Asian Oil and Gas-March-April 2015

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March - April 2015

AS IAN O I L & GA S

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March · April | AOG 3aogdigital.com

REGIONAL UPDATES

6 BriefsNew discoveries, leases, and development plans.

SHIPYARDS

8 New entriesEMAS AMC christens its new US$600 million vessel, and more news from China and Korea.

GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS

10 Seismic roundupDolphin mobilizes Sanco Sword off Myanmar, and CGG heads to Vietnam.

FEATURES

12 Rigs continue to idle as Asian drilling activities declineAudrey Raj reports on the global rig market and its effects on the Asian oil and gas industry.

14 Standardization of SENT test methodfor sour service environmentsRequirements for testing facture toughness in pipelines is increasing, a standardized SENT test methodology for pipelines in sour service environments is being developed, Dr. Jens Petter Tronskar explains.

18 Recruiting for commissioningof oil and gas developmentsThere can be a tendency to underestimate the challenge of fi nding the right personnel for this critical stage, commissioning, of the project lifecycle, advises Air Energi’s Andy Greenwood and Steve Field.

20 Spotlight – Women in oil and gas engineeringAOG discusses the opportunities and challenges confronting women in the energy sector with engineers from Atteris, Premier Oil, Technip, INPEX and EMAS AMC.

GEOFOCUS: AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND

26 Well integrity, from start to � nishWeatherford’s Yves Daniel discusses zonal isolation technologies, including an annulus casing packer, made for Australia’s coal seam gas production.

28 Championing Australia’s energy industryJames Parsons, Swire Oilfi eld Service’s general manager for Australasia shares his view of the current Australian oil and gas market.

30 UWA molds next generation engineers down underThe University of Western Australia (UWA) tells us how they have been central to the research and development underpinning the energy sector and education of aspiring professionals in Western Australia.

PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY

32 SolutionsNew tools and software to improve performance, production, and modeling.

CONTRACTS

34 Valmec’s � rst Talinga gas contractValmec Services will provide services to Origin Energy’s Talinga Gas Processing Facility.

COMPANY NEWS

35 ActivityGE opens Western Australia facility, and more news.

FACTS & FIGURES

38 NumerologyA capsule view of interesting industry statistics.

Contents

On the coverMeet the fi ve engineers profi led in our “Women in Oil and Gas Engineering” feature by AOG’s new editor Audrey Raj. Each one comes from a different background and job function, but all have the same drive to work hard, have fun, and inspire others.Read more on page 20.

On the coverMeet the fi ve engineers profi led in our “Women in Oil and Gas Engineering” feature by AOG’s new editor Audrey Raj. Each one comes from a different background and job function, but all have the same drive to work hard, have fun, and inspire others.Read more on page 20

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March - April 2015

AS IAN O I L & GA SAOG

Women in

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Editor’s ColumnLeap of FaithThe global oil and gas industry over the years has witnessed

a number of cycles and recent changes in the energy scene have sent shockwaves across the globe.

While a plunge in oil prices have led to a broad impact on economies and businesses around the world, cheaper oil has also provided some much-needed relief to emerging Asian countries.

Increasing oil and gas consumption has made the region a predominant buyer of foreign fuel imports and par-ticularly influential in the global energy market.

This trend is projected to double by 2030 in countries like India, China, Japan, Thailand and Indonesia due to declining or lack of indigenous resources and consumption growth.

Singapore for instance is Asia’s major petrochemical and refining hub, but it imports crude oil and natural gas be-cause it has no hydrocarbon reserves. In the wake of the earthquake that struck off the coast of Sendai in Japan, the Japanese have relied on foreign imports to replace nuclear shortfall ever since.

Between 2000 and 2014 India’s energy consumption doubled pushing the import bill to $120 billion and this could go up to $230 billion driven by economic growth, greater industrialization and urbanization, reported The Indian Express. While these countries, just to name a few, benefit from cheap oil and will see a boost in GDP growth, net oil exporters like Malaysia and Kazakhstan could lose substantial national income.

Malaysia’s energy sector makes up for about 20% of the country’s total GDP. In its move to reduce rising national debt, Malaysia along with Indonesia and India cut oil subsidies that could possibly save the Malaysian government about $5.97 bil-lion annually.

The halving of oil prices has pressured spending cuts across the board. Now with oil producers rethinking exploration bud-gets, much of the focus will be on lower-cost shallow water or mature oil fields.

Therefore, Australia and Southeast Asia could see more drill-ing activities this year and this could potentially increase well intervention works in the region.

The Asia-Pacific well intervention market is expected to reach to $1.93 billion by 2018, up from $1.1 billion in 2013, according to Research and Markets.

Despite concerns over the impact on the oil and gas industry of short-term global uncertainties and volatile oil prices the long term outlook for the industry remains positive, said Mr.

S Iswaran, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore.

In a meeting at the International Oil and Gas Industry Conference and Exhibition, he addressed how strong economic

fundamentals in Asia-Pacific, together with its rapid population growth and economic development will continue to drive energy demand and thus expen-diture on exploration and production activities.

Therefore, we will remain a key region for offshore developments and our emergence of FLNG is expected to increase with rising energy demand to drive technological developments across the region.

Infield Systems expects significant capital expenditure growth offshore India of some 32% over the forthcom-ing period compared to the previ-ous five years, which is likely to be driven by the Dhirubhai and Krishna-Godavari multi-field developments.

Although it is a little hard to predict what will happen next, it is not preor-

dained that low oil prices will continue to hurt the industry for a long time.

Here to give you these updates and more, AOG will continue to address these market dynamics, business-critical issues and technologies that impact the oil and gas sector in Asia.

On this positive note, it gives me with great pleasure to welcome you to join me on this journey of knowledge-sharing through this esteemed title also available online. •

Audrey Raj Editor

We will remain a key region for offshore

developments with more drilling activities to

come in Australia and Southeast Asia this year.

The Asia-Pacific well intervention market is

expected to reach $1.93 billion by 2018, up from

$1.1 billion in 2013.

AOG | March · April 20154 aogdigital.com

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Regional Briefs

AS IAN O I L & GA S

AOGMarch · April 2015

Australia• AWE SPUDS IRWIN PROSPECTAWE spudded the first well in its 2015 three-well onshore Perth basin drill-ing program, the Irwin-1, in late March. Irwin-1 is located approximately 22.7km east of Dongara. The exploration well was drilled at a measured depth of 115m and was drilling ahead in a 17.5in hole to a planned depth of 930m in prepara-tion for the installation of the 13 3/8in surface casing. AWE says that the well is designed to test the gas potential to the east of the Senecio and Waitsia gas fields and is targeting the Dongara and Wagina tight sandstone formations, the Carynginia Shale and Irwin River Coal Measures, as well as deeper convention-al targets in the Kingia and High Cliff Sandstones.

China• QINHUANGDAO 32-6 STARTS UPChina National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) began production at its Qinhuangdao 32-6 comprehensive ad-justment project. The Qinhuangdao 32-6 oilfield is located at the central north of Bohai Bay with an average water depth of approximately 20m.

The main production facilities of Qinhuangdao 32-6 comprehensive ad-justment project include four platforms and 99 producing wells. This project is fully on-stream and is expected to reach its ODP designed peak production of ap-proximately 36,000 b/d in 2015.

CNOOC is the operator and holds 75.5% working interest in Qinhuangdao 32-6 comprehensive adjustment project with partner Chevron China Energy Co. (24.5%).

• SK INNOVATION SIGNS UP FOR SOUTH CHINA SEA DUOCNOOC and SK Innovation Co. entered into two production sharing contracts (PSCs) in the South China Sea. Blocks 04/20 and 17/03 are located in the Pearl River Mouth basin. Block 04/20 cov-ers a total area of 5138sq km and Block 17/03 covers a total area of 7686sq km. Both blocks are in 50-100m water depth. According to the terms of the PSCs, SK will be the operator of the two blocks. SK will cover 80% of the exploration costs. Both parties will conduct 2D seismic data surveys and will drill exploration wells. Once entering the development phase, CNOOC maintains the right to participate in up to 60% of the working interest in any commercial discoveries in the blocks.

India• OILEX PLANS NEW WELLS AT CAMBAYOilex Ltd. plans to drill four new wells in the Cambay Field, located in the State of Gujarat, India. Approved by the Cambay Field joint venture (JV) and the government of India, the work program includes two firm wells and two contingent wells. Scheduled to run in the course of two years commencing 2015, the first well is expected to spud late this year, subject to the finalization of funding. Tendering activities are currently underway. Construction of production facilities at Cambay-73 is 50% complete and the JV plans to commence a five well work-over campaign to boost oil and gas production in 2015.

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March · April 2015 | AOG 7aogdigital.comaogdigital.com

Indonesia• LION GETS TWO SUMATRA JOINT STUDIESLion Energy received formal approval from the Directorate General of Oil and Gas (MIGAS) of the award of two separate unconventional joint studies over two highly prospective areas in Indonesia’s North and Central Sumatra basins. In North Sumatra, Lion will lead a joint study covering an area of 4684sq km in the southeast of the basin. Under an agree-ment Lion will operate the study with a 55% interest; and the partners in the conventional Bohorok PSC, which partly overlaps the area of the unconventional joint study, jointly have 45% interest. The North Sumatra basin is one of the major onshore basins in the Southeast Asian region with over 25 Tcf of gas and over 1.3 billion bo and condensate discovered. In Central Sumatra, Lion will conduct a joint study over an area of 2478sq km covering part of the Bengkalis Graben, a major oil province in the east of the basin. Lion is the operator of the study with 75% inter-est, and the conventional rights holder in the partly overlapping area, has a 25% interest. The Central Sumatra basin has over 13 billion bo discovered.

Myanmar• CHEVRON, WOODSIDE INK PSCS OFF MYANMARAustralia’s Woodside Energy signed production sharing contracts (PSCs) for offshore blocks AD-2, AD-5, A-4 and A-7, awarded to the company in the 2013 Myanmar Offshore Bid Round. Located in the southern Rakhine basin, for offshore blocks AD-5 and A-7, Woodside will hold operated equity interests of 55% and 45% respectively. Non-operating interests are held by BG Exploration and Production (Myanmar) Pte Ltd., and Myanmar Petroleum Exploration and Production Co. Blocks AD-2 and A-4 also located in the northern Rakhine Basin, Woodside will hold non-operated interests of 45% each, while BG is the operator of both the blocks. Myanmar Petroleum will hold non-operating interest in block A-4.

Unocal Myanmar Offshore Co., a Chevron subsidiary, will explore the Rakhine basin with Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE). The new PSC area, Block A5, lies 200km offshore northwest of Yangon and covers more than 10600sq km. Unocal Myanmar will be the operator of the block with 99% interest. Royal Marine Engineering Co., a Myanmar company, will hold

the remaining interest in the block. In addition to Block A5, Chevron has a 28.3% non-operated interest in a PSC for the production of natural gas from the Yadana and Sein fi elds, within Blocks M5 and M6, in the Andaman Sea.

