SUBSEA & OFFSHORE SERVICE MAGAZINE NEWS & PRESS RELEASES
EXHIBITIONS
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December Issue 2013 PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Process Industry Solutions
Intrinsically Safe Signal Isolators - Universal, intrinsically safe signal isolators & conditioners for hazardous area applications Surge Protection - Pluggable surge protection for intrinsically safe circuits for use in zone 2 up to zone 0 Signal Conditioner - Innovative signal converter and isolator for analogue signals in a 6 mm wide housing SIL Relay - Safety relay for functional safety applications. SIL3 certified according to EN 61508 PLC Interface Solutions - Interface units and PLC/DCS adapters for efficient and safe point-to-point wiring Terminals for Marshalling - Terminal blocks with high wiring density in a minimal footprint
Email: marketing@weidmuller.co.uk Tel: 0845 094 2006 Web: www.weidmuller.co.uk Let’s Connect
SUBSEA & OFFSHORE
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SERVICE MAGAZINE
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NEWS & PRESS RELEASES
EXHIBITIONS
William Hackett Chains Ltd Established in 1892, William Hackett Chains Ltd have been manufacturing and distributing chain and chain products to the Subsea & Offshore Industry, specialising in lifting solutions.
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Contents 5. Editorial 6. News & Products 18. Subsea 26. Pumps & Valves 32. Corrosion Services 36. Fabrication 40. Inspection/Maintenance
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46. Electrical
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Flexitallic's six week internship programme GMC Ltd wins tendon connector award for Moho Nord TLP project
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Explosion-proof heaters meet latest IEC/EN60079 safety standard
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Subsea industry staffing solutions to be a part of the "Toolkit"
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Exciting times for 2014 and what lies ahead for the Underwater Centre
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Tips for offshore wind corrosion protection
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Inspection & maintenance focus
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Contact Directory A-Z
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Calibration software solutions integrated with asset management
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Sea con's new encapsulating & molding facility "NOW OPEN"
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December Issue 2013 PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Welcome to the Subsea & Offshore Service Magazine. Aimed at Sub-Contractors all the way through to OEMs, the publication backed by the WebSite will become a great marketing tool for the companies choosing to advertise and market their products and services with us. We are proud to announce that we too are now Media Partners with SPE Offshore Europe and our Subsea & Offshore Europe Logo will be found on the Media Partners Page and also in the Show Catalogue. With a good size circulation across the UK, we will distribute to the companies that will use the products and services that are advertised in this magazine. Print runs are increased during the international oil and gas exhibitions that we attend, gaining as much awareness for our clients as possible.
Staff
Publisher: Robert Robinson Editor: David Sullivan editor@sosmagazine.biz Sales Director: Robert Taylor rob@sosmagazine.biz Sales Manager: Jon McIntosh jon@sosmagazine.biz Design: Steve Simmonds design@sosmagazine.biz
Contributors:
Judith Pattern: Jamie McDonald: Vicky Florence: Richard Crighton: Rebecca Cox Alan Pickering:
I.M.C.A The Big Partnership The Big Partnership The Big Partnership The Big Partnership Wordsun Ltd
Published by Crystal Design & Media Ltd 12 Woodhurst, Chatham, Kent. ME5 9SL Tel No: +44 (0)1634 867404 Tel No: +44 (0)1634 682464
Crystal Design & Media Ltd and the publication Subsea & Offshore Service magazine assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material or the accuracy of information received. All material will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication under copyright and within the editors rights to edit and offer comment. All editorial contributions are to be sent to editor@sosmagazine.biz
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GROUNDBREAKING SAFETY PLC SPEEDS AND SIMPLIFIES SAFETY ENGINEERING FOR COMPLEX CONTROL PROJECTS Special features simplify complex motion-related applications including wind power, cranes, hoists and robotics ABB has launched a new safety PLC offering exceptionally flexible and powerful programming facilities that speed and simplify the development of safe control solutions for the most complex control applications. The safety PLC - the AC500-S - is a new addition to ABB's well-known AC500 PLC range and features a dual processor architecture that complies with SIL3/PL e functional safety levels. Prior to commercial release, the new controller has been extensively field tested over three years in some 10 pilot applications including different types of cranes, mining hoists, automatic guided vehicles, and robotics.
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Among many pioneering features for the safety PLC market segment, ABB's new AC500-S includes support for Structured Text (ST) programming in addition to conventional graphical function block diagram (FBD) and ladder diagram (LD) software. This provides
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users with a high level programming approach that can greatly simplify the development of solutions for sophisticated applications requiring complex algorithms and mathematics. The feature is complemented by the inclusion of a powerful suite of functions for trigonometric calculations, including COS, SIN, TAN, ASIN, ACOS and LOG. The mathematical capability is ideal for ensuring safe control of movement in applications involving complex kinematics - such as on cranes, hoists and manipulators. Existing AC500 PLC users can convert to safety PLC architectures, and start programming applications very easily
using the new PLC. This is because ABB already includes support for the safety PLC programming in its CODESYS-based integrated development environments for control, motion, robotics and HMI. The new safety PLC hardware also shares the same look and feel as ABB's standard AC500 PLC family for nonsafety applications, as well as identical dimensions to standard ABB CPU and I/O modules, and the same mounting and wiring scheme. Both types of modules
may be mixed in the same PLC, allowing it to perform both safety and non-safety functions. This can reduce the complexity and cost of many projects, and open up new options for applications such as direct variable mapping and data exchange between safety and non-safety elements of the control system. To support the development of safety related applications, ABB has developed its own safety code analyzer tool, SCA, to verify the safety programming rules or guidelines according to IEC 615083 under FBD, LD and ST. This powerful tool - believed to be an industry first - has been certified by TÜV SÜD, who subjected the software to stringent tests. The results are documented in a technical report, which verifies the analyzer’s features, compliance with standards, and performance in terms of syntax analysis of safety application source code. A valuable side effect is PLC code that is more reliable, better structured, and more easily readable, which contributes to lower certification effort and postrelease maintenance costs. Lower costs and faster development are further aided
by the AC500-S safety programming editor's support for the well-known PLCopen Safety Library - which includes all the standardised function blocks used in safety applications such as E-Stop, Mode Selector, Two-Hand-Control, etc. AC500-S additionally supports the entire range of IEC data types, giving programmers much greater flexibility. Unlike some safety PLCs on the market, ABB's AC500-S Safety PLC has a separate safety processor. The Safety CPU can be configured to work even if the non-safety processor is in STOP or maintenance mode, or during an online change. The dual processor architecture means that users can easily upgrade the performance of a safety PLC during its lifecycle by plugging in a faster non-safety CPU module. ABB offers a choice of SIL3/PL e certified safety I/O modules including digital input and outputs, and a dedicated analog current input module covering the 0-20 mA (or 4-20 mA) range. The latter module makes it possible to measure parameters such as pressure, temperature, position and torque on
applications directly - without any need for A/D conversion or proprietary electronics. This can simplify the implementation of a wide range of safetyrelated machinery control applications such as braking systems in hoists and lifting equipment, to positioning systems and temperature control on cranes, and selective shutdown systems on wind power turbines. To simplify system design, safety-related control modules may be installed as part of the main PLC solution, or be sited in a remote I/O rack linked using the PROFINET/PROFIsafe protocol. Networkconnected control systems like this save cabling and assembly costs, and avoid problems with interference. Moreover, ABB's I/O modules include integral power supplies, reducing hardware costs and space requirements compared to some other PLC vendor approaches. One other valuable option for safety related control system designers, is the availability of safety PLC modules in ABB's renowned XC 'extreme conditions'
variants. This option allows users to configure functional safety PLC solutions that are also ruggedized and suitable for operating in harsh conditions and extreme climates - as are commonly found on crane, winch and wind power applications.
For more information: www.abb.com/plc
ATR GROUP ANNOUNCES INTEGRATION OF ITS BUSINESS AS IT LAUNCHES AMBITIOUS GROWTH DRIVE ATR Group is launching an ambitious drive to grow its turnover to £150million in the next three years. The Aberdeenheadquartered company has made a stepchange in its operating structure with the creation of four dedicated business units to capitalise on growth in key sectors of the oil and gas industry. The move follows the acquisition of Cosalt Offshore Limited earlier this year and Underwater Engineering Services Limited (UES) in June 2012 after investment in ATR Group by NBGI Private Equity.
client needs” ATR Group is the market leader in the rental, sale and inspection of specialised equipment to the petrochemicals, marine, subsea and the offshore oil and gas industry.
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The strategic shift combines Cosalt’s technical leadership in offshore lifting and its comprehensive offshore inspection, testing and safety service with ATR’s highly complementary global equipment rental service to provide a comprehensive world-class offering to the offshore maintenance sector.
The ATR Group now comprises four business units : ATR Lifting Solutions (formerly Cosalt), ATR Power Solutions, ATR Equipment Solutions and UES. Chief Executive Keith Moorhouse said: “We have experienced sustained growth both in the UK and internationally across all parts of our business in the last 18 months and with the integration of ATR and the Cosalt business now well underway, we are embarking on a new organic growth strategy. We are on track to reach turnover of £70million this financial year with ambitions to double that by 2015. Our new operating structure forms a strong foundation on which to achieve that target. As part of the strategy we will also look to continue to build on our rental fleet investment to date, doubling last year’s £3million spend, to ensure we have the equipment and capabilities to service our
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FLEXITALLIC HAS GIVEN SOME BRIGHT STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET A TASTE OF THE ENGINEERING INDUSTRY AS PART OF A SIX WEEK INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME. The interns, who attend St. John Fisher School in Dewsbury, were given experience in various aspects of engineering and business. The six week programme was divided into three placements, where the students spent time in the Research & Development, Compliance and Human Resources departments. The programme was designed to give young people a taste of working in a 21st century engineering business, at an age when they are making choices about career progression. The six week internship is also part of Flexitallic’s wider commitment to encouraging careers in engineering. The company works with a number of schools in West Yorkshire and it also welcomes University interns. Three of the students participating, Ziyaad Patel, Kate Allen and Romana Qayyum, all 16, rotated between the three departments as they got an insight into life at Flexitallic.
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Ziyaad Patel, 16, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Flexitallic. Getting the opportunity to work across multiple departments meant I could get a good idea of how suited I might be for a future in engineering.”
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Dene Halkyard, Flexitallic’s Applications Engineering Manager, said: “We have had some fantastic feedback from various employees who have worked closely with our interns. “They have all shown great enthusiasm in their time here, and a range of skills which suggest a capacity for working in engineering. It’s very exciting to get a glimpse of possible engineers of the future.” Rachel Brooke, Head of Business and Vocational at St. John Fisher, said: “The internships at Flexitallic have been a great opportunity for some of our bright pupils to get real world experience." “It can be confusing having to make such big decisions about your future at 16, so internships like this can act as a great form of guidance for young people who are unsure of what path to take.” She added: “The internship is part of our work with the charity, Career Academies UK, which aims to make links between schools and businesses. We are very grateful that Flexitallic has become involved in the programme to provide our pupils with valuable mentoring support and work experience.”
