Maersk Drilling has been awarded contracts which will see the harsh environment jack-up rig Maersk Resolute, employed to plug and abandon (P&A) a total of 31 wells in the Dutch sector of the North Sea.
Maersk Resolute is a 350ft Gusto-engineered MSC CJ50 and a high-efficiency jack-up rig that was delivered in 2008, currently operating offshore the Netherlands.
The newly-awarded contracts, which are expected to commence in Q2 or Q3 of 2022, are in support of a rig sharing agreement between TotalEnergies EP Nederland BV and Petrogas E&P Netherlands BV. They are in direct continuation of the rig’s current contract, and will include the plugging and abandonment of 11 wells with TotalEnergies and 20 wells with Petrogas.
The estimated duration for the substantial campaign is 575 days, and the total firm contract value is approximately US$43mn, excluding potential performance bonuses. The contracts include options to add additional work scopes with a total estimated duration of 228 days.
COO Morten Kelstrup of Maersk Drilling, commented, “We’re pleased to secure this long-term commitment for Maersk Resolute to continue operating in the Netherlands. By deploying the rig for a combined 31-well campaign we will be able to ensure a consistent focus on efficiency improvements from well to well, while simultaneously operating with the respect for the continued sustainability of the marine environment that is a key component in successful plugging and abandonment operations.”
DOF Subsea has attained a 99% rate for the combined recycling and repurposing of recovered materials on its decommissioning project for Repsol Sinopec Resources UK.
The company provides engineering, preparation, removal and disposal (EPRD) services at the Buchan and Hannay fields in the Central North Sea.
The offshore works were carried out for over 74 days, using Skandi Acergy and Skandi Skansen, and saw the recovery of 135 concrete mattresses weighing approximately 800 tonnes, more than 12km of rigid pipelines, SSIV/PLEM Structures, 15.5km of flexibles and umbilicals, spoolpieces, and around 1,500 grout bags and general debris.
The material was shipped to Aberdeen Harbour’s Clipper Quay for dispersal, with the recovered material dispatched for a wide variety of uses. A total of 15 concrete mattresses were repurposed into aggregate for use in the roads at the £350mn Aberdeen Harbour extension project. The plastic sheaths from the flexible risers and umbilicals were recycled by an approved supplier and all metal was smelted.
This was the second decommissioning project carried out by DOF Subsea on behalf of Repsol Sinopec in the Buchan and Hannay fields. In 2019, they carried out EPRD services, including the 124 tonne Mid-Water Arch (MWA) – one of the largest structures ever decommissioned through Aberdeen Harbour.
DOF Subsea has built a decommissioning portfolio over the last decade, delivering more than 30 projects around the world for major operators.
IKM Testing UK, an independent integrated solutions provider, has been awarded a multi-year contract to deliver well integrity services across bp’s portfolio of North Sea assets.
The agreement – the first well services contract between the companies – comprises well integrity remediation services, which includes sustained casing pressure mitigation (SCP).
SCP is excessive pressure in any well annulus that requires regular bleed down and often can be managed during normal offshore operations, depending on the severity. It also requires remediation during P&A operations if not addressed during the normal well lifecycle.
This new contract looks to address the issue of SCP in a more permanent manner, reducing the requirement for continual management. Under the contract IKM will provide engineering, determination of applicable chemistry/methodology, and deployment of equipment and personnel offshore.
Work to remediate sustained casing pressure using a bespoke resin capable of being placed via gravity feed is expected to commence in 2022.
Mark Rasmusen, Director of International Division at IKM Testing commented, “This is an exciting award and provides the springboard for us to further grow and develop our well services offering.
“Sustained casing pressure can generally be managed offshore, however bp is looking for a solution that doesn’t require continual management by offshore personnel which not only reduces risk but also saves significant time and costs. We were selected as we provide an independent perspective and have the capabilities to carry out the full suite of engineering services from cradle to grave.
“We look forward to helping bp achieve its well integrity goals by determining and executing innovative and cutting-edge solutions.”
