Solstad Offshore has secured another contract with Subsea7 for its subsea construction vessel Normand Subsea.
This new contract extends the partnership between the two companies for at least another two years, with potential for further expansion. The contract is now in place and set to commence from 1 January, 2026.
Normand Subsea, a versatile inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) vessel, has been on contract with Subsea7 since 2009. In July last year, Subsea7 exercised the 2025 optional charter period for the vessel, meaning the current contract is firm until 31 December, 2025, with no further expansion options. Under the new contract, the vessel will continue to serve Subsea7 for another two years, including three yearly options.
Baker Hughes has announced a major multi-year contract with Petrobras for fully-integrated completions systems.
The award followed an open tender and will leverage Baker Hughes’ innovative technology portfolio and extensive experience in Brazil to optimise production across multiple deepwater fields.
A range of technologies have been specifically tailored to meet the needs of Petrobras’ offshore developments. The completions technologies will be combined with conventional upper and lower completions solutions to provide remote operations capabilities and multizone control which limits water and gas breakthroughs, reducing the risk of costly interventions.
Amerino Gatti, Executive Vice President, Oilfield Services & Equipment at Baker Hughes, said, ““Deepwater, high pressure wells require an unmatched level of reliability, and our completion technologies have proven themselves in these harsh environments […] Through continual innovation, improvement and testing, and in close collaboration with Petrobras, the Baker Hughes team has pioneered new ways to help develop Brazil’s natural resources safely and efficiently for decades to come.”
Through the agreement Petrobras will utilise Baker Hughes’ new SureCONTROL Premium interval control valve (ICV), which provides enhanced reliability in the high flowrates of Petrobras’ offshore fields. The technology allows operators to respond remotely to evolving well conditions across multiple zones in real time.
Petrobras will deploy a number of Baker Hughes’ technologies, including the SureSENS QPT ELITE downhole gauges, SureSENS B-Annulus monitoring system, SureTREAT chemical injection system, Sure-Set flow control system, Orbit Premium barrier valves, a gas lift system, REACH subsurface safety valves, DeepShield subsurface safety valves, Premier packers, screens and gravel pack system.
Delivery of the completions technologies will begin in late 2025.
Borneo Oil Bhd, through its indirect subsidiary Borneo Oil (Sabah) Sdn Bhd (BOS), has been selected as a vendor by Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas), Malaysia’s state-owned oil and gas giant, marking a significant step forward for local participation in Sabah’s energy sector.
Announced on 24 March, this development comes alongside a strategic collaboration with Intercontinental Strait Energy Technology Co Ltd (SETC), a leading Chinese drilling consultancy, to jointly bid for drilling and well intervention projects in the region.
The partnership, formalised 20 March, positions BOS and SETC—a Chengdu-based firm specialising in drilling optimisation, completion, and reservoir management—to compete for contracts that include consultancy, supervision, and services for drilling, workovers, stimulation, and real-time drilling monitoring. Borneo Oil emphasised SETC’s expertise as China’s largest drilling-management consultancy, highlighting the potential for this alliance to bolster Sabah’s oil and gas capabilities. This move aligns with Petronas’ broader efforts to ramp up operations in Sabah, a region critical to Malaysia’s energy ambitions.
Sabah, located on the northern tip of Borneo, is a cornerstone of Malaysia’s oil and gas industry, holding an estimated 1.5 billion barrels of oil (25% of the nation’s reserves) and 11 trillion cubic feet of gas (12% of total gas reserves). Petronas’ operations in Sabah centre on both sustaining production from mature fields and unlocking new potential through exploration and development. A key recent milestone is the signing of two production sharing contracts (PSCs) by Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB) for the SB412 and 2W blocks offshore Sabah. These blocks, encompassing nine fields, are part of the 2024 Malaysia Bid Round and leverage existing infrastructure like the Samarang Asam Paya and Erb West hubs.