ITF LAUNCHES JIP IN AUSTRALIA TO TACKLE SUBSEA PIPELINE OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES ITF, the global technology facilitator, together with subsea and pipeline engineering and project management company Subsea Engineering Associates (SEA) Pty Ltd in Perth, Australia, has recently launched a Joint Industry Project (JIP) that will explore and demonstrate a new approach to assessing pipeline span issues on the seabed. Phase I of the JIP is expected to run for six months and cost in the region of $250,000 AUD and involve four regional oil and gas operators. Due to an uneven seabed, tidal currents or scouring, some pipelines may develop free spans. A free span on a pipeline is where the seabed sediments have been eroded or scoured away and the pipeline is no longer supported on the seabed. Pipeline free spans have been studied extensively over the last two decades. Though the extreme limit states of the pipeline are understood and defined in DNV guidelines, traditional analyses fall short during the pipeline’s operational phase on mobile seabeds, where free spans form, move and often disappear between pipeline surveys. The aim of the JIP with SEA is to demonstrate that the creation of an enhanced partial safety approach with the delivery of more accurate data may negate the need for often unnecessary and costly intervention. The project will then focus on developing a methodology to demonstrate a ‘do-nothing’ approach to mobile free spans that will meet the failure probability required by DNVOS-F101. Peter Brazier is ITF’s regional manager for Australia. “Each year large sums of money are spent by regional pipeline operators on detailed Finite Element analysis of spans identified in the survey campaigns. These studies often recommend offshore intervention, more surveys and regular re-analysis. Due to the mobile nature of the seabed and the span life-cycle behaviour, in most cases no intervention or re-analysis is required. “The methodology developed through the JIP will go beyond traditional approaches to span assessment. It will investigate significant variables to define more accurately the failure probability of subsea pipelines. This will give operators greater knowledge of the behaviour of the seabed and how this impacts on pipeline surveys and integrity.”
ITF, the technology facilitator for the global oil and gas industry, is a not-for-profit organisation owned by 32 international oil and gas operator and service companies. It is the only global collaborative R&D funding programme operating across continents. The organisation has facilitated the launch of more than 200 joint industry projects (JIPs) from early stage projects through to field trials and commercialisation. It aims to secure a further £50 million for technologies over the next three to five years.
For more information on ITF, visit: www.itfenergy.com
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F A B R I C AT I O N S
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Afton Galbraith, Operations Manager at Subsea Engineering Associates added: “Accurately defining failure probability allows for more cost effective and enhanced risk analysis decision making, which we believe will be of great interest to oil and gas operators. We are grateful for the support received. The project would have been impossible to do without ITF’s involvement.”
Formed in 1999, ITF acts as an honest broker and has so far invested around £57 million into JIPs and is currently funding £15 million worth of projects. This allows industry players to articulate their technology needs while providing a trusting environment for collaboration with technology developers who are assured of complete confidentiality and ownership of any intellectual property they bring to or develop during their projects.
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PWA TO ACQUIRE USA AND MALAYSIA ASSETS OF PROSEP INC BRINGING FULL SUITE OF WATER SOLUTIONS TO OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY Produced Water Absorbents, Inc. (PWA) has entered into an agreement to acquire assets related to the global operations of oil and gas technology company ProSep Inc., which has its main offices in the United States and Malaysia. The $9.2 million acquisition will see PWA - which provides produced water treatment solutions and services to the oil and gas industry - relocate its headquarters from Wooster, Ohio to Houston, Texas as part of a domestic and international expansion drive. The acquisition was expected to be completed in November subject to customary closing conditions.
and Aberdeen, UK. The company will employ around 90 people in total with plans to hire additional employees in the first 18 months. ProSep designs, develops, manufactures and commercializes technologies to separate oil, water and gas. The manufacturing operation in Houston is the company's centre of excellence for gas membranes, primary separation, heavy crude oil treatment and conventional produced water treatment systems and packages.
Neil Poxon, CEO of PWA said: “We identified strong synergies
The acquisition will enable PWA to offer a complete solution for oil and gas industry oilfield water and gas streams. PWA as an emerging company in the industry contributes its proprietary technology selling skills, leasing experience and its focus on innovation to the acquisition. The assets acquired from ProSep offer a strong, established presence in the Americas, fabrication facilities, geographic spread and wide product portfolio.
Upon completion of the acquisition, PWA will be headquartered in Houston with a supporting 55,000 sq ft manufacturing and assembly facility and additional offices in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The global quantity of produced water volumes is likely to increase into the hundreds of billions of barrels per year, presenting an ever-growing challenge in how to manage and remain in compliance with constantly evolving environmental regulations.
The deal will complement PWA’s existing services enabling it to offer the most comprehensive portfolio of patented solutions to treat oil, natural gas and produced water.
with our Osorb Media technology and ProSep’s produced water services and have plans to develop this unique offering to target the challenges being experienced by oil and gas operators around the world. We have ambitions to grow our presence in Houston and significantly invest in research and development.”
Following the closing of the acquisition, PWA will be in a position to offer unparalleled water treatment solutions to the oil and gas industry.
In May this year PWA launched to market its revolutionary regenerable absorption media used for the management of oilfield water and gas streams. Osorb Media allows clients to meet and surpass stringent new environmental and discharge regulations. Mr Poxon added: “The regeneration capability of the Osorb Media sets it apart from other water treatment techniques by drastically reducing the costs of media replacement and also decreasing the amount of waste to be transported and disposed. We firmly believe the combination of ground-breaking technologies and our new full service capability will be of great interest to global oil and gas operators and we have plans to grow our business in the Americas, Far East and Middle East.”
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The acquisition was financed in part by PWA’s existing investors led by Energy Ventures with offices in Norway, Aberdeen, and Houston, Texas and Harris and Harris Group, Inc. with offices in New York City and Palo Alto, California.
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Kristian Lier with Energy Ventures said: “We are excited to be part of building a leading, global company within fluid processing. This transaction brings a truly unique combination of worldwide reach and an innovative technology offering together.” “We are confident that the combined product portfolio will result in a strengthened and accelerated market uptake.” added Einar Gamman, partner with Energy Ventures.
INTECH SERVICES ANNOUNCES THE PLACEMENT OF DUPONT™ TEFLON® INDUSTRIAL COATING 857G-018 ON THE DUPONT SP11C SPECIFICATION. After extensive salt spray and kesternich testing, Intech Services is proud to announce the placement of DuPont 857G-018 fluoropolymer product on the DuPont SP11C specification for fluoropolymer-coated fasteners. As of an update in May 2013, the DuPont™ Teflon® industrial coating 857G line is now an option for application to meet SP11C standards. DuPont SP11C specification is the corporate engineering standard for fluoropolymer-coated fasteners that require excellent corrosion resistance. DuPont SP11C is a specification for fasteners that are intended for use in severe atmospheric corrosive environments. It is not recommended for use in immersion service. The coating system is comprised of two coats: a sacrificial base coat of electroplated zinc or ceramic/metallic coating, and a fluoropolymer top coat applied by an applicator qualified by DuPont. Since fluoropolymer coatings have a low coefficient of friction, the make-up torque values for fasteners coated according to SP11C will be reduced. The DuPont™ Teflon® industrial coating 857G product line is a new technology targeting applications requiring anti-galling and dry lubrication. It is a water-based, low VOC, easy-to-use coating offering outstanding corrosion resistance that can be applied at .0005 to .0045 inches thick by conventional spray or dipspinning. The performance test ASTM B117 showed less than
10% rust on fasteners coated with 857G-018, the blue version of these coatings, after 3,000 salt spray hours. VOC emissions were less than 3.0 pounds per gallon. There are several coating color options. “Getting the DuPont 857G coating line included on SP11C took years of development and testing. Its inclusion on the specification in May of 2013 should indicate to the coating and corrosion engineering communities the robustness of this coating,” said Chris Dohl, Vice President of Intech Services. Intech Services is the sole distributor for DuPont™ Teflon® industrial coatings to the US and Canada. For more information about purchasing, applying, or data on these fluoropolymer coatings, contact Chris Dohl at Intech Services by phone (302366-8530) or email (chris@intechservices.com). For more information, testing, and data about this new DuPont Corrosion Resistant Coating technology...
Please visit: www.intechservices.com To view the control version of the SP11C standard specification, please visit the Standards Intranet Homepage. For more information from DuPont about their specification, contact Valerie Lamison by email:
valerie.s.lamison@dupont.com
GMC WINS TENDON CONNECTOR AWARD FOR MOHO NORD TLP PROJECT GMC Inc. has been awarded a contract to deliver its high strength fatigue resistant mechanical connector product as part of Total’s Republic of Congo Moho Nord TLP project. GMC will supply over a hundred sets of its concentric thread, pin and box type connectors under contract to Hutchinson Offshore’s Techlam S.A. who are supplying the entire TLP tendon system to Hyundai Heavy Industries. The 16,500-ton TLP hull and topsides will be vertically moored in over 780-meters water depth by the tendon tethering system. GMC’s high strength fatigue resistant mechanical connector will provide the intermediary connectors on the tendons. The 24-inch OD connectors will have a tension capacity rated at over 2000tons. The scope of supply includes the connectors, the make and break tool, and a tendon handling tool. GMC technicians will support Heerema on the tendon installation.
GMC Inc. is a US corporation based in Houston, TX and is a wholly owned subsidiary of GMC Limited, a UK corporation, based in Reading, England.
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“We are highly gratified by the confidence that Total S.A. and Hutchinson Techlam S.A.S. have placed in us by selecting our superior connector product,” says Glen Viau, Chief Operating Officer, GMC Inc. “Our mechanical connector product line continues to expand to provide new and improved technologies for the connection of pipelines, risers and structural tubulars in the offshore oil and gas industry.”
GMC’s mechanical connector is fully tested to the ISO 21329:2004, Petroleum and natural gas industries – Pipeline transportation systems – Testing procedures for mechanical connectors and independently certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) in 2010.
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PROOF THAT ENGINEERING CAREERS STILL APPEAL TO UK YOUNGSTERS! Scarborough's annual Engineering Week event aimed at encouraging youngsters to consider careers in engineering has just held its most successful event - attracting over 2700 schoolchildren and young students. Almost 30 organisations - most from the Yorkshire region - put on educational and fun displays about jobs in engineering today. Many exhibits were hands-on and interactive and ranged from touchscreen computer-aided design software, to remote operated vehicles for subsea oil and gas work, robot arms, and even an ingenious piece of food processing automation - a rustic potato cleaning machine developed for a McCain Foods' oven chips TV commercial.
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"Great Britain was built on the engineering revolution, and still today it's engineering prowess that is largely defining the growth and success of economies and nations," says Peter Wilkinson from the lead organiser Unison - the Scarboroughbased manufacturer of tube bending machines. "As a country, the UK urgently needs to invest in engineering, and attracting more youngsters to enter the profession is critical to that purpose. This event is about just that - we set out to show just how interesting and rewarding engineering is - and it's making a big difference in our region."
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Over three days, more than 2700 schoolchildren and teachers - plus many more at evening public sessions - toured the exhibition. Among these was the guest of honour, HRH Prince Richard The Duke of Gloucester, representing Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Richard has a strong technical background, having trained as an architect and worked as a partner in a London practice before taking up Royal and family duties. The Duke identifed wholeheartedly with the ambititons of the event - to attract UK youngsters to become the engineers of tomorrow - and said he'd like to come back next year. As might be expected, he took particular interest in Atlas Ward Structures' exhibit - which demonstrated CAD software the Scarborough-based company uses to design steelwork for world-renowned projects such as The Shard and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The Scarborough Engineering Week event was conceived by the directors of the metalworking machinery builder Unison Ltd, and they led the organisation of this year's event. They were aided by the regional education business partnership NYBEP who organised the student attendance from regional primary, secondary, sixth form and further education schools and colleges.
The event was made possible by sponsorship from York Potash who want to develop a mine in the Scarborough area to produce potash fertilizer - a very large scale enterprise which could create hundreds of high quality engineering jobs. Schoolchildren were treated to an array of engineering products and technology from Atlas Ward Structures, Bluebird Vehicles, Castle Employment, Castle Group, Deep Sea Electronics, Dale Power Solutions, Derwent Training Association, F1 in Schools, Fanuc, Festo, Firmac, Forum Subsea Technologies, Hunprenco, Joy Global, McCain Foods, Moog, North Sea Winches, NYBEP, Osprey, Plaxton, Sainsbury's, Schneider Electronic, Unison, University of Hull, University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), Wilfrid Scruton, Yorkshire Coast College, and York Potash. Some 130 representatives from all of the organisations involved in the exhibition, as well as the attending schools and colleges, attended a celebratory dinner during the event at The Spa in Scarborough. Adrian Allen OBE of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre gave the keynote speech. Scarborough Engineering Week ran from 14-16 October 2013, at The Spa in Scarborough.
