Visit us Booth 3145
FRANCE
Oil and gas association adapting
to emerging energy priorities
E
VOLEN is the new name for GEP-AFTP,
the association created in July 2011 fol-
lowing the merger of the French oil and
gas supplier council GEP and AFTP, the
organization for oil and gas technicians and
professionals. Offshore spoke to Chairman
Dominique Bouvier about how the association
and its members are adjusting as the industry
emerges from its recent downturn.
energy taking cold water from
Offshore: What prompted the association
to change its name last summer?
Bouvier: There were two main factors. The
first was the need to underscore the evolution
of our trade association to adapt to the chang-
ing priorities of global energy. Second, it had
been five years since the merger had been
fully completed between GEP, formed in 1953,
and AFTP, the association for petroleum pro-
fessionals founded in 1935. We thought it was
time to show that the assimilation process was
over and that we are building something new.
Offshore: Have there been any other chang-
es to the organization, its committees, and
its goals?
Bouvier: Nothing major, the structure is
very much as it was, but we are following the
evolution of our sector. We are now clearly
an association with a group of companies
working all the way across the value chain,
from upstream to downstream, and they are
responding to new aspects of the energy mix
such as CO2 [carbon-dioxide] sequestration
and storage and biomass fuels. At the same
time, it is important to acknowledge that our
members can do this thanks to the expertise
they have built up in the oil and gas business,
which we remain very much focused on.
Offshore: How strong is EVOLENs current
membership?
Bouvier: There are currently 250 member
companies and 1,100 personnel, the same as
under GEP-AFTP last year. That doesnt mean
the companies are the same: smaller ones in
particular have suffered over the past two
years. Some have left the association due to
financial difficulties, although others have
replaced them as we enlarge our activities.
But despite the struggles in the upstream,
there are opportunities in the midstream
with pipelines and underground storage.
For strategic reasons various countries are
thinking of storing their oil and gas reserves
74 Offshore May 2017 www.offshore-mag.com
Jeremy Beckman appointed and he is putting together the re-
Editor, Europe quirements for this industry. It is not difficult
to find companies willing to discuss big data
and the ramifications of digitization to the oil
and gas sector, and there have been many
underground. And there are other suggestions from our members.
emerging offshore markets, not Our CLAR-OM committee,
just floating and fixed wind farms, which brings together research in-
but tidal energy and also thermal stitutes, oil companies, contractors
and suppliers, also organizes semi-
under the sea to produce electric- nars for our members on emerging
ity. themes. One staged recently was
Offshore: How do you assess on opportunities for cost reduction
prospects for recruitment among in the subsea industry.
your member companies?
Bouvier: Obviously many Dominique Bouvier.
Offshore: Can you explain and
had to cut staff in response to the (Courtesy EVOLEN) provide an update on the work of
downturn in offshore. As a result, the OG2P In-Country Value Part-
we have decided to place a focus on two as- nering Platform (www.og2p.com)?
pects. One is to offer oil and gas professionals Bouvier: It is now technically ready, and
in France that have been made redundant the we are making progress. OG2Ps main goal is
opportunity to stay in the system by participat- to facilitate building of relationships between
ing in our conferences and other networking companies interested in creating in-country
events. We have set up specific groups to help value (local content) partnerships. There is real
them find jobs in the midstream or down- interest in this service from European compa-
stream and also created partnerships with nies and from others in oil and gas-producing
the aerospace and naval sectors, where they countries, with around 100 companies currently
can find jobs that make use of their skills in, registered on the OG2P database, although we
for instance, inspection, project management, still have to finalize how much this operation
and quality assurance. costs, in order to determine the economic vi-
Another major issue that has to be ad- ability. As an example, an NOC putting out a
dressed is what happens when offshore ac- tender to build a new platform may be keen to
tivity re-starts how do we ensure that our receive offers from contractors that promote
engineering schools continue to attract young integration with their local industry, but at the
people to our industry. We have responded same time, the NOC wants assurance of the
by establishing a committee for younger respondents technical and management capa-
members, and are in the process of forming bility. This platform is designed to help bring
a new CLAR, or think tank, aimed at attracting together European energy, supplier and logis-
younger people to the industry. Even though tics companies to submit an efficient tender.
young boys and girls in Frances engineering
and technical schools tend sometimes to favor Offshore: Can you provide other examples
careers in banking, it is not difficult to explain of how EVOLEN is advancing R&D among
to them that many technologies used in other its member companies?
sectors came from our industry. And in the Bouvier: The association leads the CITEPH
future, if renewables account for 50% of the program, designed to provide SMEs in partic-
energy mix, these students can see that our ular with funding of promising R&D projects
companies will play a role in this. And even in the energy sectors. Each year EVOLEN
if oil is a word that many people do not ap- awards four prizes to talented SMES-SMIs:
preciate, gas has more favorable connotations. one is for innovation. Last years winner was
Spotlight, a small start-up company based
Offshore: Has EVOLEN created any other near Paris, which is working on spot detec-
new CLARs? tion technology for seismic data acquisition.
Bouvier: Aside from the 15 that already This provides instant detection of useful data
exist, we have committed to a CLAR research from sources and reflectors and develops
club on digitization. A chairman has been algorithms that work faster.

