Subsea engineering company OceanTools has announced the appointment of Kris Yorke as Business Development Manager. In this key role, Kris is tasked with the development of new business opportunities both across the UK and internationally. The Aberdeen based firm specialises in the design and manufacture of high technology support equipment for the ROV, survey, IRM and drilling sectors of the offshore oil and gas industry.

Richard Benzie has been appointed Technical Director of the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) to replace Jane Bugler who retires at the end of this month (September 2015) after 18 years in the role. He will join IMCA in the near future. “More than any other individual past or present, Jane’s name is synonymous with the IMCA brand and the objectives of the association. Replacing Jane is therefore a big challenge, but one that I relish.” says Richard. “In these testing times for our industry I am delighted to be joining an organisation I know well, whose track record I respect, and which is firmly committed to the principle of helping its 1,000+ members in more than 60 countries add value rather than cost to their ongoing business around the globe.

French oil major Total, operator for the Egina oil field offshore Nigeria, together with its construction and survey partners, has successfully installed a Fusion 6G subsea positioning network to support its development of the $15 billion project. Supplied by Sonardyne International Ltd, UK, the acoustic technology specified for Egina, which is still ongoing, included a field-wide array of Compatt 6 seabed transponders that were deployed and made ready for work eight days ahead schedule. Located 150 kilometres off the coast of Nigera, in water depths of up to 1,750 metres, the Egina field covers an area of around 500 square miles. Infrastructure will include an FPSO, an oil offloading terminal and subsea production systems that will included 52 kilometres of oil and water injection flowlines, 12 flexible jumpers, 20 kilometres of gas export pipelines, 80 kilometres of umbilicals, and subsea manifolds. Production at the field is expected to reach 200,000 barrels per day at its peak.

The Oceanology International team is visiting DSEI in London from Tuesday 15 to Friday 18 September. We will be on site at DSEI to answer any questions you have about Oceanology International 2016, and will be networking with leading suppliers of maritime security solutions there. Several DSEI exhibitors are already exhibiting at Oceanology International 2016 including, the BMT Group, English Braids, ESRI, Flir Systems, Glenair, IXBlue, Northern Diver and Nova Scotia Business.

Fugro has been awarded a contract for the installation and burial of array cables at the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm. The development in the English Channel, 13 kilometres off the Sussex coast, is being built by E.ON alongside partners, the UK Green Investment Bank plc. The engineering and planning will start immediately with installation being carried out in two phases in 2016 and 2017. Fugro will lay and bury 122 array cables with its construction and installation vessels Fugro Symphony and Fugro Saltire and using one of its two Q1400 trenching systems to bury the cables.

- Leveraging its unique subsea integrated approach - Technip has been awarded an engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning contract by PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB) for D18 Project. The project covers the procurement and installation of two 8” water injection flexible pipes totalling 9.5 kilometers. The flexible pipes will connect three fixed jacket platforms which form the existing D18 infrastructure offshore Sarawak, Malaysia, at a water depth of 36 meters. This contract is part of the 5-year Framework Agreement signed with PETRONAS in late 2014 and is in line with Technip strategy to strengthen its partnerships with its clients to drive cost optimization.

Craig International’s research has revealed that typically oil company buyers spend 85% of their time on managing only 15% of their spend. Craig Group is re-launching its global oilfield procurement division at Offshore Europe tomorrow to demonstrate the major cost-savings it can offer the oil and gas industry. This is in response to the need for greater efficiencies to cope with the sharp drop in oil prices. Craig International, the new name for Craig International Supplies (CIS), has evolved from an oilfield supply company to a provider of out-sourced procurement services. These services are resulting in major savings for oil companies in time and resources, combined with considerable savings on spend on oilfield products

PROSERV GROUP LLC (“Proserv”), a leading energy services company, has acquired Nautronix, a leader in the supply of subsea digital acoustic communication products and positioning services to the oil and gas industry, based in Aberdeen, United Kingdom. Proserv is a portfolio company of Riverstone Holdings LLC, an energy-focused private equity firm based in New York. Employing 120 people, Nautronix is headquartered in Aberdeen where the main research and development, and manufacturing facilities are located. The company is internationally recognised for its through-water digital acoustic wireless communications and positioning systems, diver communications and vessel systems whilst also providing survey services. The technology focussed organisation which operates across the global subsea sector provides a range of products and services including; NASNet®, NASCoM, NASDrill, NASDive and Survey Services.

