Subsea intervention technology specialist, Interventek, has agreed to supply a complete set of 20,000psi open-water well intervention shear and seal values to Trendsetter Engineering Inc.
The agreement allows Trendsetter exclusive global rights to deploy the 5-1/8” open-water valves for the next five years, with the first set to be delivered later this year.
The 20K Revolution valves are designed as a compact, modular addition for lightweight subsea intervention systems. They will provide the safety-critical well control function within Trendsetter’s new 20K Trident Subsea Intervention System, which is scheduled for the first field operations on a high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) subsea completion and intervention campaign in the Gulf of Mexico.
Interventek has previously supplied Trendsetter with serval 15,000psi Open-Water Revolution Valves, which were successfully deployed on multiple campaigns using its 15k Trident Intervention Systems.
Tony Kitchener, Sales and Marketing Director at Interventek, said, “Our new 20k Open Water Revolution Valves is leading the way in HPHT subsea well intervention safety. Qualified to rigorous API-17G and API 17TR8 standards, the valve maintains the superior cutting and resilient sealing capability that our unique technology is known for, delivering a future-proof solution for today’s operators.
“Our Revolution design is flexible and scalable so, with Trendsetter’s valuable and long-standing collaboration, it was natural for us to push ahead together to deliver the world’s first open-water HPHT intervention solution.”
Mike Cargol, Vice President of Services at Trendsetter, commented, “Interventek’s compact and high-performing Revolution valve is the ideal choice for our range of lightweight and modular Trident intervention systems. This technology is the key to achieving a reliable HPHT solution with around a 60% size and weight saving compared to other offerings.
“The result is a robust system which can be reconfigured to support hydraulic, riserless or open-water risered interventions and mobilised quickly on a broad range of vessels with minimal modifications. The bottom line for the operator is enhanced safety, rapid responses, increased operational efficiency and reduced costs.”
Well-Safe Solutions, a contractor which offers the complete package for well decommissioning, has unveiled a D300 saturation diving system aboard the Well-Safe Guardian rig.
The addition, makes the semi-submersible the only one of its type in the North Sea with this capability.
The custom-built dive spread, with capacity for up to 15 persons, enables safe access to legacy subsea wellhead and christmas tree systems from the 1970s onwards which were originally designed for diver intervention.
“With 48% of overall decommissioning expenditure in 2022 focused on well abandonment alone, Well-Safe Solutions has identified a clear market in mature basins such as the UK Continental Shelf for this technology,” commented Phil Milton, Chief Executive Officer at Well-Safe Solutions.
“The dive spread system installed on the Well-Safe Guardian is a cost-effective, flexible alternative to the industry standard, which typically sees a light well intervention vessel (LWIV) used to plug and lubricate the well before completing decommissioning operations with a standard semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU).
“Our ‘single asset solution’ offers an alternative to the conventional approach and does not require multiple vessel mobilisations and demobilisations. This results in lower operating costs, minimises the risk of weather-related disruption and boosts overall project efficiency.”
Milton explained that comparative analysis studies have demonstrated the value this solution can bring to the wider decommissioning industry as it streamlines processes and costs alike.
“Our data shows that the use of the Well-Safe Guardian to plug and abandon (P&A) five wells over three fields in the North Sea generates a 15% total cost reduction and is 44 days quicker than using a LWIV and MODU pairing,” continued Milton. “We are delighted to be able to bring this solution to market as part of our vision to become the industry’s well decommissioning partner of choice.”
The manufacture, transport and fitment of the dive spread was carried out at Burntisland, Rosyth and Methil ports on the east coast of Scotland.
The system is designed to enable diving operations to be carried out in support of well decommissioning. Typical operations supported include cleaning, deconstruction, barrier testing, manual tree cap removal, reconfiguration of hydraulic controls and flowline removal.
