SERVICES | SUPPLIERS

Norwich, Norfolk, UK, completed the acquisition of J2 Engineering Services Ltd., an Aberdeen-based firm involved in rental, maintenance, and repair of ROV manipulator arms and associated tooling and equipment. J2 Engineering's operations are similar to those of Seatronics Ltd., part of the Acteon Group, that provides subsea electronic equipment to the offshore and ocean industries. The two companies have previously collaborated on a number of projects. Joint efforts of the two will enhance their ability to add value to customers' operations, officials said. The J2 Engineering team will continue to operate from its premises in Aberdeen and take advantage of Seatronics' established distribution and service network in Europe, North America, Brazil, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Details of the acquisition were not provided.

Seatronics do Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, an Acteon company, named Thiago Montanari as sales manager. Montanari has 6 years' experience in the offshore industry, working extensively in the Caspian (Kasakhstan), Mediterranean, Adriatic, and Caribbean (Cuba) seas, as well as in Angola, Patagonia, and Libya. Before joining Seatronics, he worked at Ambipetro, where he was an operations supervisor and party chief for its offshore operations. Prior to that, he spent 4 years as an offshore surveyor. Montanari holds an undergraduate degree in Oceanography from Vale do Itajai University in Brazil.

Fluid Imaging Technologies,

Yarmouth, Me., manufacturer of imaging particle analysis instrumentation, appointed Stephen Bowen as director of sales in oil and gas markets. Bowen formerly served in executive positions with Nabors Industries Inc. and Well Enhancement Services LLC, managing a range of oil field technology products, Bowen is to spearhead marketing of the company's FlowCAM® fluid particle imaging instrumentation that automatically detects, images, measures, differentiates, and identifies individual particles in a fluid such as oil droplets and solids in produced water or hydraulic fracturing water, drill bit cuttings, weighting material, and lost circulation material suspended in drilling mud.

The FlowCAM hydrocarbon instrumentation is currently involved in calculating oil in water concentration in real-time, characterizing upstream fluids and rapidly identifying fossilized microorganisms in returned drilling fluids, among other onshore and offshore applications. The particle analysis system is in use by Apache Corp., the US Environmental Protection Agency, US Naval Research Labs, and the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, India, among hundreds of other organizations worldwide, officials reported.

Universal Acoustic & Emission Technologies Inc.,

Stoughton, Wis., is buying Ojibway Enclosure Systems Inc., Janesville, Wis., a manufacturer of enclosures and packager of generator sets for power generation systems. Ojibway also does laser cutting, welding, and forming of a variety of metal products and assists in installation of generator sets in the field. Universal AET previously has supplied silencers to Ojibway and shares its commitment to outstanding service and customized solutions. With the acquisition, Ojibway and Universal AET will be better positioned to serve engine distributors with silencers, emissions treatment products, and complete power generation packages for data centers, hospitals, and other large-scale facilities requiring standby power generators. Universal AET provides engineered acoustic, emission, and filtration solutions for the power generation, gas turbines, oil and gas, industrial processing, and other markets.

GE Oil & Gas,

Houston, part of General Electric Co., completed in July its acquisition of Lufkin Industries Inc. in Lufkin, Tex., a leading provider of artificial lift technologies for the oil and gas industry and manufacturer of industrial gears, for $3.3 billion. The move broadens GE Oil & Gas' artificial lift capabilities with solutions for a wider variety of well types and technology for production automation and optimization in the drilling industry.

Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc.,

Covington, La., signed a definitive agreement to sell substantially all assets and business of its tug and tank barge fleet to Genesis Marine LLC, an affiliate of Genesis Energy LP, for $230 million cash. Genesis posted a $23 million deposit. Hornbeck expects to use the after-tax proceeds for general corporate purposes, which may include retirement of debt or funding the acquisition, construction, or retrofit of vessels. Included in the sale is Hornbeck Offshore's active fleet of nine ocean-going tugs and nine double-hulled tank barges. The transaction, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory clearances, is expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter. Hornbeck and Genesis plan to enter transition service agreements at closing to ensure a smooth transition of operations and services for both employees and customers. Hornbeck Offshore is divesting its non-core downstream segment to focus on its growing upstream core business. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to Hornbeck Offshore in this transaction. Hornbeck Offshore is a leading provider of new generation offshore supply vessels primarily in the US Gulf of Mexico and Latin America and a leading short-haul transporter of petroleum products through its fleet of ocean-going tugs and tank barges, primarily in the northeastern US and the gulf. It owns a fleet of 76 vessels primarily serving the energy industry and has 23 additional high-specification upstream vessels under construction for delivery on various dates through 2016.

UniversalPegasus International (UPI),

Houston, an engineering, project management, and construction management firm for the energy industry, named Tim Brown as senior vice-president of business development. Brown has more than 30 years of experience in the engineering and construction sectors. He comes to UPI from Jacobs Engineering where he was global vice-president of inside sales and marketing, responsible for downstream, upstream, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sales in North America, India, and the Middle East. Brown also worked for Fluor Corp. more than 20 years in a variety of roles. He has undergraduate degrees in civil engineering from Penn State University and in physics and math from Slippery Rock University. He has a graduate degree in theology from Biola University and extensive post-graduate executive education. Universal Ensco Inc., Pegasus International Inc., UP International Inc., and Integrated Pipeline Projects Canada Ltd. are UniversalPegasus International companies.

Fairmount Minerals Ltd.,

Chesterland, Ohio, is acquiring nearly all sand-mining operations, resin-coating plants, and distribution terminals from FTS International (FTSI) to increase the operational and logistical capabilities of Santrol, a Fairmount Minerals' company. The infrastructure expansion will allow oil and gas customers to source proppant closer to wellsites, said officials of privately held Fairmount Minerals. The purchase includes Northern White operations, adding to Fairmount Minerals' portfolio of Northern White mines in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin; and Hickory sand reserves. It will increase Santrol's distribution network to more than 50 proppant terminals. Terms of the transaction, scheduled to close by the end of the third quarter, were not disclosed. Fairmount Minerals is one of North America's largest producers of industrial sand. Its Santrol subsidiary is one of North America's largest producers of Northern White sand and a vertically integrated company marketing proppants.

Terrex Seismic,

Perth, part of the Terra Group, was contracted by PetroFrontier Corp. for a 2D proprietary seismic acquisition program 385 km long on its four exploration permits 103, 104, 127, and 128, in the Southern Georgina Basin, Northern Territory, Australia. The survey will fulfill PetroFrontier's commitments to the Northern Territory government for permit retention, delineate the southern and northwest basin margins, and help outline prospective hydrocarbon targets. PetroFrontier and its partners, Statoil Australia Theta BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Statoil ASA; and Baraka Energy & Resources Ltd., will interpret the data gathered to target conventional hydrocarbons in the Cambrian Thorntonia and other formations and unconventional hydrocarbons in the Lower Cambrian Arthur Creek formation. The data will aid in identifying locations for exploration wells to be drilled as part of the 2013-2014 capital exploration program in the Southern Georgina Basin.

Glacier Energy Services,

Glasgow, invested £250,000 in its offshore division's first international base in Singapore with office, workshop, and warehouse facilities to support the company's growth in the Asia-Pacific region. Glacier is targeting a turnover of £3 million in its first year of operations in Asia-Pacific and is recruiting more staff for that market. It named Tony Pont as regional general manager and Kwok Kin Yuen Gary as operations manager. Equipment from Glacier's Roberts Pipeline Machining and Site Machining Services businesses, including a complete range of portable flange facing, drilling, pipe cutting, and milling machines, as well as spares, are being stocked in Singapore for mobilization across the region.

Backed by private equity providers Maven Capital Partners and the Simmons Parallel Energy Fund, Glacier relocated its headquarters to Clyde Gateway East in Glasgow in 2012, and earlier this year its Engineering division opened a new base in Boldon, Newcastle, UK.