While these PSCs focus on exploration and development, they set the stage for well intervention and maintenance—areas where vendors like BOS and partners like SETC could play a role. Petronas’ goal is clear: increase national production to two million barrels of oil equivalent per day (MMboe/d) to meet rising domestic demand, which hit 929,556 barrels per day in December 2023. Sabah’s deepwater and marginal fields are pivotal to this target, with intervention work like workovers and stimulations often required to optimise ageing assets.
Petronas’ ramp-up in Sabah extends beyond new blocks. The company’s Activity Outlook 2025-2027 forecasts 69 development wells in 2025 (up from 56 in 2024) and an average of 367 Facilities Improvement Plans (FIPs) annually through 2027. In Sabah, FIPs target rejuvenation and well maintenance—key intervention activities—for fields like Samarang, which produces 36,000 boe/d. This surge reflects Petronas’ response to natural decline and the need to maintain output, especially as Sabah’s mature fields age.
Further boosting local involvement, Petronas celebrated vendor growth in Kota Kinabalu on 23 January, with the Sabah government. Four Sabahan vendors, including those tied to “Integrated Well Continuity Services,” secured contracts for well interventions, abandonments, and workovers. This follows a trend of increasing local contract awards, which jumped from US$141mn (RM613 million) in 2021 to over US$460mn (RM2 billion) recently, with ambitious 2025-2027 targets to double Sabahan OGSE (Oil & Gas Services and Equipment) contracts and boost local job awards by 50-100%.
Conventional plugs can often fail to provide an effective solution when a well environment gets challenging.
This is where comes the high expansion bridge plug (HEX) with its capacity to expand enough to overcome narrow restrictions to reach and successfully seal off larger wellbore diametres. It's far-reaching range makes it a versatile and reliable downhole tool that can function in crucial offshore situations, from zonal isolation, well intervention to well abandonment activities.
No matter what casing size in question, elastomeric or metallic HEX bridge plugs are durable to tackle advanced expansion with heighetened strength for pressure resistance. Downhole positions that determine the mode of operation allow to accordingly select a sealing mechanism, be it elastomeric or metal-to-metal seals. The plug is then directed towards the targetted depth using conveyance methods, such as wireline, coiled tubing, or slickline. The approach to activate the plug expansion is determined by its design, involving hydraulic pressure, mechanical setting or electrical activation, as relevant. Operators can rest assured of unintended fluid migration between wellbore zones, thanks to the solidity of the seal created out of the expanded HEX plug. They are sturdy enough to keep certain areas away from the other so that the flow can be stopped.
While that serves zonal isolation, HEX bridge plugs can also assure permanent isolation of adandoned sections of a wellbore, which ensures environmental safety and regulatory compliance. On the other hand, it can also create temporary barrier to address casing leaks or unwanted fluid challenges in cases of well integrity issues or restoring well performance. Well testing is a crucial part of well intervention that requires operators to safely check pressure controls, and they can rely on HEX bridge plugs for this.
Houston-based oilfield technology company called SLB has to its name a hi-ex retrievable bridge plug which operates in the set-and-retrieve format and is rated up to 4,000 psi and 250 degF. It is specifically designed for through tubing applications, which comes with SLB's segmented-ring technology that boosts internally to create a gas-tight seal.
To know more about the global well intervention scene, click here.
Reelwell AS has secured a strategic equity investment from Odfjell Technology, which has acquired a 10% stake in the company. The investment will support the continued growth and advancement of Reelwell’s DualLink digital pipe technology.
As part of this agreement, the existing collaboration between Reelwell and Odfjell Technology has been extended for five years, with the option to extend for an additional five one-year terms. This partnership aims to combine Reelwell’s DualLink digital platform and modem capabilities with Odfjell Technology’s offshore expertise in equipment deployment, maintenance, and logistics.
