13 minute read
Member news
Bertling Logistics appoints new head for Houston office
Bertling Logistics has announced the appointment of Steve Walter as general manager for its Houston office. Steve took up his new role on 1 January 2021 and brings a wealth of commercial, operational and management experience from his 23 years in the freight industry to his new role at Bertling. In his career Steve has worked for both large multinationals as well as with industry specialist companies and most recently headed the business development team at CEVA Logistics. Bertling Logistics trusts Steve’s know-how and expertise and is convinced that he will help the company to enhance its business activities in North America and beyond. He will be a responsible leader for the Houston team and will be instrumental in growing the business and market coverage in North America.
Steve will also play an important role in identifying new business areas in North America and help Bertling to realise new opportunities to broaden its service offering in this important market. Bertling was founded in Germany more than 155 years ago and has since then developed from a local chartering and ship-owning business into a globally recognised logistics and shipping company offering complex project freight forwarding, GFF and resupply transport solutions as well as worldwide leading ship-owning, chartering and brokerage services to its global clients.
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For more information:
www.bertling.com
BBRG active in EU funded project with MooringSense
Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group (BBRG) is active in a consortium for the European MooringSense project funded by the Horizon 2020 initiative, which aims to reduce the costs associated with floating offshore wind energy production by 10 to 15% and increase efficiency. MooringSense is defining a more efficient management strategy for mooring systems and has outlined the architecture of its digital twin, a significant aspect of the project’s development. This digital twin is a replica of the mooring system, enabling real time virtual monitoring, predictive modelling and development simulations. As part of the consortium of research, BBRG helped define the digital twin that will optimise the operation and maintenance of the floating wind turbines’ anchoring and mooring systems, along with the specifications and validation procedures of the components that make up the solution proposed by MooringSense. While the digital twin is still evolving, the consortium is now concentrating its technical work on aspects such as the design and prototyping of a low-cost intelligent sensor using GNSS technology to monitor the movement of floating platforms, the development of the monitoring system to control their structural health and the definition of riskbased integrity management strategies. The project will also work on efficiently managing the vast volume of data offered by digital twinning.
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For more information:
www.bridon-bekaert.com
Glacier Energy secures significant PBS contract
Glacier Energy, a leading international provider of specialist products, services and engineering solutions for energy infrastructure, has been awarded a contract worth circa £1m by PBS for the provision of export gas coolers for Total Exploration and Production UK’s (TEPUK) North Alwyn platform in the North Sea. The scope of work includes the design, fabrication, assembly, inspection, testing and supply of four shell and tube heat exchangers which will be carried out by Glacier Energy’s heat transfer solutions division based in Aberdeen, UK.
This is a significant award for the team that reinforces the strength of our design and manufacturing expertise, as well as our market-leading status in the heat transfer solutions field across the oil and gas, chemical and alternative energy industries.
Andy Scott, Director of Glacier Energy’s Heat Transfer division
PBS is a new organisation which consists of three separate companies – Ponticelli UK Ltd, Brand UK Ltd and Semco Maritime Ltd. As of 1 May 2020, PBS has been awarded a five-year contract to provide general operations and maintenance services to all TEPUK assets in the North Sea.
At the core of the Glacier Energy brand is the company’s deep-rooted capability amassed through the acquisition of some of the most technical and reputable brands in the industry.
© 2018 Glacier Energy Services
Andy Scott, Director of Glacier Energy’s Heat Transfer division
Formed in 2011, the company’s mission was to create a fresh alternative in energy services, providing customers with world-class technologies, exceptional service and enhanced value, all from one integrated provider. In 2013, Glacier Energy acquired Ross Offshore, renowned specialists with decades of experience in the installation, repair, refurbishment and replacement of heat exchangers. This acquisition, a natural strategic fit for Glacier Energy’s offshore business, was then swiftly followed by the acquisition of MSL Heat Transfer in 2014, which strengthened the company’s capability in the design, manufacture and repair of radiators and coolers.
Today, Glacier Energy is made up of four divisions – heat transfer solutions, welding solutions, onsite machining solutions and inspection and NDT services. Operating throughout the UK, the company has a growing international presence with strategic partners operating in the Middle East, Caspian and US.
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For more information:
www.glacierenergy.com
Trio of appointments at Hendrik Veder Group
A leading specialist in the provision of innovative steel wire and fibre rope solutions has announced the appointment of three key members of staff as it strengthens its team to fulfil ambitious growth plans. In the last two months alone, Hendrik Veder Group’s Aberdeen base has secured a clutch of new contracts thanks to the increased adoption of new propositions which has enabled the company to grow.