Magma Products Ltd.,

Aberdeen, has moved from small city center premises to new offices at The Spires Business Park in that city. The company invested more than £750,000 in the move to the new 4,000 sq ft offices and plans to recruit about 20 engineers due to the prospect of more business by the end of the year. Magma Products provides specialist offshore commissioning and start-up services and has developed a technology-led system to enhance safety and efficiency during key phases of offshore oil and gas production projects.

Expro International Group Ltd.,

Aberdeen, signed a strategic sales representative agreement for Krohne Australia Pty Ltd. to resell subsidiary Expro Meters Inc.'s sonar-based flow-monitoring systems for upstream and midstream oil and gas applications in the Asian and Australian markets. Details of the agreement were not revealed, but Expro Meters officials acknowledged Krohne's "extensive reach" throughout the market region. Krohne said it has applied sonar-flow technology for several years outside of the oil and gas industry. Officials said the combined flow expertise of the two international companies will offer oil and gas customers "unique and powerful solutions."

Aker Solutions ASA,

Oslo, won a contract to supply a complete Pusnes wire mooring system for a cylindrical-shaped accommodation unit being built at Cosco Nantong Shipyard in China. The equipment includes three triple wire winches, three control cabins, nine wire fairleads, three hydraulic power units, and the accompanying control system. The contract is valued at NOK 40 million. Deliveries are scheduled in May and October 2014. The contract includes an option for a second unit. The accommodation unit will be operated by Logitel Offshore. The wire size and length for the accommodation unit is 90 mm by 450 m.

In other business Aker Solutions acquired International Design Engineering & Services Ltd. (IDEAS) a Glasgow-based UK specialist engineering company that developed software and technology for analysis of oil and gas installations from design through construction, operation, and life extension. The technology can more effectively predict the lifetime of an installation and help target maintenance and inspection activities to increase the quality and precision of services, said Tore Sjursen, head of Aker Solutions' maintenance and modifications business. The companies did not disclose financial details of the transaction.

Aker Solutions won a contract from Caspian Drilling Co. Ltd. (CDC) to provide a complete topside equipment package for a new semi-submersible drilling rig in Baku, Azerbaijan. The parties agreed not to disclose the value of the order. Aker Solutions has previously delivered drilling equipment for eight rigs operating in the Caspian Sea. Two are semi-submersibles operated by CDC. Aker Solutions last year opened a new facility in Baku to improve its services in the region. The rig equipment will be constructed and assembled primarily at Aker Solutions' facilities in Kristiansand and Asker, Norway, as well as in Erkelenz, Germany. Installation and commissioning will be by the Caspian Shipyard Company Ltd., where Keppel Fels is the major shareholder. Delivery is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2016.

Fluor Corp.,

Irving, Tex., secured a front-end engineering and design contract for Sasol Ltd.'s world-scale ethane cracker and associated derivative chemicals facility at its Lake Charles Chemical Complex in Louisiana. Sasol said the project is to be the largest single manufacturing investment in Louisiana history. Fluor will book $120 million for the FEED contract into backlog in the second quarter. FEED work is under way and is expected to be completed late this year. Individual engineering services agreements for development of basic engineering packages have been concluded by Sasol with Toyo Engineering Corp. for the linear low density polyethylene plant, Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd for the low density polyethylene plant, and Samsung Engineering America Inc. for the ethylene oxide and mono-ethylene glycol units. The technologies of Technip Stone & Webster Process Technology Inc., ExxonMobil Chemical Technology Licensing LLC, Univation Technologies LLC, and Scientific Design Co. Inc. have been selected for the ethane cracker. It and associated facilities will allow Sasol to expand its differentiated derivatives business in the US. Project start-up and completion is projected for 2017 with the expected production of 1.5 million tons/year of ethylene with downstream derivative plants. Project work will be led from Fluor's Houston office with assistance from its offices in southern California and in Manila.