is used in the recovery of recycled materials than in the production of newer ones. Steel recovered offshore has many unique qualities and uses that can be capitalised on.

However, the process of rendering these huge structures into salvageable materials can be a brutal endeavour. For example, on its final journey, the drilling platform used in the Norwegian Valhall oil and gas field was carried on the Pioneering Spirit heavy lift vessel only to be left at the Aker Solution’s Stord yard in May 2022 as large machines waited to demolish it. The 6,700 ton platform was first stripped of all hazardous materials and electrical waste before it was levelled by explosives. This process, however, speeds up the demo and makes it safer by bringing down heavy structures to ground level, avoiding the need to work from height.

The original Valhall installations have produced over one billion barrels of oil equivalent since the field entered production in 1982, with two platforms having been recycled at the Stord yard, and a third will be decommissioned later this year. While the original structures will continue on as raw materials, Aker Solutions has aided Aker BP in extending the life of the remaining Valhall centre for an extra 40 years.

Aker Solutions has already accumulated a pipeline of orders for structural teardowns in the North Sea, and already have some 40,000 tons of recovered hulks awaiting dismantling and recycling at the Stord’s yard.