SIR ROBERT SMITH WELCOMES PROSERV’S APPRENTICESHIP COMMITMENT Sir Robert Smith Bt, MP has visited market leading production technology services company Proserv to see how the firm develops the engineers of tomorrow.
experience some of the work we do. The development of young people is rewarding for everyone involved and it is reassuring to have the support and endorsement of our local MP.
At Proserv’s test and assembly base at Birchmoss, near Echt in Aberdeenshire, the MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine took a tour of the facilities and met with apprentices to learn more about the work Proserv is doing to bring through the next generation of talent.
“Proserv as a company has supported apprenticeships for many years and some of our own senior members of staff started on similar programmes. It is as important for us to provide opportunities to those living in our nearby communities as it is to develop programmes that will support the future of our business.”
The company has fast emerged as an industry specialist in the global energy industry, with over 1900 people worldwide. Across its four locations in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, the company took on nine apprentices into their new programme during 2013, building on the five who were hired in 2012. Sir Robert said: “It is very encouraging to see that a major local
employer is committed to providing opportunities to youngsters taking their first steps on the career ladder. The shortage of skills in the energy industry is well publicised and it is heartening to see Proserv is working to address this by providing apprenticeships which can lead into a highly skilled lifetime profession. “The company’s recent success and growth shows that it has gathered a reputation for the ingenuity, knowledge and hard work of its staff. It has been a pleasure to view the facilities here at Birchmoss and I wish Proserv continued success in the future.”
2013 apprentice Marnie Toal said: “I live locally so this is a great opportunity available to me so close to where I live. I started in September and so far it’s been great, hands on, really interesting and exciting. I’m going to go through my Modern Apprenticeship and Proserv technician courses which is going to set me up for an exciting career with Proserv. The success of Proserv was recently recognised when the company won Technology Implementation of the Year at the Oil and Gas Middle East Awards 2013 whilst making the shortlist for the Health and Safety Initiative of the Year. In addition, chief executive David Lamont took the Private Equity Backed Business title in the EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 awards. For more information about Proserv, visit: www.proserv.com
Proserv, which is headquartered in Westhill, has a 35-year track record in delivering bespoke technologies and services, particularly in the marine, drilling, production and subsea sectors.
Mark Williams at Proserv said: “It has been a pleasure to welcome Sir Robert to Birchmoss and to
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Proserv’s facility at Birchmoss is believed to be the only one of its kind in the UK in terms of its size and industry-leading capabilities. Complete with large test pits and 75 tonne internal craneage, the facilities are used for the design testing, maintenance and installation of subsea equipment including system integration tests, factory acceptance tests, tree assembly and blow-out preventer re-certifications prior to deployment offshore or subsea.
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EXPLOSION-PROOF HEATERS MEET LATEST IEC/EN 60079 SAFETY STANDARD ATEX and IECEx compliant products now certified for use down to -60 C Outdoor instrument protection specialist Intertec has requalified a broad range of its explosion-proof heaters and controllers, and at the same time has formally validated their suitability for use in extremely cold environments. This development is likely to be of particular interest to designers of instrumentation systems requiring safety certification for hazardous areas, such as onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration/recovery projects in the Arctic polar region. All Intertec ATEX and IECEx heaters and controllers are now certified as complying with the latest editions of the relevant parts of the IEC/EN 60079 safety standard for electrical equipment in explosive atmospheres. The materials, construction and performance of these products have been thoroughly tested by an independent third-party certification agency and verified against the most up-to-date criteria that is available.
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Representative samples of every ATEX and IECEx heater and controller currently manufactured by Intertec were tested under the auspices of Germany’s national metrology institute, the PhysikalischTechnische Bundesanstalt (PTB), which is a Notified Body for ATEX and IECEx
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conformity assessment. To help address the growing demand for explosion-proof environmental protection equipment suitable for use in very cold climates, Intertec requested that the tests should include verification of performance at an ambient temperature of minus 60 degrees Celsius – far lower than many competitive products on the market. All submitted products passed the tests and the PTB updated the certificates accordingly. In Europe, ATEX approval is mandatory for all electrical equipment used in hazardous areas, while many countries around the world accept IECEx test reports as the basis for their own national safety certificates. When seeking safety approvals for a complete instrumentation system, designers benefit from the presumption of conformity to IEC/EN 60079 held by ATEX and IECEx approved devices, which do not in themselves require further safety assessment. However, as part of the harmonisation process, many safety standards now carry an expiry date, known as the ‘Date of cessation of presumption of conformity of superseded standard’. After this date, to obtain a safety certificate based on the latest standards, designers must ensure that all devices in the system – including ATEX and IECEx approved components – have been certified to the same revision of the standards.
Customers can specify Intertec’s ATEX and IECEx compliant heaters and controllers secure in the knowledge that they benefit from the presumption of conformity to IEC/EN 60079 conferred by the tests, and that the products have been tested to the latest version of the standard – and are also now certified for operation at ambient temperatures as low as -60 C. Existing customers can obtain copies of the updated compliance certificates from Intertec. Intertec’s range of explosion-proof heaters includes a wide variety of ATEX and IECEx compliant models, with individual power ratings from 25 to 600 watts and a choice of temperature classes. There are different models to cover the principal application areas of freeze protection, condensation protection and temperature maintenance, with a choice of convection or conduction heaters in each category. Special profile heaters are available for bringing liquid or gas samples in pipes or cylinders up to operational temperature, together with a heat tracing cable and controller to protect exposed measuring lines against freezing. There is also a series of explosionproof smart heaters for temperature maintenance that use a patented redundant control method of limiting their surface temperature to ensure safety, which are supplied complete with a precision digital controller. The digital controller is an all-solid-state design with no mechanical switching contacts; it features fully encapsulated electronics and an intrinsically safe external sensor for directly monitoring the temperature of equipment such as gas analyzers. Most of Intertec’s explosion-proof heaters and controllers are also available in versions that comply with country-specific safety standards, including the latest editions of the National Electrical Code (NEC) standard used in the USA, and the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) standard. The company is currently obtaining supplements to the relevant national
standards of various Asian countries, including China, Korea and India, prior to any necessary third-party compliance testing. Intertec produces an exceptionally wide range of environmental protection enclosures, cabinets and shelters, many of which are available in explosion-proof versions. These can either be ordered at the same time as the heaters, or as separate items. Another approach that is popular with many instrumentation engineers and project managers is to use Intertec’s turnkey enclosure assembly service SAFE LINK. This enables designers to configure a complete system, including the enclosure, heater and controller, and instrumentation if required, using a free software design tool. Once the design is finalised, Intertec will manufacture and assemble the system, and deliver it to the installation site. Intertec has nearly 50 years’ experience of VSpringsAd 25/9/06 20:13 Page 1 producing high-reliability, cost-effective
field instrumentation protection solutions pressure regulation and temperature for use in hazardous environments monitoring instruments at a large oil such as explosive atmospheres. Some refinery in southern Germany; these of the first products that the company remained fully operational until they were manufactured when it was founded in decommissioned recently after more than Belleville125x86Ad 10/3/08 16:50 Page 1 1965 were enclosures and heaters for 40 years of service!
Valley Spring is a member of the Springmaster® Group
Belleville Springs is a member of the Springmasters® Group
SPECIALIST PRODUCER OF MEDIUM AND LARGE DIAMETER COMPRESSION, EXPANSION AND TORSION SPRINGS.
Consultancy, Design, Manufacture and Distribution...
Pottery Lane East, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S41 9BH Tel: +44 (0)1246 451981 Fax: +44 (0)1246 454327 E-mail: sales@valleyspring.com www: http//www.valleyspring.com
Arthur Street, Lakeside, Redditch, Worcestershire B98 8JY. Tel: +44 (0)1527 500500 Fax: +44 (0)1527 517039 info@bellevillesprings.com www.bellevillesprings.com
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Your complete solution for DISC SPRINGS AND BELLEVILLE WASHERS
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FOUNDOCEAN CONTINUES GLOBAL EXPANSION WITH THE OPENING OF ITS NEWEST OFFICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST FoundOcean, the largest dedicated offshore construction grouting company in the world, today announced its further overseas expansion with the opening of its newest office in the Middle East. “The region is a key oil and gas hub of the world” explained Jim Bell, Managing Director of FoundOcean. “And with Abu Dhabi being the biggest oil producer in the United Arab Emirates, controlling more than 94% of the UAE’s output, it seemed logical to take the steps necessary to facilitate the registration of FoundOcean with the ADMA OPCO companies, and to do this we are proud to announce our partnering with Emdad LLC”.
operations worldwide. FoundOcean is attending the ADIPEC Conference and Exhibition on 10th-13th November. If you would like to talk to them about their expansion into the Middle East, then you can find its team on stand #8341 where a FoundOcean team member will be available to answer any questions you may have.
FoundOcean has completed over 45 offshore projects in the region for world-class installation contractors including McDermott, Dulam, Halul Offshore, SHL and Saipem. These range from foundation grouting to strengthening, modification and repair works. The DNV-accredited company has invested heavily in its grout mixing technology to ensure fast, efficient, and safe offshore
ENVIRONSTORE MAKES SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN RENTAL SKIPS Aberdeen-based Environstore, a leading supplier of drill cuttings skips and containers to the global oil and gas industry, has made a substantial £200,000 investment in its rental fleet to further secure its market leading position and impeccable safety record. This significant investment sees the SME increase its fleet of drill cuttings containers, which are manufactured and maintained to the highest standards, DNV 2.7-1 / EN 12079.
Greg Spence, managing director of Environstore said: “It is widely accepted that the drilling period on any platform or rig can be one of the highest risk times and Environstore has always prioritised safety and service over all else. Hand injuries offshore are amongst the most common cause for LTI and our vacuum fill system negates the number of lid lifts and therefore hand injuries. Our safety record is one we are extremely proud of. “As the company has expanded so has our market offering, enabling us to supply directly to operators, who recognise Environstore as a market leader in the domestic and global rental markets, due to our quality products and service. Any interruption to the drilling period due to skip supply issues is extremely costly, therefore, we can now offer managed fleet services direct to operators or driller’s on a well by well or annual basis.” Environstore is an FPAL registered company, with the company’s large fleet of drill cutting skips exceeding all criteria, by safely containing drilling waste, ensuring transportation without fear of spillage. Environmentally focused and safety-driven, the company has invested the substantial sum to ensure all skips are maintained and tested to the highest standards and offer the latest specifications.
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FAMILY-RUN SHIPPING AND ENERGY BUSINESS REPORTS STRONG GROWTH Craig Group Turnover Up by £23 million in 80th Year Aberdeen head-quartered global shipping and energy services firm, Craig Group, has marked its 80th anniversary with strong performance announced today as its accounts are lodged with Companies House. The privately owned, family-run business, now employing the fourth generation of the Craig family, has reported turnover of £146.8 million with operating profits of £17.4 million for the year ending 30 April 2013. These are up on the previous year when turnover was £123.3 million and profits were £15.2 million. The group, whose core activities are the provision of offshore support, ROV survey, emergency response and rescue vessels (ERRVs) and oilfield procurement, provides employment for 1,062 people, 925 of which are mariners crewing the group’s fleet of 37 vessels.Capital expenditure in the year was £37.4 million of which £27.8 million was spent on the continued modernisation of the fleet of emergency response and rescue vessels.
has significantly extended our global reach helping us secure new business, increase our buying power and offer greater efficiencies to customers.” During the year, the group paid dividends of £3 million for the first time in three years. Directors’ remuneration totalled £1.24 million with the highest paid director’s emoluments standing at £500,000. The group donated £374,000 to various charities and local causes in 2012. This includes the on-going donations, together totalling £2 million, to Robert Gordon’s College and the University of Aberdeen’s new library as well as one-off contributions to Friends of Anchor, Aberdeen International Youth Festival and other charities in Africa and the US. The Craig Group remains one of Scotland’s top 100 companies and in the top 20 of offshore service companies in the North Sea. Its divisions operate in Europe, Africa and the US in the areas of offshore support, ROV survey, emergency response and rescue vessels, oilfield supplies and leisure.