New Zealand• MAARI MR6A WELL WELCOMES FIRST OILProduction from the Maari MR6A devel-opment well in Taranaki basin off New Zealand has been brought onstream, with an initial production rate of approx-imately 7800 b/d of oil. Optimal produc-tion rate will be determined after several weeks of production history, Cue Energy said, taking into account reservoir man-agement considerations. Currently pro-ducing approximately 14,000 b/d of oil, the Maari Field production commenced in late March, from the previously unde-veloped Mangahewa formation reservoir unit within the development.

Philippines• OTTO, RED EMPEROR ENTER SC55 DEALOtto Energy Philippines signed a farm-in agreement with Red Emperor Resources NL for a 15% working interest in SC55 off the Philippines. C55 covers 9880sq km and is a deepwater block in the middle of a proven regional oil and gas fairway that extends from the productive Borneo offshore region in the southwest, to the offshore Philippine production assets northwest of Palawan. 3D seismic identi-fi ed Hawkeye as a large turbidite clastic prospect with gross prospective resource best estimate for the well at 112 MMbbl. Otto says that success at Hawkeye will un-lock a signifi cant new hydrocarbon play in the deepwater Southern Palawan with ma-terial follow-up potential in the carbonate

leads and prospects, with gross prospec-tive resource estimate of approximately 11 Tcf and about 400 MMbbl of condensate.

Russia• GAZPROM NEFT FINDS OIL AT PRIOBSKOYEGazpromneft Khantos completed testing of an initial two wells, drilled to allow analysis of deposits in the Bazhenov formation, in the south of the Priobskoye oilfi eld. Hydraulic fracking was un-dertaken at both (directionally drilled) wells, and an infl ow of hydrocarbons obtained; testing of a further two similar wells is to be undertaken in the nearest future. The strata lie at a depth of 2000–3000m, and the low fi ltration properties (fl ow capacity) of the underlying geology mean the reserves contained therein are hard-to-recover. The Bazhenov and Abalaksky formations are also catego-rized as unconventional (tight) reserves.

Vietnam• KRISENERGY ADDS VIETNAMESE STAKESingapore-based KrisEnergy increased its stake in Blocks 105 and 120 offshore Vietnam. KrisEnergy now holds 33.33% in each block after Neon Energy dropped out of the joint operating agreement in April 2014. Eni Vietnam is still the op-erator and holds 66.67% in each block. Block 105-110/04 covers an area of 7192sq km and is located in the central Song Hong basin. Water depth ranges from 20-80m. Block 120 covers an area of 8574sq km off central Vietnam, overlying the Quang Ngai Graben in the north and central section of the contact area and passing into the Phu Khanh basin in the southern portion of the block. Water depths range from 50-1100m. •

• SK INNOVATION SIGNS UP FOR SOUTH CHINA SEA DUOCNOOC and SK Innovation Co. entered into two production sharing contracts (PSCs) in the South China Sea. Blocks 04/20 and 17/03 are located in the Pearl River Mouth basin. Block 04/20 cov-ers a total area of 5138sq km and Block 17/03 covers a total area of 7686sq km. Both blocks are in 50-100m water depth. According to the terms of the PSCs, SK will be the operator of the two blocks. SK will cover 80% of the exploration costs. Both parties will conduct 2D seismic data surveys and will drill exploration wells. Once entering the development phase, CNOOC maintains the right to participate in up to 60% of the working interest in any commercial discoveries in the blocks.

India• OILEX PLANS NEW WELLS AT CAMBAYOilex Ltd. plans to drill four new wells in the Cambay Field, located in the State of Gujarat, India. Approved by the Cambay Field joint venture (JV) and the government of India, the work program includes two fi rm wells and two contingent wells. Scheduled to run in the course of two years commencing 2015, the fi rst well is expected to spud late this year, subject to the fi nalization of funding. Tendering activities are currently underway. Construction of production facilities at Cambay-73 is 50% complete and the JV plans to commence a fi ve well work-over campaign to boost oil and gas production in 2015.

Australia • PLUTO LNG BACK IN ACTIONPluto LNG, operated by Woodside Petroleum, commenced production fol-lowing the precautionary action to shut-in production in mid-March, after a drilling rig drifted near the Pluto fl owlines. The submersible rig, Atwood Osprey, owned by Atwood Oceanics Inc., parted several mooring lines and drifted approximately 3nm from its original position during Cyclone Olwyn. The category three cyclone impacted the northwest coast of Australia bringing hurricane force winds, heavy rain and severe fl oodings in Perth. Despite the temporary shutdown, Pluto’s production

target range of 84 -91 MMboe will remain unchanged, the operator said. Pluto LNG is a joint venture by Woodside Petroleum (90%), Tokyo Gas (5%) and Kansai Electric (5%). •

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Shipyards

tion, on the basis of meeting seven inter-national and industry design standards.

It operates on a fully hydraulic drive, world-leading diesel engine and transfer case gears, in addition to load sensing system for power output and control.

The KY720 realizes high speed of the power head, while keeping the motor load low due to its optimized hydraulic system. Moreover, the energy consump-tion is cut by 30-40% and operators required from eight to three.

• BOSKALIS INTRODUCES NEW SEMISUBThe Dockwise vessel White Marlin was named and christened during a festive ceremony in Guangzhou, China. Follow-ing the ceremony, the semisubmersible heavy transport vessel will be mobilized to Singapore for its maiden trans-port of two drilling rigs for discharge in Abu Dhabi. With a deadweight of 72,000-tonne, the White Marlin’s overall length is 216m with a 63m beam.

• KEPPEL FELS’ 100TH JACKUP RIGKeppel FELS, a wholly owned subsid-iary of Keppel Offshore & Marine, is on track to deliver PV Drilling VI, a KFELS B Class jackup rig, to PV Drill-ing Overseas (PVDO), a subsidiary of PetroVietnam Drilling & Well Services (PV Drilling).

The KFELS B Class rig is able to oper-ate in water depths of up to 400ft with a drilling depth of 30,000ft and enhanced features like engines that meet more stringent emission standards, increased capacity for mud pit tanks, a secondary tensioning system and accommodation for 150 persons.

“PV Drilling VI is PVDO’s fi rst jack-up rig, and will play an important role in accelerating PVDO’s drilling program for South East Asia and beyond. We recog-nize the strength of the KFELS B Class rigs as the three rigs that are operating for PV Drilling have been performing very well,” said Pham Tien Dung, CEO of PV Drilling and chairman of PVDO.

• NAM CHEONG US$58 MILLION VESSEL SALESKuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based ship-builder Nam Cheong sold two offshore support vessels worth approximately US$58 million. The vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2015 and 2016.

“We are delighted to kick-off 2015 with the securing of two new contracts. With these contracts, it brings our cumulative order book to a robust US$460 million,” said Leong Seng Keat, chief executive of-fi cer, Nam Cheong.

• KERUI DEVELOPS FULLY HYDRAULIC DRILLING RIGIntegrated with automated wellhead tools, fast moving capability, fully hy-draulic drive and compact structure, the fully hydraulic mobile drilling rig KY720 is made by the Kerui Group.

According to KY720 research and development project teams, the drilling rig adopts an innovative design of power supply, overall structure and tool integra-

EMAS AMC, the subsea services division of Singapore listed EZRA Holdings Ltd., o� cially christened the Lewek Constellation prior to its departure to the Gulf of Mexico to commence work for Noble Energy.

The vessel was initially conceptualized in 2009 and its hull was launched in 2012.

The Lewek Constellation measures 178.27m by 46m, and is de-signed to deliver complex projects in a safe, e� cient and reliable manner in water depths exceeding 3000m.

“I would like to thank the many hard-working and committed people within EMAS AMC, TRIYARDS and Huisman who have made this achievement possible,” said C.J. D’Cort, chief executive o� cer, EMAS AMC.

The vessel currently has a backlog of projects valued at approxi-mately US$500 million. The christening was held in Schiedam, the Netherlands. •

EMAS christens US$600 million vessel

• SONGA EQUINOX DELIVERY DELAYED Semisubmersible rig Songa Equinox, managed by Songa Offshore went on sea trial as planned in March, but prior to the departure, the incli-nation test indicated a heavier than expected light unit weight.

Therefore, the rig required the installation of sponsons and blisters as per those already installed on the company’s other vessels Songa Encourage and Songa Enabler.

Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering will do the remedial work in Korea. The installation work will impact the delivery time of up to four weeks. Songa Equinox was to be hired by Statoil. •

Songa Equinox. Photo from Songa O� shore.

Lewek Constellation. Photo from EMAS AMC.


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Geology & GeophysicsDolphin mobilizes Sanco Sword off Myanmar

• 3D SEISMIC BEGINS IN VIETNAM’S BLOCK 120

The CGG Amadeus, owned by PTSC CGGV Geophysical Survey, has commenced a 570sq km 3D seismic survey in Block 120 offshore central Vietnam. Block 120 overlies Quang Ngai Graben and Tri Ton Horst, which covers an area of 6869sq km with water depths ranging from 50-650m.

The survey was designed to image the carbonate and basement sections of the Ca Lang prospect and associated leads on the Tri Ton Horst. It will tie into the 502sq km 3D seismic dataset previously acquired in 2012.

“In the last 14 months, we have under-taken detailed analysis of our geological model for Block 120, incorporating the data from the Ca Ngu-1 well,” comment-ed Chris Gibson-Robinson, KrisEnergy’s director for exploration and production. “Now our attention is focused on the Ca Lang area and we look forward to being able to more clearly map and further de-risk the prospect, which we believe has a high chance of intersecting hydrocar-bons in multiple objectives.”

KrisEnergy holds a 33.33% working interest in Block 120 and is partnered by Eni Vietnam B.V., as the operator with 66.67% working interest.

• BILBY 2D SEISMICSURVEY MOVES FORWARDThe Bilby non-exclusive 2D seismic sur-vey in the Bedout Sub-basin and Broome platform in Western Australia is pro-gressing as planned, according to BGP and Searcher Seismic.

The survey has been designed to provide a grid of modern, high quality data to help identify prospective struc-tural and stratigraphic trends that can be used for regional evaluations and future detailed seismic survey design. It will comprise of approximately 12,300km of 2D long-offset, high resolution broadband data over 2x4, 4x8 and 8x8 km grids.

Using Sercel Sentinel Solid Streamer technology, Bolt Source equipment and continuous recording, the survey will be acquired by the BGP Explorer, while DownUnder GeoSolutions will conduct the seismic data processing.

Deliverables will initially be provided

through a DUG Broad PSTM fl ow to produce the fi nal data, with delivery expected in June 2015.

Substantial potential appears to exist not only in and around the Phoenix South area, but up-dip on the fl anks of the basin, where the results of Kerau-dren-1 demonstrate signifi cantly better quality reservoirs exist within the Triassic sediments, said Rachel Masters, global sales manager for Searcher.

“The results also highlight the poten-tial for oil to migrate up onto the adjacent Broome Platform into accumulations analo-gous to the Stag, Gwydion and Cornea fi elds elsewhere in the region,” said Masters.

• GARDLINE CGG WINS GIPPSLAND 2D SURVEY DEALGardline CGG has been selected by Geoscience Australia to acquire the Gippsland 2D Infi ll marine seismic sur-vey offshore Victoria in Australia.

The Duke survey vessel, owned and operated by the Singapore-based fi rm, is scheduled to begin work on the project in early April.