Subsea IMR provider, N-Sea Offshore Ltd, has successfully completed a fully integrated and managed service for Maersk Oil UK’s 2015 Subsea Inspection Programme. The work scope involved four field locations in the North Sea and utilised N-Sea’s IMR and subsea capabilities for a duration of 135 days. The four locations were combined within one scope which commenced on 1 March this year, thus achieving optimum levels of efficiency and productivity.

Subsea Technology & Rentals Ltd (STR); global specialists in the design, production and rental of advanced subsea technology for the offshore energy industry are pleased to announce the addition of SMT’s Light Weight Taut Wire to their equipment sales and rental inventory. STR have signed an exclusive sales agency agreement to promote and sell SMT Taut Wire product globally.

Adding Scope to the ROV and Diving Industries Through the collaboration of our subsidiaries, Atlas Professionals has been able to grow and strengthen its presence within the Energy and Marine industries. Now, one year on, Atlas Professionals completed the acquisition of a 100% interest in Subserv Pro Ltd (SSP) and ORCA Offshore Ltd (ORCA). This acquisition will add further scope and options for both of Atlas’ clients and personnel. Based in Banbury, the office will expand Atlas’ UK network, bringing together two of the strongest agencies in the niche markets of ROV, Diving, Inspection and Renewable Energy. Sharing the Same Values When Atlas began proceedings of the acquisition, both companies found that they shared the same core values; to invest and help their professionals grow within their careers.

Subsea cable protection specialist, Tekmar Energy, is bucking the market trend after experiencing steady growth in the oil & gas sector during what has been a challenging time for the industry. Since the start of the year, and against the dramatic fall in the oil price, the company has expanded its reach into new global regions, won multiple orders of repeat business and brought in six new clients so far this year including JDR Cables, FlexLife and GE Oil & Gas.

Xodus Group has been awarded a contract with Nexen Petroleum U.K. Limited to provide Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) services in support of the decommissioning of the Ettrick and Blackbird fields in the central North Sea. The workscope will assess the best practice decommissioning methods for the main items of field architecture, including the structures, flowlines, umbilicals and risers. The work involves developing the decommissioning methodology for the field taking account of current industry best practice to ensure a technically robust decommissioning solution is developed.

SMD are pleased to announce that they are set to contribute to a major offshore wind research project lead by The University of Dundee. The project will look to determine whether cheaper, more environmentally friendly and more effective foundations can be developed for the offshore renewables industry. The project, funded by a £1million grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, will look at the use of screw piles for offshore installations. These are foundations which are screwed into the ground and currently widely used onshore, for example, to support motorway signs and gantries.

An incredibly rare sighting of a Blue Whale in English waters was captured on camera by scientists from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) on-board the RRS James Cook. The huge mammal, twice as long as a double-decker bus, was spotted on 24 August approximately 400 km southwest of Cornwall, over a deep-sea canyon on the northern margin of the Bay of Biscay.

Stork to deliver ECITB certified MJI 21 bolt tensioning course Leading subsea training and trials facility, The Underwater Centre, is working in collaboration with Stork, global provider of knowledge-based asset integrity services focused on the oil & gas, chemical and power sectors, to deliver a brand new one-day certified course in bolt tensioning. The ECITB approved course, MJI 21 Hydraulically Tensioned Subsea Bolted Connections, addresses a key activity which every offshore construction diver should be familiar with and will be added to the Centre’s commercial diving training suite, firstly as a standalone course.

Seabed survey company Bibby HydroMap have completed survey operations on the €30 million Deep Green marine energy project based off Holyhead for consultant Xodus Group on behalf of developer Minesto AB.

Conserve Oilfield Services, RentAir Offshore and Seanic Ocean Systems will be showcasing their product capabilities at this years Offshore Europe in Aberdeen, 8th - 11th September as part of the Centurion Group.