Premier is pleased to announce that the Zama-1 exploration well in Block 7 (Premier equity 25 per cent) in the shallow water Sureste Basin, offshore Mexico, was spudded at 0630 on 21 May 2017. This is the first exploration well to be drilled on acreage awarded in Mexico’s first international licencing round in 2015.

MMT Sweden has been awarded a three-year contract by Nord Stream AG to inspect both lines of the Nord Stream Pipeline running through the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. The external inspection of the pipeline will be executed by the joint venture between MMT Sweden and Reach Subsea.

M² Subsea, the global independent provider of ROV services, has secured its first contract award which is valued in excess of one million pounds. The project will see the firm supplying the Go Electra vessel, ROVs and personnel to support survey work on the world’s longest subsea pipeline system. The company, which has bases in Aberdeen and Houston, has been sub-contracted by Next Geosolutions, an independent geoscience and engineering service provider, to deliver the campaign in the Baltic Sea for the Nord Stream 2 project.

Building on the success of Oi China 2016, the 2017 conference and exhibition will take place in Qingdao for the first time. Oi China 2017 provides domestic and international suppliers the opportunity to capitalise on China’s rapidly developing offshore energy and marine industries, as well as a unique platform for the international marine technology and ocean science community to network.

The Oil & Gas Technology Centre’s Technology Zone at SPE Offshore Europe 2017 will present a series of technologies used in alternative sectors to encourage the oil and gas industry to think differently about the adoption of new products. The Centre believes technologies such as robots, composite materials, additive manufacturing and augmented reality are all currently underutilised in offshore oil and gas, despite being part of a general industrial transformation in other industries. The industry-led research and knowledge organisation, backed by the UK and Scottish Governments, aims to inspire, accelerate and fund innovative technologies that will help unlock the potential of the UK North Sea and anchor our world-class supply chain in North-East Scotland.

Novacavi just released its P_22SSA ruggedized custom cableP_22SSA ruggedized custom cable to support reliable and secure monitoring activity of marine environment. This electro-optical-mechanical custom cable enriches our extremely diverse production range of subsea armoured cable for detection and instrumentation in defence and environmental monitoring applications.

A major funding package for the Institute of Petroleum Engineering (IPE) at Heriot-Watt University will directly support research and training for the future of the industry in UK offshore waters. Heriot-Watt’s Chief Scientist, Professor John Underhill, has secured funding of £416k from Verus Petroleum, an independent oil company active on the United Kingdom continental Shelf (UKCS). The award will support a number of oil and gas related training and Applied Geoscience research activities in IPE including the NERC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT), the Ogilvie-Gordon 3D Audio-Visualisation Centre (OGAVC) and UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) and Frontier Basins PhD research activities.

15 May, 2017, Dubai, UAE: Topaz Energy and Marine (“Topaz”), a leading international offshore support vessel company, today announces its Multi-Purpose Supply Vessel, Topaz Resolve, has commenced a charter in support of geophysical and geotechnical survey operations in the Mediterranean Sea for a European Oil Major.

HAAS Investment and Recruitment Drive Supports Engineering Growth Leading rapid prototyping bureau, Paragon Rapid Technologies has expanded its dedicated CNC facility with the addition of 2 new machining centres. A 5-Axis HAAS UMC-750 and a 3-Axis HAAS SUPER MINIMILL 2 will complement its existing capabilities and double capacity for the production of machined components.

Marine Distribution & Consulting of France will take part at the EMRA conference on Marine Robotics taken place in Girona, Spain

Energy services company Proserv has recently been awarded three contracts worth a combined value of more than $2.5million (approx. 21.5m Norwegian Krone) for decommissioning work in the Norwegian North Sea. The firm’s Stavanger facility will provide cutting services as part of a full severance package covering subsea and topside work. Compared to more traditional approaches, the cutting technology solutions deployed by Proserv can save hours in well severance and plugging, which can lead to significant savings in day rates over a campaign. These awards build upon decommissioning successes for the company globally in recent months with around $8million worth of work secured in Asia Pacific, the UK and Gulf of Mexico.

Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd (SMD) are pleased to announce the signature of a contract with Consolidated Contractors Company (Underwater Engineering) S.A.L. for the manufacture and delivery of a hard ground subsea trenching machine. SMD will design and build a BT500 Burial Tractor (500hp) complete with a full power and control system.

- OSCC 2017 speaker says if next generation’s loyalty hangs in the balance so too does the industry - Millennials expert Ryan Jenkins is warning the global oil and gas industry that it is on the brink of a dangerous ‘war on talent’ which will see young people becoming disengaged and moving into other sectors within just a few years of employment. He is urging organisations to adapt modern technology and methods to attract, train and retain young people to ensure the workforce of tomorrow also develops into a safe and competent one.

Fugro has commenced a hydrographic survey encompassing an area of Norwegian waters of approximately 15,000 square kilometres. The contract was awarded by the Norwegian Hydrographic Service and has a value of 34.5 million NOK (approximately €3.8 million).

Subsea technology companies, 2G Robotics Inc., and Sonardyne International Ltd, UK. today announced they have entered into a formal collaboration agreement. The two organisations are working together on the development and promotion of a dynamic underwater laser mapping solution which significantly reduces the time needed to survey seafloor sites and offshore structures.

Two engineers from Wood Group have supported the National Subsea Research Initiative (NSRI) in its drive to speed up the development and implementation of near to market technologies in the subsea sector. Jamie McCallum and Christer Fjellroth, who are both working towards becoming Chartered Engineers, beat off competition from a number of hopefuls who applied to join NSRI on a one year secondment last year.

The contract provides for the testing, and installation of an electrical, permanently seabed installed RROV (Residential - ROV). The system will interface with IKMS’s Onshore Control Center via Tampnet, a dedicated fiber-based network system for the platforms in question. The systems are equally design to operate on the 4G mobile broadband system.

ExPert Riser Solutions, located at the gateway to the Gulf of Mexico in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, is now an Authorized Repair Center for Trelleborg’s offshore operation, expanding and improving its Drill Riser Buoyancy Module (DRBM) repair offering. Through this partnership with ExPert Riser, Trelleborg has upgraded its capability as the sole DRBM supplier offering certified third-party repair services with in-house production standards. Trelleborg’s customers will now be able to have their buoyancy repaired at ExPert Riser’s Port Fourchon, Louisiana location with convenient access to the Gulf of Mexico, significantly reducing shipping time and improving cost effectiveness. ExPert Riser has undergone a stringent onsite audit to ensure its DRBM repair processes and workmanship comply to Trelleborg’s high standards.