Craig Group chairman and managing director, Douglas Craig, said: “These results reflect our continued strong performance in our core areas of shipping and oilfield procurement. Our considerable capital expenditure in new tonnage to ensure the safest and most modern fleet and investment in new global bases for CIS have consolidated our market leading positions in these areas. We are also generating the cash flows required to sustain growth and new employment in the future. We are particularly proud of these results in our 80th year – a significant milestone for any company but a major achievement for a privately-owned, family-run business.” The Craig Group fleet is operated by group division, North Star Shipping, who saw its turnover increase by over 15% to £92.6 million. Two new ERRVs were completed within the financial year with a further two new vessels to be delivered during 2014. . Turnover at Craig International Supplies (CIS), the group’s oilfield procurement division, rose by almost 30% from £37.6 million to £48.3 million.
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Mr Craig added: “Through continuous investment in our fleet and our people, we are visibly demonstrating our commitment to clients with a service that is driven by safety and quality. Our investment of £230 million since 2003 in new vessels has ensured we have the largest and youngest British wholly owned fleet engaged in the UK offshore industry. This has enabled us to win new contracts and retain existing ones as oil and gas operators are rightly demanding the best vessels and crews to support operations in the North Sea. The opening of new bases for CIS in Poland and Ghana while bolstering our existing operations in Cape Town and Houston
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SUBSEA INDUSTRY STAFFING SOLUTIONS TO BE PART OF THE “TOOLKIT” In the United Kingdom the subsea sector is worth £8.9 billion and comprises 45% of the global market. The strength of the industry is such that opportunities are there to grow this figure further to £11 billion. Our recent Business Activity Review of 750 companies shows Britain continues to outperform competitors due to its skill set, expertise and the development of innovative technology. The major threat to this success and future growth is the widely reported shortage of skills. Continually poaching the best and brightest from a shrinking talent pool is not the answer and to achieve growth we need to look for new solutions. With this in mind we launched Subsea Target earlier this year to help companies accelerate the pace at which they can develop and deploy people with the relevant skills or potential. The scheme also provides advice and guidance to individuals looking to change career path and enter the subsea sector.
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Already 15 companies, large and small, across the supply chain have signed up to the programme. They are focusing on potential recruits with transferable skills as they look to appoint competent staff from different backgrounds.
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To aid companies in this we have developed a ‘Toolkit’ to provide the additional support and infrastructure required so new recruits can become fully proficient in a subsea role as quickly as possible. For many companies the issue is not simply about finding people but more about how they recruit, how they retain staff and how they equip them with the skills required to do the job. Resources for growth are required and this means having the right corporate context and organisational culture into which they can bring people. It is important to explore pre-employment strategies, structured inductions, personal development plans, mentoring, coaching and encouraging teamwork. This is in addition to having a competence management and measurement system alongside a comprehensive training programme. We have fully investigated what the industry needs in terms of skills and explored the existing programmes which work well for individual companies. With the long term focus on educating children on the attractiveness of career in subsea and encouraging the uptake of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects we are working to secure the industry for years to come.
For now though we have to look to the more immediate future to secure these opportunities further down the line. We can achieve this through a collaborative approach sharing best practice from industry and by the design of pan-industry programmes which deliver solutions in the short to medium term.
PROFILE Neil Gordon - Chief Executive, Subsea UK Following 20 years’ international management experience, Neil Gordon was appointed Chief Executive of Subsea UK in 2011. Prior to this, he spent four years managing the National Hyperbaric Centre where he oversaw saturation diving operations and hyperbaric weld trials. He more recently developed the subsea safety training and consultancy aspect of the business, where he regularly lectured to subsea engineers and delivered a range of training courses both in the UK and overseas. Neil trained as a commercial diver, working in Norway and the UK on construction projects, pipeline surveys, welding and inspection.
Powerful jumper and umbilical monitoring As subsea field umbilical arrays grow ever more complex then the integrity of the components becomes increasingly critical. C-Kore is designed to provide assurance to field installation engineers that their umbilical systems will meet the client requirements by checking electrical integrity immediately prior to connector make-up. For further information visit our website or call our sales team on 01653 602020
Zetechtics Ltd
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Tel: +44 (0) 1653 602020 | Email: sales@zetechtics.com | Web: www.zetechtics.com
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Bifold Fluidpower Ltd
BIFOLD, OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE MARUSSIA F1™ TEAM HAVE LINKED SAFETY WITH PERFORMANCE TO PROVIDE DIRECTIONAL CONTROL VALVES AND VALVE ASSEMBLIES FOR SUBSEA APPLICATIONS Bifold have been successfully designing and manufacturing valves for operation directly immersed in sea water since 1987 and have applied this experience to develop our extensive range of technically superior subsea valves, maintaining safety factors and reliable operation across the pressure range to over 15,000 psi / 1035 bar with an operating temperature range of -50°C to +140°C. Designed to operate reliably on fluids with contamination levels greater than NAS 1638 Class 12, these true failsafe valves provide the option for reducing the sub-sea control module weight and cost, providing the customer with superior products for their application. With a focus on safety and reliability in subsea control, Bifold’s directional control valves maintain safety factors on pull in and drop out voltage as well as de latch pressure, throughout the pressure range, but also during long term cycling (in cycles) and long term static hold tests.
The Bifold sub-sea range includes Shearseal directional control valves, shuttle valves, pilot operated valves (ball seated and slide), solenoid valves with a range of connector options, check valves, relief valves, pumps, intensifiers, special valve products and control pod products.
For innovative and reliable valve solutions, visit our website: www.bifold.co.uk where more detailed information and a PDF brochure can be downloaded. For more Information please contact: Gill Bancroft, Tel. +44 (0) 161 345 4777 Fax. +44 (0) 161 345 4780 Email: gbancroft@bifold.co.uk
Our state of the art production facilities based in the UK allow our superior and innovative sub-sea valves to be subjected to extensive test programmes, these include:• Qualification in accordance with ISO 13628-6
• Endurance tested to in excess of 1 million cycles
• Corrosion testing in direct seawater immersion
for 90 days and 50/50
seawater internally at 60°C
• Contamination
resistance testing on
class 8 fluid over 30,000 cycles without filter
• High and low temperature
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storage and function testing
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• Hyperbaric function testing to 3500m
• Shock and Vibration testing
Bifold Fluidpower Ltd Greenside Way, Middleton, Manchester. M24 1SW Main Reception: +44 (0)161 3454777 Email: marketing@bifold.co.uk Web: www.bifold.co.uk
Bifold, Official Partner of the Marussia F1™ Team have linked Safety with Performance to provide Directional Control Valves and Valve assemblies for Subsea applications Bifold have been successfully designing and manufacturing valves for operation directly immersed in sea water since 1987 and have applied this experience to develop our extensive range of technically superior subsea valves, maintaining safety factors and reliable operation across the pressure range to over 15,000 psi / 1035 bar with an operating temperature range of -50°C to +140°C. With a focus on safety and reliability in subsea control, Bifold’s directional control valves maintain safety factors on pull in and drop out voltage as well as de latch pressure, throughout the pressure range, but also during long term cycling (in cycles) and long term static hold tests. Qualification in accordance with ISO 13628-6 Endurance tested to in excess of 1 million cycles Corrosion testing in direct seawater immersion for 90 days and 50/50 seawater internally at 60°C
Contamination resistance testing on class 8 fluid over 30,000 cycles without filter High and low temperature storage and function testing Hyperbaric function testing to 3500m Shock and Vibration testing
For more information Bifold, Greenside Way, Middleton Manchester, M24 1SW, UK. Tel: +44 (0)161 345 4777 Fax: +44 (0)161 345 4780 Email: marketing@bifold.co.uk Web: www.bifold.co.uk
Official Partner of the Marussia F1™ Team
www.bifold.co.uk
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EXCITING TIMES FOR 2014 AND WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR THE UNDERWATER CENTRE Award-winning subsea training and trials facility, The Underwater Centre in Fort William, has experienced one of the busiest periods in its 40-year history as momentum continues to grow both in the UK and internationally. As 2013 draws to a close, things look set to be even busier next year. Increased collaboration with industry, and the subsequent rise in student numbers, has required the Centre to invest considerably in staff and facilities to allow it to continue training the next generation of much sought after commercial divers and ROV pilot technicians. Equipping graduates with the skills required for undertaking subsea engineering, inspection and monitoring operations to prepare them for working in some of the most hostile conditions known to man is a priority for the Centre. The Centre has also experienced a surge in student numbers, with 384 graduating in 2012, a 25% rise on the previous year. This year, some 391 students have already completed or booked onto courses.
As the global oil and gas industry continues to struggle with the skills shortage affecting the entire sector, one service provider is rising to the challenge to provide the kind of workforce required to fulfil the increasing demand for skilled and competent workers.
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It is estimated that more than 120,000 skilled personnel will be needed over the next decade to fully realise the planned surge in investment in the North Sea industry alone, according to recent research. As well as a skills shortage, the industry is also facing an ageing workforce, presenting another potential problem as the first generation of oil and gas workers approach retirement age. Currently, the average commercial diver in the North Sea - many of whom began their career at the Centre - is aged between 45 and 54 years of age.
Steve Ham, General Manager of The Underwater Centre, said: “This past year has very much been one of investment and growth for The Underwater Centre, a trend that looks set to continue in 2014. “Everyone is aware that the skills shortage in the oil and gas sector is a pressing issue that must be addressed, and we have an important role to play in ensuring that the sector is provided with the necessary people to keep moving forward. Much of my time is spent discussing with leading operators and contractors the training and competence requirements they have within their subsea workforce. “It is very important for us to continue our work with the industry and that we continue to deliver training that the industry needs. To help us do this, we have recently invested further in skilled man power and equipment. In October, the Centre purchased two new vessels, the Loch Sunart and Loch Scavaig, to meet the demand for its commercial diving and ROV pilot technician training courses. One of the barges will be fitted out with two work-class ROVs (WCROV) and supporting ROV launch and recovery systems (LARS). It will be used for work-class ROV training, providing realistic training for students to learn how to launch work-class ROVs from a vessel. The other vessel will be used for the development of diver training and subsea technology trials. “We have put a considerable investment in these new barges because we realise the importance of giving our students the best, most up-to-date facilities which offer training in a contextual environment,” said Steve. Staffing at the Centre has also been bolstered with several new appointments, including three instructors in the diver training team and a graduate trainee dive support technician, who will assist with the maintenance and upkeep of all the diving equipment and help with the numerous subsea trials which take place at the Centre. The ROV team has also increased with the arrival of a new member, who will instruct on the ROV courses, as well as assist in the development of the WCROV training.
“We are very excited about 2014 and what lies ahead for the Centre,” said Steve. “Oil and gas companies are investing a lot of money and so it is very important that they can be sure that the personnel that they recruit have received training and experience which is relevant to their industry. We are constantly looking at ways of improving the service we provide, making sure that our courses are designed and tailored to give companies the confidence that they have the skilled workforce they need.”