Eiffage Mtal focuses on renewables
E
iffage Mtal has taken a five-year lease of
part of OGNs fabrication yard in Wallsend
on the River Tyne in northeast England.
The company is using the site, which it is
upgrading with a new crane, to support com-
ponent construction for a wind farm offshore
Aberdeen. In time, it could also include the
location in its bids for new field developments
in the North Sea, where the market looks set
to pick up from next year onwards.
Since 2015, when Eiffage Mtal delivered
manifold/separator modules for the FPU
Alima for Totals Moho-Bilondo project off
Republic of Congo, offshore oil and gas project
activity globally has been quiet. Like other
fabricators, the company has sought alter-
native work to sustain its principal yard in
Fos-sur-Mer, southern France, and the facility
currently has a full order book until early 2018.
Last month, it was due to complete fabrica-
tion of 1,000 metric tons (1,102 tons) of grillage
and seafastening for various modules built in
China for the Yamal LNG terminal on the north-
ern Russian coast. The modules are being sent
to Zeebrugge on the Belgian coast for onward
transportation on a new vessel to the Arctic
location. Eiffage Mtal subsidiary Smulders,
Challenging conventional
thinking in todays cost
driven market
based in Antwerp, is managing the seafastening
construction program - 5,000 metric tons (5,511
tons) in total - at different locations on behalf of
client TechnipFMC. Altogether, Fos employed
250 personnel for its part of the campaign.
The yard has also been fabricating 56 anode
cages that will be placed around the monopile
foundations for the 336-MW Galloper wind
farm project, 30 km (18.6 mi) off the Suffolk
coast in eastern England. The foundations
are monopile type and this market is drawing
on the experience of the oil and gas sector,
said Arnaud de Villepin, Managing Director of
Eiffage Mtals Industrial Division. The cages
were constructed in series we built equipment
specially designed to facilitate this process.
Another new project for the yard is the wind
farm in Aberdeen Bay off northeast Scotland.
Eleven windmills will be installed on fixed jack-
ets Fos is fabricating the transition pieces
between the jackets and the masts, while the
site at OGN and Smulders yard in Hoboken,
Belgium, are working on other structures for the
jackets. Offshore windmills are getting larger
and larger to deliver higher power output, de
Villepin explained, consequently the founda-
tions and supports must also be stronger.
FRANCE
As the water depths in the Mediterranean
Sea off the coast of southwest France are much
deeper, future renewable projects here call for
floating wind farms. The engineering team at
Fos is presently performing basic engineering
for a prototype floating wind farm based on a
concept developed by PPI (Principal Power), an
engineering company with bases in Berkeley
in the US and Aix en Provence in southern
France. The wind farm will be installed in wa-
ters near Perpignan, close to the border with
Spain. This is a co-operative program with
ENGIE detail engineering should follow next
year, with fabrication due to get under way in
Fos in 2019-20 for four floaters, each with a total
weight of around 1,800 metric tons (1,984 tons).
Offshore Nigeria, SNEPCO (Shell) is look-
ing to revive the deepwater Bonga Southwest
development. If requirements stipulate that the
living quarters for the FPSO are built locally,
Eiffage Mtal may seek to participate in the
tender as the first contractor to have undertaken
fabrication of offshore platform living quarters
in Nigeria. Another recently reactivated project
the company is monitoring is Totals Ikaka in the
Nigerias OML 100 license, likely to feature a
standalone, shallow-water wellhead platform.
www.doris- engineering.com
 FRANCE