The survey will cover approximately 800km in the Gippsland basin. An ad-ditional bathymetric profi ling survey will also be undertaken to infi ll between seis-mic lines at the end of the program. The Gippsland basin, situated in southeastern Australia about 200km east of the city of Melbourne, holds approximately 400 MMbbl of liquids and 6 Tcf of gas. The 2D Infi ll survey is part of the National CO2 Infrastructure Plan to aid in the identifi ca-tion of potential sites suitable for the long-term storage of CO2 in Australia. •

Dolphin Geophysical mobilized its largest fl oating object o� the coast of Myanmar for Ophir Energy. By deploying a

seismic spread of 12 streamers, 7050m in length with 150m streamer separation, the equipment has a moving width of 1.850m and the seis-mic spread covering a total area of about 12sq km.

“After a swift mobilization, Dolphin’s Sanco Sword is now in steady production with acquisition of about 150sq km in a single day. This is believed to be a world record for our industry and we expect Sword to become the benchmark vessel when it comes to productivity going forward,” said Bjarne Stavenes, VP of technical at Dolphin Geophysical.

Dolphin is also delivering a complete fast track onboard processing system, powered by the fi rm’s proprietary OpenCPS software and its Singapore processing o� ce, to facilitate the delivery of a complete Pre-Stack Time Migrated (PSTM) Sharp Broadband dataset. •


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In the wake of tumbling oil prices, offshore drilling contrac-tors are finding it a challenge to secure new contracts, as

major oil producers cut exploration spending. In 2015, BP plans to reduce exploration expenditure and

postpone marginal projects in the upstream, and not advance selected projects in the downstream and other areas, the com-pany said in a statement.

As a result, the firm’s organic capital expenditure in 2015 is expected to total around US$20 billion, significantly lower than previous guidance of $24-26 billion. Total organic capital expenditure in 2014 was $22.9 billion, lower than initial guidance of $24-25 billion.

Similarly, along with Shell and Chevron announcing spending cuts, Total too re-vealed its cost reduction guidance in its 4Q and full-year 2014 results. Total plans to lower its organic investments by more than 10%, from $26.4 billion in 2014 to $23-24 billion in 2015. The exploration budget has been reduced by about 30%, to $1.9 billion in 2015.

Moreover, according to The Malaysian Reserve, the country’s state-owned oil and gas company Petronas is taking steps to reduce its planned capital investments and operating expenditure, in 2015, but declined to disclose the scale of the cut.

With operators announcing budget cuts, concerns about drilling contractors’ ability to put their most expensive assets to use has become a global topic of discussion.

With companies are moving swiftly to cut exploration expen-diture versus 2014 levels, Wood Mackenzie’s principal analyst for Asia-Pacific upstream research, Angus Rodger said, there could be less high-cost, high-risk frontier drilling in remote or new areas, such as the Browse basin in Australia or Indonesian deepwater basins.

“Companies will focus their attention is infrastructure-led exploration, lower-cost shallow or mature areas and apprais-als on existing discoveries,” he says. “Australia and Southeast Asia should therefore see more drilling activity in 2015 from the lower-cost jackup side of the market, rather than the higher cost deepwater drillship segment.”

Global drilling activitiesAccording to Douglas-Westwood, there are still plenty of off-shore wells to be drilled, if the 2015 oil prices average between $50-70/bbl, but companies in the deepwater drilling market may continue to take a hit.

Increasing shallow water explorations in countries like Malaysia and Indonesia could see some increase in drilling ac-tivities, while South Asian countries will experience a decline.

However, in the South Pacific, Australia is on track to take over from Qatar as the world’s leading liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer, despite strug-gling with rising project costs and high labor rates. About 84% of the region’s 285 wells will be in Australia.

Although overall well numbers dip in 2015, Wood Mackenzie says drilling activity in 2016 is set to recover as many explorers seize chance to drill at lower costs.

Active rig countsThe Baker Hughes Rotary Rig Counts for February 2015 showed that the worldwide rig count was 2986, down 750 from the 3736 counted in February 2014.

The average Asia Pacific rig count for February 2015 was 240, down 19 from the 259 counted in February 2014.

The average Asia Pacific offshore rig count was 104, down 15 from the 119 counted in February 2014. Land rigs totaled 136 in February 2015, down four from the 140 counted same month last year.

The Baker Hughes Rotary Rig Counts are the number of drill-ing rigs actively exploring for or developing oil or natural gas in the US, Asia Pacific, Europe and international markets.

Moreover, out of the 182 rigs in Southeast Asia, only 83 are in service, reported the BBC in its Asia Business report. Globally an estimated 200 rigs are coming into operation the next six years; and an older rig left to idle can cost approximately $12,000 to sit cold stacked

Cost control Downward pressure on rig rates for new contracts combined with a rig surplus means drilling contractors inevitably have to

Rigs continue to idle as Asian drilling activities decline

Audrey Raj reports on the global rig market and its

effects on the Asian oil and gas industry.

Out of the

182 rigs in

Southeast Asia,

only 83 are

in service.

012_AOG0415_Feature1_MarketForecast.indd 12 4/1/15 10:09 PM



evolve their businesses to cope with the downturn, Rodger said. “The first move is to cut internal costs, which often includes

laying-off non-core or support staff. At the same time, we are also seeing an increase in the number of rigs being cold stacked or scrapped,” he says.

“On the other hand, a lower oil price does provide some benefit. Meaning lower fuel costs should flow though to lower logistics costs, plus a previous shortage of skilled staff and a subsequent increase in wages has now evaporated,” he added.

Transocean and Hercules Offshore are expected to scrap the most vessels, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Hercules Offshore has seven shallow-water rigs, all in the Gulf of Mexico, that have been cold-stacked for an average of five years.

As AOG goes to press, Transocean said it plans to scrap 18 lower-specification deepwater and midwater rigs. Some of those rigs include: Sedco 710, Sovereign Explorer, Sedco 700, Sedco 601, J.W. McLean, GSF Arctic I, Falcon 100, Sedneth 701, Sedco 703, Sedco 709, and C. K. Rhein, Jr.

Similarly, Diamond Offshore Drilling plans to retire and scrap six of its mid-water semisubmersible rigs, the company said in October 2014.

The retired units include the Ocean Epoch, Ocean New Era and Ocean Whittington, which had been cold-stacked, and the Ocean Concord and Ocean Yatzy, which are idle in Brazil.

The sixth unit, the Ocean Winner, will be retired and scrapped upon completion of its current contract term in Brazil, Diamond Offshore said at the time of the announcement.Although some contractors are scrapping older units within their fleet, this alone will not be enough to balance the market, Rodger said.

“For that to happen you need both an uptick in demand, and for many of the existing rigs, like floaters, jackups or drillships under construction, to have their deliveries either deferred or cancelled altogether. We are seeing activity-gathering pace in this latter area, as companies are seeking the deferral or can-cellation of newbuild rigs.

“It is also worth noting that the rigs being earmarked for scrap are the older, cheaper units, leaving a core of the remain-ing fleet that is higher-cost with advance specifications. These units are, however, those that may be less in demand in 2015,” he concluded.

Singapore’s ASL Marine disclosed that a client backed out of taking delivery of two offshore support vessels. South Korean shipbuilders like Hyundai Heavy Industries and Samsung have been hit hard coping with falling new orders.

Hyundai posted an accumulated operating loss of 3.2 trillion won (US$2.8 billion) in 2014, while Samsung only secured $7.3 billion of new orders, falling short of its $15 billion target. AOG

Offshore rig. Photo from iStock.

012_AOG0415_Feature1_MarketForecast.indd 13 4/1/15 10:09 PM



Increasing numbers of sour oil and gas producing wells are going to be encountered in many regions of the world, in particular, the Middle East and the Commonwealth of

Independent States.The presence of sour service fl uids i.e. those containing

wet H2S, often in combination with various levels of CO2 in high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) locations, not only causes deterioration to pipelines, but in case of leaks and pipeline ruptures are extremely toxic and represent high risk to the health and safety of personnel.

Sour service also presents a signifi cant demand on the performance of the pipeline material in terms of fracture toughness. The detrimental effects of sour service can range from small pinhole leaks to catastrophic failure in pipelines.

Currently, there are no guidelines for establishing the fracture toughness of pipeline material through single edge notched tensile (SENT) testing in sour service environments.

Standardization of SENT test method for sour service environmentsRequirements for testing facture toughness in pipelines is increasing, as more

and more are transporting sour gas and liquids. A standardized SENT test methodology speci� cally for pipelines in sour service environments is being

developed to get the testing right. Dr. Jens Petter Tronskar explains.

Figure 1: The SENT specimen (as compared to the higher con-straint SENB specimen) is designed to give a crack tip constraint close to that of a pipe with a fl aw. Images from DNV GL.

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A Joint Industry Project by DNV GL has been launched by the Singapore Deepwater Technology Centre and the com-pany’s laboratories in Singapore and Columbus, Ohio, to address this gap in knowledge of infl uence of environmental parameters and improve understanding in order to pursue the development of standardized guidelines.

Hostile complexitiesSENT testing has been applied for the characterization of

girth welds and analysis of realistic crack depths in pipelines

over the past 8-10 years. A SENT specimen is designed to pro-vide a crack tip constraint similar to that of an actual pipe in bending containing a fl aw (see fi g. 1) and as per DNV-RP-F108 allows for realistic crack depths of a/W = 0.2-0.5. The DNV-OS-F101 (2013)/Appendix A allows SENT testing for operation environments (see fi g. 2).

In a sour environment, however, results are dependent on numerous environmental and test parameters that infl uence fracture performance, which can be critical for sour service testing. Neither DNV-OS-F101 nor DNV-RP-F108 currently

provide detailed guidance on how to determine the fracture toughness of steel components for assessing fl aws exposed directly or indirectly to a hydrogen charging source.

DNV GL has carried out signifi cant research in this area at its laboratories in Singapore and Columbus. A pipe material and weld performing well in air may exhibit drastically reduced frac-ture toughness and resistance in a sour environ-ment. In general, the fracture toughness tends to decrease with increased H2S concentration (partial pressure of H2S) and decreased loading or strain rate.

Fracture toughness is a critical input param-eter for engineering critical assessment (ECA) of planar (crack-like) fl aws. The presence of hydro-gen in steel can lead to a signifi cant reduction in fracture toughness due to its embrittling effects; such a reduction can have a signifi cant infl uence on the fl aw tolerance of hydrogen-containing components. In some cases, this may result in maximum tolerable fl aw sizes being smaller than would be accepted by normal workman-ship criteria in codes such as DNV OS-F101 or

API1104.Fracture toughness behavior in sour service is

predominantly an effect of hydrogen diffusion, causing hydrogen embrittlement. Through de-tailed experiments and analysis, key parameters known to infl uence fracture toughness test re-sults will be better understood. A standardized approach to performing SENT tests on C-Mn steel in sour environments would also provide more reliable and consistent results and thus the derivation of realistic fl aw acceptance criteria for sour service fl owlines and risers in an ECA.

A collaborative approachDNV GL is launching a joint industry project (JIP) to standardize SENT testing for sour service environments. By using different SENT test methods already developed in its offi ces and laboratories in Singapore and Columbus, the company aims to validate different SENT test methodologies for pipeline steels in sour ser-vice environments. This will be followed by the provision of guidelines on how to establish the fracture resistance curves (CTOD/J R-curve) for pipelines operating in sour service environments as well as for deriving the CTOD/J corresponding to crack initiation.

