Contract Awards

Maersk Drilling secures nine-month contract to reactivate Maersk Reacher in Norway

Maersk Drilling has been awarded a contract with Aker BP for the ultraharsh environment jack-up rig Maersk Reacher to assist with well intervention, stimulation and accommodation at the Valhall field offshore Norway. The contract is expected to commence in July 2021 and has a firm duration of 270 days. The firm contract value is approximately USD 33.4m. The contract contains options to add up to 90 days of additional intervention work at the Valhall field.

Maersk Reacher is contracted under the terms of the frame agreement that Maersk Drilling and Aker BP entered into in 2017. Maersk Reacher will be reactivated with reduced drilling equipment and a specific focus on delivering the most efficient well intervention and stimulation set-up including a reduced crew level compared to standard drilling mode.

“We’re delighted to get this contract which will see Maersk Reacher return to Valhall where it was last in service as an accommodation rig. This new contract to assist with well intervention, stimulation and accommodation will not utilise the full drilling capabilities of the rig, but we’re confident that we can build on our experience with the Aker BP Jack-up Alliance and work to deliver increased efficiency also in this context,” says COO Morten Kelstrup of Maersk Drilling.

“This is a strong example of how our supplier ecosystem enables crossalliances collaboration. We will play to the strengths of the Intervention & Stimulation Alliance and the Jackup Alliance to jointly bring well interventions’ efficiency to the next level,” says Tommy Sigmundstad, SVP Drilling & Wells in Aker BP.

Maersk Reacher is a 350ft, Gustoengineered MSC CJ50 high-efficiency jack-up rig which was delivered in 2009. It is currently warm-stacked in Frederikshavn, Denmark after ending its previous contract offshore Norway in April 2020.

North Star to Deliver SOV Trio for Dogger Bank Wind Farm in $375M Deal

Aberdeen-based offshore vessel owner North Star Renewables has won contracts worth around £270 million (~$375 million), to deliver three service operation vessels (SOVs) to be used on what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the UK North Sea.

North Star said its contract award followed a highly-competitive tender process, in which it had beat off strong international competition to secure the deal to design and deliver the threevessel service operation vessels.

The giant Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being built in the North Sea by joint venture partners SSE Renewables, Equinor and Eni. North Star will deliver the SOVs to Dogger Bank Wind Farm operator Equinor from Summer 2023 and will be chartered to Dogger Bank by North Star for a ten-year period, with an option for three one-year extensions.

"North Star will create 130 new full-time UKbased jobs in crewing and shore-based roles for the lifetime of the contract. Recruitment for the roles will start 12 months ahead of vessel delivery to Dogger Bank’s planned operations base in Port of Tyne. The new positions will be based across Scotland and the North East of England and will grow North Star’s existing 1,400 strong workforce, 950 of which are in the UK and 350 of which are in Scotland," North Star said. Welcoming the news of the contract award, Scottish Government Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “This is excellent news for the Aberdeen based North Star Renewables who are relatively new to the offshore wind sector but have a wealth of experience operating in the North Sea’s oil and gas sector.

"This contract is a welcome example of our domestic supply chain benefitting from the operation and maintenance of an offshore wind project off our coastline, bringing jobs and employment opportunities to communities in Scotland."

First renewables contract

The contract award is a renewables-first for North Star and represents a transformational step forward for company in its energy transition ambitions to become a major player in the global offshore wind sector, North Star said.

North Star chief executive, Matthew Gordon, said: “We are pleased and proud to establish a new relationship with Equinor and are looking forward to working collaboratively with them and their partners, SSE Renewables and Eni. We have been working with our existing energy clients in the North Sea for over 40 years, with an outstanding reputation for delivering and operating offshore emergency support vessels safely.

Dales Marine Services and T12 Consultancy collaborate on design and build of a new Linkspan Bridge to support export shipping of Roundwood timber

In collaboration with T12 Consultancy, engineering and technology specialists, Dales Marine Services is delighted to announce that they have secured a new contract for the design and fabrication of a bespoke linkspan bridge for innovative Port Handling company JST Floating Piers Ltd.

Andrew Malcolm, BD Manager, Dales Marine Services, said: "This is a fantastic order for the group. The new bridge is to be built in-house at both our Greenock and Aberdeen facilities. It will showcase the company’s outstanding fabrication skills."

