Oceaneering International (United Kingdom)

Environmental stressors and natural disasters are changing the physical landscapes in many countries worldwide. In this paper, we ask whether and how erosion affects internal and international migration in Bangladesh. Building on prior studies, we use data from 3,600 households in 18 research sites to investigate how erosion in tidal and river channels is related to the risk of making a first internal or international trip, net of extreme weather conditions and other relevant attributes. Findings reveal that the relationship between erosion and the likelihood of making a first domestic or international trip is moderated by livelihood type and landownership. As erosion worsens, the odds ofmaking a first domestic trip rise for non-agricultural non-landowning household heads and decline for landowners working in agriculture. Estimated lifetime probabilities of making a first domestic trip are higher than those of making a first international trip, with non-agricultural non-landowners having the highest probabilities and agricultural landowners having the lowest. Together, the evidence suggests that shifts in physical landscapes, especially erosion, are tightly linked to out-migration through ties to land.

For well containment operations under tension leg or spar platforms, a connector is required to attach a capping stack to a free flowing riser in the event the wellhead connector cannot be accessed and/or released to directly attach the capping stack. This paper describes the engineering challenges and solutions for capping stack connectors – high-pressure grip and seal connectors – to attach to 10 ¾"-15K and 16"-10K risers for the Shell Mars B Development in the Gulf of Mexico.

Abstract The Monobore, High-flow, ROV Operable Connector is a male and female connector and seal system designed for use subsea in small bore gas and fluid piping applications. This system's principle attribute over traditional methods is its ability to be installed in " free fly" fashion, by a typical work class Remotely Operated Vehicle, similar to hydraulic flying leads in production control system applications. Latching of the type of connector is similar to conventional hydraulic junction plate technology. The tooling required for this operation is also similar to the make-up of hydraulic junction plates utilizing an API 17D class 4 torque tool, flying lead orientation device, and any other easily attachable and detachable stability aides or weights. To meet these operational scenarios, the connector must be light, made of corrosion resistant materials, and have an extremely reliable sealing mechanism. This system must also be easily configured into a " flying lead", where the tubing or piping is both strong and compliant. This paper describes just such a connector system that is designated as the M5. For the matter of this paper, the removable half of the connector will be referenced as ‘removable connector’ and the fixed half of the connector will be referenced as ‘fixed connector’.

Abstract This paper introduces the reasoning, methods, and technology behind using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to obtain a sample of production fluids from offshore sub-sea installations. Subsea sampling in this context involves physically delivering equipment to sub-sea installations, connecting to said installations, obtaining a measure of the product in question, and returning said measure of fluid to the surface in a specified condition. Methods and technologies relating to the transport and laboratory analysis of the product once delivered to the surface are examined briefly, but not in great detail. An explanation of why the offshore oil and gas industry is increasingly interested in subsea sampling, and the value it brings to operating companies is presented. What is Subsea Sampling? Subsea Sampling is the act of retrieving a measure of production fluid from a subsea installation such as a production tree, manifold, or other junction for the purpose of testing and recording information about said fluid. The quantity and type of fluid that is retrieved depends on the information that is required from the sample. The information retrieved from samples includes but is not limited to chemical composition, pressure volume temperature (PvT) analysis, salinity, and density. The values obtained for the different attributes are used to calibrate subsea multiphase flow meters and manage reservoir production and intervention schedules. Obtaining samples from installations in deep water, 5000 feet or more necessitates the use of remote operated vehicles (ROVs) to carry and manipulate the sample gathering and transport equipment, or the use of down wire tooling packages. The focus of this paper is the former. Why is Subsea Sampling Performed? Offshore oil and gas producers perform, or plan to perform subsea sampling for two reasons. The first reason is to support the use of subsea multiphase flow meters. The second reason is gathering data to support reservoir management efforts.

