Latest News

• Region: North Sea
• Date: Sept, 2021

Ardyne, a plug, abandonment and casing recovery specialist has been awarded a four-year contract for the provision of fishing services for 86 wells as part of the well plug and abandonment (P&A) programme for two fields in the Northern North Sea.

The work has commenced and is expected to last up to four years across two assets. The job involves Ardyne’s leading TRIDENT and TITAN P&A technologies, with the company having invested approximately UK£2.6mn in brand new industry-first fully traceable (NS-1) fishing and milling tools.

The efficiencies generated by Ardyne’s industry-leading bottom hole assembly technologies could save more than 40 days of rig time across the two platforms, which equates to more than 300 extra downhole trips being avoided.

Alan Fairweather, CEO of Ardyne, commented, “This award is testament to the proven quality and time saving efficiencies of Ardyne's P&A technologies, plus the experienced team and engineering capabilities we have in Aberdeen.

“We are excited to be part of our client’s decommissioning team and look forward to delivering efficiencies during the P&A phase of these platforms. It’s encouraging to see North Sea decommissioning moving forward again, and our investment in a new training scheme will help prepare our workforce for playing a key role in that.”

• Region: All
• Topics: Decommissioning
• Date: Sept, 2021

With a vision to be the go-to well abandonment and decommissioning partner for their clients, Graeme Brand, Business Development Director, explained how JFO has continued to innovate, grow and enhance their business and team globally, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

In an article for Energy Voice, Brand explained how, in order to achieve their goal, the company has acquired subsea project and engineering consultancy Subsea Engenuity, identified for its drive to create better technologies and solutions for subsea well abandonment. This has allowed JFO to enhance their portfolio of solutions and embrace new experienced members into their team.

This acquisition has allowed the new members to release the SEABASS vessel based subsea abandonment tool. This is a single trip mechanically locking system for the abandonment of category 2 wells and is designed to deliver cost and time efficiencies compared to existing alternatives. The SEABASS tool is designed to remove containments and provide barriers to allow the well site to return to its original environment state.

Incorporating SEABASS into JFO’s full back deck capabilities, whether combining with our abrasive water jet cutting, or our internal cut and lift tool, for example, a single vessel and multi-skilled team delivers cost and time efficiencies, reduces deck and POB space, improves assurance and safety while significantly reducing a projects carbon footprint. This will allow JFO to deliver a single-source solution, reducing contractual complexity and enabling multi-well and multi-operator campaigns, encouraging collaboration along with more efficient and effective use of vessels.

Decommissioning potential

Brand also noted that, with the outcome of the forthcoming COP26 kept in mind, there will be many opportunities for decommissioning across the globe. A report by MarketsAndMarkets suggested that 7500 offshore platforms across 53 countries are ready to be eased into retirement and a separate study by Rystad predicted that the potential global value of US$42bn by 2024.

Moreover, as Brand continued, the North Sea is the most active basin for offshore decommissioning, setting the benchmark for best practice innovation. With the introduction of the new team members, the SEABASS tool and the existing capabilities of the company, JFO should be well positioned to take advantage of the forthcoming wave of decommissioning and hopes to continue to evolve in order to meet the demands and expectations of their clients and the offshore society.

• Region: Australia
• Date: Sept, 2021

At the OWI AUS Baker Hughes webinar, Michael Lewis, Service Business Development Leader at Baker Hughes, was joined by a panel of industry experts as they explored a number of challenges and opportunities being faced by the Australian offshore community.

Collaboration and local availability

Lewis opened the session by reflecting on light well intervention (LWI) which can bring tangible benefits to operators and suppliers in terms of reduced costs, faster operations and lower carbon footprint. The challenge, the host continued, is capturing these advantages and using global knowledge to do so. He asked how this can be achieved, and what is the importance of ensuring equipment is available locally for immediate deployment.

Mark de Castro, Business Development Manager at Sapura Energy Well Services,
was the first to respond, and explained that collaboration was a key part of this and suggested that information and lessons acquired from previous projects should be shared not just within organisations but with strategic partners, contractors, etc. The industry needs to share information from the start, rather than withholding or waiting to be asked.

