MEMBER NEWS Issue 24 DECOM NEWSMay 2016. Launch at Decom Offshore 2016 conference, 25th May. Mapping Decom Initiatives Early Stage Map current industry, academic and other decommissioning

MEMBER NEWS

DECOM NEWSIssue 24 | May 2016

• Contributing Ideas for Future DNS Projects

• Launch of Late Life Planning Portal

• Leadon Decommissioning Programme Approved

• Rigs to Railways

• Closing in on the Circular Economy

• Member News

In this issue

www.decomnorthsea.com 32 Decom News: Issue 24

MEET THE DECOM NORTH SEA TEAM DIRECTOR’S FOREWORD

In this issue

pg4 Contributing Ideas for Future DNS Projects

pg 6 Launch of Late Life Planning Portal

pg 8 Leadon Decommissioning Programme Approved

pg 10 Closing in on the Circular Economy

pg 12 Rigs to Railways

pg 18 Member News

Design & Production PR & Copywriting

Karen SeathGeneral ManagerDecom North Sea

Karen Seath

A very warm welcome to the latest edition of Decom News!

As we progress through 2016, the industry is under no illusions that this year will be a particularly challenging one. At Decom North Sea, we remain focused on facilitating the knowledge sharing and collaboration that is so crucial for our members, and are delighted that our membership level is higher than ever before. Since this time last year, we have gained more than 100 members, which truly demonstrates the importance and value that organisations place on decommissioning in the current climate and Decom North Sea, respectively.

We have had fantastic levels of attendance at our recent events and networking opportunities, including our March Lunch & Learn which saw 140 delegates come together to hear from our strategic partners and network with industry peers to discuss market updates, collaborative partnerships, lessons learned, transferable capabilities and the most efficient and effective ways of working as we move forward.

I’m also delighted that DNS will once again host its annual flagship conference on 25 May at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre. We have endeavoured to take a highly practical approach this year. Decommissioning – Reality, Preparation and Action in a low oil price environment will focus on the planning, collaboration, partnerships and entrepreneurial flair that is so critical for the North Sea oil and gas industry at this time.

We will showcase market insight and analysis, a pipeline workshop, a choice of interactive sessions and 30 exhibitors showcasing innovative technologies. Thank you very much indeed to our conference committee for making Decom Offshore 2016 much more than a traditional conference.

At Decom Offshore we will also be launching our Late Life Planning Portal (L2P2). Designed to support the North Sea oil and gas industry in the planning and execution of late life and decommissioning projects, the operational website provides a single access point for knowledge sharing and cross sector learning. Additionally, L2P2 provides the fundamental step change needed as the industry approaches the decommissioning era.

As decommissioning activity continues to increase and accelerate, L2P2 will provide the toolkit to which the industry can refer during the entire process, from planning through to application. Effective knowledge sharing is one of the key ways for North Sea based companies to become world leaders in this critical phase, and we actively encourage our members to adopt a collective approach that will result in an invaluable knowledge bank for the entire decommissioning community.

We are very excited at the potential impact which this tool could have for all practitioners and participants in this sector, and I would like to say a huge thank you to our project team, steering committee, work stream champions and supporters for all of their help in making this important launch happen.

DNS prides itself on offering a membership that creates and facilitates business and networking opportunities for our members, and has formed strategic and collaborative partnerships which better enable us to deliver projects, market intelligence, knowledge sharing and collaborative opportunities to those wishing to find opportunities in the sector. I would encourage like-minded organisations to work together in order to ultimately benefit the industry as a whole.

It gives me great pleasure to announce Roger Esson as Decom North Sea’s new Chief Executive. He brings with him over 20 years’ highly relevant experience - including having played an active role in the execution of several of the UK’s most significant decommissioning projects. Widely recognised for his stewardship of the oil and gas sector, we very much welcome Roger to the team. Please do take the opportunity to speak with Roger at Decom Offshore.

We’re also extremely proud of our chairman, Callum Falconer. In the last edition of Decom News, I announced that he had been nominated as a finalist within the “Above and Beyond” category of this year’s Offshore Achievement Awards, which took place in March. That in itself was great recognition of the work he has undertaken on behalf of the decommissioning industry as a whole, and within his role at DNS specifically. However, I am delighted to announce that Callum was presented with the category’s Highly Commended award on the night – congratulations Callum!

When it comes to recognition of work, I would very much like to extend my thanks to our dedicated Executive team and Board members for their continued hard work, passion and support throughout what has been a very busy time. The team at DNS is here to help and we are always keen to engage with our membership and take on board your feedback. I encourage you to fully utilise your membership benefits and consider our staff a helpful extension of your own team.

Decom North Sea would like to thank Maersk Oil for the front cover image

Karen SeathGeneral Manager

Jennifer DunbarMarketing and Events Manager

Pamela OgilvieInterim Business Manager

Izzie BryceDigital Marketing and Events Manager

Laura GibsonFinance Manager

Matteo BediniProjects Intern

Jenny McRaeAdmin and Projects Officer

Roger EssonChief Executive

4 Decom News: Issue 24

Contributing your ideas for future Decom North Sea Projects

Dr Stewart DaviesChair of DNS Projects Sub-Committee

DECOM NORTH SEA DECOM NORTH SEA

www.decomnorthsea.com 5

PROJECT STAGE OBJECTIVES KEY DELIVERABLES & BENEFITS STATUS / NEXT STEPS

Early ContractorEngagement

Set Up Methodology to help operators/ buyers select/engage with potential contractors at earlier stage in decom programmes.

Best practise evidence-based toolkit available to DNS members Improved tender execution; influence contracting strategies; enable innovative and efficient solutions.

Member support from PDI. Project re-shaped and re-invigorated. Currently in definition stage.

EIA Roadmap Set Up Roadmap for delivery of Environmental Impact Assessments.

Template format available via DECC website. Reduce time and cost for operators to prepare and for DECC to assess EIA.

Member support from Ramboll Environ. Re-engagement with original working group under process. Project scope under review.

Late Life Planning Portal (L2P2)

Early Stage Creation of planning tool for transition from late life to decom, combines learnings of operators and major contractors.

Online integrated roadmap; structured repository of standards, practises, tools, templates, learning. Increase effectiveness and efficiency of industry.

Due diligence phase completed. System build April/May 2016. Launch at Decom Offshore 2016 conference, 25th May.

Mapping Decom Initiatives

Early Stage Map current industry, academic and other decommissioning related initiatives; remove duplication.

Database of decom initiatives, showing interconnection and overlap. Remove duplication and cost, industry collaboration.

Member support from Bibby. Questionnaire complete. Mapping system being progressed.

Lessons Learned

Early Stage Enable/stimulate learnings from the completed decom projects, links to relevant individuals/companies.

Information/process available via L2P2. Cost, innovation, training.

Member support from Optimus. DECC engagement re LL information. Integration in L2P2 under discussion.

Market Intelligence

Early Stage Provision of key market intelligence including business opportunities.

Online market intelligence data for members via the DNS website. Wider understanding of market and opportunities for members.

Interactive map available on DNS website. New current projects uploaded. New survey for Ports/Yards under development.

Re-Use of Structural Steel

Late Stage Promote circular economy opportunities. Explore potential development of a structural steel re-use supply chain.

Analyse current decom projects to establish potential inter-sectorial market demand for structural steel. Cost-efficiencies for construction. Jobs and skills for supply chain

AMEC FW contracted. Draft Report complete and being reviewed by stakeholders.

Adoption of novel solutions (with O&GUK)

Review & Publicise

Study into barriers to adoption of new technology in decom and how these will be overcome.

Report with guidelines and best practise. Reduced costs. Ways to increase uptake of new technology.

ARUP contracted. Oil & Gas UK funded. Final report launched at St Andrews conference Nov 2015 and available on DNS website.

Reuse Review & Publicise

Overcome reuse challenges and determine enablers; show the extent and understand viability of reuse in O&G market.

Develop Reuse Overview, CE/Reuse case studies booklet. Enhanced understanding/knowledge of reuse options in O&G market.

SLR contracted. Zero Waste Scotland funded. Final Report launched on 1st December at DNS/Zero Waste Scotland event.

Mattress Solutions

Closed out Identify efficient removal methods; Assess basis for derogation/ removal/ reuse; Identify opportunities for Circular Economy.

Report of current state, best practice, options for derogations & removal solutions. Bring innovative solutions to the fore; Inform CE models.

Jee contracted. Zero Waste Scotland funded. Final report delivered and now available on the DNS website.

Removal, Inventory & Reuse

Closed out Characterise asset inventory to maximise return to offset decom costs; Promote innovative removal & disposal; Understand impact on CE.

Report on assets to be decommissioned; innovative removal and disposal approaches; Impact assessment on CE outcomes. Cost, innovation, understanding of CE approach.

ABB contracted. Zero Waste Scotland funded. Final report delivered and now available on the DNS website.

PROJECT STAGE OBJECTIVES KEY DELIVERABLES & BENEFITS STATUS / NEXT STEPS

Multiparty Well P&A

Monitor Develop collaborative P&A campaigns with OGA, DECC and DNS members.

Incentivised pilot multi-party project. Reduced costs/efficient Well P&A.

DNS supporting OGA. Workshops held with SNS operators. “Hackathon” with supply chain in Spring 2016.

Well P&A Technology

Monitor P&A is forecast to be circa 50% of costs. New technologies have the potential to significantly reduce costs.

Market review of current and future technologies. Efficient prioritisation, development process and knowledge sharing.

DNS is working with ITF, OGA and OGUK. Initial scoping meeting chaired by ITF in July 2015; catch up meetings with core team bimonthly. ITF issued Call for Proposals – “Through Tubing Logging – P&A”.

Decom Safety Case

Monitor Develop coherent and comprehensive guidance for industry.

IGuidance notes and template, with comms plan/events. Increased confidence in development of safety case; Reduced risk of rejection of submissions.

Review and re-definition of scope being discussed.

SEPA Mattress Guidelines

Ideas Hopper

Categorisation of mattresses. Guidelines to minimise costs and environmental impacts

Industry guidelines on mattresses decommissioning. Minimise costs and promote clear methodology.

Pilot study under development. Planned workshop scheduled for Q2 2016.

Salvage & Decom Synergies

Ideas Hopper

Enable transfer of learnings from salvage industry to O&G decom sector.

Case studies overview. Transferable technologies and methodologies identified, and ways to increase their uptake. Enable learnings; reduced cost/more effective removal.

Project definition being reviewed. Potential delivery help being investigated.

Problem-Solving Algorithms

Proposal Gauge operator’s interest in the use of Metaheuristics (problem-solving algorithms) to plan resources in late life.

Report defining problems and interdependencies. Optimise Decommissioning planning in late life

Proposal for under development with The Datalab.

The event will begin with a review of what happened to the projects that were prioritised in the last such event, held in March 2014. The good news is that we will be reporting delivery of important developments that only Decom North Sea, through its 340 member companies with their range of expertise and perspective, could have delivered.

The event is about looking forward, rather than back, however, and we will be discuss-ing and prioritising ideas for new projects that aim to equip the oil and gas sector with the

knowledge and tools to be more efficient and effective in tackling the decommissioning challenge to meet safety, environmental, time, cost and quality requirements. It’s important that you are there because we will be looking to establish where the relevant expertise is to input to shaping these projects right from the start and your particular knowledge might be just what is needed to make the project work best for industry as a whole!

For further details and to register for the Decommissioning Industry Project Workshop,

contact Jennifer Dunbar [email protected] at Decom North Sea.

For the current and ongoing projects, the summary of the status of projects is at http://www.decomnorthsea.com/projects so all members and stakeholders can be kept up to speed with all the exciting developments. In particular, any organisations interested in co-funding or helping out with projects that are in the Ideas Hopper stage should contact Karen Seath [email protected].

In the last edition of Decom News we said that we were planning an event for members to allow you to contribute to shaping the future programme of projects that will be delivered by Decom North Sea. This event – the Projects Ideas Workshop - is now confirmed as taking place at the Aberdeen Exhibition Centre on the afternoon of Thursday 26th May and will be facilitated by Accenture and Wild Thinking consultants.

6 Decom News: Issue 24 www.decomnorthsea.com 7

Our Late Life Planning Portal (L2P2) is an operational website, designed to support the North Sea oil and gas industry in the planning and execution of late life and decommission-ing projects. In providing a single access point for knowledge sharing and cross sector learn-ing, L2P2 will provide a common toolkit that the entire industry can access; from planning through to execution.

A presentation at our Decom Offshore 2016 Conference is only the first of a number of distinct phases through which the portal will be developed; L2P2 execution Project Manager Pamela Ogilvie explains:

“This initial concept will provide the user with a ‘landing page’ which presents 60 intersection points across work breakdown el-ements. Clicking on any of these points gives

access to a commentary on what decom-missioning practitioners should be planning, a range of tools and guidelines they can download for their own use and links to other useful sites. In subsequent versions of the portal, we will build additional functionality such as a discussion forum, optimisation for tablets, a contacts directory, benchmarking and analytics and customised presentations aligned to asset types.

“We are keen to hear from any business currently involved in the decommissioning sector who can provide value-adding tools to the portal” added Pamela, “our aim is to develop an online best practice tool for the whole decommissioning community.”

The portal will also enable links to lessons learned from other projects, where DNS are

currently running a parallel project. In collabo-ration with DECC, Alex West, lessons learned Project Manager, quickly identified the linkage between both projects. “The database of les-sons has been provided by DECC, summarised from the close-out reports of past decom-missioning projects. This has enabled us to provide L2P2 with a stock of experience that other projects can learn from so that future decommissioning projects become better and more cost effective.”

L2P2 will provide the single start point needed as our basin fast approaches late life and as decommissioning activity increases.

For more information and to find out how to get involved, please contact Pamela Ogilvie, DNS Business Manager.

Launch of the much anticipated Late Life Planning Portal (L2P2).L2P2 has been an ambitious project and a direct result of the growing collaborative spirit within the oil & gas industry. Willingness to share a good idea, collaborate on translating the idea into a practical user friendly tool and the determination and skill in project execution have been the keys to success.

Key Membership Benefits

Pamela Ogilvie, DNS Business Manager

Tom Leeson, DNS Non-Executive Director

DECOM NORTH SEA DECOM NORTH SEA

Online• Immediate opportunity to present a three-page profile of your

company on the DNS Website (Members Director), and to update this as frequently as you wish.

• Immediate opportunity to submit any company Case Studies on our website.

• Immediate opportunity to submit your company press releases to feature on the Members News section on our website

• Immediate opportunity to promote any industry events within this section of our website.

• Access to the Members only area of the website, including market intelligence reports and similar.

• Access to members only E-Shots with special offers, industry updates.

Quarterly News Magazine• Opportunity to contribute a news feature for the DNS News Magazine.

Hard copies circulated over 500 industry professionals and e-copies to many more.

• Opportunity to raise your profile by booking an advert in our DNS News Magazine, as a member you are entitled to a reduced rate for this.