Glycol regeneration technique

limits flaring of gas at Culzean
P
rocess equipment from Prosernat
is assisting recovery of gas from
two new harsh environment proj-
ects and one remote, deepwater
field development.
The companys Drizo process is a
method of glycol regeneration that in-
volves stripping solvent from produced
natural gas, usually obtained from the
BTEX present in the gas. The process
is said to achieve higher glycol purities
than the alternative approach of fuel gas
stripping, resulting in much larger water
dew point depressions at up to 100C Drizo system for Maersks Culzean project. (Images courtesy Prosernat)
(180F) or more.
For Maersk Oils Culzean HP/HT gas- All equipment was transported to the Caspian should by now be installed on the FPU, which
condensate development in the UK central location by road and boat, and the various underwent a naming ceremony in March at
North Sea, Drizo technology has been chosen systems are currently in the start-up phase as the yard in Indonesia.
to address the low flaring capacity on the production builds at the Filanovsky complex. Later this year, Prosernat is due to deliver
central production platform. In this case, the Prosernats third delivery is a monoethyl- two fully modularized SmartSulf sulfur re-
process will make use of hydrocarbons pres- ene glycol (MEG) regeneration and reclama- covery trains, each with a capacity of 100
ent in the inlet gas for glycol regeneration tion module for the Eni-operated Jangkrik gas t/d of sulfur, for an early production facility
instead of stripping gas, with the result that field development, 70 km (43 mi) offshore in Kuwait. SmartSulf is a process developed
overhead gases sent from the glycol regenera- Borneo, Indonesia. The 410-metric ton (452- originally by Linde in the 1980s, later owned
tion column to the flare will be reduced. The ton) module, built in Batam to satisfy local by ITS Reaktortechnik in Germany which
associated water dew point is -31C (-23.8F), content requirements, will purify MEG that Prosernat subsequently acquired in 2014.
which is easily attained with the Drizo, ac- will be injected at the wellhead to inhibit the The process involves treating hydrogen sul-
cording to Prosernat, as the technology is formation of hydrates and associated freezing- fide (H2S) for conversion to sulfur: typically
designed for dewpoints down to -60 to -70C up of the subsea flowlines. It will treat the it achieves a sulfur recovery rate of 99.5%
(-76 to -94F), or 1-2 ppm V water content. mixture of MEG, salts and formation water without the need for a tail gas treatment instal-
In 2014, the company supplied three TEG returning to the Jangkrik FPU, removing the lation. It is suited to reservoirs with high H2S
dehydration systems and a fuel gas module salts and water and recovering over 99.5% of content acid gas streams and those with low
for Lukoils Vladimir Filanovsky field devel- the MEG. This should reduce the risk of cor- H2S content in the latter case, the process
opment in the northern Caspian Sea, where rosion in the subsea pipelines, with smaller operates in direct oxidation mode.
production started last September. All were circulating volumes in the glycol loop due to Although the Kuwait application is onshore,
installed on the central processing platform. the reduced quantities of water, salt and other Prosernat believes the equipment has strong
The dehydration packages, manufactured in injected chemicals. The completed module potential for offshore reservoirs with high
France, comprised three contactors and three
regeneration units, with a total capacity of 49
MMcf/d per package, and two low-pressure
and three high-pressure compression trains
operating at up to 3.5 MMcm/d combined.
The 17 skids for the Balance of Plant (BoP)
all process items to be installed around
the compressors, mainly intercoolers and
scrubbers and the two skids for the fuel
gas module were all assembled at Heurtey
Petrochems manufacturing site in Romania.