The panellists echoed these sentiments with Grant Pierce, Subsea Completion & Well Intervention Consultant, Intervention Performance Ltd., adding that the withholding of information is not something companies actively pursue, rather it is just something traditionally inherent in the industry. Jay Southwell, APAC Subsea Services Leader, Baker Hughes suggested that altering this will require a change in mindset, something that needs to be challenged and which will ultimately help all players within the industry.

Turning to local availability de Castro said, “Local availability can be the difference between work going ahead or not. Preparation, shipping times etc are all major influences that can determine whether an operation goes ahead in light mode or rig mode which could add millions of dollars to cost. Having access to local engineering/facilities is a significant de-risker for these campaigns to take place both for the fast tracking it facilitates and how quickly unexpected events can be dealt with on a campaign.”

Fostering the next generation equipped with the latest technology

In the last 18 months, Lewis said, the industry has undergone a downsize with lots of experienced people retiring or leaving for other sectors. Attracting new talent has always been a challenge, but now more than ever it appears to be of paramount importance. Therefore, Lewis asked, could the industry ensure there is a competent new generation ready to enter the workforce and how can new technology support this?

Southwell pointed at the importance of working with universities, developing apprenticeship programmes and sponsoring graduate schemes as essential to foster the idea that it is an exciting time to join the industry. He also pointed at cross-training between product companies, something that Baker Hughes has been very successful in, which has helped ensure that a new, capable, workforce is ready to take the reigns in the future.

Francis Norman, General Manager Decommissioning and Strategy at National Energy Resources Australia (NERA), built on this by pointing at competency benchmarking as an area which can put people off companies. He said, “There is a tendency to think what we do is so different to what competitors do and so we end up building all these internal competency benchmarking and internal training which in fact mirrors what competitors do. This can be a significant cost to a lot of businesses.”

He advocated, instead, common competency frameworks which can make it much easier to identify where some shared skill gaps may be. He added, “If people move around you are not looking to completely rebuild them and make them forget everything they have learned before you hire them. When you look at the costs organisations expend on doing this it is astronomical.”

The panellists explored how the introduction of new technology, in the form of remote communication for example, can help to attract and train the next generation of engineers and commented on some advances which they will be working with, and which will surely help the industry.

De Castro commented that remote operations and remote control brings safety enhancements and cost enhancement and advances in the integration of machine learning, and machines becoming semi-autonomous will be a step forward. This will be bolstered by things such as low orbit satellite which will reduce latency and the cost of high bandwidth.

Returning to the conversation, Southwell also highlighted the importance of utilising the vast amount of data the industry holds and by introducing advanced software and AI this can really become a formidable weapon for operators to become more effective with diagnostics, monitoring wear and tear, and making decisions on interventions and performance etc.

Australian Decommissioning

Decommissioning has been a hot topic in Australia due the ongoing debate around the Northern Endeavour FPSO. With many more Australian assets coming to the end of their productive life, Lewis asked the panellists how the cost of decommissioning can be reduced and how can operators be encouraged to perform this work.

Norman took the chance to note that there was a staggering opportunity for decommissioning in Australia, highlighting that there was US$40bn+ worth of work that needs to be executed over he next 20-30 years. In order to being nibbling away at this, he suggested it was important to disseminate such information to ensure everyone understands the size of the challenge ahead. Once done, relatively simple ideas such as sharing equipment for campaigns can have an enormous cost reduction effect.

De Castro commented, “If we understand the scope of work and the timing of the scope it will help. In the past we have seen service providers make investment into the region on the expectation that work would follow and it didn’t. They therefore had to wear the costs on a gamble effectively. More clarity on timing and requirements of operators would be helpful.”

The panellists also noted the importance of learning lessons and best practices from around the world, especially from regions where decommissioning is more regularly carried out. Pierce added that an open mind about contracting models would be essential here. While it wouldn’t be advantageous to take a whole model from other regions and apply it in Australia, it would help to take pieces or ideas from contracts (such as West Africa’s contracting models regarding vessel shares) and change them to suit.