The company currently has an ongoing JIP at

Figure 3: Performing di� usible hydrogen studies using Hydrogen Permeation Cell as per ASTM G148 (left) and Bruker G4 Phoenix di� usible hydrogen ana-lyzer (right).

Figure 4: Testing of both SENT and SENB specimens with similar a/W ratios of 0.2 of the same base material of the X65 pipeline steel under rising load conditions.

Figure 2: SENT (Single Edge Notched Tension) specimen and the relationship between fl aw orientation and height in the pipe and the crack orientation and size in the specimen.




Columbus laboratory to develop best practice guidelines for performing sour service ECA, scheduled for completion in December 2015. This project includes fatigue crack growth rate and fracture toughness tests conducted in a wide range of sour environments. It is expected that the results will complement the new JIP to develop a sour service SENT methodology.

The project will run for two years in three phases and will initially study the key test parameters and evaluate various test methods before establishing a guideline for SENT testing in sour service environments. A number of industry sponsors, including an oil and gas company, contractors and pipe mills are involved.

The first phase of the project will evaluate results of recent studies and the experience of SENT testing in sour environ-ments to ascertain the current knowledge gaps and propose a detailed work scope. This will include a review of the loading method, K-rate, crack depth, soaking duration, pre-loading, etc. The results are expected to provide an improved un-derstanding of how the test techniques and test parameters will influence fracture toughness in sour service. This will include:• Effect of notch depth; comparison between a/W = 0.2 and 0.5 (as per validity limits in DNV-RP-F108)• Effect of loading rate; test with 3-4 different stress intensity increase rates• Hydrogen diffusible studies for understanding soaking time required prior to testing (see Fig. 3)• Constraint effects; comparison between SENT and single end notched beam (SENB) tests (see Fig. 4)

The Phase I test matrix will incorporate at least two test methods, while fracture resistance curves and critical fracture toughness will be reported.

Following Phase I, Phase II will perform a detailed study of other parameters and methods. Test variables might include (but are not limited to): pre-loading methods, additional sour environments, materials, microstructures, and methods for as-sessing internal surface, embedded flaws and external flaws.

A standardized SENT test methodology in sour service en-vironments will be proposed in Phase III, while Phase IV will involve the development of a DNV GL guideline and potentially provide input to future revisions of DNV GL OS-F101 Appendix A for Engineering Critical Assessments of pipeline girth welds exposed to sour service environments. AOG

Jens P. Tronskar is vice president and chief technology officer for DNV GL’s Deepwater Technology Centre in Singapore. He has more than 35 years’ experience in materials technology research, failure investigations and deterministic/probabilistic fracture mechanics analyses/Fitness-For-Service analyses of structural and piping/process

components and pipelines for the offshore and onshore oil and gas industry. He has a MSc degree in Materials’ Physics and Physical Metallurgy from the Technical University of Norway (NTH) and a PhD from the National University (NUS) of Singapore in Fracture Mechanics applied to floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels and ships.

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Commissioning and planning are essential elements in successfully handing over assets into production on time. There are huge penalties involved for the con-

tracted parties should delivery deadlines be missed and a proj-ect fall behind schedule. Yet it is often the case that commis-sioning is not afforded the same level of detail as the design, construction and production phases of a project.

Certainly, if a project has been planned and constructed correctly for the operating environment, then the equipment and facilities it comprises should function as intended. But commissioning tends to be undervalued in scenarios where the expectation is that it has been done correctly, and that every-thing will run smoothly as a result.

The success of any commissioning project can be attributed to a single factor – its workforce. Having the correct person-nel (not only experienced but with the right attributes) is not always the cheapest option, but the potential increased cost of securing a talented workforce pays dividends when minimiz-ing risk around schedule delays or disruption.

For example, South Korea’s shipyards employ hundreds of thou-sands of people at any one time. Given the complex nature of some of mega projects currently underway, operators must attract world expertise to South Korea to ensure that their projects are being delivered to the highest standard and, crucially, on schedule.

Meticulous planning reduces the risk of things going wrong. As such, it follows that with poor planning, there is greater chance for risk. Commissioning can, therefore, be likened to taking out an insurance policy, where investing in the best tal-ent available at the outset can see true value coming to the fore if and when issues arise.

Early stage recruitmentIt is the responsibility of the commissioning manager to organize, plan and manage a team for timely execution of commissioning activities as per the project and contract requirements. The key is bringing in the right person for the right job at the right time.

The commissioning manager must be appointed at an early project stage to look at how the development will be delivered from an operational perspective and provide guidance on time-frames for the commissioning scope of work. Engaging them prior to the onset of commissioning can prove invaluable – especially when the person is involved in final design, hazard and operabili-ty (HAZOP) reviews. Ideally, they will have the overall knowledge of both construction and commissioning processes and activities.

For expatriates coming to perform a managerial role in one of South Korea’s projects, there are several challenges. They need to be skilled at implementing strong processes with many checkpoints all the way through the project to ensure that what they have communicated to their teams is understood and followed to the letter. With language barriers it is easy for misunderstandings to occur.

The commissioning manager will work closely with con-struction and design functions, a particularly important ap-proach because design engineers spend little time onsite. Those involved with commissioning bring the practical experience of running the equipment together as an operational unit.

Once commissioning starts to gain momentum, the project sees significant ramp-up. There could be one commissioning manager, three lead engineers, and eight engineers beneath them respon-sible for recruiting some 80-100 technicians in total. For South Korea’s complex projects the requirements of the management team can be significant, and will often be managers overseeing other managers.

Working backFrom the outset, it is vital to obtain a full understanding of the workforce requirement and work back to ensure the necessary resources can be mobilized on time. Key workforce consider-ations in this phase include the skill sets required, the location of the project, and the type of project being undertaken.

This can prove one of the most challenging aspects of commis-sioning. For example, if an operator needs new recruits to start in

With first oil the primary target of the commissioning phase, there can be a

tendency to underestimate the challenge of finding the right personnel and

then mobilizing them safely and compliantly for this critical stage of the project

lifecycle, advises Air Energi’s Andy Greenwood and Steve Field.

Recruitingfor commissioning of oil and gas developments

018_AOG0415_Feature5_Logistics.indd 18 4/1/15 10:16 PM



June, and the development is in a country where the visa process takes a month to complete, then CVs would need to be collated, reviewed and shortlisted by the commissioning management team mid-way through January, enabling the interview and can-didate selection process to be completed by February. This will then leave sufficient time for the necessary onboarding processes.

Getting these resources to the required locations safely, and determining the best approach to ensure compliance with local tax laws, are key challenges. Therefore, it is essential to take ownership of the global mobility issues because getting the right people to the project location is by no means straightfor-ward. The question of how you get people there, how you look after them, and who is really responsible should be a top prior-ity – especially in a country such as South Korea.

Clear processesCommissioning requirements differ by project – depending on finances available, the cost and difficulty of the commis-sioning phase itself, and the type of project (onshore, offshore, conventional, or unconventional). Having proper plans and procedures in place early enough can eliminate a lot of the risk faced. Experienced leadership, project procedures and plans are paramount for the safe and cost effective delivery of any project. ‘Laid back’ will never deliver safely, or on schedule.

This is one of the reasons why the majority of operators engage a specialist workforce solutions provider under a prime vendor agreement to manage the complexities of resourcing the commissioning phase.

Ensuring compliance with local laws requires clear and well-defined processes. When arranging visas for countries such as Malaysia or Singapore for example, medicals and inoc-ulations are required. In locations such as these, meet and greet services will be necessary to comply with operators’ corporate policies on health and safety, and security of personnel.

Safety remains the top priority for both workforce special-ists and operators. Some recruitment specialists will go to great

lengths to ensure that the corporate health and safety specifications of their clients are mirrored in the contracts signed by candidates. They might also offer full private medical cover, which extends to repatriation or medivac situations if necessary in hardship loca-tions. This provides assurance to both the operator and the individual that there are systems in place should they need to be evacuated quickly.

Retention bonusGiven that commissioning projects run to an invariably tight timeframe, knowledge continuation is vital. For example, where a team of ten has worked on a vessel for many months, they will have an excellent knowledge of exactly how it operates and all its nuances. Should those ten people be lost to another project, this is guaran-teed to have a knock-on effect.

Nevertheless, a high rate of reten-tion can be achieved by maintaining regular contact with the workforce and

addressing any issues they have at an early stage. In addition, they should be engaged on a competitive rate from the outset, and incentivized by building an attractive package of completion and retention bonuses. These must be considered carefully, with each bonus structured in a way to meet key business drivers.

Consultative approachCommissioning is a critical phase in the lifecycle of oil and gas projects. It is also arguably the most high profile, since it is the penultimate step to first oil. It is therefore important to work with commissioning teams that truly understand the full range of commissioning processes and procedures, and the factors that make the delivery of a project successful.

Likewise, working with a specialist provider of workforce solutions with access to a trusted network of professionals and a track record of both successful deliveries and high retention rates, can help operators mitigate workforce related risk and maximize return on investment at the commissioning phase.

Crucially, a consultative approach must be adopted, whereby the requirements are fully understood and guidance given on how best to deliver them. Resourcing of the commissioning phase must therefore be an integral part of the overall project plan, rather than being planned in isolation. Furthermore, it’s not just a question of hiring people in a timely manner, but bringing in the right candidates for the right jobs at the right time. AOG

Andy Greenwood joined Air Energi in 2010, establishing a new division, specializing in the recruitment and deployment of com-missioning and completions specialists across the UK, Europe and Africa. In 2013, Greenwood became recruitment manager for Europe and Africa, tasked with ensuring delivery against regional and global account while developing Air Energi’s contract recruit-ment team across the region. Steve Field has over 20 years’ experience delivering global man-power solutions to major operators and EPCM consultants.

The commissioning manager must be appointed at an early project stage to look at how the development will be delivered from an operational perspective and provide guidance on time-frames for the commissioning scope of work. Engaging them prior to the onset of commissioning can prove invaluable – especially when the person is involved in final design, hazard and operabili-ty (HAZOP) reviews. Ideally, they will have the overall knowledge of both construction and commissioning processes and activities.

For expatriates coming to perform a managerial role in one of South Korea’s projects, there are several challenges. They need to be skilled at implementing strong processes with many checkpoints all the way through the project to ensure that what they have communicated to their teams is understood and followed to the letter. With language barriers it is easy for misunderstandings to occur.

The commissioning manager will work closely with con-struction and design functions, a particularly important ap-proach because design engineers spend little time onsite. Those involved with commissioning bring the practical experience of running the equipment together as an operational unit.

Once commissioning starts to gain momentum, the project sees significant ramp-up. There could be one commissioning manager, three lead engineers, and eight engineers beneath them respon-sible for recruiting some 80-100 technicians in total. For South Korea’s complex projects the requirements of the management team can be significant, and will often be managers overseeing other managers.

Working backFrom the outset, it is vital to obtain a full understanding of the workforce requirement and work back to ensure the necessary resources can be mobilized on time. Key workforce consider-ations in this phase include the skill sets required, the location of the project, and the type of project being undertaken.