Prosernats Drizo process is

a method of glycol regeneration
that involves stripping solvent
from produced natural gas.

76 Offshore May 2017 www.offshore-mag.com

 FRANCE

Despite the fact that handling of H2S offshore has historically

presented major operating difficulties, the SmartSulf
Equipment can be designed for incorporation into the
process facilities of an offshore fixed or floating platform.

Eiffage Mtal
Our name represents
more than a hundred
years of experience
acknowledged
worldwide in the eld
of steel construction
and civil engineering
structures.

The experimental hexapod.

levels of acidic gas. And despite the fact that

handling of H2S offshore has historically Oil & Gas
presented major operating difficulties, the For over fty years, our platforms,
SmartSulf Equipment can be designed for
modules and living quarters enable
incorporation into the process facilities of an
offshore fixed or floating platform.
petroleum companies to explore
As for new developments, Prosernat, in and exploit petroleum elds on the
co-operation with Total, IFPEN, and Heriot- worlds seas and oceans in excellent
Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, has technical conditions of safety and
conducted a detailed study of the influence of comfort for their operators.
the motions of the FPSO on the performance
of amine units installed on the topsides. The
program involved deployment of a hexapod,
the item on which the experimental gas/liquid
(G/L) contactor is installed. In contrast to the
single-axis rotating apparatus normally used to
Quality Safety Environment
simulate an FPSOs induced motions on G/L These are the essential priorities of our company, based on the
contactors, the hexapod, with its six feet, is said expertise, competence, adaptability and dedication of our teams.
to reproduce exactly the movements, accel-
erations sustained by the amine units and their
inclination. Results from the study should help
optimize sizing of future amine systems while
also ensuring the strict performance guarantees www.eiffage.com
for these upstream liquefaction units.
 FRANCE