Hendrik Veder Group is a market leader in the provision of innovative, durable and sustainable steel wire and fibre rope products and lifting solutions to the offshore, maritime and other industries. The company offers a process approach which works exactly in-step with customer needs and creates bespoke, sustainable and durable solutions which focus on compliance, safety and cost savings. The 220 year old company is headquartered in the Netherlands and operates from other key locations including Norway and the UK. Its European footprint makes the company ideally positioned to maximise accessibility and satisfy client needs, even when working to short timescales.
Following a spell as chief commercial officer at the group’s Rotterdam HQ, Bertwin Zonneveld has been appointed UK managing director, located in Aberdeen. With more than 20 years of experience at director and senior management level, Bertwin previously served as interim MD in the UK, and was keen to extend his tenure after seeing the further potential in the team and the region.
Also bolstering the team as it looks to the future are recently-appointed sales managers Kyle McAskill and Peter McDougall.
Peter’s decade of experience in wire rope and lifting solutions coupled with Kyle’s network opening up a new client base are both set to play key roles in realising the company’s ambitious growth targets.
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For more information:
www.hendrikvedergroup.com
HTL Group announces rebrand of Gee-Force
The decision to rebrand GeeForce, previously presented as part of the HTL Group, has been a critical element of an extensive rebranding effort in response to accelerated company growth and renewal to its corporate vision. The rebrand became effective from 1 January 2021 and at the heart of this rebranding with a change of the company name from Gee-Force to HTL Great Yarmouth will see an update to the corporate logo too. The HTL Group has been incorporated since 1996 and is a controlled bolting and joint integrity specialist. The company remains headquartered in the North East of England, with strategically located facilities across the east coast of the UK and Australasia.
The HTL Group and Gee-Force Hydraulics previously partnered back in 2016, as HTL Group looked to expand its UK footprint in the South East of England. The successful partnership later led to Gee-Force’s acquisition in 2018 and now the official rebrand to The HTL Group. The Group’s continued investment within the local Great Yarmouth region is extenuated as it commits to a larger premises, which will occur in quarter 3 2021, strengthening its commitment to supporting customers locally. With a focus on supporting operations in multiple on and offshore industries, the investment in larger premises within the region will give customers much more extensive access to the HTL product, service and training portfolio. With the ability to provide ECITB and GWO approved training courses for larger groups of delegates, the Great Yarmouth region’s training portfolio will include onsite machining training courses.
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For more information:
www.htlgroup.com
IDENTEC SOLUTIONS has launched a new contact tracing feature for its personnel safety solution Crew Companion. Crew Companion, known to improve safety of staff on oil and gas assets, now has a feature for digitised contact tracing. Crew Companion combines both flexible hardware and software to offer real-time information when it’s needed most – in case of an emergency. In addition to Crew Companion’s standard personnel safety functions, the solution now offers a supportive, fully automated contact tracing tool. By taking away the inconvenience of manual contact tracing, the new feature allows operators to quickly identify and isolate staff members who are suspect of an infection such as COVID-19. By logging zones visited, duration of interaction with potentially infected staff, estimated time of infection and geographical team presence, a risk level can be assigned to each staff member. This gives an indication, based on historical data, if further measures need to be taken. For example, if staff should get tested or not in case an infection occurs on site. This way operators can take individual targeted actions rather than ordering a lockdown for the whole operation.
The zones, risk levels and other parameters can be fully customised to comply with the individual HSE requirements of every customer. The contact tracing feature is available free of charge for existing IDENTEC SOLUTIONS customers who are covered by a Support & Maintenance Agreement (SMA).
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For more information:
www.identecsolutions.com
New elastomer materials guide from James Walker
Following the recent launch of its latest material, Vermilion Seven, James Walker has now published a comprehensive guide to its complete elastomer offering for the oil and gas industry covering all the major challenges of rapid gas decompression resistance, high and low temperature performance and chemical resistance, including performance under sour conditions. ‘Elastomers for the oil & gas industry’ includes James Walker’s longstanding materials such as Elast-OLion® 101 and FR®25/90.
They have been industry benchmarks for nearly 30 years and enjoy continued success with many customers, plus the company’s next generation of Vermilion elastomers.
