Oil and gas industry interest is surging in using remote survey technologies for more cost-efficient, safer, and lower-carbon certification, verification, and inspection of assets and operations. Amid COVID-19 travel restrictions in 2020, DNV GL has conducted more than 4,000 remote surveys for the sector. These have provided the supply chain with the assurance it needs to keep projects and operations running safely and on schedule. Remote surveys involve fixed and mobile cameras (e.g., smartphones) giving customers instant access to DNV GL experts worldwide for verification, classification, and certification of assets, verification of materials and components, inspection, and marine assurance. The growing track record for remote survey technology could soon make it the method of choice for inspections in some places and circumstances, according to a senior expert at one leading oil and gas exploration and production company.

Shell has selected Bentley Systems, a provider of software and digital twin cloud services, to help streamline its capital projects and decrease time to first oil. The memorandum of understanding with Microsoft follows a conditional investment decision made in May by Equinor, Shell, and Total. Pending Norwegian government approval, the final investment decision for the project is expected in late 2020 with startup expected in 2024. One year after the Johan Sverdrup field came on stream, Equinor says digital technology has proven to be key to safety and value in all parts of the operation, increasing earnings by more than $200 million. The companies say they will expand their existing technology collaboration to create and deliver solutions to help customers, suppliers, and other businesses lower emissions.

The latest agreement between Wood and Equinor will begin January 2021. The contract follows recent agreements between the two companies for the Breidablikk development in the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Akers BP said it will use lessons learned from the pilot and scale the remote-assist concept across its assets. Forty-four percent of oil production and 30% of natural gas production remain shut in as operators return workers to offshore platforms. Production from undamaged facilities are being brought back online once all standard checks are completed.

The fully remote inspection was conducted with an ROV to increase worker safety and security and reduce environmental exposure on an offshore platform. The inspection projects to assess water ingress will be done via remotely operated vehicle. The data-driven maintenance program incorporates riser condition, usage, and fatigue analysis with a risk-based inspection process. As companies look to reduce the time it takes to inspect a subsea pipeline, as well as the costs involved in the operation, autonomous systems have become a more desirable option. How close are they to becoming the norm?

The 3-year contracts were awarded to Solstad, OceanPact, and Fugro. The fully remote inspection was conducted with an ROV to increase worker safety and security and reduce environmental exposure on an offshore platform. After being acquired in 2019, the Well-Safe Guardian semisubmersible was extensively overhauled and upgraded. Fugro is the second company to be awarded work this year on the asset. Fugro and SEA-KIT’s partnership will develop unmanned vessels, while HII and Kongsberg will market naval and maritime products.

The moves are part of the company’s plan to consolidate its recently acquired business units to stabilize its business following the global pandemic and economic downturn. The fully remote inspection was conducted with an ROV to increase worker safety and security and reduce environmental exposure on an offshore platform. Two technologies that may play a part in the decarbonization of the UK energy business are carbon capture, use, and storage and the use of hydrogen for energy transportation and storage. This approach builds on the UK’s gas-network infrastructure, which can be repurposed to avoid becoming stranded. An agreement with DF Barnes is expected to provide financial security for the Scottish fabrication company, which had been on the verge of closure.

The 3-year contracts were awarded to Solstad, OceanPact, and Fugro. The fully remote inspection was conducted with an ROV to increase worker safety and security and reduce environmental exposure on an offshore platform. Development in software, technology, and a global 4G network combine to make ROV operations possible between offshore vessels and remote locations. The inspection projects to assess water ingress will be done via remotely operated vehicle. The A-frame is DNV certified.

The latest agreement between Wood and Equinor will begin January 2021. The contract follows recent agreements between the two companies for the Breidablikk development in the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Forty-four percent of oil production and 30% of natural gas production remain shut in as operators return workers to offshore platforms. Production from undamaged facilities are being brought back online once all standard checks are completed. Facilities with damage may take longer to bring back up.

The LNG project includes development of offshore gas fields in Mozambique’s Area 1 and a liquefaction plant with a capacity in excess of 12 mtpa. The gas turbines are slated for delivery in the 2H 2021 and 1H 2022, and the compressors are expected in 2021. The newly launched video series featuring speaker Bob Chin, the creator and editor of the OGF Savvy Separator Series of articles, provides a basic level of understanding of separator design and troubleshooting. The latest agreement between Wood and Equinor will begin January 2021. The contract follows recent agreements between the two companies for the Breidablikk development in the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

The newly launched video series featuring speaker Bob Chin, the creator and editor of the OGF Savvy Separator Series of articles, provides a basic level of understanding of separator design and troubleshooting. The latest agreement between Wood and Equinor will begin January 2021. The contract follows recent agreements between the two companies for the Breidablikk development in the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Deloitte discusses the “great compression” of the oil and gas industry in which companies’ room to maneuver is restricted. How can the industry avoid a talent gap and stop an organizational challenge from becoming a precarious business problem? Forty-four percent of oil production and 30% of natural gas production remain shut in as operators return workers to offshore platforms.