Following further systems integration and testing, the Well-Safe Guardian will mobilise early summer 2023, returning to the Buchan field operated by Repsol Sinopec Resources UK to plug and abandon nine wells using the saturation dive system, the Trident well intervention system and the blow out preventer, realising the full potential of this single asset solution. UK-based RockSalt Subsea will support Well-Safe Solutions with diving services and personnel during all saturated diving operations from the Well-Safe Guardian.
David Whitehouse, Chief Executive Officer of Offshore Energies UK, added, “The UK offshore energy industry has a long history of developing world-class solutions to the challenges it has faced and continues to face.
“This latest development and adoption of technology on the Well-Safe Guardian from Well-Safe Solutions shows an absolute commitment to drive forward innovation to improve efficiency for the plug and abandonment of wells. These efficiency improvements will also have a positive impact on safety and environmental performance.
“After 50 years of operating in the North Sea, this level of dedication to UK innovation is important as we continue to meet the UK’s energy needs using home grown jobs, skills and technology.”
Welltec has announced its Puncher 218 technology has won at the Hart Energy’s E&P 2023 Special Meritorious Awards for Engineering Innovation (MEA). The MEA programme recognises new products and technologies which demonstrate innovation through their concept, design, and application.
“This award is a fantastic acknowledgment of the advances we continue to make within our intervention technologies,” said Alex Nicodimou, Welltec VP for Sales & Marketing.
“We are constantly improving and evolving our portfolio, while also developing new services and new service sizes as in this particular case. The focus is always to help our clients and continue to make operations more efficient, more controllable, and more reliable through technology.”
The Welltec Puncher 218 provides an efficient, e-line conveyed, non-explosive method for equalising pressures between tubular strings. Its innovative design is ideal for extended reach and going beyond narrow internal diameter restrictions, and is currently the slimmest non-explosive puncher capable of creating multiple perforations on a single run in the market.
Jordan Blum, Editorial Director at Hart Energy, said, “Technology has clearly been at the forefront as the industry has challenged the frontiers of exploration, drilling, and production. We applaud Welltec’s commitment to technological progress in the upstream area, and we congratulate them on receipt of this award.”
Completion and intervention leader, Welltec A/S, has announced the acquisition of Autentik AS, a niche technology provider which specialises in electric wireline fishing and intervention solutions.
Autentik has a proven track record of delivering innovative solutions to its clients across the North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and its expertise in downhole fishing will complement Welltec’s existing portfolio. With the acquisition, Welltec will be better positioned to serve its clients with the latest surface-controlled technology advancements and solutions. Together with Welltec’s manufacturing capabilities, the acquisition will bring an accelerated technology shift in how to conduct well access operations safely and efficiently.
Tommy Eikeland, CCO Welltec, said, “We are excited to welcome Autentik into the Welltec family. There is a mutual admiration for innovation and understanding of risk-taking which, to a certain level, is required when developing new technology. Together with their interventions expertise, this will add tremendous value and momentum to our organisation and enhance our ability to provide our clients with cutting-edge solutions.”
CEO of Autentik, Roy Kristiansen, commented, “This partnership will bring Autentik’s true passion for innovation and new solutions to transform wireline interventions together with Welltec’s global reach and market leadership in completion and intervention. This is a historic step in the life of Autentik, and a move that will benefit the clients and partners we work with.”
Optime Subsea has signed a long-term framework agreement with Wintershall Dea for use of the company’s remote controlled subsea well completion and intervention systems.
Under the agreement, Wintershall Dea will rent three Remoted Operated Controls System (ROCS) including its universal landing string system (panpipe), and two wireless electric subsea control and intervention systems (eSCILS) from Optime Subsea. The latter will also provide technical service personnel to support Wintershall Dea’s operations.
Jan-Fredrik Carlsen, CEO of Optime Subsea, commented, “This contract manifests our position as the leading global supplier of remote-controlled well completion and intervention systems. Our solutions are tailored to simplify subsea, entailing less equipment offshore, lower weight, less logistics, lower HSE risk, lower emissions and lower costs. We look forward to supporting Wintershall Dea in achieving this.”
