BUSINESS BRIEFS
The 2014-2015 offcers for the Lafayette
Chapter of the American Association of Drilling Engineers are: Alden Sonnier, president;
David Gomez, frst vice president and programs committee chairman; Matt Hensgens,
second vice president and membership
committee chairman; Jarrod Suire, secretary; and Sharon Moore, treasurer, chapter
representative and website committee. Board
members include: Al Wambsgans, steering
committee chairman, national board at large,
and director emeritus; Jaime Crosby, steering committee and Louisiana State University
liaison; Derrick Daigle, steering committee
member and fnance committee; Lindsay
Longman, steering committee and joint industry committee; Jeffrey Svendson, steering
committee member, sporting clays chairman, and Nicholls State scholarship liaison;
Rick Voth, steering committee member and
scholarships committee chairman; Jay Gallet,
steering committee member; Kristy Bonner,
arrangements committee chairman, publicity
committee chairman, and website committee; Joe Bernard, 5F committee chairman;
Rick Farmer, golf committee co-chairman;
Tim Mannon, golf committee co-chairman;
Sid Breaux, knowledge box; Bryce Percle,
University of Louisiana at Lafayette student
section liaison; Bruce Jordan, University
of Louisiana at Lafayette fuid lab chairman;
Doug Keller, director emeritus; and Andre
Arceneaux, director emeritus.
Company News
Halliburton Co. has announced plans to
acquire Baker Hughes in a stock and cash
transaction valued at $34.6 billion. Subject to
approvals from each company’s stockholders,
regulatory approvals and customary closing
conditions, the transaction is expected to close
in the second half of 2015.
FES International has launched a new
specialist business, FES Subsea. Based in
Ashington, Northumberland, UK, it will bring
new core product lines to the subsea market.
The new product range will include: hot stabs,
pig launcher and receivers; pull-in heads; suction pile vent hatches; subsea control panels
and manifold skids; and valve packages. The
company also will provide installation, commissioning, and onsite support services.
GE has opened its $500-million GE Brazil
Technology Center in Rio de Janeiro, which
will focus on developing advanced subsea oil
and gas technology. The center, the company’s
frst in Latin America, will be a hub for the
region and is expected to employ as many as
400 researchers.
Wison Offshore & Marine has selected
AVEVA Marine software for the engineering,
design, and construction of its offshore FSRU
projects.
Swire Oilfeld Services has expanded its
Southeast Asia operations with an extension
to its Singapore yard and the opening of new
yards in Vietnam and Thailand.
Fosun International Ltd.’s wholly owned
subsidiary, Transcendent Resources Ltd.,
has completed the acquisition of Roc Oil Co.
Ltd.
AMEC plc and Foster Wheeler AG have
merged to form Amec Foster Wheeler plc.
The company designs, delivers, and maintains
strategic and complex infrastructure assets
across a range of markets. The engineering
and project delivery operations will be managed through three geographic business units:
Americas; Northern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States; and Africa, the
Middle East, Asia, and Southern Europe.
Royal Boskalis Westminster has acquired
a 14.8% interest in Fugro. Boskalis says it
wants to enter into a dialogue with Fugro
to explore possible options for cooperation,
adding that it has no intention to launch a full
takeover.
Conductor Installation Services Ltd. has
entered into a global master services agreement with Weatherford International.
Exova Group plc has opened a new
purpose-built 16,000-sq ft ( 1,486-sq m) facility
in Aberdeen, UK. The new laboratory will
provide a range of specialist mechanical and
materials testing, as well as comprehensive
weld-testing, weld procedures, training, and
qualifcation facilities.
Stress Engineering Services Inc. has acquired Efrd Corrosion International Inc.,
a technical service and research company
specializing in corrosion testing and analysis.
The acquisition will provide new corrosion
management and testing capabilities while
enhancing the company’s competences within
sour gas testing and increasing service offerings related to electrochemical, jet impingement, and high-pressure autoclave testing.
Stress Engineering will gain Efrd Corrosion’s
state-of-the-art corrosion laboratory in The
Woodlands, Texas.
Tiger Offshore Rentals has acquired
OAG East Med Offshore Rentals, making it
the only local provider of DNV 2.7-1-certifed
offshore equipment in Cyprus.
Effective Jan. 1, 2015, MacGregor, will
reorganize into seven operative divisions: Auxiliary and Machinery Systems Division, Cargo
Handling Division, Offshore Load Handling
Division, Offshore Deck Machinery Division,
Offshore Mooring and Loading Division,
RoRo Division, and Global Lifecycle Support
Division.
Katalyst, an E&P subsurface data manage-
ment frm, has opened its frst iGlass data
center in Europe. Located near London, the
UK datacenter marks the company’s third lo-
cation offering a complete end-to-end solution
for subsurface data management.
Marine Contracting has opened an offce
in Perth, Australia.
Logan International Inc. has consolidated its tool rental operations into a single
business: Logan Rentals. Initially, the group
will offer fshing and coiled tubing jars for
workover activities and drilling jars and its
Xciter tool for drilling.
Logan Oil Tools Inc. has purchased
certain assets from Smith International Inc.
The assets include inventory, and the rights
to manufacture and sell HE fshing tools and
certain intellectual property including the use
of the trade names “Houston Engineers” and
“HE.” The HE tools are used primarily to free
and remove downhole tools and equipment
in connection with workover or intervention
services.
HB Rentals has opened its new service
location in Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico.
Ocean Installer has established an offce
in Perth, Australia.
Shandong Twin Marine Ltd. has acquired
heavy-lift contractor Twin Marine Heavylift
Hoover Container Solutions Pty Ltd.
has moved to a larger and newly renovated
facility in Perth, Western Australia. The new
distribution and service center sits on more
than one acre in the Marine Support Complex
in Henderson, a suburb of Perth.
ShawCor Ltd.’s Bredero Shaw pipe coating division has received a second contract
worth $200 million from BP Exploration
(Shah Deniz) Ltd. to provide pipeline coating
for the Shah Deniz Stage 2 development project. The contract is scheduled to be executed
at the Caspian Pipe Coatings plant in Baku,
Azerbaijan. Coating is expected to begin in
2015, with completion planned for October
2015.
Seafox Contractors and Workfox are set to
join forces. The planned merger would create
what they say would be the world’s largest
offshore jackup accommodation service vessel
and support company, operating in Europe,
the Middle East and North Africa, and Asia/
Pacifc regions. The new entity would operate
under the Seafox name, and would employ
around 700 personnel.
C-MAR has won a three-year contract from
Bourbon Offshore that begins in January
2015 to supply dynamic positioning (DP) assurance services. Its London-based Dynamic
Positioning Centre will provide standardized
failure mode effect analysis, DP audits and
more bespoke DP services, as well as training support. The partnership arrangement
will aim to deliver more uniform standards,
enhance overall capability, and consolidate the
reputation of both organizations.