Events• Opportunity to present your company’s capabilities to DNS

membership at “Lunch & Learn” events.• Attendance at Decom North Sea member only events, either at no

charge or at discounted rates.• Opportunity to participate in overseas trade missions. • Opportunities to sponsor or co-sponsor Decom North Sea networking

events, conferences, workshops and seminars etc.• Opportunities to exhibit at conferences & Lunch and Learns.• Opportunity to network with the North Sea’s decommissioning

professionals. • Participation in Decom North Sea meetings, including the AGM. • Opportunity to participate in specialist working groups.

Other• Opportunity to nominate a potential director of Decom North Sea• Assistance with introductions to relevant professionals within the

decommissioning industry. • Receive mailings, newsletters and press releases.• Opportunity to contribute to and influence Decom North Sea’s

responses to consultations.

Spotlight on DNS Board MemberAfter first arriving in Aberdeen in 1991, working for several organisations since then, speaking at many conferences and seminars, and being a Director of DNS since 2011, Tom is well known in the UK market; but we have decided to uncover a few things you may not know about him.

Tom started his career with Shell after completing a Ph.D. in chemical engineering focused on improving the quality of beer foam! His early career included working on the well site in Oman, offshore on the Brent field and onshore in the Netherlands. He then joined the service sector and worked for a number of companies in a variety of sales, product development, engineering and project management roles. During this period he got his first exposure to well abandonment as part of the WellCut team (now Claxton Engineering) working on suspended subsea wells. On joining Halliburton in 2009 he led the teams responsible for delivering integrated service models on a number of abandonment projects before taking a global responsibility for this market sector.

Since 2014 he has been working as a consultant with Reverse Engineering focused totally on the decommissioning market. “I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in different roles on nearly a dozen operational projects including rig-based, rigless, platform, subsea and suspended wells. I’ve also engineered more than a 1,000 abandonment plans and think i’ve finally found my niche in the employment market.”

A successful athlete in his youth, he’s a bit coy about his achievements, so you’ll have to ‘Google’ him to find out his successes; but he still finds time to coach a number of athletes in the local area, many of whom are successful at a national level and competing as part of the Scottish team.

A perfect combination of innovative thinking

and high-tech equipment

1. Compression module installation, E17a-A, ENGIE (NL)2. De Ruyter Hook-up works, PetroCanada (NL)3. Minimum Facility Platform installation, P11-E, ONE (NL)

1

23

EverSea NV is a specialist in complex offshore marine construction projects and offers a wide variety of services in the Oil & Gas sector.

In the next decade the Oil & Gas sector will be facing major challenges such as a volatile oil price, depleted fields and new ways of exploring the remaining energy resources.

Through innovative thinking and high-tech equipment EverSea is offering reliable and sustainable solutions in response to these future needs in various fields such as decommissioning of aging assets, development of marginal fields, installation of Minimum Facility Platforms, well intervention, plug and abandonment operations, fly-by operations, hook-up works, accommodation units and offshore heavy lifting.

EverSea nvPart of GeoSea nvMember of the DEME GroupHaven 1025 - Scheldedijk 30 B-2070 Zwijndrecht, Belgium T +32 3 250 53 12F +32 3 250 55 [email protected]/eversea

opm_EverSea_corporate_adv2016_128x180.indd 1 22/03/16 16:11

Decom North Sea – Key Membership Benefits


rigging will be done by an ROV. Work is ongoing to prepare the scope which is expected to be executed during the summer months. Once completed the riser bases will be disposed onshore.

One of the most challenging scopes at Leadon is to recover the enormous towhead structures. This scope is due to take place in 2017. There has already been a lot of interaction with the supply chain to assess capabilities to perform the scope with a wide range of solutions being proposed.

“It looks to be a busy year ahead for the decommissioning team as they undertake this significant task. Decommissioning is an up and coming sector of the industry and as decommissioning a large scale bundle is an industry first the onus is on us to share our experience with other operators,” finishes Martin.

Side bar: Conservation efforts Adam Jones, Environmental and Quality Manager sheds some light on the environment surrounding Leadon.

“The Leadon field is located approximately 220 miles north-east of Aberdeen and 15 miles north of the Gryphon field. The water depth in this area is around 120 metres and the seabed is mostly sand.

“There isn’t anything environmentally unusual about Leadon so this is a benefit

when it comes to decommissioning. Nevertheless, throughout the North Sea there is an abundance of marine life which is a key consideration when submitting any decommissioning programme and our duty of care to leave the site in a similar or improved environmental condition as when operations began.

“No two decommissioning projects are the same and in Leadon’s case the bundle makes it unique. As a result we engaged heavily with the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, the JNCC and Marine Scotland to ensure a solution suitable for all was found.”

www.maerskoil.com

The Leadon field was inherited by Maersk Oil through the 2005 acquisition of Kerr McGee’s assets. The decommissioning programme has now been approved by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

Leadon decommissioning programme approved

The bundleWith a diameter of 47.5 & 42.5 inches, measuring roughly four kilometres long and weighing 1 tonne per metre, the bundle situated on the Leadon field is a significant piece of kit – currently there are around 70 bundles in the UK North Sea and their diameters range from six inches to 50 inches. These bundles hold all the structures, valve work, pipelines and control systems necessary to operate a field.

Their use can often reduce costs and installation time and they’ve proven to be useful if the seabed in an area is particularly congested. The benefits of such an approach are clear, nevertheless the Leadon decommissioning team discovered that retrieving a pipeline of this size is an extremely complex task.

To install the bundle it has to be floated and towed out to location from onshore. At both ends are towheads over 30 metres long, each weighing around 300 tonnes. The towheads have a dual function as they connect the bundle to the towing vessel during installation and also function as manifolds on the seabed. Once on location the bundle is ballasted into position on the seabed and connected to the wells.

Fully removing the bundle would be a major operation and currently the technology to conquer such a task cost effectively and without considerable risk to personnel isn’t there. For these reasons Maersk Oil intends to remove the towheads and leave the bundle in situ. The bundle ends will then be rock dumped to make it safe to over trawl, this is then verified through testing. It was important to involve the supply chain and discuss with bundle owners at an early stage to make sure

we had a comprehensive understanding of the bundle decommissioning challenges, and importantly where it needs to develop.

“We’ve committed to inspect and monitor the bundle on a periodic basis. We need to continue to monitor the bundle to ensure it remains overtrawlable and hasn’t become a risk to fishermen. If anything has changed we can take the appropriate corrective measures. In the event, over time, that no bundle recovery solution is deemed viable and there are concerns over the integrity of the bundle and its risk to fishermen, the bundle would be rock dumped in its entirety. We’ve also committed to constantly monitor the market for the next five years. If a safe and cost-effective bundle removal solution enters the market then we can take the necessary steps to reassess the leave in-situ solution.”

The bundle may be the main talking point of this decommissioning project but there is still a lot of other work to carry out. Last year all subsea trees were disconnected and further subsea scopes carried out with DECC’s approval. And in March, Transocean’s SEDCO 704 drilling rig finished well plug and abandon activities at the Leadon South cluster.

“Five previously shut-in wells and four partially abandoned wells have now been fully abandoned with all xmas trees, wellheads and

upper completions recovered and back-loaded to Lerwick for onshore disposal,” says Gary McWilliam, Senior Completions Engineer.

“The planning and execution of well abandonment operations required input from a wide range of disciplines and throughout the preparations there was positive collaboration between the subsurface and wells teams to collate and analyse well data, understand abandonment requirements and ensure compliance with standards.”

The 2016 workscopes to recover the six riser bases from the seabed will soon be kicked off. The structures, weighing up to 100 tonnes each, are gravity base structures and will be recovered in a single lift. These operations are expected to be carried by a Construction Support Vessel and the connection of lift

“”The industry has watched the

progress of this decommissioning

programme with interest,” says Martin

Simms, Leadon Decommissioning

Project Manager. “It’s the first time

a large diameter bundle has been

decommissioned in the UK North Sea

and so far it’s proven to be a subject of

great discussion.”Did you know?The Global Producer III FPSO was

stationed on the Leadon field for five

years before cessation of production

was announced. It then moved to the

Dumbarton field where it currently

resides. The risers and flowlines

connecting the GPIII to the Leadon wells

were removed one year after the vessel

left the location.

Did you know?A wide array of marine life has made the

wider area around Leadon their home.

A selection includes: Norway pout, blue

whiting, cod, mackerel, sand eel, herring,

anglerfish, hake and haddock. Whales,

killer whales, dolphins and porpoises are

also spotted in the area

Did you know?The Leadon field was discovered in 1979

by British National Oil Corporation and

production began in 2001. Over the

field’s life, 18 wells were drilled: a mixture

of production wells and water injectors.

FEATURE ARTICLE FEATURE ARTICLE


The Circular Economy is closer than you think.

Closing in on the Circular Economy

Through Zero Waste Scotland’s close working relationship with Decomm North Sea and Oil & Gas UK, we’ve worked to highlight the economic potential of a system that keeps materials in productive use for as long as possible, and specifically its potential for the oil and gas sector, and for Scotland.

Our organisations have previously shown that reusing decommissioned United Kingdom Continental Shelf assets could alone create an estimated 35,000 jobs. This is why we see it as at the forefront of driving a circular economy in Scotland.

The momentum of the last few months now sees Scotland starting to accelerate its leadership on this agenda with a series of key actions that will help to realise new business opportunities, within the context of Scotland’s aim of working to enable production to continue in the North Sea for as long as possible, and ensuring that decommissioning is executed in a safe, environmentally sound and cost effective manner in order for the supply chain to gain competitive advantage.

It is clear that there will be increasing demand and opportunity for decommissioning services. The Scottish Government stresses however, that it is important to avoid the risk of a ‘domino’ scenario where the early closure of a production facility leads to others linked to that facility closing before the end of their economic life.

On the role of decommissioning within a circular economy, Scotland is in a strong position. Scottish companies have key strengths in areas such as the preparatory work for cessation of production, the cleaning and removal of hydrocarbons from infrastructure, and disconnection and disposal.

In February, the Scottish Government unveiled its first ever circular economy strategy, Making Things Last. The strategy identifies four priority areas where Scotland can make rapid progress and deliver the most significant environmental and economic benefits. One of these areas is energy infrastructure, and the re-use of decommissioned equipment in the oil and gas sector.

The same month, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a new £70m programme – including £30 million from the European Regional Development Fund – to develop and grow the circular economy in Scotland.

And in March, as part of this overall programme, Zero Waste Scotland and Scottish Enterprise launched an £18m fund to help small and medium-sized enterprises explore and pioneer ways to develop a circular economy. The funding will be spread over three years and will be focused on major sectors, including oil and gas. There will also be funding available for key activities such as reuse, remanufacturing, repair and reprocessing.

The Circular Economy Investment Fund aims to support innovation, particularly in the development of circular business models, as well as stimulating the uptake and development of new technologies and the infrastructure needed for a more circular economy. This could take the form of sharing, leasing or takeback models, encouraging repair or new recycling ideas.

For the last two-and-a-half years we have been running a programme to support businesses to develop circular economy business models (CEBMs). CEBMs offer an important route to developing and delivering business resilience and growth in a circular economy. The new circular economy fund will allow businesses to go further.

It can help businesses to develop CEBMs in an entirely new area of business, or expand existing work that falls within the scope of circular economy. In the decommissioning

sector this could include, for example, hiring/leasing of equipment; providing a product as a service (including maintenance and refurbishment for example); developing testing and/or recertification for products; incentivising the return of ‘used’ products which could be refurbished or remanufactured for resale into a new market and ‘sharing’ of assets or equipment.

Later this year, we’ll also be offering technical, non-financial support in addition to the fund. The support will be flexible to meet the needs of businesses in Scotland, recognising that a business may have the will, but not the time, knowledge, resources or expertise to explore a new business model. It will cover all stages of development, helping to ensure commercial goals are realised, while mitigating the risk of developing a new business model.

We’ll be able to advise on what a circular business model could look like in a particular context, and help with feasibility assessment. This might involve financial modelling, market research or soft market testing. We’ll also provide support in the development of business cases to enable firms to make decisions about implementing new ways of working; commercial cases for customers and support for trial and pilots.

From our work with Decom North Sea over recent years, we have built up an extensive knowledge base that can be used in support of businesses in the oil and gas sector who are looking to explore new circular business models. For example, we have supported a number of SMEs in the oil and gas supply chain to explore models which would facilitate greater re-use of valuable offshore equipment. This included looking at new markets in overseas oil and gas, as well as other UK industries, and examining how these models could operate contractually, through profit share, direct sale and other areas.

The Circular Economy fund and technical support, delivered by Zero Waste Scotland and

FEATURE ARTICLE FEATURE ARTICLE

Louise McGregorHead of Circular Economy, Zero Waste Scotland Scottish Enterprise, will help small to medium-

sized businesses and other organisations, develop innovative technologies, business models and infrastructure – from proof of concept stage through to implementation. It will also offer development support to businesses seeking to redesign their processes and products, and implement resource efficiency measures.

For a business manufacturing and selling cranes for example, we would look at a range of ‘circular’ options. We can provide advice on issues such as whether the cranes could be rented or hired, scope to remanufacture used cranes, re-certification as new for sale, recovering used cranes at the end of a contract, or leasing.

CEBMs can offer new commercial opportunities, contribute to business growth and sustainability, generate new revenue, transform a business’s relationship with its customers, and protect our economy against resource shortages and the rising cost of materials.

Another area of interest is remanufacturing. A recent baseline study estimated that remanufacturing in Scotland has the potential to grow from its current value of £1.1bn, to nearly £1.7bn with the addition of 5,700 new jobs. The industry already employs some 17,000 people across the country.

Remanufacturing, the technical and system process for repair and refurbishment which returns a product to a condition with a warranty to match the new product, can and should be a key part of a well-functioning circular economy. With the ability to boost re-use and conserving precious materials, while creating genuinely sustainable economic growth and high quality employment, at Zero Waste Scotland we are well aware of the opportunity remanufacturing presents.

In 2015 we joined forces with the Scottish Funding Council to launch the £1.3m Scottish Institute for Remanufacture based at Strathclyde University in Glasgow. Plugging into groups such as the European Remanufacturing Network, it has a truly international outlook, concentrating on product remanufacture, reconditioning, repair and reuse. It’s already making progress on a number of fronts, prioritising joint research projects between industry and academia to overcome barriers in remanufacturing, building awareness of the remanufacturing concept; providing a knowledge exchange and one-stop information source and building a network.

The Institute recently announced its first batch of funding to nine pioneering projects which will help Scottish remanufacturing businesses explore how to make the most

efficient use of materials – furthering Scotland’s position as a circular economy leader. These include Cummins Diesel ReCon, ACS Marine, Campers Scotland Ltd and WEEE Scotland. Projects involve areas such as logistics in recovering products for remanufacture, material wear, cleaning technologies and end-of- life assessment.

We’re excited to be at the forefront of delivering this support, with partner agencies, to help businesses and organisations in Scotland seize the opportunities that the circular economy presents. Now is the time to turn big ideas into action.

It’s about opening up and stimulating markets to build prosperity that is sustainable, turning waste into wealth and keeping materials in productive use for as long as possible. We want to help businesses not just stay ahead of the curve but shape the curve

• Apply here for the Circular Economy Investment Fund www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/content/circular-economy-investment-fund

• The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information visit our website www.gov.scot/Topics/Business-Industry/support/17404 or follow @scotgovESIF.