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OceanTools Ltd
OCEANTOOLS REVEALS C-GAUGE AT OFFSHORE EUROPE WITH GREAT SUCCESS World leading subsea engineering company OceanTools Ltd has revealed their latest product at this year’s Offshore Europe Exhibition with great success. C-Gauge is a high precision subsea and surface laser measurement system that enables the accurate measurement of the space between two user selectable points. The laser projects the measurement line onto the target, with the operator selecting the two measurement points from within the point cloud with the distance between the two displayed instantly:
• • • •
Measurement accuracy to 0.5mm Resolution to 0.3mm Operating distance to target 10cm – 1.5m 3000m depth rated
C-Gauge also enables the high precision alignment and monitoring of targets from point to point. The easy to use software allows for the instantaneous logging of multiple lines for immediate or post process measurement operations. The field proven laser and supporting camera are integrated into a customisable compact and robust frame for mounting to a range of ROV’s allowing for open water or confined ingress measurement work. Callum Magee, OceanTools Business Development Manager stated: “We are delighted with the response C-Gauge generated at the show, we have a long list of clients with a long list of applications asking for a closer look.” C-Gauge has been mobilised with great success on its first job to measure damage to a FPSO turret. With over 1,200 precision measurements taken and a very happy client, there is more work in the pipeline for C-Gauge.
For full product information or to organise a demonstration please contact: www.oceantools.co.uk
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OceanTools Ltd OceanTools House, Claymore Drive, Aberdeen, AB23 8GD Main Reception: +44 (0)1224 709606 Email: sales@oceantools.co.uk Web: www.oceantools.co.uk
Environmental Environmental Technologies TechnologiesLtd Ltd PANOLIN BIODEGRADABLE LUBRICANTS
As well as a wide range of standard flow meters, Environmental Technologies (ETL) specialise in bespoke solutions such as the system shown below. PANOLIN ATLANTIS ETL were asked to design / supply a recoverable subsea display The oil and gas industries are amongst the most regulated and system, with integral data recording, totals and rate readouts. controlled in the world with respect to the marine environment, especially now as we are seeing an increase in offshore activity ETL also manufactured large turbine flow meters, verified by which includes all forms of renewable energy development. Lloyds Registry, which were connected to the display system. PANOLIN have been involved in the offshore market for about 10 The project was specified by a major oil company client to be years and have a range of hydraulic oils called ATLANTIS which used at depths of up to 3000 metres and at pressures of up to are formulated in accordance with OSPAR compliance guidelines 427 Bar, with a maximum flow rate of 3500 litres per minute. to meet with the very highest environmental standards. (OSPAR is the Oslo and Paris Convention for the Protection of the Marine ETL were able to design, manufacture and test these systems Environment of the North East Atlantic). The oils are registered within a tight timescale whilst meeting exacting specification with all of the relevant regulatory bodies involved. These bodies, requirements. CEFAS, SODM and KLIMA administer and control the use of fluids in the North Sea, Irish Sea and Norwegian Waters.
For any flow meter enquiries please call: +44 (0)1423 orare visit www.env-t.com Oils meeting this 522911 requirement being considered and adopted
by many operating companies before any form of offshore activity such as oil and gas exploration, wind farm construction, tidal turbines and wave power generators begins, particularly in areas of Special Scientific Interest and Marine Conservation Zones. In
accordance with regulations PANOLIN biodegradable lubricants are currently being used in applications such as Remotely Operated Vehicles, Cranes, Subsea Cable laying and Mining equipment. Operators who want to use these oils can do so with confidence 4" High specification, third
knowing they are registered in compliance with OSPAR and along party verified flow turbine. with the Material Safety Data can assist Special with the riskdesign assessments rotor and low that are carried out before any such work is undertaken. power pick up to perform at PANOLIN HLP SYNTH
3000 meter depth
For many years and throughout many industries HLP SYNTH has been recognised as one of the foremost biodegradable lubricants. This fluid is extensively utilised in hydraulic
Subsea display system
showing rate and total Battery backup and data logging
applications such as Hydro Power, Rail Infrastructure Maintenance, Construction, Ports, Docks and Dredging for its high performance/ long life capability and environmental properties. HLP SYNTH offers many of the world’s ECO-LABELS against its name and thus provides an alternative product with the highest environmental credentials where OSPAR compliance is not required. Both products are available as factory fill options with many Original Equipment Manufacturers which guarantees full environmental compliance right from the start.
For more information please call: +44 (0)1423 522911 or visit: www.env-t.com
Environmental Technologies Ltd Grimbald Road, Knaresborough. HG5 8PY Environmental Main Reception: Technologies +44 (0)1423 522911 Email: sales@env-t.com Web: www.env-t.com Grimbald Road, Knaresborough, HG5 8PY Tel: +44 (0)1423 522911 Email: sales@env-t.com Web: www.env-t.com
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PANOLIN biodegradable lubricants are available from ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES LTD official Panolin distributor in the UK and Ireland.
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fluid filled electric motors & pumps custom designed to meet the most demanding of applications and environments
Celebrating 100 years of subsea motor technology
• Seawater Lift • Firewater Pumps • Boiler Circulating Pumps and Motors • Subsea Motors • Submersible Generators
www.haywardtyler.com
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Netzsch Pumps & Systems Ltd NETZSCH OFFERS THE COMPLETE PROGRESSING CAVITY AND ROTARY LOBE PUMP PROGRAMME FOR UP-STREAM, MID-STREAM AND DOWNSTREAM PRODUCTION The pumps are mainly used for fluids with the following properties: ·
High solid content (up to 30% sand)
·
Low to high viscosities
·
Abrasive
·
High content of gas
·
High content of water
·
High fluid and environmental temperature
·
Large range of capacities and pressures
·
Capacities from 6 bpd up to 2,200 bpd
·
Pressures up to 240 bar (3,400 psi)
·
Installation depth up to 2,200m (7,700ft)
Artificial lift pumps offer a volumetric efficiency between 75 and 95% with an overall system efficiency between 40 and 70%. They can handle fluids with a viscosity up to 5000 cP at the well head.
NETZSCH Transfer and multi-phase pumps have proven long service life even in the most extreme applications and installation conditions. Operational and maintenance costs are low together with a low initial investment. NETZSCH high-pressure pumps are rated for pressures up to 240 bar (3,400 psi) for universal applications. They are also suitable for water re-injection. At NETZSCH we strive to use our expanding global technological and market leadership for our customers benefit. We see ourselves as far more than just a developer and producer; it is our aim to be your partner for everything from project planning to process consulting to integral service. Consultation services, technical support and product quality are our core strengths. We want to ensure the continued high performance of your pump system and will therefore always be there to assist you with whatever needs you may have – pre order, during the contract, during installation, commissioning and operation. Our highly skilled sales and service staff and our local service partners are always available.
Moving Energy Forward
Ideal solutions for onshore or offshore, upstream or downstream As an expert manufacturer of downhole and surface pumps, we produce oilfield pump systems according to the highest quality standards. The viscosity of your crude oil or its percentage of gas or sand makes no difference to the NETZSCH progressing cavity pumps, our helical rotor system is unbeatable.
NEMO® High Flow Transfer Pump
NETZSCH Pumps & Systems Ltd.
Netzsch Pumps & Systems Ltd Horchester, Holywell, Dorchester. Dorset. DT2 0LL Main Reception: +44 (0)1935 483900 Email: info.npu@netzsch.com Web: www.netzsch.com
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Horchester Holywell Dorchester Dorset, DT2 0LL United Kingdom Tel.: +44 1935 483900 Fax: +44 1935 83288 info.npu@netzsch.com www.netzsch.com
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Walther
are a manufacturer of precision engineered coupling solutions for the global oil and gas industry.
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Walther have an extensive range of mono quick release couplings and multi-couplings for topside and subsea applications.
High Pressure mono and multi couplings Diver Screw Types ROV hot stabs IWOCS Plates Plate elements EDU Whatever your quick connection demands Walther and the team in the UK have a solution for you. If you are looking for a solution to your coupling requirements then give us a call or visit our Website
www.walther-couplings.com
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e-mail: sales@walther-couplings.com Telephone: 01442 891929
Looking to Advertise? SUBSEA & OFFSHORE SERVICE MAGAZINE NEWS & PRESS RELEASES
EXHIBITIONS
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December Issue 2013 PRODUCTS & SERVICES
The Publication Place your advert in this A4 publication, from a 1/4 page to a double page spread. Take advantage of the free editorial which will equal the size of your advert. A great way to showcase both your Company details and to also explain a product or a service you supply in your own words and with colourful images. With a good circulation across the UK and distribution at the major exhibitions both here and overseas, you can expect awareness from companies in the industry looking to purchase equipment you manufacture or seek your specialised services.
The Online Version
Company Logo advertising is
available on our website. We allow for static Logo’s that can be placed in a prominent position on our Home Page.
Demonstration Videos are another option!
Have your advert display the video play sign in the on-line magazine. Readers can click on the link to activate your video.
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Take a look on our website www.sosmagazine.biz
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Contact our sales team: Robert Taylor Sales Manager 01634 867404 rob@sosmagazine.biz
Jon McIntosh Sales Manager 01634 682464 jon@sosmagazine.biz
Abacus Valves International Ltd ABACUS VALVES FOCUS ON BENEFITS OF NON SLAM NOZZLE CHECK UK based Abacus Valves, an established manufacturer of wafer check valves for the Oil & Gas, Water and Process industries, reports the significant role played by the high performance range of valves within its portfolio. The company, which provides full technical support from initial enquiry through to commissioning, highlights the Nozzle Check valve as a valuable part of its range. Since 2012, the Nozzle Check product has been recommended by Abacus to address critical service conditions integral to customer projects. Commenting on the appeal of the Nozzle Check Valve product, Liam Ogden, UK Sales Manager said:
“This high performance valve in particular meets our customers’ requirements for the subsea market in that it operates at extremes of pressure, has proven nonslam characteristics and has minimal pressure drop across the valve. The Nozzle Check is an extremely efficient valve which compliments our high performance range perfectly.” Alternative products recommended for subsea and offshore applications are the Abacus Twin Plate Check Valve, High Performance Sprung Disc and Wafer Swing Check Valve. Wafer Style, Solid Lugged, Double Flanged and Hub Ended connections are readily available.
In addition to commodity products, the company frequently supply highly customised and modified products, at competitive prices and on a fast turnaround. Abacus Valves services include product selection, system design and equipment specification – support is available from enquiry through to installation and project start-up. The Abacus range carries the CE mark and complies fully with Pressure Equipment Directive 97/32/EC.
“The Nozzle Check Valve Is an asset in our catalogue of Check Valve solutions. It has proven to be an increasingly popular choice for wide ranging projects, including high service water delivery.”
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Abacus Valves International Ltd Block 4, Riverside Road, Paddockholm Ind Est, Kilbirnie, Ayrshire. KA25 7EW Tel: +44 (0)1505 681777 Fax: +44 (0)1505 683999 Web: www.abacusvalves.com
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TIPS FOR OFFSHORE WIND CORROSION PROTECTION Many parties help deliver corrosion protection for offshore wind turbines. The steel fabricator, paint applicator and paint supplier must work closely together to avoid costly on-site repairs. Corrosion protection is always the last step during a production process. When a job is behind schedule, there is often pressure on the paint shop to make up for lost time by hastening its part of the production process. But trying to gain time by rushing the painting process can have costly consequences.
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Painting offshore structures in a paint shop costs from €15 to €25 per m², depending on the setup of the workshop and the paint system. The cost of coating repair work performed on site and onshore is about 5 to 10 times more, due to the logistics of getting men and materials to the job site and limited access to structures due to weather conditions. If repair work must be done offshore, when corrosion protection fails prematurely, the cost can increase to more than €1000/ m2, between 40 and 60 times the cost of doing the job in the paint shop.