One of the biggest decommissioning challenges which is faced in Australian and global waters alike is the difficulties with entering older wells where, often, data and information is lacking. The panellists noted that in addition to this, the condition of equipment is continually degrading with every year that passes. Whilst this is enough to put operators off from conducting decommissioning work, in reality it should be an encouraging factor. As de Castro added, “Regulations are also becoming more onerous. The longer operators delay, the cost and risk are only going to go one way due to those three factors. It therefore presents a good case to move quicker.”

Despite this, Southwell commented, “I think the future of decommissioning in Australia is exciting and something that will be very prominent going forward. I would love to see it as an add on in the life of a field as well, as opposed to it being pushed after production ends. All operators know its coming; it was always on the cards and will always be there. If we can plan for it now, they can reap the rewards from a cost perspective. We are still fairly young compared to other regions, described as a teenager, we are still learning. We have a great opportunity to take lessons from other regions therefore.”

These topics, and more, will be discussed in further detail at OWI AUS, in Perth 23-24 November. To find out more information follow this link: https://www.offsnet.com/owi-aus/conference-brochure

• Region: All
• Date: Sept, 2021

During a challenging time for the industry, Wellvene, a design, engineering and manufacturing company, has continued to progress from strength to strength and has capped its impressive performance with the introduction of its latest well intervention solution: the WellHOP™ - Shallow Application Slickline Solution.

Writing in its latest update bulletin, Bronson Larkins, managing director of Wellvene, outlined how the company, which is entering its fifth year of operations, has continued in its evolution despite the industry downturn. When the pandemic hit, many companies including Wellvene were forced change their business plans and way of operations. Despite this, Wellvene has pushed on and successfully re-adapted its 2020/21 plan in order to protect its growth objectives and support the changing requirements of the well industry.

For instance, the company recognised that with the increasing pressure on operators and providers to deliver more climate friendly services and products, there has been a shift away from new well delivery to lower cost, lower rate adding well intervention opportunities while companies are also more intent on achieving their P&A obligations. By steering into this, and working to reduce its carbon footprint itself, Wellvene has expanded upon its working relationships with major operating and service companies in the UK, Norway, the Middle East and Australasia.

While signalling that further growth is still on the horizon, Bronson commented, “We’ll continue to re-invest in our business and our people, and reaffirm our commitment to industry improvement, whilst staying true to our core values of safety, integrity, trust, transparency and respect.”

The WellHOP™ solution

As if to demonstrate the strong position the company is currently holding, Wellvene has released the WellHOP™ Shallow Application Slickline Solution, designed as a more efficient solution to addressing shallow plug installations for xmas tree, well head repairs and DHSV remedial work. For their WellHop technology, Wellvene has been selected as a finalist in the Emerging Technology category for The Offshore Achievement Awards 2021.

Wellvene recognised that operating companies have a HSE obligation to carry out annual Wellhead maintenance on all xmas tree valves, wellhead valves and DHSV’s and, with a significant number of tests on any given platform, failure of numerous valves may occur. This can result in the requirement for wireline to be mobilised in order to plug the well for surface valve repairs or to complete remedial work on the DHSV. This can become a time consuming and costly problem for operating companies as securing space on any platform post maintenance campaign, is often tricky.

This is where the WellHOP™ comes in. With a wire drum c/w 3,000ft of 0.125” slickline, measuring head and toolstring winch installed directly onto a frame around the lubricator, it challenges traditional slickline rig ups and operating methods by eliminating the need for a mast and separate wireline winch whilst also simplifying the overall PCE rig up.

The WellHOP™ is specifically designed for DHSV remedial work and to set shallow plugs for xmas trees and wellhead repairs or emergent plugging operations. With the ability to be transported in only two baskets for reduced lifts and full PCE rigged up directly onto well with only two lifts, the system offers significant time saving during rig up and rig down. For multi well campaigns the system can also be lifted directly from one well to the next in a single lift and allows a customer to achieve more xmas tree and DHSV repairs within a single campaign compared with conventional slickline. The WellHOP™ ensures a reduction in operational risk, time, cost and POB whilst improving overall operational efficiency.

Due to its numerous benefits, the WellHOP™ solution has been submitted for the OWI Global Awards 2021. To find out more information on this event, follow this link: https://offsnet.com/owi-awards

• Region: North Sea
• Topics: Decommissioning
• Date: Sept, 2021

Spirit Energy has announced that they have begun planning for the decommissioning of the Chestnut oilfield in the Central North Sea.

