Latin America

To help TotalEnergies – an oil and gas company – with a deepwater plug and abandonment (P&A) challenge offshore in the Brazilian pre-salt, Welltec, an international provider of robotic well solutions for the oil and gas industry, designed and manufactured a unique solution utilising a 414 Well Cutter equipped with a new Tiger Claw cutting element.

The well had been designed without a completion disconnect device, adding difficulty to the overall series and increasing the timeframe, if additional intervention and fishing was required.

To maintain optimal efficiency, a tool capable of cutting beyond the outer diameter of the 6 5/8 inches super 13Cr tubing and through the control line flatpack (with two Incoloy tubes) would be required. Furthermore, it was crucial that this be achieved in a single run.

P&A is a necessary operation at the end of a well’s productive years. Efficiency is vital during preparation and execution phases in order for operators to minimise costs, especially given the asset will be decommissioned and no longer producing.

Prior to the operation, multiple tests were carried out at the headquarters and subsequently at a local base in Brazil. These were done to ensure that a clean cut could be achieved all the way through to the flatpack in scenarios involving different cutting locations, in consideration of margins of error, as well as levels of slack or tension on the flatpack which would affect the cut.

Test cut locations included just below the clamp (15 cm), within the tubing connection (to see if the additional material could be cut), and in the middle of two clamps where it was anticipated the control line may be too slack.

Despite successful test cuts just below the clamp, and within the tubing connection, the client opted for a middle of the tubing cut. A 414 Well Cutter was run in hole with specially designed Tiger Claw cutting element and activated six meters below the clamp.

As an additional precaution, a physical limitation was implemented to restrict the cutting range of the Tiger Claw to 8.2 inches, therefore de-risking the operation in terms of the 8.5 inches outer casing being compromised. The angled cutting arms were able to cut through the tubing and control line flatpack as predicted.

After pulling out of hole, the operator was able to pull the completion, seeing the control line flatpack shear six meters below the clamp. As a result of this operation, TotalEnergies was able to save time with tubing retrieval, avoiding the delays that would have followed a cut to only the tubing.

The newly designed Tiger Claw cutting element provided an increased cutting range in comparison to its predecessors, guaranteeing a continuation of cutting beyond the outer diameter of the tubing, and through the control line flatpack.

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. has been awarded a field decommissioning contract by Trident Energy do Brasil (Trident Energy).

The project, located offshore Brazil in the Pampo and Enchova Clusters in the Campos Basin, is expected to commence in late 2022 for a firm period of 12 months with options to extend.

Helix will provide a riser-based well intervention vessel (either the Siem Helix 1 or Siem Helix 2); a 10k Intervention Riser System; project management and engineering services; and, in conjunction with Helix’s Subsea Services Alliance partner Schlumberger, fully integrated plug and abandonment well services.

Trident Energy owns and operates four platforms in the Campos Basin, and its Brazil operations are part of a global organisation backed by Warburg Pincus with a stated focus on operating and redeveloping mid-life oil and gas assets.

Scotty Sparks, Helix’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, commented, “We are pleased that Helix has been awarded this major decommissioning contract. This is another step forward in the execution of our strategic objectives which include diversifying our client base in the region while continuing to provide best-in-class and global leading decommissioning services. We look forward to developing our relationship with Trident Energy.”

Daniel Stuart, Helix do Brasil’s Director of Operations, added, “Our rigless well intervention services offer a lower cost and lower greenhouse gas intensive solution for decommissioning offshore wells compared to rig alternatives. We believe that delivering this milestone field decommissioning project will support future growth in the region, and lead to additional opportunities.”

Baker Hughes has expanded its presence in Guyana by opening a new local supercentre facility for oilfield services and equipment.

Spanning more than eight acres, the supercentre will support regional customers and bolster Baker Hughes’ localisation efforts within South America.

In the country, the company currently provides drilling services, drill bits, and drilling and completion fluids to several drilling rigs, with its completions and wellbore intervention product line supporting all upper completions for development wells in Guyana.