The contract also has future provision for supporting bp’s international assets with similar workscopes.
HydraWell, a well solutions provider based in Norway, has recently introduced its innovative downhole tooling solution ‘HydraTyphon’, to deliver improved reliability in difficult environments.
According to HydraWell, the solution combines the benefits of jet and cup-based washing and cementing systems, and has been designed to improve the efficiency of the downhole hydraulic activity over any other system available. The combined advantage of these two systems is said to reduce perforating and operating costs as well as minimise environmental impact.
Tom Leeson, Chief Commercial Officer at HydraWell said, "Our experienced team is focused on developing ingenious technologies to transform well operations around the world. We are always looking for ways to push the boundaries and HydraTyphon hits the mark for new advancements in downhole tooling techniques. HydraTyphon offers a wide range of benefits, not least providing our clients with the chance to reduce their environmental footprint whilst transforming their well operations.”
Back in 2008, HydraWell designed, developed, tested and patented a system portfolio for wellbore applications known industry-wide as Perforation, Wash and Cement (PWC). The company says its PWC technology has the potential to slash the operational sequence by up to six days when compared to the conventional section milling alternative. The increased efficiency benefits help to reduce environmental impact as well as the potential to reduce operating costs by up to millions of dollars in estimation.
HydraTyphon is an evolution of PWC delivering improved reliability for challenging well characteristics including high cement content in annuli, shallow barrier depth and large annuli.
Mark Sorheim, CEO at HydraWell commented, “We pride ourselves on being true innovators – our forward-thinking team continually develop our range of systems in response to bespoke customer requirements to support industry challenges. Furthermore, HydraWell regards sustainability as one of its top priorities as we strive for efficiency gains and proactively lower the risk of long-term environmental damage by exploring and developing solutions to support our clients’ environmental savings.”
Following the award of another major North Sea contract to Veolia and Peterson, Lerwick Harbour will be the location for the dismantling and recycling of a northern North Sea platform jacket.
This follows the winning of the contract to decommission the 14,500 tonne topside for the same platform, which will be the biggest to date at the port’s Dales Voe Base. This was recently completed on time with Veolia and Peterson achieving their target of more than 98% of materials recycled.
The latest project has been awarded by Allseas and is for the 83-metre steel jacket which weighs in at around 8,500 tonnes. This will also be delivered by Allseas Pioneering Spirit.
Preparations are now underway for the reception of the jacket. Similar to the topside, it will be removed in a single lift before being transferred ashore at the base via a barge. A heavy-duty purpose-built decommissioning pad will be used.
John Abraham, COO of Veolia UK & Ireland – Industrial, Water & Energy, commented, “Industry leading recycling involves innovation and scrupulous planning. With our major complex decommissioning projects, we have already shown that it is possible to achieve a 98% recycling rate for obsolete oil and gas structures, a key achievement as we look to preserve resources and drive our ecological transformation. Decommissioning is also very important from a carbon perspective as recycling a tonne of steel saves 1.5 tonnes of iron ore and reduces CO2 emissions by 80%, compared to metal production from raw materials."
James Johnson, Decommissioning Manager at Peterson, remarked, “We believe this award demonstrates the strong track record of Peterson and Veolia in handling all types of offshore decommissioning projects, as well as the excellent capability of the Dales Voe Base. It is also recognition of the excellent work undertaken in the decommissioning of the Ninian Northern topside, where an industry first approach to decommissioning an offshore asset proved very successful. We are very pleased that the award will also help secure a number of Peterson roles on Shetland on an ongoing basis.”
The jacket is expected to arrive in April 2022 with decommissioning taking around eight months to complete from this point.
Expro, a provider of energy services, has acquired 100% of Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) company, SolaSense Ltd.
Based in the UK, SolaSense’s well surveillance technology features portable processing software and an enhanced visualisation interface for delivering near-real-time analysis of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) / distributed temperature sensing (DTS) data at the well site. This allows well characteristics to be readily recognised and evaluated, avoiding the shut-in of wells for extended periods and minimising lost production.