Thanks to continued investment from operator Spirit Energy and partner Dana Petroleum, additional wells and class leading production efficiency on the Hummingbird Spirit Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel which sits on Chestnut, the field has produced almost quadruple the initial reserve estimates and has survived for more than a decade after it was first expected to be shut in.

Chestnut – which first came on stream in 2008 with an expected two-year production life – is still producing oil via three wells, the last of which was drilled in 2020. The field, nearly 200 km east of Aberdeen, has now produced more than 27 million barrels of oil, having initially been expected to yield only around 7 million barrels.

All good things…

After an impressive and perhaps unexpected lifespan, Spirit Energy and the FPSO owner Teekay have now started the first stages of preparing to decommission the field.

Under the proposed decommissioning plans, the FPSO will be removed and Teekay will assess potential reuse options or ultimately recycle the vessel in an environmentally safe and responsible manner in accordance with applicable UK/EU regulations. The risers will also be flushed, cleaned and taken back to shore.

The start date for the offshore campaign is dependent on final cessation of production from the field.

Mark Fotheringham, Capital Projects Director at Spirit Energy, commented, “Chestnut has been a key field in Spirit Energy’s portfolio for many years and thanks to the excellent work of teams both on and offshore, it has continued to perform above expectation.

“While it continues to produce today, we need to look to our responsibilities in the future and have the right plans in place for when the time does come to start decommissioning the field. As its production life nears an end, we are now looking forward to a safe removal campaign.

“The collaborative spirit which characterised the production phase of Chestnut’s life will continue as we support Teekay in any repurposing opportunities for the vessel, as well as working with our supply chain on an efficient campaign to plug and abandon the wells.”

• Region: West Africa
• Date: Sept 2021

Expro, a leading international oilfield services company, has successfully completed an integrated plug and abandonment (P&A) contract valued at more than US$20mn for a subsidiary of PETRONAS, PC Mauritania 1 Pty Ltd (PCMPL), which manages offshore operations in Mauritania, West Africa.

The well intervention scope of the P&A project utilised Expro’s integrated Open Water Intervention Riser System (OWIRS) for successful intervention and barrier placement on 15 wells for PCMPL’s Chinguetti Field Phase II works. The system’s compact nature provided considerable time savings by retrieving the subsea trees without an additional run. This was further enhanced by the efficient parallel deployment of the OWIRS and rig blow out preventor from the auxiliary well and primary well centre through the rig’s dual derrick capabilities.

Expro’s onshore project management team, based in Kuala Lumpur and locally onshore in Mauritania, supported PCMPL throughout the project planning and execution phases. Expro provided a range of integrated services, including the subsea well access system, surface flowhead, umbilicals, topsides control equipment and installation and an intervention workover control system (IWOCS) package for controlling both the OWIRS and Xmas tree systems. Worldwide Oilfield Machine (WOM) worked closely with Expro as an alliance partner providing the subsea well access system and a technical support team.

Graham Cheyne, Expro’s Vice President of Well Access and Subsea, commented, “The OWIRS system is a highly reliable compact system with an extensive track record in riser to surface subsea well access operations. This system performed over 250 functions during the project with 100% operational uptime and no non-productive time (NPT) incurred. To further demonstrate its reliability post operation, a gas testing programme of work was successfully performed on completion of the 15 wells, prior to any post job maintenance being carried out and before readiness for the next project.

“This campaign was our first venture into the intervention riser system market. Despite the logistical and HSE challenges created by the global pandemic, we are proud to have demonstrated our technology’s success and integrated ability for these types of subsea P&A operations, supported by our team’s extraordinary performance, commitment, flexibility and dedication to PCMPL.

“The campaign’s success, combined with our continued expansion of our subsea well access offering, has helped us to secure several new contracts across Asia and Australia, enhancing Expro’s already strong presence in the subsea well access market.”

Sustained growth expected

Expro’s second quarter results show that the company delivered solid financial and operational performance, including 13% sequential revenue growth globally, and particularly strong growth in its Europe and sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA) and Asia regions, as demand increased for production optimisation services.

Mike Jardon, Expro’s CEO commented that the company is seeing “strong signals of a multi-year recovery” and is expecting sustained growth across all of its businesses and geo-markets.

