SERVICE | SUPPLIERS

Jan. 4, 2016
9 min read

FUGRO

Fugro has been awarded a three-year contract by PGS for the provision of precise satellite positioning systems for its entire seismic vessel fleet.

PGS is a leading global provider of marine seismic and electromagnetic services, data acquisition, imaging, reservoir services and multi-client library data.

Fugro, a leading provider of precise satellite positioning to the offshore oil and gas industry, will supply PGS vessels with a number of completely independent Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). These systems include Fugro's recently launched Starfix.G4 - the first commercial GNSS service to utilise all available GNSS systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou), giving sub-decimetre accuracy - and Starfix.G2+, a global service offering centimetre accuracy in both position and height.

In addition to precise vessel positioning, PGS will benefit from a new generation of positioning technology for their seismic sources and tailbuoys. Meeting the high demand for robustness and quality in the offshore industry, this proactive technology provides independent decimetre and centimetre positions and heights for remote (seismic source and tailbuoy) operations.

ENSCO

Ensco plc announced that Carey Lowe has been named chief operating officer. He is based in London and succeeds Mark Burns, who is retiring from the Company. Lowe has held various executive management positions at Ensco since joining the Company in 2008. His experience includes operations, engineering, safety and strategy.

OFFSHORE INSTALLATION SERVICES LTD

Offshore Installation Services Ltd (OIS), an Acteon company, has named Colin Shellard as its new managing director. Based in Aberdeen, Shellard is responsible for setting the strategy at OIS, as the company continues to focus on new opportunities in the offshore decommissioning sector. He will also play a key role in developing opportunities for OIS to work together with other Acteon companies.

Shellard has more than 16 years of experience in offshore construction and subsea engineering. He joined OIS as vice president, operations, in December 2014, and was instrumental in leading OIS' recent successful well decommissioning campaign with Centrica Energy and Antrim Energy. Prior to joining OIS, Shellard was project director at Technip Offshore Wind Ltd, where he oversaw all projects and tenders in the company's cables and marine renewables sector.

Shellard has extensive knowledge of pipe and umbilical lay, diving operations, structures installation, remote construction and decommissioning methods and trenching, gained during his time at Stolt Offshore and Saipem. He has also worked in leadership roles within consulting engineering and project management firms JP Kenny and Prospect, developing a deep understanding of the management of small teams and complex problems that face Operators in the offshore industry.

WARREN RESOURCES INC

Warren Resources, Inc. announced an update on corporate restructuring initiatives following the recent appointments of James A. Watt as President and Chief Executive Officer and Frank T. Smith, Jr. as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

The company announced the appointment of Mr. John R. Powers as Vice President - Accounting. The appointment of Mr. Powers completes the finance management team, which, coupled with the Company's operating executive personnel in Denver, California and Dallas, will provide the core management of the Company on a go forward basis.

John R. Powers, 60, was Vice-President and Chief Accounting Officer for Dune Energy, Inc. from July of 2007 until September of 2015. From March of 1999 until May of 2005 he was Operation Manager, Southwest Wholesale. He was Special Projects Coordinator, Citation Oil and Gas Corporation from April of 1996 until June of 1998. From April of 1987 until March of 1996 he served as Accounting Consultant, Citation Oil and Gas Corporation. He was Accounting Consultant for Black Stone Oil Company from April of 1985 until May of 1987. From June of 1978 until August of 1984 he was an Audit Manager for Author Young & Company. He received a Bachelor's of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Texas in 1975 and a Masters of Science in Accountancy from the University of Houston in 1978.

In addition, the Company also confirms Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Saema Somalya, Vice President of Corporate Development Jeffrey Keeler and Chief Accounting Officer and Controller Brian Gelman, will be leaving the Company on or prior to March 31, 2016 in order to pursue other opportunities in connection with the closure of the New York office. As previously disclosed, these officers are subject to retention agreements in order to facilitate smooth transition of all relevant matters under their purview to the new management team.

FLOWROX

Flowrox, a global leader in heavy-duty industrial valve and pump manufacturing and services, is upgrading services dedicated to increasing productivity with Optimization and Online Predictivity through automation and connectivity to help its clients to garner the full potential of Flowrox products as well as those from other manufacturers.

Flowrox Smart Series products will be equipped with intelligent solutions, a transformation currently underway that will ensure connectivity via the Internet, allowing the consistent monitoring of Flowrox products and systems to maximize its customer's uptime, reduce unplanned downtime and help guarantee spare part availability exactly when the customer needs them.

Currently, the Flowrox scaling watch already incorporates connectivity to the Internet, including both intelligence and the ability to be connected to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-a term coined to communicate how the interconnectivity of devices to an Internet network can bring added versatility and performance.