Earlier in the year, Reelwell announced a multi-year contract with Vår Energi ASA for the provision of its DualLink-powered digital drill pipe technology. This marked the first collaboration under the cooperation agreement between the two firms. Manufacturing and assembly are currently in progress at Reelwell’s Sola facility, with project execution scheduled to begin in late 2025. Under this contract, Reelwell will oversee the complete delivery of the DualLink technology, while Odfjell Technology will supply the required drill pipe components and accessories and manage various maintenance aspects.
Jørgen Peter Rasmussen, Executive Chairman of Reelwell, stated, "We welcome Odfjell Technology to our investor group as a strong industrial partner, and I am pleased to welcome Elisabeth Haram as a new Non-Executive Director on our board. Reelwell and Odfjell Technology will work closely together to deliver DualLink services to our clients. This is great news for the industry."
Elisabeth Haram, Executive Vice President Well Services at Odfjell Technology, added: “We look forward to working closely with Reelwell to enhance sustainable drilling practices and expand the use of DualLink across new markets.”
Houston-based oilfield technology company Baker Hughes' Prime Compact Puncher is one of the finalists for the 2025 ICoTA Global Intervention Technology Award, the winners for which will be declared towards March end during the SPE/ICoTA Well Intervention Conference and Exhibition.
The other nominations include TorcCollector by E Plug AS, riserless coiled tubing in a live subsea well from RLWI vessel by TechnipFMC, high resolution dual caliper and slim multielement cement and corrosion tool combination by SLB, and Wellgrab by Welltec.
The Prime Compact Puncher is an advanced electro-mechanical puncher technology that gives way through spaces between two strings of downhole tubing. The puncher comes with an orientation module that directs it to the high side of a pipe where flow is optimal. There it can punch multiple circulation holes at the same depth level, boosting fluid consistency during circulation.
While it's an autonomous process operating on the basis of inputted parameters, an engineer can still maintain manual supervision if and when required. When it comes to well security, the puncher's anchor system goes on alert mode in cases of power loss, shutting down automatically and tools safely pulled out of the holes.
The punch head and anchor kits can be customised on the basis of the pipe size, and the drilling-bit comes in either 25 mm or 12 mm in OD, creating up to 0.792 inches of flow per punch.
The model's feedthrough wiring supports the deployment of additional technology below enabling single-run, multi-function solutions e.g. punch and cut in a single run.
To know more about the global well intervention scene, click here.
Earlier this month, the Australian Government awarded COSCO Shipping Heavy Transport (COSCO) a contract to dry tow the Northern Endeavour FPSO vessel to its recycling location.
The Hua Rui Long semi-submersible heavy lift vessel will tow the Northern Endeavour to a facility for decontamination, dismantling and recycling. The FPSO measures 274 metres in length, meaning there are only a few vessels in the world capable of carry something of this magnitude. Securing a vessel in the right timeframes for this project marks a significant milestone for the programme.
COSCO will work with Petrofac to arrange for the FPSO to be towed to the recycling location after disconnection. The Department of Industry, Science and Resources released a request for tender to find a supplier to recycle the FPSO. Submissions closed on December 13th, 2024, and the Department is currently evaluating its options.
Energy market research and consultancy firm, Westwood Global Energy Group, has found that decommissioning in the North Sea involves considerable financial and logistical challenges.
Domestic production is declining owing to shaken investor confidence in the UK as a result of political and fiscal uncertainty. This suggests around US$26bn might be spent on decommissioning in the next decade, with well plug and abandonment (P&A) alone accounting for ~50% of the cost.
While decommissioning tasks keep piling up, contract awards, especially for rigs, have remained low due to the uncertainties driving financial and operational risks for operators. Execution of delayed decommissioning work will pose pressure on the already-strained supply chain. This can P&A costs could climb by up to US$5.5 billion, due to higher offshore rig dayrates, increasing financial liabilities for both operators and the UK Government, which provides tax relief on decommissioning costs.
