View
235
Download
0
Category
Tags:
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
November's edition of Total World Energy
Citation preview
Mitsubishi Hitachi Global power players
Agraferm Technologies Biogas – the fuel of the future?
VTT Vasiliko Energy for the East Mediterranean
Eneco Luchterduinen A project for the community
It’s all about rigs…
This month we look at the importance of the work of quality rigs in areas including the Upper Zakum field, the North Sea and the Timor Sea. We also learn more about the work that
goes into constructing all parts of a modern rig in China, Poland and across the world…
NOVEMBER 2014
more than business www.totalworldenergy.com
www.deregtcables.com ANYWHERE. ANYTIME. EVERYTIME.
View the complete marine product range on www.sercel.com
Krimpen aan de Lek, The Netherlands info@deregtcables.comSales & Marketingp.brussee@deregtcables.com
Cable Technology Partner SM
Technology Comes To Life
ULTRA-DEEP WATER APPLICATIONSDe Regt Marine Cables is a worldplayer in the design
and manufacture of customer engineered dynamic cable systems for subsea applications. One of its
latest developments are the Rigid Flexible Rods, to replace the steel wires strength member for
the purpose of moving into deeper water
// BENEFITS OF THE RIFLER LIGHTWEIGHTSTRENGTH MEMBER
• Self-supporting over a deployable length of over 7km
• Weight reduction of over 75% in water
• Safe working: allowed in an explosive atmosphere
• Usage of non-corrosive materials
• Terminable with conventional methods
De Regt.indd 1 04/02/2014 10:53
EDITOR Joe ForshawSUB-EDITOR Harriet PattisonWRITERSRosie DeWinterColin ChineryTim HandsRoland Douglas Christian Jordan STUDIO DIRECTOR Martyn OakleyDESIGNERS Harvey TarltonHarry Wyer
RESEARCH DIRECTORChris BolderstoneMAGAZINE MANAGER Rick LiddimentPROJECT MANAGERS Ben RichellKieran ShukriJodie RettieHal HutchisonAjuanne PayneSALES DIRECTOR Andy WilliamsSALES MANAGER Daniel MarshallSALES EXECUTIVE Mark Leonard
ACCOUNTSMike Molloy Jane ReederMANAGING DIRECTOR David HodgsonOPERATIONS DIRECTOR Chris BolderstoneFINANCE DIRECTOR Scott Warman
2a Ardney Rise, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 3QH, United Kingdom
If you would like more information about ways in which Total World Energy can promote your business please call +44 1603 411568 or email | editor@ecp-ltd.com
East Coast Promotions Ltd does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors. The points of view expressed in articles by attributing writers and/or in advertisements included in this magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this magazine, no legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from use of information published. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrievable system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher.
© East Coast Promotions Ltd 2014
It’s often easy to forget that there’s much more to renewable energy than wind and solar power. These are the pretty faces of the renewable energy industry; the ones that have proven themselves as viable energy sources and the ones that have the backing of many prominent players. But what about other sources? What about hydro power, what about biogas? While these are perhaps less popular than wind and solar, they certainly have the potential to provide huge contributions to the grid.
In the biogas sector there are many prominent players around the world including Agraferm Technologies based in Pfaffenhofen, Germany. This innovative organisation is run by a group of people with many years’ experience in biogas and the company is looking to grow internationally, spreading the word of quality biogas plants and how they can be extremely efficient and cost-effective when built and run correctly. We talk to two Directors from Agraferm about the history of the organisation that is set to grow in 2015.
We also feature the traditional energy industries, oil and gas, where we talk to VTTI about their new facility in Cyprus and also Mitsubishi Hitachi about development in Europe and their combined cycle gas turbines.
Interestingly, we hear from The Association of Dutch Suppliers in the Oil and Gas Industry and hear how the association and its members are pushing internationally proven Dutch services around the world aligning with one of the common themes of this month’s edition – global expansion.
If you or your company are expanding globally, setting no boundaries in operation, and continually finding new areas to work in, you should get in touch with us; we love to hear stories of business success, it’s what we’re all about! Find us online @TWEmagazine
PAGE 3
Joe Forshaweditor@ecp-ltd.com
PAGE 4 MAR 14
EDITOR’S PAGEWhat is the potential of biogas?
3
NEWS All that’s happening in the energy industry
6
ENTREPRENEUR Entrepreneur of the year
10
INNOVATION Solar powered speed
12
VTT VASILIKO Europe’s link in the east mediterranean
14
MIB ITALIANA A true Italian job
22
MHPS EUROPE Continental power players
26
NATIONAL ENERGY Powering more than T&T
34
ZADCO National oil, National pride
40
INPEX: ICHTHYS PROJECT Austrailian energy for Japan
46
TRIYARDS From China to the world
50
AGRAFERM TECHNOLOGIES Biogas: Future proof
54
IRO ASSOCIATION Global networking
60
DE REGT MARINE CABLES Able cables
64
SMULDERS WIND TURBINE CONSTRUCTIONS Gathering Strength
70
MEGCHEM Out of Africa
74
ENTREPOSE CONTRACTING It’s in the pipeline
78
BOMESC OFFSHORE ENGINEERING COMPANY Offshore engineering, a Chinese success story
82
ENECO LUCHTERDUINEN En-powering the community
86
ALUSHIP TECHNOLOGY Changing the industry with aluminum
90
HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES Heavy work, all part of the job
94
DESTINATION DIRECTOR If you can afford it, Europe’s luxury awaits
98
FUTURE POWER Industry leading innovation from Sweden
100
Contents
CONTENTS
PAGE 5
86 26
26
50 54 94
PAGE 6
Appointment of new Chairman at Shell The Board of Directors of Royal
Dutch Shell has announced the
appointment of Charles O Holliday
as Chairman with effect from the
conclusion of the 2015 Annual
General Meeting, subject to his
re-appointment as a Director of
the Company by shareholders at
the AGM. Mr Holliday will succeed
Jorma Ollila who will step down
from the Board with effect from
the conclusion of the 2015 AGM
having served as Chairman for nine
years.
Chad Holliday was appointed
as a Non-executive Director of
the Company with effect from
September 2010, and is currently
Chairman of the Corporate and
Social Responsibility Committee
and Member of the Remuneration
Committee. He was Chief
Executive Officer of DuPont from
1998 to 2009, and Chairman from
1999 to 2009. He is a member
of the Board of Directors of Bank
of America Corporation, having
previously served as Chairman up
until September 2014, and is also
a Director of Deere & Company.
Commenting, Mr Ollila said:
“I am delighted that the Board
has appointed Chad Holliday to
succeed me as Chairman. He has
a distinguished track record as an
international businessman and I
am sure he is the right person to
chair the Board going forward after
the 2015 AGM.”
Chad Holliday said: “I am
honoured to be appointed
Chairman of this great company,
and I look forward to working with
Ben van Beurden and the whole
Board to deliver the strategy.”
#twenews
Charles O Holliday
NEWS
PAGE 7
Expansion Project in Kazakhstan
Bechtel has been awarded a contract
to provide engineering, procurement,
and construction services to build
four crude-oil storage tanks at the
TengizChevroil oil production facility
in Tengiz, Kazakhstan. The company
also will modernize the fire and gas
detection systems across the entire
crude tank farm. TengizChevroil is a
joint venture of Chevron, ExxonMobil,
KazMunayGas, and LukArco.
“The Bechtel team will apply
extensive technical knowledge
and more than 30 years’ worth of
experience working in Kazakhstan
to deliver new tank storage capacity
to the Tengiz facility on a short
schedule,” said Jack Futcher,
president of Bechtel’s Oil, Gas &
Chemicals business unit. “We look
forward to continuing our work
with TengizChevroil and the people
of Kazakhstan as they develop
important energy resources.”
The project will add to the
existing facility 500,000 barrels
of tank storage, export pumps,
interconnecting pipe, switching
manifolds, a monitoring station,
associated facilities, and supporting
infrastructure.
Bechtel is the global leader in the
oil and gas industry. The company
has been supporting oil production
in Kazakhstan since the 1990s.
Bechtel helped develop the Tengiz
and Korolev oil fields, built several
oil and gas facilities at Tengiz,
and constructed artificial islands
with associated port facilities in
the Caspian Sea off the coast of
Bautino.
PAGE 8
#twenews
© Rob Wilson - Shutterstock.com
Repsol hits pay in GoM’s Leon well Repsol has made a new discovery
of “high quality” oil in the United
States’ Gulf of Mexico.
The find was made 352
kilometres from the Louisiana coast
in an ultra-deep water well named
Leon, located in the Keathley
Canyon 642 block.
Repsol is the operator of the
discovering consortium. The well
found more than 150 metres of
net oil pay within a column of over
400 metres. The well was drilled
in water 1,865 metres deep, and
reached a total depth of 9,684
metres, making it one of the
deepest wells operated by the
company.
The company has a lot of
experience in deep-water well
drilling and is internationally
recognised for its technological
capacity with cutting-edge
projects in hydrocarbon
exploration and production such
as the Kaleidoscope and Sherlock
projects.
Repsol has a 60% participation
in the license, with Colombia’s
Ecopetrol holding the remaining
40%. The US Gulf of Mexico is
amongst the world’s most profitable
and promising deep water plays.
Repsol holds 119 blocks in this
prolific area together with a share
in the Shenzi field, which boasts 16
wells in production connected to
two platforms.
The resource potential being
carried out by the current operator
will lead to a development plan for
the field in the near future.
NEWS
PAGE 9
GDF SUEZ E&P UK Ltd and
BP last month announced a new
exploration discovery in the UK
Central North Sea. The discovery,
which spans GDF SUEZ operated
block 30/1f (licence P1588) and BP
operated block 30/1c (licence P363)
was flow tested at a maximum rate
of 5,350 barrels of oil equivalent per
day. The discovery, referred to as
‘Marconi’ by GDF SUEZ and ‘Vorlich’
by BP, is located in the Central North
Sea.
Ruud Zoon, Managing Director
of GDF SUEZ E&P UK Ltd said:
“This is an encouraging exploration
discovery in a part of the Central
North Sea that needs additional
volumes of hydrocarbons to open
up development options for several
stranded discoveries. The discovery
is our third successful well this year
and demonstrates a continuing
commitment by GDF SUEZ to an
active exploration and appraisal
drilling programme on the UK
Continental Shelf.”
Trevor Garlick, Regional President
of BP North Sea said: “As BP marks
its 50th year in the North Sea and
as the industry looks to maximise
economic recovery from the basin,
increasing exploration activity and
finding new ways to collaborate
will be critical to realising remaining
potential. This discovery is a great
example of both.”
The well was drilled by GDF SUEZ
E&P UK Ltd as operator, with the
Transocean Galaxy II jack-up rig
under a joint well agreement between
the two licence groups.
Business and Energy Minister
Matthew Hancock said: “We are
determined to have set the right
fiscal and regulatory regimes to
make sure we can get the maximum
possible economic extraction of oil
and gas from the North Sea.
“This discovery shows exactly
what can be achieved in the North
Sea if companies work together to
maximise the considerable potential
of remaining oil and gas reserves.”
GDF SUEZ and BP Discover New Central North Sea Field
The definition of an entrepreneur is not
always one who starts up a company
but one who is also responsible for
its continued success, growth and
creativity. Mark Robinson joined the APC
Technology Group almost three decades
ago in 1985 as a sales engineer. By
1992, he had reached board level before
becoming Managing Director in 2004.
Today, as CEO of APC, Robinson has led
the company to terrific heights through
new innovations and technological
advancements in the energy field.
With more and more companies and
businesses, both big and small, wanting
to reduce their energy bills and use more
sustainable energy solutions, APC is there
to help and advise where money can be
saved on energy and help in controlling
usage. This might be as simple a change
as replacing lights with low energy bulbs.
The company’s emphasis has been
on maintaining profitable growth,
diversification and helping customers
reduce business energy consumption.
APC has managed this through a
series of strategic acquisitions and by
the creation of subsidiary companies.
However, Robinson soon realised that he
couldn’t build a sustainable technology
company on just one product so he
created an all-compassing holistic offering
to customers, a turn-key solution.
Offering cleaner technology and energy
efficiency is now driven through Minimise,
a wholly-owned subsidiary of APC which
is broken down into Minimise Holdings,
Minimise, Minimise Energy and Minimise
Controls.
A FLAIR FOR ENTREPRENEURIALISMRobinson’s entrepreneurial flair began
almost 30 years ago but it was in 2008
that he moved across to the cleantech
sector through the launch of Minimise.
The energy reduction specialists
have enjoyed significant growth and
recognition for the development and
distribution of energy efficient solutions,
helping customers to maximise their
profitability whilst reducing energy
consumption.
Last year, one of APC’s biggest
achievements came with signing a
contract with Morrisons. “Until recently,
Morrisons had been mainly doing
lighting,” Robinson explained in a
statement. “All credit to them, they saw
the benefits they could gain by becoming
more energy efficient and moved quickly
to go into volume before any other
chains.
“It’s great of us as it got us out of the
blocks and got us a seat at the big table.
We’ve now proven that we can provide
our product to scale.”
Earlier this year, Robinson cemented
his position in the sustainable energy
sector being crowned ‘Entrepreneur
of the Year 2014’ at the New Energy
& Cleantech Awards. Now in its 7th
year, the awards recognises companies
responsible for the shaping of future
green energy and cleantech industries.
Speaking after the event, Robinson
said: “I am delighted to accept this award
on behalf of all my colleagues at Minimise
PAGE 10
Sustainable, energy efficient solutions
Starting at APC Group almost three decades ago, Mark Robinson has used his entrepreneurial flair to turn the company into a market leader providing sustainable technology solutions to help improve the energy efficiency of its customers. Earlier this year Robinson was awarded ‘Entrepreneur of the Year 2014’ at the New Energy and Cleantech Awards, a testament to his hard work and passion…
Editorial: Harriet Pattison
Sustainable, energy efficient solutions
and within the APC Technology Group. It
was a great honour just to be shortlisted
in this category with representatives from
companies that share our commitment
to energy efficiency, innovation and
sustainability.
“Winning this award further establishes
our position as industry leaders, delivering
energy savings to clients of all sizes and
sectors through our complementary
range of products and services.
“As sponsors of the Retail Company
of the Year award, Minimise would like
to congratulate John Lewis on their
success in this category and commend
all the shortlisted companies, including
Morrisons, The Co-Operative Group
and Sainsbury’s, on their energy saving
achievements.”
Adrienne Robins, Account Director at
Quantum, said in a statement after the
ceremony: “We are delighted that Mark’s
success in expanding the Group and
Minimise’s business operations and reach
has been recognised by the new energy
and cleantech industries in which the
companies operate.
“We will do all we can to support
Minimise’s ongoing expansion plans,
which will cement their position at the
forefront of the energy efficiency sector.”
SUSTAINABLE EXPANSIONIt is inevitable that fossil fuels will
eventually run out so planning
ahead and finding alternative energy
resources is imperative. There is now
a large market for sustainability with
new technology advancements and
innovative products being introduced
on a regular and global basis for all
energy markets. It is easier perhaps to
bury our heads in the sand and ignore
the inevitable but it seems that it is only
when we look at how much we spend
on our energy bills each month that we
feel motivated to seek alternative and
more cost effective solutions. This is
what APC, led by Mark Robinson, is
hoping to achieve.
With exponential growth after the
launch of Minimise in 2008, Robinson
is looking forward to further expansion
for the company, increasing its
footprint to bigger markets opening
new offices in Miami and Toronto.
New acquisitions have also helped to
place APC on the highly competitive
energy pedestal. Acquiring Green
Compliance plc has allowed APC to
offer a water sustainability service with
products including; rain and waste
water harvesting, water consumption
monitoring and management, leak
detection and remediation and the
management of water hygiene.
From switching to an energy efficient
light bulb to improving the energy
efficiency of an entire organisation,
Mark Robinson has ensured a range
of industries will benefit from the range
of technologies developed to reduce
energy consumption. Keeping up to
date with technology advancements
over the past 30 years, Robinson is
showing how businesses can expand
and grow successfully without increasing
its carbon footprint
© Airbus S.A.S. 2011
PAGE 11
ENTREPRENEUR
In August, Total World Energy looked
at the airplane powered only by the
sun, Solar Impulse. In October we
looked at the boat powered only by
the sun, the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar.
Back in 1996, Honda aired a TV
promotion campaign about their plans
for developing a solar powered car,
and in 2013 a motorcycle powered
only by electricity developed by solar
panels became the fastest production
motorcycle in the world. Clearly, solar
power and its uses are coming to the
forefront of the everyday energy mix.
In June last year, the Lightning
Superbike team competed at the
Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
(PPIHC) in Colorado Springs. As the
second oldest motor sports event in
the USA, running since 1916, PPIHC
is a 12.42 mile (19.99 kilometre)
course that begins at 9,390 feet
(2,862.07 meters) above sea-level and
finishes at the 14,115 foot (4,302.25
meter) summit of the spectacular
Pikes Peak –Americas Mountain. As
the drivers climb toward the summit,
the thin air slows reflexes and drains
muscle strength in addition to robbing
internal combustion engines of up to
30% of the power they were capable
of at the start line. Competitors and
vehicles must be in top shape and
condition simply to finish, let alone
win.
Lightning didn’t just win the electric
category, they were faster than the
closest world-class gas-powered bike
by almost 21 seconds. The majority of
the electric bike field posted times in
the mid-12-minute range - Lightning
Electric Superbike was more than two
minutes faster.
Lightning Motorcycle was the
fastest of the 82 motorcycle entered
and beat all but the eight fastest
cars at the PPIHC. Adding to the
achievement, the Lightning SuperBike
was powered by clean, renewable
solar energy.
The bike is a result of collaboration
between California based Lightning
Motorcycles and SMA America
which manufactures solar inverters.
PAGE 12
Solar power and one of the world’s fastest motorcycles…
Editorial: Joe Forshaw
The Lightning Superbike is powered by electricity; it doesn’t use a trace of gasoline or petroleum at all. Last year it received many awards and accolades and we take a closer look at how solar power is being utilised to drive such a high-performance vehicle…
Lightning Motors Corp. has
been involved in researching and
manufacturing electric two wheeled
transportations for more than six
years.
The Lightning SuperBike was not
the first electric bike to compete at
the event but it was the first to have
such an impact. It has paved the
way for the Lightning LS-218, the
latest offering from the pioneering
company. Powered by a 380V 20 kwh
battery pack and IPM liquid cooled
150kw+ 10,500 rpm electric motor,
the LS-218 produces 200 hp and
168 ft•lbs of torque. Weighing just
495 lbs, the bike can reach 218 mph
and the motor can reach 10,500 rpm.
To charge, it takes just 30 mins on a
quick charger and 120 minutes on
level two charger and a full charge
will take the bike 160-180 miles at
highway speed.
But perhaps most importantly, the
EnerDel battery pack can be charged
through a specially adapted solar
panel system. The bike is charged
with solar power through a mobile
charging station that features an
inverter made by SMA America and
Trina panels. “The merger of solar
power and electric vehicles is exciting
to witness and we are thrilled with the
success of the impressive SuperBike,”
said Henry Dziuba, president and
general manager of SMA America
after the PPIHC. “The win at Pikes
Peak shows that superior, world-class
performance can be achieved today
with clean technologies.”
During the performance at the
PPIHC, the bike was driven by
Carlin Dunne who is now three-
time consecutive overall motorcycle
champion and King of the Mountain.
“We are incredibly gratified with
the performance by Carlin,” said
Richard Hatfield, founder and CEO
of Lightning Motorcycles following
success at the PPIHC. “The Lightning
team worked around the clock to
ensure that we provided the best
possible bike for the race. We set this
as a goal more than four years ago
after our first North American road-
racing event. Sunday, we achieved
our goal. This accomplishment is a
big step forward for Lightning, and we
believe this is a giant leap forward for
public acceptance of clean, renewable
energy-based transportation.”
Adding further clout to the bikes
renewable energy offering is the
regenerative braking system which
helps achieve the impressive mileage
from a single charge. The braking
system is made up of Dual Brembo
320mm discs, Brembo radial-mount
forged 4-piston calipers, two Brembo
T-Drive 320mm Fully-Floating Rotors
and two Brembo GP4-RX CNC Radial
Calipers.
This fantastic vehicle is yet another
example of exactly what can be
achieved with today’s modern
engineering ideas. We can power a
boat and a plane that can travel all the
way around the world using nothing
but solar power. We can power cars
and buses using electric motors and
now we can power the world’s fastest
production motor cycle with solar
technology; so how long will it be until
all of our travel is 100% clean and
100% efficient? We’ll explore more
innovative transportation solutions in
the coming months…
INNOVATION
© Airbus S.A.S. 2011
PAGE 13
PAGE 14
Development in the East Med from VTTIEditorial: Roland Douglas
In November 2014 the new €300m VTTV terminal project opened in Vasiliko, Cyprus. Its strategic location will be the first of its kind in the Eastern Mediterranean, connecting Europe and the Black Sea with markets in the Middle East and Asia. This is an important development for European oil and gas transit and VTT Vasiliko General Manager, George Papanastasiou talks to Total World Energy about the development of the project…
The movement of oil and gas in
the Mediterranean is critical for
the energy industries of many
nations. Asian and eastern
countries depend on efficient
transportation to supply product in
and out of their borders; the North
African market remains important
to European supply; European
nations rely on the Med for vital
imports and the handy links to
the Red Sea and the Black Sea
as well as Russia and the Middle
East make the Mediterranean an
international hub for oil and gas
transportation.
A tanker heading for the UK
from Qatar will face a long and
tricky journey of around 20,000
km if it has to head south around
Africa and the Cape of Good
Hope and up the Western African
shipping lanes, not to mention
the threat of piracy. But heading
through the Arabian Sea and the
Red Sea, into the Mediterranean
will save time and money despite
the obvious choke points at the
Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb
and the Suez Canal.
And now, to make things even
more convenient, there is a new
terminal in a strategic location on
the island of Cyprus which will help
to connect Europe and the Black
Sea with markets in the Middle
East and Asia.
The terminal is VTT Vasiliko
and is located close to the Port
of Vasilikos, 50km south of the
country’s capital, Nicosia.
Owned and operated by
international storage group VTTI,
the VTT Vasiliko terminal has a
543,000 m³ storage capacity, 28
tanks, four jetties and a 17.5m
maximum draft – and this is all in
the first phase of construction.
Phase two (currently under
evaluation) will see the terminal
create an additional 13 tanks and
an extra capacity of 305,000 m³.
VTTI is a fast-growing
independent provider of energy
storage worldwide. Founded in
2006 by the Vitol Group, MISC
Berhad became co-owners in
2010. The company currently
offers eight million cubic meters of
combined storage capacity across
five continents. This will rise to
over 10 million in the near future
as new projects come on line.
General Manager for VTT
Vasiliko, George Papanastasiou
tells Total World Energy that
fantastic progress has been made
with construction of the terminal
and first oil is expected this month.
“The EUR 300M oil storage
terminal of VTT Vasiliko Ltd is
almost complete and it is expected
to receive the first oil in November
2014.
“VTT Vasiliko is VTTI’s latest
investment developed from a green
field site, which incorporates the
latest standards and technology.
It is strategically located in a
region where oil terminals are
not common. VTTI have high
VTT VASILIKO LTD
PAGE 15
“It is strategically located in a region where oil terminals are not common. VTTI have high expectations from this Terminal because of its location and the flexibility it can provide to its users”
expectations from this Terminal
because of its location and the
flexibility it can provide to its users.
“The information on the
first owner and transporter is
commercially sensitive but the
products will be jet fuel, diesel and
possibly naphtha.”
A CHALLENGING PROJECTA project of this size is not an
everyday occurrence for Cyprus.
The value of the VTT Vasiliko
terminal is equal to 1.7 per
cent of the country’s GDP and
Papanastasiou says that a project
on this scale has not come without
challenges.
“There have been challenges in
all phases and parts of the project.
However, the offshore marine jetty
has been the most difficult part
as the Cypriot Authorities were
lacking knowledge to license what
was proposed and the knowledge
for its construction was very
limited locally.
“Securing the required permits
and licenses was a slow process
at the beginning as this is the first
project of its kind in Cyprus and
the authorities were lacking the
knowledge. This had an impact
on a late opening of the terminal.
Going forward, we believe that the
VTTV project will serve as a case
study for future energy related
developments in Cyprus.”
In March 2012, a deal
was signed with leading
international building, civil and
electromechanical engineering
contractor, the J&P Group for
construction of the terminal. J&P
General Manager, Efthyvoulos
Lacovides said at the time: “J&P,
with its experience in projects
of similar complexity around
the world, will begin the project
immediately and will complete
it within the deadline of the
agreement, the first phase in 24
PAGE 16
you can rely on our experience
Shoham (Cyprus) Ltd77 Franklin Roosevelt Ave.3011, Limassol,Cyprustel.:+357-25-208700fax:+357-25-568990email:mail@shoham.com.cyweb:www.shoham.com.cyweb:www.shoham.com.cy
Ship Agency Services at VTTV Vassilikos, the Energy Hub of Cyprus.
The first Oil Storage Terminal in the Eastern Mediterranean, connecting Europe and the Black Sea with markets in the Middle East and Asia.