This can prove one of the most challenging aspects of commis-sioning. For example, if an operator needs new recruits to start in

Early planning is crucial to the successful completion of a project’s commissioning phase. Photo from Shutterstock

018_AOG0415_Feature5_Logistics.indd 19 4/1/15 10:17 PM



By Audrey Raj

With females becoming more present in occu-

pations that have been traditionally oriented

towards men, long gone are the days where

regular office positions are for the career-minded women.

The oil and gas sector is one to take note. Although only a small

percentage of jobs are filled by women, research suggests the

number of females joining the energy workforce has increased

over the years.

The session “Empowering Women in Oil and Gas Industry”

topped the agenda at the 8th International Petroleum

Technology Conference (IPTC), held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,

last December.

The meeting outlined the opportunities and challenges for

females in petroleum engineering, plus addressed how a lot of

progress had to be made to increase larger minority presence in

the industry.

According to the Global Diversity and Inclusion Report, a study

conducted by British Petroleum (BP) and Rigzone, examining

female representation from the perspective of 3,000 global

oil and gas professionals, showed that an increasing number

of women are taking advantage of opportunities in the energy

industry.

While 72% believed the oil and gas remains a male-dominated

industry, and there is still a lot of progress to be made, the

majority of energy professionals said it was important for the

industry to ensure it is attractive to women. This finding is

particularly relevant given nearly nine out of ten survey respon-

dents were male.

However, the survey Women in Oil & Gas: The Diversity

Challenge by Air Energi and OilCareers.com showed,

the Asia-Pacific region in particular has seen a decline

in the number of women taking up engineering for

either education or employment, as opposed to other

regions such as Europe and North America.

There was a shortage of female role models from

the top and a lack of encouragement for more young

women to take up Science, Technology, Engineering and

Mathematics (STEM) subjects in higher education, the research

revealed.

To help better understand the opportunities and challenges

confronting women in the energy sector, we chatted with five

female engineers from Atteris, Premier Oil, Technip, INPEX and

EMAS AMC, and this is what they had to say.

Allison Selman

Brownfield Team Leader, Atteris

Graduated from the

University of Western

Australia with a bach-

elor of commerce and

a bachelor of engineer-

ing (Materials), Allison

Selman’s career spans

across the mining and

Spotlight

Women in oiland gas engineeringAOG discusses the opportunities and challenges confronting women in

the energy sector with engineers from Atteris, Premier Oil, Technip,

INPEX and EMAS AMC.

020_AOG0415_Spotlight_Women.indd 20 4/2/15 12:09 PM



energy sectors in Australia, Indonesia and Bangkok. Having

previously specialized in materials, design and pipeline engineer-

ing, she has worked with Transfield, J P Kenny, IONIK Consulting,

Wood Group Kenny and CUEL, before joining Atteris as brown-

field team leader. Here, Allison leads a team of engineers who

provide pipeline integrity management engineering solutions.

Why did you choose to pursue a career in the oil and gas industry?

To be honest, I did not choose the oil and gas engineering as a career path; nor did I realize it was a career path during uni-versity. I started my professional career as a materials engineer in the mining industry. The opportunity to pursue a career in pipeline engineering presented itself through my professional network and appeared to be technically interesting, so I took the chance to explore this path. I am very glad to have made this choice as I enjoy the work and the industry.What’s your take on women being under-represented in the field of engineering?

There is an under-representation of women in the field of engineering in the majority of regions around the world. This is not the case in some European countries. I believe it is a combination of cultural influence, lack of education and a misperception of the profession in general. We are given the perception through the media and general society that

engineering is a male-dominated, physical profession, thus not many females are encouraged to pursue engineering as a career option.Due to the huge gender gap in this field, was it difficult for you to work as a team?

The impact of gender on teamwork has both positive and negative aspects. It can be challenging in terms of learning that different people communicate differently – this is not specifi-cally due to gender – and learning how to communicate effec-tively with different individuals. The impact of gender on the ability to work as a team would be more evident in work places that generally do not support diversity. I would encourage individuals to work on communication and leadership skills in general; to understand that there are differences that result from diverse backgrounds.What are some of the challenges for women working offshore?

One of the biggest challenges for women is obtaining on-site practical experience. This is due to limited accommodation facilities and work practices. This limits the opportunities that are available for female engineers to go offshore and gain in-valuable experience on-site. The other biggest challenge is with establishing oneself in a male-dominated field; in particular if working with certain cultures that do not support equal oppor-tunities for females. At the end of the day, engineering is a great profession where a strong career can be built and immense job satisfaction can be obtained.

Akmar Nazari on Technip’s state-of-the-art pipelay vessel, Deep Energy. Photo from Akmar Nazari.




Sylvana LiauwProject Engineer, EMAS AMC

A graduate from the

National University of

Singapore, Sylvana Liauw

completed her civil engi-

neering degree in 2007.

She was first introduced

to the energy sector dur-

ing internship, from which

she grew an interest for

building things in massive

scales. Before joining EMAS

AMC as project engineer, Sylvana worked as junior engineer with

Saipem Singapore specializing in pipeline engineering. In her job,

she says, no two projects are identical and every project is a differ-

ent journey with unique challenges.

Why is there such a small percentage of women in oil and gas engineering?

My personal opinion is perhaps the lack of exposure of how wide the industry is, with extensive opportunities for every-one. Another reason could also be because of how the industry is portrayed. In the media, the oil and gas industry is associ-ated with remote and harsh environment away from home, highly hazardous works, or perceived as male-dominated. But I have met many prominent women in the oil and gas industry, which means that the percentage has increased over time.What are some of the challenges for women in the oil and gas industry?

In some aspects the nature of the industry is masculine. You work under the hot sun, away from home, with machines, fabrication and construction, amongst many others. Naturally, in this industry, or even other industries, there are people who still adopt the old school mentality who perceive women as less competent. Sometimes women have to prove themselves harder to be respected at work. But I have been fortunate. In EMAS, I work with people who look beyond gender, and I have seen many female engineers whom people look up to. It is not easy, but not impossible. The biggest challenge is for ourselves to deal with.What’s the most fun thing about your job?

Many people think engineering is mundane with numbers, studies and the reports that we have to do. But I am always captivated with the mega-results in EMAS. It is about the infrastructure that we build, the oil and gas exported to shore for our daily needs, the offshore challenges in the middle of the sea and the solutions we create for the never-been-done before – it is fascinating. What advice do you have for would-be female engineers?

Engineers build things, whether it is offshore construction like what I do, airplanes or ships like the mechanical or electri-cal engineers do, or even coding like the software engineers do. Every job has challenges on their own like the nature of the work or the people you work with. But if the job excites you and you think you can create an impact, let’s not be discour-aged by what they say about women in engineering.

Vivia BoraSenior Subsea Pipeline Engineer, Premier Oil

A chartered engineer with

over 15 years’ experience

in pipeline engineering,

Vivia Bora has a bachelor

in civil engineering from

Universitas Hasanuddin

Indonesia; and a master in

project management from

the University of New South

Wales (UNSW) Australia. She has previously held positions with

Pegasus Asia Pacific, BP West Java, PT Amec Berca Indonesia

and JP Kenny, where she has worked on pipeline projects with

international companies like Total Indonesie, Pertamina, China

National Offshore Oil Corp., Petrofac and more. Currently, a

senior engineer with Premier Oil, the mother of two is thankful to

be part of a supportive team.

Why did you choose to be an engineer in the oil and gas industry?The oil and gas chose me, actually. Upon graduation, I

worked in the mining industry for two years, before gaining an opportunity from AusAID to pursue a master’s degree in Australia. Shortly after graduation I got a job with JPKenny, sta-tioned in Perth, Australia. That was my introduction into the oil and gas industry. I remember at that time I was mentored by two women, who inspired me to see that females can do as good as males in the energy sector. I like the industry because it’s challenging and pays well. How do you juggle motherhood and work?

My children now attend school two-thirds of the day, while I am at work. I have home assistants, too. My typical day starts early and doesn’t necessarily end early. But my manager is very flexible, meaning I do get to attend to my children’s needs, for example school meetings, etc. I work full speed while at work and this is the key to managing time and expectation. From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., I spend time with the kids, prepare dinner, help with homework, sit in music practices and read to them. Once they go to bed, I get time for myself. When I go away for busi-ness and offshore trips, my husband helps out. What is it like to work on a rig and/or vessel?

It is like working in a small environment with limited choice of things to do. It is an exciting experience to be onboard, completing assigned tasks, but it can get to you after a few weeks. The feeling of wanting to go home can grow. One of the demands working onboard a vessel is team work. The best thing to do is to think how we can finish the job collaboratively in the best and quickest possible time. Then we can all go home to our loved ones.How can the energy industry attract more females to the workforce?

There is still a level of underrepresentation of women in en-gineering positions. For example, when girls finish high school, very few consider to pursue a career in engineering. They are not made aware from a young age of the career prospects for females in the field, regardless of its gender domination. Unfortunately,



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marginalization issues still exist in this male dominated sector, and such issues too contribute to the reluctance of females choos-ing to pursue engineering. Once we overcome this, I believe our industry will move forward more quickly. There has been issues that women are not paid as well as males engineers, and this is not particularly true. At least based on my experience.

Balsam Sabiry

Graduate Instrument and Control Engineer, INPEX

Balsam Sabiry completed

a bachelor in mathemati-

cal science from Al-

Mustansiriyah University

in Iraq, and a subsequent

bachelor degree and gradu-

ate certificate in process

instrumentation and control

engineering from the University of Western Australia. Since com-

pleting her studies she joined INPEX as graduate instrument and

control engineer, currently working on the Ichthys LNG project

together with the operations engineering team.

Why did you choose to be an engineer in the oil and gas industry?

A career in the oil and gas industry was a very appealing choice for me because of the diversity within the engineering teams, the multitude of disciplines, engineering ingenuity and creativity, global and unique projects, and at times an ex-tremely challenging work environment. I believe that the multi -disciplinary layers and diversity of teams provide multitude of choices and opportunities for women. Why is there such a small percentage of women in oil and gas engineering?

In general, the number of women practicing engineering is low because many believe the profession is a male-only profes-sion. I believe that in some cases women engineers are not given the opportunity or considered for roles in this industry because most oil and gas projects are predominately located offshore and in remote areas. This, too, makes it less appealing for them, particularly those with families. Were you able to find female mentors at work?

For me finding a mentor was never an issue. I am fortunate to have a female mentor, moreover my mentor is my aunt who is also an engineer. I also have two other male mentors and our mentoring relationship is as valuable and rewarding. I believe that the multi -disciplinary layers and team diversity provides multitude of choices and opportunities for women. What would you tell fresh graduates seeking work in oil and gas?

A career in the oil and gas industry is a very rewarding experience. You will get to witness and be part of the marvels and ingenuity of extracting oil and gas from the bottoms of the oceans as well as the depths of the deserts. Women too have opportunities to progress into leadership roles in the energy sector, just like any other engineering discipline.

Akmar Nazari

Project and Senior Rigid Pipeline Engineer, Technip

Currently based

in Oslo, Norway,

working for Technip

as project and senior

rigid pipeline engineer, Akmar Nazari is from Malaysia. She has

over eight years’ oil and gas experience. Prior to this she was

with Worley Parson as pipeline engineer and ROSEN as pipeline

analyst. Akmar graduated with a bachelor in chemistry from

Universiti Sains Malaysia, before pursuing a post graduate diplo-

ma in chemical and process engineering, followed by a master in

science in pipeline engineering from the University of Newcastle.

What attracted you to the oil and gas industry?I always knew I wanted to be in this industry. My father’s

company does subcontracting works for operators in Malaysia, mostly dealing with piping works. Having some insight into his work sort of inspired me to explore the available options for me. My time at Newcastle University exposed me to pipeline engineering, so I pursued pipeline engineering upon comple-tion of my first course.What is it like to work offshore?

It’s tough working offshore for an extended period, know-ing you have to work for 12 hours per shift. Stress, long hours and sometimes the weather can easily get to you. Of course, people onboard the vessels, from the captains to the mess boys, are supportive and nice. And the support that we receive from people onshore is good, too. But, nothing beats the feeling when everything goes really well and you go home for a well-deserved rest.What makes the oil and gas pipeline sector a good career path for women?

For pipeline engineering, as there are not too many pipeline engineers in the industry, engineers are always sought, regard-less of their gender. Pipeline engineering has a few different fields of work, such as design, installation and maintenance/in-tegrity work. The fact that you can change your field of work to suit your situation gives you flexibility without having to com-promise skills or experiences. For example, should you need to focus on your family more; you can always opt to do design work, which will not require you to go offshore as frequently. With more experience one can opt to do more management work for the company, too.What advice do you have for female students considering pipe-line engineering?

Don’t let the word “pipeline” intimidate you. Pipeline engi-neering is just like any other line of engineering. Just because you don’t hear it as frequently as civil or mechanical engineering, it doesn’t mean that it’s not important and not as interesting. In fact, I feel pipeline engineering is more interesting as it is a com-bination of civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, ocean engineering, mechanical engineering and process engineering. If you like challenges, then this line of work is for you. AOG



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GEOFOCUS AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND

Australia has long been a leading oil and gas producer thanks to vast reserves off its western shores. The last two decades have seen further

growth in the nation’s production portfolio, thanks to the development of significant coal seam gas (CSG) reserves in Queensland. Recent estimates suggest that Queensland’s CSG reserves could last for more than 100 years at current production levels.

But with this promise of long-reaching gas produc-tion comes technical challenges and increased regu-latory oversight. Australia’s Coal Seam Gas Code of Practice has established a best practice framework that includes mandatory standards for well construction, monitoring and maintenance, with an emphasis on zonal isolation and protecting the environment. Ad-herence to these standards requires innovative zonal isolation technologies that work in complicated well geometries and production zones.

Throughout its 50-year working history with Aus-tralian oil and gas producers, Weatherford has de-signed and manufactured zonal isolation technologies aimed at ensuring well integrity while saving rig time and boosting safety and environmental compliance. Inflatable packers have been one area of continued development. By providing immediate and long-lasting seals, these packers ensure reliable zonal isolation for water and gas shutoff, thus preventing gas migration and facilitating two-or three-stage cementing operations. They also serve to isolate the gas bearing coal zones from aquifers that are an essential water source for irrigation and local community water supplies.

The BullDog annulus casing packer (ACP) is an inflatable packer designed to pack off the annular space between the cas-

ing and the open or cased hole. Built on standard API tubing or casing sizes and grades, the ACP consists of a reliable locking valve system and rubber inflation elements that can be inflated with either wellbore fluid or cement, as application require-ments dictate.

CSG operators have the choice to inflate an ACP with ce-ment due to the reliability that the packer affords during the inflation process. Cement inflation provides longevity of the

Weatherford’s Yves Daniel

discusses zonal isolation

technologies, including an

annulus casing packer, made

for Australia’s coal seam gas

production

Well Integrity,from start to finish

Caption:

###

In a conventional CSG well design (left), the practice of cementing individual casing strings with slotted casing in the open hole production zones leads to risks of gas migration and channeling during the cementing operation or mi-croannular gas migration during the life of the well, thus contaminating sub-surface aquifers. The recommended design (right) uses enhanced cementing and zonal isolation technologies that lower isolation risks and comply with Australia’s CSG Code of Practice. Images from Weatherford.

026_AOG0415_Geo2_Weatherford.indd 26 4/2/15 12:18 PM



from their own wooden crate and subsequently made up as a complete assembly.

The life cycle of the wooden crates is short-lived and typi-cally ends at the rig site. The quantity of equipment shipped by this method results in massive quantities of wooden crating waste, adding signifi cant disposal costs and creating a large environmental footprint for every fi eld operation.

Switching to steelThe new initiative was aimed at fi nding suitable replacement crat-ing material that would not only reduce environmental impacts, but also would streamline shipments and improve effi ciency.

Research efforts settled on steel tubulars as the new crating material, which were strong enough to withstand rough han-dling and storage during shipment, but were cost effective and reusable. The new steel equipment cradles would have to be simple in design and suitable for effi cient stacking by forklift or

crane at any stage of transport and deliv-ery to the well site.

Further design development led to the recommendation of making up all of the zonal isolation components into one as-sembled piece at the manufacturing facil-ity in China. This would lower the amount of manual handling and equipment make up by the crew at the rig site, thus lower-ing safety hazards at the same time.

The fi nal design allowed for three full zonal isolation assemblies per cradle, which translated to one reusable cradle delivering equipment for three CSG wells. Once all zonal isolation assemblies are installed in the wells, the cradles are then mobilized back to the point of origin through a tracking system and inspected and repaired as required. The cycle then begins anew, with the cradles returned to the manufacturing plant for loading of three new zonal isolation assemblies.

Tangible savings securedThis new sustainable shipment option pro-vides several tangible benefi ts to the CSG operator. Shipping three full assemblies on one cradle streamlines the logistics and procurement processes. It also lowers health and safety risks in the fi eld.

Eliminating wood out of the shipping equation lowers disposal costs for the operator and has the potential to save an estimated 154,000 kgs of treated wood per year (based on an annual fi eld development plan of 700 wells). In total, an opera-tor could save up to $1 million per year on wood crating and in-fi eld equipment make up time alone, with the added benefi t of promoting a commitment to safety and the environment.

The fi rst shipment of zonal isolation equipment using the new steel cradling system left China in late 2014, and was successfully delivered to the operator’s rig site in Australia with no damage or issues. This new cradle design, coupled with the proven well integrity benefi ts that the zonal isolation equipment provides in CSG wells, continues to give Australian operators the piece of mind that comes from partnering with a fully integrated well integrity service provider. AOG

elastomer seal required to isolate the lower coal seam from subterranean formations and aquifers above. This option also allows the operator to meet Australia’s regulatory isolation requirements that the cement be placed within a few meters across the coal seam face for optimal isolation.

Further isolation assurances are provided when an ACP is used in conjunction with systems that prevent the migration of production fl uids between the cement and the casing string. The Weatherford Micro-Seal swellable elastomers, for example, are designed to repair the microannulus gaps that could devel-op over the life of a well. Such gaps are commonly formed due to prolonged production, temperature fl uctuations or movement of the production tubing during a well’s lifetime.

Optimizing packaging and make-upsTo be truly effective, the focus on well integrity and optimiza-tion must begin before the zonal isolation equipment arrives

at the well site. As part of its mandate to conduct operations while reducing impacts to land and decreasing energy usage, Weatherford embarked on a new packaging initiative for its zonal isolation tools in early 2014.

Much of the zonal isolation equipment used in the CSG fi elds of Australia is supplied from a Weatherford manufacturing plant in mainland China, where it is individually packaged into wooden crates and shipped by boat to a storage facility in Chinchilla, Australia. The wood used in each crate is specially treated to conform to Australian Quarantine regulations. This treated wood is diffi cult to source, costly to purchase and poses a negative impact to the environment.

The wooden crates are then transported to the rig site, where each component of zonal isolation equipment—typically an ACP, stage cementing tool and fl oat equipment—is unpacked

The new method using reusable steel cradles

The old crating method using single-service wood crates

026_AOG0415_Geo2_Weatherford.indd 27 4/2/15 11:53 AM



In a dramatically changing market where oil prices have taken a turn for the worse for what many analysts are predicting to be a long haul, a number of major players have taken drastic

measures to weather the storm. With cutbacks on the cards and projects under review there’s never been a greater emphasis on efficiency. As the industry braces itself for significant head-winds, efficiency means survival.

Market overviewThe current market is in a state of metamorphosis. It’s a simple story of supply and demand. The growth rate of shale in the US took the market by surprise and suddenly the world’s insa-tiable demand for oil and gas was overtaken by supply. When it became clear that OPEC countries wouldn’t reduce output to counter the price dip, a seismic shift began to emerge.

Although operators are being forced to accept significant write-offs for current LNG projects, and budget cuts have been confirmed across the oil and gas board in 2015 and beyond, Australia’s position as one of the world’s largest LNG export-ers will help the country stand firm against the looming threat of sustained low prices. HSBC recently predicted that by 2018 the country would hold the accolade of the world’s foremost exporter of LNG with capacity of more than 80 MPTA.

In the short term the oil price slump is having a positive ef-fect on the overall economy, with analysts predicting a boost in household income and company’s like Virgin Australia report-ing a significant increase in revenue as a result of the price plummet.

And as a net importer the lower oil price will see Australia get much more for its dollar.

For businesses in the Australian supply chain, like Swire Oilfield Services (SOS), the oil price uncertainty presents an opportunity. Our country’s resources and exports are solid, but supply chain processes across the industry are wasting unfathomable amounts of cash – cash that would help position explorers and producers well to weather the current climate.

Creating more efficient businessesSo how will we, as an industry, adjust to the current climate

and come out the other side better equipped to deal with what the market throws our way?

It comes down to a collective approach of getting back to basics to introduce a new level of efficiency that will counteract

Championing Australia’s

Championing Australia’s energy industry

James Parsons, Swire

Oilfield Service’s general

manager for Australasia

shares his view of the

current Australian oil and

gas market.

energy industry

028_AOG0415_Geo3_Swire.indd 28 4/2/15 12:18 PM



the effects of lower budgets.In my experience, initial efforts to improve efficiencies in

times like these are typically conducted in two phases.First, a relatively basic approach is adopted by reducing the

overall costs of the existing supply chain and its contributing elements.

The second phase is where the pressure of cost and efficiency is sustained over a longer period of time, giving operators greater incentive to challenge supply chain structures and processes. In this critical phase, it’s the responsibility of the supply chain to really bolster efficiency by innovatively reconfiguring itself and streamlining processes until they are at the leanest and safest they’ve ever been, and to challenge the scope of their services to introduce more sustainable efficiencies.

This is the phase where we as in industry, in Australia, will reach a positive critical mass. Although the Australian industry has evolved to be at the top of its game in many ways, it’s not without the inefficiencies that are inherent with accelerated growth. You only have to look at other industries with narrower profit margins to realize what can be achieved when financial health is under scrutiny. In the past, addressing these issues has taken a back seat while a thriving market was firmly focused on safety, maximizing production and exploring new territories. This new era allows us the time to reset ourselves and prepare for a very different environment, emerging as a leaner, meaner and ultimately safer supply chain that allows the industry to continue to solve the challenges it comes up against.