“We currently expect at least modest revenue and margin momentum for Expro over the next couple of quarters, driven by an overall increase in international activity, and positive trends in well testing and production services and well intervention and integrity services, in particular,” he said.

“Beyond the next couple of quarters, an expected recovery in offshore development across geographies reinforces our confidence that Expro is well-positioned for sustained growth, which we believe will be driven by increasing demand for subsea well access services and more complex well construction services, respective strengths of Expro and Frank’s International with whom we announced a definitive merger agreement on March 11, 2021.”

• Region: Australia
• Date: Aug. 2021

Perth Basin oil producer Triangle Energy, on behalf of the Cliff Head Joint Venture, has announced that the CH-6 well at the Cliff Head Oil Field returned to production on 23 August, following the completion of the workover programme.

The workover included the installation of a new ESP in a more technically and cost effective configuration than previously adopted. All of the technical and well integrity expectations of the programme were met, and the well was handed over from well services to production on 22 August.

Performance testing and verification is currently underway, and the company expects that production associated with the CH-6 well is expected to stabilise at around 120 bopd, bringing the total field production to approximately 850 bopd.

The company’s Hydraulic Workover Unit provider, Clear Cut Interventions (CCI), with the assistance of R&D Solutions, successfully deployed the first Omega Gemini plug on Slickline using a time delay hydrostatic setting tool in an offshore environment in Asia Pacific. Omega provided virtual training to the CCI supervisor due to COVID travel restrictions preventing a specialist being deployed to Australia.

The joint CH-6 and CH-11WI workover campaign provided the company with the rare opportunity to evaluate the condition of the downhole completion and wellbore equipment with regards to long term well integrity and corrosion management.

Robert Towner, Managing Director, Triangle Energy said, “Well integrity management is a priority at Cliff Head, and the condition of the recovered equipment from both the CH-6 and CH-11WI wells showed no visible evidence of corrosion or physical degradation.

“This is an excellent outcome considering the years since this equipment was installed, and supports our plans to continue to extend the operating life of the facility. The company looks forward to future well activities and exploring asset life extension opportunities.”

Triangle Energy (Global) Ltd is an ASX-listed oil producer and explorer based in Perth, Western Australia. The company operates and has a 78.75% interest in the Cliff Head Oil Field,
encompassing the onshore Arrowsmith Stabilisation Plant and offshore Cliff Head Alpha Platform. Triangle also has a 50% share of the Mt Horner L7 production licence and a 45% share of the Xanadu-1 Joint Venture, both located in the Perth Basin. The company continues to assess acquisition prospects to expand its portfolio of assets.

• Region: North Sea
• Date: Aug. 2021

Aberdeen-based downhole sensing technology specialist, Well-SENSE, has entered into a five-year agreement that provides Halliburton Company exclusive rights to distribute and deploy Well-SENSE’s FiberLine Intervention (FLI) technology in North America’s unconventional wells market.

Understanding and optimising well and fracture interactions is a challenge that operators face today. Branded by Halliburton as ExpressFiber, the disposable fibre-optic surveying solution offers operators in North America’s unconventional market an accurate and direct subsurface measurement during fracture operations, at a price point to suit every well pad. Unlike other cross-well monitoring techniques that provide indirect measurements, ExpressFiber uses distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) to acquire a direct measurement of microseismic, strain and temperature.

Annabel Green, CEO of Well-SENSE, said, “Entering into our first, multi-year, commercial contract with a leading oil and gas service company is an exciting step for Well-SENSE and it will demonstrate the scalability of FLI. Our unique bare fibre deployment technology delivers cost and time savings alongside superior data and has a wide range of downhole applications. We are firmly focused on delivering that value to operators around the world and our agreement with Halliburton represents a key milestone in this strategy.”

Well-SENSE’s wider range of acoustic and thermal fibre solutions have been successfully deployed, both onshore and offshore, around the world for a variety of applications. Currently the technology is in high demand to assist with cement assurance, leak detection, P&A planning, cross-well strain and vertical seismic surveys.

Well-SENSE is part of Aberdeen’s FrontRow Energy Technology Group, which is focused on nurturing new technology to provide practical solutions to current oil and gas challenges.