-Ship Agents at VTTV Vassilikos -Port Agents at all Cyprus Ports-STS Operations-Offshore Support Services-Offshore Support Services-Oil & Gas Logistics-Crew Changes
We place our servicesat your disposal.
Please contact us:
Serving the Cyprus ports since 1951
FONASBA QUALITYSTANDARD
“It is strategically located in a region where oil terminals are not common. VTTI have high expectations from this Terminal because of its location and the flexibility it can provide to its users”
VTT VASILIKO LTD
PAGE 17
months and the second in 26.5
months.”
Papanastasiou says that the
relationship between J&P and VTT
Vasiliko has seen positive results.
“A three year relationship
characterised by constructive
work, exchange of knowledge,
share of experience and close
cooperation was marked with the
delivery of a ‘fit for purpose’ oil
terminal in the East Med at the end
of Oct 2014,” he says.
And topping off a project
which has been widely regarded
as a success, VTT Vasiliko has
received all of the HSE (Health,
Safety and Environmental) and
EIA (Environmental Impact
Assessment) certificates that are
required to operate such a facility.
“The VTTV terminal meets the
latest HSE standards of the oil
storage industry. Furthermore the
requirements of an EIA which was
carried out, have been exceeded
by the company,” explains
Papanastasiou.
BUSINESS IN THE EAST MEDAccording to the US Energy
Information Administration (eia),
the eastern Mediterranean region,
usually defined as Cyprus, Israel,
Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the
Palestinian Territories, is currently
undergoing changes to its
energy landscape. With expected
economic growth, and the
population of the region forecast to
grow from 45.3 million in 2010 to
between 58 and 62 million in 2030,
energy demand should increase
noticeably over the next two
decades. This, along with growing
export opportunities, means that
the region will receive more and
more tankers of bigger capacity
and the likes of Eni, Kogas and
Total have all showed intentions
to explore further in Cypriot water
and potentially export following
recent discoveries of natural gas
and other hydrocarbon resources.
Because of the global interest
in the region, VTT Vasiliko has
designed its storage tanks to meet
the needs of potential customers.
“The decision was made on the
profile of the commercial activities
of potential users of the Terminal,”
says Papanastasiou. The tanks
are a mix of mild steel, mild steel
coated and mild steel insulated
in design. These can be used to
hold gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene,
naphtha, gasoil, diesel, fuel oil and
petrochemicals.
One of the key rationale behind
the development of the terminal is
the strategic location that Cyprus
offers; perfect for moving fuel oil
from the Black Sea to the East,
ideal for moving Middle Distillates
from the East to the West, and
excellent for moving gasoline from
Europe to the East Med and the
Red Sea.
“We expect our Terminal to
enhance the supply chains of
players moving products in all
these directions but mostly those
that break bulk in the East Med
region. The deep sea marine
facilities the VTTV terminal offers
and the related flexibilities is
exactly what oil traders were
missing in this region. With the
development of mega refineries in
the Middle East and the closure of
refineries in Europe, it is something
we expect that will change the
balances and we will see more
products moving from the Arab
Gulf/Red Sea towards Europe in
the future,” Papanastasiou says.
SLICK IN CYPRUSApart from the large initial outlay
from VTTI into Cyprus for this
project, there are many more
benefits set to be realised as a
result of the new terminal.
The construction of the terminal
is estimated to generate revenues
of €18m per year from port fees,
and the country is expected to
receive further proceeds from
taxes paid by companies to
transport their products through
the terminal.
Local people will also benefit
as Papanastasiou explains:
“Local resource is the direction
from VTTI. Cyprus offers highly
educated human resources which
only lacks the experience due to
the specialised knowledge that is
required in this case and the small
size of the market. Only when a
certain skill or competency is not
possible to develop locally, VTT
Vasiliko will consider importing
resources and this will be on a
temporary basis.”
And with a company like VTTI
investing in Cyprus, the General
Manager suggests that the country
could see more investment from
energy companies in the future.
“The VTT Vasiliko investment
as the first onshore infrastructure
energy project has showed the
PAGE 18
Joannou & Paraskevaides Group (J&P) is an international contracting
company, who undertakes a wide spectrum of construction work in four
continents for more than 70 years. J&P has been successfully involved in the
Oil & Gas Industry over the last 40 years. J&P has extensive experience in the
construction on EPC basis of oil gathering and processing stations, export
terminals and tank farms, Gas-Oil Separation Plants, cross country pipelines,
Gas Plants, Oil Refineries and Petrochemical Plants and other associated works
in most countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. J&P is proud to
include amongst its Clients, most major international Oil & Gas Companies and
Operators. Most recent project is the Vasiliko Terminal in Cyprus, a 600,000
m3 capacity multi-products tank farm comprising of 36 no. tanks and related
Terminal Utilities, and ship loading facilities capable to receive simultaneously
four tanker vessels of max. 160,000 dwt capacity through a 1500 m long marine
jetty and mooring/loading platforms.
“The VTT Vasiliko investment as the first onshore infrastructure energy project has showed the direction and set the pace. It will serve as an example for investors looking for opportunities around the globe, to see Cyprus as a location to put their money in energy related projects”
LABUAN SHIPYARD
PAGE 19
direction and set the pace. It will
serve as an example for investors
looking for opportunities around
the globe, to see Cyprus as a
location to put their money in
energy related projects,” he says.
And of course, it’s not just
international traders, oil companies
and employees that will benefit
from the development of the
terminal. The local economy will
receive a needed boost with
a focus on the communities
surrounding the project, by
sponsoring and supporting
educational and athletic centres,
small local businesses and families
in need.
The Cypriot energy market will
also receive a boost as the current
storage facilities at Larnaca are
aged and do not provide efficient
logistics for local marketers and
are still slated to be relocated
for Larnaca town development.
Currently, some of the excess
Cypriot stocks are held in Greece
and Malta at a cost of €17 million
per year.
Of course, with a project
of this size, in an area that is
environmentally sensitive and
surrounded by communities
and water, there has been
a requirement for certain
environmental standards to be met
and Papanastasiou is proud of
what has been achieved so far.
“The ‘green’ venture is in our
philosophy as a group and our
high operating standards and
experience give us the confidence
that the VTT Vasiliko terminal will
create no harm to people or the
environment throughout the years
of operation,” he says.
And there is more to come from
this fantastic project. Phase 2, set
to create further capacity and job
opportunities is currently being
reviewed by the relevant parties
and when this is completed, the
terminal will reach full completion
and Papanastasiou expects this to
be in around one year from now.
“We estimate that the terminal
will be fully complete and 100%
operational to maximum capacity
in a year from being operational
and this is based on the interest
we see from oil companies and
trading organisations. A change
of the current market environment
will expedite things, of course,” he
concludes
PAGE 20
BIOTEK is a Greek company operating in the oil and gas industry since 1987. It is experienced in a
vast variety of projects, such as refineries, power plants, fuel tanks, gas pipelines, chemical industries
and electromechanical activities for industrial facilities.
In 2014 BIOTEK was subcontracted a Jetty project in Vasiliko, Cyprus. The Jetty consisted of a steel
access ramp for access to the vehicles, one main Trestle 1,5 km long pre-fabricated and pre-assem-
bled in Modules for in-site installation on piles, one main Platform and 4 Berths for fuel loading –
unloading. Each Module of the steel structure, approximately 160 tons weight, has all the process and
utility piping assembled together.
The fabrication of the steel modules performed in Greece and transported in 3 separated pieces to
Limassol port, where the assembly of each of the 47 modules took place with all the piping, second-
ary structures and scaffolds on it. For site installation, the modules were transported with a barge and
erected with a floating crane to Vasiliko.
The second step, after modules erection, was piping and steel interconnecting, platforms and equip-
ment installation.
In addition to Jetty, BIOTEK was also awarded with the piping interconnecting inside the Oil Terminal.
Both projects performed in parallel with absolute success, despite the short time period for comple-
tion and severe weather conditions, especially on the sea activities.
“We estimate that the terminal will be fully complete and 100% operational to maximum capacity in a year from being operational”
VTT VASILIKO LTD
PAGE 21
BIOTEK is an experienced construction company in the energy fi eld and mainly in oil-gas industry.
After applying an effective style of integrated management based on mutual trust with clients, BIOTEK achieved to augment its status by successfully delivering projects.In due respect to the latest technical innovations and practices conducted through a highly skilled personnel, BIOTEK always ensures the highest quality performance standards.
Fields of activity consist of energy, oil, gas and petrochemical constructionprojects competitively delivering civil and steel structures, piping prefabrication and erection, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, sandblasting, insulation and painting works.
BIOTEKAgios Athanasios, Thessaloniki, W.B. 325, Ionia, Greece, P.C: 57008
Tel: +302310723670Fax: +302310723680Email: info@biotek.grWebsite: www.biotek.gr
Innovate or stagnate. MIB Italiana has
been a pioneer in the energy sector
for close on 50 years, but product
development is both continuous and
instinctive for this foremost global name
in onshore and offshore connectors and
emergency release systems.
“The requirements of our clients’ are
increasing and becoming more stringent
and demanding,” says Director, Daciano
Colbachini. “And to keep their position
in an ever increasingly competitive
marketplace, any company involved
at the sharp end of the safety and
environmental protection sector needs to
maintain a very pro-active approach to
the improvement or development of new
products.
“If we do not invest in R&D then
someone out there surely will,” says
Colbachini.
GLOBAL FOOTPRINTMIB is a leader in the research,
development, manufacture and supply
of customised connections and safety
equipment for floating production
platforms and tanker-offloading systems;
its footprint prominent in some of the
world’s harshest environments.
Valves and double valves with
emergency release systems, and quick
connectors and disconnectors for
gas and liquids at low, ambient and
cryogenic temperatures, are among the
advanced products produced for the
LNG, LPG and petrochemical industries
at its plant at Casalserugo, Padova, in
northern Italy.
PAGE 22
At the cutting edge of
offshore safety
Editorial: Colin Chinery
The imprint of MIB Italiana, leader in customised connections and safety equipment for floating production platforms and tanker-offloading systems, can be seen in the world’s harshest environments. And in an increasingly demanding market and after almost 50 years in operation, innovation, excellence, and highly-focussed client relationships are ensuring MIB stays out in front.
Courtesy of Hoegh LNG
Global programmes involving MIB are
numerous, including LNG jetty-based
terminals in Australia, ExxonMobil floating
storage off-loading Banyu Urip project in
East Java, Indonesia, the Helix Producer
the first FSU in the Gulf of Mexico,
and floating production, storage and
offloading units in the Timor Sea.
The formation in 1966 of MIB Italiana –
now part of the diversified IVG Colbachini
Group - coincided with the significant
increase in the use of oil and liquefied
gases, and the expansion of major oil
terminals, process plants and refineries
in the Middle East, North Africa and
elsewhere.
“The growing demand of energy came
hand in hand with a more focused view
of safety and the protection of such
huge investments, employees and the
environment,” says Colbachini.
“And MIB, through its founder Giorgio
Bormioli, recognised and seized the
opportunities created, and the company
rapidly became a world leader supplier
of customised connectors, anti-pollution
devices and safety solutions for the oil
and gas industries.”
Since the early 1970s the company’s
success has been based on the
supplies of critical safety equipment
for the liquefied gas industry (-196° C)
for onshore terminals. And the results
reached, “have allowed MIB to be one of
the market leaders in this field.”
With an expertise acquired with
onshore jetty projects - both for ambient,
low and cryogenic temperature – the
transition to the offshore arena was
natural and seamless, with MIB providing
sector-specific safety products for
installations where the environmental
conditions are extremely demanding.
TOUGH TALENTAnd MIB – active in the North Sea, off
Eastern Canada and the deep waters of
the Gulf of Mexico - likes it tough.
“These are just examples of
our effective presence where the
environmental conditions are extremely
adverse, and where we see an ever
increasing demand for our products. In
fact you could say, ‘the more hostile the
environment, the better for MIB’.
“With a good product mix, and
free from reliance on a specific sector,
continuing expansion will be driven
largely by a strong client and market-
oriented approach,” says Colbachini.
MIB ITALIANA
PAGE 23
PAGE 24
“We are currently focusing our attention
to find tailor-made solutions for our
clients, and promoting MIB as a turnkey
supplier of offshore fluid handling
equipment.
“This involves not only the supply
of our traditional portfolio of MIB
connectors and safety release systems,
but also the provision of the entire
scope of offshore-related products such
as hawser reels, mooring hawsers,
quick release mooring hooks, as well
as connector and valving solutions,
hydraulics power and control panels
and all the many interfaces within the
‘package’.
“We are also interfacing on several
projects with our sister company, Bassi
Offshore - also part of the IVG group -
with its range of OCIMF standard marine
hoses, both floating and submarine.
“Our
objective
is to offer our
clients, whether
end users, contractors
or shipyards, a complete
customised solution, so eliminating
the historical problems suffered through
interfacing, split warranties, coordination
and project management.
“We take these issues away, take the
responsibility for the specific work scope,
and deliver a fully integrated package.”
With almost every project unique, and
new features and designs continually on
stream, R&D comes naturally to MIB,
Colbachini says.
Over recent years MIB has launched a
range of solutions for the offshore sector,
including a new generation marine break
away in response to industry demands
for maximised environmental protection
of the oceans.
Another innovation has been the
MIBflex cardanic ball joint for the
transfer of low, medium and high
pressure fluids, and allowing for leak
free angular displacement of connecting
components.
BRIGHT GREEN“Our business is primarily safety equipment,
involving not only the safety of installations,
vessels and personnel, but most
importantly the environment.
“Many of our products are purpose-
provided to avoid spillages of oil and
petrochemicals, or the release into the
environment of harmful or dangerous
gases. And whether in business or in
one’s personal life, the push for our
environment is a crucial issue.
“If my business can help in any way
to achieve the objectives needed for our
planet to survive, then we shall do so in the
best possible way. In fact, ‘The Greener the
Better’ for MIB,” says Colbachini.
Unsurprisingly in a company with so
strong a client focus, after sales support -
with a UK presence in Coventry - is a key
element. “I regard our excellent rapport and
on-going relationships with our customers
as part of ‘the deal’.
“The after sales business is really
important for us and it’s part of the
company pride to give an extensive
support of its products worldwide through
a team of highly skilled and experienced
personnel.
“We provide all the necessary installation
assistance to our equipment, inspection
and maintenance support, working
shoulder to shoulder with our customers.
“MIB’s dedicated team focuses on
providing quality engineered products,
a clear and concise understanding of
our customers’ needs, and the provision
of a fully comprehensive service from
project inception to long term support.
“Complete client satisfaction is not
only our target, but I would like to think
also our trade mark,” says Colbachini.
Quality is paramount for MIB,
says the Director: “We are certified
ISO 9001:2008 and being suppliers
of crucial safety system that must
function effectively in an emergency,
we recognise there is no room for any
compromises in quality.”
After almost half a century of
leadership, what has been the key to the
company’s success? “A dedicated team
focused on providing quality engineered
products, having a clear and concise
understanding of our customers’ needs
,and providing a fully comprehensive
service, from project inception to long
term after-sales product support,” says.
Colbachini
Reports showing that Chinese
shipyards are becoming more skilled
as well as cheaper than competitors
in Europe, the Middle East and South
Korea, leaves Colbachini unphazed.
“Our marketplace is clearly split
into two distinct factions; those
who purely buy on price and those
who still recognise the technical
and quality levels of experienced
vendors.
“Certainly the tendancy to look
only at the bottom line is playing into
the hands of the Chinese, a problem
in any industry not only oil and gas.
ONLY OPPORTUNITIES“But there is clear evidence that the old
attitude towards Chinese manufactured
goods is being eroded, and it cannot be
disputed that their skills are growing at a
very quick rate. You can see evidence of
this in the way the Korean shipyards are
suffering at the moment.
“But the Chinese have still much to
learn, and hopefully will not be such
a big threat to us in the foreseeable
future - assuming we can remain positive
and not let such issues cloud our
judgements.
“My approach is to continue to steer
MIB towards its traditional approach;
providing clients with solutions based on
nearly 50 years of experience and a very
successful track record.
“This Chinese challenge is certainly
interesting. But where others find
difficulties, MIB Italiana only sees
opportunities,” Colbachini concludes
“We provide all the necessary installation assistance to our equipment, inspection and maintenance support, working shoulder to shoulder with our customers”
MIB ITALIANA
PAGE 25
PAGE 26
Mergers, investments and developments for the next big player in European thermal power generationEditorial: Christian Jordan
MHPS Europe offers a unique and highly specialised portfolio of products and services to clients in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Commercial Director, Shin Gomi tells Total World Energy more about the development of this power player and its targets for the future…
After its official launch in February this
year, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems
(MHPS) Europe has set itself the target of
becoming the number one in the thermal
power generation systems market, where
significant growth in demand is expected
globally.
Back in August, we looked at the
progress MHPS Africa had made with
two huge coal-fired power stations,
Medupi and Kusile, in South Africa.
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems
Africa Head of Sales and Business
Development, David Milner told us: “We
and all the partners on site are working
towards getting the first unit at Medupi
online by the end of the year and that is
the number one goal at the moment.
“Now that we have such a wonderful
product portfolio, it’s completely changed
the outlook of the organisation. Instead
of just having one product which was
largely boilers, we now have a complete
set of technologies from gas turbines,
steam turbines and boilers to Integrated
Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC)
products etc, and therefore the company
decided it needed to be able to take all
of these products to the market in South
Africa as well as the rest of sub-Saharan
Africa so we have established, and
we are busy expanding, our business
development activities.”
This month we look at the European
arm of the operation and talk to
Commercial Director, Shin Gomi to find
out how the company plans to achieve its
aim in the coming years.
“The reason we put the two
businesses together was to be more
competitive. Our main competitors
include General Electric, Siemens and
Alstom and from a volume point of view,
with one company as Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries and one company as Hitachi,
the volumes were not big enough to
compete therefore the decision was
taken to merge these two Japanese
companies to compete on a global
scale,” explains Gomi.
“Mitsubishi Heavy Industries holds
65% of the MHPS and Hitachi holds
the remaining 35%. What we did in
February this year was to take out the
fossil power generation businesses from
each company and moved them into
one organisation. Basically, our company
is focussed on fossil power or what we
call thermal power generation systems.
Our company is now dedicated to
supply and support of anything to do
with thermal power generation systems.
We manufacture components and
equipment, we undertake EPC contracts,
we provide maintenance and services for
equipment that we have supplied and we
also service equipment not manufactured
by us, in existing power stations.
“We are now global; we have
operations in the western hemisphere,
MHPS America, which takes care of all
the requirements in North and South
America; in Asia we have multiple
companies in China, Singapore, Thailand,
Indonesia; we have operations in
Australia and India; we have operations
in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi and
Saudi Arabia, and we now have MHPS
Europe. Apart from the Japanese
operations, MHPS Europe is probably the
second largest operation behind MHPS
America,” he says.
And in South Africa, the company’s
work at Medupi and Kusile is
demonstrative of the scale of the projects
that this organisation is involved with.
“We are involved in some of the largest
construction projects in the southern
Hemisphere currently at these two sites,”
says Milner.
“The energy produced by a single unit
at Medupi and Kusile would power 80
high-speed German trains simultaneously
and there’s six units going in at each so
at full capacity the power produced is
significant,” he adds.
A UNITED ORGANISATION Often when big companies merge,
success is not as easy to come by as
the organisations planned. Historical
trends show that roughly two thirds of
big mergers will disappoint on their own
terms, which means they will lose value
on the stock market. The motivations
that drive mergers can be flawed and
efficiencies from economies of scale
may prove elusive. In many cases, the
problems associated with trying to make
merged companies work are all too
concrete. But for MHPS Europe, the fit
between the two organisations has been
pleasing from the very beginning.
“The effect of the merger has been
very good,” states Gomi. “We already
have a strong market presence; people
were aware of both Mitsubishi and
Hitachi and they are now seeing a more
comprehensive product line and more
comprehensive capabilities and services
offered. Since the merger, we have
received a lot of good feedback from the
customers. Internally, there wasn’t too
much difficulty merging and integrating;
we were very united from day one.
“Powergen Europe in June was the
first event that MHPS Europe jointly
participated in and this was a great team
effort, presenting as one company and
promoting the multiple products that we
now offer. I would say of the merger; so
far so good.”
MHPS EUROPE
PAGE 27
Before the merging of these two giants
in the energy market, the companies
were direct competitors but each with a
smaller product range compared to that
of the global industry leaders. “We were
competitors in the past, we were in the
same industries but there were not many
opportunities to work together,” says
Gomi.
Today, in Europe and around the world,
MHPS is one company operating with
one workforce, one product portfolio and
one single vision.
The European operation is
headquartered from two areas and looks
after three large regional markets. “We
have two headquarters; one in Germany
and one in London. The German
office was the headquarters of Hitachi
and London was the headquarters of
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries before the
merger. We are in the middle of the
integration right now but these two offices
are in charge of the Europe, Middle East
and Africa markets,” says Gomi.
LOCALISATION When it comes to customer service,
MHPS Europe is second to none in
its desire to be hands on and locally
available to customers, quickly solving
any problems that may arise at minimal
cost to the customer and to the
customer’s customers. This comes right
from the top of the organisation and
President and CEO, Takato Nishizawa.
“One of the key messages from Mr
Nishizawa surrounds maintenance and
services business. He believes that for us
to be the number one global player, we
need to achieve customer satisfaction
and to do that we need to maximise
service and maintenance after equipment
has been delivered,” says Gomi.
This is why, in Europe, MHPS invested
in two companies that offer top-of-
the-range service capabilities allowing
for manufacture, refurbishment and
modification without the need to transport
parts back to Japan.
“In Europe, we acquired a company
called Maintenance Partners in Belgium
and ATLA Turbine Services in Italy. These
two investments were done before the
merger with Hitachi. At the same time,
Hitachi had already developed strong
local presence in Germany.
“The aim here is to localise service
capabilities and expand power generation
service support for the client who owns
MHPS components and also those who
need support on other products from a
non-OEM,” says Gomi.
“With Maintenance Partners, we
have one huge rotor shop in Antwerp
supporting both the power generation
industry and also oil & gas industries and
with ATLA, we also have a state-of-the-
art component repair and manufacturing
shop in Italy so we do not have to
ship components back to Japan. This
integration has now been completed
and we are able to support European
customers locally together with Germany
operations. Most of the people employed
here are European meaning that the
whole service, organisationally and
infrastructurally, is localised.
“With ATLA in Torino, we have
invested in new factories to digest more
component repair and manufacture for
high-tech gas turbine hot gas path parts.
With Maintenance Partners in Antwerp,
we have expanded the 9000m² facilities
with an additional 4000m² rotor repair
facility to be able to handle the large
frame gas turbines and steam turbines
PAGE 28
Skye-lab Technologies Cc
Skye-lab Technologies Cc started its humble beginning in the year 2007 and has been actively involved in the area of providing Professional Services to the Power Generation, Petro-chemical,Civil and Construction, Water Treatment and Telecommunications Industries.
Skye-Lab Technologies Cc assures its customers of professionalism, accountability and non-compromising standard of its service and solutions.
Skye-lab Technologies Cc is a specialised Training and Certifi cation Consultancy organisation with a specifi c emphasis on the provision of training, implementation and auditing of the ISO 9001; 2000; ISO 14001; OHSAS 18001; ISO/TS 16949 and ISO/IEC 27001.
Skye-lab Technologies Cc in partnership with and under license from EXCEL PARTNERSHIP
Consider the applicability of this internationally acclaimed training for your Quality, Environmental and Health and Safety Managers, Operation Managers, Procurement Specialist and Industrial hygienist.
Skye-lab Technologies Cc GLOBAL BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANT
Registration No: 2007/198674/23
in South Africa in 2015. Internal and Lead Auditor courses.
Registrar for Auditors (IRCA) and International Enviroment Management Association (IEMA) for ISO 14001.
Skye-lab Technologies Cc in partnership with and under license from EXCEL PARTNERSHIP, in presenting these internationally recognized training courses which is fully
Auditors (IRCA) and International Environmental Management and Health and Safety goals.
Consider the applicability of this internationally acclaimed training for your Quality, Environmental and Health and Safety Managers, Operation Managers, Procurement Specialist and Industrial hygienist.
Skye-lab Technologies Cc
Darras CentreCnr. Juno & Kitchener RoadKensingtonJohannesburgTel.: (011) 614 – 9517/8
Skye-lab Technologies Cc is a specialised Training and
emphasis on the provision of training, implementation and auditing of the ISO 9001; 2000; ISO 14001; OHSAS 18001; ISO/TS 16949 and ISO/IEC 27001.
in partnership with
Skye-lab Technologies Cc GLOBAL BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANT
Registration No: 2007/198674/23
in South Africa in 2015. Internal and Lead Auditor courses.
Registrar for Auditors (IRCA) and International Enviroment Management Association (IEMA) for ISO 14001.
Skye-lab Technologies Cc in partnership with and under license from EXCEL PARTNERSHIP, in presenting these internationally recognized training courses which is fully
Auditors (IRCA) and International Environmental Management and Health and Safety goals.
Consider the applicability of this internationally acclaimed training for your Quality, Environmental and Health and Safety Managers, Operation Managers, Procurement Specialist and Industrial hygienist.
Skye-lab Technologies Cc
Darras CentreCnr. Juno & Kitchener RoadKensingtonJohannesburgTel.: (011) 614 – 9517/8
Skye-lab Technologies Cc is a specialised Training and
emphasis on the provision of training, implementation and auditing of the ISO 9001; 2000; ISO 14001; OHSAS 18001; ISO/TS 16949 and ISO/IEC 27001.
in partnership with
Skylab Mega Projects (Pty) Ltd.
We’re an EPCM Company. We specialise in Petro Chemical, Mining, Nuclear, Plant, Maintenance, SHEQ and Construction Companies. We’re 100% B-BBEE Status Level 1 (one), BOW 50%.We specialise in major projects
especially Project Management
Email: donovan@skye-lab.co.za
(Management)ann@skye-lab.co.za
(Administration)
We Specialize in:
Engineering ConsultancyWelding & DesignQuality AssuranceQuality ControlSystems AuditsTraining & Certifi cationTelecommunicationsProject Management
Recruitment/Professionals
Fax: (011) 614- 2300
Email: a_blignaut@skye-lab.co.za
(Management) m_pather@skye-lab.co.za
(Procurement & General) Jacquilene@skye-lab.co.za
(HR & Recruitment)
In partnership with
MHPS EUROPE
PAGE 29
Website | www.ofsl.ieEmail | info@ofsl.ie
Phone | +353 (0) 45 409912 | Unit W9H, Ladytown Business Park, Naas, County Kildare
With a global presence, OFS is providing the highest calibre of Rotating Equipment Specialists to the Oil & Gas and Power Generation industries. We pride ourselves on having the key processes and procedures of large corporations with the flexibility and personality of a small organisation. This allows us to build strong relationships with our customers, and enables us to meet and exceed the high quality, health and safety standards required on sites worldwide.
Our primary services are:• Rotating Equipment Services
• Customisable & OEM approved Training Solutions
• Documentation Development
• Lifecycle Management – O4
Working alongside OEM’s, Oil & Gas companies, and power generation organisations, OFS is a trusted partner providing fi eld service support, project management and documentation and training support on all 5 continents.
that we supply here locally. With those
two facilities and our service operation
in Europe, our infrastructure to support
rotating equipment has been fully
developed.
“Customers have appreciated this
investment. Previously, if there was repair
required or failure with a product, we
would have to ship components to Japan
for refurbishment or replacement and
with power generation customers, losing
power for one day is a huge, huge loss
and impacts on the wider community.
Lost generation time has to be minimised
as much as possible and that is why
people appreciate our investments into
local service capabilities,” he adds.
POWERFUL PRODUCT PORTFOLIOAs a result of the merger of Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries and Hitachi, the MHPS
Europe business now has a vast range
of innovative and proven products.
With worldwide experience that has
allowed for on-going research and
development, the company’s product
range is respected globally, especially for
the J-Series gas turbines that have been
designed to achieve higher efficiency
and increased power output. MHPS
completed the development of the worlds
most advanced J-Series gas turbine with
an inlet temperature of 1,600 ºC with
our own technologies. The significant
1,600ºC turbine inlet temperature was
achieved in February 2011; it is 100ºC
higher than the current temperature
of 1,500ºC featured in G-Series gas
turbines. Since the launch of the J-Series,
16 units of the M501J have been sold in
Japan and South Korea. Two units of the
M701J have been sold, both in Japan.
This product range includes all
components required for thermal power
generation systems. Three of the most
popular products, present in energy
sectors around the world, are boilers,
steam and gas turbines. In addition to
this, MHPS has a strong global presence
in providing the EPC contract with many
supply records in EMEA regions as well.
“Gas turbines and steam turbines are
amongst the most popular products. The
difference between the two is the way
they rotate the turbine. Once you have
the rotation, you connect the turbine
to the generator so the generator can
produce electricity,” says Gomi.
“There are two major products in
the market, conventional power plant
and combined cycle power plant.
Conventional power plant is like what
we are using in South Africa; you burn
coal or oil or any type of fuel in a boiler to
produce steam and the steam is used to
rotate the turbine.
“With combined cycle power plant, the
technology is a little more advanced. You
have a gas turbine with a compressor
section and a turbine section. The
compressor section takes air and
compresses it and then it is mixed with
natural gas or other types of fuel. You
then ignite the gas and there is a large
PAGE 30
reaction. The
energy from the
reaction is used to power the turbine.
This requires high pressure, high
temperature and the material we use
for coating and cooling is very sensitive
and very high-tech. After you run the gas
turbine, there is exhaust gas which is still
hot and we used the exhaust gas in a
boiler to create more steam and turn a
steam turbine and that is why it’s called a
combined cycle. Gas and steam turbines
together in one power plant optimise
efficiency,” he explains.
But selling combined cycle power
plant is no easy feat, especially with
the continual rise of renewable energy
sources that do not require large-scale,
industrial turbines (Renewable energy
sources accounted for an 11.0 % share
of the EU-28’s gross inland energy
consumption in 2012 according to the
EU Commission). After all, how many
power plants does one region need at a
certain time?
“In Europe right now, there is a lot of
renewable energy so demand for power
from power stations has fallen slightly.
Also,
the coal
price has
been fluctuating
and is lower now so
there are more coal power plants
running. This has resulted in lower
demand for combined cycle power plant
equipment but they are still running. As
they run, there is always a maintenance
requirement so we have to be there.
Gas turbines are very sensitive and we
have to undertake periodical inspections
and because of the high temperatures
that the equipment is exposed to, repair
or replacement is often required,” says
Gomi.
“From a service perspective, when
demand for equipment is lower we focus
on our maintenance capabilities and also
our abilities to service other equipment
that is not manufactured by us.”
Interestingly, when the business does
experience lulls in demand for products
in European markets, it has developed a
strategy enabling the movement of power
plant equipment to other parts of the
world where demand is high, as Gomi
explains: “We have been aggressively
creating opportunities to relocate power
stations. If power plants are not running
in Europe but there is high demand in
the Middle East or Africa, then we can
relocate the combine cycle power plants
to places where they can run. This is a
unique offering that we are developing.”
In South Africa, the power stations
that MHPS is working on are coal
fired but Milner tells us that there is a
growing focus on gas.
“Right now at Medupi and Kusile,
we are installing boilers but going
forward the product range will
be more diverse. There is a push
within Southern Africa towards gas
and we have a lot of good products
for that market. It’s a market that
we are addressing; we are active in
Mozambique, Tanzania and in Namibia
on the Kudu Project,” he says.
CURRENT FOCUS Since the formation of MHPS Europe, the
organisation has had a baptism of fire,
not stopping to admire itself but quickly
building a pipeline to add to the work that
was already in place before the merger.
In just under a year, the company has
managed to secure business with major
customers that operate as leaders in their
chosen industry.
“We are working on multiple projects
right now. Day to day we support our
customers,” says Gomi and he adds that
the list of services provided by MHPS in
Europe are categorised into four main
sections; existing customers, non-MHPS
customers, relocation services and
operation services.
“With existing customers that are
up and running, we provide long-
term maintenance and service and
sometimes they require modifications or
upgrades. Maybe they need efficiency
improvements or output improvements
and we can present solutions for this.
Maybe they need flexibility for their
solutions; they need to react more quickly
to power demand – we have developed
a flexible menu to provide customers with
all they could require.
“With non-MHPS customers, we
receive requests regularly for services
MHPS EUROPE
PAGE 31
Specializing in the Fabrication and Erection of Structural Steel, Process Piping, Platework, Mechanical Installation (SMPP), Steel Bulk Storage Tanks, Hydrocarbon Storage and Handling Terminals, Pressure Vessels, Civil work, Electrical and Instrumentation, Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) Projects.
We concentrate on the completion of projects in various industries, where we have built up a substantial client base, including:
SUGAR MILLING MINING, MINERAL AND METALS ELECTRICITY GENERATION WATER TREATMENT SERVICES CEMENT PROCESS PLANT PETROCHEMICAL PAPER AND PULP MILLING OIL AND GAS
5 Jan Street, Rocky Drift, White River, 1240, Mpumalanga Republic of South AfricaTel: +27 (0)13 758 1015 Fax: +27 (0)13 758 1050 E: info@steval.co.za
www.steval.co.za
PAGE 32
even though the customer does not
own MHPS equipment. We can provide
services as a non-OEM and we develop
quality ideas on how to meet the needs
of these customer across Europe, Middle
East and Africa.
“With relocation, we look for a
customer who is in need of power and
we look for customers who are struggling
to make full use of their product because
of low demand for power.
“Lastly, we don’t only provide
maintenance, we also offer operation of
power stations and we are proactively
promoting these services right now.
“We have a team servicing all of these
sectors daily,” he says.
Operation of power stations is an
attractive option for potential customers,
often resulting in less recruitment and
training requirements, cost savings and
an overall more integrated approach to
the supply chain.
Earlier this year, the company signed
an agreement with Turkish organisation,
Üründal Group, to build and operate a
520 MW natural gas combined cycle
power plant in Turkey’s Kırklareli province
with partner, Kırklareligaz Enerji Üretim
Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi.
An example of MHPS Europe’s service
capability is demonstrated by a deal
signed in February with ScottishPower
to provide long-term service to a
natural gas-fired gas turbine combined
cycle power generation plant at the
company’s Damhead Creek Power
Station. Based on the 12-year, long-term
service agreement MHPS will provide
maintenance, management, parts supply
and remote monitoring services for the
gas turbines.
Away from gas and steam turbines,
MHPS Europe announced in September
that it would supply environmental
equipment to ENEA Wytwarzanie S.A., a
power producer in Poland, for two sets
of selective catalytic reduction (SCR)
type deNOx system for installation at
Units 1 and 2 of the company’s coal-fired
power station in Kozienice. These high-
performance systems reduce emissions
of NOx (nitrogen oxides), a cause of air
pollution, by more than 80 per cent. They
are scheduled to go into operation at Unit
1 in late 2015 and at Unit 2 in May 2016.
A MITSUBISHI MAN Since the formation of MHPS Europe
following the merger, the company has
been understandably ambitious. When
asked if he believes that the organisation
has made progress towards its goal of
becoming the number one in the thermal
power generation systems market, Gomi
says that much progress has been made.
“I believe we are getting close. Our
competitors have a very strong presence
in the market. But five or six years ago
Mitsubishi had nothing here and we have
invested to increase our presence. There
are lots of opportunities that we never
had a chance to obtain in the past but
now we can put together a competitive
product so we are on the right track to
become the number one in the market.
“Before 2006, the service resources
for Mitsubishi we had in Europe was less
than 10 people. Now, we have over 600
servicing this region and we have made
significant investments into resources.”
MHPS EUROPE
PAGE 33
The commercial director has been a
Mitsubishi man for most of his career,
starting in Japan and moving around the
world helping to develop the business.
“I come from the Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries side and I have been part of
the service business all of my career.
Originally, I worked in the Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries headquarters in
Yokohama for four years and then I
moved to the USA for five years to
support establishment of the local service
company, Mitsubishi Power Systems
America. We built the service centre with
manufacturing shop, repair shop and
all of the field service organisation and
remote monitoring centre with the strong
leadership help of the key executive
management that we hired locally. After
that, I went back to Japan for four years
helping to expand the localisation of
services abroad. We worked to expand
service capabilities in the USA through
additional investment, in Europe we
invested in localized operations together
with the acquisition of Maintenance
Partners and ATLA. In 2011, I moved
to London as Commercial Director for
Power Generation Services in Europe,
Middle East and Africa and also helped
integrate Maintenance Partners and
ATLA,” he says.
Importantly, Gomi is still very happy
in his role and after all the investments,
developments, acquisitions and
mergers he says that the company
has a clear strategy which is effectively
communicated from the very top.
“One of the unique things about our
company is that it is very open and very
flexible. We have Mr Hanasawa, the
CEO here in London and Mr Kiechl, the
CEO in Germany and Mr Nishizawa,
the President and CEO of MHPS and
they meet frequently, sharing information
openly and that is very helpful for us to
understand the business strategy and
direction. It makes sense right now as we
are a newly integrated company and we
all need to change and move in the same
direction. The communication that they
do at executive level and the involvement
of the executives at each local level is
amazing and very unique. We are very
encouraged that they look at us in this
way and we will always support them
coming here.”
With such a vast market place, such an
innovative product range, such a fantastic
workforce and a growing global reputation,
it seems that it will not take too long for
MHPS Europe to reach its goal and there
certainly will not be any standing still; the
focus is always on the future.
“The company is motivated to grow
in Europe from a services point of view
by touching customers, listening to
customers and understanding customers
and this information is very important for
new product development in the future
– it’s motivating and a lot of fun,” Gomi
concludes
Trinidad and Tobago is among the
richest countries in the Caribbean
and with a strong, industrialised
economy, it has secured a rich
heritage in the natural gas, oil and
petrochemical industries.
The Coordinating Task Force
initially led the way in monetising
the country’s natural gas resources,
subsequently leading to the creation
of National Energy, which was
incorporated by the Government of
the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
in 1979. The Company celebrated
its 35th anniversary on 12th
September this year.
A DEDICATED SERVICE Providing quality and dedicated
services in the area of natural
gas based development, National
Energy sought to attract foreign
investors while working towards
becoming a global leader in the
development of sustainable energy
based industries. This included the
construction and operation of the
early petrochemical plants, ports
and marine infrastructure, which
serviced all plants at the Point Lisas
Industrial Estate throughout the
1980’s. These activities continue
today.
PAGE 34
The future of energy
Editorial: Harriet Pattison
With the mandate to ‘develop and manage suitable infrastructure, in order to support, facilitate and promote the various activities relevant to the natural gas-based energy sector’. National Energy has helped to promote Trinidad and Tobago’s energy brand on a global scale for over 30 years. The Company was re-branded in 2013, and is now looking to further develop a sustainable energy sector as well as work with other agencies to export the country’s expertise to regional and international energy sector players, with particular focus on emerging economies.
National Energy’s President, Dr
Vernon Paltoo, explains: “Over
the years we went through a lot of
changes but in a nutshell, today we
maintain the same mandate in terms
of establishing new industries within
the energy sector. We have a wider
portfolio today since our business
also involves developing renewable
and alternative energy projects, as
well as other aspects of the energy
value chain.”
Dr Paltoo joined National Energy
ten years ago having been involved
in the industrial development and
academic industry for over 20
years. Joining as a Team Leader
for Business Development, Dr
Paltoo gained experience through
all sections of the Company before
being appointed President in
January 2013.
“Since then,” he explains, “we
have re-branded the Company to
position it for the ever changing and
future markets. I have systemically
tried to change the image and focus
of the Company and concentrate
on why we continue to develop
Trinidad and Tobago. I firmly believe
that our future lies beyond Trinidad
and Tobago, so that has been my
primary focus in the last few years.”
A NEW INTERNATIONAL IMAGEIncorporated in 1979 as National
Energy Corporation of Trinidad
and Tobago Company Limited,
the Company decided to rebrand
in 2013 to National Energy. Dr
Paltoo explains the reasons behind
this were mainly to push the
international barriers: “It was felt
that we needed a more international
image and presence and so the
entire image and focus of the
Company went to push Trinidad and
Tobago’s energy sector beyond the
barriers of Trinidad and Tobago.”
The re-branding also allowed the
Company to engage in a diverse
range of activities associated with
the energy sector and to become
a respected international provider
of energy services and logistics,
especially for the emerging energy
markets.
“We are actively looking to go out
of Trinidad and Tobago and expand
businesses in other provinces”
explains Dr Paltoo. “Earlier this year,
there was a mission to Suriname
where we’re looking at deepening
ties with that country and providing
assistance as it relates to the
development of the Surinamese
energy sector. We feel that a lot
of the expertise that resides with
NATIONAL ENERGY (CORPORATION OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO)
PAGE 35
National Energy and as well as any
wider energy sector can be used
in assisting that country to develop
their energy industry in a much more
efficient manner. Even though we
have done well, there’s no harm in
ensuring that other countries can
benefit from our experiences and
expertise.”
CELEBRATING NEW PROJECTSIn September of this year, National
Energy celebrated the official
opening of the Port of Galeota.
Located in the south-eastern
point of Trinidad and Tobago,
the multi-purpose port facility will
be a logistics hub for the energy
sector and will cater specifically
to the offshore needs of both
the exploration and production
operators.
The Port of Galeota, which
includes five berths (one for the
Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard)
will assist Trinidad and Tobago
with the recent upsurge in planned
upstream activity within the region
and in turn, help to contribute to
the generation of revenue for the
country. “It is a dedicated energy
port, which was completed a
couple of months ago at a cost of
US$85 million. It will not only service
our existing clients but would
also provide a platform for us to
penetrate other markets,” explains
Dr Paltoo.
The new industrial Methanol/
Dimethyl Ether project (DME),
earmarked for the south-western
part of the country is also under
development at the Union Industrial
Estate, located in La Brea. At an
estimated capital cost of US$850
PAGE 36
“We have to be very sensitive in terms of our operations so all necessary precautions, processes and procedures are followed to the highest international standards, especially when it comes to the loading and offloading of cargoes”
NATIONAL ENERGY (CORPORATION OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO)
PAGE 37
Contact:GLF Construction Corporation
80 S.W. 8th Street, Suite 2201Miami, FL 33130
Tel: (305) 371-5228Fax: (305) 371-9201
www.glfusa.com
In doing business with GLF, our clients benefi t from a tradition of 100 years of construction excellence, with experience in over 20 countries worldwide.
• Structures and Bridges • Heavy Foundations
• Marine Works and Ports • Light Rail Systems
• Design-Builds • Structural & Historical Renovation
• General Contracting
GLF Construction Corporation is a worldwide specialist in Marine and Heavy
Civil Construction
The recently conpleted New Port at Galeota Project for National Energy
million, the project by Mitsubishi will
be the first major industrial chemical
plant at the Union Industrial Estate.
The project demonstrates the
competitive pedestal that National
Energy is currently sitting on:
“Even though there is significant
competition from other territories
due to competitive gas prices,
namely in Africa, the Middle East
and even North America with the
Shale Gas industry, we are still able
to attract large multinational players,
namely Mitsubishi of Japan in
terms of developing new industries
in Trinidad and Tobago,” says Dr
Paltoo.
“In the past, our traditional
investors would have come from
Europe and North America but what
we’re seeing now is that there is a
lot of interest beyond our traditional
foreign investment. There are a
lot of Asian and South American
investors, who are genuinely
interested in investing in Trinidad
and Tobago,” Dr Paltoo adds.
SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENTIn addition to helping to promote
Trinidad and Tobago’s expertise,
helping to grow its economy and
developing the infrastructural
requirements needed to support
the energy industry, National
Energy also ensures that it takes
the environmental impacts into full
consideration.
With sustainability so integral to
this industry, Dr Paltoo explains:
“It is a key aspect in terms of what
we do; green and sustainable
management of the environment
is one of our primary mandates in
terms of all the activities that we do.
We are looking at other energy-
based projects to help ensure it’s a
viable industry for decades to come.
“There’s a strong reliance on
natural gas as the major input
material for energy sector projects.
However, we are striving to leverage
our experience and expertise from
the existing industries that we have
successfully developed in order to
create new value-added projects
and products. It is important to build
sustainable and economically viable
industries so that in the event that
there are issues with the supplier of
raw materials 50 or 60 years from
now, we would have developed a
sophisticated energy industry that
would not entirely rely on local raw
material prices.”
EXPANDING INTO LOGISTICSWith a fleet currently consisting of
nine vessels, Dr Paltoo confirms that
National Energy is looking to expand
its business further into logistics
with the addition of a new vessel
before the end of the year.
One of the target markets the
Company is looking at is Suriname:
“We foresee that as a base in
which we can provide logistics
services for the emerging energy
industry. We will be increasing our
activity, increasing our portfolio and
expanding our services so that we
can accommodate clients not only
in Trinidad and Tobago but in other
provinces as well. Suriname is one
of our first potential investment
destinations,” explains Dr Paltoo.
MAINTAINING INTERNATIONAL STANDARDSWith the handling of hazardous
products including methanol
and ammonia and with no major
incidents throughout its 35 years,
Dr Paltoo explains that international
standards for safety and security are
imperative to the Company.
“We operate six piers and
one dock that handle all the
methanol, ammonia and iron
and steel shipments out of the
industrial estate” he explains.
“They are constantly audited,
reviewed and assessed by all the
relevant agencies. In fact, we have
international agencies that conduct
exercises to ensure that the highest
global standards for safety and
security are adhered to. Our staff
are trained accordingly to ensure
that those needs are met.
“We have to be very sensitive
in terms of our operations so all
necessary precautions, processes
and procedures are followed to the
highest international standards,
especially when it comes to the
loading and offloading of cargoes.
“Health and Safety is a constantly
evolving industry in which we
diligently follow and maintain the
highest standards.” With the
Company’s many processes and
procedures, and as the operators of
all the industrial ports in the country,
Dr Paltoo admits that “improving
health and safety is continual,
undertaking multiple exercises and
audits in order to fill the gaps and
close any loop holes that may be
present within the system.”
“We understand the nature of
our business and the risks involved
and, in so doing we would take
the necessary steps and follow the
relevant processes and procedures,
cementing all levels of containment
and security where our shipments
are concerned,” Dr Paltoo adds.
A LEADING CAPACITYCompetition in this industry is rife
but with National Energy’s expertise
and determination to stay ahead
of the game, and place Trinidad
and Tobago firmly on the map, Dr
Paltoo explains why this Company
remains one of the key leaders in
such a competitive industry: “Let me
put this into context: Currently, our
methanol and ammonia production
capacities are 6.5 million tonnes 5.6
million tonnes respectively. Trinidad
and Tobago is a global leader in the
export of methanol and ammonia,
contributing approximately 20% of
global methanol exports and 25% of
global ammonia exports.”
In 2013, National Energy
handled over 18 million tonnes of
petrochemical and steel products
with an estimated value of US$6
billion.
“For many years we have been
the global leaders where that is
concerned and our plants are some
of the best run plants in the world.”
As with so many things, the
world continues to change and
with it comes new and increasingly
competitive locations. Dr Paltoo
reveals that National Energy
must maintain its innovative flair
and continue to be adaptive if
the Company is to compete with
emerging markets.
“There are lots of developments
happening very quickly,” explains Dr
Paltoo. “Especially with other very
competitive locations, and so we
have to continue to be adaptive. We
have to be innovative.”
A FUTURE OF PROMISELeaving behind its birthday
celebrations for another year,
National Energy is looking forward
to a future that boasts promise
and development. “While we
have significant expertise in port
operation and construction, we want
to export that expertise. As such,
we are looking at neighbouring
countries where they are now
developing their infrastructure,”
explains Dr Paltoo.
“We have assisted those countries
and are seeking to leverage our
expertise to international markets
and ensure that the same standards,
processes and procedures which
we follow are adopted in any other
location, which we may operate.
“But at the same time, we firmly
believe that we can build our
industry locally by partnering with
foreign and local investors and going
beyond our traditional products,
such as methanol and ammonia,
with the intent on developing other
industries,” he concludes.
PAGE 38
“I firmly believe that our future lies beyond Trinidad and Tobago, so that has been my primary focus in the last few years”
NATIONAL ENERGY (CORPORATION OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO)
PAGE 39
Abu Dhabi; the capital and the
second most populous city in the
United Arab Emirates and also
capital of the largest of the UAE’s
seven member Emirates. It’s fair
to say that this region has seen
exponential growth over the past
few decades and that growth has,
in a big way, been down to the
fantastic work that has been done
in the oil, gas and wider energy
industries.
And in the future there are plans
in place to further develop this
magnificent metropolis by growing
not only the oil and gas sectors, but
also other industries and the Abu
Dhabi UPC (Urban Planning Council)
has built the Abu Dhabi 2030
Urban Structure Framework Plan
to optimise the city’s development
through a 25 year program of urban
evolution.
Economic diversification is a key
pillar of the Economic Vision 2030
and the Emirate is setting ambitious
targets for the performance of
the non-oil sector. But one thing
remains certain; oil and gas will
continue to be a huge driver of the
economy and the development of
other industries including financial
services and tourism.
Abu Dhabi is one of the world’s
most important hydrocarbon
suppliers, ranked among the top
five exporters of crude oil and top
25 exporters of natural gas. The
Emirate’s participation in the oil and
gas sector spans the entire range
of activities including exploration,
production, transport, refining and
PAGE 40
Developing the Upper Zakum
field for Abu Dhabi
Editorial: Christian Jordan
ZADCO is continually coming up with new methods to sustainably develop the lucrative Upper Zakum field on behalf of ADNOC and for the benefit of the shareholders. Total World Energy takes a closer look at the artificial island project and how this pioneering idea is assisting in the field’s development.
marketing of oil and gas. It also
covers the fabrication of high-value
energy-related equipment and the
provision of related services.
In 2007, the global hydrocarbon
market was valued at $2,150
billion with reported profit margins
of around 15 per cent. However,
Abu Dhabi easily exceeds this
margin given its exceptionally
low production costs and vast
economies of scale. And one of the
driving forces behind exceeding this
margin is the business excellence
displayed by the regions oil
companies, one of the foremost
being Zakum Development
Company (ZADCO).