“As the UK North Sea enters a new phase where decommissioning becomes the dominant industry driver, the supply chain faces significant demand and major financial risk,” said Yvonne Telford, Research Director at Westwood. “Based on current investment plans, up to 40% of UK fields could cease production before 2030. With the impact of decommissioning tax liabilities on abandonment expenditure, cost-effective P&A must be paramount."
Dominic Ferry, CEO at Westwood, said, “Westwood’s new Atlas Decommissioning module provides the clarity the market needs by linking infrastructure data with economic forecasts, offering stakeholders a clear view of the timing, cost, and risks associated. By delivering granular insights into decommissioning activity, the module helps operators, service providers, and investors make informed decisions, mitigate financial exposure, and seize emerging opportunities in this evolving landscape.”
Westwood has launched the new Atlas Decommissioning module which gives detailed insights into decommissioning timelines, infrastructure removal and market dynamics in real-time. It leverages key economic drivers, such as commodity prices and operating costs to dynamically model decommissioning schedules, allowing them to predict shifts in activity and optimise planning.
Chevron has recently completed a rigs-to-reef campaign across the former Genesis Platform which was submerged off the cost of Louisiana last year.
In its previous life above the waves, Genesis was referred to as an ‘offshore gamechanger’ with its 705-foot, 28,700-ton steel floating spar which was the first to house both drilling and production facilities.
Now, the platform houses an abundance of marine life after the operator chose to undergo a rigs-to-reef programme. This is not the first time Chevron has repurposed offshore components, in 2022 the Pascagoula Refinery donated equipment to be repurposed into artificial reefs.
Given the sheer scope of end-of-life activities needed across the Gulf for aged assets, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has adopted the rigs-to-reef programme, and it is has presented itself as an attractive option for operators to lessen the financial burden of their decommissioning liabilities.
More information regarding rigs-to-reef programmes across the Gulf of Mexico can be found here and here.
US-based oil and gas services specialist, Expro Group, is upbeat about prospects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) after a first deployment to the region of a well technology acquired only recently.
Despite a challenging environment in Saudi Arabia, the region’s main oil and gas producer, it believes its so-called Blackhawk technology holds great potential and said “additional opportunities” have presented themselves following the maiden deployment.
In the company's full year 2024 results, Expro Group said that it had, for the first time, utilised the Blackhawk Wireless Plug Dropping Cement Head with SKYHOOK in the Gulf.
“In MENA, despite recently announced curtailment of offshore activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Expro successfully displaced conventional plug manifolds through its first deployment of Blackhawk Wireless Plug Dropping Cement Head with SKYHOOK in the Arabian Gulf.”
The technology has previously won awards for improving safety during well intervention work.In conjunction with the automated wireless cement-head, the SKYHOOK device serves to eliminate the final trip in the derrick; meaning a cement job can be performed in its entirety without ever sending a person to work at heights.
Blackhawk Specialty Tools, which developed the technology originally, was later acquired by Frank’s International, which then merged with Expro in 2021, adding specialty cementing and well intervention services and products to the group’s portfolio.In its results 2024 statement, Expro also referenced another technology, iTONG, an advanced single push button tubular make-up solution, which has likewise brought worker safety benefits.
“Like iTONG, the system creates operational efficiencies while improving safety by removing personnel from the red zone — in particular, by eliminating the need to send personnel up the derrick. The technology enables cementing with full tensile, torque and pressure capacity, alongside increased pumping and displacement rates.”
It added, “This successful deployment has resulted in additional opportunities, including planned 2025 projects aimed at addressing well integrity and zonal isolation challenges across critical offshore wells.”
FourPhase, a specialist in solids and production performance within the oil and gas sector, has introduced The Observer, an advanced tool for real-time data capture and optimisation.
Already deployed in five operations across the Gulf of Mexico and the Norwegian Continental Shelf, the solution will soon be integrated across all FourPhase operations, enabling full-scale remote monitoring. As operators increasingly shift towards data-driven smart operations, the real-time insights provided by The Observer are proving invaluable.
