Forum Energy Technologies has launched its latest generation subsea robotic system at Subsea Expo. The company, which is the world’s largest manufacturer of underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), has created the XLX- C ROV. It is more compact than the highly successful XLX model, but with similar capabilities.
As the Subsea Expo kicks off in Aberdeen this week Neil Gordon, chief executive of Subsea UK, has taken up the role of Energy Voice’s guest editor. Follow along each day as he spells out the challenges and triumphs the industry faces.
Aberdeen energy services firm FlexTech said yesterday it had tied up deals worth more than £250,000 so far this year, shaking off the effects of an industry-wide malaise.
The UK still boasts the single largest concentration of subsea capability and excellence in the world. Our challenge is to maintain that position in the face of the current drop in oil price and increasing global competition. This means we need to get better and quicker at developing new innovation and technology – which is a key theme at Subsea Expo this week. The first half of 2014 saw our sector continue the upward curve we have enjoyed in recent years with most companies reporting strong order books. The growth wasn’t confined simply to the UK; our industry enjoyed expansion internationally with exports growing to almost 50% of our total revenues. However, during the summer of 2014 we started to see a cooling off period that has been compounded by the drop in oil price. We have also seen the dynamics changing in other parts of the global subsea market. Australia has perhaps peaked slightly and we have seen it cool off as it begins to move from a CAPEX intensive region into a more OPEX focussed operational area. We are starting to see a drying up of projects in Africa but Mexico’s energy reform last year will have a significant impact on companies in the Gulf of Mexico as its deepwater market begins to open up.
Record numbers from across the global offshore oil and gas industry are expected to attend Subsea Expo 2015 in Aberdeen this week. Europe’s largest annual subsea conference and exhibition showcases the expertise and technology of a UK industry generating about £9billion in revenue annually and supporting around 60,000 jobs. More than 6,000 people are registered to attend the event, organised by trade body Subsea UK, which takes place at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre from Wednesday to Friday.
From travelling by hoverboard to colonising Mars – predicting how the future will go is a notoriously difficult affair that is influenced by any number of factors. For younger people, having to make a decision at a relatively early age on their career path, it may not quite involve looking into a crystal ball but it is still a challenge to decide which journey to embark on without understanding how to get there. Inside Industry, which supports students all over the country, was set up with this in mind as an online tool providing a total overview of jobs available in the energy industry and, crucially, the different entry routes into these posts.
Subsea UK is focused on promoting the breadth of expertise and experience that sets the British subsea sector apart. The Subsea UK Awards are an opportunity to publicly recognise the talent and innovation demonstrated by both companies and individuals, while showcasing the new developments in technology that highlight why the UK is the world-leader in subsea. While the oil and gas industry enjoys a year round calendar of awards schemes, Subsea UK believed that there should be a dedicated celebration of the growth, excellence and talent demonstrated purely in the subsea sector and, in 2007, the inaugural awards were presented.
Subsea technology is being forced to raise the bar as a direct response to rising production costs and declining oil prices, according to Subsea UK chief executive Neil Gordon. His remarks come ahead of next week's Subsea Expo which will see 200 exhibitors showcase the latest innovation in technology. The boss of Subsea UK admitted that last year’s celebration of huge growth is in stark contrast to the situation the industry finds itself in now.
Companies with technologies that can cut the cost of oil and gas production will be highlighted in a new showcase at the subsea industry’s leading event this year. In an effort to demonstrate how recent innovations can help operators and oil services firms reduce costs, Subsea Expo will provide a platform for organisations to introduce, discuss and demonstrate their latest innovations. Chaired by Dr Gordon Drummond, project director for the National Subsea Research Initiative (NSRI), the session will give a dozen companies ten minutes in the spotlight to outline their innovation and potential applications.
Energy specialist Munro’s Travel reports strong interest from UK companies keen to attend and exhibit at the world’s top oil show. Next year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in the US oil capital of Houston is being held from Monday, May 4, to Thursday, May 7. Executives and experts from leading oil companies will be attending this important event, which attracted a show record of more than 108,000 people last year.
Offshore oil and gas and renewables companies have just days left to enter the 2015 Offshore Achievement Awards. The deadline for the annual honours, organised and hosted by the Aberdeen section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), is Monday December 1.
Business interested in taking a spot at the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Councils' pavilion at Offshore Europe 2015 have been invited to get in touch and register their details. The two local authorities, who have joined up to take a stand at the biennial event since 1996, said they will be recruiting north-east companies to take space on the pavilion shortly.
More than 30 Scottish energy service companies are showcasing their strengths in Abu Dhabi this week as they seek to grow their presence in the Middle East market. Scottish Enterprise (SE) is leading the 33-strong business group at the world’s third largest oil and gas event, the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec), running for three days from today. The Middle East is a key market, according to SE/Scottish Development International's Survey of International Activity in the Oil and Gas Sector 2012/13, published earlier this year.
As the Deep Offshore Technology International wraps up in Aberdeen for the first time in its 30-year history, the Press and Journal Energy editor Jeremy Creswell gives his highlight from the event.
A strategy manager for French-engineering company Technip said the “gold-plating” was coming off technology design in the oil and gas industry. Scott Campbell, strategy manager for the company’s UK business unit, said the market downturn would likely remain for the next year.
The chief executive of oil and gas facilitator ITF said techniques used in deepwater could also be beneficial to the oil and gas industry in the North Sea. Dr Patrick O’Brien spoke on the final day of Deep Offshore Technology International 2014 (DOT) about the potential techniques which could be used to find more energy sources in the UKCS.
Development in floating concrete structures - which could be used for exploration in the Arctic Ocean - was presented by Norwegian-based engineering company Kvaerner at Deep Offshore Technology International 2014 (DOT). Kvaerner has been designing the concrete structures which would be adaptable to the region, rather than typical fixed platforms seen elsewhere in the industry.
The potential revenues which come from Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) will be realised by the oil and gas industry within the next five years, according to Industry team leader. Members of the industry gathered for the final day of Deep Offshore Technology International 2014 (2014) to discuss enabling technologies to maximise recovery.
Closing the skills gap could be a major step forward in solving the challenges in deepwater developments, according to an industry analyst. Richard D’Souza from Granherne/KBR said collaboration is needed between the oil and gas industry, governments and educational institutions to hire the right staff.
A deepwater vessel which will allow exploration n remote parts of the world is on track to be in use by next year. The Ceona Amazon, a hybrid construction and pipelay vessel designed by CEONA Offshore, began construction last year.
A newly-designed subsea power grid will be ready for testing by next summer, with final preparations for the system currently underway. Siemens has invested in the power solution, which aims to provide energy at a lower cost.
All-Energy 2015 today made its call for papers as it prepares for next year’s conference.
The boss of an independent oil and gas company said deep water production of oil and gas could triple by 2040. Jarand Rystad, managing director of Rystad Energy, was speaking at the Deep Offshore Technology International 2014 (DOT) about rising costs in finding energy resources.
The Catcher project in the North Sea looks set to reach its production target with up to 60,000 barrels of oil produced per day, according to its development manager.
The project manager of the Rosebank project said it had faced a number of "challenges” since its discovery in 2004.