• The ERDF allocation is part of a targeted approach investing European funding to develop a resource-efficient, greener and more competitive economy in Scotland. Find out more www.gov.scot/Topics/Business-Industry/support/17404

• The Scottish Government’s Circular Economy strategy, Making Things Last, is available here – www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/02/1761/4


Railway enthusiasts and ramblers alike are set to benefit from Shell’s Brent decommissioning project thanks to a donation of several large steel beams.

Rigs to Railways

The beams, used originally to aid the installation of giant lift points on the Brent Delta platform ahead of removing the platform’s topside in one lift - an operation which will be completed by Allseas Pioneering Spirit - have been handed over to Deeside Railway following a request from one of its volunteers.

The steel beams will be used to construct two new bridges in the Deeside area – a footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists and a second for trains.

Richard Hamlet, who is Lead Technical Safety Engineer for the Wood Group on the Decommissioning Services Contract, made the request for the beams. In his spare time he acts as Treasurer of the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society and volunteers at the railway.

“I noticed that the steel beams had been earmarked for melting down following completion of the underdeck work on Brent Delta. It occurred to me that they would be perfect for constructing the bridges we need as part of our extension work,” said Richard.

“The railway is a 100% voluntary organization. While income from ticket sales and special events covers operational costs of the locomotives and rolling stock, we rely on donations and grants for our expansion work. The donation of the beams from the Brent decommissioning project is a major contribution to extending the railway.”

Richard and his fellow volunteers are restoring the Deeside Railway along part of its original trackbed. The Deeside Railway once travelled from Aberdeen to Ballater, but its tracks have since been removed and the path opened as a well-used public walking and cycling track. While in operation, the railway was used by the British Royal Family during travel to their Scottish retreat at Balmoral. The Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society is using part of the way to build a heritage railway.

The steel beams from the Brent Delta platform will be used to build two bridges: a 17 metre footbridge and a railway bridge. The footbridge will be for users of the Deeside Way and will cross the Burn O’Bennie in Banchory, running parallel to the existing railway bridge. The second bridge will enable the railway to expand eastwards towards Drumoak and will cross the service road to the Milton of Crathes craft village.

Alistair Hope, Project Director for Brent Decommissioning, said: “We’re delighted to be able to donate the runway beams from the Brent Delta underdeck work and give them a new lease of life. Ultimately Shell’s aim is to recycle 97% of the Brent Delta topside so it’s great to start as we mean to go on.”

www.shell.co.uk

FEATURE ARTICLE STRATEGIC PARTNER NEWS

Achilles FPAL update

With new opportunities in decommissioning, could your organisation demonstrate capabilities as a supplier of relevant skills and/or equipment?

If the answer is yes, you should consider joining Achilles FPAL and adding Decommissioning codes Series 3.15.

Why join Achilles FPAL?Achilles FPAL is a supplier management community used by Operators and major Contractors in the oil & gas industry to search for suppliers and invite them to tender.

By joining Achilles FPAL and selecting the Decommissioning codes series, your organisation could be found and contacted by Achilles FPAL buyers as

part of their sourcing activities for future decommissioning projects.Barry Macleod, Managing Director of Bibby Offshore UKCS, an

Achilles FPAL buyer commented in Decom North Sea 2015 newsletter: “Decommissioning work has been a key area of focus for Bibby Offshore for many years and as a result, we have built up a strong track record. Production from the Renee and Rubie fields ceased in 2009 and, following a site survey we completed last October, we were contracted to be part of this extensive project.”

If you have any questions or would like more information about Achilles FPAL and how to join, please email [email protected] or call +44 1224 337533.

Did you know the Oil and Gas Industry forecasts to spend a total of £16.9 billion over the next decade on the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas installations, wells, pipelines and other subsea infrastructure on the UKCS? And that 23 decommissioning projects were forecasted from 2015-2024 on the Norwegian Continental Shelf?

Oil & Gas UK Forecast Indicates Growing Market for Decommissioning in Norway

Working together with five key operators in the region, Oil & Gas UK reveals that while the Norwegian Continental Shelf is at an earlier stage of maturity, there will be twenty three decommissioning projects, ranging from small subsea tie-backs to full-scale integrated platform removals, between 2015 and 2024. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate estimates that decommissioning expenditure during this period could reach NOK 160 billion (£12.5 billion), representing a significant emerging business in the sector.

While decommissioning activity is in its infancy, there are 12 concrete facilities, 19 floating steel facilities, 88 steel facilities and nearly 350 subsea systems in place, most of which will eventually require decommissioning. An estimated 3,000 wells will also need to be plugged and abandoned.

Oil & Gas UK Decommissioning Insights increase the visibility of

emerging markets to help the supply chain develop the skills, technologies, expertise and cost-efficient solutions required by operators. The aim is to enable an efficient decommissioning market to emerge alongside the industry’s continued and sustained programme of capital investment in new developments.

The publication is available on the Oil & Gas UK website http://oilandgasuk.co.uk/growing-market-for-decommissioning-in-norway-evident-from-oil-gas-uk-forecast/

More information available from Lucy Gordon at [email protected].

Oil & Gas UK has published its first Norwegian Continental Shelf Decommissioning Insight which reveals the market could be the second largest in the North Sea after the UK Continental Shelf.

For more information please visit our website www.decomnorthsea.comor contact Jennifer Dunbar on [email protected] or +44 (0)1224 914044

SAVE THE DATE

Offshore Decommissioning Conference14 – 16 November 2016, Fairmont Hotel, St AndrewsJointly organised with Oil & Gas UK


MEMBER POINT OF VIEW

The NW Hutton hydrocarbon field (Figure 1) was discovered in 1975 and developed by BP, with production commencing in April 1983 and ceasing nine years later in 1992. During the life of the field 53 wells were drilled, facilitated by diesel as a drilling fluid until it was replaced in 1984 by a kerosene-based, low toxicity, oil based mud (Marsh, 2003). Throughout the drilling program all cuttings were disposed of on the seabed, accumulating under the platform to form a pile, estimated as approximately 31 000m3 in volume with dimensions of 200m x 150m and a maximum height of 5.5m (Brown and Root, 1992; Aquatera, 2013; BP, 2005). Major decommissioning activities took place at the field between 2008 and 2010, with only the platform footings remaining in situ, thereby minimising any future disturbances of the cuttings pile.

As a responsible operator BP is committed to understanding the environment in which it operates, a key part of this is gathering environmental data. The seabed around NW Hutton has been regularly monitored during operations and since the cessation of activity, with BP commissioning four environmental surveys for chemical and faunal composition in between 1992, and 2002.

In 2013, BP commissioned Gardline, specialists in environmental surveys, to conduct a post decommissioning seabed survey in the area surrounding the NW Hutton platform footings and cuttings pile. This survey had multiple objectives; • To gather environmental baseline information

to assess the current extent of environmental impact post decommissioning;

• To fulfil the commitments within the Decommissioning Plan which had been agreed with the Regulator;

• To understand the natural recovery of the environment by comparing 2013 survey results with BP’s historic datasets; and

• To determine the future plans for long term monitoring.

2013 Survey StrategyThe post decommissioning survey strategy was designed to ensure a wide coverage of the seabed around the cuttings pile, incorporating both old and new station sites (Figure 2). A total of 30 stations were sampled using a 0.1m2 day grab, with thirteen of these positioned close to previously investigated stations, thereby allowing for direct comparisons and changes over time to be calculated. One grab sample

was collected at each of the 30 stations and sub sampled for physico chemical analysis (particle size distribution, organic matter, hydrocarbons and metals). In line with previous surveys, additional grabs were acquired at each of the nine stations along the northern transect for macrofaunal analyses.

ResultsHydrocarbonsHydrocarbons, or oil content in the sediments, can be representative of contamination from different drilling fluids. OSPAR Recommendation 2006/5 on the Management Regime for Offshore Cuttings Piles and the Norwegian Oil Industry Association’s ‘Guidelines for Characterisation of Offshore Cuttings Piles’ (which is referred to by OSPAR) have agreed that a total hydrocarbon (THC) concentration below 50µg g-1 does not represent a significant environmental impact.

Levels of THC including the unresolved complex mixture (UCM), pristane, phytane, total n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analysed at all stations across the survey area. Analysis of patterns in concentrations of surface sediments in Gardline’s 2013 survey determined: • THC concentrations decreased with

increasing distance from the platform, indicating a decreasing contamination gradient from the drill cuttings pile.

• The high proportion of UCM in surface sediments (>91%) suggested that the majority of hydrocarbons were well weathered (biodegraded).

• Stations at ≥600m N, 500m NE, ESE and SSW and 400m WSW and NW of the platform were below the 50µg g-1 threshold of significant environmental impact (SEI) (Kjeilen-Eilertsen et al., 2004; UKOOA, 2002; UKOOA, 2005), as seen in blue in Figure 3.

Without historic survey results (Figure 3) the natural recovery of the sediments around the NW Hutton platform, and the decreasing zone of contamination, would not have been identified. In addition, THC concentration at the closest station to the cuttings pile (Station 100N) has decreased exponentially over the 21 year period within which the previous and current surveys have taken place. Assuming this rate of recovery continues, it may take a significantly shorter period of time than previously expected for the sediments at this station to reduce to the SEI of 50µg g-1.

Metals ConcentrationsSeveral metals concentrations were analysed and compared to previous results across the survey area. One of particular interest is that of barium (Ba) as it can be a good indicator of drilling activities. Barite is often a major constituent of drilling muds and hence sediment Ba concentrations may be elevated in an area subjected to drilling discharges such as the NW Hutton field. The 2013 results showed:• Ba concentrations decreasing with increasing

distance from the NW Hutton platform.• Ba concentrations ≤2,000µg g-1, estimated

“typical” for marine sediments (Neff, 2005) were found from a distance of NW Hutton platform of >1200m N in 2002 (MSCAN, 2002 as cited in BMT Cordah, 2004) and >800m N in 2013 (see Figure 4), demonstrating a reduction in area of seabed contamination

As with the results for THC, without the 2002 survey data the recovery patterns would not be evident.

Macrofaunal analysesAnalysis of the diversity, dominance or abundance from species across the area, as well as the knowledge of their ecology allows conclusions to be drawn on the impact of the chemical contamination on the local fauna. The presence of opportunitic species can signify contaminated sediment as can the absence of others. Comparison of the 2013 data with the previous surveys’ results allowed for an assessment of how the macrofauna community has recovered over time.

The opportunist polychaete Capitella capitata, which is highly tolerant of hydrocarbons, was present and among the dominant species up to 500m N of the platform in the previous surveys, but was only present out to 200m N in the 2013 survey. There was also an increase in numbers of the hydrocarbon intolerant polychaete Owenia fusiformis present from Station 200m N in the recent survey, while it was only present from 800m N in the 1992 survey (Figure 5).

These patterns indicate sediment recovery from 200m onwards from the NW Hutton platform since the cessation of drilling activities.

Multivariate analysis highlighted the difference in communities at 100m N of the platform compared to stations further away. These results also enabled the identification of various disturbance zones based on macrofaunal community structure to be associated with the hydrocarbons and metals concentrations. These zones showed a gradual recovery of the most impacted faunal communities closer to the NW Hutton platform over time, and a recovery to background faunal communities at a distance of >500m N in 2013 compared to >800m N in 1992.The zone of maximal disturbance to the fauna was found to extend out to 300m N from the NW Hutton platform in 1992, decreasing to 100m N in 2013, indicative of a recovery of the sediments beyond 200m of the NW Hutton platform.

ConclusionAlthough the 2013 survey found evidence of impacted surface sediments in terms of both hydrocarbons and metals contamination from the drill cuttings pile in the NW Hutton area, this survey should not be considered in isolation. When the 2013 results were compared to previous survey findings it was clear to see that the conclusion was a positive one – the surface sediments were actually recovering from the historic contamination events. If recovery continues, it is predicted that surface sediments 100m from the NW Hutton location will return to pre-activity conditions by 2028, a much quicker recovery than previously thought.

These conclusions can only be drawn as a result of BP’s commitment to long term environmental monitoring. Without such a monitoring program the natural recovery of the seabed could not have been demonstrated. These results are an important input into the decommissioning debate over the removal of offshore structures, providing evidence that underpin the rational for exemptions under OSPAR 98/3 ahead of the review in 2018.

www.gardline.com

Rapid recovery of the seabed surrounding the North West (NW) Hutton drill cuttings pile


Figure 1 Location of NW Hutton, UKCS 211

Figure 2 2013 Survey Locations

Figure 3 THC Spatial Distribution in 1992, 1997, 1999 and 2013

Figure 4 Spatial Distribution of Ba in 2002 and 2013 Figure 5 Capitella capitata and Owenia fusiformis Abundance in 1992 and 2013



Calculating the true cost of such a massive undertaking is a complex task compounded by the fact that few projects of this nature have been executed, and those that have been completed are relatively diverse and difficult to compare. It is only in recent years that data outlining operators’ retirement intentions has started to be analysed in more detail to build a firmer picture of the challenge ahead. Year on year forecasts have increased, with the total UK offshore decommissioning expenditure now predicted to hit £50 billion by 2055, according to Oil & Gas UK’s Activity Survey 2016.

While such information is publically available there remains a high degree of uncertainty in the figures presented. Therefore, at this stage of the development of a decommissioning industry, it may be premature to take such data at face value without appropriate scrutiny. The ambiguity of these figures is a natural position to be in as with any emerging industry. It has been experienced by the nuclear sector in particular, according to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s annual report, where provisions have had to grow by more than 50% in the last six years. For the oil and gas industry, the relative immaturity of decommissioning and the major technical challenges of plugging, abandonment and removal of infrastructure is prompting calls for higher accuracy and control of cost and schedule estimates.

Meaningful cost estimationAs a qualified process for estimating decommissioning costs has yet to be fully developed, many are following the Oil & Gas UK’s ‘bottom-up’ work breakdown structure (WBS) technique. This estimation can easily be developed and refined as more information comes to light. It can also be risk analysed to convert the estimate into a probabilistic range and hence inform a sensible contingency allowance.

However, though this approach is transparent and gives confidence that all aspects of the project have been accounted for, depending on how it is populated, it can lack specific details to identify all the cost implications and particular design requirements.

Across operators there are large variations in the accuracy of the estimates produced, the industry generally uses the standard AACEI classification system which provides a guide for

the estimate accuracy versus the level of project maturity. This is based on an estimate Class of between 1 and 5, detailing the variation in uncertainty based on the estimating inputs and methodology.

Put in context, latest Oil & Gas UK analysis shows decommissioning spend of nearly £17 billion over the next decade for the UKCS, but of the data submitted, 95% of the projects are in the Class 3 to 5 estimate range, which means costs could be between 30 to 100% out. As these industry approximations of overall decommissioning liability can only be based on the data provided by operators, this highlights a significant limitation in the analysis and confidence in the numbers projected.

Crystal ball costingThere have been a growing number

of enquiries from companies interested in decommissioning cost estimating, liabilities, strategies and regulatory support for the future. A decommissioning cost estimate metrics and market analysis report has been prepared to support clients’ abandonment planning. The aim is to provide an industry view of commercial activity, current cost estimating practices and how cost inputs have changed and may change in future. The report also identifies factors that may affect the reliability of the estimates and the available industry data.