• Region: All
• Date: Aug, 2021

Expro Group Holdings International Limited (Expro) has reported its financial and operational results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 with total revenue for Q2 2021 standing at US$176.3mn, compared to revenue of US$156.3mn in Q1 2021, an increase of 13% sequentially.

The company’s net loss for Q2 2021 was US$8.4mn compared to a net loss of US$20.4mn for Q1 2021. Adjusted EBITDA of US$26.3mn increased 58% sequentially, driven by higher revenue, a more favourable activity mix and lower corporate costs.

Mike Jardon, CEO of Expro, commented, “Expro delivered solid performance in the second quarter as our broad portfolio of services, global operating footprint and continued cost and capital discipline enabled us to effectively manage and mitigate ongoing industry headwinds related to the pandemic.”

Intervention leads the way

Jardon continued, “Thanks to the hard work, expertise and commitment of our talented employees, as well as our leading technology platform, we continued to advance our capabilities and deliver differentiated services and solutions that safely enhance our customers’ operational efficiency and improve the sustainability of both Expro’s and our customers’ operations.

“For example, Expro employed its unique CoilHose intervention system to initiate production by unloading heavy completions fluids from a highly deviated well in Asia. This solution successfully delivered both time and cost efficiencies to the client. Additionally, the compact system footprint and associated ease of logistics resulted in a significant improvement in the environmental impact of the operations as compared with traditional solutions.”

“Also during the second quarter, we achieved an industry first by deploying our unique Octopoda annulus intervention system to a depth of 300 metres in the C annulus of a well in Latin America. This system successfully introduced a plug in the annulus which restored casing integrity and enabled production to be safely resumed from the well. We are very excited about the potential of Octopoda as it will allow customers to, cost effectively restore well integrity, resume production and reduce fugitive gas emissions from wells,” Jardon added.

“In recent years, the majority of Expro’s business has been driven by our customers’ production optimisation efforts and their operational expenditures more so than their drilling-related activities and capital expenditures. As a result (and despite the possibility of continuing headwinds related to the pandemic), we currently expect at least modest revenue and margin momentum for Expro over the next couple of quarters, driven by an overall increase in international activity, and positive trends in well testing and production services and well intervention and integrity services, in particular. Beyond the next couple of quarters, an expected recovery in offshore development across geographies reinforces our confidence that Expro is well-positioned for sustained growth, which we believe will be driven by increasing demand for subsea well access services and more complex well construction services, respective strengths of Expro and Frank’s International with whom we announced a definitive merger agreement on March 11, 2021.”

Regional breakdown

The company report noted that their operations in Asia Paciifc were particularly strong primary driven by higher subsea, completion and intervention services revenue in Brunei and Australia. In Brunei, Expro is in the start-up phase of a multi-year well intervention campaign, while in Australia, results benefitted from a generally higher level of customer activity and higher well testing services revenue.

Revenue in MENA was driven by higher subsea, completion and intervention services in Qatar and Algeria. The year-over-year decrease in MENA revenue was primarily driven by lower well testing services revenue in Algeria and Egypt as a result of lower activity levels, partially offset by increase in subsea, completion and intervention services revenue from a new project in Qatar.

In North and Latin America revenue sequential improvement in was primarily driven by higher subsea, completion and intervention services revenue in Argentina, reflecting a strong recovery in activity following Covid-19 related project delays in 2020, and higher well testing services revenue in Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico, which were largely offset by lower subsea, completion and intervention services revenue in the Gulf of Mexico from lower customer activity. The year-over-year improvement in segment revenue was primarily driven by higher well testing revenues in Mexico, higher subsea, completion and intervention services revenue in Argentina and Columbia.

• Region: All
• Date: Aug, 2021

READ Cased Hole, a leading provider of cased hole logging services and technologies to the global oil and gas industry, has appointed Kevin Giles as its new Managing Director.

Giles has worked within the well intervention market for more than 30 years and, prior to joining READ, he spent six years at Welltec in senior management positions. Before that, he worked with Schlumberger’s electric wireline business for 20 years, progressing from offshore-based operations to key client account management and then to leadership of its UK cased hole wireline business.