Positive changeAgainst a backdrop of uncertainty, it’s time for the service sector to embrace flexibility and innovation, to look inwardly and to collaborate with peers as well as customers to create a more efficient industry. An industry that will allow Australia to develop its significant resources and to help our country and communities strive in the long term.

We should be looking at other industries and the challenges they have faced to learn from businesses that have already been squeezed by economic downturns and the complexities of import and export competition.

Ultimately, we should see the oil price uncertainty as a cata-lyst for positive change. AOG

James Parson is Swire Oilfield Services general manager. Originally from Launceston, Tasmania, he is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Australia. After spending 15 years as an officer in the Australian army, retired rank of Major, he spent several years in the shipping and maritime industries. He joined Swire in

2012. Parson holds a BSc, M.Bus from UNSW, James Cook University and University of Newcastle, and subsequent masters level awards in innovation management through study at Norwegian School of Management (BI), Stanford and Berkley University in US, and Nanyang University in Singapore.

Championing Australia’s energy industry

Image from iStock

028_AOG0415_Geo3_Swire.indd 29 4/2/15 11:59 AM



GEOFOCUS AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND

While the North West Shelf is a significant oil and gas production area in Western Australia, with deep and expansive untapped reserves that will

power energy needs for years to come, it offers some of the most intriguing seabed challenges.

At UWA’s Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems (COFS), researchers led by Professor Mark Cassidy are developing new benchmarks for deepwater engineering and exploration to un-ravel the complexities and unique characteristics of the North West Shelf ocean floor.

After 22 years in operation, COFS is today recognised for its groundbreaking geotech-nical centrifuge modeling technology, which pro-vides accurate simulations in a safe experimental en-vironment that ultimately helps to make mobile oil and gas platforms safer and more efficient.

“Our aim at COFS is to develop engineering analysis methods that engineers can use in the daily design of offshore oil and gas infrastructure,” said Professor Cassidy. “We integrate miniature experiments, sophisticated numerical analysis and theory in order to ensure that our offshore founda-tions are stable.”

AU$100 billion resource exportsWestern Australia is a major global resources economy with its capital city Perth ranked as the nation’s most important energy city. The state’s resource exports have reached AU$100 billion (US$76.4 billion) per year and this growth has attracted world renowned expertise to UWA.

Through the university’s Energy and Minerals Institute (EMI), academic team with the industry and government work on global projects to develop new technologies for today’s resource challenges.

EMI has a vision to advance knowledge and create solutions that deliver safe, enduring value for the world from its energy

UWA molds next generation engineers down under

The University of Western Australia

(UWA) tells us how they have been

central to the research and development

underpinning the energy sector and

education of aspiring professionals in

Western Australia.

Left: Aerial shot of UWA. Above: Prof. Mark Cassidy.

030_AOG0415_Geo4_UWA.indd 30 4/2/15 12:06 PM



students into the field. It has helped with the research into gas process engineering being done at UWA to improve the processes by which the gas is extracted and converted into a saleable commodity.

Professor May, who also works in UWA’s Centre for Energy, leads the research in hydrocarbon process engineering, adsorp-tion, CO2 sequestration, flow assurance, and the measurement and prediction of fluid properties.

Postgraduate engineeringA course unique in its focus on downstream oil and gas pro-cessing, UWA’s master of engineering in oil and gas provides a comprehensive skill set for engineering graduates wanting to work in the global oil and gas industry.

Designed in collaboration with the university’s industry partners to match current energy trends, the course synchro-nises with the rapidly expanding natural gas and liquefied natural gas industries.

Students will also learn the principles of project planning and management and take part in a unique hydrocarbon field development project.

Oil and gas lawsThe regulation of oil and gas operations and the contracts underpinning them are becoming increasingly complex in the country.

In 1990, the Centre for Mining, Energy and Natural Resourc-es Law (CMENRL) was established in UWA’s Faculty of Law School, in response to the steadily increasing profile of mining and oil and gas exploration in Western Australia.

The center has more than three decades of experience in arranging highly successful workshops and seminars in oil and gas law, environmental law, project development law and corporate governance.

CMENRL offers formal education courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as executive education and training.

The law faculty and CMENRL offer the masters of mining and energy law and master of commercial and resources law. The team also contributes to new postgraduate programs with a focus on public and private international law, including policy and regulation, as well as Chinese law.

The workshops forming part of these courses, which are available both to postgraduates and executives, are designed for professionals who want to progress in the industry. They are highly practical and use real life examples. AOG

and mineral resources. The institute connects UWA’s talent and capability across

the energy and minerals value chain, builds multi-disciplinary networks and strengthens partnerships with industry and external stakeholders.

Petroleum research at UWA

Prof. David Lumley

UWA’s Centre for Energy Geoscience, led by Professor David Lumley, encompasses a broad range of geology, geophysics and engineering expertise related to subsur-face characterisation and monitoring of the Earth.

This involves research that includes ad-vanced computational 3D and time lapse 4D seismic imaging of subsurface reser-voirs and fluid flow, detailed core, log and

outcrop-scale reservoir geology analysis, depositional systems, sedimentology and bio sequence stratigraphy, and basin scale structural and tectonic evolution studies.

The center’s research has applications to hydrocarbon explo-ration and recovery, unconventional energy resources, subsur-face CO2 sequestration, plate tectonics and earthquake seismic-ity, environment and climate change.

The centre enjoys collaborations with academic, government and industry colleagues across Australia, as well as interna-tional universities and research labs.

It also contributes to investigations on how to sequester CO2 in an environmentally sustainable way. UWA’s CO2 Processing and Sequestration Laboratory is a world class carbon storage research facility.

This facitlity is also an important component of Australia’s national efforts to achieve carbon reduced resources and en-ergy economy.

From this year, UWA is offering a geophysics honors degree, focused on interdisciplinary study of the Earth, oceans and atmosphere, using the quantitative methods of physics, math-ematics and computer science.

Chevron and UWA partnershipIn 2009, a young professor, Eric May, was appointed as the first UWA Chevron Chair in Gas Process Engineering. This move that signaled a major partnership between a university and the petroleum industry, injected significant funding into teaching a new generation of gas engineers.

Chevron Corp.’s multi-million dollar investment was used for postdoctoral research and scholarships to attract the best

The UWA Geology Building

Prof. Eric May

030_AOG0415_Geo4_UWA.indd 31 4/2/15 12:06 PM


Solutions

• ABB INTRODUCES AZIPOD DABB unveiled a new addition to its Azi-pod electric propulsion of-fering, the Azi-pod D, which provides designers and ship builders with increased

design fl exibility in order to accom-modate a wide range of hull shapes and propeller sizes, as well as simplicity of installation of the propulsion units. The Azipod D requires up to 25% less installed power. ABB this is due to its new hybrid cooling, which increases the performance of the electric motor by up to 45%. Other benefi ts of the Azipod D propulsion system also include superior maneuverability, competitive investment cost, ease of service and maintenance, and a signifi cant performance increase compared to mechanical thrusters. ABB’s Azipod D propulsion power ranges from 1.6-7MW per unit.www.abb.com

HALLIBURTON LAUNCHESQUASAR PULSE SERVICESperry Drilling, a Halliburton business line, has begun providing Quasar Pulse

Service, and M/LWD service capable of operating in harsh environments up to 392°F and 25,000 psi. Quasar Pulse Service can deliver directional, gamma ray, PWD and vibration data for well-bore placement in high temperature and pressure zones. The service allows access to reserves that conventional tools cannot reach and can eliminate the need for mud chillers and “staging” to cool down tools, saving valuable rig time and improving effi ciency. Tool sizes include 4-3/4 and 6-3/4in, allowing it to perform in wellbores up to 9-7/8in in diameter. With more than 50 successful runs and nearly 90,000 feet drilled, the Quasar Pulse Service has delivered measure-ments around the world and has been tested in challenging environments in the Middle East, Asia Pacifi c and uncon-ventional fi elds in North America. www.halliburton.com

WELLTEC RESTORES PRODUCTION WELL WITHOUT WORKOVER RIGWelltec has successfully demonstrated an alternative to rig based workovers. Offshore Timor Sea, an infl atable packer got stuck passing through a fl apper valve. At the same time, a hold-open sleeve dislodged during the migration and landed on top of the valve. Clear-ing the well took half the expected time, utilizing a fl eet of patented technology including Well Tractor, Well Miller, and Well Stroker. The operation was per-formed without a workover rig reducing costs. “This was a job well planned and executed. The well was brought back on-line at 100 MMscf/d fl ow rate after two years of inactivity. 17 runs were con-ducted with zero misruns and no HSE or quality incidents, which is an outstand-ing achievement,” said the completions and well intervention coordinator for ConocoPhillips.www.welltec.com

The fi rst Wärtsilä

two-stroke engine

with a high pres-

sure SCR (selec-

tive catalytic

reduction) system

manufactured

in China has

been introduced.

The system is

fi tted to a 5-cyl-

inder Wärtsilä RT-

fl ex58T-D 2-stroke,

low speed engine produced at the Hudong Heavy Machinery

(HHM) facilities. The SCR reactor was also manufactured by

HHM. This is the fi rst SCR system that complies with the IMO’s

Tier III regulations for engine emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx).

The Wärtsilä engine with SCR is to be installed in a new 22,000

dwt multi-purpose vessel currently under construction at the

Ouhua shipyard on behalf of China Navigation Co (CNCo). The

ship, which is scheduled for delivery in the 2Q 2015, has been

designed to allow su� cient space for the fi tting of the SCR.

The SCR system for this application has been jointly devel-

oped by HHM and Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD), the joint

venture company of Wärtsilä and China State Shipbuilding

Company (CSSC), using a basic design concept from Wärtsilä

which has been adapted to suit the particular requirements

of the engine and ship. Wärtsilä has been producing its high

pressure NOx Reducer SCR systems since the late 1990s. The

system injects a solution of urea into the exhaust gas fl ow

to react with and eliminate the NOx emissions. It is a high

pressure process because the reactor is located between the

engine exhaust valves and the turbocharger turbine inlet. This

provides the most compact and e� cient system without com-

promising engine performance or impacting fuel consumption.

www.wartsila.com

Wärtsilä introduces two-stroke engine produced in China


032_AOG0415_Solutions.indd 32 4/2/15 10:39 AM


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Conference: Jennifer GrandaTel: +1 [email protected]

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Sponsorship & Exhibits:Gisset CaprilesTel: +1 [email protected]

Contact Information

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Contracts

• IKM SUBSEA BAGSROV WORK IN THAILANDIKM Subsea Singapore will deploy its Merlin WR 200 remote operated vehicle (ROV) onboard Solstad Offshore’s derrick lay barge Norce Endeavour for construc-tion support projects offshore Thailand.

“IKM Subsea has a history with Sols-tad dating back to 2009 when we had the fi rst Merlin WR 200 onboard their vessel in Norway,” said Mahesh Govindan, gen-eral manager, IKM Subsea Singapore.“This was a stepping stone for IKM into the ROV market and we have grown ever since. We are proud to continue our sup-port to Solstad in the Asia Pacifi c region and hope this would be a successful and long lasting partnership.”