The Oil & Gas UK Insight data for the UKCS gives a good background to how decommissioning cost estimate metrics have changed over time. Industry is now focused on realising savings in decommissioning costs, through initiatives like abandonment

technology improvements and delivering activities as efficiently managed campaigns. However, it is difficult to distil these developments into clear and consistent future trends. For example, review of the historical data for topsides removal shows there has been some reduction in the average cost metrics. The change could be explained by the efficiency drive in the industry to reduce facility running costs and prepare for future decommissioning during an asset’s late life.

Likewise, the full impact of fluctuating oil prices over the last year has yet to be seen on decommissioning costs. What can be seen is a change in activity levels, or more precisely a change in visible and planned activity levels. While some operators are preparing assets for retirement, others are looking for ways to extend field life and delay decommissioning expenditure. If oil price does continue at its current level into 2017, it is likely that more operators could elect to bring forward CoP plans, this again will change the profile of decommissioning activity and resource requirements.

Deconstructing decommissioningIt is clear that operators on each side of the North Sea are recognising that they need to prepare the groundwork for this unavoidable eventuality and, for many, the prospect of ceasing production has crept up quicker than anticipated. Subsequently, there has been a growing impetus to learn more about cost estimating, liabilities, strategies and regulatory support for the future, before the detailed engineering work can begin.

A robust cost estimate needs to have major areas of risk identified and due account taken of their likelihood of occurring and impact on the costs and schedule. The earlier this exercise can be carried out the better so that the project team can manage expectations and focus on controlling the costs proactively. The cost estimates and contracting strategies should also be developed to improve their accuracy and to ensure the potential

cash flow requirements are understood and the decommissioning scope and risks are managed. It is clear that publishing of the predicted decommissioning liability has a significant influence on expectations and behaviors.

Preparing for the futureThe data gap in unknown/unaccounted for costs could increase real costs borne by industry as a whole by as much as 50%. This will be balanced out partially by the improvements in project delivery and technology and, potentially, through a softening in the legislation around leaving structures in situ. It will be important for the industry to show that reducing costs has been a focus as in reality the final bill is likely to be similar to, if a little more than, the numbers quoted today. Despite best efforts, the public and stakeholders may see it as merely standing still and not appreciate cost reduction measures if they are not quantifiable. The issue highlighted here is not so much that the cost of decommissioning could increase, but that the overall estimates were not accurate in the first place.

Though the industry is getting better at defining and executing the physical tasks, there are still areas of the cost breakdown that require further assessment. For example, Facility

Running/Owner Costs and Operator Project Management are often underestimated but contribute at least a fifth to overall costs. It is a common misconception for example, that platform operating expenditure will reduce significantly upon CoP.

It is recommended that data produced by Oil & Gas UK Insight reports for Norway and the UK, as well as other agency investigations, be analysed even further to produce a robust, probabilistic range for the industry as a whole, rather than pin hopes on a single figure or indeed a single future in terms of the timeline for execution of the decommissioning work. This will give decision-makers a range of factors to address financial uncertainties and will allow appropriate measures to be put in place to control and reduce the costs.

Decommissioning planning should be integrated into the asset plans and refined as the facilities approach end of life. Taking a risk management approach to the cost estimates will not only improve accuracy but also project delivery. Xodus’ integrated capabilities cover the entire offshore decommissioning process from facility design to project execution and long-term monitoring and we can help clients ensure that the potential cash flow requirements are understood and managed.

The prospect of retirement presents opportunities for greater collaboration, knowledge sharing, clearer guidance to minimise disruption to neighbouring fields, and to ensure that activity is carried out in a safe, environmentally conscious and cost-effective way. Though the resulting increase in decommissioning activity might drive costs up, it is encouraging that the industry is already looking at more collaborative ways of working so this may also open up more opportunities and economies of scale.

www.xodusgroup.com

Ready for Retirement?


Caroline LaurensonDecommissioning Technical Authority at Xodus Group

UK and Norwegian operators are now facing the stark reality of uneconomic fields as a result of prolonged, volatile market conditions, fluctuating oil and gas prices and ageing infrastructure. This reality brings into focus the need to plan for asset retirement.

Acquisition & Divestment SupportAsset Integrity ManagementBaseline SurveyBAT & BPEO AssessmentsCarbon Footprint AssessmentCompliance ManagementComputational Fluid DynamicsConceptual StudiesControl SystemsCost Estimation

Detailed DesignDevelopment PlanningDynamic Process SimulationEIA & Planning ApprovalEmergency Response PlanningEnvironmental EngineeringExpert WitnessFacilities & Structures EngineeringFatigue & Fracture MechanicsFEEDField DevelopmentFinite Element AnalysisFiscal ModellingFlow AssuranceGeology & GeoscienceHazard IdentificationIndependent Review CommitteeIntegrated Production ModellingIntegrity ManagementInstrumentation & ElectricalMaintenance ManagementMaterials & CorrosionNoise EngineeringOccupational HealthOperational SupportPermits & ConsentsPetrophysicsPipeline Concept DesignProcess EngineeringProcess SafetyProduction ChemistryProduction EnhancementProject ManagementRisk ManagementReserves & Portfolio ManagementReservoir EngineeringRiser & Mooring AnalysisRotating EquipmentSafety ManagementStructural & Civil EngineeringSubsea EngineeringSubsurfaceSURFTechnical Due DiligenceVibration EngineeringWell Engineering

Decommissioning

Our operational knowledge and involvement in over 50 decommissioning projects across

the North Sea allows us to focus on the unique challenges posed by each asset.

Xodus integrates all engineering and

legislative facets of decommissioning to support clients through late life

operation and beyond. We are adept at identifying opportunities for cost

efficiencies and risk reduction.

Find out more about how we demystify decommissioning at

xodusgroup.com/decom





MEMBER NEWS


Following a programme launched last year by the ECITB and Offshore Project Management Steering Group (OPMSG), 16 candidates from companies including Subsea7, Wood Group, Petrofac, Aker Solutions, Apache and Maersk have been awarded the APM Registered Project Professional (RPP) designation.

RPP is an independently assessed and recognised level of Project Management competence for delivering complex projects. The ECITB and OPMSG set out to raise awareness in the Oil & Gas industry and address the disparity in recognising the standards at which project practitioners managing complex projects are working to.

Lynsey Benson, ECITB Offshore Account Manager and member of the OPMSG, said:

“Other energy sectors such as Nuclear and Power Generation are recognising and working towards a defined standard of competence, through the RPP model. We need to ensure Oil & Gas project practitioners can deliver against core non-technical competencies such as leadership, behaviours, and communication, all of which are vital in delivering complex projects. These 16 exceptional individuals will help the OPMSG in championing this recognition throughout the sector.”

Tony Marks, Chief Executive of 20|20 Business Insight commented: We were pleased to work with ECITB and APM to deliver the highly-regarded RPP standard. ECITB’s vision in promoting and organising this initiative has created awareness in the offshore sector. The recognition this brings to the professionalism of the sector is vital as the need for effective project management in the sector has never been so critical.

RPP is just one of various high profile initiatives being delivered by the ECITB in conjunction with the OPMSG. Further information can be found at www.projectmanagement.ecitb.org.uk

Bibby Offshore wins North Sea decommissioning contract

New standards for the Oil & Gas industry

Maintaining operational efficiency with less resources

A ‘decom ready’ data and information management company

The agreement, due to commence in Q2 of 2016 and be completed by the end of 2016, will utilise one of Bibby Offshore’s construction support vessels with adequate deck space and crane capabilities to execute operations approximately 550km North-East of Aberdeen.

Bibby Offshore has been appointed to carry out remedial rock placement over the existing 16” oil export pipeline, recovery of 12” pipeline bundles, subsea structure removal with pile severance and debris removal within the platform’s 500m zone and along bundle routes. Waste disposal services will also be provided by BOUK, recovering items that can be decontaminated, disposed or recycled, followed by an over-trawl of the cleared field.

www.bibbyoffshore.com

Lowering operational costs is number one on every company’s agenda today, resulting in the development of a new, leaner business model to deliver services to an increasingly cost sensitive market. To support the recent overhead reductions, a more sustainable approach to improving performance (largely neglected during past downturns) now needs to be adopted by senior management.

The Decommissioning industry will inherit some of the problems on this downturn, i.e. reduced budgets, skills shortage, lower staff wages, more realistic contractor rates together with the loss of operational knowledge and informal ‘know-how’.

Here are some suggestions that support the drive for improved performance:

Discover what is needed: Remove excessive documents. (manuals, procedures, forms etc).

Organisational Transparency: Flatter management hierarchies with clarity of roles and individual responsibilities by introducing flexibility to change delivery models quickly and to reflect client/regulatory needs.

Performance Improvement: Identify the Value Chain and prioritise processes to improve. Replace radical cost cutting with a program that generates incremental gains.

Corporate Process with Risk: Optimise and harmonise processes to reduce duplication. ‘Who does what, where, and when’, whilst integrating risk mitigation.

Automate Process: Increase efficiency by removing paper handling and using tablet apps to gather operational information onsite/offshore i.e. asset management, projects, risk assessments & audit etc. in real-time. Double handling data is expensive!

Manage Compliance: Greater visibility of regulatory demands will ease the burden of multi-standard compliance.

Inform the workforce: Make no mistake, there is a major culture change taking place now in the oil and gas industry, keep your best asset informed.

Knowledge Share: The new L2P2 industry portal is a platform to share information and encourage collaboration between all decommissioning stakeholders. ‘Developed once, used many times’ must be the new mantra of the industry as duplication equals increased cost.

businessport.net

Plugging and abandonment, related to decommissioning, will be the single largest expenditure in the North Sea for the foreseeable future. Depending on the legacy and complexity, a decommissioning team can spend up to 40% of their time on data discovery and identifying gaps in their knowledge base. DataCo’s integrated approach delivers a dashboard for decisions, easy access to a consolidated data set, minimising the time engineers spend searching for answers.

Over the last 15 years, DataCo has created a detailed E&P decommissioning taxonomy, which is used to seek out and present the critical information required for an effective P&A campaign. Experienced data managers and technical analysts, working in-line with regulatory best practise, support the role out of the dashboard.

DataCo’s Decommissioning Lead, Daniel Clarke, said: “Our activity in this emerging market is at the forefront of our companies’ growth strategy. We continue to develop our approach, meeting with the operators and large service companies, to gain a thorough understanding of the decommissioning challenges facing the North Sea. Our solution is designed to have minimal impact on the systems and structure of an organisation. Our IQ Dashboard can be tailored to any existing network drive, SharePoint site or EDMS. I see the service as a natural extension to our existing service portfolio.”

www.dataco.co.uk


MEMBER NEWS

Bibby Offshore (BOUK), a leading subsea services provider to the oil and gas industry, has secured a multimillion pound contract with a North Sea Operator, to deliver decommissioning operations in the Northern North Sea East Shetland Basin.

DataCo, the Upstream Oil and Gas D&IM experts, is pleased to announce a new decommissioning service, combining an in-depth subsurface and well engineering knowledge with dedicated IQ technologies for a cost-effective solution.

“”

Fraser MoonieChief Operating OfficerBibby Offshore

We are looking forward to building on our existing

relationship with this particular client and continuing our

partnership to provide subsea services for its offshore assets.

Decommissioning work is of a specialist nature and, with

more oil and gas infrastructures reaching the end of their

design life, multi-industry experience is key to ensure each

project is complete in a safe and responsible manner.

With ten years of experience in decommissioning projects

globally, often in highly challenging conditions, we have

built up a strong track record and are ideally positioned to

support companies operations.

MEMBER NEWS


The collaboration will offer an end-to-end solution for well decommissioning, using an integrated team which brings together extensive technical and commercial capabilities.

Exceed brings a proven track record in well management to the partnership which will ensure lessons are learned, knowledge is shared and the performance improvement curve is significantly accelerated, whilst Weatherford boasts extensive global plug and abandonment experience, field proven tools and technology and a global footprint.

The expertise brought from both companies means that commercial models can be flexible and tailored to meet client requirements. Significant value is added through cost savings to operator groups through bulk purchases, shared equipment and resources, and improved safety and operational performance through an incentivised approach.

The collaboration also opens up potential to create a project-wide EPC approach through the appointment of further partners. Global agreements have already been established with a number of internationally recognised service providers to expand the service portfolio as and when required.

The collaboration follows Exceed’s recent plug and abandonment contract win with Fairfield Energy, which will see the firm support a campaign which covers 45 platform wells and 16 subsea wells, and recognises the Exceed team’s strong track record in decommissioning.

www.xcd.com

Costain: Setting the Standards for Collaborative Working

Taking into account the impact of decommissioning on the environment, on the health and safety of workers involved and on the costs and technology required, the industry needs to develop innovative solutions (be that from a technological, planning or skills set perspective) to best decommission assets in the soundest and most effective manner; collaborative working will be the key to achieving this. As a leading Engineering Solutions Provider meeting national needs in energy, water and transportation, Costain are uniquely positioned to support this effort. We are engaged in work across multiple sectors where collaborative working is the norm and the cross sector learning is fundamental to success.

Collaborating across different skills pools and sharing industry knowledge from other sectors is crucial, and often acts as a catalyst for further innovation as suppliers share techniques, processes and learnings to help further improve their operations. The practice of nuclear decommissioning has been growing since the 1940s, and aviation and aerospace decommissioning has also operated for many years. Within those sectors alone, there is much experience to be utilised

and drawn upon and Costain is ideally placed to do so being the first organisation within the engineering and construction industries to gain BS11000 (Collaborative Business Relationships) accreditation. BS11000 is an eight stage procedural framework which redefines the term ‘collaboration’ by stipulating the requirements of a ‘gold standard’ working relationship.

Put simply, through application of the standard, we have seen more of the ‘right sort’ of conversations happening (those concerning the health of the relationship, the suitability of staff, the desired outcomes, the best opportunities for value creation, what’s getting in the way, etc.). As a result of those conversations, additional value is being created in many different areas including: • Reduced costs • Optimise resources • Improved profitability • Business growth • Product development • Removed duplication • Market opportunities created • Enhance customer engagement • Improved delivery • Leaner processes

• Risks shared • Innovations created • Disputes reduced • Attracted more customers • Avoided mistakes

Costain’s collaborative approach to working has also been recognised at the Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW) Collaboration Awards where Costain scored a double triumph. The Costain Skanska Joint Venture (CSJV) Crossrail C360 Eleanor Street and Mile End Park shafts project won the Collaborative Pathfinder Award for organisations that show leadership and innovation in promoting collaborative working.