DECADES OF EXCELLENCE Founded in November 1977 as per
Law No.9 for 1977, promulgated by
Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan,
ZADCO’s mandate was to develop
and operate the Upper Zakum field.
Currently, ZADCO’s shareholders
include Abu Dhabi National Oil
Company (ADNOC) with a 60%
share, ExxonMobil with a 28%
share, and Japan Oil Development
Company limited (JODCO) with a
12% share.
Along with its work in the
Upper Zakum field, ZADCO is also
responsible for the operation and
development of the Umm Al Dalkh
and Satah fields.
Oil in the Upper Zakum, Umm
Al Dalkh and Satah fields was
discovered in 1963, 1969 and 1975
respectively.
The development of the Upper
Zakum reservoir is considered
as one of the major technical
achievements in Abu Dhabi and in
the first shipment of Upper Zakum
crude oil was exported on the
tanker ‘Al-Ain’ in May 1983.
Upper Zakum is located 84 km
north west of Abu Dhabi Islands
and covers around 1,200 km² of the
Gulf marine area. Zakum field is the
second largest field in the Gulf and
the fourth largest field in the world.
Umm Al-Dalkh is located 25
km north west of Abu Dhabi and
Satah field is located 200 km north
west of Abu Dhabi. Originally,
operations at the Umm Al Dalkh
field were managed by Umm Al
Dalkh Development Company
(UDECO) but in 1988, ADNOC
decided to merge the operations of
UDECO and ZADCO to rationalise
operations, avoid duplication of
functions and reduce cost.
ZADCO
PAGE 41
Today, oil from all three fields is
processed at the plant on Zirku
Island. Zirku Island is located
140 km north west of Abu Dhabi.
With its advanced oil and gas
installations, Zirku is considered
the main industrial base for the
processing, storage and export of oil
from Upper Zakum, Umm Al-Dalkh
and Satah fields.
Alongside Zirku Island, ZADCO
also manages Arzanah Island, the
base for Satah field operations.
Located 180 km north west of Abu
Dhabi, Arzanah can accommodate
around 100 people.
A BRIGHT FUTUREConsidering the significant
infrastructure and personnel
that ZADCO manages, and the
importance of the fields under its
management to not only Abu Dhabi
but the global oil market, you would
expect that projects in the pipeline
would be significant, and you would
be right.
“ZADCO looks to the future with
confidence,” the company states,
and after 37 years of successful
operation, there is no suggestion
of resting on laurels. “The fourth
decade is a decade of further
maturity and progress in all areas,
devoting its efforts and capabilities
to serving Abu Dhabi and the UAE.
Improved oil recovery will be a
main target and accordingly, the
introduction of the state-of-the-art
technology will be available to serve
and streamline operations, increase
growth and control expenditure.
One more key element of the fourth
decade strategy is to improve the
human resources programs to
enhance the Emiratization process
as per the set target,” the company
says.
One of the projects that will help
the company on its growth path is
an on-going project which will see
production in the Upper Zakum field
increased from 550 thousand to 750
thousand barrels of oil per day by
2015.
This idea has been a concept
that has required a lot of attention
from ZADCO and its partners as
the investment required to up
production is costly and requires
PAGE 42
PAGE 43
CompetitiveSolutions
for ComplexProjects
CompetitiveSolutions
for ComplexProjects
VALUE DRIVEN BUSINESS
First Class Safety
Highly Skilled Workforce
Client Satisfaction
World Class Quality
Schedule Certainty
www.lamprell.com
Lamprell has played a prominent role in the development of the energy industry in the Middle East for over 35 years and with multiple facilities, we are able to produce pressure vessels and columns, using exotic materials, which typically form part of module delivery. We are expanding our modular activities into broader markets as the industry moves towards onshore modular construction in areas of the world where infrastructure needs to be extended.
Lamprell has played a prominent role in the development of the energy industry in the Middle East for over 35
years and has played a significant role in construction of complex process modules. Our most recent contract
award was for the ground breaking Zadco UZ750 Project in Abu Dhabi, in support of the incumbent EPC
provider Petrofac Emirates. Our Jebel Ali centre of excellence has played a significant part in the support
of modular construction projects and is synonymous with the fabrication of complex process, separation,
gas compression, power generation and general topside modules. As a result, we are fully conversant with
the handling and welding of exotic materials such as Inconel, duplex and super duplex, a common feature in
complex onshore process trains and in the handling of hydrocarbons and associated gasses. We understand
the stringent requirements in the commissioning and certification within this process environment. With multiple
Middle East facilities we are able to produce pressure vessels and the columns that typically form part of
module delivery, reducing the reliance on 3rd party supply for critical path items, a constant consideration for
fast track projects. Building on this competence we are expanding our modular activities into other markets
as the industry moves towards onshore modular construction versus stick build, in areas of the world where
infrastructure does not lend itself to in situ construction and where operations already exist, but need to be
extended. Total’s high profile North Sea development, Laggan Tormore, situated 125 miles West of Shetland,
is one such example where in 2013, we delivered a total of 15 onshore process modules in a fast track ten
month schedule. The modules are now installed and form part of the critical onshore gas process sirge system
deployed within the Laggan Tormore gas plant. Finally, we see considerable synergy with Lamprell’s track record
in the provision of complex onshore process modules for the emerging LNG, refining and petrochemical sectors.
new infrastructure solutions. Initially,
the idea was to install an additional
25 wellhead platform towers,
together with hundreds of kilometres
of new flow lines, hundreds of new
wells, significant well workover
requirements, and investing in
substantial gas injection expansion
and gas capturing facilities. After
some consideration, the company
determined that this method was
not the most efficient way to
increase production and a new
solution was devised.
This solution, referred to as
the ‘artificial island concept’, was
developed in collaboration with
ZADCO’s shareholder ExxonMobil.
This idea suggested drilling and
production centres could be located
on artificial islands and to support
the concept, ZADCO established
a drilling division and began
exploring the use of high-technology
extended-reach drilling (ERD) – this
is a technology widely used by
ExxonMobil in locations such as the
Sakhalin field in Russia.
Also, to reduce the required
number of new wells and unlock
tighter areas in the reservoir, the
company explored the use of
Maximum Reservoir Contact (MRC)
technology. Previously, MRC and
ERD had not been widely used
in the region and although they
had been proven in other parts
of the world, their use on the
scale planned by ZADCO was
unprecedented.
In the past, ZADCO has drilled
wells of approximately 10,000 feet
but, in the pursuit of growth, the
company wanted to go deeper.
Using the artificial island concept, the
company hopes that it will be able
to drill to 30,000 to 35,000 feet. So
far, ZADCO has completed drilling a
pair of record-breaking MRC wells
both of which are almost 20,000 feet
total drilled length. These are classed
as pilot wells and the knowledge
and experience gained during their
operation will be used to aid in
planning for the future. ExxonMobil’s
experience with drilling technology
has been paramount in the
development of this project, so much
so that the company has organised a
Technology Centre co-located within
PAGE 44
“The rigs have advanced equipment to achieve the desired drilling depths with ERD, in addition to the Rig Walker System to allow the move on the cluster pads”
the ZADCO HQ allowing for access
to innovation, technology and best-
in-class idea sharing between the
two companies. The artificial island
concept will also be supported by
NDC (National Drilling Company) and
industry leading directional drilling
and completion service providers
to ensure success in the execution
stage.
In June, a new rig, the ND 66, was
inaugurated on one of the artificial
islands - the South Island. Provided
by NDC, the rig has been described
as ‘state-of-the-art’ and ZADCO’s
Senior Vice President, Development,
Mr Ali Hassan Al Marzooqi said:
“These up-to-date rigs will support
ZADCO’s mandate to achieve
sustainable production based on
full field development. The rigs have
advanced equipment to achieve the
desired drilling depths with ERD, in
addition to the Rig Walker System to
allow the move on the cluster pads.
“The artificial islands concept
will significantly reduce life-cycle
development costs and enable long
term maximum recovery levels to be
achieved. To that end, this effective
partnership between ZADCO and
NDC will contribute considerably to
tackle the challenges and meet the
targeted production levels.”
A KEY PARTNER Being such an important player in
the local and international industry,
ZADCO does not only focus on its
own operations in its own fields. The
company is always seeking to build
mutually beneficial relationships with
partners to grow the industry for the
benefit of all.
Recently, it was reported that the
ZADCO’s facilities at Umm Al-Dalkh
and Zirku Island had been used by
The Abu Dhabi Marine Operating
Company (ADMA-OPCO) after the
company brought its Umm Lulu
Phase-1 facilities online and produced
its first oil from the Umm Lulu Field.
Located in the Arabian Gulf 30 km
north west of Abu Dhabi, the Umm
Lulu field has the potential to produce
105,000 barrels per day; Phase-1 of
the project will add 22,000 barrels per
day by end of 2015 and the rest will
be added by full field development in
2018.
The Phase-1 development includes
two new wellhead towers to host 10
new wells, powered by solar energy,
subsea pipelines, fibre optic cables
for data transfer and a flexible pipeline
for water disposal and all oil produced
will go through ZADCO’s facilities at
Umm Al-Dalkh and Zirku Island.
This is the first time that ADMA-
OPCO oil will be processed by
another operator shows the success
of the continued collaboration
between the ADNOC group of
companies.
With many other projects in
the pipeline, some planned for
completion during the end of 2014,
it seems that ZADCO is taking steps
towards its goal of successfully
developing the Upper Zakum field on
behalf of ADNOC and for the benefit
of the shareholders. As progress
towards this goal is made, ZADCO
will continue to assist Abu Dhabi and
the wider region to grow and excel,
not only in the oil industry, but across
the entire economy
ZADCO
PAGE 45
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE.INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE.
HLG is one of the leading contractors in the Middle East.
With a reputation for delivering complex projects in remote locations, HLG specialises in the provision of onshore and offshore infrastructure and facilities. The Group’s oil and gas capabilities include pipelines, earthworks, tank farms, jetties, camps, roads and structures, modular buildings, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation installations, as well as logistics handling and other supporting infrastructure for production and processing facilities.
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
HLG TotalWorldEnergy Ad 88x125mm.pdf 1 10/29/14 11:55 AM
Q: What is the history of the project - Why was it first developed? When was the region first explored? Who was responsible? How did INPEX get involved?
In an open bid conducted in
1998, INPEX acquired the petroleum
exploration permit WA-285-P,
located in the Browse Basin, off
the north-west coast of Western
Australia. From 2000 to 2001, three
exploratory wells resulted in the
discovery of an extremely promising
gas and condensate field now known
as the Ichthys gas-condensate field.
Front End Engineering and
Design (FEED) work began in 2009.
Thereafter, INPEX obtained the
necessary government approvals
and concluded LNG sale and
purchase agreements (SPA) with
gas buyers before making the Final
Investment Decision (FID) in January
2012. In December of the same year,
the Ichthys LNG Project finalized
arrangements for US$20 billion in
PAGE 46
Coming up from down
under
Editorial: Joe Forshaw
Located about 220 kilometres of Western Australia, in the Timor Sea, the Ichthys project is currently taking shape. Representing the largest discovery of hydrocarbon liquids in Australia in 40 years, the Ichthys LNG Project is currently ranked among the most significant oil and gas projects on the planet. Effectively three mega-projects rolled into one, involving some of the largest offshore facilities in the industry, a state-of-the-art onshore processing facility and an 889 km pipeline uniting them for an operational life of at least 40 years, this is a project that requires articulate and precise planning. Seiya Ito, INPEX CORPORATION President Director Australia tells Total World Energy more…
project finance loans including those
with eight export credit agencies
and 24 commercial banks, in
what was at the time the biggest
project financing ever arranged in
the international financial market.
The Ichthys LNG Project is now in
the construction phase, with first
production expected to commence
at the end of 2016.
Q: With regard to the LNG plant, why was Darwin chosen? Why was onshore processing facilities chosen over alternative offshore processing facilities, such as FLNG for example?
INPEX ultimately selected Darwin
as the location for its gas liquefaction
and processing facility (LNG plant) for
the Ichthys LNG Project as a result
of a number of factors, including
the need to start up the project and
deliver LNG to Japan in a stable
and timely manner, and the support
the company received from the
governments of both the Northern
Territory and Australia.
As a capital city, Darwin offered
a workforce, operating harbour, an
existing LNG operation, infrastructure
such as transport, roads, an airport
and hospital, all of which made this
location very attractive and has
been a key factor in the Project
being able to have a high level of
local employment to date. Onshore
processing facilities were selected
based on the determination that the
Ichthys gas-condensate field would
yield a quantity of hydrocarbons
sufficient to ensure long-term
production, which in turn would be
best supported by onshore facilities
from an economic standpoint.
Q: For such a complex project, consisting of construction both on and offshore, what have been the most significant challenges?
Delivering a mega project safely
and according to plan is not easy,
especially for one like Ichthys.
Changes in design, delays in
engineering, significant workloads at
fabrication yards and designing for a
40-year operational life are some of
the challenges we are successfully
managing.
The world’s best contractors,
financial security from our investors,
highly experienced project managers
and an innovative contracting
strategy all play a role in addressing
these challenges and minimising risk
to cost and schedule.
Q: Do you strive to work in partnership with local companies compared to international companies, or is it a mixture of both? What are the benefits to working with either?
Given the global nature of the
Ichthys LNG Project, we work
in partnership both with local
companies in Australia, and
international companies around
the world, all of which provide the
knowledge and expertise required
INPEX: ICHTHYS LNG PROJECT
PAGE 47
PAGE 48
to oversee the whole chain of
development and production
components - subsea, offshore,
pipeline and onshore. Currently
we have more than 30,000 people
worldwide working on this US$34
billion project. Nearly 5,000 are on
site in Darwin, Northern Territory
and nearly 1,000 in Perth, Western
Australia.
Q: At what stage is the project currently? Is it all on track to meet the estimated first production in 2016?
We are currently proceeding
more or less on schedule. We
are confident in our schedule
and expect to commence first
production at the end of 2016, as
initially planned.
Q: What are the operational plans once complete, production figures etc? What does the project mean for the future of Gas in Australia? How much LNG will be exported and where to?
The Ichthys LNG Project will
deliver 8.4 million tonnes of LNG
per annum and 1.6 million tonnes
of LPG per annum, along with
approximately 100,000 barrels
of condensate per day at peak.
Approximately 70% of the LNG is
scheduled to be delivered to Japan,
helping deliver Japan’s energy
security. The project is also vitally
important to Australia (and the
Northern Territory), contributing to
the country’s position as a top LNG
supplier to the global market while
making a significant contribution to
the Australian economy.
Q: What will the social and economic benefits be for Australia – job opportunities, training, local business growth etc?
The Ichthys LNG Project is vitally
important to Australia (and the
Northern Territory), contributing to
the country’s position as a top LNG
supplier to the global market while
making a significant contribution
to the Australian economy. To
date, we have committed more
than AU$ 10 billion to Australian
companies through a wide variety
of contracts. AU$ 5.2 billion of
this is for Northern Territory-based
companies during construction, and
approximately AU$ 50 million has
been committed to Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander businesses,
almost exclusively in the Northern
Territory. With an operational life
of at least 40 years, thousands
of jobs, training and business
opportunities will be created for
generations to come
“The Ichthys LNG Project will deliver 8.4 million tonnes of LNG per annum and 1.6 million tonnes of LPG per annum, along with approximately 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak”
Delivering the Difference in all fields of APAC
Sea Trucks Group is pleased to come back to the Australian region for provid-ing Accommodation Support Services to INPEX on their Ichthys project. Over the years the Sea Trucks Group have gained a good reputation for providing quality and well executed Accommodation Support projects in diverse fields and regions of the globe.
In 2014 Sea Trucks Group have been breaking new grounds for the group by providing Accommodation Support services in the harsh area North of Sakhalin, Russia. The 2014 campaign in Sakhalin saw the team at Sea Trucks engineer, procure and install additional Accommodation modules onto the deck of the JASCON 34, adding an extra 224 berths to the vessel’s existing capacity, thus totaling 563 berths.
Over the past years Sea Trucks Group have been dedicated to working in the APAC region. After the successful SURF installation campaign for BHP on the Pyrenees development in 2009 and the high profile West Atlas Decommissioning program in 2010, JASCON 25 executed a precision lifts campaign for the Origin Energy Yolla Mid Life Enhancement Project in 2012, where the ves-sel provided accommodation and heavy lift services. The vessel continued being busy executing prime examples of the vessels DP3 hybrid design concept. 2013 saw Sea Trucks Group perform in such diverse fields as Salvage of a vessel in the Philippines, Modular lifts onto FPSO in Malaysia and SURF installation in Brunei.
The versatile DP3 vessels of the Sea Trucks Group can accommodate up to 469 POB in accommodation mode (more by install-ing extra accommodation modules) and can efficiently transfer personnel utilizing their 42,5 m heave compensated telescopic gangway. The vessels have high capacity cranes with heavy lift capability of up to 800 t and 1,800 t and have large unobstructed deck areas of up to 1,500 m2 which can accommodate large topsides modules and subsea equipment.
The versatility of the vessels is further demonstrated as the large deck space allows deployment of modular rigid and flexible pipelay equipment for subsea, umbilical, risers and flowlines (SURF) projects for our clients in the Asia Pacific region.
Oil States Skagit SMATCO is a trusted provider of offshore equipment and services in some of the world’s most demanding environments. Our deck equipment solutions include industry-leading mooring systems, anchor-handling equipment and marine cranes backed by certified and warranted repair & refurbishment. Regardless of the complexity of the job, you can rely on Oil States Skagit SMATCO to provide the highest quality solution based on our extensive experience and world-class engineering solutions.
INPEX: ICHTHYS LNG PROJECT
PAGE 49
Rigid and Flexible Pipe Installation | Platform Installation | Accommodation, Hook Up and Commissioning | SURF Installation | Decommissioning | Marine Support
www.seatrucksgroup.com
Jascon 25Yolla - Origin | Accommodation & Heavy Lift | Bass Strait, Australia
sea Trucks australia Pty LtdLevel 3, 507 Murray Street | Perth | WA 6000T +61 8 921 858 88
STGS e a T r u c k s G r o u p
Delivering the difference ...in any field
Ad Inpex/Ichthys Project brochure Nov2014_176x250mmFC.indd 1 30/10/14 1:15 PM
PAGE 50
Meeting the challenge
Editorial: Harriet Pattison
Listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, Triyards offers integrated full-service engineering, fabrication and ship construction solutions for the global offshore and marine industries. A front runner in the fabrication of SEUs in South East Asia with numerous orders in the pipeline, it’s no wonder Triyards has a healthy order book and are amongst the industry leaders. For a company that was only founded less than a decade years ago, the future looks to be an exciting one with new products and services on the horizon…
Triyards Holdings Limited, the
offshore vessel fabrication and
engineering solutions provider
to the oil and gas industry,
focuses on shipbuilding, ship
conversions, medium to heavy
fabrication works and ship repair.
The company was founded less
than a decade ago in 2005 with
the acquisition of its first facility in
Vietnam, and has since become
the front runner in the fabrication
of self-elevating units (SEUs) in
South East Asia.
Total World Energy speaks
to CEO, Eng Yew Chan, who
explains how the company has
been significantly increasing its
capacity and product list since its
inception: “We attained our second
facility in 2007 and acquired our
engineering and design facility
for our crane and heavy lifting
product line in Houston in 2010.
Almost exactly two years ago
we were listed on the Singapore
Stock Exchange in 2012 and
more recently we increased our
capacity in Vietnam even further
through the acquisition of Strategic
Marine.”
For over ten years, Strategic
Marine has been building
aluminium and steel vessels as
well as complex aluminium and
steel structures for both the mining
and marine infrastructure sectors.
The acquisition of its two yards,
one in Vung Tau, Vietnam and
the other in Singapore, have a
total area of 158,648 m2 and will
increase Triyard’s yard capacity by
over 67%, with the exception of its
yard in Houston.
Speaking of the acquisition,
Mr Chan said in a statement:
“Strategic Marine is a good fit
for Triyards as we work to build
our name in fabrication and
engineering solutions and move
beyond the construction of oil
& gas product lines adding
capabilities and products
which would target a
wider clientele base.”
In a busy ten
years, Mr Chan
attributes Triyard’s
continuing success
to its two-fold
strategy: “Firstly,
with the increased
capacity and the
proximity of the
Vietnamese shipyards
from one another we
are able to increase our
capacity very efficiently as
they’re only about 400m to
500m apart.
“Secondly, we have a new
product line which is aluminium
based. This is a little bit unique in
our shipbuilding industry in that
there are not many shipyards who
will be able to do steel products
as well as aluminium products
efficiently.”
Joining the group 12 years ago,
Mr Chan’s career began when he
started working for Ezra Holdings
in 2003 before joining EOC Limited
as CFO. In February of this year
Mr Chan joined Triyards as CEO.
AN INDUSTRY FIRSTA builder of SEUs, Triyards is
the first company in the world to
construct the 450-feet SEU series,
known as the BH-450, they are
self-propelled units that boast
large deck areas and high capacity
cranes. The series also have room
for up to 250 personnel in private
accommodation and standing at
130m in length, the SEU series
have the capability to operate in
water depths of up to 90m.
In May last year, Triyards
became one of only few Singapore
yards with the capability to
both design and build its very
own SEUs and jack-ups. It also
introduced its new class 400
high pressure, high temperature
drilling jack-up rig, the TDU-400.
At over 163m, this new innovative
product will help to enhance both
the engineering expertise whilst
withstanding up to 100-knot winds
and water depths of an estimated
120m.
A large segment of the SEU
product line is the building
of liftboats to clients on an
international scale. With seven
built to date, Mr Chan explains
that the company has seen a
significant number of enquiries for
this particular product since July
of this year, with an increase in
orders. He attributes this surge in
interest to the growing momentum
in South East Asia and the Middle
East for the deployment of
liftboats.
“We still have a very healthy
order book and I think there’s
TRIYARDS
PAGE 51
“The orders also showcases the confidence clients have in our engineering capabilities. This unit reinforces our versatility and capability in this product segment”
Eng Yew Chan
bookings for both the aluminium
product line and our steel
products, predominately revolving
around the self-elevating units,
such as the lifts boats,” he
explains.
“The liftboat construction time
varies; for the smaller units it can
be anywhere from 14-16 months,
while the larger units can take
anywhere between 18-20 months,
depending on complexity.”
In July this year Triyards
completed two liftboat contracts
worth US$112 million and more
recently, added another liftboat
contract to its order book in a deal
worth US$50.5 million, which will
bring the total value of new building
orders to US$162.5 million for the
company.
With the most recent order due
for completion in 2016, Mr Chan
said: “Our recent new orders
attests to the industry’s confidence
in us and our ability to meet our
clients’ stringent requirements on
safety, quality, timeliness of delivery
and cost efficiency. They also
reflect the market’s satisfaction
of our engineering and fabrication
capabilities.
“Operators are starting to realise
the high value-to-cost ratio of using
liftboats, increasing its demand
for these vessels. Our extensive
track record, proven designs and
fabrication capabilities put us in
good stead to gain from this and
enhance our lead in this product
segment.
“The orders also showcases
the confidence clients have in
our engineering capabilities. This
unit reinforces our versatility and
capability in this product segment.”
In addition to the company’s
engineering capabilities, Mr Chan
attributes Triyards continued
success in the SEU field to being
the early first movers and to its
strategic corporate structure:
“With regards to our corporate
structure, we can actually turn
this into commercially viable
projects. With larger shipyards
these projects may seem a little
bit too small, especially with cost
efficiencies and overheads, they
may not be profitable. Juxtaposed
against that is the smaller yard
owners who may not be in a
comfortable position to build a
liftboat which would cost at the
very least US$40-$50 million.
Triyards is finding itself in quite a
comfortable niche, where we are
the right size to actually produce
these units.”
PAGE 52
Navigate to new horizons - Get on course with green returns
Marine and Shipbuilding
half_page_ad_Oct2014 (151x112).indd 1 10/24/2014 5:49:59 PM
TRIYARDS
PAGE 53
Another major contract for
Triyards, contracted to parent
company Ezra Holdings, is the
Lewek Constellation. A multi-lay
offshore construction vessel with
ultra-deep-water pipe-laying and
lifting capabilities, it provides
versatility, speed, maneuverability
and a 3,000 MT heavy-lift crane.
Completed this year, the Lewek
Constellation serves VAALCO
Gabon to carry out operations at its
Etame Marin Field located offshore
of Gabon in West Africa. It has
joined EMAS AMC’s Lewek Express
pipelayer to carry out offshore
works for VAALCO in a contract
worth an estimated US$120m.
A STRONG TRACK RECORDIt is clear then that Triyards’
increase in activity and capacity
has placed them in a key industry
position. “For the lift boat product
line, I think we have a very
strong track record of successful
delivery,” explains Mr Chan.
The company’s geographical
proximities also help to contribute
to its success: “If you’re going
to order a liftboat from Triyards
in Vietnam, to be deployed in
South East Asia or to the Middle
East or to Africa, the proximity
of our facilities to those markets
gives us a distinct cost advantage
from a transportation and cost
perspective.”
With 2,000 staff employed
directly under Triyards, Mr Chan
explains these are split almost
equally between the two facilities
in Vietnam and the team leaders
and project managers are
regularly sent for improvement
training and refresher courses.