The Vermilion elastomers offer enhanced performance and support the requirements of the latest oil and gas applications such as 20ksi technology. The publication provides details of the performance capabilities of each material along with major approvals gained in third party witnessed testing – all the basic information required to assist with material selection for the majority of applications. The new materials guide is available as a download from the James Walker website:
www.jameswalker.biz/vermilion
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For more information:
www.jameswalker.biz
Jo Bird leads the way in offshore wind turbine safety
Jo Bird is delighted to report that Ørsted engineers have been working closely with Viking Life-saving in Denmark and Jo Bird in the UK to create extremely robust cabinets to hold survival and escape equipment on their offshore wind turbines.
By Ørsted working directly with Jo Bird’s engineering team, the company has been able to design a customised cabinet specifically for Ørsted which precisely fits around the Viking supplied equipment and is able to cope with the wind speeds in these exposed locations. By manufacturing the cabinets from composites, the weight has been kept down and corrosion will not be an issue. Just as well as Ørsted want the cabinets to last for thirty years. Being a forward thinking company, they have taken the long term view of saving on operational costs. Rather than paying slightly lower up front costs but having to spend more on maintenance and incur the major expense and inconvenience of replacing the cabinets after a few years which they would probably have to do if they’d bought an off the shelf design. The excellent IP rating will also ensure the contents are well protected from the elements and remain in perfect working order. Ørsted is leading the way with developing effective escape kits for maintenance teams in case they become trapped in the nacelle during a fire. The ever greater heights of the turbines has been a critical factor in driving this development by the world’s No1 offshore wind operator. The cabinets and Viking escape equipment are due to be retrofitted to their existing turbines this spring. Manufacturing of these new cabinets commenced in early January at the Jo Bird factory in Somerset ready for shipment of the first batch of cabinets in March.
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For more information:
www.jobird.co.uk
MAN Energy Solutions receives order for new FPSO compressor trains
MODEC, the leading supplier and operator of offshore systems for the global oil and gas industry, has commissioned MAN Energy Solutions to supply a total of five radial compressor and two screw compressor trains for the first Brazilian offshore gas extraction project of end customer Equinor.
The compressor trains will be installed aboard the largest FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) vessel to ever be delivered to Brazil. The vessel will be deployed in the Bacalhau field, about 185km off the Brazilian coast – south of São Paulo – at a water depth of around 2,050 metres.
The FPSO plant will be designed to produce and process up to 220,000 barrels of crude oil and up to 15m cubic metres of gas per day. The minimum storage capacity will be two million barrels of crude oil.
The compressor systems will help maintain the pressure in the Bacalhau field, thereby maximising the production flow-rate and efficiency. The type RB compressors (2 × RB 45-4+5 and 3 × RB 28-6), which are driven by an electric, fixed-speed motor, will be utilised for gas-processing, full gas re-injection and gas-lifting applications.
The two SKUEL 510 screw compressors will be used as vaporrecovery units. These pressurise any flash-gas created and return it to the process instead of burning it off into the atmosphere. Not only does this increase the efficiency of gas processing, it also significantly reduces CO2 emissions.
Delivery of all compressor trains is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2021.
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For more information:
https://uk.man-es.com/
Radial compressor train for offshore gas production by MAN Energy Solutions
NRL top 50 largest UK staffing firm for another year
NRL’s recruitment business is celebrating being recognised as one of the UK’s top providers for another year. The Largest Staffing Firms in the UK report is prepared following extensive research by specialists at Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) to rank the top 50 performing recruitment businesses in the UK each year by stringently evaluating each organisations’ financial performance against their industry peers. Having initially established its specialist nuclear recruitment expertise in Cumbria in 1984, NRL has continued to develop niche capability across engineering and technical sectors including conventional power, infrastructure, renewables and the built environment. Reaching the £10m turnover point in 1993, and subsequently the £100m mark in 2013, the Group’s latest 2019 financial return secured a turnover of £186m. Originally operating from one office in Cumbria, the recruitment operation now has nine specialist branches.
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For more information:
www.nrl.co.uk
Optilan announces opening of new office in Mumbai
Leading communications, safety and security systems integrator, Optilan, is delighted to announce the official opening of its new office in Mumbai, India. Optilan is one the UK’s major communications specialists for the energy, power, rail and infrastructure sectors, and is involved in key UK infrastructure projects such as Crossrail and major international energy infrastructure works, including the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline. Optilan’s new Indian Engineering Hub will serve as a primary centre for driving cutting edge innovation. The decision to open the Engineering Hub is testament to Optilan’s growing commitment to invest in India’s world class engineering talent, as part of its mission to create security, safety and communications related solutions that can have a genuinely global impact. The new office houses employees from diverse disciplines, with a focus on the provision of skilled services to support the rest of the Optilan Group as part of a seamless international operation.
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For more information:
