The Magazine for Underwater Professionals

May/Jun 2015

INDUSTRY NEWS - CONTRACTS & TENDERS

Harkand secures multi-million dollar diving support contract

The project includes an option to utilise the Harkand diving support vessel Swordfish

UK-headquartered Harkand has secured a US$5 million (GB£3 million) contract in Mexico to perform saturation diving services in support of an offshore pipeline project for offshore construction company Swiber Offshore Mexico SA de CV.

 

The global subsea inspection, repair, maintenance and light construction company has recently finalised a joint venture with Arena Servicios de Mexico, a local Mexican company involved in infrastructure projects as their exclusive vehicle to deliver services in Mexico.

 

Harkand Arena will complete a wide-ranging scope of work, including the installation of risers and expansion spools to the Ayatsil Field located in the waters of Campeche Sound. This project will be performed utilising a portable saturation diving system to be provided by Harkand onboard the client’s vessel. The project includes an option to utilise Harkand’s DSV Swordfish.

 

SUPPORT

All onshore support including the project management and engineering will be performed by Harkand Arena personnel from Harkand’s new office in Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico.

 

Eduardo Borja, Arena’s director, said: “We have worked diligently over the past ten years as owner’s representative for large infrastructure projects. Our interest in expanding into offshore projects brought us to Harkand, a company with a clear direction of becoming the leading IRM and light construction contractor. Harkand has the assets and more importantly the people with the knowledge, experience and reputation of providing innovative and cost-effective solutions to the complex projects this industry brings to the table.”

 

The managing director for Harkand North America and Africa, AJ Jain, said: “This is a significant contract win for us, not only as our first under the Harkand Arena name, but it also represents our clients’ confidence in our growing diving division team and their combined experience.”

Digital video visualisation contract

UK-based Wish Software reports it has been awarded a digital video visualisation contract by Statoil, Norway.

 

The company said the project will implement its ground-breaking new VisualGIS Server software, making digital video and accompanying survey data available across the enterprise and the web.

 

“Users will be able to access their data on zero-client HTML5 compatible browser-based viewers on devices such as desktops, tablets and iPads,” said the company. “Digital video data is synchronised geographically with web maps provided by ArcGIS Server. Multiple surveys can be displayed simultaneously to provide year-on-year comparison.”

Fugro wins Total Congo contract

Fugro, the Netherlands, has been awarded a five-year contract with an estimated value of US$100 million (GB£66 million) by Total E&P Congo. The agreement is for ROV services and remote subsea tooling in the Moho Nord field, situated around 75 kilometres off the coast of Pointe Noire in the Republic of Congo.

 

Fugro will supply four 200hp FCV 3000 work-class ROV systems and blowout preventer (BOP) tooling which will be installed on board three mobile drilling units and one field support vessel.

 

Three ROV systems have been mobilised from Fugro’s Singapore base and are now operating in Moho Nord. Two of them are on board ultra-deep water drill ships and will be working in water depths of around 1200 metres. The fourth system will be installed on a semi-submersible vessel, which is under construction and expected to join operations with its ROV later this year.

 

A central task is subsea BOP intervention and testing, using an ROV equipped with a BOP skid specifically designed for this project by Fugro. Primary responsibility for controlling the BOP lies with the rig, but the ROV-operated BOP skids are also used to operate the BOP in accordance with Total’s requirements. When a subsea BOP is installed, under Total’s test procedures various rams are operated and tested on a regular basis. The ROVs also routinely inject glycol into the BOP to prevent hydrate build-up.

 

TRANSFER

“Moho Nord is the first major field in which rig BOP test closures have been carried out using Fugro’s new BOP skid system,” said Richard Mathieson, Fugro Subsea’s ROV services project manager. “This uses a special high-flow pump on the ROV to drive further pumps located on the BOP skid, allowing the transfer of large volumes of water-based fluid from the skid reservoirs into the rig’s BOP hydraulic rams when directed.”

 

Other ROV tasks include setting up regular fluid injection, drilling re-entry, bullseye checks and routine video monitoring, inspection, cleaning and intervention tasks on and around the BOP, as well as alignment control during manifold installation. The ROV on board the field support vessel recently installed transponder arrays on the seafloor to position the drill ship at its drilling location.

 

Each operational drill ship carries three ROV personnel for 12-hour coverage, and this can be increased to six people and 24-hour coverage for certain operations such as BOP installation and recovery.