David Sanders, Costain’s Business Improvement Manager, earned a special commendation in the Individual Award category, which recognises individuals who have shown leadership and innovation in the development of collaborative working approaches. David develops collaborative working not only with Costain teams but has also devised a BS 11000 (the collaborative working certification) training module for the Costain Supply Chain Academy.

www.costain.com/what-we-do/oil-gas

GHA seeks European grant funding for innovative companies and is working with oil and gas and decommissioning specialists to help fund priority projects. 70% funding is available for 2-3 year projects, €2.5m for SMEs and up to €10-12m for larger company projects. GHA uses their expertise to work with companies 3 months prior to submission, using their expertise to maximise the chance of funding. Grants support innovative technology and service development, including staff and equipment costs. Contact Dorothy to find out more. www.ghassociatesuk.com

Jee is an independent engineering and training company supporting operators with decommissioning projects from planning to implementation. Energise and Jee have developed an short interactive workshop, ‘Introduction to decommissioning in the North Sea’ suitable for anyone involved or interested in decommissioning. The

workshop gives an overview of planning, installations, offshore and onshore activities, key decisions and interfaces. Dorothy delivered open workshops in London and Aberdeen during April and a number of in-house courses have been delivered and are planned with public sector and industry. www.jee.co.uk

Pale Blue Dot Energy is an expert consultancy group which specialises in Energy Transitions. Energise and its associates have partnered with the Pale Blue Dot team to offer Decom Readiness Assessments, Portfolio Decom Planning, Well P&A Risk Reduction and Strategic Late Life/Decom Cost Reduction modelling. The partnership also has significant expertise in facilitation of collaboration and Re-use and Circular Economy models. www.pale-blu.com


The North Sea has been producing oil and gas since the 1970s, and it’s now ageing infrastructure is frequently older than ever intended. Unsurprisingly, this has led to a sharp increase in maintenance and operational costs. Combine this with a fall in oil price, which has resulted in the belt tightening on exploration and drilling, and decommissioning starts to really climb the oil and gas industry agenda.

Dorothy Burke of Energise is delighted to have signed Associate agreements with GHA, Jee and Pale Blue Dot to offer services to the decommissioning sector.

Well management and performance improvement specialist Exceed has bolstered its decommissioning credentials through a strategic alliance with international oil and gas service company, Weatherford.

Collaboration is key for new wells decommissioning offering

Energise sign Associate Agreements

“”

John AndersonCommercial DirectorExceed

This alliance is a major step forward in demonstrating what collaboration in the decommissioning sector should actually look like.Integrating the supply chain, sharing resources and drawing upon a knowledge base which extends beyond one company will mean major savings, quicker project execution and effective risk management. There is great potential for this joint approach both now and in the future.

MEMBER NEWS

MEMBER NEWS


Nomination for national export award

Developing game changing technologies

The north-east energy industry manufacturer and service provider has been nominated in the small exporter of the year category. Organised by Business Quarter in conjunction with Scottish Enterprise, the awards celebrate the export achievement of businesses right across Scotland.

Established in 2001, Flowline Specialists designs, engineers and manufactures a range of equipment that safely handles flexible pipes, umbilicals and cables for the global oil and gas, subsea and renewable industries.

The firm has worked steadily over the past five years to grow and diversify its business, with the contribution made by exports increasing significantly. Turnover for the year to end 31 March 2011 was £1.37million, and this grew to £6.3million by the year ending 31 March 2015. During the same period, the contribution made by exports had risen from 15% to 50%.

To aid this export growth Flowline Specialists established a number of operational bases overseas. Alongside its Oldmeldrum headquarters and a manufacturing facility in Fyvie, the firm has overseas bases in Norway, Holland, Singapore and Dubai. These overseas bases allow the firm to better serve its international markets.

www.flowlinespecialists.com

PLASMABIT is a technology utilising high temperature (up to 6000C) plasma with applications across a number of industries. It delivers massive time and cost savings compared to all existing drilling technologies and opens vast new possibilities in oil & gas, geothermal energy, and mining.

As Decom North Sea members understand, offshore decommissioning is a developing £multibillion market with legislation driven demand even in the current O&G market downturn. Whilst field life extension is a strategic goal, it is an inescapable reality that oil and gas wells will continue to be plugged & abandoned for many years, not just in the UKCS but elsewhere around the globe.

Our initial focus is the well P&A market and PLASMABIT will bring significant cost and time savings. Applications are focused on section milling and slot recovery and subscale field prototypes and all components of the core

technology PLASMABIT have been successfully demonstrated. This work has been undertaken at our state of the art Technology Centre with 2,580 sq. meters of laboratory space, with EUR 11.2 million of equipment and advanced testing facilities. The Initial full product for oil & gas well abandonment is expected to be brought to market in 2018.

But just what is PLASMABIT and how does it work?Plasma is an ionized 3 000 – 6 000 °C hot gas and we create a very focussed and controlled electric arc to produce a continuous plasma discharge. This heat is contained within the PLASMABIT tool and allows contactless drilling and milling in high pressure, high temperature downhole conditions.

The plasma we create can disintegrate any material; rock, steel, cement, using a fast and controllable impact - electric arc rotating 800 times per second. This also gives us the ability to generate shock waves for drilling and reservoir stimulation.

We have successfully integrated proven technologies with our new inventions which are protected by 12 patents.

PLASMABIT will bring the following significant benefits to the well P& market:• Rigless operation - coiled tubing based solution,

potential to deploy from vessels (LWIV)• Through tubing approach – milling performed

without pulling production tubing saving time• Speed of milling - higher rate of milling,

significant time savings, faster tripping times• Cuttings size – small particles instead of swarf,

easy cleaning, protects BOP• Lifespan of “cutters” - contactless approach,

improved reliability, no wear and tear of the tool• Safety - Fully automated milling process reduces

safety risk and enhances safety of the staffIn 2013 GA Drilling initiated the cooperation

with industry and formed the PLASMABIT Joint Industry Project (JIP) with well-known Oil & Gas companies to quickly address the O&G urgent cost & efficiency challenges in Well Intervention (steel milling, re-entry, casing exits) and Hard Rock Drilling. A key partner and shareholder is Schoeller-Bleckmann Oilfield (SBO) the global market leader for high-precision components for the

oil service industry. SBO will support the service development and delivery along with specialist service companies.

We are grateful for the expert participation of these companies in our development work and we continue to move forward with pace and precision, proud of our successes to date:• 7 years in the R&D for drilling, well construction

and intervention; since 2011 certified with ISO 9001: 2008

• Our intellectual property consists of 2 Granted Patents, 3 US Patent Applications, 3 EU Patent Applications, 9 PCT Patent Applications and 2 Industry Designs

• 10+ doctoral level employees, 40+ master level engineers

• Repeatedly ranked among the best European innovative companies and continuously supported by the European Union Framework Programs

• Cooperation with world leading universities and institutes

• The PLASMABIT Joint Industry Project set up in 2013 with major oil & gas operators and oilfield service companies

• The first ever plasma milling underwater• The first ever plasma milling in high pressure and

high temperature (HP/HT) environment. • Creating an advisory board of leading O&G

professionals.• Opening an Aberdeen Office complementing

our Bratislavan headquarters and R&D facilities.

Our future is centred on our mission is to combine unique knowledge, expertise and leadership skills to create a ground-breaking plasma technology to ensure all our customers derive real business benefit from our sustainable technology. Independent assessments indicate a well P& cost reduction of circa 40% is achievable with our technology.

We remain focussed on supporting the urgent industry cost and efficiency challenge in MER UK and Decommissioning and we look forward to farther engagement with Decom North Sea Members and industry stakeholders at the forthcoming conference and beyond..

www.gadrilling.com


Oldmeldrum-based Flowline Specialists has been selected as a finalist in this year’s Scottish Export Awards.

GA Drilling is a high-tech company developing and commercialising a ground breaking, plasma-based drilling and milling technology, PLASMABIT.

MEMBER NEWS

“”

Jim SmithCEOFlowline Specialists

Over the past five years we have demonstrated our commitment to diversifying our business and growing operations internationally. As a result, the export market has become an increasingly important element of our business model. Going forward, it will remain a crucial part of our strategy, with the company being structured accordingly.Being nominated for this national award acknowledges the successful export strategy that we have developed and the international business model we have adopted. The entire team at Flowline Specialists has played a part in getting the business to this stage. Their hard work, dedication and focus on delivering a high standard of service to customers has been crucial to this.

Lerwick reinforcing ready-made role

With the existing 12.5 metre quay being extended by 75-metres to 130 metres, it will have a load-bearing capacity of 60 tonnes per square metre, unique in Scotland. The versatile quay, capable of taking an offshore structure in a single lift, will also support subsea development projects.

Around 40,000 square metres of adjacent laydown will be completed this year, bringing the port’s total dedicated laydown areas to 130,000 square metres.

Captain Calum Grains, Lerwick Port Authority Harbour Master and Deputy Chief Executive, said: “Lerwick, with its considerable experience and range of facilities, is ready-made for decommissioning – a status which will be enhanced by the Dales Voe project, making it uniquely-placed to handle decommissioning in Scotland.”

Lerwick is an established and active decommissioning centre making the most of its natural advantages – positioned at 60 degrees north, proximity to fields east and west, sheltered, deep water to 50 metres and 24-hour access – combined with tried-and-tested facilities and services, including Greenhead Base, and a track-record in decommissioning and wider support for the offshore industry.

The port’s extensive resources have the capacity to accommodate the biggest heavy-lift vessels and flexibility to handle both large heavy lift and piece small decommissioning operations, including the only licensed quayside decommissioning pad in Scotland

www.lerwick-harbour.co.uk/decommissioning

Lerwick Harbour is leading the way again in creating the next generation of deep-water decommissioning facilities for the offshore oil and gas industry in Scotland, with an £11.95 million project due for completion at Dales Voe Base in the autumn.

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MEMBER NEWS

Global Maritime assurance services for decommissioning projects

Decommissioning in design of subsea installations

Craig Collaboration Launches At OTC

Unique RisksRemoval operations in decommissioning projects cannot be thought of as a simple reverse of installation; the risks associated with these sometimes complex marine operations need to be properly understood and appropriately managed.Some of the unique risks associated with removal operations are:• Uncertainty over the integrity of structures• Uncertainty over removal loads acting on structures • Landing and seafastening items on a barge at sea • Extent of operations that have to be completed within one weather

window between safe-to-safe conditions.

Independent AssuranceIndependent assurance services for removal operations usually come in the form of Marine Warranty Surveyor (MWS) for projects that are insured under a Decommissioning All Risks (DAR) policy or Independent Competent Person (ICP) where projects are self-insured.

Engagement with an assurance service provider when preparing the Project Decommissioning Programme makes risk management integral to the project from the outset. It will help to ensure that removal concepts are realistic and effective, which will often save time and unnecessary cost as plans and procedures are developed.

The benefits of third party assurance are recognised in the decommissioning industry. The DNV Recommended Practice for Marine Operations During Removal of Offshore Installations allows reduced contingency factors when compliance is verified by a third party. Also DAR policy underwriters may offer competitive premiums to operators that engage a recognised MWS provider.

Global MaritimeGlobal Maritime provides fully independent assurance and advisory services for decommissioning projects. We have a history of involvement stretching back over 20 years ranging from removal of subsea templates through to 10,000t topsides.

www.globalmaritime.com

Craig Collaboration connects companies looking to sell stock with those looking to buy. Oil and gas companies around the world have billions of pounds of surplus stock, much of it sitting in costly storage and Craig Collaboration will allow them to realise value from this.

A radical shift in procurement in the industry, Craig Collaboration represents a major investment by Craig International in an immediate, collaborative solution towards increasing efficiency. It is already gathering momentum with several major exploration and production companies expected to start using it following the launch.

Steve McHardy, joint managing director of Craig International, said: “With the oil price set to be lower for longer, the industry requires

immediate action towards achieving enhanced efficiency and cost control. We have developed a platform which the whole industry can use to buy and sell stock. Using our bespoke electronic tools, our network of buyers and our global experience, Craig Collaboration will, at no cost to industry, ensure that their products are offered to buyers looking to purchase them.”

Craig Collaboration is accessed online through Craig International’s bespoke SmartBuyer software. For example, if operator A, who is looking for a pump which operator B has in surplus stock, then Smartbuyer would search the inventory on Craig Collaboration, find the pump and offer it at a reduced cost to operator A.

Craig International has this year secured $60 million in new contracts as a result of the efficiencies delivered by their ecommerce initiatives.

Mr McHardy added: “We already have the buyers looking to purchase the products and equipment that companies have in surplus stock and we have the electronic tools to ensure confidential and efficient transactions between buyers and sellers.

With our 16 years’ experience, we are well-placed to offer this collaboration solution to benefit the wider industry.”

www.craig-group.com/craig-international

The costs associated with decommissioning assets are in the forefront of everyone’s mind in the current low oil price environment. INTECSEA believes learning from the lessons of today can enable lifecycle cost savings for projects of the future. INTECSEA is proposing a Joint Industry Project (JIP) to identify decommissioning challenges, propose solutions and establish a standard approach for incorporating decommissioning in the design and execution phase of all future subsea projects. Currently, decommissioning platforms and subsea developments are costing operators and government millions of dollars. Significant savings can be gained during the design phase by forward planning for decommissioning. This project proposes to collate

industry experience related to decommissioning and define key elements that should be considered during the design of a new installation. Issues that could see cost savings if decommissioning thought was included in the original Project Basis of Design include end of life integrity, cleaning and making safe, removal from the seabed and onshore disposal.

Equipment types that may be included are:• Rigid pipelines• Flexible flowlines• Umbilicals• Pipeline bundles• Subsea valves• Stability units/concrete mattresses• Wellheads, manifolds and other subsea structures

This project proposes to establish a standard approach for incorporating decommissioning in the project phase of the asset’s life. If you would like further information and a copy of our outline proposal, please contact our Project Manager Julie Burke at [email protected].

www.intecsea.com

Global Maritime urges owners and operators to think carefully about the appropriate level of assurance cover and associated services for decommissioning projects.

Craig International has launched a ‘win-win’ platform to help oil and gas companies off-load surplus stock worth billions of pounds and buy products and equipment they need at competitive prices.

Picture From: http://hmc.heerema.com

SafeVoyage product launch

The Met Office has launched SafeVoyage, a new product that provides reliable weather information for offshore vessels travelling in open water, to help minimise exposure to severe weather, improve safety and keep project costs to a minimum.

SafeVoyage offers a detailed weather forecast for the entirety of a ship’s route, anywhere on the globe, aiding planning of moving equipment and personnel. It is presented in an easy-to-interpret graphical format and

includes wind and sea conditions along the route and tabulated data every three hours for significant wave height, swell details, wind and weather.

Forecast start times can be generated to inform decisions concerning the best route and departure time. Thresholds can be set and winds specified at 10m, 50m or 100m as optional. The Met Office’s experienced meteorologists quality control every aspect of the SafeVoyage forecast, as well as including bespoke commentary, giving users complete confidence.

Patrick Sachon, Head of Oil and Gas, and Renewables from the Met Office commented: “In marginal situations it’s vital to make decisions based on the best information possible - SafeVoyage provides reliable information to support decisions that could impact safety and efficiency. The product represents great value and is a compelling offering for the oil and gas, offshore renewable and shipping industries. What’s more, it’s a flexible solution and can be tailored to fit individual requirements.”

ww.metoffice.gov.uk/marine/safevoyage

The Met Office has launched SafeVoyage, a new product that provides reliable weather information for offshore vessels travelling in open water, to help minimise exposure to severe weather, improve safety and keep project costs to a minimum.