The embedding of Flowrox products with electronics, software, sensors and network connectivity enables the customer to collect and exchange data with the users and in some cases directly with Flowrox.

Flowrox will begin marketing its Smart Series of valves that incorporate a new series of smart sleeves and intelligent positioners with enhanced reporting and wear analysis, which will signal the customer that a valve may be heading toward failure before it actually fails.

Smart pumps will be available later on 2016 with similar features and innovative add-ons.

Through a unique Internet-based interface that allows users to view process performance, flow rates, pressures and a variety of variables through an Internet connection, Flowrox will meet the demand for better data for decision-making, as well as giving customers more control over its products.

KCA DEUTAG

Leading global drilling and engineering contractor, KCA Deutag, today announces that it has been awarded two contracts with BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) Limited. These contracts have a combined value of approximately $360m for the initial contract or $1bn including all options.

The first contract has been awarded to our offshore division and is for the operations and maintenance of seven platforms operated by BP in the Caspian Sea pursuant to Product Sharing Agreements. These are the East, West and Central Azeri, Deepwater Gunashli, West Chirag, Chirag and Shah Deniz installations. The initial term is for three years with two three-year extension options.

The second contract has been awarded to RDS, KCA Deutag's engineering and design specialist, and is for engineering support services on all drilling packages for projects in the Caspian Sea that are operated by BP from the Azerbaijan, Georgia and the Turkey Region. This contract is effective from 1st December 2015 to 30th September 2017 with two extension options of one year each.

KCA Deutag employs approximately 750 people in Azerbaijan, 75 per cent of who are Azerbaijani nationals. The group has been operating in the country since 1995 when it was awarded its first drilling contract and has a twenty year history of working with BP in Azerbaijan providing design, construction support, platform services, commissioning and brownfield engineering services to BP-operated platform drilling operations.

MILLER AND LENTS

Miller and Lents, Ltd., announced the election of Robert J. Oberst as chairman of the board of directors, succeeding James C. Pearson who is retiring after 42 years with the firm. Oberst joined Miller and Lents, Ltd. in 2000 and has held various positions of increasing responsibilities, including vice president, senior vice president, and president in December 2013. Replacing Oberst as president is Roy "Lee" Comer, who has been with Miller and Lents, Ltd. for 11 years, previously serving as senior vice president.

Miller and Lents, Ltd. provides a comprehensive range of professional consulting services to the upstream oil and gas industry.

BAKER HUGHES

Baker Hughes announced the commercial release of its CENesis PHASE™ multiphase encapsulated production solution, which helps operators avoid production interruptions in unconventional wells. Designed to separate natural gas from the oil stream before it can enter an electrical submersible pumping (ESP) system, the solution mitigates production downtime and potential ESP performance issues, which can ultimately improve reserve recovery.

During the production phase in unconventional plays, higher levels of natural gas are usually released from the payzone as reservoir pressure depletes. This gas typically enters the horizontal wellbore and accumulates in the high-side of the lateral, creating large gas slugs that, as they move up the wellbore, cause low-flow or no-flow conditions in an ESP system. The CENesis PHASE solution mitigates this problem by surrounding the entire ESP system in a shroud, allowing lighter natural gas to continue flowing up the wellbore while heavier production fluid flows into the shroud and is produced through the ESP system.

The shroud provides a supply of production fluid so the ESP can continue to operate during gas slug events when natural gas completely displaces fluid in the wellbore. Mitigating this gas interference in the pumping system stabilizes production and reduces downtime associated with pump cycling and gas locking conditions.

The CENesis PHASE solution also improves ESP system longevity by minimizing the likelihood of shut downs due to gas cycling through the pumps and locking the system. The shrouded system design protects the ESP components during installation as they pass through the deviated sections of a horizontal wellbore. In addition, an integrated recirculation system redirects fluid flow past the motor to help prevent overheating, which can shorten the life of an ESP. To further enhance ESP longevity in wells in which scale or corrosion is a concern, the integrated recirculation system can be used to deliver a chemical treatment directly below the ESP motor to treat the entire ESP. In wells in which sand production is an issue, the CENesis PHASE solution incorporates sand management devices such as the Baker Hughes EXCLUDER™ sand screen to keep sand from entering the ESP or falling back into the ESP during a shut down.

Baker Hughes recently deployed the solution to help an operator in Kansas increase production by 346% compared to a gas lift system, and improve ESP system run life by 440% versus a traditional ESP design. Prior to implementing the CENesis PHASE solution, the operator had been using gas lift and traditional ESP systems. However, the gas lift system could not efficiently draw down reservoir pressure, which limited production, and the traditional ESP systems experienced frequent shutdowns and high motor operating temperatures due to gas interference.

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