 

Fugro is expanding its existing Pointe Noire base to provide operational, maintenance and repair services and also training on FCV ROVs and tooling for expatriate and Congolese personnel.

Ceona awarded deepwater contract in Gulf of Mexico
  • The Ceona Amazon is equipped for heavy lifting with two 400-tonne deepwater cranes, and has capacity to carry 9500 tonnes of pipe

UK-headquartered Ceona has been awarded a new deepwater contract with Houston, USA-based Bennu Oil & Gas in the Gulf of Mexico on its Mirage field. 

 

The agreement will see Ceona deploy its newest vessel, the Ceona Amazon, to install a flexible flowline of approximately 2.4 miles (3.8 kilometres) and an umbilical of about 2.6 miles (4.2 kilometres) from Bennu’s Mirage well location, which is located in Block 941 of the Mississippi Canyon Field. Each will be tied-back to Bennu’s Titan production facility at a depth of approximately 4000 feet (1200 metres).  

 

The contract is the second that Ceona has won with Bennu after previously being selected to install a 1.1-mile (1.7-kilometre) umbilical and two 15-mile (24-kilometre) electric quad cables at a depth of 3000 feet (914 metres) on the Clipper deepwater project in the spring of 2014. 

 

Offshore work is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2015 and, as with the previous operation, the project management and engineering work will be coordinated from Ceona’s Houston offices. 

 

DEPLOY

Janelle Pence, Ceona’s vice president, Commercial Americas, said: “We have established a strong relationship with Bennu following our previous work together and this latest contract gives us the opportunity to build on this as well as our track record in the Gulf of Mexico. We are also pleased to be able to deploy the Amazon on this project because it provides another opportunity to demonstrate the vessel’s deepwater capabilities.” 

 

The Ceona Amazon is a multi-functional vessel capable of operating in multiple pipelay (rigid/flexible pipe and umbilicals) and operational (heavy subsea construction) modes. At 655 feet (199 metres) long, the vessel is equipped for heavy lifting with two 400-tonne deepwater cranes, and has capacity to carry 9500 tonnes of pipe.

Diving vessel delivered

Unique Group, the United Arab Emirates-headquartered subsea and offshore solutions provider, has delivered two new dive systems and a diving vessel worth around GB£5 million to Aberdeen, UK-based services provider Vertech.

 

The Hydracraft 1500 daughter craft vessel, named the Vaila, is nearly 50 feet (15 metres) long and designed for air diving activity. The hull is designed to provide an enhanced stability, optimising operational efficiency.

 

Unique Group’s UK managing director, Ray Hughes, handed the vessel over to Vertech’s managing director, John Marsden, and Vertech’s diving manager, Alan Melia, in Aberdeen at the beginning of May.

 

According to Unique, the Vaila is the first daughter craft which has been built for purpose, from concept through to design. Other vessels used for the same purposes have been conversions of existing craft. The daughter craft system is designed for conducting diving operations for underwater inspection in locations otherwise inaccessible by larger vessels.

 

BEGAN

The project was initiated when Vertech formed a new commercial diving entity. The company approached Unique for surface diving systems and so the concept development for the daughter craft began in May 2014.

 

Ray Hughes said: “Delivering the daughter craft to Vertech has been a magnificent achievement for Unique Group. We have worked closely with our client, ensuring the design and operations of the vessel are first class. It is essential that the craft and its associated equipment provide a safe and comfortable working environment for the divers and crew on board.

 

“Unique Group’s strength is in our continued ability to provide turnkey solutions tailored to suit our clients’ requirements. The supply of the daughter craft and dive systems demonstrates the versatility and diversity of our energy sector capabilities.”

 

John Marsden said: “At Vertech it is really important that we provide our clients’ with the very best safety performance, service and value. The dive systems we have purchased from Unique Group are a key part of this; the systems themselves are well proven with a good track record. They have been designed to meet our onerous specifications and incorporate all the latest recommendations from IMCA. This kit is state-of-the-art and the service we have received from Unique has exceeded our expectations.”

 

The Vaila can hold a maximum of ten people. It has its own single launch and recovery system, Finland-based Cargotec’s Macgregor G150 davit.

  • Ray Hughes, Unique Group UK managing director, hands the vessel over to Vertech MD John Marsden

 

 

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