Addressing key industry challenges
The Observer is designed to tackle three critical industry challenges: minimising downtime through data-driven decision-making, enhancing equipment maintenance efficiency, and accelerating the shift to remote operations. The system continuously captures real-time data to generate a live operational feed within FourPhase’s control centre while simultaneously populating online dashboards accessible to customers globally.
A key strength of The Observer is its robust security architecture. Adhering to a zero-trust security model, it complies with ISO 27001, 27017, and 27701 standards. The system establishes a secure connection to onshore operations via Starlink or similar technologies, providing a protected data transmission channel between offshore sites and onshore centres.
"Coupled with onsite remote operations, these capabilities are enabling a step-change improvement in offshore sand management. This opens up new opportunities for production optimisation and autonomy that were previously not possible," remarked FourPhase CEO Øyvind Heradstveit.
Leveraging a decade of data
Since 2013, FourPhase has been gathering solids management data, using it to simulate operational scenarios. By applying insights from real-world experiences rather than relying purely on theoretical calculations, the company has achieved an uptime exceeding 99.5% over the past decade. This extensive database allows for more accurate operational planning and improved performance predictions.
"As the energy industry operates with multiple, often competing, data-sharing standards, we’ve developed The Observer as a universal solution, integrating over 300 languages and protocols rather than locking into a single standard. This allows for real-time monitoring across diverse equipment—including Multiphase Flow Meter, the DualFlow Desander, Acoustic Sand Detectors, and client plant data—all simultaneously. The goal is to capture and process data instantly, empowering operators with real-time insights to make informed decisions," explained Jørgen Bruntveit, COO/CTO.
"Many competitors claim real-time monitoring, yet their systems often suffer from minute-long delays and cumbersome designs—some as large as a server rack. The Observer delivers true real-time monitoring in a form factor small enough to hold in one hand," added Bruntveit.
Although real-time condition monitoring and data-driven optimisation are now standard in many production-related workflows, sand management has largely remained dependent on labour-intensive legacy methods. This reliance has slowed the adoption of autonomous and low-manning platforms. By investing significantly in remote monitoring technology, FourPhase has closed this gap, ensuring The Observer enables full oversight across its entire fleet, including desanders.
Energy technology company Baker Hughes has announced a joint technology development programme with Petrobras to provide a solution for stress corrosion cracking in flexible pipelines.
The agreement encompasses development and testing, as well as a purchase option for the next-gen flexible pipes, which will have an extended service life of 30 years in high CO2 environments. The collaborative effort between both companies will be primarily executed in Baker Hughes’ Rio de Janeiro Energy Technology Innovation Center and nearby pipe systems manufacturing plant.
Stress corrosion cracking due to CO2 (SCC-CO2) was identified in 2016 and has an effect on flexible pipes in pre-salt fields, which have a high concentration of naturally occurring CO2. If water penetrates a pipe’s annulus area, the corrosion to steel reinforcement layers can weaken structural integrity. This issue is particularly apparent in Brazil’s pre-salt fields, where Petrobras is reinjecting CO2 from its production operations into wells to enhance oil recovery.
Amerino Gatti, Executive Vice President, Oilfield Services & Equipment at Baker Hughes, said, “Baker Hughes has led the way in addressing SCC-CO2, and we will bring that expertise and experience to bear in developing the definitive solution to this critical industry challenge. By deploying flexible pipe systems that last for decades, Petrobras can more efficiently unlock the vital natural resources that power the region, while also safely returning CO2 deep underground.”
Until now, operators in high-CO2 environments have relied on solutions that mitigate the impact of SCC-CO2 while limiting the service life of risers and flowlines. Baker Hughes’ flexible pipe systems and advanced monitoring technologies have proven effective at minimising this impact and the company is a major supplier of flexible pipelines to Petrobras.
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