Baker Hughes’ Turbomachinery & Process Solutions (TPS) and Upstream Chemicals businesses also provide technology and solutions to the second floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel in Guyana, known as Liza Unity as well as other projects in the region.

The supercentre has been built together with Baker Hughes’ existing completion warehouse and liquid mud and completion fluids plant, providing full support to customers in Guyana and Suriname. It represents a multimillion-dollar investment from Baker Hughes over 15 years and includes a workshop, warehouse, and laydown storage yard including maintenance facilities and equipment.

The facility is expected to employ more than 100 employees within five years, and the majority are expected to be Guyanese.

“This announcement significantly expands Baker Hughes’ ability to support Guyana’s energy goals and its leading oil and gas projects,” said Maria Claudia Borras, Executive Vice President for Oilfield Services at Baker Hughes, during the facility’s opening ceremony.

“Baker Hughes is well-known in the region for service and technical excellence, and our new Guyana supercentre will bolster our efforts to expand even further into the evolving market. We are proud to be here, and we look forward to this exciting next phase in our work.”

Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras has opened a public consultation to obtain information from suppliers on alternative technology for retrieving flexible pipelines in the Marlim field, off Brazil’s southeast coast.

According to the state-run oil firm, the service to be hired is particularly challenging because some of the pipes that lie 1,250m under water do not have the necessary structural strength to guarantee their retrieval.

That is, under the premise that the pipelines would not support their own weight under a catenary (curves forming a U shape) equivalent to or close to the water depth in which they are installed, they must be retrieved using a resource or tool that is submerged to the proper water depth.

The tool must avoid dredging the seabed and not come in contact with any equipment that may be installed there, remaining at a minimum distance of 30m from the seabed.

The recovery must be done by a reel system within the standard used by Petrobras in its operational bases. In addition, there is a need to use smaller vessels, such as ROVs (remotely operated support vessels), for example, as there are currently a reduced number of operational bases that support vessels of the size of PLSVs (pipelay support vessels).

A possible solution proposed by Petrobras comprises a recovery method consisting of descending a reel drive system to a fixed distance from the seabed, close to 50m (enough to avoid colliding with obstacles and subsea systems), therefore minimising the catenary generated during the recovery.

The completion and submission of the public consultation, with the title ‘Subsea Reel Drive’, must be done by 4 March, 2022.

Located in the Campos basin, the Marlim field is going through a revitalisation process, which encompasses the installation of two new FPSOs (Anita Garibaldi and Anna Nery) and the decommissioning of several production units (P-18, P-19, P-20, P-26, P-27, P-32, P-33, P-35, P-37 and P-47) and associated subsea equipment.

James Fisher, a leading provider of innovative marine solutions and specialised engineering services, has launched a new business line named James Fisher Decommissioning (JF Decom), which will support the decommissioning needs of customers in the renewables and oil and gas markets by delivering considerable cost and time saving solutions.

JF Decom will provide customers with access to a dedicated, multi-disciplined team that reduces the number of contractual interfaces, to provide an end-to-end service delivery capability in complex decommissioning scopes including: subsea infrastructure removal; structural removal, well severance, and well abandonment.

With one of the world’s largest fleets of decommissioning tooling and in-house design and engineering capability, JF Decom will be able to support the rise in decommissioning projects worldwide to deliver considerable cost and time saving solutions.

Jack Davidson, Managing Director at JF Decom commented, “Increasing demand for experienced decommissioning experts within the energy industry presents an opportunity for the group to focus on what it does best - providing tailored and pioneering solutions to address customer challenges.

“In addition to the challenges faced by customers to conduct decommissioning activities as timely and cost effectively as possible, JF Decom is also dedicated to ensuring that decommissioning is conducted as sustainably as possible by restoring the seabed to its natural state.”