When the company delivered
the Lewek Constellation to Emas,
it employed an estimated 7,000
sub-contractors but on a day
to day basis, Triyards ensure it
remains nimble and keeps it staff
levels to a minimum.
THE HOUSTON FACILITYIn addition to the shipyards in
Vietnam and Singapore, Triyards
also has an offshore lifting
appliance facility located in
Houston, Texas.
It produces equipment such as
active heave-compensated offshore
cranes, A-frames and winches
which can be installed both on the
SEUs and offshore construction
vessels that require stringent
standards.
Mr Chan explains the facility
accommodates the design
engineering while the fabrication is
undertaken in the Vietnamese yards
where costs remain much more
competitive. “What the Houston
office does do is come up with new
and innovative product lines that
we are now exploring to actually
turn into a stock program,” he
explains.
Looking to the future, Mr Chan
explains that Triyards is looking to
increase its efforts to market the
company on a more international
basis in order to build a more
diverse client base. With the new
aluminium product line that has just
been introduced, Triyard’s product
portfolio is steadily increasing with
a wider variety to offer its clients.
“I think it’s a very exciting time
for us,” Mr Chan explains, “not only
because of the potential upstream
and interest in the SEU segment
but because we are also basically
introducing new products to the
market with the Triyards name,
such as the aluminium boats. We
are also looking forward to the
roll out of our new crane product
which will compliment the products
we have currently very well,” he
concludes
A worldclAss
journey1814 - 2014
Kongsberg Maritime provides
innovative and reliable solutions
for safe and efficient operations
at sea. Headquartered in Norway,
we have 55 offices in 18 countries
worldwide, providing
systems, customer service and
training for offshore, merchant
marine and subsea markets.
For enquiries, please contact us:
km.sales.singapore@kongsberg.com
km.support.singapore@kongsberg.com
www.km.kongsberg.com
Come visit the KONGSBERGBooth at 1K4-01, Level 1, Hall B
A worldclAss
journey1814 - 2014
Kongsberg Maritime provides
innovative and reliable solutions
for safe and efficient operations
at sea. Headquartered in Norway,
we have 55 offices in 18 countries
worldwide, providing
systems, customer service and
training for offshore, merchant
marine and subsea markets.
For enquiries, please contact us:
km.sales.singapore@kongsberg.com
km.support.singapore@kongsberg.com
www.km.kongsberg.com
Biogas is perhaps the most
overlooked of all of the prominent
renewable energy sources around
the world. Wind, solar and to some
extent, hydro, claim all the plaudits
in the renewable energy sector but
as we know – they do have their
pitfalls. And biogas is no different but
one thing that it has in its favour is
that it can provide a continual energy
source.
A report from Woods End
Laboratories in the USA said: “The
difference between biogas - the dark
horse - and ‘sexy’ solar and wind
that everyone is talking about, is that
biogas is steady and storable.”
But what is biogas? Energy-
science people will tell you that
biogas typically refers to a mixture of
gases produced by the breakdown
of organic matter in the absence of
oxygen. The production of biogas is a
result of using raw materials such as
recycled waste while producing a very
small carbon footprint.
Biogas is produced through the
process of anaerobic digestion with
anaerobic bacteria or fermentation
of biodegradable materials such
as manure, sewage, municipal
waste, green waste, plant material
and crops. Biogas is a fuel gas, a
mixture consisting of about 55%
methane (CH4) and of 45% CO2 and
sometimes amounts of hydrogen
PAGE 54
Renewable, cheap, eco-friendly-
Biogas, the fuel of the future?
Editorial: Roland Douglas
Agraferm Technologies is a leading name in the biogas industry offering services including project management, construction, re-powering, and technical and biological services for AD plants across Europe and further afield. Two Directors from this innovative company tell Total World Energy more about the growth of the business and the development of the industry…
sulphide (H2S), moisture and
siloxanes.
But producing biogas is not an
easy process; to create a quality,
safe, productive facility, you cannot
go out with a screwdriver and
build it yourself. You need the
help of a specialist and one of the
foremost names in biogas plant
construction in Europe right now is
Agraferm Technologies, a German
based organisation which this year
celebrates a historic milestone.
“We will be celebrating our tenth
anniversary this year,” says Director,
Eike Liekweg. “The company
began when there was already a
boom around biogas in 2004. Our
competitors at that time came from
related industries, perhaps they were
in tank building or construction but
none of them were biogas specialists.
The business was founded as the
only real biogas company and
specialists from other existing
companies joined to form Agraferm.”
Head of Sales at Agraferm, Markus
Ott says that the founders of the
company all came from a biogas
background, giving great experience
to the management team.
“The guys who founded
Agraferm were all already active
in the biogas industry before
Agraferm. Take myself for
example; biogas was my first
job after university so I have
been in the industry for
over 18 years,” he says.
“The founding of the
company was based on
being a specialist and
coming from a biogas
background and not
other technical fields. The
knowledge we have in
the business was active in
biogas before the German
boom.
“You need engineering skills
as a core, and knowledge of
biological aspects as well. The idea is
always to bring together mechanical
requirements with the biological ones.
We are not doing rocket science in
terms of equipment. We use standard
pumps, standard engines, standard
tanks – so there is no rocket science
in the components – but the process
design, engineering and smart
cooperation of components with
each other and with the bacteria; that
is a core focus.”
AGRAFERM PLANTIn its ten years, Agraferm has
demonstrated its expertise in a wide
variety of applications and many
different locations. With completed
plants in the UK, Germany,
Italy, Slovakia, Czech Republic,
Luxemburg, Belarus and Latvia, the
company has a wealth of experience
but Liekweg says each plant is
different and always put together with
the customer requirements in mind.
“Each one is unique
but there’s
elements that are typical to an
Agraferm plant. Our plants, from a
space and tank volume perspective,
are smaller than other plants because
we run a higher dry matter content in
the tank and we have vertical stirrers
in the main digesters and this specific
way of stirring the mass is part of our
process knowledge.
“It really is bespoke design
depending on the customers input
materials and how they want to
handle it and what they want to do
with it.
“All the plants vary in size of
output. It always depends on the
legislation; there might be certain
feed-in tariffs and customers tend to
build plants which are economically
viable in the long-term. When you go
to different countries, the legislation
changes again and so you have to be
flexible,” he says.
One of the key differentiators
between Agraferm plants and the
rest of the market
is that
AGRAFERM TECHNOLOGIES AG
PAGE 55
PAGE 56
digesters in an Agraferm facility can
take higher volumes of dry matter,
resulting in a smaller plant with a
larger output.
“This has advantages in
construction, operation and in cost,”
says Ott.
“Another very important factor is
the flexibility you get with feedstock.
If you have an AD (Anaerobic
Digestion) plant that is able to mix
a higher dry matter content, you
are much more free to leave maize
silage and there is a trend in the
AD business, to think about other
feedstock apart from maize silage,
in both the agro as well as the
waste sector.”
This flexibility is hugely important
as sources of feedstock can change
because of many different factors
and it is important that a feedstock
shortage or a change in input does
not affect overall output.
“You can substitute your maize
silage with grass for example
without creating a process bottle
neck in your system,” says Ott. “We
have seen this in Germany because
roughly 30 per cent of the AD plants
are said to be in economical critical
situations because the maize price
went up and we are also seeing this
is in the UK. There was a huge fear
across the industry as everyone
cried for different feedstocks.”
And while wet fermentation is less
efficient, Agraferm is specialised in
high load fermentation independent
of input material, be it organic waste
or agricultural residues resulting
in a vast knowledge of suitable
feedstock and important flexibility
innovations.
“People would not consider building a coal-fired power plant themselves but in biogas, people think it’s simple but at the end of the day, it’s still a power plant”
ORGANIC GROWTHIt is widely acknowledged that biogas
has a hugely important role to play in
the global energy mix and Agraferm
is of course looking to grow as more
and more countries switch on to the
benefits of efficient biogas plants.
In the USA, the Environmental
Protection Agency’s AgSTAR program
reported in 2010 that around 8000
American farms could support biogas
recovery systems, providing about
1600 megawatts of energy and
reducing emissions of global warming
pollution by about 1.8 million metric
tons of methane - the equivalent of
taking 6.5 million cars off the road.
And Agraferm is ready to grow
around the world, taking into account
national operational differences, as
Liekweg explains: “We are looking at
markets outside of Europe. We believe
that there are other areas in the world
that will be growing including South
Korea and Brazil but these are different
in the sense that they don’t use energy
crops, that’s more a European thing,
so you’re dealing with dung, litter,
manure and different kinds of waste
and you have to build the plants more
towards the national requirements
which might include less automation,
different climate conditions and so on.”
And when the company does work
on projects away from Germany, more
than just clean energy is generated.
Employment opportunities, knowledge
and innovative thinking is created for
local communities. Liekweg says that
when Agraferm works in new regions,
there will be a mix of experienced
personnel and local contractors in
place to ensure quality.
“We like to have a mix of people,”
he says. “Agraferm is an EPC
contractor; we do the engineering,
we do the procurement, and we
do the commissioning. We source
everything, we do assembly on
site but we don’t actually produce
anything. In any project we will
look for the right suppliers. We do
have our regular suppliers of core
equipment but when you look at a
tank for example, this can be done
locally and the majority is done by
our subcontractors and we supervise
and coordinate. If we were to build
a project in South Korea, we would
supervise and train operators so that
they can run the plant on their own.”
And this on-going maintenance and
operation of the plant is important as
some of the mechanical components
do require upgrading from time to
time but, as Ott mentioned previously,
there are few high-tech components
in an AD plant and service and
operation of the plant can be trained.
“If you look at a biogas plant, you
might have an engine if it’s a plant that
produces electrical power and the
engine requires maintenance but the
rest is not so maintenance intensive.
Our plants are very robust and do not
need too much on-going service.
“We do ensure we have service
personnel available, we are opening a
service base in the UK before the end
of the year, because it’s a necessity to
keep the plants running smoothly but
it’s not huge business,” says Liekweg.
“Nobody in the industry is installing
rocket technology, one will always be
able to find local guys to undertake
the technical work of the pumps etc,”
says Ott.
AGRAFERM TECHNOLOGIES AG
PAGE 57
PAGE 58
“On the biological side, it’s the
opposite. With this, the client has to
stay in touch with us as the deliverer
of the plant if they want to develop
feedstock mixes in the future as
we know the plant and we can
recommend switch over plans if a
change in mix is required,” he adds.
‘NIMBY’One thing that the energy industry,
renewable and all, has faced over the
years is opposition. Every sector and
every idea faces opposition, sometimes
from government, sometimes from
local communities and sometimes from
associations but when projects are
managed correctly and all stakeholders
are kept in the loop, opposition is easier
to manage. In the biogas industry,
because of the nature of activities,
people often have reservations about
new plants but Liekweg says there is
nothing to worry about.
“This is called the NIMBY effect –
‘not in my backyard’ – and you have
that with any kind of energy plant. In
Germany and in the UK we have a lot
of wind farms and generally everyone
says yes, wind farms are a good thing
and we don’t want too much nuclear
or coal but we don’t want to see the
windmill so put it somewhere else.
This is the same with biogas. The first
reaction is that people don’t want it.
They think it might smell, it might be
dangerous, it might be noisy, it might
create traffic but this is a matter for the
project developer, to try and engage
with the public as much as possible
and show them that biogas plants do
not affect people negatively.
“Is it dangerous? No. These are
professional industrial style plants. In
the early days of biogas, there were
some accidents but these were with
unprofessional projects where farmers
had tried to build their own biogas
plants so today I don’t see a big risk at
all,” he says.
Ott says that the industry should
come together to set standards of
best practice for the construction and
operation of biogas facilities to ensure
that below-par plants are never even
considered.
“It is important in the UK market to
not repeat similar mistakes that were
made in Germany where in the first few
years of biogas, people tried to build
biogas plants on their own and not to
technical standards,” he says. “I see
the risk that this could happen in the
UK, so I think it should be up to the
industry and the various associations
to define certain minimum standards
of best practice otherwise you could
have everyone trying to step into this
business, with no idea about biogas,
and you end up with good plants
but also bad plants because the bad
ones are cheaper. The UK Anaerobic
Digestion and Biogas Association
(ADBA) has addressed this and
working groups are already active in
this field.
“People would not consider building
a coal-fired power plant themselves but
in biogas, people think it’s simple but
at the end of the day, it’s still a power
plant,” Liekweg adds.
BIOGAS FOR THE FUTURE? Today, biogas is widely used but
its roots remain with agricultural
consumers. However, biogas is always
growing and becoming more popular
and this is, in part, down to its multiple
applications.
“Some countries have understood
the versatility of biogas; it can provide
energy for electricity and also for
heating and for the transport sector
because biomethane chemically is
nothing more than natural gas or CH4
and those countries that have seen
these benefits are supporting biogas
strongly,” explains Liekweg. “The UK
has the RHI, where biomethane can be
used for heating; Italy has a biomethane
for transport law where natural gas is
specifically used in the transport sector
and there is no competition to wind and
solar so it’s well received.
“Wind and solar are cheap but they
need a stabiliser to balance during peak
times and on the base load so biogas
should always be considered as part of
a wider system with all the technologies
working together,” he says.
And while the industry does continue
to grow, garnering support with every
extra megawatt produced, Agraferm
Technologies will be there to provide
support and expertise as it too grows,
ensuring that the industry is not
overlooked.
“We are the market leader in the UK
by plain biogas volume. Across Europe,
we are still a niche player as we don’t
serve a mass market. Our power plants
are unique, our technology is unique
and everything is built to a very high
standard so we are not the cheapest,”
says Liekweg.
“We would hope that governments
would be able to step into discussions
with our local branches and have
smooth negotiations about how to
further grow the biogas industry,” Ott
adds.
And is the organisation well-
positioned for the future? Ott is in no
doubt: “We feel that our size is perfect
right now as we are small enough
to come through hard times but
large enough to ensure quality and
development,” he concludes
“We would hope that governments would be able to step into discussions with our local branches and have smooth negotiations about how to further grow the biogas industry”
AGRAFERM TECHNOLOGIES AG
PAGE 59
Uniflare offer complete turnkey solutions
Design Manufacture Maintain
ww
w.u
nifla
re.c
o.ukTell us your gas train requirements and Uniflare will offer
the turnkey solution to provide the best CAPEX and
OPEX solution for you.
UNIFLARE design, manufacture, install and maintain biogas trains to extract gas from the gasholder, treat it and then pump it to the CHP engines.
The UNIFLARE team has more than 40 years combined experience in the design, manufacture, upgrade, repair and maintenance of all types of biogas plant and control systems.
UNIFLARE supply desulphurisation plants, dehumidifiers, pressure boosters, analysers and flare stacks designed to operate as one to provide the correct biogas conditions at the CHP units.
Control communication connecting the various units to the site control and each other is by Modbus or Profinet.
With the oil and gas industry
maintaining a prominent position
within the energy sector due to an
ongoing demand for more traditional
energy sources, the Dutch oil and
gas supply industry is flying high
amongst the global industry leaders.
Dutch oil and gas contractors are
now operating in locations including
Western Europe, off the coast of
Brazil and Western Australia with
specialist vessels on hand for almost
any offshore project in the oil and gas
industry.
With so many of these Dutch
companies both looking to and
already operating on a worldwide
scale, The Association of Dutch
Suppliers in the Oil and Gas Industry
(IRO) was first established in 1971
to help promote and establish
them successfully within the oil
and gas industry. Headquartered in
Rotterdam, IRO has an impressive
repertoire of over 430 members
involved in the field of engineering,
maintenance and manufacturing,
PAGE 60
Networking on a global
scale
Editorial: Rosie DeWinter
First established in 1971 and recognising the potential of its own reserves, The Association of Dutch Suppliers in the Oil and Gas Industry has helped to promote, educate and distinguish Dutch industry supply companies. Now surpassing 430 members, its methods are clearly working. Organising exhibitions and trade missions from Australia to Texas and Aberdeen to Singapore, Managing Director, Sander Vergroesen, tells Total World Energy the reasons for the association’s exponential and continued success…
both onshore and offshore.
Total World Energy speaks
to Managing Director, Sander
Vergroesen, who explains the history
behind IRO: “The association was
founded originally as a council which
included a mix of governmental
bodies, companies and scientific
institutions. After the discovery
of Slochteren, the huge onshore
gas field in 1959, IRO decided to
establish the potential of its own
reserves and during the 1970’s began
to venture offshore into the North
Sea.
“From 1971 to 1991, it remained
a mix of companies but in 1991 they
decided to make it an association for
suppliers in the oil and gas industry.
Since then, it has grown and received
industry recognition for successfully
providing a platform for Dutch
suppliers.”
INTERNATIONALLY ORIENTATEDFor over 20 years, IRO has had two
main commitments, as Vergroesen
explains: “Firstly, the main purpose
of the association is to facilitate the
network for the member companies.
This is a mix of huge market leading
companies and small innovative
companies. Together they cover
the complete supply chain for oil
and gas, from seismic exploration
to delivery and transport for huge
vessels and installations.
“The smaller companies frequently
deliver to the bigger companies and
during our networking events they
get the opportunity to meet each
other. There are numerous reasons to
bring them all together so facilitating
network meetings is a very important
part of IRO’s activities.
“Secondly, an equally important
aspect is export promotion. IRO is
responsible for the organisation of
the Holland Pavilion at international
trade shows and exhibitions in key
upstream oil and gas development
areas. These exhibitions are very
important as they allow members
to sign in and join us at the Holland
Pavilion next to the larger companies
who have their own booths,” explains
Vergroesen.
“Additionally, we organise trade
missions together with members of
IRO ASSOCIATION
PAGE 61
PAGE 62
our parliament and our government
and more recently, we are looking to
go abroad with ministers, our Prime
Minister or even royalty if possible.”
Held all over the world, the
exhibitions include Australasian Oil
and Gas held in Australia, the OTC
in Houston Texas and Rio de Janeiro
Brazil, Offshore Europe in Aberdeen,
ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi, Offshore
Northern Seas in Stavanger and
exhibitions held in both Kuala Lumpur
and Singapore. The Offshore Energy
exhibition in The Netherlands, held at
the end of October, saw the majority
of IRO’s members in attendance.
STAYING CONNECTEDWith over 430 members, IRO ensures
they are helped and promoted on
a national and international scale.
Vergroesen explains the association
has its own Netherlands Oil & Gas
catalogue which is released annually
and members are invited to advertise
their company profiles.
As well as published online on
www.iro-noc.nl, the catalogue is also
taken to each exhibition where IRO is
present and handed out to visitors. It
provides a good view of the activities,
services and products of the Dutch
suppliers in the oil and gas industry.
“We also publish a monthly
newsletter which is sent to all our
members,” explains Vergroesen,
“in this way we stay connected to
our members but also to what’s
happening in our industry in the
world.”
HEALTHY COMPETITIONOf course, with so many companies
operating in such a similar and
competitive field, is there much
competition between them? “We try
to protect our existing members,”
explains Vergroesen. “If a company
is willing to become a member of
our association we make sure they
have a track record in our industry
and have an added value to the
association and its members.”
Within the association, Vergroesen
admits there is naturally competition.
So while the larger companies
involved don’t necessarily need to
be with an association, Vergroesen
believes they are a part of it because
they know suppliers to them are part
“Those exhibitions are very important and next to these we try to organise trade missions. We try to do these more and more together with members of our parliament and our government”
of the IRO association. Vergroesen
hopes this competition will challenge
them and push them further, either
to venture deeper into the oceans or
travel to more remote areas like the
Arctic.
“They will need new equipment
or solutions to overcome these
challenges,” says Vergroesen, “so
they look to IRO members to see who
could provide these services. This
helps to stimulate healthy competition
between them and encourages new
and innovative products. Many of the
members know each other from the
networking events so they consult
each other and although they are
competitors, it inspires them to stay
ahead and stay sharp.”
The association then is not one
of unnecessary competitiveness but
one of innovation and comradeship:
“The companies are always willing
to learn, not only what’s happening
abroad but also from each other.
They feel encouraged to team up with
the other members to help improve
the industry and I think IRO plays a
key role in this. We try to combine our
committees and the network facility
too which is very important,” explains
Vergroesen.
MOTIVATION & NETWORKINGAfter four decades, IRO has seen
exponential growth organising more
exhibitions and trade missions across
the globe and now with its 430
members, it looks set to encourage
more young people to work in the
oil and gas industry and continue to
help its existing members in achieving
international business through
promotional export events.
Vergroesen attributes the
association’s continuing success
to numerous causes: “I think the
networking facilities, the export
promotion activities, the way we try
to be a scout in areas which aren’t
recognised and the information we
provide to our members and the
committees are vital characteristics of
the association.
“Additionally, we provide a platform
where a group of companies can
discuss topics in the field of; export
and public relations, gas, human
resources and safety, innovation and
regulatory affairs, offshore renewable
installations and well services and
drilling. We try to team up with other
associations too, to see where
we can combine to become more
powerful,” Vergroesen adds.
Looking to the future, Vergroesen
explains that it is essential for IRO
to monitor what is going on around
the world in order to establish new
market areas such as South East
Asia: “We know that Indonesia is
also very important,” he says. “We
feel things are about to happen in
these areas so we stay linked to our
government and try to motivate them
to support us in trade missions. We
often organise these in cooperation
with Dutch embassies abroad.”
Ultimately, IRO has continued to
hold very close connections to its
members: “We belong to them,”
explains Vergroesen, “and we are
independent so if they want to
change things, they can stand up and
inform us.” Almost 45 years on, IRO
strives to ensure its members “keep
track of what’s happening in the
world and stay ahead,” Vergroesen
concludes.
IRO ASSOCIATION
PAGE 63
PAGE 64
The preferred cable technology
partner Editorial: Christian Jordan
With many years’ experience in advanced cable design and supply for leading clients in the oil and energy, defence, seismic exploration and scientific market sectors worldwide, DE REGT Marine Cables is recognised as a true industry leader. Managing Director, Claude Pelzer tells Total World Energy more about how the company has grown, and continues to grow, into a first class product and service provider…
In the past couple of years there
has been a trend towards exploring
further offshore and in deeper,
harsher environments. While some
companies are happy to drill in
shallow water, taking advantage of
the vast proven reserves that are
available, it is exploration in deep
water (500 feet or more below
the surface of the sea) that are
becoming the real challenge for the
world’s foremost energy companies.
And as we all know, it’s not just
the oil companies that have to
invest after a decision to explore
in deepwater is taken. The whole
supply chain has to change the
way it operates and come up
with innovative solutions to the
deepwater/harsh environment
problem.
Just last year, the Wall Street
Journal reported that leading
energy companies including
Chevron Corp, Statoil and BP
had al invested in heavily in
new technology designed for
deepwater operation.
WeST Drilling Products AS, a
unit of WeST Group, has created
a robotic oil rig that it says will
reduce drill ing time by up to 50
per cent, Chevron has developed
proprietary seismic-imaging
technology that it says gives it a
much clearer picture of what lies
beneath the sea floor and BP is
developing a set of new deep-
sea technologies called Project
20K™ to enable safe exploration
at pressures as high as 20,000
pounds per square inch and
temperatures as high as 350
degrees Fahrenheit.
But what do all of these
projects, and the many others
that surround deepwater projects,
have in common? Just like any
project; deep or shallow, research
or production, renewable or
fossil fuel based, they all need to
be connected and this requires
subsea cabling.
Away from the energy industry,
submarine cables are an absolute
necessity of the modern world,
on par with global positioning
satellites and sea freight. Over the
next few years, new submarine
cables are set to be required
around the world - being deployed
in both areas where cables are
common, and broaching areas
never before attempted.
Through 2016, a combined
annual growth rate of 9.87 per
cent for the submarine cable
market has been predicted by
Research and Markets, a firm
studying the trends of a number
of sectors.
One of the leading companies
in custom-engineered, specialty,
dynamic or static cable solutions
used in subsea applications
is DE REGT Marine Cables, a
Netherlands based supplier to
the oil and energy, defence,
seismic exploration and scientific
industries.
HISTORIC TIES Managing Director, Claude Pelzer
tells Total World Energy more
about the deep history of this
highly innovative and growing
organisation that was founded in
DE REGT MARINE CABLES
PAGE 65
1912 by JF de Regt (senior) as a
goldsmiths business.
“DE REGT started many years
ago and after investment, the
company moved into the cabling
market. Interestingly, in 1991, DE
REGT teamed with a competitor,
Jacques, and became JDR and
that went on for two decades
going through various capital
investors. At some point, interest
came from Dutch industrialist,
Fugro and they took over the
Dutch subsidiary. This meant that
DE REGT marine cabling section
continued by themselves and JDR
in the UK split off in 2011. Now,
as of 2013, DE REGT has become
part of Sercel, as part of the deal
between Fugro and CGG to sell
the complete Geo Survey division.
“Originally, DE REGT was
operational in the seismic
exploration and defence
technology markets which
ultimately looks at oil and gas
at the bottom of the ocean and
submarine systems and defence
systems. Both are similar in that
they are tow systems, based on
a rake technique. Obviously there
are big differences, specifically we
look at seismic activity by towing
various umbilicals behind vessels
for marine acquisition companies.”
