ABB secures offshore automation contract in the North Sea

Switzerland-based power and automation technology group ABB has secured a contract from Statoil to upgrade safety and automation systems at the Heimdal platform in the North Sea, off the coast of Norway.
Under the contract signed with Statoil in the second quarter of 2013, ABB will provide a new human-machine interface (HMI) for the control system and control room modifications.

The company will also deliver a simulator, fire and gas detectors, as well as integrating telecommunication in the control room and information management systems (IMS).
Once the upgrade is complete, the Heimdal platform will feature ABB's modern 800xA Extended Automation platform as the main control system.
The system has been adapted to comply with Statoil's guidelines for workstations layout and design of process graphics.
As part of the agreement, ABB will hold the complete engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) responsibility for the project.
"ABB will provide a new human-machine interface (HMI) for the control system and control room modifications."
ABB Norway Process Automation division manager, Per Erik Holsten, said that the upgrade of the safety and automation system on Heimdal is expected to result in profitable and safe operation of the platform."
"ABB's maintenance and modification service solutions extend the life span of installations that have been in operations for a significant amount of time," Holsten added.
The Heimdal field has currently lowered its own production and is now a hub in the central North Sea for the processing and distribution of gas.
The platform receives gas from the Huldra, Oseberg, Skirne and Vale fields and exports it through Vesterled or Statpipe pipelines for processing.
Heimdal field, at its peak, can process gas up to 15% to 20% of the total Norwegian gas production.
Image: The Heimdal platform will feature ABB's new Human-Machine Interface (HMI) system. Photo: courtesy of ABB.


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Wison secures contract to build 3,000hp modular drilling rig in Gulf of Mexico

Wison Offshore & Marine, the upstream oil and gas division of the Wison Group, has secured a contract from China Oilfield Services (COSL) to construct a new 3,000hp modular drilling rig.
The rig, which will be installed on the Tsimin-C drilling and production platform in the Mexican Bay of Campeche, will be used on a platform in the Mexican sector of the Gulf of Mexico that is operated by Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX).
As part of the contract, Wison will provide project management, procurement, production engineering, fabrication, load out, offshore installation and commissioning support for the installation of the rig.
Wison will fabricate the approximately 2,500t rig at its Nantong facility in China and is expected to deliver it in the second quarter of 2014.
The drilling facility is based on a self-nstalling design that consists of 97 smaller units, which require significant integration work to strict tolerances during module construction.
"Wison will provide project management, procurement, production engineering, fabrication, load out, offshore installation and commissioning support for the installation of the rig."
Wison Offshore & Marine executive vice president, L. Dwayne Breaux, said: "Wison has established a strong track record in delivering drilling modules for COSL and we are extremely pleased to expand this relationship and provide more high-quality facilities for PEMEX."
In 2010, Wison delivered two modular platform rigs to COSL for operation on China National Offshore Oil (CNOOC) facilities offshore China.
In 2007, Wison provided four platform rigs for COSL that are currently operating in offshore Mexico.
Wison executes engineering and design activities out of its headquarters in Shanghai, China, as well as in Houston, Texas, and performs fabrication of facilities from its two Chinese yards in Nantong and Zhoushan.
The company, however, has not disclosed the financial terms of the latest contract.
Image: Offshore oil rig. Photo: Courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.


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