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Onshore exposure implies generally cyclic dew/condensation, with or without minor salinity, and moderate exposure to sunlight, resulting in moderate corrosion at holidays, weak points and damaged areas of the coating system. In contrast, offshore exposure implies long-term exposure to humidity with high salinity, intensive influence of UV light, wave action and the presence of a splash zone area, and high corrosive stress resulting in speedy corrosion at vulnerable areas of the coating system.
protection. Certificates and approvals are often overestimated. Indeed, the EN ISO 12944, part 5 (German issue) lists nine factors that are decisive for the durability of a coating system. The coating system itself is only one, and other important factors include the design of the structure (access possibilities), the design of edges and weld seams, the workmanship of the applicator, the specific condition of the steel before surface preparation, and the exposure of the paint system immediately after completing application.
This difference in exposure severity is also reflected in the mass and thickness loss per unit surface of low-carbon steel and zinc in the first year of their unprotected exposure. For example, in Germany, the onshore corrosivity is evaluated as being about C3, according to ISO 12944, which corresponds to a thickness loss of 25 to 50 μm. In comparison, for splash zone areas, as much as 500 μm thickness loss has been observed in the first year of service.
In effect, failure statistics show that the paint system itself is seldom the reason for the premature failure of the corrosion protection. The paint industry is mainly supplying ‘half-products’: that is, two or more component-reactive resins. It is the applicator who effectively creates a chemically new substance that in the end provides corrosion protection. Failure can occur during this process if the mixing of the components, the temperature control, the time requirements, and the application of the mixture onto correctly prepared surfaces are not all carried out properly. That is why permanent quality control and supervision by qualified professionals are required.
Key factors for corrosion protection A qualified coating system is not enough to guarantee a successful corrosion
Continued next page....
corroless
®
CORROSION CONTROL
We offer... ● Corroless Vapour Phase Corrosion Inhibitors - CCI's. ● Problem solvers for Plant, Pipework Systems and Electrical Equipment - Long term preservation. Also... ● Corroless Rust Stabilising Primers and Glass Re-inforced Topcoats. ● Problem solvers for Rusty Steelwork Protection - Minimum surface preparation - Long term effectiveness and cost savings.
We welcome your enquiry Corroless Offshore (UK) Ltd Unit 53, Howe Moss Avenue Kirkhill Industrial Estate Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 0GP Tel: +44 (0)1224 723207 E-Mail: sales@corrolessoffshore.com Website: www.corrolessoffshore.com Design considerations The design and fabrication of steel used in wind turbine construction is critical to its corrosion protection. Before the applicator starts their job, the steel builder has to provide a structure suited to being painted successfully. It is a law of nature that corrosion will always start at edges and weld seams – which is where the responsibility of the steel builder begins.
Construction designs that create insufficient access for painting should be avoided. During the fabrication of an offshore steel structure, the recommendations of ISO 8501, part 3 (preparation grades of welds, edges, and other areas with surface imperfections) should also be considered. This relatively new standard, which appears not to be well known at engineering offices and steel construction companies, is aimed at the steel builder, not the paint applicator. It gives recommendations about the required condition of the steel surface if paints are to be applied later for longterm corrosion protection. For offshore structures, preparation grades P2 or P3 should be specified, depending on the relevant details of the
Continued on Page 34
structure. This means the steel surface should be free from welding spatters and slags, pores, undercuts and laminations. The surface also needs to be dressed (by grinding) to remove irregular and sharpedged profiles. Pores are often found, particularly on welds, and inspectors are often asked if pores can be filled up with paint. Pores should never be filled with paint or filler. The steel builder has to repair them, according to the demands of EN ISO 5813, weld quality B. Correctly designed weld seams are crucial to successful corrosion protection. Handmade weld seams on offshore structures generally need to be ground
by the steel fabricator before they can be painted. Poor weld seam design will cause steel to corrode quickly.
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Coatings can only protect accessible surfaces – a fact often neglected in design. EN ISO 12944, part 3, Design Considerations, recommends that appropriate distances required for tools in corrosion protection work are respected. It also recommends minimum dimensions for openings that provide access to confined areas, minimum dimensions for narrow spaces between surfaces, and the incorporation of design features that may
be used to avoid deposits accumulating or water being trapped.
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It is often helpful to have something to show to the welder to clarify what is meant by the right design for corrosion protection at a weld seam. The NACE Standard RP 0178, for example, provides photographic examples of the front and back sides of good and bad weld seams. Finally, the steel fabricator has to be careful about the condition of the carbon steel to be used to build an offshore structure. Unpainted steel is characterised by four rust grades according to EN ISO 8501, part 1. For offshore structures, it is strongly recommended to use steel with a rust grade not worse than B (Norsok M501), or not worse than C (EN ISO 12944). The service life of a coating system depends directly on the rust grade of the initial steel and the degree of surface preparation (Sa2 and Sa3 according to EN ISO 8501, part 1).
In summary, the steel fabricator has to be aware that he is constructing an offshore structure that needs certain access and surface conditions for successful corrosion protection.
Surface preparation and paint application
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The workmanship of the applicator is very important for a coating system’s long service life. Half of all premature corrosion protection failures are applicationrelated; thus all operations must be high
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quality and quality control checks must be frequent. Correct surface preparation and coating thickness are definitely the most important application parameters. Planning and informing the work crew of the different procedures and, preferably, signing off on the results are necessary to guarantee the right level of quality. Because offshore structures present some of the toughest corrosion protection challenges for coating systems, the best possible equipment and setup should always be used for painting. Automatic blast facilities should be used to minimise variations in surface cleanliness and surface roughness. Painting booths with climate control and temperature regulation are recommended. Two-component spray equipment should be used to minimise mixing errors. The foreman and/or supervisor should be qualified and certified according to FROSIO or NACE level 3 or equivalent.
The coating system Today more than ever, the market for corrosion protection of steel wind turbine towers is typified by strong competition. Coating application around the clock, under time pressure, carried out by foreign workers with whom communicating can be difficult, are typical aspects of a day of coating work. Demand is increasing for fast-drying, solvent-
free coatings, lower thicknesses, and in addition there is a need for fewer coats. In reality, successful testing and certification for coating systems do not necessarily guarantee successful coating performance. Indeed, it is one thing to apply the very best coating under laboratory conditions onto perfectly prepared test panels and submit the panels for laboratory testing.
Offshore structures present some of the toughest corrosion protection challenges for coating systems Replicating the same results on site, on thousands of square metres of steel, applied around the clock and sometimes under less than optimal conditions, is a completely different matter. The more difficult a coating system is to apply, the higher the requirements during application, and consequently the more challenging the task of the paint applicator.
Coating materials should, therefore, not only be easy to apply, but should also, to some extent, be versatile enough to tolerate the variations in application that occur in daily practice.
CORROSION PROTECTION & PRESERVATION - THE WAY AHEAD Corrosion Solutions Ltd (CSL) are firmly established as a leading specialist corrosion control and preservation company within the worldwide Oil, Gas & Petrochemical industries.
Inhibitors for oilfield corrosion prevention & preservation.
The company is based in Aberdeen, UK and offers a range of services that include; application, inhibitor supply, instruction, supervision and technical writing/ application manuals. The company’s main objective is to reduce clients maintenance & clean up costs by the use of Vapour phase Corrosion Inhibitors (VpCI). VpCI’s provide effective levels of corrosion protection in all areas of electrical, mechanical & process systems in each phase of the equipment lifecycle from fabrication, commissioning, shutdown & storage to operational use.
Maintenance for oilfield assets is always of key importance and CSL offer the following successful programmes.
Now in our 15th year we continue to work closely with our clients to ensure their assets remain in fit for purpose condition. CSL are registered with FPAL and certified to ISO 9001:2008
· Deluge cleaning and preservation · Bolt/crevice corrosion protection · Electrical & Instrument preservation · Corrosion under Insulation preservation · New builds preservation management · Materials spares management preservation
HOW CAN YOU REDUCE MAINTENANCE COSTS AND EXTEND EQUIPMENT LIFE WITHOUT COMPROMISING ON PROTECTION? CSL specialise in the preservation of equipment and systems utilising the latest in environmentally safe Vapour Phase Corrosion inhibitors. CSL can work with your people or take over the preservation role to allow your own people to focus on their own areas of expertise. Our range of preservation processes include: * E & I enclosures (operational or shutdown)
* Bolt & crevice corrosion protection
* Deluge system internal cleaning & preservation
* Drilling equipment
* Process equipment & systems during construction * Corrosion under thermal insulation (CUI) Or shutdown
* Preservation during decommissioning * Specialist coatings
* Rotating Equipment
* Material spares in storage
These processes and services have been proven over the years to reduce corrective maintenance costs and ensure that equipment remains in a condition “Fit for Purpose” Corrosion Solutions Ltd Unit 5, Kirkhill Industrial Estate, Dyce, Aberdeen. AB21 0GU Tel: +44 (0)1224 772694 Fax: +44 (0)1224 775810 E-mail: info@corrsol.co.uk
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* Biochemical Rust Removal (dip, fill or spray)
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Se rv ic es
C or ro si on
Sherwin-Williams
A PROVEN COATING SYSTEMS FOR OFFSHORE MAINTENANCE Challenges of conventional coating systems in offshore maintenance The conventional offshore maintenance coating systems includes the use of abrasive blasting and solvent-borne protective coatings. This approach has several challenges. For starters, the weather can be extreme and unpredictable offshore. This can make it difficult to properly apply solvent-borne coatings which require strict control of temperature, relative humidity and surface profile conditions to ensure coating durability. In addition, whilst grit blasting delivers a surface that appears ‘clean’, these surfaces can be very easily contaminated by chlorides which can diminish the durability of the traditional solvent-borne coatings. Problems stemming from environmental conditions, spoiled surface preparation or damage to freshly applied coating film caused can increase the number of man hours required over the course of a project, or even lead to premature coating system failures.
A new solution through a proven approach First developed by Sherwin-Williams and Petrobras in Brazil, a new solution was pioneered that combined hydroblasting as the surface preparation method with Dura-Plate 301 (formerly Euronavy 301) a solvent-free epoxy coatings that is surface and humidity tolerant. Today the system is now used successfully worldwide, from yards in South East Asia to offshore waters in Brazil and West Africa. Humidity & Surface Tolerant Coating. Dura-Plate 301 is an edge retentive, solvent-free epoxy system that is both humidity and surface tolerant. The application of the coating is not limited by dew point restrictions and Dura-Plate 301 exhibits a very high adhesion to UHP prepared steel surfaces, allowing for successful protection even over a poor steel roughness profile. UHP Water Jetting. Offering high durability over UHP surface preparation, Sherwin-
Williams’ Dura-Plate 301 can be paired with the use of UHP water jetting to save cost and time as an alternative to abrasive blasting. An efficient way to remove salts and oily contamination, UHP has the advantage of being compatible with other work in the vicinity, reduces health and safety concerns and also mitigates the risk of damaging equipment being used or assembled offshore, when compared to abrasive blasting. In addition, project costs are reduced and space is saved because dehumidification equipment is not needed when refurbishing tanks in floating assets. The conventional approach to coatings application can generate up to 70kg/m2 of abrasive grit blasting media while UHP water jetting removes the need to transport the contaminated abrasive media around. Proven Corrosion Protection Dura-Plate 301, a unique surface and humidity tolerant, solvent-free epoxy coating that tolerates the use of UHP water jetting as a surface preparation method without sacrificing durability. Dura-Plate 301 has been applied to more than 10 million square metres of carbon steel surfaces in offshore projects alone, and is approved by Petrobras for FPSO conversions with 25 years’ drydockless service life.
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Realising the problems associated with applying conventional solvent-borne coatings over abrasive steel blasted steel applications, Sherwin-Williams began to partner with Petrobras in Brazil as early
as the mid-1990s to break with tradition. The result was a solution that did not require abrasive blasting or need humidity to be controlled, the steel surface to be completely dried or flash rust to be kept at low levels.