Deepwater intake risers adapted

for topsides needs on floating systems
F
PSOs and floating liquefied natural gas Pierre Gurin the HDPE mechanical characteristics.
(FLNG) units incorporate various and Bardot Group WIRs are designed to fit requirements of
complex systems for oil and gas process- water depth, temperature, flow rate, and to ac-
ing and liquefaction operations. Water commodate the hydrodynamic stresses of the
intake risers (WIRs) are designed to supply operational environment. The company per-
the necessary volume and flow of cold water forms different analyses during the engineer-
to cool down the topsides process. ing process. The dynamic analysis includes
Traditionally, WIRs have been made from global behavior, structural and hydrodynamic
steel, which introduced numerous constraints assessments and focuses on dynamic per-
such as weight, diameter limitations and stiff- formance under extreme conditions; fatigue
ness of the line. In addition, the technology damage caused by waves and vessel motions;
would limit the pumping depth to 150 m (492 vortex-induced vibrations; interference with
ft), where the water temperature does not go other risers; and installation analysis.
below 15C (59F). An extreme analysis is performed to check
However, there are growing requirements the suitability of the proposed WIR configura-
in the offshore sector to increase the effi- tion, assess the WIRs dynamic response to
ciency of the topside process, the power gen- environmental loadings (wave and currents),
eration, and to reduce the overall footprint of and to determine the WIR interface loads.
the processing facility. To do this, WIRs must Fatigue analysis will assess the in-place fa-
reach colder water at a temperature of 5-7C tigue damage along the WIR sections under
(41-45F), which requires pumping at a depth operational wave loads (for HDPE and steel),
of 600-1,000 m (1,968-3,281 ft). Bardot has as well as the curvature versus occurrence
designed a WIR with a sufficiently low weight spectrum for rubber hose.
to be able to pump water as deep as 1,000 m, The company has access to a worldwide
while withstanding the potential mechanical network of qualified manufacturing sites that
stresses built up over 30 years by a combina- can deliver WIR solutions as close as possible
WIR arrangement from FPSO hull.
tion of vessel motion, currents, vibration, and (Images courtesy Bardot Group) to the final offshore destination, which is im-
the WIR structures own mass. The materials portant to satisfy local content regulation, but
employed (the High Density Polyethylene for material is non-corrosive, inert, sustains high also saves on project logistic costs. In addition,
the pipes has been qualified for use offshore and low temperatures, is resistant to marine its experience working with composite mate-
by most major oil companies) have been se- growth, of low density (around 0.9) and can rials allows it to devise customized solutions
lected for their good behavior over time. In be easily welded. Finally, a strainer, made of where applicable.
addition, the design conservatively considers HDPE or steel, is attached to the end of the The WIRs are modular and lightweight,
end-of-life properties, and guarantees that no line to prevent unwanted particles or other facilitating a quick on-board installation,
maintenance will be necessary, aside from matter from being sucked in the flow. through the vessels hull or aside the hull,
routine inspections. Bardot Group has engineered the WIR to with Bardot Group also designing and sup-
Main features of the deepwater WIR are: fulfil critical design criteria such as a maximum plying the installation aids. Ease of handling
HDPE pipes acceptable top tension, maximum acceptable is another feature. A customized installation
New type of flexible connection compression, maximum bottom excursion, procedure is provided for each WIR project
Riser seats maximum pressure loss, acceptable minimum and adapted to the FPSO/FLNG configuration
Strainer and ballast bending radius, stress use factors, and service to ensure correct assembly of the equipment.
Polymeric tapers. life requirement, with special attention paid to Bardots engineers can in addition provide
The top connector ensures the training and on-site monitoring of
link between the floating unit and the installation.
the riser. Its purpose is to withstand All the companys WIRs are engi-
the static and dynamic loads, limit neered to comply with international
the load transfer between the ves- offshore standards, with a high-level
sel and riser, and to ensure continu- qualification performed on material,
ous inner flow. The HDPE line is technical design, process, and instal-
composed of segments flanged or lation methods. HDPE WIRs are a
welded together to achieve the de- field-proven and cost-effective solu-
sired length. Segment length will tion that reduces opex on process and
depend on the FPSO/FLNGs instal- capex on FPSO/FLNG equipment.
lation constraints, and can vary from Finally, the systems offer significant
a few meters (typically 12 m, or 39.4 improvements in terms of reduced
ft) to more than 100 m (328 ft). HDPE HDPE hoses. carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions.