JST have commissioned the new bridge as part of a floating pier which will be transported by sea to its final location in north-west Scotland. The new floating pier will result in the modal shift of a large volume of logs from road to a sea-based transport system taking timber trucks off a fragile road network. The bridge will let JST efficiently transport the harvested timber from the shoreline out onto the floating pier before final loading into coastal ships.

T12 Consultancy will provide the engineering design services for the new linkspan bridge. Graham Melroy, partner at T12 Consultancy, said: "The success of securing this contract is a great example of T12's engineering-on-demand services. We will be working closely with Dales Marine Services on the design and project management of this new bridge."

Dales Marine has been delivering fabrication services since its establishment in 1996. The company's experience and skilled technicians are ideally suited for the construction of the new linkspan bridge. Dales Marine Services will execute the fabrication at its Greenock fabrication facilities. The linkspan bridge will be 40 metres in length and weigh 120-tonnes.

"We are delighted to be able to announce this new project for both the Dales Marine Services and T12 Consultancy. It is a landmark project for our business and one in which we are proud to be involved. Our experienced and skilled engineers and technicians will each play a vital role in the build process” said Michael Milne, Director at Dales Marine Services. Continuing “and one which I know the team is looking forward to starting shortly."

Awarding three contracts for Heimdal and Veslefrikk decommissioning

Equinor has chosen Heerema Marine Contractors Nederland SE for removal, dismantling and recycling of the topsides and jackets of the Heimdal riser platform, Heimdal main platform and Veslefrikk A platform in the North Sea.

The three contracts have been awarded on behalf of Gassco as operator of the Heimdal riser platform and on behalf of the partners of the Heimdal and Veslefrikk licences.

The Veslefrikk partners plan to shut down the field permanently in the spring of 2022. Well plugging started earlier this year. Equinor and Gassco, who are operators of the two platforms on the Heimdal field, have over time studied the best possible use of the installations and the area before deciding a shutdown.

A decommissioning plan has been submitted to the authorities. The time for shutdown and start of removal is to be decided by the Heimdal partners during the summer of 2021.

In addition to the platforms, the contracts will also include removal, dismantling and recycling of the gangway connecting the two Heimdal platforms, as well as a subsea pre-drill template connected to Veslefrikk A.

Heerema has sent a letter of intent to Aker Solutions AS for dismantling and recycling of the platforms at their decommissioning facilities on Stord after they have been brought to shore. All onshore activities will be performed on Stord over a period of 2-3 years. This work is expected to employ around 100 people at peak.

“Decommissioning operations on the Norwegian continental shelf will create important activity for the supplier industry,” says Camilla Salthe, senior vice president of Field Life Extension (FLX) in Equinor.

Petrofac Bags 2 Deals Worth $300MM

ODL - Odfjell Platform Drilling and Maintenance Contract Award

Petrofac revealed that it has secured two contracts, worth a total of around $300 million, through Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).

The first contract is a direct EPC deal for PDO’s Marmul Main Production Station gas compression project. The scope of work for the 30-month, lump-sum, turnkey contract includes engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, start-up and initial operational support. The second is a project delivery contract with Petrofac’s partner and main PDO contract holder Arabian Industries Projects LLC, for selected PDO concession areas in the North of Oman. The scope of this seven year deal includes the provision of reimbursable engineering services, integrated project support and management services.

“Petrofac has a significant track record in Oman and PDO are a longstanding client,” Elie Lahoud, Petrofac’s chief operating officer for engineering and construction, said in a company statement.

TAQA in the UK has awarded Odfjell Drilling (UK) Limited (“Odfjell Drilling”) a five-year contract for the provision of Platform Drilling & Maintenance Services on its North Sea installations including North Cormorant, Harding, Tern Alpha, Brae Alpha and East Brae.

Odfjell Drilling is the incumbent Platform Drilling & Maintenance Services contractor for three of these installations under a contract awarded in 2017 and this new agreement will replace the existing contract, with the addition of Brae Alpha and East Brae. The new contract will be effective from June 15th 2021.

“Odfjell Drilling is committed to delivering safe and quality operations, and we look forward to continuing to work together with TAQA in the years to come”, says Odfjell Drilling’s EVP Elisabeth Haram.