Previously, Merlin WR 200 was con-tracted by Eni Indonesia to provide ROV services onboard the company’s drill rig Scarabeo 7 used to drill exploration and completion wells in Indonesia.

• MACGREGOR’S CHINESESHIPBUILDER ORDERSChinese shipbuilder Wuhu Xinlian awarded MacGregor to supply two com-

plete deck equipment packages for a pair of supply and oil recovery vessels.

Each equipment package includes a medium pressure anchor windlass winch, capstans, tugger winches, stor-age reels, a provision crane and power packs.

It will be installed on the 12,000 bhp, 150-tonne bollard, 78m anchor handling pull vessels, currently under construc-tion for Sentinel Offshore Ltd.

“Having added the Hatlapa and Triplex brands to our portfolio, we are able to offer complete, proven and competitive solutions for the mid and large sized an-chor handling tug supply vessel market,” said Francis Wong, head of sales and marketing, MacGregor.

• SWIBER WINS IN INDIASwiber Holdings Ltd., clinched a US$333 million agreement for engineering, pro-curement, installation and construction (EPIC) services in India.

Headquartered in Singapore, this contract will see Swiber transport and install submarine pipelines, along with engineering works and modifi cation of

existing facilities.In recent months, the fi rm also secured

other smaller contracts for mooring, jackup installation and offshore pipe-line and subsea work in the Asia Pacifi c region, boosting its order book to over $1.8 billion.

“We are pleased to have clinched an-other major project from the same client in India this month. Going into the ten-der, we exercised stringent cost analysis and took into consideration the inhouse and shared resources within the group,” said CEO, Francis Wong.

• BOS GETS MYANMAR CONTRACTMoattama Gas Transportation Co. (MGTC) has hired Bibby Offshore Singa-pore (BOS) to provide remote operated vehicle (ROV) pipeline inspection, reme-dial work and associated project manage-ment offshore Myanmar

Bibby Offshore will supply its DP2 ROV support vessel, Bibby Spring. The vessel is equipped with dual ROVs, including the latest 150HP, 3000m-rated SMD Quasar, and complemented by a Lynx lightweight ROV suitable for dive support, inspection and repair.

Earlier this year, BOS secured a con-tract with Singapore-based subsea ser-vice provider Seascape to provide ROV services for its DP2 dive support vessel the Windermere.

• MCDERMOTT SECURES FMC JANGKRIK GIGMcDermott International was awarded its fi rst contract by FMC Technologies to provide subsea safety isolation valve module fabrication services for the Jang-krik fi elds located offshore Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Scope of work includes fabrication of approximately 3200-tonne of subsea manifolds and subsea safety isolation valve modules to be installed in water depths ranging from approximately 329-1640ft.

“Our demonstrated track record in the delivery of customized, high-quality subsea solutions from our Indonesian fabrication facility on Batam Island, including the Gorgon subsea structures fabrication project and the Ichthys engi-neering, procurement, construction and installation project, positions us strategi-cally to support FMC Technologies in fabricating the Jangkrik complex subsea infrastructure,” said Hugh Cuthbertson, McDermott VP and general manager, Asia Pacifi c. •

Valmec Services has been awarded its fi rst contract to provide services to the Talinga Gas Processing Facility, operated by Origin Energy. This follows the com-pany’s acquisition of Exterran Australia in December 2014.

Located 30 km southeast of Chinchilla in Queensland, the Talinga processing plant plays an integral part to the Australia Pacifi c liquefi ed natural gas (LNG) project.

“We are delighted to have secured such a signifi cant service and maintenance contract on the back of the acquisition of Exterran Australia and to be involved in this project for Australia Pacifi c LNG and Origin,” said Valmec managing director, Steve Dropulich.

“It will be delivered by our Queensland site-based team and Dalby workshop services team, supported by our project construction operations. •

Valmec’s � rst Talinga Gas contract


034_AOG0415_Contracts.indd 34 4/1/15 10:24 PM


■ CHEVRON SELLING AUSTRALIAN BUSINESSChevron’s subsidiary Chevron Global Energy entered into an underwriting agreement to sell 50% of its interest in Caltex Australia Ltd. (CAL) to generate cash to support its long-term priorities. The supermajor expects that these shares to be sold to a broad range of Australian and global equity market institutional investors.Chevrons says it will continue to en-sure a reliable, high-quality supply of product is available to the Australian petroleum market company to sup-ply to its retail and reseller franchise network and is committed to seeking long-term relationship opportunities with CAL.

■ FERGUSON EXPANDSMALAYSIAN FLEETSFerguson Group Singapore expands in the region, with an increase in its Malaysian based fl eets, Labuan Supply Base (ASB) and West Malaysia’s Kemaman Supply Base (KSB).

“We are moving workspace modules, as well as reefer units to our Malaysian bases. Coupled with the wide range of cargo carrying units available from all our partners Ferguson Group Singapore will be ideally located to offer a faster response time for deploying assets to

Designed to service subsea projects, GE’s new oil and gas unit is located in Broome, the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

It will support the o� shore installation phase of INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG project by providing local support for preparation, storage and routine maintenance of subsea equipment supplied by the company.

“The establishment of the Broome facility represents an excit-ing milestone for our business in Australia,” said Mary Hackett, re-gional director for Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea of GE Oil & Gas.

“We are proud to be able to provide customers a solution that will mean better and more e� cient operational and maintenance support for crucial o� shore LNG development. It is great to deliver that excellence as part of the Broome community.”

The Broome location was chosen for its proximity to the o� shore operations and to complement INPEX’s existing o� shore support infrastructure in Broome. INPEX also has a dedicated o� ce space at the new facility. •

clients,” said the group’s business unit manager, Simon de Koning.

Before this, the group partnered with Thailand’s OPS Oilfi eld Equipment and Services Ltd., to service the region with cargo carrying units, including dry goods, open tops, half heights, skips and cargo baskets.

■ SWIRE AND ALTUS OPEN NEW BASE IN MALAYSIASwire Oilfi eld Services and Altus Oil & Gas Malaysia Sdn Bhd opened a new base in Kemaman, a district in Terengganu situated on the east coast of Malaysia.

“The opening of our new base in Kemaman represents a signifi cant expan-sion of our presence here in Malaysia and has come as a direct result of in-creased demand for our units, indicating a strong market in South East Asia,” said Alister Beck, general manager South East Asia, Swire.

In addition to offering a range of ser-vices including refurbishment, main-tenance, inspection and logistics, the new venture will also help boost local employment opportunities.

■ FRONTIER OPENS OFFICE IN INDIAFrontier International’s new offi ce in India, the company said, signifi es further international expansion to support

its increased activity in Asia and the Middle East.

The Gurgaon-based operation will be led by manager Arjun Bhakhri, who brings 10 years’ of oil and gas recruit-ment experience in India and the Middle East.

“As a company, Frontier has a long pedigree of working with clients in Asia and the Middle East,” said Paul Radcliffe, Frontier International’s manag-ing director.

“Our investment in this offi ce is a suc-cinct illustration of our commitment to ensuring we continue to provide service in oil and gas recruitment to our clients in these areas.”

■ SPEEDCAST ACQUIRES HERMES DATACOMMSThe acquisition of Hermes Datacommu-nications International Ltd., will create a new global force providing advanced communications and IT services to the energy sector, said Hong Kong-based SpeedCast.

“This game changing acquisition opens a new chapter for our energy business, greatly expanding the scale, scope and capabilities of our busi-ness,” said Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO, SpeedCast.

“Hermes Datacomms’ experience ser-vicing oil and gas customers is an ideal

GE opens Western Australia facility

Activity


035_AOG0415_activity.indd 35 4/2/15 12:14 PM


fit for SpeedCast. It brings us capabilities and relationships that would otherwise be difficult and long to acquire.”

The combined capabilities of SpeedCast and Hermes Datacomms include an integration of services such as satellite communications, fibre connec-tivity, radio services, oilfield communi-cation services, 24/7 real-time monitor-ing and rapid customer response.

■ LOYZ, SUN PETROCHEMICALS INK TWO MOUSSingapore-based upstream firm Loyz Energy, and India’s Sun Petrochemicals signed two binding memorandums of understanding (MOUs). The Indian petrochemical manufacturer, through its exploration and production division, Sun Oil and Natural Gas (SONG) will work on upstream projects together with Loyz.

The first MOU will see Loyz jointly bid for upstream projects with SONG who will bear the entire costs and expen-diture of Loyz’s participating interest share. In the event there is net revenue accruing to the project, Loyz will be en-titled to its carried participating interests share of revenue, plus be responsible for

its share of future costs.Under the second MOU agreement,

Loyz will transfer and assign its Indian assets, such as production sharing con-tracts of the Modhera and Baola fields to SONG. In turn, SONG will commit US$1 million to utilize on the assets to com-plete the work program, lifting produc-tion and monetizing the reserves at the two fields.

■ SINOPEC ESTABLISHES SHALE OIL CENTER China’s National Energy Administration approved Sinopec’s National Shale Oil Research and Development Center.

Sinopec says that with the rapid devel-opment of unconventional energy includ-ing shale oil and gas in recent years, a new wave of energy revolution has been triggered around the world. Shale oil, following shale gas, becomes another focus of global unconventional resources exploration and development. The estab-lishment of the center is of historical and practical significance to China’s shale oil development.

The center’s inauguration and first academic committee conference was held in the Petroleum Exploration and

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Production Research Institute of Sinopec (PEPRIS) on January 30.

■ BMT OPENS JAKARTA ENVIRON-MENTAL TESTING FACILITYBMT Asia Pacific opened its first envi-ronmental testing facility in Jakarta, Indonesia. Certified to ISO17025 by Komite Akreditasi Nasional (KAN), Indonesia’s national accreditation body, the new laboratory provides high-quality technical testing services for BMT’s oil and gas clients including: noise, ambient air quality, water quality, toxicity and emissions.

Previously outsourced, these techni-cal testing services have been brought in-house to better support BMT’s envi-ronmental assessment and consenting of-fering, which includes statutory compli-ance, environmental impact assessments and decommissioning studies. Backed by experienced in-house environmental experts, training pro-grams and rigorous QA processes, the laboratory operates according to industry standards. BMT says that this is particu-larly important in light of increasingly stringent government regulations for environmental monitoring.■

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The number of years coal-seam gas reserves could last levels in Queensland, Australia, based on current production. See page 26.

Distance of Talinga processing plant from the southeast of Chinchilla in Queensland, Australia. See page 34.

Photo from Valmec Talinga Gas.

100

30km

US$58million

80-100The number of technicians needed for recruitment on commissioning projects

See page 18.

83 MTPA The number of rigs currently in service in Southeast Asia. See page 12.

Australia’s expected LNG production capacity by 2018. See page 28.

The year GE’s new oil and gas unit opened in Broome, Australia. See page 35.Photo from GE Broome Facility.

Percentage of energy professionals who believe the industry is male-dominated. See page 20.72%

Western Australia’s revenue from resource exports per year.

See page 30.AU$100billion

80

Numerology

Approximate cost of two o� shore support vessels from Nam Cheong Ltd. See page 8.

million tonsper annum

The year GE’s new oil and gas unit opened

AOG | March April 201538

100

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038_AOG0415_Numerology.indd 38 4/2/15 10:44 AM


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Asian Oil and Gas-March-April 2015