This acquisition along with Expro’s 50 years of well intervention and integrity experience, will allow the company to meet industry demand to provide customers with a one-stop-shop service for the in-depth evaluation of the entire well and also the provision of any subsequent remediation solutions. Expro’s DFOS offering monitors dynamic behaviour in the well, providing a health check of the well and an accurate diagnosis of any well and reservoir issues.
Compared to traditional completion deployed applications of fibre optic technologies, DFOS can be deployed thru-tubing and used to analyse and evaluate well performance and integrity within hours of the completion of the survey providing greater insight into the dynamic behaviour of the well, to help customers make important time-sensitive decisions. Supported by DFOS, it can provide an enhanced cased hole offering integrated slickline mechanical services all within Expro.
Steve Russell, Expro’s Chief Technology Officer, commented, “We are committed to delivering cost-effective, innovative technologies and solutions, and best-in-class safety and service quality performance to our customers, all while advancing our commitment to creating a more sustainable business and lower carbon future.
“Access to representative well data is key for making informed well performance and integrity decisions. This acquisition allows us to build on our existing well intervention and integrity portfolio, leveraging the expertise from both companies to extend our customer’s wells’ lifespan, while reducing time and costs. Led by a highly skilled and dedicated team with extensive industry experience, we look forward to building on our digital solutions and welcoming the SolaSense team to the Expro family,” he added.
John Davies, SolaSense CEO, said, “The SolaSense ambition has always been to see distributed fibre optic logging being used widely as a simple and affordable means of well performance and well integrity monitoring. The integration of SolaSense’s technology and expertise into Expro’s existing global well intervention footprint will fast track the realisation of this ambition, and more importantly, add value for the end customers through the wider uptake of fiber-enabled slickline deployed DFOS surveys. The SolaSense team are very excited about this significant development and look forward to supporting Expro in the fast and efficient expansion of DFOS well logging.”
Unity, a provider of well integrity solutions, are supporting a North Sea well decommissioning programme for a major international operator, using its multifunctional Surface Intervention System (SIS).
The SIS has already completed intervention work on the first well, where it was deployed offline to set a shallow bridge plug in preparation for the removal of wellhead equipment. Unity’s standalone technology replaced the need for traditional intervention equipment. It delivered considerable savings to the operator in cost, time and efficiency, by working below deck while plug and abandonment (P&A) drilling operations were ongoing. Compared to traditional methods, the intervention was performed around 60% faster and delivered a cost and personnel package saving of 66%.
During the project, deck space and bed space were limited due to drilling operations, but Unity’s compact SIS technology, which requires just two technicians to operate, provided the ideal shallow intervention solution. The SIS was also said to be easy to accommodate on the platform below the drilling rig in a restricted well bay. The SIS and pressure control package were rigged-up below deck using a small A-frame crane provided by Unity. The plug was set first time and the equipment was rigged down within 24 hours.
Gary Smart, CEO at Unity said, “The SIS has great utility and has been by used several operators for milling, inspection, fracturing and P&A operations, enabling material savings against traditional shallow well intervention techniques. This technology will soon be joining our newly-announced Compact Shear Seal Valve technology, reducing the footprint and weight of the overall system even further.”
The SIS is the first multifunctional shallow well intervention system on the market and combines heavyweight capability within a compact and mobile package. The SIS has a powerful hydraulic motor, driving a push, pull and rotate function which can rival wireline or coiled tubing capability.
Unity has established an impressive well decommissioning project track record which currently extends to over 150 wells with another 230 in the pipeline over the next three years.
Spirit Energy Production UK Ltd. has awarded Heerema Marine Contractors a contract for removal and disposal services of the operator’s North Sea decommissioning portfolio.
The EPRD (engineering, preparations, removal, and disposal) contract includes both firm work and optional scope that can be called-off by the client. Heerema Marine Contractors will lead its part of the work out of its offices in Leiden (NL) and London (UK). Heerema will cooperate with DeepOcean, the subsea asset removal contractor, to deliver the safe and sustainable decommissioning of the platforms.
