At the OWI Global Awards 2020, Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) claimed Best Example of Collaboration for the Subsea Well Response Project (SWRP) and so Genoa Black sat down with Andy Myers, SWIS Director at OSRL, to discuss the enterprise in more detail.
The SWRP was established in 2011 as a non-profit joint initiative between several major oil and gas corporations to improve the industry’s ability to respond to sub-sea well control incidents. The four objectives of the project were to; develop a capping toolbox to allow wells to be shut in; produce the Subsea Incident Response Toolkit (SIRT) for site survey, debris clearance, BOP intervention and subsea dispersant; collaborate on an international deployment mechanism so equipment could be readily available to the wider industry; and determine the feasibility of a global containment system.
Oil Spill Response Limited has collaborated with the SWRP since its conception and today offers subscribers access to equipment, planning support, exercise assistance and training services as well as facilitating the Global Subsea Response Network (GSRN) to enhance well response capabilities for the industry.
Behind the project's success:
Speculating why the project was chosen by the judges, Myers commented, “This award recognised delivery of SWIS equipment and quite rightly so. That was a huge milestone for the industry. But there is a journey that everyone is on in order to ensure that they are maintaining the response readiness. We are collaborating not only with those members and subscribers but also more widely with companies that we work closely with to help provide a comprehensive service for the subscribers.
“We helped to facilitate the Global Subsea Response Network and participants in that help to provide the comprehensive service. Some of the key participants are; Wild Well Control, the OEMs of the equipment such as Trendsetter Engineering and Oceaneering; and other companies such as Wood - all recognisable names. But we helped to facilitate access to all of those resources to ensure; a comprehensive integrated planning service; to be prepared; but also, in a response, the access to the resources that would be needed.
Why recognition was significant:
When asked what the recognition meant to OSRL, Myers said, “Collaboration is at the core of the company’s business. We are a member owned company and consortium. It really is part of our basis and part of our premise. We are not a traditional commercial organisation. It is good to be recognised as it re-iterates the purpose of our company and why we exist which is to help facilitate that collaboration and ensure everyone is ready to respond if required.
Lessons learned from 2020:
2020 has been difficult for everyone and has thrown up challenges that simply could not have been foreseen this time last year. Myers acknowledged a similar story within his company but preferred to look at the positives, noting that such times opens opportunities and there is now a chance to use the tools that have been developed to embark on a more positive approach moving forward.
Looking ahead to 2021:
A postiive outlook is at the heart of OSRL’s plan for 2021, and Myers concluded, “Into 2021 the key focus area for our subsea business is really related to the global subsea response network and we want to do more to formalise that. We want to do more work to promote it so the industry understands its capability and we hope to grow it in specific areas. We want to look at how that network delivers integrated planning services and a comprehensive response for the industry.”
As the oil and gas industry struggles to mitigate the economic damage caused by COVID-19, voices across the sector have suggested that increased collaboration will be vital for recovery in 2021. Receiving the OWI Award for Best Example of Collaboration has therefore come at a significant time, with the judges labelling the SWRP project as ‘huge for the industry’, and hopefully this will set a precedent that will lead to more cooperation in the future.
After claiming the prize for HSE Innovation at the OWI Global Awards 2020, Kristell Nygård, Operations Manager at TIOS, spoke with Genoa Black to discuss the resounding success of their Transfer Hose Hang Off Unit and their plans to build on this in 2021.
In combination with a Stimulation Vessel the Transfer Hose Hang Off Unit has proven to enhance safety, efficiency and operability during Riserless Light Well Intervention operations. Nygård noted how the new hanger system, in action this year, had eliminated a whole range of problems that were experienced on previous campaigns. These include; the use of crane operations (which required time); human presence on the hose hanger system (where previously engineers had to climb up the hanger system); and repeated connection and disconnecting of pumping lines (now just one connection is needed with testing only required each time the vessel arrives onto the site).
The system also allowed control of operation from a safe distance (with the option to use the control panel so people do not have to be close to the equipment); increased distance between the two vessels; and it also significantly extended the weather operating windows for operations resulting in a saving of approximately 18 hours per well.
On what separates the unit from the rest of the market, Nygård commented, “It is the manual handling that is reduced to a minimum. It is also a great wholesale unit that you can replace anywhere. As it has a small footprint, you can put it on a fixed platform on any vessel you like.”
Nygård also spoke on the importance of recognition, “It is good that all the teamwork we are doing is getting recognised as TIOS is a small company. We are trying to come up with new great ideas to make well intervention jobs more achievable in days instead of weeks. We like to do things faster, better and with increased operational ability.”
