Ulstein Verft has engaged Norwegian offshore crane supplier Red Rock to supply an upgraded crane package for the updated Nexans Aurora cable-laying vessel. Measuring 31 meters wide and 149.9 meters long, the vessel can accommodate a crew of 90 and has a detached carousel on deck and a carousel below deck capable of carrying 3,500 tonnes of cable. Products will be delivered in 2025.
UK-based subsea robotics and survey company Rovco has added a second hull-mounted survey vessel, Glomar Worker, to its fleet. The four-year charter with Glomar is in response to customer demand for innovative geophysical and geotechnical surveying solutions. Rovco has begun conversion of a sister vessel to the Glomar Supporter, which will be launched as a specialist geophysical exploration asset for the offshore wind market. Staff and support staff will enable site-wide data capture and seamless integration across data sets for time comparisons.
McDermott and Baker Hughes have completed the installation of subsea infrastructure at the Ichthys liquefied natural gas (LNG) field in northern Australia. The work was carried out for Inpex under a 2019 contract. The scope includes the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of umbilicals, risers and flowlines, subsea production systems and subsea well gathering systems. The consortium's responsibilities also include filling the URF EPCI, involving the development of new subsea wells. The Ichthys LNG field is a joint venture between INPEX, TotalEnergies and its Australian subsidiary.
Argeo, an Oslo-listed offshore services company, has completed deepwater inspection services for Shell's Bonga field and will sail to India to work at the National Center for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR). The vessel completed a Shell-SNEPCo contract in Nigeria and is expected to complete the NCPOR project in the second half of 2024. Argeo Venture is also completing a relaunch outside Bergen and installing a second Hugin Superior for an international oil company.
Brazilian oil and gas company Enauta has delivered the first multiphase subsea pumping system (MPP) from Norway to support oil and gas production at the Atalanta field in Brazil’s Santos Basin. The equipment, manufactured by OneSubsea, was loaded in Norway on January 21, 2024 and then shipped to Brazil. Enauta’s FPSO Atalanta, supplied by Malaysia’s Yinson Production, is expected to be installed starting in mid-2024 and will have a total of six production wells. The unit has a production capacity of 50,000 barrels per day and a maximum storage capacity of 1.251 million barrels.
Italian transmission system operator Terna has launched the Gavia autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) as part of a partnership with US startup Terradepth. The program aims to advance marine geophysical surveys to facilitate the development and safety of seabed infrastructure. Terna technicians tested the performance of the Gavia drone while conducting geophysical surveys near Casamicciola Terme. The partnership can test innovative technologies, such as subsea drones, which can complement traditional subsea inspection tools. Italy's National Grid development plan includes large-scale submarine infrastructure projects.
Marlink has upgraded its smart hybrid VSAT installation on PGS Ramform Hyperion to provide higher uplink speeds for offshore geophysical data transmission. The upgrade allows for GEO VSAT in excess of 250 Mbps, enabling instant data transfer from the ship to its landside headquarters. The upgrade reflects the high value of survey 3D, high-density 3D or 4D seafloor imaging generated by the vessel. Instant data transfer is transformative for PGS’s ability to quickly move large amounts of seismic data to the cloud.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 10 ocean energy-related research projects to receive $1.3 million in funding. These projects will gain access to testing expertise, numerical modeling, laboratory testing, tank/tank testing and expertise within the TEAMER facility network. Applications for RFTS 12 are now open and the TEAMER program aims to accelerate the viability of marine renewable energy by providing the best facilities and expertise.
The Viking Link, the world's longest land and submarine power interconnector, is operational and carries electricity between the UK and Denmark. The $2.15 billion project, a joint venture between National Grid and Danish system operator Energinet, will connect Bicker Fen substation in Lincolnshire to Revsing substation in southern Jutland. The line will be able to carry enough electricity for up to 2.5 million British homes, saving British consumers more than £632 million ($500 million) cumulatively over the next decade thanks to cheaper power imported from Denmark. Construction began in 2019 and took more than 4 million man-hours.
TechnipFMC has been awarded a “significant” integrated engineering, procurement, construction and installation (iEPCI) contract by Petrobras for the delivery of the Mero 3 HISEP project in Brazil’s pre-salt fields. The contract covers the design, engineering, fabrication and installation of subsea equipment, including manifolds, pipelines, umbilicals, distribution and field service life. The contract is worth more than $1 billion and complies with research and development guidelines set by Petrobras. TechnipFMC has advanced the qualification of the core technologies required to fully subsea deliver the HISEP process, including gas separation systems and dense gas pumps.