As activity in global offshore
sectors grows, the demand for
services from companies like
DE REGT grows with it. In the
UK alone in the coming three
years, there is expected to be an
increase in activity. In a recent
report, the UK HSE suggested
that there are 107 oil and gas plus
181 gas producing installations,
located on 383 producing
fields in 2014 with 50 new field
developments planned across all
sectors. And this kind of growth is
not unique to the UK. This growth
in offshore projects is something
which DE REGT has witnessed,
along with growth in other marine
based industries.
“For the last three years we’ve
seen more action in our largest
market, the seismic exploration
market in oil and gas. We relate
the largest part of our turnover,
between 50-80%, to that market,”
PAGE 66
DE REGT MARINE CABLES
PAGE 67
Innovative Estane® Solutionsfor Oil & Gas
Lubrizol Estane® TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) has special benefi ts like buoyancy, high abrasion and fl ame resistance, and high mechanical strength, and is used in the following applications:
• Power, control and instrumentation cables• Seismic cables• Umbilicals• MUX cables• Downhole cables• Connectors
• Lay fl at hoses• Spiral hoses• Braided hoses• Material transfer hoses (chemicals, fuels, solids)• Industrial hoses• Hydraulic hoses
Phone: +32 1 4241681Email: Engineeredpolymers@lubrizol.com
www.lubrizol.comAll marks are the property of The Lubrizol Corporation.
says
Pelzer.
“Next is the defence market
which has always been quite
stable. This involves working
with large and prestigious
original equipment manufacturers
throughout the defence market.
“In the past we’ve focussed
on these two areas, seismic and
defence, and in the last few years
we’ve also focussed on what
we call oil and energy which is
pursued by our mother company
Sercel as a growth area so we’ve
been putting the company’s
knowledge and experience into
this new area with new products
and new technologies to cope
with demand from the oil and gas
and the renewable energy markets
so that we can come up with
fit-for-purpose products which
can go to harsh environments or
polar conditions where we have
deepwater situations,” he adds.
LEADING PRODUCT
RANGEDE REGT products are
used in a range of applications
and as a leader in the design and
manufacture of custom-engineered,
dynamic and static cable solutions,
the company can also maintain
cables.
“We design and manufacture
the key interfaces in your subsea
infrastructure. We develop and
deliver the essential links in your
marine data gathering system.
“We will maintain them too - for
the whole of the product life -
helping to maximise your business
opportunities by meeting your
operational goals,” DE REGT says.
And innovation is at the heart of
product development with Pelzer
saying that new ideas are always
being considered as the company
tackles the challenge of deepwater
applications.
“We envisage going to very
deepwaters but keeping the
systems on top of the vessels or
rigs so that you can see the benefit
of a much lighter umbilical enabling
the client to go to deep but not
having to interchange parts which
can be costly.
“We are trying to open up larger
markets in oil and gas, especially
in deepwater applications. In the
near future, we might end up with
projects for deep sea mining. If
we go to an area with 5km water
depths for a total system, if you
roll it out with a lot of power being
consumed at the bottom of the
ocean then the umbilical and the
system itself are areas where you
will need to reduce weight in some
way to make the system work. This
is why we are trying to push the
conventional methods out of the
market and come with disruptive
innovation,” he says.
As with most innovations, design
and development takes time and DE
REGT works closely with clients to
make sure all specifications are met.
“Typically, there’s a number of
alterations during the design phase.
Depending on the request and
client specification, in the beginning
there can be a lot of questions.
Sometimes, the client will have
uncertainty about their own system
and this is where we can jump in
and think with the client to come up
with a good solution.
“You have to consider many
things including water depth,
weight of the umbilical, weight of
the systems, how does it behave
in a certain sea state or certain
area, and then come up with a full
specification and design, which can
go through several alterations, until
the client is happy to go ahead.
Then we build a prototype; test it,
qualify it and then come up with a
complete system for full production.
This can take anything between 10
and 30 weeks depending on the
size of the project,” explains Pelzer.
PAGE 68
DE REGT MARINE CABLES
PAGE 69
ON-GOING EXPANSION To create products and execute
services that live up to the quality of
the DE REGT brand, the company
only works with highly skilled
professionals, training them in
the DE REGT way from the very
beginning. This investment into
people has allowed the company
to grow both internally and in its
preferred market places.
“From a design point of view, we
look at bachelors, masters or PHD
graduates; people with a strong
education technically, electrically
and mechanically,” says Pelzer. “The
process starts with serious training
production-wise so our people
have a very practical approach.
They learn from others what the
boundaries are and what the
capabilities of the machinery are.
Then they get extensive training on
cable design, termination and end-
fittings. They learn everything to do
with cable design and this can take
two or three years before people
can call themselves senior. It’s a
very specific approach to education
alongside the education that they’ve
already had.”
Away from development of the
workforce, DE REGT has also been
growing its physical footprint and
now with additional offices in China
and Germany, from its base in
Holland, the company is continually
innovating.
“Our base is our production and
design facility in Holland. This is
where we originated and where we
have grown from. Today we have
a facility that is four times as large
as what it was in the beginning.
Looking at growth regions, we see
China as a growth area and we
found that a local presence was
needed there. Along with our mother
company, we have several entities
that we can address throughout the
world so this is good for us from
a R&D point of view. At our sales
office in China we regularly meet
with clients to ensure a very close
relationship as China has a different
culture so we have made sure we
put in serious effort.
“DE REGT Germany was acquired
last year and this is a whole new
development which originated
from the elevator business and we
see a lot of benefit from pushing
a new technology that we refer
to as RiFleR (Rigid Flexible Rods)
which could be the next generation
of lightweight armour packages in
umbilicals and deepwater equipment
lowering and hoisting applications,”
explains Pelzer.
MARKET DEVELOPMENT As the business of DE REGT grows
and the products and services
on offer continue to develop, the
company has to evaluate each
opportunity and decide on whether
or not its specialist offerings will suit
each project.
“It’s very important that you know
what you’re dealing with when it
comes to your clients and your
competition,” Pelzer explains. “You
have to look at your own strengths
and for certain projects it’s important
to find out what your unique benefits
are and in some cases you have to
choose to say ‘no’ or say ‘yes, this
is perfectly within our capabilities
or with some modification or
investment this could be worthwhile
pursuing’.
“In any case, with any opportunity,
you have to find out whether there is
a solution or opportunity where you
can step in. If you want to move in
a new market but you find out that
your competitors have been active
for many years, you definitely need
to come up with an innovation that
is disruptive or otherwise guarantee
that you can deliver the same
product but that often does not give
a great benefit because clients may
have a long lasting relationship with
a competitor already.”
In the future, similar growth
that has been witnessed over the
past few years is exactly what the
company is looking for. And with the
development of deepwater projects,
and the offshore energy industry in
general, it seems as though there
will be huge opportunities for DE
REGT as we move towards the end
of 2014 and beyond.
“We have to be realistic but we
don’t set easy targets for ourselves,”
the Managing Director says. “We
want to reach out to the people we
work with and discuss with potential
partners what are the possibilities.
We are very aware of ourselves
being one part of a larger system
in certain market places where
we want to grow. It takes a lot of
investment but the sky is the limit for
disruptive innovation and ultimately if
you look at our growth, you can see
that it’s pretty serious.
“We would like to grow massively
in some areas because of the added
value that we are able to deliver.
Of course all things need to be
researched in the short-term so we
can make informed decisions but we
would like to see a trend of growth
so that we can enter new markets
besides the ones we have been in
for the past few decades.”
And considering DE REGT is
already a self-proclaimed ‘world
player in marine cables’, if the
company (and the industry) achieves
the sort of growth that it is hoping
for, it won’t be long before DE
REGT is recognised by even more
organisations as the worldwide
industry leader and whenever one of
the many planned offshore projects
gets the green light, DE REGT will
be there to provide the very best
of custom-engineered, specialty,
dynamic or static cable solutions
The specialised manufacturer
of offshore foundations and
towers, Smulders Group NV
was first established in 1966.
Headquartered in Helmond, the
Netherlands, its core activities
include the construction,
manufacturing and supply and
assembly of steel constructions.
Sub-divided in two divisions,
wind turbine constructions and
high-grade constructions, the
company’s product portfolio
includes monopiles, jackets, high
voltage substations and towers.
Almost 20 years ago the
company entered into the
renewable energy market with the
production of onshore towers,
before it released the increasing
potential and began expanding
its activities in the industry with
the production of foundations for
offshore wind farms.
LEADING THE RENEWABLES MARKETToday, Smulders’ activities for
the renewables market includes
the fabrication of various types of
offshore foundations and substations
which has earned the company an
impressive reputation for being an
PAGE 70
Introducing the power of cooperation
Editorial: Rosie DeWinter
An important player in the European offshore wind market, Smulders has an impressive reputation within the industry for efficiency, cost reduction potential and its production facilities that has seen it involved in many high profile projects, including Eneco’s Luchterduinen Q10. With continued success in the renewable energy market, the company reached a milestone earlier this year having received the largest order for the number of foundations in its history.
organisation on an international
scale and a market leader with a
trusted and established track record.
Of course, over the coming years,
the wind energy market is only
set to rise with the manufacture of
bigger and more efficient turbines
and much deeper water offshore
locations. To prepare for these
changes, Smulders is looking
to expand both its capacity and
facilities, including the latest
technological advancements and
new foundation developments.
Smulders’ product portfolio is
supplemented with onshore and
offshore module construction of the
High-grade Constructions division
which produces offshore high
voltage substations.
HIGH-GRADE STEEL CONSTRUCTIONS This second division, developing
high-grade industrial constructions
for both the onshore and
offshore industry and for
bridges, renovation projects
and architectural constructions,
requires a special and efficient
approach due to their technical
and often architecturally
challenging nature.
Many of the designs for the
above projects are complex with
a list of extensive requirements
to be met. Although often large
and challenging, Smulders prides
itself on its technical ability to
complete these with efficiency and
competency.
PRODUCTION FACILITIESWhere Smulders manages to stay
ahead of its competition is with its
numerous subsidiary companies,
helping with the many phases of
a particular project. Many of the
production processes are managed
in-house and then divided
between the subsidiaries. This
not only guarantees meticulous
and consistently high standards
but ensures both time and cost-
efficiency with a focus on safe
working conditions.
Using a variety of locations,
capacities and facilities, this has
helped Smulders prepare for the
production of foundations for
the offshore sector and with the
flexible setup of the centralised
SMULDERS GROUP
PAGE 71
PAGE 72
project organisation, this helps the
company to provide a quick turn-
round on projects.
At the company’s production
facility in Antwerp, Smulders
manages many activities including
foundations and towers assembled
with prefabricators before they
receive surface treatment.
The Hoboken facility has many
specific characteristics, including
a hoisting capacity of a 450 ton
portal crane covering a surface
of 60,000 m² and two 240 ton
overhead cranes with a combined
capacity of 480 tonnes. It also
includes large production halls
of 240 x 40 x 20m and 320 x 46
x 36m, high quality paint spray
equipment and halls with controlled
and conditioned environment and
a storage capacity of over 30,000
m², within reach of the portal crane.
Additionally, the facility has the
convenience of the connection of
production location with an open
river to the North Sea.
AN IMPRESSIVE MILESTONEEarlier this year, Smulders Projects,
a subsidiary of Smulders Group,
received an order from Van Oord
Offshore Wind Projects, together
with Sif Group, for the delivery of 150
transition pieces for the Gemini Wind
Farm.
Producing its 1000th transition
piece at the Hoboken facility, Smulders
Projects will supply and install all the
secondary steel and surface treatment
needed, while Sif Group will supply the
primary steel tubulars.
This project also marks a milestone
for Smulders Projects in that it
is the largest order for number
of foundations the company has
received in its history.
The Gemini Offshore Wind
Farm, located in the North Sea
approximately 85 km from the coast
of Groningen, currently comprises
150 turbines, all of which are four
MW each. It will be one of the largest
wind farms in the world and its results
will more than double the number
“Producing its 1000th transition piece at the Hoboken facility, Smulders Projects will supply and install all the secondary steel and surface treatment needed, while Sif Group will supply the primary steel tubulars”
of offshore wind turbines in the
Netherlands from 139 to 283.
Iemants, another subsidiary of
Smulders Group, will build the
two offshore substations that will
be connected to the turbines in
collaboration with Cofely Fabricom
and CG.
The project is expected to continue
at the Hoboken facility until the
middle of 2015 and is the fourth
project that Van Oord has awarded
to Smulders Projects for transition
piece foundations, highlighting the
importance of efficient customer
service to the company.
A SUCCESSFUL PORTFOLIOThe Smulders portfolio is certainly one
to be proud of and since its inception,
it has installed over 2,000 wind turbine
towers for both onshore and offshore
wind farms, including Gamesa with
over 500 towers for onshore wind
turbines and the Bard with 34 towers
for offshore wind turbines.
Its biggest project saw
over 1,000 towers
manufactured for its
onshore wind turbines.
In addition
to wind turbine
towers, Smulders
has totalled over
900 steel foundations
for the offshore wind
turbine industry, including
Thornton Banks with 48 jacket
foundations for offshore wind
turbines and a total of 80 monopile
foundations for offshore wind turbines
for the Dan Tysk project.
Smulders has also supplied the
offshore transformer station to WPD’s
288MW Butendiek wind farm in
Germany and the topside foundation
to the Luchterduinen Q10.
Since its inception, Smulders has
diversified into new and lucrative areas
whilst maintaining a successful and
efficient
service, encouraging repeat service
and a reputation to match. With a
full order book and many projects,
both existing and new, in the pipeline,
Smulders’ status as an important
player in the European offshore wind
sector has placed them in good
stead for a very bright future indeed
PAGE 73
Lichtgitter GmbHSiemensstraße 148703 StadtlohnGermanyTel.: +49. 2563. 911-0Fax: +49. 2563. 911-182info@lichtgitter.dewww.lichtgitter.de
Lichtgitter GFK GmbH & Co. KGSiemensstraße 148703 StadtlohnGermanyTel.: +49. 2563. 911-192Fax: +49. 2563. 911-222info@lichtgitter.dewww.lichtgitter.de
True to the motto: “Lichtgitter – Everything from one source” we offer you the range to meet your wind energy plant requirements with all types of industrial floor coverings. Whether platforms of gratings of steel, stainless-steel, aluminum or GRP, chequer plates or transformer coverings to the point of helihoist and handrails, we give you an all inclusive package backed up by the established Lichtgitter quality. Due to our long lasting experience you can be assured that we will ensure quality and safety at all levels.
Lichtgitter – The power behind the windFor offshore application without any compromise
Product Range:
Forge-welded gratings | Pressure-locked gratings | Perforated metal planks
GRP gratings | GRP profiles | Chequer plates | Spiral staircases | Stairtreads
Ladder rungs | Steel Service | Hot dip galvanizing
1 Helihoist
2 Grating air strainer
3 Internal platforms
5 Stairtreads
5 Stairtreads
9 Transformer coverings
8 GRP-Cable Tray
4 External platforms
4 External platforms
7 GRP-Handrails
6 GRP-Vertical ladder
Our products for the Wind-Offshore-Industry (http://www.lichtgitter.de/ftp/LIC_offshore_EN_2012.pdf)
An engineering services company
providing solutions to the oil, gas
and power generation industry,
MegChem has been in operation for
nearly 20 years, in which time it has
built up a solid reputation across
Africa and into the competitive
international markets.
Originally founded in 1995 as
a result of a buy-out from Sasol
Technology, Managing Director,
August Zerwick explains the
company started out mainly focusing
on its roots from the management
buy-out, the complex brownfields
Petrochemical environment. Before
long however, it began to render
EPC services to its clients, starting
with Petrochem before diversifying
and executing numerous projects,
including gaining experience in
nuclear power generation processes
with the Helium Test Facility for the
PBMR Project and working with
ArcelorMittal in the modification and
repairs on certain furnaces.
Almost two decades on,
MegChem has secured a niche
market, managing complexities in
EPC projects. Although these tend
to be smaller, they are far more
beneficial in helping to ensure the
client’s plant operates efficiently and
PAGE 74
Engineering excellence
Editorial: Harriet Pattison
Operating for nearly two decades, MegChem has cemented its position within the oil and gas, petrochemical, mining and industrial markets, providing its clients with a turnkey solution. Offering a range of project services from concept design to basic design, procurement through to commissioning; Managing Director, August Zerwick tells Total World Energy that the future looks set to be an exciting one, full of opportunity…
the rewards tend to be far greater. As
a result, larger and more competitive
industry players are attracted too.
Complexities involved in projects
such as these might cover stringent
time restraints, live and unpredictable
equipment or particularly harsh and
hazardous working environments.
“We see our market as being
a focused contractor rendering
engineering services over various
value contracting models in the
complex brown fields maintenance
environment,” Zerwick tells Total
World Energy, “so we will do
engineering consultation in terms of
scoping the project for the client and
then we have the ability to do a full
turn-key execution of the project with
various sub-contractors, giving the
specific strategies.”
It is this turn-key solution which
places MegChem on such a
noteworthy pedestal amongst not
only its clients but key industry
leaders. Able to provide in-house
engineering capabilities to the client
involves conceptual engineering,
construction and commissioning,
helping to ensure the day to day
running of the project continues
both smoothly and efficiently. Of
course, this one-stop solution helps
build the reputation of trust and
professionalism MegChem continues
to uphold today.
VALUABLE CORE COMPETENCIESPerhaps one of the company’s
most successful project solutions
to date is 3D laser scanning:
“What you’ll normally find in
our environment is that you’ve
got to integrate with existing
operating plants and normally
you’ll find that the plants could be
in operation which brings safety
risks to the table. Additionally,
you have challenges in terms
of reversed engineering and in
terms of documentation that’s not
necessarily available.
“So you have to finger print the
plant in what we refer to as at ease
frame work and here we use, with
high success, laser 3d scanning,”
explains Zerwick.
“Over the years, we’ve developed
it as a tool to be able to take a very
accurate finger print of the plant
within certain tolerances. So using
that you can aggressively engineer
solutions that consider the present
operating environment with due
regard to safety, optimising services
to the likes of scaffolding, installation
modifications and the whole
execution of the work.
“These core competencies that we’ve
developed over the 20 years are adding
value for the client.”
Over the past two decades,
MegChem has continued to expand
its range of services and ventures
into new markets. Working across
Africa in Angola, Nigeria, Botswana,
Mozambique, into the Middle East
and supporting a number of Australian
enterprises, Zerwick explains
the company is now focusing on
geographical expansion with its highly
innovative 3D scanner.
“We see that the 3D laser scanning
MEGCHEM
PAGE 75
PAGE 76
ability gives you the opportunity to bring
a dimensional accurate plant to your
home or office, where you can with
certain costing and execution strategies,
unlock value. We can then accurately
re-engineer or modify the design and
interact with a fabricator and clients to
support in executing the project.
“So in terms of markets, we are
looking to increase our footprint in Africa
as we’ve got a market there in terms
of energy. We’ve identified this as a
sweet spot and we want to continue
to support
clients there
in innovative
energy
projects,”
Zerwick adds.
Now a
prominent
player in the
engineering
market, Zerwick
attributes MegChem’s
exponential success to
the support of its clients
and ability to offer a no hassle
turn-key solution.
To maintain this industry position,
Zerwick explains MegChem must
remain innovative: “We must focus
on how we can manage risks in
terms of execution, not comprising
on integrity, be sensitive and meeting
the schedule objective so we are a
no surprise contractor to our clients.”
“Our core competencies, we like
to think, include helping to develop
our engineers in an environment
to support clients in day to day
operations. We have all the designer
engineering tools and combinations
as well as software to go that extra
mile,” explains Zerwick.
A POSITIVE WORK & LIFE BALANCEOf course, behind every highly innovative
and successful company lies a team
of hard working employees.
Key to its success, Zerwick
explains that training, development
and opportunities to grow are
vital in building a team focused on
efficiency and customer satisfaction.
“Challenges are important,
especially from an engineering point
of view as our employees really
have to think and keep on their
toes if they want to be successful
engineering contractors.
“From a training and development
point of view, we continuously
challenge ourselves. We have a
multi set of skills to help our staff
understand the needs of the client
and engage with the client in a
framework of support, helping to
build confidence and trust with the
client,” explains Zerwick.
Of the 336 employees, 90 of
these are graduate engineers.
Zerwick explains: “The professional,
approval management of integrity
is crucial because we work in
high value, high risk operating
environments, so you have to make
sure you address those risks so we
are focused on ensuring we get it
right.”
Outside the working environment,
Zerwick explains the company’s
importance of a work/life balance:
“We have leisure time, an annual
golf weekend and a big cycling
club which many of our employees
participate in.”
Involved in the South African
Mechanical Engineering Institute,
Zerwick explains MegChem is
active on various university advisory
boards, interacting on the academic
side. The company also has an
engineering forum where whole
days are spent on engineering case
studies and projects that have been
completed which are then shared
with clients.
Zerwick adds that MegChem
also supports university students
in studying vocational subjects
for engineering and open days for
schools are held to help promote
engineering. “We also have smaller
more niche projects on the go to
further encourage engineering and
the profession,” explains Zerwick.
SUSTAINABILITY MEASURESIncreasingly important to South
Africa, Zerwick explains, to be
recognised as a sustainable
company is a vital aspect of
MegChem’s business mandate.
“On each and every project that
we do, we have an environmental
and health and safety plan and we
instigate management processes,
requirements and philosophies to
make sure we follow the rules.
“In terms of the business,
sustainability is very prominent and
we are now looking at recycling
paper and energy efficient measures
in our office building.”
A FUTURE OF EXCITEMENT AND OPPORTUNITYLooking to the future, Zerwick believes it
to be a very positive one for MegChem:
“We have just completed a make-over of
the business where we’ve appointed a
number of new line managers and we’ve
also remodelled the business to ensure it
is even more client driven.
“We’ve given the business managers
the mandate to structure their business
division on the rules of that specific
industry segment, so we’ve got
more freedom in terms of strategies
for different plant environments and
business sectors.”
In terms of expansion, the company is
looking to the petrochemical business to
build relationships with other clients and
other markets in both South Africa and
the Middle East. Moving further afield,
Zerwick explains: “We’ve done work in
Australasia and there are opportunities in
America where we can use the 3D laser
scan to support the guys there in terms
of resource capacity.
“So excitement and lots of
opportunities ahead. I think we’ve
developed the toolset that puts us in
a position where we can aggressively
extend across borders, both our
services and skills in the complexities
environment,” Zerwick concludes
MEGCHEM
PAGE 77
Zeeco designs and manufactures industrial combustion and pollution control technologies for the refining, petrochemical, production, power and pharmaceutical industries. Zeeco product lines include ultra-low emission burners, gas and liquid flaring systems and hazardous waste incineration.
Contact Heaton Valves Africa for information on Zeeco Equipment.
For more information contact:
clintonparsons@heatonvalves.co.za / williamkennedy@heatonvalves.co.za
Gauteng (Head Of f ice) Tel +27 11 418 4800 | Cape Of f ice Tel +27 21 555 2211
Kwazulu-Natal Of f ice Tel +27 31 902 8241 | www.heatonvalves.co.za
WORLDWIDE LEADER IN
ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONSCOMBUSTION &
The Entrepose Contracting Group’s
unique bank of knowledge has been
steadily accrued throughout its near
80 years of operation across the
energy markets. Widely renowned for
its expertise in designing and carrying
out industrial projects right through to
their completion, the company works
with transport, processing, storage
and drilling, in addition to delivering
turnkey projects. Its areas of focus
are broken down into six broad
headings.
Entrepose Projects covers the
engineering, construction and
commissioning of oil and gas- related
projects, as well as the storage of
liquid hydrocarbons, industrial gases
and natural gases.
The group’s pipeline activities are
taken care of by its 2007 acquisition,
Spiecapag, a world leader in onshore
pipeline laying and able to join in
its maritime works activity through
the complementary activity of the
Geocean subsidiary.
Drilling is undertaken by Cofor,
specialists in onshore deep-
well drilling as well as deep sea
sounding, while its presence in 30
countries lends Geostock first-
class credentials in design, project
management support and operation
PAGE 78
Project management
expertiseEditorial: Tim Hands
A group specialising in the design and execution of complex industrial projects, Entrepose Contracting’s expertise spans the oil and gas, general energy and coastal operations industries, with a particular focus on the developing of project management expertise and the handling of projects in sensitive environments.
of underground storage facilities in
France and abroad.
The final aspect, Entrepose
Services, has recently been
bolstered to now include support
in logistics, transport costs and
regulatory procedures, alongside
control of the complete supply
chain. “It’s a network of sourcing
offices throughout the world,”
explains Business Development
Director, Jacques Menochet of the
procurement division of the company.
“We have offices in Houston, Paris,
Dubai, Singapore - among many
others - which gives us an excellent
coverage and allows us to offer to our
customers the parts they need at the
best price and in the best sourcing
location.”
ENTREPOSE HISTORY“The first use of the name Entrepose
was in 1935,” details Menochet,
“working primarily in France. The
international markets were targeted
around 1966, laying the first pipeline
in Iran, while in 1982 the company
merged with Grands Travaux de
Marseille, a renowned civil contractor
in France, before GTM then merged
with Vinci in 2000. Following various
reorganisations of the business,
Entrepose Contracting was created
in 2001, with next month bringing the
13th anniversary of the oil and gas
project in Algeria which Entrepose
held at the time.”