The ROCS is a fully battery-powered and umbilical-less system for well completion operations, eliminating the need for the costly and heavy umbilical’s which normally run from topside to seabed, as well as the need for a hydraulic unit. In total, this avoids the mobilisation of approximately 50 tonnes of topside equipment. The eSCILS is also a battery-powered and umbilical-less device, used for subsea well interventions and workover operations. eSCILS is lowered to the seabed next to the well and can connected to any type of subsea tree, requiring only a computer for a topside control system, rather than additional rig equipment, and can be mobilised and demobilised in one day. As a result, operations can be done significantly safer, faster and more cost-effective than conventional solutions.
The agreement is valid for a firm period of three years plus two additional two-year options. If both option periods are exercised, Optime Subsea estimated that the contract could generate total revenues of around NOK500mn.
Europe’s largest provider of well integrity solutions, Unity, is developing a new additive manufactured lightweight gate which can be retrofitted to Christmas Tree gate valves to remediate seal integrity issues in low-pressure wells.
The gate has been designed as a solution for late life, depleted and shut-in offshore wells, where the tubing head pressure is too low to effectively seat the gate and seal the well. The patented design reduces the weight of the gate by around 60%, while retaining its intrinsic strength and would save operators around UK£250,000 per well by replacing a single surface component rather than the complete well control package.
The new technology is a result of a collaborative research and development project with Net Zero Technology Centre and Spirit Energy.
Technical Sales Director at Unity, Stuart Slater, explained, “The use of metal additive manufacturing means that we can offer attractive cost-savings and efficiencies to the industry, reducing raw materials, waste and operator investment in stock holding. The delivery of single items is fast and more energy efficient than traditional forgings, with an impressive 90% average reduction in lead times.
“But the real saving in this case is achieved by approaching the problem from a different angle, so rather than replacing the whole surface well control package we can quickly replace just a single small component, which offers huge cost and efficiency benefits.”
According to the most recent ‘Wells Insight Report’ from the UK’s North Sea Transition Authority, the current active UKCS well stock comprises of 2,629 wellbores, 1,661 of which are producing, while the number of shut-in wells rose by 65 to 781 in 2021. Shut-in well stock is now at a historical high, with 30% of all wells being shut in as significant intervention on infrastructure is cited as one of the top three limiting factors.
Unity’s technology is entering the latter stages of development as prototype testing has already been completed on a 2-1/16” gate, with a 5-1/8” gate now in manufacture to qualify the product for commercialisation.
Oilenco Norge AS, sister company to well intervention and abandonment company Oilenco Ltd, has appointed Dean Reynolds as Business Development Manager for their Norway operation.
Reynolds will transfer from Oilenco to Oilenco Norge AS after four years with the market-leading company and will be responsible for the growth of the Oilenco brand in Norway.
Reynolds, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry, commented, “Oilenco is an innovative company bringing together bespoke design engineering expertise and custom manufacturing services to support clients with the most demanding of challenges. In my new role as Business Development Manager for Oilenco Norge, I will be responsible for developing client relationships, raising awareness of Oilenco products and capabilities, whilst demonstrating our compliance with the latest industry standards and high-quality service the company provides.
“Over my career I have gained valuable knowledge and experience from the front end, working offshore, understanding the needs of engineers, as well as supporting oil companies to provide a superior service to their customers. I am sincerely grateful to work for a fast paced, forward thinking company like Oilenco and to be given this opportunity to showcase our evolving product range to the Norwegian market.”
Blair McCombie, Operations Director, Oilenco Ltd remarked, “Oilenco have been working alongside oil and gas companies in the Norwegian sector since 2008, and following the establishment of Oilenco Norge in 2021, it is critical we have a dedicated operation and technical support in region. This appointment strengthens our position and shows commitment to provide a more collaborative service to our clients. As a significant producer of oil and gas, we look forward to supporting the Norwegian sector, bringing efficiencies to their well intervention operations through our design, manufacturing and engineering capabilities. Dean is a great asset to the company and addition to the Oilenco Norge team, and with his technical knowledge and years of experience, is a talented resource to work alongside our client to supply the service they require.”
