Baker Hughes Inc.,
Houston, has completed a major expansion of its clear brine fluids infrastructure with the start-up of full-service completion fluids plants at Fourchon, La., and Galveston, Tex. With a combined operating capacity of more than 89,000 b/d, these plants will serve Gulf of Mexico operations. Both facilities include significant storage for clear brine fluids, as well as efficient brine recycling processes and equipment, field brine laboratory capabilities, and specialty product tanks for delivering pre-mixed additives such as wellbore displacement products. To complement the plant infrastructure, Baker Hughes has also invested in a fleet of high flow-capacity brine filtration equipment for Gulf of Mexico operations.
Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, drilling, formation evaluation, completion, and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.
Fluor Corp.,
Irving, Tex., has formed a consortium with Global Industries Ltd., Houston, to pursue offshore oil and gas projects in the Middle East and North Africa region. The consortium will leverage the combined strengths of Fluor Offshore Solutions and Global Industries in the areas of engineering, project management, procurement, construction, construction management, transportation, and installation and commissioning services for offshore oil and gas projects. Global Industries has offices and port facilities in Sharjah, UAE, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and continues to expand its offshore construction activity in the region, building on the foundation created by its diving operations business.
Fluor provides engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, operations, maintenance, and project management services.
Global Industries is a leading offshore solutions provider of offshore construction, engineering, project management and support services, including pipeline construction, platform installation and removal, deepwater/SURF (subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines) installations, IRM (inspection, repair, and maintenance), and diving to the oil and gas industry worldwide.
KEMA,
Arnhem, Netherlands, has agreed to acquire the Gasunie Engineering & Technology unit of Gasunie, Groningen, Netherlands. KEMA will integrate the Gasunie unit into its existing gas activities, resulting in a new business unit focused on gas consultancy, engineering services and research and development for the national and international energy sectors. The acquisition also marks the beginning of a strategic collaboration between KEMA and Gasunie focusing on synergies between their respective electricity and gas fields of expertise.
KEMA is an independent knowledge provider operating globally in the energy value chain and specializing in high-quality services in the field of business and technical consultancy, operational support, measurements and inspections, and testing and certification.
Gasunie is a European gas infrastructure company, offering transportation, gas storage, and LNG services.
Wirth Maschinen & Bohrgerate Fabrik GmbH,
Erkelenz, Germany, has changed its name to Aker Wirth GmbH, reflecting its acquisition by Oslo-based Aker Solutions earlier this year. Wirth subsidiaries Wirth SCS Singapore Pty., Wirth Mgt. Inc., Wirth International LLP, and Wirth Australia Pty. will also assume the Aker Wirth name.
Wirth was a privately held supplier of complete drilling equipment packages to the oil and gas, mining, and construction industries.
Aker Solutions is a unit of Aker Solutions ASA, a leading global provider of engineering and construction services, technology products, and integrated solutions to the oil and gas, refining and chemicals, mining and metals, and power generation industries.
SSP Offshore Inc.,
Houston, has entered into an agreement with Dubai-based Global Process Systems Inc. (GPS) to form a 50-50 joint venture operating under the name Global SSP. The new JV will focus on commercializing the proprietary SSP platform, a region-specific, economically focused, round floater that provides the flexibility and deck space required for storage, processing, offloading, and drilling in a wide range of applications and working environments. The patented SSP hull does not require a turret or CALM (catenary anchor leg mooring) buoy. Global SSP will have exclusive rights under license to market, build, lease, and sell the SSP platform in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia/New Zealand, and the Caspian offshore areas. The new JV will be jointly managed by SSP Offshore and GPS, and will be based in Singapore.
SSP Offshore's principal technology is the patented SSP platform.
Global Process Systems provides upstream process facilities services and equipment ranging from small, skid-mounted units for onshore early production facilities to full topsides for offshore platforms and floating production, storage, and offloading units.