2005 was of notable importance
in what is a highly decorated timeline
for the company, seeing it debut on
the stock markets in Paris. “We were
able to make some acquisitions with
the money that was raised through
this move,” explains Menochet,
“including the offshore division
which we today know as Geocean,
in 2006. This was joined in a similar
fashion by Spiecapag, the pipeline
division, in 2007. Most recently,
we completed the acquisition of
Geostock in 2012, which gives
us an underground engineering
and management company. This
completes our six business lines, with
Entrepose Projects really representing
the original contracting company
through the design and construction
of production and treatment plants
and a speciality in LNG Tanks.”
Among Entrepose’s most important
recent developments has been its
decision to, in a sense, ‘streamline’
its operations, and so bring together
in a much more synthesised way
its various subsidiaries, under a
more cooperative umbrella. “The
point is not so much to get all of
the companies working under the
same procedures, because each
company has its own characteristics
- Entropose Projects is very much
geared toward complex projects for
processing plants, for instance, while
the pipeline division is a completely
ENTREPOSE CONTRACTING
PAGE 79
PAGE 80
different business. What we can
streamline, however, is the project
management that we are putting
in place. We are trying to make
universal the people and procedures
we have in this respect, and we
can also try to align the business
of HSE procedures, as well as the
commercial development of the
business.
“We have a lot of commercial
people working for the company,
and this way they are able to support
each other and enjoy a very good
relationship with the client.”
PROOF IN THE PROJECTThere are a number of notable
projects currently at the forefront of
Entrepose’s collective conscious,
among them a significant contract
in Iraq for the construction of oil
storage tanks at Tuba, as part of the
West Qurna-2 Project Development
for Lukoil, worth a total of around
US$61 million. Its globally-recognised
expertise in the construction of
storage tanks sees Entrepose
Projects take the role of project
leader, with Dominique Bouvier,
Entrepose Contracting’s former
Chairman and CEO, describing its
importance as the contract was
awarded back in 2012: “The signing
of this contract reflects the strength
of our knowhow and our expertise in
the construction of storage tanks. We
are also extremely delighted to have,
with this contract, the opportunity
for Entrepose Projects to enter the
promising Iraqi oil and gas market.”
Also notable in the company’s
development plans are its
Wheatstone project in Australia,
comprising two LNG storage tanks
with a capacity of 150,000 m³ each
and two condensate storage tanks
with a capacity of 120,000 m³ each,
and the construction of a 450 km gas
pipeline in Papua New Guinea.
“The Papua New Guinea pipeline
project is now complete” explains
Menochet. “It was our very last
project and has been a very
successful one too, and we have
also completed the Tuba project for
Lukoil. The Wheatstone LNG Tank
project is still ongoing, and progress
is around 30% and proceeding
well, with no issues so far. Also very
important for us is the four LNG
Tanks that we have to build in Russia,
alongside an ongoing pipeline project
we have in Bolivia. The pipeline
division is also working on a small
project in Australia, where we have
regular business, and in West Africa
too.”
The company’s three main
business lines for these significant
EPC contracts have been identified
as Spiecapag, for its dealings with
pipelines, Geocean, for offshore
works, and Entrepose Projects.
“These three companies together
account for more than 70% of our
revenue,” explains Menochet, “so we
are really focussing on these EPC
contracts - Spiecapag in particular
in the last two or three years has
been one of the biggest contributors
in this sense, because of the huge
contracts that we have been able to
secure.”
Despite an already impressive
geographical covering, which
sees Entrepose have dealings in a
host of the most important locales
worldwide, Jacques Menochet is still
able to pinpoint further areas which
the company is targeting in its future
plans.
“We are looking to move into the
Russian market, absolutely, and
we also look forward to developing
projects in East Africa. These are
primarily onshore, and there is also
the possibility of liquefaction plants in
Mozambique and Tanzania. Brazil in
itself is a very difficult place to begin
operations, with its very deep waters,
but if we can find a niche over there
then this will be among the most
important locations for us moving
forward.”
“We are looking to move into the Russian market and to develop projects in East Africa”
ENTREPOSE CONTRACTING
PAGE 81
Headquartered at the Tianjin
Economic Development Area in
China, with 500,000 m2 Fabrication
yard in Lingang District, BOMESC
offers module building services to the
offshore oil and gas industry, including
LNG and mining projects.
With engineering, procurement
and construction services, BOMESC
provides fabrication of topside
modules, living quarters, e-house
modules and special steel structures
to industries all over the world, from
the Middle East to Europe and Africa
to Australia. Delivering products
to international clients, including
ExxonMobil and Bechtel, BOMESC
has achieved a reputable EPC status
within the industry, cementing its
status as a professional module
fabrication company.
Founded in 1993, BOMESC is a
private company. The Deputy Manager
of Business Department of BOMESC,
Martin Liu Hongyan, explains from
the very beginning, the company
was looking towards the international
market. To warrant its presence in
the international market, the company
ensured it adhered to the HSE
International Standards and set up its
own quality standards according to
international levels to help position and
qualify for the international and high-
end client base.
Today, Mr Hongyan explains that
more than 90% of the company’s
projects are based internationally with
the remaining few based in China.
PAGE 82
The professional module fabrication specialists…
Editorial: Rosie DeWinter
The leader in the module manufacturing industry of China, BOMESC is an international player with projects in Brazil, Australia, America and the Middle East. Placing a high importance on quality control management and client efficiency has earned BOMESC a well-deserved reputation and position as an industry leader you can trust…
HSE MANAGEMENTSafety continues to remain a top
priority for BOMESC and as more
improvements and developments
are made both in the industry and
within the company, it is imperative
that safety standards are met. Mr
Hongyan explains that with the
help and guidance of the world’s
largest independent exploration and
production company, ConocoPhillips,
BOMESC has become a leading force
in HSE Management in China.
“At the very beginning, we worked
to the best of our ability to be qualified
to be a high level client company.
Thanks to the help of ConocoPhillips,
BHP Billiton and Chevron we grew
up and we learnt a lot. Working on
the Penglai 19-3 project, we began
to understand high level international
HSE Management, so we learned,
changed and improved our strategy.”
The company maintains the same
safety standard for all the projects it is
involved in and upholds an impressive
safety record with zero Lost Time
Injuries (LTI) since 2012. Mr Hongyan
explains that BOMESC achieved more
than 4.5 million man-hours without LTI
for the ConocoPhillips Peng Lai 19-3
project and more than five million man-
hours without LTI on the Wheatstone
Project.
This outstanding record of
achievement in safety, quality and
scheduled delivery times has helped to
promote BOMESC as the company of
first choice for many reputable clients.
“As we are such an international
company,” Mr Hongyan explains “our
international client base is heavily
based around HSE Management
so this keeps the standards of our
company very high.”
AHEAD OF THE COMPETITIONWith the recognition of fabrication
markets in China, more and more
projects come into Chinese market
for engineering, fabrication. Focusing
solely on the building of modules,
Mr Hongyan explains that despite a
competitive industry, the company
doesn’t face much competition as
it only operates and delivers a small
portion of large projects.
“BOMESC is only concentrating on
modularised structure. All BOMESC’s
facilities are set up for modularized
structure fabrication. We may not be
able to cover all kinds of products the
market required. But we will be the
specialist for modularized structure.
“I don’t feel at this stage we are facing
competition, most of the Qualified
Fabricators in China are having enough
work to keep themselves busy”
explains Mr Hongyan, “and the China
prices and resources are currently
at our advantage.” In this instance
BOMESC
PAGE 83
“It is a step by step process and at each step our management have simply made the right decisions”
PAGE 84
then, providing only the modularized
product is beneficial to BOMESC as
companies that offer the full package
are more prone to competition.
With its own qualified fabrication
yard, just 150km from Beijing,
BOMESC currently owns and
operates a 500,000m² module
building yard where single piece
modules with a weight up to 20,000
tons can be built and transported out.
With its specific module fabrication
yard and deep water jetty, BOMESC
is placed in high esteem by many
high-end customers across the
world. The open jetty allows access
to the open water and at a depth of
12 meters and 14 meters, there is
no congestion for the transportation
of products which are loaded out.
Helping to place it in a prime industry
position, the company is also allowed,
with government approval, to operate
this yard on a duty-free-zone basis for
all its international projects.
With the arrival of the 400,000
tonne Yamal Project to China earlier
this year, Mr Hongyan explains
BOMESC have reserved our capacity
for our future strategic projects, such
as FLNG modules and shale gas.
Many of the Chinese companies will
be busy on that project for the next
year or more.
What helps to further set this
company apart from its competition
is ensuring it only undertakes
projects which it can manage both
efficiently and complete to the best
of its ability.
SETTING THE STANDARDAs the leader in the Chinese module
manufacturing industry, the company
continues to provide these services
to international resources companies
and in 2011, it entered into the oil &
gas market when it was awarded the
construction of the OSBL modules for
the Wheatstone LNG project.
Located in Ashburton North in
Western Australia and operated by
“In the near future, FLNG will be the target for most of the high level module fabricators and we want to be part of it”
Chevron Australia, Wheatstone LNG
is a liquefied natural gas plant which
is still in progress and will have two
LNG trains with a total capacity of
4.3 million tonnes each per year
once completed. The project’s
services includes shop engineering,
procurement, construction and
commissioning and load out,
which will help to satisfy stringent
requirements of the world energy
giant, Chevron.
Of course, the last 11 years have
been a learning curb for the company
and with each project they have been
involved in, new skills and lessons
have been taken on board. With
this in mind, Mr Hongyan explains
BOMESC is now feeling confident
about branching further into the FLNG
market.
SUCCESSFUL INTERACTION Staying grounded, BOMESC
reiterates the importance of sticking
to its core beliefs, namely to serve its
clients in a professional and efficient
way: “We are very lucky to have a lot
of high level clients that come to talk
and help us to solve their problems,”
explains Mr Hongyan. “For most of
big projects in China, the concept of
Modularization is not well improved,
and this is also the reason we cannot
take fabrication projects from China
market.”
As with so many companies,
BOMESC is intent on providing a
greener service and ensures that each
project will generate sustainability
and benefit both the community and
the client. Additionally, the company
practises environmental sustainability
by reducing solid wastes, energy
consumption and concentrating on
environmental protection.
With each project, Mr Hongyan
explains that it is looked at with fresh
eyes to ensure the best possible
service and delivery: “We talk to our
personnel: ‘We do not know what
we don’t know so ask the client for
help. We should never work with
assumption.” Approaching each new
client with this kind of attitude makes
it easier for us to communicate with
our clients.”
Asked what he thinks the
company’s long running success
can be attributed to, Mr Hongyan
believes it is down to the well thought
out decisions made by the Board:
“At the very beginning we only built
small skids but we took a chance to
build a living quarter for a domestic
client very early on and from there,
we started building living quarter for
international clients. We then had the
chance to build e-house modules
and process modules and with full
experience of FPSO topside modules,
we ventured into the mining and
LNG industries and delivered more
and more products to our clients in
time. It is a step by step process and
at each step our management have
simply made the right decisions,” he
explains.
Looking to the future, it looks set to
be a bright one for this international
company: “Currently we are building
the modules for LNG and the topside
modules for FPSO,” Mr Hongyan
explains. “In the near future, FLNG will
be the target for most of the high level
module fabricators and we want to be
part of it.”
BOMESC
PAGE 85
Offi ce ADD: No.16, Zhuqing Street, Zhongshan District, Dalian, China 116001Tel: +86 411 82810655 Fax: +86 411 82810655-8004Website: www.csicnm.com
Dalian CSIC New Materials Co., Ltd. (CSICNM) is a high and new technology company under the control by CSICNM is committed to research of new materials and technologies for ship coating and metal surface treatment. Dedicated to energy saving, high effi ciency and green shipbuilding, CSICNM provides customers with high quality, cost-effective products and services.
Our product advantages1. The steel shot to make the ship section better meet the PSPC standard2. High production effi ciency3. Low loss4. Long lifespan5. Low comprehensive cost6. Little dust green environmental protection7. Not crushing, will only become smaller
The steel shot is used for sand blasting
When completed in 2015, the
Luchterduinen offshore wind farm will
supply green power for nearly 150,000
households. Currently being constructed
by Dutch company, Eneco and Japanese
organisation, Mitsubishi Corporation, the
wind farm will consist of 43 Vestas V112-
3.0 MW offshore turbines located 23km
from the beach at Noordwijk, in the Dutch
North Sea.
In October, an important milestone
was reached as the power cable from the
offshore substation was bought to the
beach and prepared for connection to
the onshore cables which will take green
power from the wind farm to the grid.
Total World Energy recently spoke
to Dennis Sanou, Project Director at
Eneco Luchterduinen and he says that
the installation of the cable is almost
complete but the team had to come
through challenges from the weather as
the cable was brought ashore.
“The successful milestone completed
recently was the complete installation of
the export cable, about 23 km from the
beach to the OHVS (offshore high voltage
station) foundation. That has been
installed and pulled in and now hangs off
at the OHVS although it still needs to be
trenched across its full length.
“We had a challenge with the remnants
of Hurricane Gonzalo which hit our site
last month while we were laying the last
meters of cable and we just managed
to safely secure and lay the cable on the
seabed,” he says.
International contractor specialising
in dredging, marine engineering and
PAGE 86
An energetic community
project
Editorial: Roland Douglas
The 129MW Eneco Luchterduinen wind farm will be located 23km off the coast between Zandvoort and Noordwijk cities in the Netherlands. A state-of-the-art project, Eneco Luchterduinen is pushing the boundaries of wind farm construction but it is perhaps the innovative engineering solutions and involvement with the local community that have been the some of the major success of the project so far…
offshore projects, Van Oord, is the main
contractor for the construction of the
wind farm and the company used the
vessel Ndurance of Boskalis for the cable
lay as its own vessel was working on the
infield cable of the wind farm.
Ndurance is 99 metres long and
arrived at high tide, held in place with six
large anchors on the sea floor and at the
beach. It was important to complete the
cable installation before the next high tide
so the vessel could refloat. Fortunately,
Gonzalo did not cause too much trouble
and the operation was a success. “It did
not impact us too much, no more than
30 minutes,” says Sanou.
A HISTORIC PROJECT The history of the Eneco Luchterduinen
project goes back to 2008 when the
application for the wind farms permit
was started. In 2009 the application
was given and over the next four years,
changes were made and all legal and
administrative processes were followed,
until July 3 2013 when the permit
became irrevocable.
Sanou began working on the project
in 2012 and he says that design was the
initial concern.
“I am responsible for the installation of
the Luchterduinen offshore wind farm.
I came into this position after financial
close which was at the end of 2012.
“We started at the end of 2012 and
one of the first things you need to start
with is detailed design which took more
than a year. Today, there are still some
minor details to sort out because the
design takes some time.
“In 2013, we still had an appeal to
pass through certain authorities as
there was an issue raised by some of
the beach restaurants who objected
to the presence of the wind farm but
this turned out to be positive for us.
The decision was in our favour and we
could go ahead with construction,” he
explains.
This is not the first offshore project for
Eneco; far from it. In another Dutch wind
project, the company was responsible
for the construction of the Princess
Amalia Wind Farm, a 60 turbine wind
farm, 23 km west of the village of
Egmond aan Zee in the North Sea.
Sanou also worked on this project,
albeit for a different organisation, and
says that experiences there have been
beneficial for Luchterduinen.
“At that time I worked for Van Oord,
the company that installed the Q7
Princess Amalia. Lessons learnt on
that project are definitely incorporated
in Luchterduinen for example, with the
OHVS design and construction where
the same joint venture building the
OHVS on our project was present for
Princess Amalia so knowledge is being
kept on board. That project was years
ago so some experience has left the
company but now we have an excellent
new team working on Luchterduinen,”
he says.
INNOVATIVE CONSTRUCTIONWhat makes this project one of real
significance for the offshore wind
industry is the fact that new design
elements with regard to its foundation
piles have been used.
“At the moment, we are extremely
delighted to share the exceptionally
good news that we have all of the
foundations in, well before the target
date of 31 December. We are talking
about 44 foundations, 43 are WTG
(wind turbine generators) and one
OHVS foundation. We are extremely
happy that that has been successfully
done although we are still waiting for
some AS-built reporting from the main
contractor but it looks ok,” Sanou
explains.
“A major innovation improvement
has been applied to the design
and installation of the monopile
foundation. We are working with a
raised flange connection, without a
transition piece. We are hammering
the pile directly on the flange that
is being used to connect the tower
which is risky for sure but we have
put so much engineering effort into
that and we are extremely happy
that this has turned out to be
successful. This is definitely a major
cost reduction that has been proven
ENECO LUCHTERDUINEN
PAGE 87
PAGE 88
to be successful at Luchterduinen,”
he says.
“There was another wind farm,
Scroby Sands in the UK, where
there was hammering on the flange
but they still used a transition piece
to overcome the idea of a direct
connection between the flange that
has just been hammered and the
lower flange of the tower. We are now
the first project in the world that is
hammering on the actual connection
that is going to be made. Everybody
was afraid because the connections
need to be within strict parameters
and we are hammering with lots
of force on these connections but
everybody knew, once this was
possible, you could establish great
cost savings.”
ENERGETIC PARTNERS Away from construction, this project has
been pushed through by two extremely
strong and experienced partners, Eneco
and Mitsubishi Corporation, both with a
focus on sustainability, which makes it
a logical step to build also a sustainable
relation with the local stakeholders and
communities in all phases or the project,
also during the complete operation of
20 years.
“There is not a project in the world
that runs flawlessly, you always have
challenges and problems,” says Sanou.
“We made a lot of effort with public
consultations, trying to listen to local
people who live in the community,
understanding what sort of problems
we are creating for them. There is also
an eight km land cable (constructed by
Eneco daughter company, Joulz) that
was installed and that runs through a
densely populated area. As an energy
selling company we were concerned
about the impact on the people so
Eneco and Joulz have put a lot of
effort into community stakeholder
management, public consultations and
that has resulted in no further objections
from the inhabitants so we are extremely
happy there.
“Joulz’ work on the cable started in
September 2013 and was completed
in July this year and now the only
work is the connection of the onshore
and offshore cable on the beach in
Noordwijk, which will be ready in
November or early December.
“There are always a couple of people
that are not happy with the wind farm
because, on a good day, you will see
it, even at 23 km but it has been very
limited.”
In this project, the figures are perhaps
some of the most important numbers
for the community and often developers
can overstate the eventual output of
their projects but with Luchterduinen,
Sanou says that the figures of green
power for 150,000 homes are fact and
not just selling points.
“That is fact. It’s not a wish, it’s a
fact – we know the specifications of the
machines, we know what they can do
– these are proven machines working in
Sweden, UK, Belgium etc., it’s a proven
Vestas turbine. Its three megawatt, it’s
not the biggest, there are lots bigger, but
it’s a proven concept,” he says.
Perhaps the success of the project
so far can be put down to effective
management. The Eneco/Mitsubishi
Corporation partnership has been a
pairing that has seen two companies
with similar cultures work together
towards the same vision.
“When I joined the project, I had
a celebration in the first week which
surprised me because the celebration
was for the completion of a project and
I though ‘what project is that?’ because
I’ve only just started for Luchterduinen
but apparently this was the project
called ‘looking for a partner’. We had
an accountant, KPMG, which helped
us finds an equal partner with an equal
culture, focussed on renewable energy
and after some discussions, it turned
out that Mitsubishi Corporation (MC),
coming all the way from Japan, matched
very nicely with us. We like transparency,
we like openness, we like to talk about
everything and this matched very nicely
with the culture of MC.
“Eneco provides personnel and
knowledge and MC provides funds,
half of the CAPEX and OPEX, but both
companies are actively involved in
the decision making for this project,”
explains Sanou.
And even the partnerships that
have developed with subcontractors
have been very successful; take the
relationship with Van Oord for example:
“It’s a very professional company,” says
Sanou “they have proven themselves
in the past, it’s a big financially stable
company and that is important for a
company like ours. There are differences
in opinion, at the end of the day we
want a wind farm and the contractor
wants to get paid, but there has never
been a conflict that cannot be solved
and we have proven that by being on
schedule and according to contract
specifications.”
A COMMUNITY PROJECT But perhaps the ultimate success
for this project has been the way
that the developers have managed
to successfully work with the local
community, in innovative new ways,
to result in no real objections with the
onshore cable, and even upliftment for
the surrounding area.
Sanou says that the local people
have been involved in every process of
this development and construction, and
even the name, ‘Luchterduinen’, is a
result of community involvement.
“Luchterduinen is the historical name
of the dune area at the location of the
beach landing of the export cable.
“It’s not a name that we came up
with. We had a competition in the
community with the local people, as one
of the ways to remain in contact with
them, and we asked them for a good
name. We had a lot of good suggestions
and we have ended with a historical
name from one of the residents of
Noordwijk who won the contest coming
up with the name Luchterduinen,” he
says.
And involvement with the community
is not something that is set to last only
for the construction period of the wind
farm. Eneco hopes that it can remain in
constant contact with the community
throughout the operational life of the
wind farm and as such, is looking for
ways to involve people. A result of the
company’s desire to involve people
is the Eneco Luchterduinen Fund,
something which will help develop the
community even further.
“We are not only building a wind farm,
we are the neighbours for the next 20
years for the local environment and that
is an important approach for Eneco
Luchterduinen. That is the reason why
we have put a lot of effort into building
the relationships through consultations
etc and also by inviting local people
when we celebrate for example, with
the first drilling of cables, or when the
offshore cable reached the beach,” says
Sanou.
“We felt that it’s very important to be
a good neighbour for 20 years, through
the operational time of the wind farm
so we created the Luchterduinen Fund
which is allocated to project ideas every
two years where we put in €90,000
and we just started the first round,
inviting all of the inhabitants of the four
coastal regions; Noordwijk, Zandvoort,
Bloemendaal and Katwijk, to come up
with ideas; sustainable ideas or ideas to
make the coast a better place to stay,
and we’ve had a great response. It’s
exciting to see what people have come
up with, we have had a few already and
are open to more ideas until the end
of November and then we’ll make a
selection and vote, with the community,
as to which idea should be realised.
“To give an example, electrical
bicycles are becoming very popular in
Holland so I can imagine that people
may request connections on the
boulevard so people can recharge their
bicycles. Or maybe there might be a
request for solar panels on the roof of
the municipality building; it’s all going
to be related to sustainable energy
and events to promote the coast and
make it a more exciting place to stay,”
he says.
This, along with the success of the
wind farm, will hopefully result in a
positive response over the coming years
by as many local residents as possible,
and also from the energy sector across
the Netherlands but Sanou reminds that
there is still much work to be done.
“We are not there yet, we are only
half way. We still have to install all the
turbines. The contract we have with Van
Oord includes them making available
a jack-up for Vestas to install the
turbines,” he concludes.
ENECO LUCHTERDUINEN
PAGE 89
Joulz is proud to be partner of Eneco Luchterduinen in designing and building the high voltage cable connection between beach pit and TenneT’s Sassenheim substation and related 150kV substation works for Eneco’s offshore wind park Luchterduinen.
For more information on designing, building and/ or maintaining high voltage connections and installations:
Kerem Kaplan, kerem.kaplan@joulz.nl.
• Energy-• infrastructures• —
Joulz
High Voltage Partner in Energy Solutions
—
When you think about the global
offshore oil & gas industry, you might
think about countries like Norway,
France, Holland, USA, UK, Australia,
South Korea, Brazil or Singapore as
some of the big name players but what
do you think when you hear Poland?
Perhaps Polish exports like vodka,
Chopin or Pope John Paul II come to
mind before expertise in offshore oil and
gas. But one business, based in Gdańsk
on the Baltic coast, is looking to change
that and is currently proving that Poland
has excellent capabilities, knowledge
and facilities for production in the oil
and gas, maritime and civil engineering
industries.
Aluship Technology specialises in
engineering and construction of offshore
facilities, mega yachts and general
vessels and also repair and conversion
and civil engineering, with a focus on
working with aluminium.
The company was founded by Goetz
Linzenmeier, a German whose interest
in the maritime industry sparked the
formation of Aluship Technology, 24
PAGE 90
Aluminium offshore oil and
gas expertise from Poland
Editorial: Christian Jordan
Aluship Technology is Poland’s leading offshore oil and gas engineering construction company, building complex facilities for big name energy companies from around the world. Chairman and Founder, Goetz Linzenmeier tells Total World Energy more about the on-going growth of this innovative and exciting organisation…
years ago.
“I started my activity in the maritime
aluminium welding construction industry
in 1990 in Hamburg and I started to
build one-off custom designed sailing
yachts. It was nice but labour intensive,
and at the end of 1993 I started to
move the small company to Poland and
Gdańsk where I found the perfect place
with skills, knowledge and history in
similar industries.
“I further developed the company,
training people and growing from a small
workshop to an industrial company over
the last 20 years. Now we have over
170 permanent employees, we own a
four and half hectare plot in the harbour
of Gdańsk with a 10,000m² production
hall and a 3500m² administration,
engineering workshop and we have
a very well organised ISO 9001
certified business with independent
quality control, high health, safety and
environmental standards and very
efficient production process flows.