78 Offshore May 2017 www.offshore-mag.com


BV, Dassault progress digitization
C
ontinuing its journey toward the digitization
of the offshore and maritime sectors as it
announced last year, Bureau Veritas has now
realized its ambition to completely overhaul
its asset integrity management (AIM) system.
In parallel, the company has developed mo-
bile applications for clients and class surveyors,
which are now being used worldwide. Further
development of new mobile applications contin-
ues; additional applications for survey planning,
as well as, services for digital certification will
also be available shortly. This work is the digi-
tization of existing processes and provides the
benefits of efficiency and accuracy.
In early 2016, Bureau Veritas formed a partner-
ship with Frances Dassault Systmes to integrate
Dassaults 3DEXPERIENCE platform with BVs
existing VeriSTAR suite of tools to become the
heart of its new AIM system. Initially based on the
concept of digital twinning, the partnership with
Dassault has now developed further and matured
into a platform for an AIM service designed to
leapfrog current fragmented IT solutions.
In March, McDermott signed a multi-year
agreement with Dassault to integrate this plat-
form into the companys existing processes,
Weve grown a little
taller lately
Air Liquide is transforming and has grown
in size following the acquisition of Airgas.
Air Liquide now serves over 3 million
customers and patients globally. The Group
has strengthened its presence in the United
States, the worlds largest market for industrial
gases. By combining Airgas strong customer
mindset and advanced digital capabilities
with Air Liquides operational excellence and
innovation, the Group delivers greater value
to all its stakeholders. Air Liquide, the world
leader in gases, technologies and services for
Industry and Health. airliquide.com
with a pilot program planned in 4Q. It will be
implemented in phases, with the first phase
scheduled for completion next year. The EPCI
giant claims to be the first such company to
implement an advanced data solution to improve
schedule certainty for its customers.
BVs new asset integrity management solu-
tion and service, launched publicly in April,
enables operators to manage risk and maximize
value and return on their assets through the
digital transformation of inspection, mainte-
nance, and repair processes, connected as-
sets, and connected surveyors. From a class
perspective this opens the door to risk-based
inspection and condition-based maintenance
regimes to be integrated with: classification
and certification requirements; procurement;
ship management software and ERPs.
The service looks to provide offshore clients
with total solutions connecting assets, from
the design process, through construction, with
non-stop asset analysis. This enables predic-
tive maintenance and reduced costs related to
periodic surveys and inspections. The service
will also be available to ships as well as offshore
sector assets, allowing operators to manage any
FRANCE
Screenshot from Dassaults
3DEXPERIENCE. (Image courtesy BV)
type of marine asset from small and specialized
vessels to large bulk carriers, tankers, contain-
erships and offshore industry assets, such as
FPSOs, floating liquefied natural gas vessels,
floating storage regasification units, and rigs.
BVs solution-based service is designed to
bridge the gap between available technology and
industry needs, providing the environment for
safety, risk and operational management to move
beyond traditional reporting structures. The
service addresses the challenge of fragmented
IT environments to provide an overall picture, or
dashboard, of the data related to assets and fleet
of assets. Asset adaptable, offshore operators
were identified as the first users but interest is
now being seen from traditional ship owners,
especially if classification and statutory require-
ments, as well as shipmanagement systems.
#AirLiquideistransforming
 FRANCE