The firm scope involves the EPRD of the Audrey A, Audrey B and Ensign platforms, while the optional work includes an additional five platforms in the southern North Sea region of the UK and Dutch sectors.
Following a joint tender submitted in cooperation with DeepOcean Subsea Services Limited, both firms have secured contracts that will be executed under a tripartite collaboration agreement.
Heerema’s scope is to remove and recycle the platform topsides and substructures, while DeepOcean will be responsible for removing and recycling all subsea assets at the relevant fields. The combined weight of the firm scope topsides and jackets is around 7000 metric tons, and will be recycled in the UK. The platforms are located between 23-26 metres of water.
Heerema’s Decommissioning Director, Michel Hendriks, commented, “Decommissioning North Sea platforms is an important component within Heerema’s portfolio, and we are proud to be Spirit Energy’s chosen contractor for the topside and substructure scope. We are also looking forward to working alongside DeepOcean and their team to deliver the safe and sustainable removal of the Audrey A, Audrey B, and Ensign platforms.”
Legasea has successfully secured funding from Scottish Enterprise to develop their 'Shore to Store' service, while creating green jobs.
The project will reduce the carbon footprint of subsea decommissioning operations, by taking subsea equipment that is no longer required, and finding routes to refurbish, recertify, remanufacture and reuse, keeping as many components as possible in use, with a projected annual carbon saving of 10,000 tonnes CO2. Legasea plans to invest UK£1.3mn (US$1.7mn), during the three year project, supported by a UK£187,950 (US$247,516) grant, to be received following the creation of at least six new green jobs.
The project is the conclusion of several years of research and planning conducted by Legasea, involving engagement with a wide range of operators and service companies in the subsea sector, to develop a service which benefits the industry environmentally and economically. Since establishing the company in 2018, Legasea have also consulted with a range of government and industry stakeholders, to ensure that the service is closely aligned with decommissioning and environmental policy, and the company has been awarded a SEPA Waste Management Licence, which permits Legasea to accept range of material, defined as waste, from subsea decommissioning operations.
Legasea workshop
Lewis Sim, Managing Director at Legasea, said, “We are grateful to have received this support from Scottish Enterprise to grow our team and assist with launching the Shore to Store service for the subsea sector. The reception that we have received from across the industry, since establishing the company, has been incredible, and we look forward to continued growth whilst reducing the environmental impact of subsea decommissioning.”
Managing Director of Business Services and Advice at Scottish Enterprise, Jane Martin said, “The Green Jobs Call was established to enable companies like Legasea to create green jobs and support a sustainable Scottish economy. It is great to see this subsea specialist based in Aberdeenshire provide employment opportunities in the North-East of Scotland and highlights the vitality and talent in the area that is driving energy transition.
“Legasea’s shore to store service, with an annual forecast reduction of 10,000 tonnes of CO2 through the process of reusing and recycling components is great news for the environment and the economy. The project also highlights the innovation taking place across the energy industry to transition to a cleaner, greener economy as we drive towards net zero targets too,” Martin added.
The Net Zero Technology Centre has recently announced the launch of its 2022 Open Innovation Programme aimed at developing and deploying technologies to reduce offshore emissions, accelerate clean energy production, and enable the delivery of the UK’s net-zero ambitions.
The 2022 programme will feature two funding competitions, the first of which is opening in March, 2022 and the second scheduled for October later this year.
Businesses from across the globe can apply for a share of US$9.2mn available in the first competition, with a maximum of US$1.3mn to be awarded to each successful project.
The projects, in order to secure the funding, must support the transition towards net-zero with an obligation of trialling and deploying technology within the UK continental shelf. As well as funding, the projects will also gain access to data, facilities, and technical expertise from the industry. Seven technology focus areas have been identified for the first competition:
Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS)
Hydrogen and clean fuels
Renewables and energy storage
Zero emissions power
Venting and flaring
Integrity management
Late-life and decommissioning
Digital and data architecture, smart assets and field automation will be included in the technology focus areas within the second US$3.9 funding competition due for launch in October 2022.