Promotora Valle Hermoso,
Orlando, Fla., has announced that its 494 UNR subsidiary was named the official supplier of slope reinforcement road base material for Gazprom Corp.'s $1.7 billion, 1,264-mile Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok natural gas pipeline. The project is slated for completion in 2012.
Promotora Valle Hermoso is a holding company with a 68% ownership in 494 UNR, a diverse construction company with more than 40 years of serving the Russian construction market, specializing in general and infrastructure construction services.
Gulf Marine Services,
Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia's Shoaibi Group have created a joint venture to provide offshore barge operation services. The new company, named Gulf Maritime Services Saudi Arabia Ltd. (GMSSA), will be based in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, and will allow the JV partners to expand their offshore operations of barge charters in the Persian Gulf region. GMSSA will provide floating or self-elevating offshore platforms for offshore well maintenance, construction, and accommodation in well interventions, workovers, completions, and well testing; offshore cranage and heavy lifting services; diving operations; topside construction and maintenance activities; and temporary offshore accommodation, including hotel services.
Gulf Marine Services is the largest elevating support vessel operator in the Middle East, supplying self-propelled service and support barges to the oil and gas market.
Shoaibi Group is an engineering consultancy with expertise in oil and gas, power, and telecommunications focused on strategic partnerships with international companies operating in Saudi Arabia.
ABS,
Houston, has announced new senior management in its Europe and Pacific divisions. William J. Sember, currently president and COO, ABS Europe Ltd., based in London, will return to Houston as vice-president, global marketing. Replacing him at ABS Europe is Todd Grove, president and COO of the Pacific division, who will move from Singapore to London. Grove has previously served as president of the Americas division of ABS and, prior to that, vice-president, Western Europe, based in London. Mark McGrath will be promoted to replace Grove at the Pacific division helm in Singapore. McGrath has been serving as senior vice-president, operations, for the Pacific division. Previous appointments have included vice-president, Northern Pacific Region, country manager, South Korea, and country manager, Philippines. Taking over from McGrath will be Eric Kleess, currently vice-president, Northern Pacific region, who will move to Singapore from the regional headquarters in South Korea. Replacing Kleess will be Stephen Auger, who will move to South Korea from Qatar, where he is currently serving as vice-president, Middle East region, within ABS Europe. Auger served as country manager, Taiwan, prior to moving to the Middle East. Rick Pride, ABS country manager, Denmark, will be promoted to regional vice-president, Middle East, to replace Auger and he, in turn, will be replaced by Brad Achorn, who will move from his current position as country manager, Malaysia. Christopher Perrocco, currently principal surveyor, Abu Dhabi, will be promoted to country manager, Malaysia, and will move to Kuala Lumpur. Steve Hryshchyshyn will be promoted to the newly created position of vice-president, quality, and will move to Houston. Hryshchyshyn previously served as ABS quality manager before taking on his current position as country manager, Taiwan. Mark Corsetti, currently principal surveyor in charge, Shanghai, will be promoted to country manager, Taiwan.
ABS is a leading international classification society devoted to promoting the security of life, property, and the marine environment through the development and verification of standards for the design, construction, and operational maintenance of marine-related facilities.
Honeywell,
Morris Township, NJ, has completed the expansion of its Houston Customer Solutions Center, which serves as the company's main North American hub for its customers in the process manufacturing industries. The 76,000 sq ft center houses technicians, project managers, and senior engineers who assemble and test complex automation systems destined for US and international locations. It also supports the company's corrosion research team, which works with customers to address corrosion issues in the hydrocarbon industries. Additionally, the center includes a Honeywell Automation College training center, which offers courses that help plant operators, maintenance technicians, engineers, system administrators, and plant managers use their Honeywell systems to maximize productivity and plant performance. The Houston facility is one of 10 global centers that serve as central locations where customers can perform final testing of their customized systems before they are installed in their plants.
Honeywell provides an extensive portfolio of plant control systems and associated software, equipment and services for clients such as refiners, power generators, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and chemical and paper producers.