Archer Limited has announced the acquisition of P&A specialist company Romar-Abrado, increasing its growth within the well services sector.
The acquisition is based on an enterprise value of US$8mn, plus earn-out pending trading performance over the 2023-2025 period.
“We are pleased to announce the investment in Romar-Abrado, continuing out growth within our well services segment. The acquisition is another value creating investment which expands our capabilities within workover operations and well abandonment,” said CEO of Archer, Dag Skindlo.
“Romar-Abrado fits well with our strategy for brownfield and P&A. We expect activity to increase within these markets going forward as fundamentals and outlook remain strong. In addition, the transaction will contribute to the acceleration of our international expansion within the well services segment.”
Romar-Abrado offers advanced milling and SWARF handling services to the global P&A market, with its combined approach and operator knowledge providing innovative technologies to deliver permanent, emission-free barriers and alternative zonal isolation solutions.
Jason Broussard, CEO, Romar-Abrado, said, “We are happy to join forces with Archer to further develop and broaden our products and services in Romar-Abrado. Archer is a great fit for the Romar-Abrado business with their global footprint and service offering within workover and abandonment.”
Based on the acquisition and current trading levels, Archer’s financial guidance has increased for 2023, lifting to 20-25% above 2022 levels.
This announcement is but further indication of the mounting interest around end-of-life practices as the global well stock continues to age and environmental concerns continue to build. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in the North Sea where the well intervention market is looking increasingly strong for the years ahead.
Island Offshore, which owns an extensive fleet of offshore service vessels with a range of capacities, has indicated that their 2023 light well intervention work programme is filling up with several clients planning to increase the use of their service.
The company provided this information in a social media post where it suggested that utilisation is looking to improve further from 2022 levels. It added that the Island Wellserver vessel will be fully utilised in 2023 working on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and will, in December, be dry-docked at Ulstein Yard for class renewal.
The Island Constructor is currently trading outside the North Sea but will return to the region in February to undertake multi-client LWI work throughout 2023.
Continuing, the company explained that its riserless well intervention units are part of a cost-effective and flexible service alternative to rig-based interventions with a value proposition that has shown to be appealing to customers. The subsea well services include diagnostics, stimulation, monitoring, zonal isolation, and mechanical repairs.
Since 2005, Island Offshore has partnered with TechnipFMC and other alliance partners as first moves to complete more than 400 well interventions. The post concluded, “We are proud to be a small but significant player in the market.”
Celebrations rang through the night last week as the third annual OWI Awards 2022 brought industry giants together to highlight the very best in offshore well intervention.
This year the ceremony was hosted in Aberdeen on 25 November, 2022, and showcased a host of innovative technologies and solutions over the span of eight categories. The judging panel was made up of top operators from around the world ready to find the best of the best in well intervention.
Vaarst kicked off the night by taking home the Digital Transformation Leader trophy for its excellent work on the SubSLAM X2, a trailblazing digital solution which collects real-time intelligent data in order to deliver underwater live 3D point clouds with sub-millimetre precision.
Next up was Expro which was the big winner of the night, claiming victory in two award categories; Champion Integrated Well Service Company and Most Innovative Solution. The company’s integrated subsea intervention package and Octopoda system were recognised by the judging panel for their ingenuity and impact on the outer industry, thus earning the double win.
The award for the Best Example of Collaboration went to AKOFS Offshore in this hotly contested category, for its exemplary work with Equinor, offering the AKOFS Seafarer for integrated services utilising the company’s OneTeam model. The services are provided through four entities – AKOFS Offshore, IKM Subsea, Archer and Welltec – highlighting the integral prosperities of collaborative work within the industry.
Tendeka took to the top spot for the Best Project Outcome award, shining a light on the company’s remedial solution, Filtrex Conformable Sand Screen, which showed huge success restoring sand-free production across a three-well campaign in Indonesia. The remarkable performance earned Tendeka high recognition from the judging panel.