The new Managing Director has now been at READ for some time, having spent the last three years as global commercial director for the company. In his new role, he will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the READ business worldwide. This includes all activities at its hub facilities in Aberdeen, Doha, Houston and Anchorage where the company supports its valued customers including oil and gas operators, major service companies, and specialist business partners.

Emerging from uncertainty

Giles said, “This is a significant time for our industry, and I am delighted to be stepping up to lead the READ business as we start to emerge from a long period of uncertainty and disruption. It’s never been more important for us to support new and existing customers and business partners looking for robust cased hole logging expertise. As an organisation, we will be wholly focused on delivering READ’s exemplary standards of safety, service quality, technical excellence and customer care.”

Tor Erling Gunnerød, Norvestor Equity Partner and Chairman of READ, added, “Kevin’s knowledge of the global cased hole logging market, the technologies involved, and the needs of oil and gas operators is second to none. I have every confidence that Kevin will continue successfully growing READ’s international reach, customer base and service portfolio, and look forward to seeing the company emerge even stronger under his leadership.”

• Region: North Sea
• Topics: Decommissioning
• Date: Aug, 2021

KDS JV AS, the joint venture between DOF Subsea and Aker Solutions, has been awarded a subsea decommissioning contract for DNO at the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

The contract includes engineering, preparation, removal & disposal work (EPRD) of associated subsea hardware.

The project shall be delivered by an integrated expert team from the JV partners. DOF Subsea shall deploy Skandi Acergy from its fleet, and Aker Solutions will use its disposal site at Stord for recycling.

Engineering will start immediately, with offshore execution planned for the first quarter of 2022, although there is a possibility for an earlier start in the last quarter of 2021.

Included in the project scope is the removal and disposal of subsea infrastructure such as template, manifold, production spools, umbilical, covers and associated hardware.

• Region: North Sea
• Topics: Decommissioning
• Date: Aug, 2021

Netherlands-based Wintershall Noordzee B.V., a joint venture of Wintershall Dea GmbH and Gazprom EP International B.V., has started a largescale decommissioning programme in the Southern North Sea.

The first phase of this programme will last for approximately one and a half years and entails the plugging-and-abandonment (P&A) of 24 wells in both Dutch and German waters, and the removal of two platforms and two subsea installations.

The tender for the first part of this extensive programme was granted to Swift Drilling BV. In the past months, the SWIFT 10 jack-up rig has been modified and prepared to start work after a period of stacking due to a worldwide economic slump in offshore activities. The rig will first set sail to the P9 location to close off and safely abandon two subsea wells. It will then continue to the next wells until all 24 wells have been securely plugged and abandoned.

Decommissioning and complete removal of its assets is part of the full activity cycle of Wintershall Noordzee. A largescale campaign such as this is an efficient and effective way for the company to fulfill its decommissioning liabilities, Windershall Noordzee says.
“It is merely the final act of what we do, and one we have mastered doing over the years”, said Jone Hess, Managing Director of Wintershall Noordzee B.V. “We are proud of our accomplishments in the Southern North Sea and will continue to fulfill our obligations when it comes to our assets.”

Removal of four non-producing assets

Part of the largescale decommissioning programme is the full removal of the Q4-A and B production platforms, in addition to the two P9 subsea installations. These activities are due to start in the spring of 2022, with completion by Q4 2022.

Wintershall Noordzee B.V. is one of the largest producers of natural gas on the Dutch continental shelf. It is operator of 23 production platforms and six subsea installations in the Dutch, English, German, and Danish sectors of the North Sea. Active in the Southern North Sea since 1965, the company has substantial experience in decommissioning and re-use of its installations. Since the late 1980s, 58 wells have successfully been plugged and abandoned, starting with the first five wells in 1988 belonging to production platform K13-D. That same year, the topside of K13-D was moved to its new location in sector L8 becoming production platform L8-H. This marked the company’s first of a total of seven reused topsides to date.

Wintershall Noordzee has fully decommissioned and removed 16 production platforms during the past 30+ years, of which seven topsides were reused at new locations in the Southern North Sea. The topside of production platform P14-A has already been recycled twice by becoming the topside of E18-A in 2008, which became the topside of production platform D12-B in 2019.