MEMBER NEWS MEMBER NEWS

JBS Subsea welcomes decommissioning projects to Peterhead

Webinar to discuss innovation and efficiency in offshore decommissioning

JBS Subsea (Division of the JBG Group) are delighted to introduce Peterhead Energy Hub as their partner organisation with regards to Decommissioning in Peterhead. Peterhead Energy Hub are a consortium of companies established to serve the oil & gas decommissioning market. Peterhead Decommissioning can draw on its members’ extensive competences and experience and has over 170 years combined multi-industry experience. Peterhead Decommissioning offers an integrated, end to end approach to decommissioning and is wholly environmentally focussed. Peterhead is the most easterly deepwater port in Scotland and has close proximity to the central and northern North Sea sectors. The Port also offers close proximity to all onshore services required for decommissioning, with extensive experience in the oil & gas industry. Port facilities include a South Base which can accommodate small piece packages weighing up to 400 tonnes. The site has a working area measuring 850m2 and is suitable for dismantling equipment from field upgrade and regeneration projects. Smith Embankment is designed to accommodate medium-size packages weighing up to 2,500 tonnes, the site also has a 16,000m2 working area and the quay boasts a water depth of 10m. Packages can be craned (up to 500 tonnes only) or skidded ashore. Future investment is also planned to allow large piece packages weighing up to 20,000 tonnes. Peterhead decommissioning’s capabilities include: Subsea excavation of product for retrieval, Project and facilities management, Offshore and onshore logistics, Integrated environmental management, Engineering, Fabrication, Fluids handling, Heavy lift and freight management, Demolition, dismantling and soft-stripping, Equipment refurbishment and sales, and Waste management and recycling.

www.jbsgroupscotland.co.uk

Available to a global audience, the webinar - ‘Innovation and efficiency in decommissioning’ - will be presented by Head of Late Life, Graham Wilson, and discusses how decommissioning can be done differently to realise cost savings and environmental and safety benefits.

Graham Wilson commented “The growing decommissioning activity in the North Sea is forecast to cost £47 billion. With the government’s drive to reduce this cost by 40%, there is an inherent need to challenge the way that decommissioning has been performed to date.”

Graham has over 11 years’ experience working in the oil and gas industry and a detailed understanding of the decommissioning process and the associated issues and challenges. With a track record of reducing the cost and improving the efficiency of decommissioning projects, Jee has in-depth knowledge of the comparative assessment (CA) process and alternative approaches which may benefit clients’ decommissioning projects.

Mr Wilson continued: “The intent of many recent decommissioning projects has been to remove all subsea components to leave a clear seabed. However, is this really the most suitable solution from an environmental, cost and safety perspective? In this webinar, we will discuss the arguments for and against derogation cases.”

Process efficiency and innovation are also key to the reduction of decommissioning costs. With multiple operators tied into export hubs across the North Sea, the benefits of aligned decommissioning programmes, shared resource, campaigning and collaboration can be realised. The webinar will discuss these concepts and highlight some of the recent innovations within decommissioning that have led to significant cost savings.

This webinar is ideal for anyone involved in the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas assets and infrastructure andis part of an on-going series being presented by Jee, in-line with the company’s ongoing commitment to continuous development and knowledge sharing. To benefit from Jee’s 28 years of subsea engineering experience and to register online for this free webinar, please visit www.jee.co.uk/knowledge

New offshore crane training optimises crane operations

Hoisting Training to New HeightsBy utilizing highly advanced fully immersive offshore crane simulators alongside real-life onsite training, the Offshore Crane Operator programme bridges theory with practice in order to increase safety and operational performance.

“Candidates with little experience as well as more seasoned crane operators will greatly improve their knowledge and ability to operate an offshore crane both safely and efficiently” says Andrew Monie, Senior Crane Instructor at Maersk Training.

Access to Lifting Operations WorldwideThe comprehensive training programme consists of three stages, each followed by strict qualification assessment including requirements on documented workplace experience in-between.

By completing all three stages, the course participant will become a qualified offshore crane operator, able to administer any lifting operation unsupervised across the world, as the programme is DNV approved and complies with LOLER, API, BS7121-1 and BS7121-11 standards.

“In a market squeezed by declining margins, mobility of resources becomes more and more important. We have developed this offshore crane programme exactly to meet this demand, giving our clients the possibility of quickly relocating their most skilled crane operators and hereby cut costs” says Frank Holst Christoffersen, Chief Commercial Officer at Maersk Training.

www.maersktraining.com

Collaboration is, of course, often a necessary aspect of achieving progress in many industries. However, in the North Sea firms will be obliged, indeed will be corralled, to coordinate and collaborate.

The performance of offshore crane operations plays a vital role in being time-efficient during exploration, production and decommissioning. Maersk Training is proud to announce the launch of a new ambitious offshore crane operator programme that ensures crane operators are at their best when put into an important role offshore.

Competition regulator holds the key to success or failure in the North Sea’s new collaborative era

Collaborations brings an area of significant risk for competitors under competition laws, especially where they share information on their intentions for spare capacity or bringing to the market their production. Yet that is what is required, for example, where an infrastructure owner is obliged to consider, in terms of the strategy, whether the infrastructure might be of benefit to others, who may begin to recover petroleum. How do they discover this without obtaining details of a firm’s future intentions?

Not surprisingly, firms tread warily. While they are being encouraged to collaborate and share information there is regrettably no comfort offered by the competition authorities should they stray over the line. The Secretary of State’s Strategy document makes it clear that no obligation imposed by the MER UK Strategy permits or requires conduct prohibited by competition law. That remains to be seen.

Despite the competition authorities’ assessment of the dangers of this push for collaboration, it would, of course, be insane not to take a sensible approach or adjust enforcement priorities to take into account the requirements of the national MER strategy. It would, however, have been helpful for firms required to run with these risks to have been given that comfort.

www.mms.co.uk

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MEMBER NEWS

The Marex experience Decontamination reducing cost of decommissioning

The experience gained over the years and the track record built shall be invaluable to the decommissioning arena going forward.

For nearly twenty years, the company has specialised in and become a global market leader in the compilation of safety cases and carrying out safety case thorough reviews. As such, Marex is one of the major providers to drilling contractors. In support of this, the company carries out studies including qualitative and quantitative risk assessments, bowtie workshops, HAZOPs/HAZIDs, Major Accident Hazard Risk Assessments (MAHRAs), Fire, Explosion and Blowout Risk Assessments (FEBRA) etc. Marex has also developed and/ or carried out work including verification schemes, emergency response manuals, dropped object studies, human factors assessments and PFEER assessments.

Marex also provides marine project support to the oil and gas majors and drilling contractors including provision of: vessel/ rig audits, suitability inspections, CMIDs, OVIDs, ERRV validation trials, DP trials, SOPEPs, ballast water management plans, rig move client representation, and technical authorship, including marine operating manuals for operators of rigs and FPSOs.

In decommissioning, specifically, Marex can provide risk and marine related consultancy support in preparation and throughout operations.• Decommissioning risk and marine related support• Development of new safety cases under SCR15 for rigs intending to

operate in the UK sector and carry out decommissioning operations• Safety case material changes under SCR15 for rigs with accepted UK

safety cases but proposing to carry out decommission operations not previously identified in the safety case (e.g. plug and abandonment operations)

• Provision of marine warranty services on decommissioning• Feasibility studies

Marex has a track record of providing quality work, on time and in budget.

www.mmass.co.uk

Sagro’s port site in Flushing, the Netherlands is currently updated with the facility to demolish shipwrecks and offshore installations. Our latest project is the decommissioning of the old shipwreck ILIS. The Rambiz 4000 lifted the 1525 ton shipwreck on the quay. With the ship firmly stabilized on concrete blocks (own production) the wreck will be demolished in the coming months.

We provide the facilities for decommissioning at our own terminal. Our companies join forces to fully take care of all kinds of projects from start to finish. In case of dismantling the ILIS we use green demolition methods by reusing as much of the orginal materials as possible or recycling.

Sagro has recently achieved status as an ISO 14001 Environmental accredited company. ISO 14001 is the most widely-recognised environmental management system standard in the world. Achieving this accreditation reinforces the fact that Sagro takes its duty to the environment extremely seriously.

www.sagro.nl

Ocean Team Group, is a group of companies, strategically placed around on and offshore sites worldwide, that has 20+ years of experience of cleaning fluids and the materials processing these.

High Value Parts on the Re-use MarketOTG operates with three technologies securing high value decommissioned parts:

1: DescalingOTG uses systems, environmentally approved chemistry and trained technicians to perform descaling of calcium carbonates.2: Removal of NORM SludgeOTG uses safe equipment and trained NORM supervisors for decontamination and handling of NORM material in accordance with authorities. 3: SubseaUsing CO2 in a supercritical state, long and narrow pipe systems clean and degrease pipes to a NAS class 16/38, extracting impurities and oil out of the pipe wall.

Zero Waste DecommissioningA core business decontaminating OTG is co-operating with decommissioning companies.

“Applying a thorough decontamination maximizes the ROI by the end-of-life management per asset”, points out Jens Peder Thomsen, Managing Director, Ocean Team Group.

Global Decom BoomThe above technologies in demand represents safe, proved, and authorized methods for decontamination prior to decommissioning.

The used systems for decontamination are compact and mobile allowing any subsidiary of the Ocean Team Group of companies to perform the cleaning processes worldwide and on sites. Chemistry used in the cleaning process is approved by the OSPAR convention, HOCHNF.

In the U.K. decontamination is handled by Alex McBride, General Manager of Ocean Team Fluidcare UK Ltd. Experienced in NORM descaling Ocean Team Fluidcare UK Ltd offers a ‘one-stop-shop’ on and offshore.

www.oceanteam.eu

Marex Marine and Risk Consultancy supports the activities of its UK and International client base with a specialist team of highly qualified risk engineers and master mariners, working in the oil and gas, shipping, harbours, ports and renewable sectors.

Before NORM cleaning After NORM cleaning

Facilities update


Lifting Offshore

Lift and transportationfor decommissioning

www.windcarrier.com

Building on 165 years of offshore experience in shipping, oil and gas and offshore wind, our jack-up vessels are well suited for decommissioning activities. Equipped with 800t wrap-around-the-leg cranes and a large deck area of 3200m2, the vessels can handle total payloads of up to 6600t. We can provide complete project management and engineering expertise and are experienced operating in the North Sea.

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MEMBER NEWS

OilMac invests £1million in acquiring nine acre storage site

Small can be beautiful but also lean, flexible and timeless

OilMac, which is headquartered in Inverurie, currently occupies one part of the building at its site in Forfar but is extending into 95,000sqft of covered storage on the nine acre site.

The move was supported with significant funding from Clydesdale Bank in a deal facilitated by Commercial Relationship Manager Ian Grant.

Established in 2010, OilMac aims to provide the industry with an efficient, economical and environmentally effective option for buying and selling redundant and surplus on and offshore equipment and tools.

The expansion has created two new job posts within the company with further logistics and asset management jobs expected to be created as the business continues to grow.

Alex Fyfe, managing director at OilMac, said: “Investing in expanding our site in Forfar allows us to offer additional serviced storage to our clients at highly competitive rates and, in turn, to address storage cost issues being encountered by many of our customers.”

Just last month OilMac won a major exclusive stock reduction deal with a leading international drilling contractor, to hold and supply predominantly unused equipment with a sales value in excess of £14million. The win increased OilMac’s stock five-fold, helping position the company as the go-to low cost supplier of predominantly unused and new equipment directly to drillers and operators worldwide.

In line with the company’s success throughout 2015 and into this year, OilMac has recently employed David Walker as financial director to enable the business to achieve its growth potential. He has held previous financial director roles within both the oil and gas service sector and also business banking.

Mr Fyfe continued: “The increased storage space also provides us with the ability to source further surplus oil and gas equipment. By offering unused equipment, off the shelf, it ensures a quicker lead time for clients - as we increase our available stock, it increases the likelihood that we will have the

exact equipment our clients require. All leading to significant cost savings for the client.

“We are delighted to welcome David to the team at a very exciting time for OilMac. His experience is ideally suited to the role and his input and strategic forward planning will assist us greatly as we continue to develop the company in line with client demand.”

Stephen Hepburn, Head of Clydesdale Bank’s Business and Private Banking Centre in Aberdeen, said: “Clydesdale Bank is proud to support OilMac achieve its expansion goals.

“The oil and gas industry has gone through some very tough times recently, and it’s encouraging to see businesses such as OilMac continuing to expand in the sector.”

“We have a well-established partnership with them supporting many of their growth projects over the years and we look forward to continuing our relationship.”

www.oilmac.com

Decommissioning headlines often describe big companies, intimidating challenges, staggering statistics, hazardous conditions and a relentless quest for technology-led solutions. Less visible are the small companies who are efficiently evolving to meet the ongoing needs of the North Sea oil and gas industry in this decommissioning phase. Scaffpad Europe, based in Stonehaven, have supplied more than 250 000 of their safety pads to the offshore sector over the last sixteen years. Today those same pads can still provide a vital safety solution to protect personnel working in difficult and confined spaces. Scaffpad’s super-lean and responsive business model means they can deliver pads same-day throughout the North East of Scotland while also serving their clients in Canada, Russia and south-east Asia. What was working sixteen years ago is still working today even though the industry has witnessed seismic shifts in priorities. Safety remains paramount.

Scaffpad Europe are delighted to be a Supporting Sponsor at the upcoming Decom Offshore 2016 Conference and Exhibition. Managing Director Michelle Sey commented, “With the Decom Offshore event just around the corner we are looking forward to the possibility of becoming part of the decommissioning supply chain. Whether you are a new or existing customer we are always happy to comply with your company’s needs.” Michelle will be available throughout the day to discuss how the Scaffpad product range can make decommissioning activity safer for all involved and she is particularly interested in creating a case study on the role of personnel safety in the decommissioning process. If you’d like to be involved visit the Scaffpad stand on 25th May.

www.scaffpad.com

Aberdeenshire-based Oilfield Machinery Ltd (OilMac) has invested almost £1million into new premises in Forfar to facilitate client demand for cost effective serviced storage solutions.

Left to right David Walker, financial director at OilMac, and Alex Fyfe, managing director at OilMac

For more information on rates and availability email: [email protected]

MEMBER NEWS


DECOM NEWS

Issue 13 | August 2013

• Standard Decommissioning Programme Template• DNS Forward Strategy• Focus on Finance• Members News• Decom Offshore• Update on NORM waste Management

In this issue

Want to Raise Your Profile?Decom News offers a range of advertising opportunities for companies lookingto get themselves noticed within the offshore decommissioning industry.

• Printed copies of Decom News are distributed to all Decom North Sea members• Copies distributed at major UK and International exhibitions and conferences• Electronic copies sent to a growing database of over 1000 key industry contacts with an interest in decommissioning• Available to 38,000 online visitors each year at www.decomnorthsea.com

www.johnlawrie.com

John Lawrie Group

Greenbank Road, East Tullos Aberdeen, AB12 3BQ

+44 (0) 1224 871844

[email protected]

Offering a diverse range of industrial services, the John Lawrie Group has developed an enviable reputation for quality customer care for over 70 years.