“We had a challenge when oil prices dropped. Well intervention is more about contract to contract, when the price goes down sometimes companies pull out of contracts and the jobs stop. It was a challenging year but we have achieved more and more,” Nygård added and thanked the continued support from companies within the sector.
Concluding, Nygård looked ahead to 2021, “We have now gone into business with the same oil company and the same equipment to perform one more acid job this year. We are going to stimulate two more wells for the same company. Also, this time we will be able to pump balls through the system for the first time enabling us to do more with the new hosing system. The same company would like us to perform more of the same job next year so actually this gives us more jobs. For the hose hanger system there are other companies who want to use it as well.”
The Transfer Hose Hang Off Unit was a worthy winner of the OWI 2020 HSE Innovation prize, marking a notable advancement in safety and operability for the industry, and it appears that TIOS has every intention to build on this success as it heads into 2021.
The Helix Intervention Tension Frame (ITF) was implemented after Helix Energy Solutions approached OSBIT with a well intervention problem; how to deploy tools safely from a vessel.
OSBIT responded with a tension frame that is constrained onto a vessel so that it slides only vertically with the craft allowing them to establish a walk-to-work system and allowing a relatively large ITF compared to the vessel. The ITF has three platform levels, is accessible via a telescopic gangway and removes the need for engineers to use rope access systems. This means that from a relatively small vessel, a suite of tools can be exchanged without having to come off the well in addition to the swift manoeuvring of personnel.
With the ITF, Helix vessels productivity is greatly enhanced, with crews able to quickly access the wells, use the tools they have, and move from well to well and tooling suite to tooling suite safely and effectively. This ensures that the right people are at the right equipment at the right time, and that maintenance can be carried out as swiftly as possible.
In use on Helix Siem vessels in Brazil the integrated system is field tested, with noticeable benefits such as reducing the time taken to switch between wireline and coil tubing operations (and back again) from days to just a few hours. It has also had a marked improvement on safety with the Siem Helix 2 recently completing 500 days without an LTI.
David Carr, Senior Vice-President of International Development at Helix Energy Solutions commented, “The three ITFs that were built for us by OSBIT have had an outsize effect on increasing the safety and efficiency of our most recent three vessels. Just being able to switch operational modes to go from wireline to coil tubing in a manner of hours is saving our customers significant rig time. More importantly they provide a safe compensated platform for our crews to work at height and because of that we have been able to completely eliminate man riding from these vessels. We are extremely happy with the safe working environment that the ITF brings to Helix.”
For the ITF project, OSBIT was shortlisted for Most Innovative Solution at the OWI Global Awards 2020, capping a positive year for the company despite the pandemic. At the start of the year, OSBIT was awarded a contract by FTAI Ocean, a subsidiary of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC, to develop and construct a new well intervention tower system and has also recently appointed Robbie Blakeman as joint managing director to reflect the ambitions of the company as it seeks to continue its success and growth into 2021.
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Gain insight into how to create a best practice Well Integrity Management System (WIMS)
By Simon Sparke – International Well Integrity
From a well integrity perspective, there have been several key and defining events have shaped the oil and gas industry in terms of how we construct wells and then monitor and test for operational reliability and regulatory compliance.
Perhaps one of the most significant components was the introduction of the ‘surface controlled sub-surface safety valve (SCSSSV)’.
The history behind this critical well component is very interesting and here is what I have found so far:
It is generally a requirement of many regulators that SCSSSV’s are fitted to wells in a wide range of locations and well types. However, due to the allowable leak rate criteria of 15 SCF/Min, some regulators and operators do NOT accept this piece of equipment as a barrier, though if used it will significantly reduce flow.
It has become part of the periodic testing requirement and for many years now the reliability has improved significantly. Broadly speaking, the valve is a flapper and not a ball valve and is run as an integral part of the completion (tubing retrievable) or they can be wireline retrievable.
While it is not my place to make recommendations about which type of valve to run, there are a range of reliability databases available that will help an Operator make that decision.
My recommendation is that when looking to identify which SCSSSSV to purchase and run, consider several factors -:
Finally, once purchased and before this tool is run, determine the hydraulic signature of the valve. This will provide invaluable support data when trying to diagnose problems.
If you’re intervening, generally something’s wrong and it’s only going to get worse unless you do something about it. Is there something in the very name and nature of well intervention that is undermining its true potential in the North Sea and the wider global market? Let’s explore why interventions typically take place, what is done and what could be done differently.
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