Bourbon adapts platform supply vessels

for pipelay campaign offshore Gabon
B
ourbon is adapting one of its multipur-
pose platform supply vessels (MPSVs)
for a pipelay program due to start in May
offshore Gabon. This is a first for the
companys subsea division which has previ-
ously laid subsea cables, but more typically
undertakes tasks such as subsea tree and
jumper installation and retrieval, intervention
and stimulation.
Under the EPCI program awarded by Total,
the company will mobilize one of its Bour-
bon Evolution 800 MPSVs to install a 25-km
(15.5-mi), 6-in. rigid water injection pipeline
between two platforms at the shallow-water
Hylia field offshore Gabon. Bourbon in turn
has subcontracted Cortez Subsea to provide
the pipelay equipment, which involves use of
NOVs patented weld-free Zap-Lok technology,
and Wood Group for the pipeline design and
pipelay engineering.
Offshore pipeline sections are normally
welded together onboard large specialist pipe-
lay vessels. With Zap-Lok, a process commonly
applied to onshore pipelines in the US, the pipes
are connected via a hydraulically-operated pro- View from the deck of the Bourbon BE802.
cedure that is said to be faster and less costly
to implement as it dispenses with the need water injection pipeline, he added. Installation the vessels are not designed to accommodate
for specialist welders. The system relies on a will be performed via the S-lay method, with a a 350-metric ton [86-ton] J-lay tower.
mechanical interference connection between 20-m (65.6-ft) stinger fitted to the 100-m (328-ft) The Bourbon Evolution 800 series feature
a cold-expanded bell-end and an opposing, long vessels stern which was reinforced when it 1,200 sq m (12,916 sq ft) of deck space and
larger pin-end. The strength of the process was originally constructed in anticipation of such two active heave compensation cranes with
is said to derive from the metal-to-metal fric- tasks. The vessel, equipped with the purpose- respective lifting capacities of 150 and 40 met-
tion generated as the two ends are hydrauli- built spread, including pipe racks, ramps and ric tons (165 and 44 tons) the former suited
cally pressed together and highly compressive tensioners, should take five to seven days to to subsea deployments in water depths down
forces are transferred from the bell-end to the mobilize to the offshore location and will transit to 3,000 m (9,842 ft) and one or two ROVs.
pin-end, holding it permanently in place with the stinger up. Earlier this year the Bourbon Evolution 802
According to NOV, by eliminating the weld- Another Bourbon PSV, the Bourbon Jade, undertook installation of four wellheads for
ing requirements of exposed bare steel and will install the crossings and the associated Totals deepwater Egina project offshore Nige-
high heat, the resultant connections also allow 20-25 m (65.6-82-ft) pipeline spool and the ria. Last summer, the same vessel performed
for a continuous external coating layer free 2.7-m (8.9-ft) vertical riser Bourbon/Cortez an acid treatment operation on another Total
from a heat-affected weld zone. And without the have subcontracted the welding qualification well for stimulation purposes, with a pump,
heat of welding, internal coatings can be applied for this task and the pipeline flanges. The tanks and chemicals supplied by Schlumberger
with no risk of damage to the connection area. same vessel will support ROV survey and air and an injection pipe provided by Bourbon
Each length of pipe is constructed to deliver diving operations. Following completion of OneSubsea was responsible for the wellhead
a fully continuous coating layer by creating the installations, Bourbon will also undertake interface. Using the vessels crane, the running
an overlapping, dual-layered coating section. pre-commissioning of the pipeline, including tool was lowered onto the wellhead and the
Cortez teamed up with NOV to propose pigging and pressure tests, by mid-June. pipe subsequently attached to the running tool
Zap-Lok and the pipelay spread, said Patrick We are interested in replicating this arrange- via the Bourbon-supplied connection system.
Belenfant, Bourbons Senior VP, Subsea Ser- ment for other pipelay jobs, Belenfant said. One Following testing of the valves and wellheads
vices, and they devised the resultant set-up. advantage of the 800 series is the deck space, to check for leaks, the chemicals which had
Bourbon convinced Total that the process could which allows the vessels to accommodate a full been prepared onboard the vessel were
be adapted to work on one of its vessels with only pipeline length of up to 27 km [16.8 mi], rather injected. The pumping operation took eight
three connecting stations onboard as opposed than having to return to shore for re-loading. We hours to complete: the chemicals were then
to the much larger, conventional welded and could also lay flexible pipes as the vessels can retrieved and the equipment brought back to
field jointing spread. Total was looking to test support 2,000-metric ton [2,204-ton] reels, but this surface piece by piece, after which production
its first offshore application on a small-diameter would have to be for shallow, not deepwater jobs was able to resume.

80 Offshore May 2017 www.offshore-mag.com

 Owned & Produced by:

SAVE THE DATE

Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition is scheduled for March 13-15, 2018 in Galveston, Texas
at the Moody Gardens Hotel & Convention Center. As our industry changes, the sharing
of knowledge and collective experiences becomes more and more crucial to improving the
quality, safety, and economics of the subsea tieback industry. The conference content addresses
new operational issues, challenges, and solutions associated with global deepwater subsea
operations. Dialog among strategic decision makers is facilitated through focused presentations,
extended question and answer sessions, and networking. This exchange of knowledge represents
experiences, applications, and current, real-world project examples. The Subsea Tieback exhibit
hall floor is the largest display of subsea equipment in the world.