• Oilfield decommissioning• Recycling flexible risers,

flowlines & umbilicals

• Metal recycling• NORM decontamination

& disposal (onshore)

• Oilfield tubulars• Mobile workforce• High reuse/recycling

OILFIELD

DECOMMISSIONING

MEMBER NEWS


SPOTLIGHT ON NEW MEMBERS

Strategic Decom and Well Decom form strategic alliance

How recruitment will play its part in decommissioning

Sureclean and NCS launch strategic partnership

Since 2014 Strategic Decom has been providing a complete range of strategic planning, technical, cost estimating and training services to assist clients in delivering their decommissioning goals. The company has now established a strategic partnership with well P&A specialist Well Decom to extend that capability to the complete decommissioning scope.

Formed in 2016, Well Decom offers specialist advisory services in well plugging and abandonment, with a key focus on a strategic approach to optimise the well P&A outcome. With the abandonment of wells representing proportionally the greatest cost in any decommissioning programme, Well Decom provides a vital strategic perspective on the process.

Richard Heard, Managing Director of Strategic Decom said: “As the pace of decommissioning increases, we are seeing more and more clients looking for strategic support on how and when to approach their decommissioning scope. Working closely with Well Decom allows us to collectively provide support in all aspects of the decommissioning challenge “

Steve Jewell, Managing Director of Well Decom added: “Significant opportunities exist in optimising the delivery of the well P&A programme. Careful application of existing, new and emerging technology, alongside an optimised process has the potential to yield significant cost savings and reduction of programme risk. Our alliance with Strategic Decom provides a perfect platform to deliver an optimised decommissioning outcome to our clients”.

www.strategicdecom.com

Identifying the right personnel necessary to complete a safe and compliant decommissioning project will place pressure on potentially depleted or understaffed HR departments. It will require time and resourcefulness to understand and develop the attributes, experience and knowledge required by the recruiter, and the real experience on offer from potential contractors. This will requires a creative approach aligning expertise, experience and key personal attributes with the requirements of the new roles.

Looking out with the traditional oil and gas sector to other technical and engineering sectors or industries, where decommissioning has been part of theses sectors for decades, it will be possible to get the right fit

between people and projects - the right skills are available, but they may not be in the most obvious of places. Utilising our partnership with UK based business psychologists Prismatic Thinking we have we have developed a tool which will do exactly this, i.e. identify people who would be suited to a decommissioning role but who may have been displaced from other roles within the oil and gas sector.

Identifying the talent and personnel to complete the decommissioning projects in the North Sea is essential and will require an extensive network of candidates who have experience in a wide variety of roles and situations in order to build the right kind of skill base.

However this could pave the way for creating a centre of excellence in the UK for decommissioning practice, the reward for forward-thinking, strategic planning and smart recruiting moving forward to graduates entering the industry and spending their entire career in decommissioning.

The unknown right now that will cause recruitment problems will be the foundation on which a whole new industry sector is achieved and in turn is good for the workforce, good for operators, and it’s good for the UK.

www.brander.co.uk

The strategic alliance is allowing Sureclean to provide Chemical Decontamination services using NCS’s specialist chemistry to support the oil and gas industry in the UK and overseas. Chemical decontamination as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, traditional water jetting techniques, is an ideal solution for cleaning pipework, tanks and vessels during shutdowns and turnarounds, commissioning or decommissioning works.

This partnership was formed towards the end of 2015. Since then, the two companies have undertaken extensive training of personnel, various equipment and chemistry trials and in-house R&D to enable them to be best placed to support industry with proven solutions.

Sureclean and NCS both have extensive experience in the provision of

essential decontamination and cleaning services to the oil and gas industry globally. This partnership has allowed them to bring a new, innovative solution to the UK market to provide bespoke solutions to Client’s problems. Introducing chemical processes during decontamination projects often decreases time and manpower required to carry out projects and increases safety and efficiency.

NCS was established in Oslo, Norway in 2003 and since then the company has carried out in excess of 4500 projects in the North Sea. NCS has an extensive range of chemical decontamination techniques and capabilities allowing them to provide unique, tailored chemistry. They have completed no fewer than 7 offshore topsides decommissioning projects in the last 18 months where substantial time savings over traditional methods have been demonstrated.

Sureclean specialises in providing packaged cleaning and waste management solutions in support of commissioning, maintenance and decommissioning activities. Sureclean supports the oil and gas industry globally from facilities in Alness, Aberdeenshire, North Africa, West Africa and the Middle East.

www.sureclean.com

Strategic Decom and Well Decom have formed a strategic partnership to provide comprehensive advisory services to clients in all aspects of decommissioning.

Kenny Dooley, Contracting for Brander believes preparation now will lead to huge dividends later, and elevate decommissioning from a cost centre to a future centre of excellence for engineering in Aberdeen and the UK.

Leading industrial cleaning and waste management specialist, Sureclean, has partnered with Nordic Chemical Solutions (NCS), the specialist provider of decontamination chemistry.

Eztek is Now a Registered FPAL SupplierEztek Limited is delighted to announce that it is now a registered supplier with Achilles First Point Assessment Ltd (FPAL). FPAL is an industry –run community of operators, contractors and suppliers working in collaboration to promote a fair and transparent supply chain.Eztek, which has over 22 years experience in the design and manufacture of harsh environment and hazardous area electronics, can now use the FPAL platform to share its capabilities and strengths with a wide range of prominent companies in the UK and European oil & gas industry.

FPAL is used by over 100 buyers from oil and gas companies, including those involved in decommissioning projects. Achilles works to ensure that suppliers’ information is accurate, via data validation and desktop and physical audits. With such a rigorous checking process FPAL provides a trusted ‘shop window’, where buyers can easily access pertinent information about potential suppliers, including performance feedback reviews.

Eztek’s General Manager, Robin Hunter, explains why this was the next logical step for the company: “In 2013 we successfully gained ISO 9001:2008 certification, demonstrating our commitment to quality and constant improvement. Now, because we are registered with FPAL, prospective buyers can see how existing clients rate us and how they have benefited from our technology.”

www.eztek.co.uk


SPOTLIGHT ON NEW MEMBERSSPOTLIGHT ON NEW MEMBERS

CDC brings cost-saving chameleon jack-up closer to market

Celebrating 70 years in business

The three principal directors with over 90 years hands-on offshore O&G experience have re-engineered existing jack-up technology to create an offshore vessel capable of substantially reducing the costs of decommissioning, Plug & Abandon and Interventions.

John Davies, Managing Director said, “We’ve been working tirelessly with our design partner, Great Waters Maritime. Today we can say the Chameleon vessel has ABS approval in principle. With its innovative and modular design

the Chameleon jack-up delivers a range of solutions no other offshore vessel in its class can. With such capabilities, the Chameleon offers a long-term, sustainable cost-cutting opportunity to the offshore industry.”

The Chameleon is based on existing jack-up technology but with an enhanced cantilever design allowing a range of activities including Piece Medium Decommissioning.

CDC Ltd, have developed and own a suite of patented designs, all aimed at increasing safety and efficacy within the offshore Oil & Gas and Renewables industries.

Iain Steven, Technical Director added, “It’s exciting to see our designs coming to life. This month we received confirmation of patent being granted in the USA and expect to hear the same for Europe shortly.”

www.cedco.co.uk

We have bought a new site in Herons lane Dundee predominantly for ferrous scrap as our scrap iron skip round has grown over the last few years. Having been largely non-ferrous before we feel now is the time to grow in to the ferrous markets.

Over the last few years modern handling and processing equipment has been installed on site, ranging from McIntyre Bigfoot baler to a Niton XLF metal analyser ensuring we have the tools for the job.

Our platform scale and weighbridge were recently installed and are maintained to the highest standard therefore quantity of materials is not an issue as both are fully credited weighing equipment. All weights of materials are on view to the customer at point of sale.

The company has a fleet of vehicles which allows us to offer a free skip, roll on-off container and flatbed truck uplift service. Tipper and Hi-Ab service are also provided. This service also comes with top prices throughout Scotland.

We deal in all Ferrous and non-ferrous metals and buy from factories, demolition companies, engineers and all trades.

The company is fully licensed by SEPA, DCC and is a member of BMRAwww.frankkelbie.com

CDC Ltd, the Glasgow & Aberdeen based engineering firm, are one step closer to bringing their innovative jack-up vessel ‘Chameleon’ to market.

Frank Kelbie Ltd opened in Milnbank Road Dundee in 1946, celebrating 70 years in the recycling industry and is still the longest running local family owned scrap merchant in the city. Now into the fourth generation of the family and still striving to provide jobs for the local area as it has done for many years. We also provide sponsorship for many local boxers, boxing, swimming and football clubs.

Iain Steven (left) and Bryn Williams of Creation IP, Hillington Innovation Centre

NRG Well Management improve operational efficiency and lower costs In 2013 NRG Well Management identified opportunities to improve its efficiency and performance through better data management in our core business of planning and managing well operations through to projects close out.Drilling or Decommissioning projects involve complex planning and logistic challenges requiring good communication of team members to ensure operational efficiency. During this time large quantities of data are required by distinct specialists from Engineering to Contracts to Logistics and G&G typically working around their own unique data sets and sharing data as required.

By avoiding the profusion and confusion of spreadsheets, un-connected applications and e-mail data sharing, NRG conservatively estimated efficiency and cost savings which provided the ‘why’ for the development of the WEii application.

By creating a software platform using new technologies and drawing on over 25 years of well management experience WEii provides a collaborative environment around a single database capable of delivering data and information between all stakeholders wherever they are located, even in areas of poor bandwidth. The modular design means we are able to create conceptual well time and cost models, plan detail design and produce AFEs, schedule and track equipment, services and consumables, capture operational data for daily reporting and EOWR close out.

The immediate benefits were; presenting the data in a clear and intuitive manner, sharing the same data with no duplication of effort, no version control issues, data available anytime, controlled formula and valid calculation output, simplified metrics and reporting output.

NRG Well Management is positioned to meet the industry challenges of reducing cost and improving operational efficiency.

www.nrgltd.ie

Introducing clarity to your decommissioning journey

Based in Aberdeen, recently formed Vár blends a proven, systematic process management capability with decades of practical project experience, bridging the full range of late-life and decommissioning disciplines to offer operators, investors and corporate advisors much-needed insight and transparency at every stage of evaluation, decision-making and implementation.

“Vár brings together in-depth experience of decommissioning with a proven process developed in similarly highly regulated, complex, multi-stakeholder environments,” explains Andrew Mitchinson, General Manager. “Experience in other spheres has informed our focus on the challenges of

realising a high degree of cost certainty for clients and of minimising the risk of negative reputational impacts.”

“Our fully ISO certified process has already delivered £1.3 Billion worth of value over the last ten years, generating efficiencies, improving the quality of decision-making, transparency, sharpening cost control and optimising overall budget certainty.”

“Having identified clear parallels with investment and management requirements for offshore assets and infrastructure, we have applied and modified this systematic approach accordingly. To do so, we have brought together leadership and delivery teams with extensive hands-on experience of every phase of activity and capable of informing each step by applying lessons learned through direct participation in numerous North Sea projects over the last 20 years.”

“Vár reduces the ongoing resource requirements for clients throughout each phase of the decommissioning journey, whilst still ensuring retention of project governance, plus overall control and access to the complete portfolio of relevant financial, commercial and technical information.”

www.var-ns.com

New Decom North Sea member, Vár North Sea Limited brings a refreshingly innovative perspective to addressing the challenges of identifying, analysing, planning and delivering solutions for managing the final phases of asset life.



SPOTLIGHT ON NEW MEMBERSSPOTLIGHT ON NEW MEMBERS

Maersk Leadon decommissioning win for Petrex

The environmental impacts of decommissioning the Camelot CA platform

The Leadon field is situated in block 9/14 of the North Sea, approximately 190 miles North - North-East of Aberdeen in a water depth of 120m and was acquired by Maersk Oil in 2005 with cessation of production granted in 2006. Some preparation work has already been undertaken for decommissioning of the Leadon facilities, with the FPSO and associated mooring system removed and reused at the Donan development in 2006 and the flexible risers recovered and disposed of in 2007, whilst other works continue in the North Sea.

Martin Simms, Leadon Decommissioning Manager said, ”Maersk is pleased to award the Riser Base Recovery Study to Petrex Developments. We realise how motivated the Petrex Team are to work with Maersk and appreciate the Team has the core competence to offer a streamlined approach whilst demonstrating key drivers for efficient decommissioning works.”

Commenting on their recent award win Ian Pithie, Business Manager for Petrex Developments said, “Our reputation is built on the quality of our service, building lasting relationships and taking ownership. We are delighted to have secured this Decommissioning work with such a high profile operator.”

Subsea specialist Petrex Developments, headquartered in Aberdeen has an established track record in providing low cost, simple, robust solutions covering Engineering and Project Management, Field Development, Decommissioning, Product/Package Management, Visualisation/Simulation and Procurement to the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry.

www.petrex.co.uk

To describe any impacts on the marine environment, and inform any actions taken to manage this, the post-decommissioning survey, or surveys, should be compared with pre-decommissioning surveys as an effective method of identifying whether or not there have been impacts. If surveys have been undertaken no less than five years before decommissioning, these surveys can be used as a baseline. Typically, because each case is different, a survey strategy should be agreed with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to determine the scope, depending on the results of earlier work.

In 1967 the Camelot Central South and Camelot North fields were discovered by Mobil and production commenced in 1989 through the Camelot CA platform. The last production from Camelot CA was in June 2009 and, as it was determined that 92% of the gas initially in place had been extracted, Cessation of Production was formalised and approved.

In 2010 the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and Natural England (NE) proposed a Special Area of Conservation (pSAC), in which the Camelot CA platform was situated, as well as approximately 1 km of Camelot CA pipelines.

Although the Camelot area contains no Annex I habitat or Annex II species, due to this designation a more rigorous post-decommissioning

monitoring programme was required by DECC. This was to determine whether the decommissioning activities had had an adverse impact on designated features and had prevented the achievement of their conservation objectives.

Thomson Unicomarine was commissioned by Helix ESG to survey the former site of the Camelot CA platform in the Southern North Sea. The platform was decommissioned in 2011 and surveys were carried out in 2012 and 2014 to monitor the recovery of the seabed.

As an established marine lab and consultancy, we are able to plan and mobilise the survey equipment and vessel, undertake PSA and benthic faunal analysis in-house, analyse the data using software such as PRIMER and produce a robust scientific report.

Our work for the Camelot CA decommissioning did not uncover any adverse impacts on the marine environment, or levels of chemical contamination that would be of concern. The ability to demonstrate, using rigorous scientific survey design and statistical analysis, whether there has, or has not, been an adverse impact on the marine environment is key for decision making and compliance.

www.thomsonecology.com

Petrex Developments, the Subsea Engineering and Project Management Specialist has recently been awarded a five figure contract from Maersk Oil North Sea (UK) Ltd to provide support to the Leadon Decommissioning Programme.

Rigmar Group announces appointment of Group Development Manager

Rigmar Group is delighted to announce the appointment of Duncan Cuthill as Group Development Manager.