Jee Ltd.,
Tonbridge, Kent, UK, has made its suite of training courses available online for distance learning. Courses range from comprehensive overviews of subsea pipelines, risers, and control systems to practitioner level courses addressing the design, construction, and integrity management issues of subsea pipelines and risers. Each course will take 12 weeks to complete, and delegates will learn from interactive, tailored content designed for the online learning environment. The first courses going online in September are at a foundation level—overview of subsea pipelines and overview of risers, umbilicals, and flexible—with more being scheduled beginning in January 2010.
Jee is an international, independent company of engineers providing consulting services to the subsea and offshore oil, gas, and renewables industries.
Subsea 7,
George Town, Cayman Islands, has opened a new pipeline fabrication spoolbase at Port Isabel, Tex. The $30 million spoolbase allows the company to expand its presence and capabilities in North America to serve the increasing deepwater pipeline and steel catenary risers market. The spoolbase will fabricate and store oil and gas pipelines of up to 20-in. diameter (16-in. steel plus 2-in. insulation coatings) in lengths of up to 4,000 ft for spooling onto reeled pipelay vessels. When in full production, the base will be able to hold about 18,000 tonnes of pipe stalks.
Subsea 7 is one of the world's leading subsea engineering and construction companies, offering all the expertise and assets that make SURF field development possible.
Data Enhancement Services,
Frederick, Md., has named Rich Freedland president. Freedland will focus DES's initiatives on strategic planning and marketing of the company's specialized mapping software services. Company founder Bernard Catalinotto has redirected his activities to lead the company's technology and market development as director of geospatial services. Previously, Freedland led areas of marketing, business development, and strategic planning for Laser Research, Katsina Optics, HDI Instrumentation, and Clean Power Markets. From 1987 to 1998, he was president of Helios Inc. Prior to that, he held senior management positions at Konica Technology, Shugart Corp., Epelo Corp., Ampex Corp., and Eastman Kodak Co. Freedland has an MBA from Golden Gate University and a BS in electrical engineering from Syracuse University.
DES provides highly automated geographic information systems data conflation and feature-extraction services designed to streamline GIS data used for hydrology and mapping application and enhance internet map data for government and commercial entities.
Insight Management Corp.,
Orcutt, Calif., has completed its acquisition of Rebel Testing Inc., Gillette, Wyo., as a wholly owned subsidiary. Insight also recently completed a merger with Microresearch Corp.
Insight is a public holding company focused on acquisitions of engineering firms in the oil and gas industry.
Rebel Testing maintains a fleet of pump hoist trucks to service natural gas wells and services and pressure-tests blowout preventers.
Aker Solutions,
Oslo, has agreed to sell its 33% stake in Odim to Rolls Royce Marine for 700 million kroner (Nor.). Aker acquired the stake from parent Aker ASA in April 2009.
Norway-based Odim develops and sells automated cable-handling systems and winches for offshore and naval vessels, notably in the seismic, subsea, and offshore supply markets.
Aker Solutions provides engineering and construction services, technology products, and integrated solutions to the oil and gas, refining and chemicals, mining and metals, and power generation industries.
GE Oil & Gas,
Florence, Italy, has entered into a joint venture with SapuraCrest Petroleum Bhd. to further expand the latter's regional service center at Kuala Lumpur. The service center will use the most advanced service and repair technologies from GE Oil & Gas to maintain, repair, and refurbish heavy industrial gas turbines and components for the region's upstream, downstream, and LNG industries. Malaysian state oil company Petronas has signed a letter of intent to use the facility, which will be operational by yearend.
SapuraCrest is Malaysia's leading integrated oil and gas service provider, involved in marine installation and construction, drilling of offshore oil wells, management of drilling rigs, oil field production, and provision of offshore geotechnical and geophysical services.
GE Oil & Gas provides advanced technology equipment and services for drilling and production, LNG, pipelines, storage, industrial power generation, refining, and petrochemicals.