MARCH 13-15, 2018

MOODY GARDENS HOTEL & CONVENTION CENTER
GALVESTON, TX USA
WWW.SUBSEATIEBACKFORUM.COM
 FRANCE
New acquisition boosts
Air Liquides offshore offerings
I
n May 2016, Air Liquide completed its
acquisition of the US-based industrial gas
company Airgas. The companies comple-
mentary businesses prior to the merger
resulted in full supply chain integration follow-
ing the combination, expanding Air Liq-
uides service offerings and allowing it to
develop new markets, such as maritime.
Headquartered in Aberdeen, Air Liq-
uide Maritime develops gas to be used
by oil and gas platforms, offshore wind
turbines, and cryogenic transportation.
The company says it provides a range of
gases and supply equipment, from cylin-
ders and containers to nitrogen genera-
tion systems.
Air Liquide Maritime, part of its Global
Markets & Technologies unit, aims to
develop the use of gases by customers
in the maritime sector throughout the
world. It credits the Airgas acquisition
with enabling it to expand its range of
products for offshore operations by pro-
viding welding consumables, such as
electrodes, cables, and others, as well
as safety equipment, to its customers.
To address this market segment, one that
calls for cutting-edge expertise, Air Liquide
has developed an all-in-one offer with high
added value: welding gas, assistance with
defining the gas mix and welding processes,
as well as training and deployment of best
practices relating to safety, said Nathalie
Mangeot-Gehin, Americas Vice President of
Air Liquide Maritime.
Our strength in the market lies in our abil-
ity to meet client needs throughout the entire
value chain, from products to engineering
and services.
Prior to the merger, Air Liquide was present
in the US upstream sector primarily through
its Large Industries segment, with more than
2,200 mi (3,540 km) of pipelines located mostly
along the Gulf Coast. On the other hand, Air-
gas was primarily focused on downstream
distribution with 300 fill plants and direct
delivery of packaged gas and hardgoods
through 900 branches / retail stores, telesales,
e-commerce, or next-day direct deliveries
from national warehouses. By combining this
coverage, Air Liquide says that it will have
a more robust market offering through the
integration of the full supply chain, allowing
the generation of synergies and improved
overall customer service.
82 Offshore May 2017 www.offshore-mag.com
Sarah Parker Musarra
Editor
Through its recent acquisition of Airgas, Air
Liquide has expanded its services and of-
ferings, including in the maritime sector. Air
Liquide Maritime has developed the QUAD+,
which stores interconnected gas cylinders. The
product is said to offer a reduced footprint and
40% more storage than other offerings. (Images
courtesy Air Liquide)
The combined entity is able to better serve
customers with the most advanced multi-
channel distribution networks in the US and
more competitive product offerings with an
integrated upstream-downstream model, Air
Liquide has said.
It is through these new synergies that the
company believes it will be able to improve
its existing offerings and enter new markets,
particularly by leveraging digital tech-
nologies. Air Liquide maintains that
its new products and technologies will
continue to be guided by its customer
needs, as was the case when Air Liquide
Maritime developed QUAD+, a piece of
equipment used to store a set of intercon-
nected cylinders and distribute the gases
they contain.
For our clients, space management on
platforms and price pressure are crucial
factors, explained Maria Bonikowska,
Air Liquide Maritime North Sea & United
Kingdom.
With 450 bar (6,527 psi) of pressure,
which Air Liquide says is a world first
over the standard 300 bars (4,351 psi),
QUAD+ claims over 40% more storage
capacity than regular bundles, achieving
a 22% reduction in the space the equip-
ment occupies. By taking up less room on
platforms, the company explains, it delivers
savings on transport costs.
QUAD+ can be used during construction
and maintenance; subsea works; and well
services.
The company has also developed a new
range of gaseous stable isotope pure gases
and mixtures to enhance the reliability of
petroleum analysis when it is critical to mea-
suring delta values accurately.
Air Liquide looks to benefit from Airgas
national presence and its existing customer
base of more than 1 million customers in
the US, as well as from its customer-facing
platform, including e-commerce and telesales
capabilities.
Airgas will still serve its clients under its
name, but as an Air Liquide company.
The company placed its combined annual
company sales at around $20 billion, with
around $6.8 billion in the Americas. Following
the merger, Air Liquide employs more than
67,000 people globally and serves more than
three million customers and patients.
Prompted by the merger, Air Liquide began
the year with a January announcement that
it was changing its visual identity with a new
logo, the fifth since the company was founded
115 years ago.