In building its highly skilled team, JF Decom has utilised the extensive expertise of James Fisher Offshore, which has assisted operators in the installation and maintenance of oil and gas platforms - many of which will be decommissioned as the industry adapts to the energy transition. The in-depth knowledge of the differences between these platforms, allows JF Decom to deploy the most appropriate methodology and technology to optimise the delivery of a decommissioning project.

JF Decom’s services also include the innovative well abandonment tool SEABASS, a strategic investment made in 2021, that provides a more cost effective and quicker alternative to rig-based solutions when abandoning category 2 wells, due to its ability to deploy from a vessel of opportunity and work in any water depth.

Davidson added, “With our noise attenuation tools such as Bubble Curtains we can also minimise environmental impact to marine life during decommissioning works and ensuring we provide environmentally responsible services is something that is at the forefront for JF Decom.”

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (Helix) has extended its well intervention charter and services contracts for the Siem Helix 2 offshore Brazil with Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras).

This will extend the original four-year contract by one year at a reduced rate reflective of the current market. The Siem Helix 2 is now set to remain under contract with Petrobras until mid-December 2022 performing riser-based well intervention activities.

The Siem Helix 2 is a purpose-built, advanced well intervention vessel capable of performing a wide range of subsea services including production enhancement, well decommissioning, subsea installation work, offshore crane and ROV operations, offshore construction work and emergency response capabilities.

Scotty Sparks, Helix’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, remarked, “On the back of our recent accommodation and support contract for sister ship the Siem Helix 1 in Ghana for another customer, we are glad to finalise this process and look forward to continuing a long and productive working relationship with Petrobras.

“The Siem Helix 2 has consistently provided industry-leading well intervention services to Petrobras. This extension demonstrates the capacity for Helix to continuously provide innovative solutions to fit our clients’ needs backed by our experience and proven track record.”

Helix continues to make a global impact on the global stage with this announcement coming hot on the heels of its contract for the plugging and abandonment of wells in the Tui Oil Field, New Zealand. Click here for more details on this announcement.

AKOFS Offshore has signed a three- year contract with Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) for a broad scope of subsea services in Brazil.

The work will be performed by its Skandi Santos vessel which is designed to install and retrieve subsea trees and modules, including subsea structures and manifolds at water depths of up to 2,500 metres.

Currently, the vessel is completing its current contract with Petrobras which began on 1 March 2010.

The services for this contract will commence in Q4 20220. The total contract calue is about US$107mn. AKOFS Offshore will be performing the operations with its partners Bravente for marine services and IKM Subsea for ROV services.

Welltec has launched a fully revised and transformed design of the pioneering Well Tractor conveyance solution, the Well Tractor 212 CVT, equipped with Continuous Variable Tractoring technology.

To make operations faster and more efficient than ever before, the new CVT system automatically maximises speed and power at all times, optimising every conveyance run.

Welltec VP Sales & Marketing, Alex Nicodimou, commented, “The Well Tractor remains a key service that we provide, it’s the foundation of everything that we do in conveyance and a solid base for our powered mechanical interventions platform. It’s what started the entire domain of interventions on wireline.

“Now our engineers are bringing something special to the market that will ensure we continue to lead in conveyance solutions.”

In addition to the new Continuous Variable Tractoring system, the new Well Tractor offers a whole host of innovative functionality and performance features, including a heavily revised electronics package that is rated to higher temperature demands within a more robust architecture. It also allows for full two-way surface control that can send commands to the tool downhole and receive diagnostics back at surface.

Traditional conveyance platforms are driven hydraulically by a pump, and in many cases, that downhole hydraulic pump is a shared asset that powers multiple wheel sections downhole. The Well Tractor CVT is configured so that each wheel section has its own power unit. These new hydraulic units and wheel sections are shorter and more powerful than ever before, resulting in a system that operates as multiple individual tractors downhole with inherent redundancy, without compromising on overall length. In the event that any one section meets a restriction of any kind, the other sections remain free to power themselves without any detrimental effect.

Building on more than 25 years of knowledge and experience, the Well Tractor CVT is the next phase in development of Welltec’s conveyance technology.