Offshore wind projects are maintaining momentum in the Far East and in Europe. However, the oil and gas segment has also been experiencing considerable activity as of late, as evidenced by new project awards for services such as subsea surveying, installation, drilling, and decommissioning in the North and Barents Seas, off South America, and in Middle Eastern waters.
UAE's Zakher Marine bags first windfarm installation gig
UAE-based Zakher Marine International (ZMI) has secured its first ever windfarm installation contract, an award for work in the South China Sea.
The contract awarded by the Chinese government has a total value of approximately US$110 million.
The self-propelled jackup platform QMS Gladiator has arrived in Chinese waters and has already commenced installation duties.
Ørsted starts installation activities at Greater Changhua offshore wind farms
Later this year, Ørsted will begin laying export and array cables and installing the offshore substations and foundations at the Greater Changhua 1 and 2a Offshore Wind Farms in Taiwan.
Ørsted has begun the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to prepare for cable laying and scour protection works to make the seabed ready for foundation installation. Moreover, the company has completed the civil works of the two onshore substation main buildings and the upgrade work of the hinterland at wharfs 36 and 37 at the Port of Taichung for storing key components for offshore installation.
The wind turbine installation at the wind farms is expected to begin next year.
Located 35 to 60 kilometres off the coast of Changhua County, the first large-scale and farshore offshore wind farm in Taiwan is scheduled to be finalised by 2022 and will provide clean energy to up to one million households.
Bourbon Subsea to install Stiesdal floating wind turbine prototype
As part of its partnership Danish offshore wind company Stiesdal, Bourbon Subsea Services will manage the transportation and installation of the former's new 3.6MW floating wind turbine prototype. This new turnkey stage includes project management, engineering, installation, and offshore execution from the assembly port in Denmark until hook-up and inter array cable installation on the Metcenter test site in Norway this summer.
The noteworthy feature of the wind turbine foundation concept is the modular "building block" arrangement: each foundation is assembled from tubular steel modules, most of which are common to all configurations.
The demonstrator turbine will also boast significantly improved stability provided by a keel deployed 50 metres below the floater. As the keel deployment is expected to be the main challenge in the offshore installation, Bourbon Subsea Services will deploy innovative methodology to connect this keel to the floater in port and later on once offshore, to lower it safely and efficiently.
PGS, Equinor ink two frame agreements
PGS has been awarded two framework agreements by Equinor for survey work offshore Norway.
The first is a two-year framework agreement for 4D monitoring surveys on the Norwegian continental shelf. Equinor can extend this framework agreement by exercising an additional two options of two years each. The agreements can also be applied for the UK continental shelf.
The second is a specific framework agreement for 4D monitoring surveys at the Gullfaks field. The agreement comprises an exclusive right to acquire up to three surveys prior to 2031.
PGS is scheduled to acquire two 4D monitoring surveys in 2021 over the Fram and Tordis/Vigdis fields. The first survey is scheduled to start in June 2021, and the total duration for the two 2021 projects is estimated at around 2.5 months.
PGS secures Lundin Energy exploration survey contract
PGS has been awarded a contract to perform a high-end 3D exploration survey on behalf of Lundin Energy Norway in the Barents Sea.
PGS will deploy drop-nodes leased from Geospace Technologies and operate Ramform Hyperion as a streamer vessel and Sanco Swift as a source vessel with an ultra-wide source configuration.
The survey polygon covers approximately 3,600 square kilometres, of which a subset will be covered with node seismic. The project will commence in late May 2021 and will have an anticipated duration of 75 days.
Fugro kicks off seep survey, geochemical campaign for Petronas Suriname
Fugro has begun conducting a seep survey and geochemical campaign in Block 48, offshore Suriname, for Petronas subsidiary Petronas Suriname E&P (PSEPBV).
The work is being conducted from the survey vessel Fugro Brasilis and involves geophysical data collection, heat flow measurements, core sampling and onboard geochemical analyses, which aim to optimise future exploration activities in this frontier area.
The fieldwork for the campaign will run through Q1 2021 with subsequent geochemical analyses and final reports delivered in May of this year.
Aker Solutions awarded work to recycle offshore platforms in Norway
Aker Solutions has been awarded a letter of intent by Netherlands-based Heerema Marine Contractors for decommissioning work related to the Heimdal and Veslefrikk fields offshore Norway.
The scope includes reception, dismantling, and recycling of three offshore installations from the Heimdal and Veslefrikk fields. The total weight of these installations is around 68,000 tonnes, and the objective is to recycle about 98 per cent of all the materials.
The Heimdal and Veslefrikk platforms, which have been in operation since the 1980s, will be recycled at Aker Solutions' decommissioning facilities at Eldøyane in Stord, Norway. Early-phase engineering will begin in 2022 and the structures are currently anticipated to arrive at Stord between 2024 and 2026, with project completion in 2027.
Qatargas taps Saipem for EPCI work
Saipem has received a letter of award from Qatargas for a new contract worth over US$1 billion and related to the North Field Production Sustainability Pipelines Project located offshore and onshore the north-east coast of the Qatar peninsula.
The additional contract entails the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of offshore export trunklines and related onshore tie-in works and is part of the development of the North Field production plateau, which also includes the EPCI of offshore facilities previously awarded to Saipem in February.
The scope of work for the new award includes three export trunklines starting from their respective offshore platforms to the Qatargas North and South Plants in Ras Laffan Industrial City for a total length of almost 300 kilometres, as well as associated onshore tie-in works and brownfield activities on existing onshore and offshore facilities.
Pipelaying operations will be executed by the Saipem vessels DE HE and Saipem Endeavour.
Project completion is expected by mid-2024.
Borr Drilling selected for Neptune Energy's UK, Netherlands campaigns
Neptune Energy has awarded a US$21.4 million contract to Borr Drilling for development, exploration, and plug and abandonment (P&A) activities in the Dutch and UK sectors of the North Sea.
The contract includes an option for an additional three wells after the initial seven-month drilling campaign is completed.
The activities will be carried out by Borr Drilling's jackup rig Prospector 1.