Duncan, a Class 1 Master Mariner with a University Degree (BSc), has forty years’ combined service in the British Merchant Navy and the worldwide Offshore Oil and Gas Industry. Prior to joining Rigmar Group, Duncan has held senior management positions in various marine contracting and consultancy companies, including Intermoor Marine Services, Global Maritime, LOC, ASCO and Viking Seatech.

Rigmar Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Keith Nelson, said “We are delighted to welcome Duncan onboard to further strengthen our Management Team. Duncan brings considerable management expertise coupled with a breadth of marine experience and valuable knowledge which will help us strengthen our position in the global market.”

Rigmar Group comprises Rigmar Services Limited and Interocean Marine Services Limited, providing Asset Integrity, Fabric Maintenance and Marine Services. Rigmar Group’s Head Office is located in Aberdeen, with additional branches in the UK, Canada, West Africa, Abu Dhabi and Singapore

www.rigmar.co.uk


Investigating the impacts of decommissioning an offshore oil or gas platform is a requirement under the Petroleum Act 1998, as amended by the Energy Act 2008, and OSPAR decision 98/3. This is to ensure that the site is safe and the marine environment is recovering from any impacts. All potential impacts on the marine environment should be assessed, including exposure of organisms to contaminants, other biological impacts from physical effects, conflicts with the conservation of species and the protection of their habitats, or with mariculture, and interferences with other legitimate uses of the sea

New Members We are pleased to welcome the following new members:

As at 12/04/16 Aboyne Associates PTE LtdAgentis MDMS LtdAlba Power LimitedAmpelmannArcelor MittalAttollo Offshore Ltd.Aventa Systems LimitedBalltec LtdBlade Energy Partners Brand Energy & Infrastructure ServicesBrander Celtic Design ConsultantsClear SolutionsClydesdale BankDalby OffshoreDamen Shipyards GorinchemDataCo Ltd

Denbrae Drilling Consultants LtdDerrick Services (UK) LimitedDolphin Drilling LtdEC-OGEndicon LtdEztek LtdForo EnergyFrank Kelbie LtdGed Roope Consulting LtdGuruwadayarahalli SatyamuurthyHBJ GateleyHiretech LimitedHTL LtdIHS Global Limited Irena SpanovicKirktonhill Energy LtdKnights Improving Operations LtdMatthews1981

MMI Engineering LtdNRG Well Examination LimitedNRG Well Management Ireland LimitedOcean Team Fluidcare UK LtdPentland Precision LimitedPetans LtdPetrex Developments LtdR M Easdale & Company LimitedREDA Oilfield UK LtdSEPASiccar Point Energy LtdSMH Products LtdTarsicio FloresUnasys Limited Vár North Sea LimitedViking SeatechWell Decom LimitedWild Thinking


DECOM MEMBERS

Full membership of Decom North Sea is open to any commercial organisation involved or

interested in decommissioning. Associate membership is open to non-commercial organisations

and individuals who wish to be kept informed of Decom North Sea activity and attend networking

events and conferences. For further information, visit www.decomnorthsea.com

Our MembersUPCOMING EVENTS


Events Update DNS Lunch& Learn EventsThe largest and most regular meeting of the North Sea decommissioning sector, these monthly sessions give members and non-members from across the UK and Europe the opportunity to hear from industry peers about developments, whilst networking with key players from the industry.

22 June 2016AECC, Aberdeen

23 August 2016AECC, Aberdeen

28 September 2016AECC, Aberdeen

AS AT 12 APRIL 2016 · AAF Ltd · ABB Consulting · Aberdeen Harbour Board · Aberdeenshire Council · Aboyne Associates PTE Ltd · ACNOffshore Ltd · Addax Petroleum UK · Advanced Industrial Solutions Limited · AECOM · AF Decom Offshore · Agentis MDMS Ltd · Aggreko UK Ltd · Aker Solutions · AKOFS Offshore Operations AS · Alba Power Limited · Allseas Group S.A. · AMEC Foster Wheeler · Ampelmann · Aqualis Offshore UK Limited · ARCADIS (UK) Limited · Arcelor Mittal · Ardent · Ardyne Technologies Ltd · Argon Isotank Ltd · Arup · ASCO Group Limited · Assystem UK · Astonglen Associates Limited · Atkins Ltd · Attollo Offshore Ltd. · Attric Ltd · Aubin Group · Augean PLC · Aventa Systems Limited · Babcock International Group · Baker Hughes · Balltec Ltd · Bibby Offshore · Blade Energy Partners · BMT Cordah Ltd · Bonn & Mees · Boskalis Offshore · Bow Terminal · BP · Brand Energy & Infrastructure Services · Brander · Brodies LLP · Brown and May Marine Ltd · Burges Salmon LLP · Burness Paull LLP · Business Port Ltd · Cadherent · Cape Industrial Svs Ltd · Cashman Equipment Corp. · Celtic Design Consultants · CENSIS · Centrica Energy · Change & HR Solutions · Checksix Solutions · Chevron North Sea Ltd · CHUBB · CIE Well Control Ltd · Clear Solutions International Limited · Clough UK Limited · Clydesdale Bank · CNR Int (UK) Ltd · Conoco Phillips · Conquest Offshore · Costain Upstream Limited · Craig International Ltd · Cromarty Firth Port Authority · Currie & Brown · Cutting Underwater Technologies Ltd · D3 Consulting · Dalby Offshore · Damen Shipyards Gorinchem · DataCo Ltd · DBD Limited · D-Comms (Scotland) Ltd · DECO( Diving, Engineering & Consultancy Office ) · Decomm Modular · Decommissioning Project Svs Ltd · Deepocean · Denbrae Drilling Consultants Ltd · Derrick Offshore Ltd · Derrick Services (UK) Limited · DNV GL - Oil & Gas · Dolphin Drilling Ltd · Dundee Decommissioning Ltd · Dundee Renewables · E.ON E & P UK Ltd · ECITB · EC-OG · Ecosse Subsea Systems Ltd · EFC Group · Endicon Ltd · En-ergise Technology Ltd · ENG-CAD Limited · Engie E&P UK Limited · Enhanced Drilling UK Ltd · Eni Hewett Ltd · Enpro Subsea · ERM · Ethos Environmental Ltd · EverSea NV · Exceed (Holdings) Ltd · EY · Eztek Ltd · Fairfield Energy Limited · Falck Nutec · FCC Environment · Fife Council · Firmamentum Ltd · Flexlife Limited · Flowline Specialist Ltd · Foro Energy · Forth Ports Limited · Frank Kelbie Ltd · Fraser Well Management · Frazer - Nash Consultancy · Fred Olsen Windcarrier UK Ltd · GA Drilling · Gardline Environmental Ltd · GCE NODE · GCG Shotblasting Svs Ltd · Ged Roope Consulting Ltd · Genesis GmbH · Glacier Energy Services Holdings Ltd · Global Energy Group - Marine Projects (CPS) · Global Maritime · GP Decom Ltd · Gulfstream Services Int UK Ltd · Guruwadayarahalli Satyamuurthy · Halliburton · Hardy AVARR Ltd · HARKAND · Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries Ltd · Hawk Enviro Ltd · HBJ Gateley · Helix Well Ops (UK) Ltd · Hess Norge AS · Hiretech Limited · HR Wallingford · Hydratight Ltd · IHC Engineering Business · IHS Global Limited · Imenco · Ince & Co · Ineos Breagh · Infield-WoodMac · Inter Terminals · Interface Engineering Solutions · INTERKAB · Intermoor Marine Services Ltd · Inuktun Europe Ltd · Irena Spanovic · IRM Systems · Island Offshore Subsea Aberdeen · ITC Hydraulic Services Ltd · ITS Testing Services UK Ltd ( Intertek Aberdeen ) · J. Bryan (Victoria) Ltd · James Fisher Offshore Ltd · JBS Group( Scotland )Ltd · JEE Ltd · John Lawrie (Aberdeen) Ltd · Jumpstart Ltd · JX Nippon Exploration & Production (U.K.) Limited · KCA DEUTAG Drilling Ltd · KDC · Kirktonhill Energy Ltd · Kishorn Port Ltd · Knights Improving Operations Ltd · Kotug Offshore BV · Lerwick Port Authority · Lloyd’s Register · Lucion Marine · Macaulay Scientific Consulting · Mactech Europe Ltd · Maersk Oil UK Ltd · Malin Marine Consultants (Aberdeen) Ltd · Marathon Oil U.K. LLC. · Marex Marine and Risk Consultancy · Maritime Assurance & Consulting Ltd · Master Marine AS · Matrix Risk Control (UK) Ltd · McKinsey Oil & Gas Practice, EMEA · Met Office · Mintra Training Portal Ltd · MMI Engineering Ltd · Montrose Port Authority · MSIS Group · Mwaves Ltd · Neptune · Nexen Petroleum U.K Ltd · Nixon Energy Ltd · Nordic Chemical Solutions · Nordic Shipping Svs Ltd · Norisol Norge AS · Norsea Group (UK) Ltd · North Atlantic Drilling · Northern Asbestos · Northern Offshore UK Ltd · NRG Well Examination Limited · NRG Well Management Ireland Limited · N-Sea Offshore · Nuvia Sita NORM Ltd · Ocean Kinetics Ltd · Ocean Team Fluidcare UK Ltd · Offshore Design Engineering Ltd · Offshore Installation Svs Ltd (OIS) · Offshore Shipbrokers Ltd · Oil States Barrow · Oilmac.com · OOS International bv · Optimus Seventh Generation Ltd · Orion Group · Osbit Power · OSC Limited · Paragon Offshore (Netherlands) B.V. · Pastoor Offshore · PDL Solutions (Europe) Ltd · Peel Ports - Great Yarmouth Port · Pembroke Partners Limited · Pentland Precision Limited · People Positive Ltd · Perenco UK Ltd · Petans Ltd · Peterson ( UK ) Ltd · Petrex Developments Ltd · Petrofac · Pipelines 2 Data (P2D) Ltd · Pipetech Operations LTD · Port of Blyth · Port of Frederikshavn · Premier Oil Plc · Prezioso Linjebygg AS · Project Development Int (Pdi) Ltd · Proserv · R M Easdale & Company Limited · R.U.M Consultancy Ltd · Ramboll Environ UK Limited · REDA Oilfield UK Ltd · Redcar And Cleveland College · Reverse Engineering Svs Ltd · RGU · Rigmar Services Ltd · RLG International Ltd · Robertson Metals Recycling Ltd · Roemex Speciality Oilfield Chemicals · Romar Int Ltd · RPS HSED · RSK · Sabik Offshore Ltd · Sabre Safety Ltd · Sagro · Sal Offshore BV · Scaffpad Europe Ltd · Scanmet A.S · Schlumberger - SMITH Services · Scotoil Services Ltd · Scottish Enterprise · Seafox Contractors BV (Seafox 5 BV) · Seajacks UK Ltd · Searoute Group Ltd · Seaway Heavy Lifting · Seaways Engineering International Inc · SEPA · SFF Services Ltd · Shell UK Ltd · Siccar Point Energy Ltd · Simmons & Company Int · Simply Joined Consulting Limited · Sinclair Marine Ltd · SLR Consulting · Specialised Oilfield Svs Ltd · Squibb Group Ltd · STC Global Ltd · Stena Recycling Stavanger AS · Stork · Strait of Canso Superport Corporation · Strategic Decommissioning Consultants Ltd · Strategic Safety Consultants Ltd · Subsea 7 · Subsea Deployment Systems Ltd · Sureclean Ltd · Talisman - Sinopec Energy UK Ltd · Tam Int North Sea · Taqa Bratani Ltd · Tarsicio Flores · TETRA Technologies Ltd · ThinJack Ltd · Thomas Muir ( Rosyth) Ltd · Thomson Unicomarine · Tinne Consultants Ltd · TMC (Marine Consultants) Ltd · Total E&P UK Ltd · TSG Marine Ltd · Tullow Oil Plc · Turner & Townsend Energy Ltd · TWMA · UK Total Solutions Limited · UK Trade & Investment · Unasys Limited · Underwater Cutting Solutions · Universal Pegasus Int (UK) Ltd · University of Aberdeen · Van Heck · Vár North Sea Limited · Veolia Environmental Svs · Viking SeaTech · Weatherford · Well Decom Limited · West Oil Tools Well Svs Ltd · Westlord Associates UK · Wild Thinking · Wild Well Control · Wilhelm Borchert GmbH · Wipro Technologies · Wood Group PSN · Worley Parsons · XODUS Group · Zenith Energy Ltd

STRATEGIC PARTNERS Accenture · DECC · East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) · FPAL · Highlands & Islands Ent (Shetland) · IRO · ITF · NOF Energy · Offshore Energy DK · OGIC · Oil & Gas Authority (OGA) · Oil & Gas UK · OPITO · Scottish Enterprise · SPE Society of Petroleum Engineers · Subsea UK · The Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) · Zero Waste Scotland

SAVE THE DATE

OTHER INDUSTRY EVENTS

Offshore Decommissioning Conference 2016, jointly organised with Oil & Gas UK14 – 16 November 2016, Fairmont Hotel, St Andrews

Decom Offshore 201724 May 2017, Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, Aberdeen

Training CourseAn Introduction - From Planning through Execution

An interactive, two-day introductory training course offering an overview of offshore decommissioning, this provides an excellent opportunity for those in a wide variety of roles to increase knowledge of the sector, understand lessons learned and explore how decommissioning can be undertaken more efficiently.

Dates for your Diary:

08 – 09 June 2016Aberdeen

If you are interested in booking, more information or would like to participate at one of these events, please visit our website www.decomnorthsea.com or contact Jennifer Dunbar on 01224 914044 or [email protected]

SPE Aberdeen 6th European Well Abandonment Seminar15 June 2016, Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, AberdeenInterested in Well Abandonment? Come along on the 15th June to the 6th European Well Aban-donment Seminar to be held at the AECC Aberdeen.

Abstracts have been submitted for this well-established Society of Petroleum Engineers Aber-deen Section seminar.

The seminar will cover well abandonment from overview and guidelines, through structural integrity for well abandonment, to case studies of abandonment campaigns.

NOF Energy & Decom North Sea Networking Lunch08 September 2016, Venue TBC, North East EnglandThis supply chain focused event includes a presentation, opportunity to showcase your business and the chance to network in the exhibition area.

SUT/Masts Workshop – Save the Date19 – 21 October 2016, Venue TBC, Glasgow

Exhibition “Lite” Opportunity

GET INVOLVED

We are now offering DNS members the exciting new opportunity to exhibit at a DNS Lunch & Learn.This new opportunity is based on member feedback. The cost will initially be £95 + VAT per exhibitor.Exhibititors will benefit from significant exposure at these well-established events, making it easierfor key players from the decommissioning industry to see what your company does at a glance.

For more information please contact Jennifer Dunbar on [email protected] or +44 (0)1224 914044

© 2016 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. 44163 03/2016

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Documents

MEMBER NEWS Issue 24 DECOM NEWSMay 2016. Launch at Decom Offshore 2016 conference, 25th May. Mapping Decom Initiatives Early Stage Map current industry, academic and other decommissioning