Myrtle Dawes, Solution Centre Director, Net Zero Technology Centre commented, “Following COP26, it is clear that we need to urgently focus on accelerating the delivery of technologies that will secure our net-zero ambitions. Our updated funding model will allow us to concentrate on specific technology gaps to develop and commercialise the innovative technologies that are currently in the prototype and demonstration phase and ultimately drive the huge leaps in clean energy innovation that will deliver our 2050 emission reduction targets.”
Scottish Government Economy Secretary Kate Forbes on the competition, “Accelerating efforts to reach net-zero is a priority for this Scottish Government, which is providing US$118mn funding to the Net Zero Technology Centre through the Aberdeen City Region Deal.”
“This funding competition will help the energy sector develop and deploy the innovative technologies required to achieve a just transition for Scotland,” she added.
UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said, "The UK Government is investing US$118mn in the centre as part of our broader package of support for the North Sea transition, with a goal of helping the region's energy industry cut emissions by 50% by 2030. This will help bring prosperity and jobs to communities across the region by attracting investment in new facilities, skills and technologies."
Siem Offshore and Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc, have entered into an agreement for the well intervention Vessels Siem Helix 1 and Siem Helix 2 which replace the existing contracts.
The new firm period will be three years for Siem Helix 1 and 5 years for Siem Helix 2 with subsequent options for both vessels. Commencement will be in direct continuation of present contracts within the first quarter of 2022.
The two vessels are said to be purpose designed, advanced well intervention vessels capable of completing a wide range of subsea projects such as well intervention, decommissioning, top hole drilling, subsea installation work, offshore crane and ROV operations, offshore construction work and emergency response capabilities. Both vessels have a length of 158 metres, a beam of 31 metres and an accommodation capacity for 150 people. They can operate in up to 3,000 metres of water with transit speed in excess of 15 kn.
This extension has reconfirmed Siem Offshore’s important role within the well intervention segment, and the company stated that it is very pleased to see a key client such as Helix Energy Solutions extend their professional relationship.
Total contract backlog for SIOFF is now valued at US$440mn.
The Scottish Enterprise, Scotland's national economic development agency, has given UK£765,000 to Worley, a global provider of project and asset services in the energy, chemical and resources sectors, for full pre-production testing of its pseudo dry gas (PDG) liquid removal system.
Worley’s Enhanced Subsea Gas Tieback Project reduces operational CO2 emissions in gas fields by more than 90%, while increasing technical and commercial viability.
The technology removes the need for topsides and costly compression by reducing back pressure in the pipeline and the shape of the resistance curve. This reduces the associated high carbon emissions and allows for greater tie-back distances.
Andy McDonald, Head of Low Carbon Transition at Scottish Enterprise, commented, “As the energy industry strives towards sustainability, it’s important to support solutions that enable decarbonisation. The pseudo dry gas technology developed by the Worley team in Aberdeen and supported by Scottish Enterprise will contribute to lower carbon emissions across industrial processes.”
Worley’s pre-production testing will build upon the first prototype which was created and tested in 2020. The scope includes the fabrication of a large-scale unit, a magnetic drive subsea pump, and a supporting subsea control system. These are being tested as a system under pressures of more than 130 bar over the expected operational envelope, with a variety of hydrocarbon fluids.
Ahead of this project, Worley conducted several techno-economic concept field studies for various operators. These studies demonstrated the system’s improved recovery levels compared to competing technology, due to efficiency gains within a tie-back. The studies also showed that upstream CO2 emissions are reduced by the elimination of compression-based systems.
“Driving lower carbon technologies to help our customers is aligned with our purpose of delivering a more sustainable world,” said Andrew Berryman, Group President of Technology Solutions at Worley, “It’s significant that PDG has been identified by industry and government bodies as an enabler for emissions reduction and look forward to expanding its use in industry.”
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