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Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings Tower Works, Kestor Street, Bolton. BL2 2AL Main Reception: +44 (0)1204 521771 Email: enquiries@sherwin.com Web: www.sherwin-williams.com
Protecting Offshore Assets for more than
85
Years
Sherwin-Williams delivers innovative coatings and service solutions to meet the ever evolving challenges of the offshore market. We’re focused on your productivity and success. That’s why our protective coatings: • improve overall job quality • keep downtime to a minimum, with fewer coats, faster return to service and reduced costs • ensure compliance with safety and regulatory requirements.
From Protective Coatings to PFP, We’re Your Asset Protection Partner.
sherwin-williams.com/protectiveEMEA
at io n br ic Fa
A&P North East Ltd
THE LEADING ENGINEERING SERVICES AND FABRICATION GROUP A&P is a leading Marine Engineering Services and Fabrication Group providing tailor-made solutions for customers in the Global Marine and Energy Sectors. Our two North East England facilities provide our customers with world class ship repair, conversion and fabrication services born out of expertise, marketstrength and dedication to delivering complex projects. We provide robust, bespoke solutions and maintain a collaborative, open approach that inspires long-lasting and trusted partnerships with each of our clients. Having successfully delivered completed contracts including subsea structures
into the UK North Sea Sector and projects off the coast of Africa A&P is the natural engineering and fabrication partner for the Oil & Gas sector. Gaining a successful history in achieving complex conversions of ships and offshore structures. Our Clients range across the Oil & Gas, Renewables, MoD, and Commercial Shipping sectors. We are able to undertake specific conversions including O&M roles required for the deployment of offshore wind and marine renewable vessel applications. The major strength of the business is its personnel; both our workforce and subcontractors are able to meet our customer’s demands on a genuine 7 day a week service.
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The safety culture on site is underpinned by proven procedures, which have enabled the yards to develop a good safety record.
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The A&P North East Business is focused on delivering a safe, quality, cost effective and efficient service for all of our customers.
The Tyne yard boasts the largest commercial dry-dock on the east coast of England supplemented with two deep water berths and a significant modern fabrication facility complete with panel line, rolling, plasma complemented by a highly skilled and flexible workforce. There is extensive storage and load-out capability with fully equipped workshops covering all trades required to carry out projects from relatively simple ship repair to major complex ship conversions. Located on one of the busiest rivers in the UK, our 5 acre Tees yard consists of two dry docks and 240m of jetty frontage. With extensive workshop facilities, cranes up to 40 tonnes and a secure tank washing facility the Tees yard is considered a centre of excellence for offshore vessels, dredgers and tankers.
Among our customer base we boast a number of Oil Majors and their key contractors as well as the UK Ministry of Defence and some well-known national and worldwide shipping groups. In addition to major marine projects our fabrication facilities lend them self to building offshore modules, subsea
structures, and new ship sections. Both yards have excellent transport links, with International airports within 20km of each yard, major mainline rail connections and ferry services to Europe all within easy reach. A&P Fabrication has both the heritage and expertise to deliver complex, technically challenging marine infrastructure projects for the O&G sector. Having successfully delivered completed contracts including subsea structures into the UK North Sea Sector and projects off the coast of Africa, A&P Fabrication is the natural engineering and fabrication partner for the Oil & Gas sector. Typically our involvement has included: • Vessel mobilization & demobilisation work for construction and installation activities • Major ship conversions for example FPSO / FSO deployment • Module fabrication • Subsea structure fabrication • Ship repair to the OSV market • Ship repair to the product tanker market
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A&P North East Ltd Wagonway Road, Hebburn, Tyne & Wear, NE31 1SP Tel: +44 (0)191 4308600 Fax: +44 (0)191 4288661 E-mail: info@ap-group.co.uk
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In M sp ai e nt ct en io an n & ce
INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE FOCUS SUSTAINED growth in the global oil and gas industry has generated a complex array of subsea infrastructure on sea beds from the North Sea to the Gulf of Mexico, offshore Brazil, Africa, Australia and beyond. Recent estimates suggest as much as 190,000 kilometres of submarine pipeline has already been installed, with more planned. “Overall some $135 billion of spend in subsea hardware is anticipated in the next five years with pipelines accounting for half of this forecast expenditure. Indeed major pipeline projects are due in Eastern Europe, the Former Soviet Union, Asia and the Middle East among other regions,” said David Kerr, managing director of Harkand in Europe. “As the capital expenditure in new subsea pipelines and hardware increases dramatically, so too does operational spend. Operators are extending the life of the subsea infrastructure therefore having a planned and structured approach to managing the integrity of pipelines to ensure continued safe and efficient transportation for hydrocarbons is more important than ever.” While construction and the installation of subsea infrastructure will continue to be led by the major, established players, the
Atlantis
intensifying need to maintain and repair ageing subsea equipment is opening up opportunities for new players in the marketplace. Harkand is one such player. Launched in February 2013 through the integration of Iremis, Integrated Subsea Services (ISS) and its sister company Andrews Survey, the group offers integrated survey operations, inspection, repair and maintenance as well as light construction services to the oil, gas and renewable energy industries worldwide. With ambitions of becoming a leading global name in subsea IRM, the
organisation is focused on attaining the highest standards in health, safety,
quality and environmental performance along with first class project execution. It operates a fleet of multi-purpose diving support vessels, ROV and air diving support vessels as well as ROVs along with the associated personnel including divers and surveyors. “As the large players in subsea construction get bigger and continue to focus on new developments, there is a growing but more niche market in terms of inspecting, repairing and maintaining the ageing infrastructure,” continued Mr Kerr.
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Swordfish
40
DaVinci
“While the large players offer and will continue to offer inspection, repair and maintenance services, there is a gap opening up for smaller, nimbler companies to fill. The ability to be flexible and respond quickly is key to picking up work. This is not the only way the IRM market is changing. “Traditionally IRM work has been viewed as a seasonal activity, usually scheduled for the summer months or during annual planned shutdown periods. This is changing, both as a result of demand for services, the growth of the global energy market and advances in technology which have resulted in IRM being conducted throughout the year. Not all of our services are undertaken by vessels however. Sometimes it is simply not practical to have a vessel alongside a platform so air diving services will also be offered, direct from platforms as can ROV services. In fact we are seeing an increase in use of air diving spreads as operators seek the most cost-effective solution to the necessary platform repairs and on-going maintenance.”
In addition to its extensive vessel fleet, Harkand also offers platform-based ROVs in its quest to come up with the safest, most appropriate and cost-effective solution to the inspection, repair and maintenance of assets.
“Whether it is inspection to capture data or develop preventive repair measures, these sorts of plug and play technologies on the seabed will require specific IRM services, all of which will probably be diverless solutions. In the North Sea and elsewhere there is a lot of infrastructure the lifetime of which has been extended. Maintaining that infrastructure is very important to UK PLC, as it is to other countries around the globe. This is where we come in, with robust, efficient and cost-effective service.”
Subsea processing consists of a range of technologies for separation, pumping and compression that enable production from offshore wells without the need for surface facilities. These systems have become accepted by operators as a solution to accelerate reserves, maximise production and reduce costs with many now installed and already demonstrating they can reliably deliver the value promised. Some analysts anticipate the number of systems globally could double by 2020. However critical factors in the adoption of new technology are availability and reliability. Integrity management programmes which include monitoring, testing and inspection can capture data for risk analysis.
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Air diving from the platform or asset, rather than a vessel is seeing something of a resurgence in the North Sea. Harkand has reported an increase in the number of air diving spreads requested by clients in the last year or so.
“Until recently air diving from the platform was not particularly welcome on the asset itself but increasingly safety and costs are dictating these decisions. As a result Harkand is investing significantly in upgrading the equipment used by airdivers to ensure it is intrinsically safe for use on the platform.”
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In M sp ai e nt ct en io an n & ce
Beamex Ltd
CALIBRATION SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS INTEGRATED WITH ASSET MANAGEMENT More and more, companies are forced to focus on managing plant assets in an efficient way. Possessing many different computerized programs, maintenance and improvement of plant asset management systems has become a real challenge. The only way to improve business and to stay competitive is to integrate these systems to a higher degree than before. The communication between master data within the integrated systems becomes a crucial factor for success. Integrated plant asset management systems play an important role in the process of continuously improving the utilization and automation of a company’s critical maintenance and production resources, as well as in creating process harmonization. For international companies with facilities located worldwide, a common global integration solution of assets becomes even more essential.
Integrated calibration and asset management solutions Beamex offers calibration solutions that can be integrated into a company’s own plant asset management system or into one from e.g. SAP or Maximo. Beamex is also partners with Emerson, which enables us to offer an integrated solution that delivers the benefits of a complete automation asset management and top calibration management functionality.
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Using an asset management system allows companies to reduce commissioning and maintenance expenses while improving plant efficiency and product quality. In process industries where lost production from slower startups and longer downtimes can cause millions of dollars in lost revenue, plant personnel need accurate, real-time information. For example, integrating the Emerson AMS Suite Calibration Connector together with Beamex CMX calibration software and the AMS Device Manager enables you to streamline calibration work processes. The AMS Device Manager delivers valuable diagnostics information already existing in a plant in a clear, meaningful way. This means plants can act before the process is affected by poor quality, or worse, a costly shutdown.