“With quality and value for money
from the client’s point of view, we are
well regarded giving very high quality,
always on time and being pro-active
with short response times.
“In the 90’s, labour costs in Poland
were significantly lower and with one
off custom designs, which were very
labour intensive, it became commercially
unviable in Germany so I had to make
the decision to move the operation to a
country with lower costs but with skilled
people and long traditions and Gdańsk
was the perfect place,” Linzenmeier
explains.
And over the last two decades,
the company has grown to become
extremely well respected across Europe
and in international markets and
Linzenmeier is happy with the progress
that has been made.
“I was a passionate sailor and
because of that and other reasons I
decided to start this entrepreneurial
adventure and I do not regret it,” he
says.
OIL & GASAluship began working in the offshore
oil and gas industry after great success
with yachts and other vessels and the
company’s initial contract in this new
industry came from a Swedish company
after Linzenmeier decided that the
company should diversify in order to
grow.
“Our work in oil and gas started
in 2006 because of my intention
to diversify our activities into three
distinct areas; special ship building,
the oil and gas industry, and mega
yacht constructions. The first major
project was for two big stair houses
for Pharmadule Emtunga, now Apply
Emtunga, in Sweden,” he says.
Success with its early projects in oil
and gas has seen Aluship move onto
bigger and more complex projects and
the company is currently working on its
most prestigious offshore project to date
– the Gina Krog project from Total in the
Norwegian North Sea.
“In 2010, we proceeded with
permanent special oil and gas
constructions for rig related enclosures
for filtration units, special technical
ALUSHIP TECHNOLOGY
PAGE 91
PAGE 92
enclosures,
enclosures for gas turbines and anything
else that could be built in aluminium,”
says Linzenmeier. “We always aimed
for larger structures and today we are
engineering and building aluminium
accommodation modules for Apply
Leirvik, for their Gina Krog project
where we are building a big living
accommodation structure including
detailed engineering and we are happy
to have the Apply Group as another
strategic client in our portfolio as we
have Oceanco in the mega yacht
field and Fjellstrand AS in special ship
building where we recently delivered the
zero emission ferry, Ampere 1.
“The current Gina Krog project
with Apply Leirvik is one of the most
prestigious jobs we have done in
the oil and gas industry. We started
construction last month and it shall be
delivered in May next year.”
And Aluship’s focus on aluminium
makes the company stand out from the
crowd in the European market as there
are many shipyards and engineering
companies will great capabilities but
not many who use aluminium as a
predominant material.
“In our complex service as a supplier
of aluminium structures which includes
engineering, we are quite unique. We are
also more
or less
unique
in our
potential
and size
regarding
projects
we can
deliver.
There are
very few in
Europe who can
deliver big living
accommodations or
very large mega yacht
super structures or large
ferries like we can. In engineering,
production, facilities, capabilities
regarding project management, and
handling of complex documents we are
quite unique,” says Linzenmeier.
And even with the reported shift in
attitudes in the offshore construction
industry, with many big name energy
companies looking to China for building
services because of its cheap prices
and skilled workforce, Linzenmeier is
not overly concerned with competition
saying the company’s aluminium work
and reputation for quality are strong.
“For our company directly, the
Chinese are only marginal competitors
right now.
“We only see this at the borderlines of
the market. It’s more concerned with big
projects like entire rig construction and
platform building. We have seen in the
past that when European companies
order products from China, very soon
after delivery, that product will arrive in a
European shipyard to correct mistakes
and improve quality so if the saving is
worth it, I don’t know.
“We are not a shipyard; we are a
supplier to shipyards and big oil and gas
companies. Aluminium is a very versatile
material and in shipbuilding as well as
oil and gas one important thing is not
just weight but centre of gravity. The
ideal situation for a ferry or commercial
vehicle is to translate the weight saving
into additional payload and aluminium
is the most profitable material for ship
construction when it comes to this and
if you have a fast vessel, you need the
weight saving to meet the top speed
with less energy,” he says.
BUILDING A STRONG FUTURE Aluship is a growing company and
Linzenmeier is looking to continue
building on what is already a strong
workforce by investing in training and
development of talented local people
as well as opening offices in strategic
locations in Europe, in areas with a
connection to the offshore oil & gas
industry.
“We will open an office in Aberdeen
in the UK at the beginning of next year
together with an agent and we are also
interested in opening more offices not
only related to oil and gas but also our
other business sectors in the future,” he
says.
“We have interesting stories in our
workforce; there are some people who
were with the company 20 years ago
and who remain here today.
“The challenge is recruiting qualified
staff, therefore Aluship Technology
is one of the most active companies
in the north of Poland, not only in
advertising for staff who are active in
the industry, but also in basic education
of young people, developing in-house
education programmes, cooperating
closely with welding schools and also
closely cooperating with the chamber
of commerce and technical schools
to support them and help develop
programmes which are more focussed
on our activities. We want to work with
young talent from a technical point of
view and that is why we are working with
the technical university in Gdańsk to look
for young talented engineers,” he adds.
Gdańsk University of Technology has
faculties covering electrical and control
engineering, civil and environmental
engineering, mechanical engineering and
ocean engineering and ship technology
among other subjects and could help to
create an extremely capable labour pool
for Aluship.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY In an important development for the
future, Aluship recently celebrated the
delivery of its latest vessel, Ampere 1
to Norwegian ferry operator Norled.
But this is not a normal vessel, this
is the first of its kind in the world,
powered completely by electricity.
“Ampere 1 is an 80 meter, fully
battery powered catamaran ferry. Its
engineering concept is unique and
it’s the first of its kind in the world
for its size; having no diesel engine,
being completely electrically powered.
This vessel, and maybe a second
vessel very soon, will operate in the
Hardangerfjord under the operational
management of ferry operator Norled.
The vessel will cross the fjord in 20
minutes and during the 10 minute
boarding period it will be connected to
the onshore grid to partially recharge.
During the night, the batteries will
be fully charged while there is no
operation. This concept is very clean,
very eco-friendly and very cheap
for the ferry operator,” Linzenmeier
explains.
The idea for a fully-electric vessel
comes off the back of the success seen
in the industry with hybrid diesel vessels
and Linzenmeier says that the reaction
to the cost saving and environmental
savings of hybrid vessels has been very
good.
“There has been a positive response
to ferries with hybrid diesel engines
which reduce fuel costs by 21%.
Currently, there is another vessel under
construction which will provide savings
of 25% and this will be the cheapest in
operation. Money talks so this has been
a breakthrough in the market, not only
in Norway with ferries but also in much
wider applications.”
And these applications could include
activity with crew transfer vessels or
other medium-sized supply vessels in
the offshore energy industry.
“Right now, Ampere 1 is for short
distances and is working very well. It’s
very clean, very cheap and showing
great potential for the future,” says
Linzenmeier.
And with the second fully-electrical
vessel set for delivery in 2015, it seems
that Aluship has found another niche
market space which will be hugely
beneficial, not only to Aluship, but to the
wider maritime industry. And all of the
innovation and visionary forward thinking
is coming straight out of Gdańsk proving
that Poland’s offshore and maritime
industry sector is becoming more and
more developed with each passing
year..
ALUSHIP TECHNOLOGY
PAGE 93
• AluminiumconstructionAlloys• FrictionstirweldedpAnels• FloorproFiles• BulBproFiles• GrAtinGAndFreezerplAteproFiles• stAirwAyAndGAnGwAyproFiles
Nedal Aluminium B.V. • Postbox 2020 • 3500 GA Utrecht Netherlands • T +31 (0)30 - 292 57 11 • E salesr@nedal.com • W www.nedal.com
OFFSHORE & SHIPBUILDING
The Hyundai Spirit famously
comprises creative wisdom, positive
thinking and unwavering drive, and a
strict adherence to these principals
has allowed HHI to become a global
leader in the heavy industries sector.
Founded by the late Chung
Ju-yung on March 23, 1972, the
completion of transforming an empty
stretch of beach into the world’s
largest shipyard came about in June
1974. Only a decade later from this
first delivery, the Hyundai Shipyard
topped 10 million deadweight tons in
aggregate ship production, and has
maintained the leading position in the
world shipbuilding market ever since.
It is a growth that has mirrored that
of the modern Korean heavy industry
more generally, and ultimately borne
the formation of this integrated
heavy industry company. This has
seen HHI successfully diversify
from shipbuilding into offshore and
engineering, industrial plant and
engineering, engine and machinery,
electro electric systems, construction
PAGE 94
World leading heavy expertise
Editorial: Tim Hands
Operating out of its headquarters in Ulsan, South Korea, Hyundai Heavy Industries is the world’s largest shipbuilding company, building a variety of ships of the finest quality, from general merchant vessels to speciality vessels at its world-leading shipyards. The Hyundai Heavy Industries Group has grown vastly since its inception through using innovation to surmount challenges, with a focus now on moving forward and growing as an integrated world leading service provider.
equipment, and green energy
businesses, and such a drive has
allowed it to become a responsible
global corporate citizen contributing
to the sustainable development of the
world economy.
Of the vast array of business
divisions currently under its operation,
the Offshore & Engineering Division of
Hyundai Heavy Industries is another
that leads the world in its field.
Located five kilometres away from its
main shipyard, the company operates
the world’s largest offshore yard
covering 292 acres, an involvement
in offshore structures which began in
1976 with a Saudi Arabian order for
89 jackets and deck structures for
the Open Sea Tanker Terminal, for the
Jubail Industrial Harbour Projects.
Hyundai Heavy Industries’
Offshore & Engineering Division
has become a world leading
EPIC contractor, and one which
can prove integrated services
from Engineering, Procurement,
Construction, transportation and
installation, through to offshore
hook-up and commissioning and
project management. It has, to date,
completed more than 170 projects,
and has gained along the way
recognition as being one of the most
experienced and advanced offshore
yards in the world.
A large part of the success of the
Offshore & Engineering Division is
down to its ability to offer onshore
process plant expertise alongside
offshore module fabrication
experience, combining to create
high-value added service, and is
bolstered by its dry dock boasting a
one million ton capacity, equipped
with extra-large gantry cranes both
capable of lifting 1,600 tons in its
offshore yard. As its name very well
suggests, a new heavy lift vessel,
HD 10000, has the lifting capacity of
10,000 tons and allows HHI to build
bigger blocks in the construction
stage, and embodies the division’s
continual strive to develop state-
of-the-art technology and provide
high quality services for the oil and
gas industry, providing clients with
a comprehensive and cost-effective
solution that meets their needs
entirely.
Leading the global shipbuilding
industry with a 15% share of the
market, the Hyundai Shipbuilding
Division continues the company’s
HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES
PAGE 95
PAGE 96
trend of creating world leaders within
its chosen fields. From a breath-
taking shipyard which stretches
over four kilometres along the coast
of Mipo Bay in Ulsan, Korea, the
Shipbuilding Division is capable of
building all types of ships to meet the
specific demands of the full range of
its clients, having delivered more than
1,840 ships to 282 ship-owners in 48
countries since 1972.
Its ten large-scale drydocks and
nine huge ‘Goliath Cranes’ have
served to help HHI’s Shipbuilding
Division garner many awards since
the shipyard’s opening in 1972,
setting along the way a vast number
of records within the shipbuilding
industry. Notable milestones for
the Division have centred around a
burgeoning production capability,
seeing it reach the 10 million DWT
mark in 1984, and, just four years
later, 20 million DWT in 1988, rising
to the monumental 100 million DWT
figure in 2005. This represented yet
another world first for the company,
and embodies its continual fulfilling
of its legacy as the leader of the
shipbuilding industry through
constant innovation and application
of internally developed, future
orientated technology.
The end of May this year saw
HHI’s shipbuilding division receive
one of its most significant contracts
to date, in the form of a Letter of
Award (LOA) from Hess Exploration
and Production Malaysia B.V.
for the provision of engineering,
procurement, construction,
transportation, installation, hook-up
and commissioning at the Bergading
Complex. Part of the full field
development project to be located in
the North Malay Basin, in water depths
of approximately 60 metres and
operated by Hess under a production
sharing contract with PETRONAS,
the operation comprises a central
processing platform (CPP), a bridge
and a wellhead platform.
The CPP is to be constructed at
HHI’s offshore yard in Ulsan, South
Korea, with offshore installation of the
Bergading facilities scheduled to take
place by the end of 2016.
In even more recent times, the
Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HND) has
showcased its cutting edge capability
to build high demand offshore vessels,
through the delivery of the fourth high
value platform supply vessel (PSV) for
BP Shipping at the Ulsan shipyard.
The market leader in medium sized
vessels, this final PSV follows the
delivery of three vessels of the same
type completed between January and
July this year and this latest, named
NS Frayja, measures an impressive
97 m in length, 20 m in width and 8.5
m in depth. It comes equipped with a
variety of the very latest in technology,
including an oil recovery operation and
dynamic positioning system, and will
work alongside the rest of its fleet in
the North Sea fields.
Continuing the thread of what
has been a truly remarkable year for
the acquisition of new business, the
announcement in June of a Letter of
Award of a $1.94 billion order, to build
four offshore oil production platforms
and to lay undersea cables in the
United Arab Emirates, is perhaps
the most significant yet for the
company. This is the second package
of the Nasr Full Field Development
Project to build the fixed platforms
and to lay subsea cables from Abu
Dhabi Marine Operating Company
(ADMA-OPCO), and will see HHI
undertake engineering, procurement,
construction, installation and
commissioning work for the super
complex comprising a gas treatment
platform, a separation platform and an
accommodation platform. Additionally
to this, HHI will also oversee the
laying of 144 km of subsea power
and 55 km of infield cables, and
modifying an existing manifold tower
and two wellhead towers in Nasr oil
field, located some 130 km northwest
of Abu Dhabi.
This is undoubtedly among Hyundai
Heavy Industries’ most important
operations in the offshore plant
construction sector in recent years,
as underlined by a company official,
stating; “Given the fierce competition
for winning contracts in the Middle
East, the deal shows that Hyundai
Heavy Industries was chosen based
on the trust it has built up in previous
projects it has conducted in the
region.”
Underlining HHI’s continued growth
and an ever burgeoning reputation
in the field, completion of the
platforms by the second half of 2019
is expected to increase the daily oil
production capacity of the offshore
fields to 65,000 barrels, an almost
tripling of the current capacity of
22,000 barrels.
“Given the fierce competition for winning contracts in the Middle East, the deal shows that Hyundai Heavy Industries was chosen based on the trust it has built up in previous projects it has conducted in the region”
HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES
PAGE 97
Hiribarren 26 - P.O.BOX 8 - 20210 LazkaoPhone: +34943880936 | Fax:+34943889572 irizar@irizarforge.comwww.irizarforge.com
Wordwide Forge Shop focused in Heavy Duty LoadsApproved vendor at HYUNDAI SAMHO HEAVY INDUSTRIES CO., LTD
When you work hard the saying goes
you must play hard to ensure you have a
balanced work life. Some may choose to
stay at home or hire out a self-catered villa
while others may opt for a truly luxurious
and relaxing hotel break.
With so many beautiful locations dotted
across Europe, whether you prefer a
scenic beach holiday, bustling city break or
a relaxing weekend exploring local markets
and landmarks, here is a selection of some
of the most luxurious and noteworthy
hotels you simply must visit.
ALPENHOF HOTEL, AUSTRIA
For a holiday spent in the breath-taking
Austrian mountains, the Alpenhof Hotel
in Hintertux has been awarded Holiday
Check’s Top Hotel award four years
running. With a Wellness area offering
body treatments, an indoor swimming
pool, relaxation area and six saunas,
visitors can also enjoy the ‘Alpen’
garden. In the summer months there
are ample activities ranging from hiking
to cycling and in the winter, of course,
you can enjoy the renowned skiing
slopes on the Hintertux glacier.
This is certainly a hotel for those
who wish to relax, wind down and take
time away from hectic and busy lives
to appreciate the stunning views and
beautiful suites.
HOTEL CALA DI VOLPE, SARDINIA
For a slice of Italian sunshine, visit the
relatively unspoilt island of Sardinia.
Located on the romantic stretch of
the Costa Smeralda in the traditional
fishing village amidst the architecturally
beautiful Sardinian houses, is the Hotel
Cala Di Volpe. This 5 star hotel boasts
an impressive 100 sea-view rooms
across the Mediterranean ocean.
The Presidential Suite alone consists
of three bedrooms, two separate
lounges, a sauna and a private
swimming pool. Setting you back an
estimated £12,000 per night in peak
season, the hotel also offers guests a
private beach and if that isn’t enough
to tempt you, an Olympic sized salt
water swimming pool is also waiting
for you.
PAGE 98
You can buy luxury…Editorial: Harriet Pattison
Throughout Europe there are some truly luxurious and exclusive hotels which boast private beaches, heated swimming pools, personal butler services and relaxing spa treatments but of course, they come with a rather substantial price tag. Below is a selection of some of the most lavish hotel stays across the continent…
Alpenhof Hotel in Hintertux
Hotel Cala Di Volpe, Sardinia
THE FOUR SEASONS, ISTANBUL
Of course, providing a list of Europe’s
most luxurious hotels had to include The
Four Seasons. Often ranked amongst
the top most lavish hotel brands in the
world today, with locations including
Hawaii, Sydney and Los Angeles, the Four
Seasons Istanbul was voted amongst
the top 25 hotels in the world this year.
Located in Istanbul’s oldest district, you
are a stone’s throw from the 6th Century
St. Sophia, the 15th Century Topkapi
Palace and the beautiful 17th Century Blue
Mosque. If these spectacular monuments
can’t tempt you then the narrow streets
perfumed with rich incense, aromatic
spices and some of the world’s best coffee
will surely help.
A seven night stay in the Bosphorus
Palace Suite will cost you upwards of
£35,000 during peak season.
With the Four Seasons Private Jet on
hand for the jet setting wanderlust waiting
to whisk you away to some of the world’s
top travel destinations, this really would
be an adventure of a lifetime. The world
traveller ticket allows you to discover up
to ten international destinations in a single
private jet journey.
THE GRAND RESORT LAGONISSI,
ATHENS
The Grand Resort Lagonissi is situated in
one of the world’s oldest cities, Athens.
Awarded a Certificate of Excellence in
2014, a night here will cost you upwards
of £20,000 and if you fancy a month-long
holiday of relaxation and luxury, it has a
price tag of over half a million pounds,
excluding tips and drinks.
The hotel boasts a choice of eight
restaurants, a chauffeur-driven car and
20 exclusive sandy beach coves. With
stunning waterfront views and direct
access to the hotel’s private beaches, the
suites really are the epitome of lavishness,
relaxation and luxury.
The Gold Club offers a private gym,
private gardens with an outdoor heated
swimming pool
with hydro massage and counter current
devices. However, if this isn’t enough to
tempt you, the Platinum Club offers the
highest degree of luxury with marble lined
bathrooms, steam baths and heated
floors. The Royal Villa on the south side
of the Peninsula includes both an indoor
and outdoor heated swimming pool and
a private path leading to the beach and
your very own private decking area. Of
course, perhaps the only downside to a
stay here is that at some point you will
have to pack up and leave it behind.
So whether you choose a cosy stay in
the Austrian mountains, a culture rich visit
to Istanbul or travel to the beautiful island
of Sardinia, you will be able to experience
a true sense of holiday relaxation steeped
in superfluity and indulgence
DESTINATION DIRECTOR
© Airbus S.A.S. 2011
PAGE 99
Four Seasons - Istanbul
The Grand Resort Lagonissi, Athens
Think about how many trucks and
lorries you see on the roads today;
doesn’t it seem like almost every other
vehicle is a heavy one, transporting
goods from A to B? This is especially
so on the bigger roads and in the busy
centres; take London for example, the
mass of activity and the sheer volume
of people requiring goods and services
means that logistics and the movement
of things is essential; without
movement of goods around England’s
capital the city would quite literally grind
to a halt.
And when you’re transporting a
large amount of produce, you need
the correct equipment. It’s likely that
you’ll use a truck or a large van and
of course this means less journeys as
you can pack more into one load. But
if the truck is not efficient internally;
if it’s churning out huge amounts of
CO2 and wasting energy throughout
the whole journey then perhaps there
is a need to look at a new type of
vehicle, something which is kinder to
the environment and specifically tuned
for journeys that are of the stop-start
nature.
There is one such truck, developed
PAGE 100
Volvo and the gas-powered truckEditorial: Christian Jordan
Volvo Trucks is expanding its model range in Europe with a new version of the Volvo FE running entirely on methane gas. Business Manager Alternative Drivelines, Christina Eriksson and Environmental Director, Lars Mårtensson explain more…
recently, by a company renowned for
its innovation and sustainability values
and that truck is the Volvo FE CNG
(Compressed Natural Gas).
Launched in August, the Volvo FE
CNG is a new version of the Volvo FE
running entirely on methane gas. It has
been has been primarily developed for
operations involving short driving cycles
with repeated starts and stops such as
refuse collection and local distribution.
This innovative approach could be the
start of a revolution when it comes to
powering the many trucks that hop to
and from destinations, making short
journeys, in major cities; vastly reducing
the amount of CO₂ that is pumped
into the atmosphere. Volvo are already
claiming that this truck produces 70%
less emissions than that of a diesel
truck.
It is driven by a new 9-litre Euro
6 gas-powered engine featuring
spark plug technology and automatic
transmission.
“With the Volvo FE CNG we can now
offer companies that drive a lot in urban
environments a truck with a far lower
environmental impact. Many cities the
world over are looking for alternatives
to diesel-powered trucks. In the field of
refuse handling in particular, renewable
fuels are often a requirement for
securing a purchase contract,” says
Christina Eriksson, Business Manager
Alternative Drivelines at Volvo Trucks.
“Spark plug technology is particularly
suitable for driving cycles where the
truck covers short distances with a lot
of start-stop traffic,” explains Christina
Eriksson.
Lars Mårtensson, Environmental
Director at Volvo Trucks said: “Methane
gas is the fuel that will become a
sustainable alternative to diesel in
the long term. Right now the focus
is on working together with the
various public authorities and private
corporations to draw up the relevant
rules and create the right preconditions
for positive development.”
Sales of the new gas powered truck
started in August and series production
is set to get underway in the first half
of 2015.
And who’s to say that the Volvo
truck could only be used for refuse
collection? The company is confident
that methane gas can be used to
power a wider variety of vehicles, as
long as methane is easily accessible.
“Methane gas is a collective name
for biogas and natural gas, both of
FUTURE POWER
© Airbus S.A.S. 2011
PAGE 101
which largely consist of methane.
Natural gas is a fossil product that is
between 40 and 500 million years old
and is extracted from deep inside the
Earth’s crust,” the company explains.
“Biogas is similar to natural gas but it
is a renewable gas that is created when
organic material is decomposed by
bacteria in an oxygen-free environment.
It can for instance be created from
refuse and other organic waste. When
a truck runs on biogas, emissions of
carbon dioxide are cut by up to 70 per
cent compared with running on diesel
fuel.”
Of course, if refuse companies
do decide to switch to methane
powered trucks, the whole system
could become self-sustaining with
the vehicles delivering waste to a
treatment facility where decomposing
waste would release methane and
that very methane could be collected,
compressed, and pumped back into
the trucks.
And then there’s the rest of the
trucking industry where if this concept
was to take off, focus would have to be
on the feasibility of refuelling.
Volvo Trucks are well known for
their unique and innovative marketing
campaigns and as interest in the Volvo
FE CNG grows, it is likely that a viral
campaign will be just around the corner.
One thing is for sure, this is a
breakthrough that cannot be ignored.
Methane is certainly an energy source
that is gaining traction in the global
energy mix and with its impressive CO2
statistics, its looks like more research
and more development will help bolster
its growth
PAGE 102
Volvo FE CNG
• 4x2 (19t), 6x2 (19.5 - 26t) rigid
• G9K gas engine, 9-litre Euro 6 with spark plug technology, 320 hp / 1356 Nm
• Fully automatic transmission
• Day cab
• Tank system for up to 160 m3 methane gas
• 2x4 or 2x3 tanks for compressed natural gas fitted on both sides of the chassis.
Volvo FE CNG
GADGET BOX
© Airbus S.A.S. 2011
PAGE 103
Provider of drilling, sidetracking and workover services, on land in Russia and offshore in the
Caspian Sea
www.eurasiadrilling.com
Provider of drilling, sidetracking and workover services, on land in Russia
and offshore in the Caspian Sea
Midvaal MunicipalityDeveloping Savanna City
V&A WaterfrontCelebrating No.1 Silo
ChianoSkyNew Audi Ambassador
DetNetBusiness with a bang
Rigid and Flexible Pipe Installation | Platform Installation | Accommodation, Hook Up and Commissioning | SURF Installation | Decommissioning | Marine Support
www.seatrucksgroup.com
Jascon 25Yolla - Origin | Accommodation & Heavy Lift | Bass Strait, Australia
sea Trucks australia Pty LtdLevel 3, 507 Murray Street | Perth | WA 6000T +61 8 921 858 88
STGS e a T r u c k s G r o u p
Delivering the difference ...in any field
Ad Inpex/Ichthys Project brochure Nov2014_176x250mmFC.indd 1 30/10/14 1:15 PM
Recommended