As sustainability is an incredibly hot topic within the industry at the minute, the award for Environmental Sustainability Innovation presented a very strong roster, but ultimately there could only be one winner, and Exceed pipped everyone else to the post. The company is on a mission to be the global leader of intergraded well management for energy transition, and was subsequently rewarded for its work on carbon neutral well operation.
SLB was awarded for its Plug and Abandonment Excellence thanks to its industry-first wireline service, Epilogue Isolation, wherein operators are no longer required to remove the inner pipe to evaluate well integrity, revolutionising conventional operations. The service reduces P&A rig days, minimising costs and reduces carbon footprint, all of which make the company a worthwhile winner in the eyes of the judges.
To end the ceremony, the final award was that of Significant Contribution to the Industry; an award which showcases the impressive portfolios accumulated by the finalists over the span of their respective company life cycles. The winner of the prestigious award was Weatherford for its rig-less framework approach to decommissioning pre-abandoned phase 3 wells.
Overall, the ceremony was a cause for celebration for not only the winners, but for all the finalists for all the hard work and dedication each operator has put into making the well intervention industry be the best it can be.
Energy services provider, Expro, has announced a US$50mn contract with North Sea operator, Apache Corporation.
The contract is for fully integrated well intervention and integrity services across all of Apache’s North Sea projects, including its Beryl and Forties assets, with a primary term of three years, and two one-year extension options.
Expro will provide services including slickline, e-line, cased hole, and pressure pumping across Apache’s assets, as well as several of the company’s own innovative technologies, including Octopoda, CoilHose and Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) Slickline.
Expro’s Regional Vice President of Europe and sub-Sahara Africa, Colin Mackenzie, said, “We are delighted to receive this award, which demonstrates the continuation of our longstanding relationship with Apache and long-term investment in the UK sector of the North Sea.”
“Expro have worked with Apache for two decades. We are committed to providing safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible services. We look forward to adding further value to Apache with the introduction of our latest well intervention technologies.”
The project is due to commence in Q4 2022.
Argeo Robotics AS, a fully owned subsidiary of Argeo AS which develops robotic and digital solutions for the ocean space, has been granted a patent from the Norwegian Industrial Patent Office for a subsea electromagnetic remote-sensing system.
The company has developed a portfolio of electromagnetic source and receiver systems for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV), Underwater Intervention Drones (UID) and ROVs. This patent protects Argeo’s exclusive services with the products Argeo Whisper and Argeo Discover.
Argeo Whisper is an AUV and ROV system developed for localising and tracking buried pipelines as well as detecting buried objects in a decommissioning survey. It can also be used for detecting unexploded ordnances.
Argeo Discover is an application or detecting, delineating, and characterising deep sea mineral deposits or other conductive objects below the seafloor utilising an electromagnetic source integrated in an AUV or ROV.
The company has developed an electromagnetic source that is designed to operate down to 6,000 m water depth. This technology enables ultra-high resolution characterisation of minerals that has previously not been possible. With Argeo Discover added to Argeo’s AUV and ROV sensor portfolio, Argeo is in a position to provide effective ultra-high resolution data acquisition for both larger regional and detailed local exploration over large areas with deposits utilising its fleet its AUVs rated to 6,000 m water depth.
Thorbjørn Rekdal, CTO in Argeo, commented, “We are very pleased with the electromagnetic source and sensor technologies that are developed by Argeo Robotics, and protecting our inventions is something we consider of utmost importance.”
The project for Argeo Searcher and both of the SeaRaptors is scheduled to commence directly after completing the vessel conversion project in January 2023 with a duration of 3-4 weeks and an estimated completion in February. The project has good possibility for extension further into Q1 2023.
The company will provide high resolution environmental and potential marine mineral resource assessment in addition to an advanced dual-AUV operation. Argeo will retain show and marketing rights for the data and present the results using its digital visualisation platform, Argeo SCOPE.
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