Equatoriale services

COMPANY PROFILE

2015

Equatoriale Services

www.papeengineering.sg | + 65 641 10 707

The offshore mooring specialists Editorial: Ajuanne Payne

Editorial: Roland Douglas

A part of Swiber Group and an EPCI contractor leading the South East Asian market, Equatoriale Services is a company specialising in offshore mooring solutions for tankers, FSO, FPSO, etc. Recognised in the region for providing tailor-made solutions coupled with a high level of expertise, the company is now looking to extend international expansion. We speak with Guillaume Darmayan, Business Development Manager, about the nature of the business and what exciting prospects it has on the horizon for 2015.

Equatoriale Services has worked diligently over the years to build itself a reputation as the goto EPCI contractor for offshore mooring solutions. Founded as part of Swiber 12 years ago by CEO for PAPE and Equatoriale,

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Jean Pers, the very first contract Swiber won was for an SPM buoy EPCI. “We are a Business Unit of Swiber Group leading all of the mooring systems projects. We are supported by all other Business

Unit of the Group including PAPE Engineering (Swiber engineering arm)” explains Guillaume Darmayan, Business Development Manager.

“The CEO and the founder of Equatoriale is one of the founders

Equatoriale Services

of Swiber - Jean Pers. He has 40 years of experience in offshore business and he is running both Equatoriale and the engineering arm of Swiber.”

The company focuses on Single Point Mooring (SPM) buoys, FPSO Turret Systems, spread-mooring and any other system that may meet the requirements of its clients. SPM Buoys are, in simple terms, buoys that are moored to the seabed by way of multiple mooring lines. The buoy contains a bearing system that allows moored vessels to rotate fully around the mooring point. This is an obvious choice for Tanker offloading solutions or FSO mooring for the oil and gas sector. Turret Mooring Systems provide a very similar

service but are integrated into the vessel itself.

Part of the reason Equatoriale Services has built up such expertise in the offshore mooring market can be attributed to how the company has mostly focused on one area of specialty over the years. There are no ‘masters of none’ here – the Swiber Group knows what its companies are best at and allows them to develop.

Equatoriale maintains a core team of experts and operates independently, whilst still having access to the various entities of Swiber when the need arises.

“As of today, we are a team of 12 engineers with design, procurement, fabrication and project management skills. We

all have offshore experience of mooring system installation which allows the run off our projects by having a full overview of a field development.

“When you need to install an offshore asset, you are looking for a recognised name. With Equatoriale, even though it is a small set up with only a few guys, you have the flexibility of a highly specialized set up under the Swiber Group.”

“Swiber Group is a worldrecognised company publicly listed on the main SGX stock exchange.

Swiber has large track records including more than 60 offshore platforms and 2000km of subsea pipeline installed around the world”.

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TAILOR-MADE SOLUTIONS Equatoriale Services has been focused solely in the South East Asian market since inception. A recognised name in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, the company has worked hard to build up and maintain its clients there – building lasting relationships with clients and suppliers.

“We are developing long term partnerships with clients in order to deliver solutions which suit their requirement and schedule.

We maintain their trust by staying close to our Client during good and bad weather,” explains Guillaume Darmayan.

The culture at Equatoriale is definitely one that fosters a flexible attitude. Approaching each project as a partnership rather than simply a service to be provided has given the company a competitive edge in an area where the competitors are larger companies.

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“To date, we are working on five projects that we have to deliver, all within the next six months”

“We have always delivered solutions which were fitted and customised for our clients, which made us more competitive in terms of fabrication. If we were asked tomorrow: “Can you provide me a mooring system, or SPM for an FPSO, you would usually need around one year to one and a half years.

“However in March we will supply and installed a SPM Buoy for a FSO within five months including the design, procurement and fabrication phases and that is our first time working for them,” explains Guillaume Darmayan.

Another competitive advantage for Equatoriale and an asset to any industry leading company is its employees. With all the employees, including the CEO, having their roots in the engineering side of Swiber and subsequently bringing a wide range of expertise with them, the focus for the company has been very much technical and business. This

Equatoriale Services has allowed it to flourish and has contributed to Equatoriale’s reputation for quality products and service.

“That’s one of the usual feedbacks from our clients. As we come from an installation and engineering background, all propriety designs of our offshore mooring solutions that we have offered have been installationfocused and maintenance-free. All the designs are done with a view of looking after the project from A to Z. We are able to do everything thanks to our background,” Guillaume Darmayan explains.

CURRENT PROJECTS “To date, we are working on five projects that we have to deliver, all within the next six months,” explains Guillaume Darmayan. “The range of projects are quite different. We have two SPM buoys EPCI, one for a FSO contractor in Singapore and another

“When the oil price goes down, we can expect majors to look at fast track project and cost effective solution.