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Calibration - an important aspect of asset health Calibration systems are often critical because they have a direct impact on production. Therefore, regular calibration of instruments is common practice for many process manufacturers. Regular calibration maintains the credibility of measurements and the quality of process measurements. Some industries are more regulated than others and calibration schedules are necessary to maintain compliance, as instrument accuracy is critical to environmental regulations, product quality and safety. In such industries, companies may perform several thousands of calibrations per year. Calibrations are scheduled and documentation of every step in the calibration process is extremely important and necessary. The calibration records are verified according to traceable calibration references and industry-specific requirements. With the implementation of an integrated calibration software
solution as the supporting tool for automated calibration, calibrations can be fully automated. In the pharmaceutical industry, where several thousands of calibrations are performed yearly, a seamlessly integrated and automated calibration procedure results, according to studies, in significant time savings. Calibration is one important aspect of asset health. Having calibration data integrated into an overall asset management system provides you with the full view of the factors affecting the health of a given asset, enabling you to make smart decisions on maintaining all of your assets. With an integrated solution, device information is always synchronized, making it easier to manage calibrations and ensuring that you are always looking at the most updated information. Integrating the calibration management system into plant asset management will streamline the calibration work processes and bring various benefits: ·
Automatically synchronized data records between the calibration system and the asset management software
·
Eliminated calculation and transcription errors, thanks to the paperless system
·
Automated calibration documentation for regulatory compliance
·
Scheduled calibration intervals based on historical sensor drift trends
·
Combined overall asset management and calibration history
Beamex Ltd Newtown Grange Business Farm Business Park, Desford Road, Newtown Unthank, Leicestershire, LE9 9FL Main Reception: +44 (0)1455 821920 Fax: 01455 821923 E-Mail: beamexltd@beamex.com
PGV
Beamex PG pressure generators
0...-0.95 bar 0...-13.7 psi
PGM 0...20 bar 0...300 psi
PGXH 0...700 bar 0...10 000 psi
PGPH -0.95...140 bar / -13.7...2000 psi To complement our integrated calibration solutions we have extended our range of calibration pumps. With precision and performance in mind, interchangeable across our range of pressure calibrators ranging from -0.95 to 700 bar the Beamex PG range are a fast and reliable way to generate pressure. www.beamex.com info@beamex.com
PGL -400...400 mbar / -160...160 iwc
A-Z Suppliers Directory Pg 38
A&P North East Ltd
Tel +44 (0)191 4308600
E-Mail info@ap-group.co.uk
Pg 6
ABB
Tel +44 (0)207 4342111
Website. www.abb.com
Pg 31 Pg 9
Pg 18 Pg 7
Pg 42 Pg 15 Pg 39 Pg 20 Pg 46 Pg 28 Pg 33 Pg 35 Pg 17 Pg 48 Pg 25 Pg 16
Pg 8
Pg 16 Pg 11 Pg 26 Pg 11 Pg 14 Pg 9
Pg 49 Pg 24 OBC
Pg 27 Pg 24 Pg 29 Pg 13 Pg 10 Pg 48 Pg 50 Pg 36
Pg 20 Pg 15 Pg 26 Pg 2
Pg 19
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Abacus Valves
Alicat Workboats Ltd Atlantas Marine
ATR Group Beamex Ltd
Belleville Springs Ltd
Tel +44 (0)1505 681777 Tel +44 (0)1493 655171 Tel +44 (0)1935 426000 Tel +44 (0)1224 222777 Tel +44 (0)1455 821920 Tel +44 (0)1527 500500
Belzona Polymerics Ltd Tel +44 (0)1423 567641 Bifold Fluid Power
Tel +44 (0)161 345 4777
Control Valve Systems
Tel +44 (0)1786 841228
CMP Products Ltd
Tel +44 (0)1670 715646
Corroless Offshore Ltd Tel +44 (0)1224 723207 Corrosion Solutions Ltd Tel +44 (0)1224 772694 Craig Group
Tel +44 (0)1224 261400
Cygnus Instruments Ltd Tel +44 (0)1305 265533 Environmental Tech Ltd Tel +44 (0)1423 522911 Environstore
Flexitallic Ltd
Foundocean Ltd GMC Ltd Hayward Tyler Ltd Intech Services
Intertec ITF Magnetrol
MP Filtri (UK) Ltd Nautilus Rigging Netszch Pumps OceanTools
Pacson Valves Ltd
Proserv
PWA-Prosep Europe S.A.L.T Seacon Sherwin-Wiliams Valeport Ltd
Valley Springs Ltd Walther Couplings
Weidmuller
Zetechtics Ltd
Tel +44 (0)1330 861016
Tel +44 (0)1274 851273 Tel +44 (0)1628 567000 Tel +44 (0)118 9450320 Tel +44 (0)1582 731144 Tel +1 302-3668530
Tel +44 (0)800 7561102 Tel +44 (0)1224 222410 Tel +44 (0)1444 871313 Tel +44 (0)1451 822522 Tel +44 (0)1224 772323 Tel +44 (0)1935 483900 Tel +44 (0)1224 709606 Tel +44 (0)1382 513655 Tel +44 (0)1224 737000 Tel +44 (0)1224 690226 Tel +44 (0)1722 782856 Tel +1 281-394-0216
Tel +44 (0)1204 521771 Tel +44 (0)1803 869292 Tel +44 (0)1246 451981 Tel +44 (0)1442 891929 Tel +44 (0)1162 823470 Tel +44 (0)1653 602020
E-Mail. sales@abacusvalves.com E-Mail. sales@alicatworkboats.com E-Mail. info@atlantasmarine.com E-Mail. sales@atrgroup.co.uk
E-Mail. beamexltd@beamex.com
E-Mail. info@bellevillesprings.com E-Mail. msilva@belzona.com
E-Mail. gbancroft@bifold.co.uk E-Mail. cmp@cmp-products.com
E-Mail. info@control-valve-systems.co.uk E-Mail. sales@corrolessoffshore.com E-Mail. info@corrsol.co.uk
Website. www.craig-group.com
E-Mail. sales@cygnus-instruments.com E-Mail.sales@env-t.com
E-Mail. info@environstore.com
C
E-Mail. enquiries@flexitallic.eu
M
Website. www.foundocean.com
Y
E-Mail. info@gmcltd.net
CM
Website. www.haywardtyler.com
MY
Website. www.intechservices.com
CY
CMY
E-Mail. sales@intertec-inst.co.uk
K
Website. www.itfenergy.com
E-Mail. sales@magnetrol.co.uk E-Mail. sales@mpfiltri.co.uk
E-Mail. info@nautilusrigging.com Website. www.netzsch.com
E-Mail. sales@oceantools.co.uk E-Mail. info@pacson.co.uk
Website. www.proserv.com
Website. www.pwasystems.com E-Mail. info@cesalt.co.uk
E-Mail. moldingshop@seaconworldwide.com E-Mail. enquiries@sherwin.com E-Mail. sales@valeport.co.uk
Website. www.valleyspring.com
E-Mail. sales@walther-couplings.com Website. www.weidmuller.co.uk E-Mail. sales@zetechtics.com
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CMP Products
CMP PRODUCTS PROUDLY PRESENT THEIR EXTENSIVE NEW RANGE OF CABLE CLEATS As part of their continual research and development and innovative design, CMP Products, the global market leaders and specialists in cable glands and cable accessories across the globe, are proud to present their new, extensive range of cable cleats. Already specialists in cable gland and cable accessories, CMP Products have harnessed their extensive knowledge and experience in industrial and hazardous environments, to design and manufacture this wide range of cleats. CMP’s cable cleats have been designed to withstand all the industrial and hazardous environments CMP’s products are specialists in.
CMP Products; providing protection, whatever the environment. All cable installations vary in design from one installation to the next, which is why CMP Products design and manufacture cable cleats for all applications, including single, trefoil, quad and matrix applications. They offer a range that is both comprehensive and diverse, designed for use within industrial areas and hazardous locations, as well as specialist applications such as railway and underground, oil and gas, and petrochemical. The CMP Cleat Range is available to suit a variety of support structures, including cable ladder, cable tray, basket, channel, masonry or concrete. They are also tested in accordance with IEC 61914:2009 to ensure that, regardless of the cable formation used on the installation, there is a suitable cleat.
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CMP Products; providing high quality, whatever the material. CMP cable cleats are manufactured from various high quality materials, with
excellent flame retardant properties, to suit the environmental conditions they may be subjected to. CMP Products cable cleats are designed, constructed and third party certified in accordance with IEC
61914:2009, to ensure both the safety of personnel and the protection of the cable management system. At CMP Products, safety is our priority.
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Designs to fit every situation and environment Parallel, trefoil and multicore formations available to suit any installation Third party certification to IEC 61914:2009 Stainless steel, aluminium, LSF V-0 Nylon and LUL approved polymers available
Exceptional customer service and constant research and development are at the heart of what they do and CMP Products are relentlessly working to retain their number one supplier status. This is achieved by continually improving their processes and functions to maintain the standard that their clients around the globe expect from them.
For more information, visit our Website: www.cmp-products.com Or E-Mail us at: cmp@cmp-products.com
Available to withstand the highest levels of short circuit
CMP Products; providing exceptional customer service, whatever your needs. CMP Products also have the capabilities within their technical department, to not only assist with technical queries but also design bespoke applications to suit needs of their clients.
CMP Products Ltd
46 36 Nelson Way, Nelson Park East, Cramlington, Northumberland. NE23 1WH Main Reception: +44 (0)191 2657411 Email: cmp@cmp-products.com
Web: www.cmp-products.com
NEW!
EXTENSIVE RANGE OF CABLE CLEATS
*RTSS CONQUERER PATENT PENDING
PROTECTION WHATEVER THE ENVIRONMENT The market leaders in cable glands, CMP Products, are proud to announce the launch of their new range of cable cleats
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Multiple designs for every situation and environment.
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Third party certification to IEC 61914. Stainless steel, Aluminium, LSF V-0 Nylon and LUL approved polymers available.
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Superior short circuit ratings and cable acceptance ranges.
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UK design and manufacture.
www.cmp-products.com
CMP PRODUCTS
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SALT
Pioneers of the SonarBell Email info@cesalt.co.uk | www.cesalt.co.uk
Subsea Asset Location Technologies Ltd
SonarBell The reliable passive underwater asset location device, that delivers risk and cost reduction
Increased underwater asset visibility
Low cost, widespread applicability to fixed and mobile assets
Reduced risk – financially viable positional information for a wide range of assets Reduction of intervention time Support GIS asset positioning capability
Pipelines and cables, AUVs, ROVs and instrumentation tracking and recovery Umbilical and riser monitoring
Easy to use Complementary to existing active technologies Lower environmental impact Easily deployed and attached
Asset Location Has Never Been Easier Improved intervention times, reduced asset loss and better asset surveillance can all result in reduced cost Registered & Corporate Office, Unit 2, Upper Courtyard, Renshaw Barns, Upper Woodford, Wiltshire, SP4 6FA | Tel +44 (0)1722 782856 Research & Development Office, 19 Portland Marina, Osprey Quay, Hamm Beach Road, Portland ,Dorset, DT5 1DX | Tel +44 (0)1305 820321
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Registered in England: 06436264 | Email info@cesalt.co.uk | www.cesalt.co.uk
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Supports through-life positional information Survey and installation Touchdown monitoring In use monitoring and repositioning Decommissioning SALT provides design and application support to organisations interested in applying the technology to delivery operational advantage.
The dawn of a new standard in level control. Prepare for a total ECLIPSE® of current level and interface control solutions. With superior signal performance, powerful diagnostics and a full line of overfill capable probes, Magnetrol’s ECLIPSE Model 706 guided wave radar transmitter delivers unprecedented reliability. From routine water storage applications to process media exhibiting corrosive vapors, foam, steam, buildup, agitation, bubbling or boiling, the ECLIPSE Model 706 will take your operation to a new level of safety and process performance. Contact Magnetrol – the guided wave radar innovator and level control expert – to learn more about the ECLIPSE Model 706.
eclipse.magnetrol.com • (0)1444 871313 • sales@magnetrol.co.uk
© 2012 Magnetrol International, Incorporated
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SEA CON®
SEA CON’S NEW ENCAPSULATING & MOLDING FACILITY
‘NOW OPEN’
SEA CON is always looking for ways to better serve our customers in the Gulf coast region. That is why we have opened our new Encapsulating & Molding facility in the West Houston area. The main benefits of this new workshop are: ·
Meeting increasing demand in the local area
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Providing more local customer service support
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Ability to react more quickly to customer needs
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Assistance with unforeseen and planned needs
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Increase in locally held stock
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Increased capability for short order custom assemblies
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Meeting the growing needs and expectations of our customers
With our production facilities geared to the delivery of a mass production of subsea connectors, this can make it difficult to provide customers with short order custom assemblies. The new workshop will specialize in these short order needs of SEA CON’s clients, both current and future.
within the Oil & Gas, Defense, Oceanographic and Environmental markets. With locations in California and Texas (USA), Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom and Norway as well as a worldwide network of agencies and representatives, SEA CON is able to supply very quick solutions to any requirements across the globe.
www.seaconworldwide.com
This new facility will also allow us to carry more stock of our most popular connectors to mainly benefit our existing customers who do not necessarily need a molded assembly. Some of the product lines will include the Rubber Molded, WETCON, ALL-WET and 55/66 series assemblies. Stocks of these are already held, but this new facility will see these stock levels increase.
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The SEA CON Group are world leaders in underwater connector technology and provide an extensive and diverse range of electrical, optical and hybrid connector assemblies, submersible switches and cable system solutions for many applications
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SEA CON 1718 Fry Road, Suite 250, Houston, Texas 77084, USA Tel: +1 (281) 394-0216 Email: moldingshop@seaconworldwide.com Web: www.seaconworldwide.com
NautilusRigging Manufacturers of Nautilus Hooks™
Introducing the world’s first range of ROV hooks with ‘positive locking function’ Nautilus Rigging are raising industry standards with the launch of a range of ROV hooks with patented ‘positive locking function’, built to complement our range of award winning topside hooks. u Nautilus ROV hooks manufactured to BS/EN 1677-1 - CE certified u Individually numbered and proof tested to 2.5 x WLL - supplied with test certification u Long Shank and Eye Top models are supplied with a bespoke primary activation wire fitted u Additional primary wires and secondary wire kits are available as accessories For full details and specifications visit www.nautilusrigging.com
NautilusRigging Safer lifting, efficient solutions
T: +44 1224 772323 E: sales@nautilusrigging.com www.nautilusrigging.com