Abstract Is the oil and gas offshore industry ready for all electric subsea fields? A lot of work has been done on the development side for closing the gap between traditional subsea production equipment operated by hydraulic control systems to systems that are all electric operated. Is the gap closed? Is the supplier industry ready? Oceaneering owned Ifokus Engineering has developed and qualified the subsea actuators for the Ormen Lange Subsea Compression Pilot (OLSCP). The challenge was to develop compact all electric actuators with >25 years subsea lifetime, quick response, high accuracy, full redundancy, Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) interchangeability, full failsafe and that met Safety Integrety Level (SIL) requirements. These actuators were defined in the early phase of the OLSCP as a critical component that had to be developed for installing a fully operational all electric operated subsea gas compression installation. The challenging development faced numerous technical issues that have been solved. Extensive testing for qualifying the components and complete assemblies was undertaken. No standards cover this type of equipment directly, so the process of establishing procedures and test criteria has been difficult. The presentation will describe the electric linear and rotating actuators developed for the OLSCP and present experience from the extensive testing and the project execution. It will highlight the lack of standards covering this type of equipment, and aid in defining future design and test criteria. Introduction History For many years there has been a drive to convert hydraulic subsea applications to electric. Factors holding back a wider acceptance of subsea electrification previously were caused by the mixed experience with subsea electric distribution systems and subsea electronics. Typical failures could be caused by subsea cables, connectors, terminations and electronic components. These failures caused downtime and created a need for re-cabling of subsea installations and frequent changeout of components since designs have trended toward keeping the electrical components to a minimum instead of a maximum level. In the 90's, initiatives were taken to run power and communication on inductive couplers in the subsea distribution systems. These couplers had weak points and were only utilized for a short time period. After a number of failures, the systems were changed to conventional coupler concepts. Different qualification programs for cables and connectors have been performed with the goal of establishing connector programs with low failure rates and as more robust solutions. The quality achievements through qualification programs have clearly decreased the failure rates and increased the acceptance of standard subsea connectors and cables. With today's available technology and the extended need for electrical connection points on subsea structures, it is Ifokus' perception that the increased flexibility offered by inductive coupler technology will again be utilized on low power and control applications subsea. This is due to the advantages of no galvanic connections between supply and consumer.

Abstract The primary objective of protective deployment systems is to safely deploy, position, and land subsea equipment while preserving personnel safety and protecting investments. There are several protective design concepts available to meet today's deepwater operating needs. Future considerations are being examined to meet the demands of new challenges. This paper primarily addresses the deployment and recovery of work class remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems and designs that can be applied to a wide variety of applications including the installation of subsea equipment. Introduction As subsea field development expands to include a wider range of applications in increasingly harsh environments, surface deployment systems continuously evolve to overcome the demanding design requirements. Deployment system configurations range from stationary to overboarding with installations being permanently built-in, modular with semipermanent components, or entirely mobile. Protective deployment systems are used extensively in the launch and recovery of ROV's. Other applications include tools, trees, connectors, pipeline jumpers, wirelines, manifolds, umbilical termination assemblies, workover equipment, and other subsea hardware. By incorporating protective methodology in current designs for deploying subsea equipment, financial liability is reduced by minimizing the risk of equipment damage while increasing the window of environmental limits. The end results are protective deployment systems used for a wider range of applications with improved performance, less down time, and most importantly, fewer accidents. There are several variables in the offshore environment that present challenges. These variables impose limitations on the system's overall capabilities and performance. Variables with the largest impact are environmental conditions in which the installation will be operating. Mechanical designs and operational procedures provide the best solutions to the challenges of the ocean environment. These methods incorporate ways to safely control deployed loads due to varying sea states, high winds, high currents, and increasing water depths. Dynamic loads induced by the vessel's motion are another design challenge. Dynamic loads become proportionally more significant on installations using smaller vessels such as multi-service vessels. By using protective deployment systems, smaller vessels can provide more costeffective operations by reducing or eliminating the need for larger, more expensive surface vessels. Protective deployment systems find applications on various types of vessels, including ships, semi-submersibles, barges, spar platforms, and TLPs, each of which has its own set of requirements. Their configurations are limited by a vessel's deck load capacity, the amount of space available for an installation, and the dynamic motions for a particular sea state. Advantages on larger vessels allow deployment operations to move to the less congested perimeter locations and free up prime operations area, which is especially important on drilling units. Maintaining personnel safety when operating in harsh environments is the most critical factor considered for these systems. Designs must be constructed to protect life and equipment, and procedures for operation must be properly outlined to foresee/prevent any unsafe operating conditions.

ABSTRACT The movement of oil on the water surface is a result of meteorologic and oceanographic processes. Attempts to contain or divert surface oil using booms should factor these processes into the development of deployment tactics. Attempts to deploy booms, disregarding physical and environmental conditions often have met with failure. Differing physical parameters affect water circulation and the movement of oil in the nearshore environments of reef/lagoon and barrier inlet systems; generalized models identify the primary features of each of these two systems for selection of appropriate methods of boom deployment. Circulation patterns across reefs are dominated by wave-driven and tidal-driven forces that carry water across the reef crest into the low energy lagoonal environment. Within the lagoon, tidal and wind stress forces become important factors that drive the circulation systems. Barrier island inlets that form in meso-tidal environments have circulation patterns that are dominated by cyclical tidal forces. In the narrow inlet throats current velocities are frequently too great for booms to contain oil. In this situation diversion of surface oil to areas of low current speeds can be used to protect sensitive lagoonal environments. During the early stages of a flooding tide, current inflow through the inlet is in marginal channels and at this tidal stage oil could be diverted to the shoreline before it enters the inlet throat.