That is where Equatoriale Services make the difference”

one for an independent oil and gas company in Thailand. The one for the contractor is recurrent, they’ve always come back to us and we have quite a long-term relationship with them.

Both projects are to design, fabricate and install offshore a SPM Buoy mooring system for 2 FSO’s.”

“We also have 2 SPM Buoy refurbishment projects, one is completed and is leased to a major player in Malaysia. The second is the upgrading in-situ of the entire piping system of a buoy is on-going for a U.S. based oil and gas company.

“Last, we have been approached by one of our regular clients to design and supply within 4 months, 8 custommade chain-stoppers for their FPSO spread mooring.”

ROOM TO GROW A few years ago, Swiber has penetrated the Gulf of Mexico market

Chain-stopper

Key Personnel - Dohyun Machine Works Owner: Managing Director:

Ms Kwang Mi Go Mr. Frederick B. Ibey, P.E.

Contact Information Ben Ibey #38- Jenae 1 gongdangil, Oedong-eup, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do Korea (Republic of) Bus. Phone: Bus. Fax: Mobile Phone:

+82 (54) 744-8103 +82 (54) 744-8104 +82 (10) 3500-7121

Email: ibeybf@dohyungear.com Web: www.dohyungear.com

Castings We provide specialized castings to meet your needs in steel, bronze, cast iron, stainless steel and any low to high grade alloy steel you may require.

Forgings

We provide completely finished forgings to meet your needs in steel, stainless steel, or any low to high grade steel you may require.

Fabrications and Assemblies

We have the wherewithal to provide you with high quality specialized Assembly and Fabrications to meet your requirements.

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and very recently moved to West Africa. It would be difficult for a small set-up like Equatoriale to move into those markets independently but with Swiber’s established network and worldwide presence, Equatoriale is able to expand in those areas along with the Group.

“We now try to move and become a worldwide contractor,” Guillaume Darmayan explains. “We have, thanks to Swiber, a lot of contacts in the Middle East, the Gulf of Mexico where we have some assets over there and in West Africa. So very soon we will try to get our first projects.

“We have two targets right now for what we want to do with Equatoriale in five years or three years’ time.

The first thing and the main target is

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“They are engineers most of the time, so if they have in front of them an engineer to discuss the technical points - later on when comes to the bidding process or the procurement process, the game is on”

to become a recognised worldwide EPCI contractor for offshore marine solutions. Meaning that, where we are right now in South East Asia, we need to be there in West Africa, the Gulf of Mexico and the Middle East. That’s what we want because if we are able to do what we do here, we must be able to do that there as well.”

With ongoing work and new bids both locally and internationally, Equatoriale has made a promising start to the new year considering the current climate. The major drop in oil prices that the industry is currently experiencing is affecting all companies that operate within the oil and gas sector. In times like these, Equatoriale’s flexible approach will be an asset to optimize solutions to reduce costs.

Equatoriale Services Equatoriale provides new, costeffective and safe solutions.

In some areas at least, Equatoriale will be able to make the best of a bad situation. With major oil companies stock-piling reserves to ride out the market, there will be a need for mooring solutions. For those companies that choose to use FPSO’s for this activity they will be looking for cost-effective and safe solutions.

“When the oil price goes down, we can expect oil majors to look at fast track project and cost effective solutions.” explains Darmayan.

“Through any crisis, you need to find good points in all bad situations. So that’s what we will try to do because we expect the market to be slow during the next few years due to the oil price, it is our responsibility to find new solutions to help oil and gas company to reduce their CAPEX and OPEX” Guillaume Darmayan explains further.

Equatoriale Services has managed to maintain its competitive edge over the years through a combination of attributes. Highly specialised, the company has focused on building up a strong reputation in the region. It makes a conscious effort to partner with its clients to give them a tailormade, cost-effective solution.

There is much to be said for a company that has become such a leading player in its region - the work must really speak for itself.

With business flourishing and new prospects on the horizon internationally, Equatoriale’s next step should be well within reach – to be as recognised worldwide for offshore mooring solution as it is in South East Asia.

“It’s very difficult for me to be objective but all the clients we have worked for always come back.

Meaning that we always deliver on time and with the quality that was expected by them and from the

“When you have an FPSO to install and your assets cost $500 million dollars, you are looking for a recognised name.

With Equatoriale, even though it is a small set up with only a few guys, we have the branding of Swiber behind us”

business point of view, I definitely also think that our key point is the low cost. The fact that we are from an engineering background is definitely something else the clients like. When you are approaching even the big U.S. companies, you will always have guys in front of you who are looking for solutions. They are engineers most of the time, so if they have in front of them an engineer to discuss the technical points - later on when it comes to the bidding process or the procurement process, the game is on.

“You already have the right information, you already have the right solutions and then if you have the best commercial offer you get the job. So I think those are the three things we have which have made Equatoriale what we are today,” concludes Guillaume Darmayan

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