BOP RAM cavities surfaces are critical to proper operation and sealing of BOP Doors. Protecting these surfaces during servicing and storage can protect the drilling contractor’s investment and assure the BOP cavity a long life. The Subsea Company and its customers, have developed a simple and cost effective product to protect most BOP RAM cavity openings. This universal Ram Cavity Protection product is made from high density polyurethane and is held in place by high strength magnets. This same material can be fashioned to protect BOP bonnets, RAM blocks and many other metal components.

May 2015, a drilling contractor was advised by an OEM that the solution to a reoccurring equipment failure was going to cost 1.2 million dollars in new parts even after the OEM had lowered the price three times. The Subsea Company was able to provide parts exceeding the OEM specifications with tight quality control and databooks for less than $400,000 – saving the customer $800,000 on just one type of part.

During these current market conditions and the cost savings initiatives that all drilling contractors are facing, this sort of unexpected expenditure can be devastating to any operational budget. Having worked with The Subsea Company before, the drilling contractor requested we look at the problem and quote a viable solution. By listening to the drilling contractor and working closely with them, The Subsea Company learned there were also corrosion issues with this component and provided a solution that not only addressed the material deficiency but also provided a special coating to more effectively address corrosion.

If you are having any budgetary issues meeting your operational needs, safety or downtime issues, contact sales@thesubsea.com and tell us about your situation. You will be pleased with our responsiveness and solutions as we “Innovate Tomorrows Standards.”

For more information and to view our products/services, visit us at: www.thesubsea.com

When submerging any enclosure subsea, removal of entrained moisture in the form of water vapor is essential for equipment reliability and proper operation. The Vacuum Test Kit is specifically designed for the Subsea Engineer/Specialist to draw a vacuum on a single or two separate pieces of equipment and produce a chart paper record. One case contains the pump, hoses and manifold with vacuum gauge, the other two independent electronic chart recorders.

To learn how our Vacuum Test Kit can improve your efficiency, contact a Subsea Company representative today to arrange a demonstration.

Two ways actually!

#1 During riser deployment, attaching MUX clamps and assuring they are closed properly to hold the Hotline and MUX cable is potentially a hit and miss process. Often the MUX clamps are retrieved from a box, crate or rack and installed on the Riser as it is being deployed. The Retractable MUX from The Subsea Company is attached to the Riser with spring plunger pins to allow the clamp to be repositioned on the mount nose to be the retracted or extended position. (See video for clarification).

#2 When Mux clamps are left on Risers during storage and handling the clamps often swing open and get damaged. The Subsea retractable MUX clamp door cannot swing open when the clamp is in the retracted position.

All of The Subsea Company clamping solutions use our exclusive “Grit” design to assure maximum load holding of cables and hoses. Our standard is to design and proof test all clamping solutions to 1000 lbs working load with maximums of 2,000 lb. load. We have designed high strength umbilical clamps for 5,000 lb load.

Contact The Subsea Company today for more information.

Robust user friendly design assures fast safe and reliable testing

The Subsea Company Hotline Control Panel uses only name brand components and is engineered for a safe and reliable hydraulic testing. Our design is built for long-lasting durability and offers tremendous visual aids to make the process quick, easy and safe.

Hotline Control Panel

The Hotline Control Panel is designed to allow the user to test hydraulic components and systems utilizing available rig hydraulic sources up to 5,000 PSI. The rig’s hydraulic power unit (HPU) feeds the Hotline Control Panel providing fluid to three hydraulic circuits for testing second BOP stack, individual hydraulic components or systems. The low pressure regulated circuit can be adjusted from 300-1,600 PSI and the medium pressure regulated circuit is adjustable from 500-3,300 PSI. The unregulated circuit is at full supply pressure. Test pressures and available hydraulic source pressure are viewed on Subsea certified pressure gauges.

To learn how our Hotline Control Panel can improve your efficiency, contact a Subsea Company representative today to arrange a demonstration. http://thesubsea.com/

February 26, 2015 (Houston, TX) – The Subsea Company launches their innovative BOP Fluid Conditioning & Monitoring System. With several systems already in the field, customers are reporting much improved BOP fluid quality. Independent laboratory tests concluded the “system is effective at reducing the biological burden” in BOP Fluid samples provided.

BOP Fluid Conditioning & Monitoring System is primarily designed to improve fluid quality by reducing microbial activity with exposure to UV light, removing suspended particles and provides real-time data of BOP fluid pH and conductivity for event & trending analysis.

Blow Out Preventor(BOP) Fluid Conditioning and Monitoring System

Offshore Blow-Out Preventer (BOP) fluids are critical to the reliability and functioning of the BOP control system. These water based fluids and make-up water supply are normally tested by taking daily or weekly samples that are sent to a lab onshore. This periodic testing may completely miss or at best delay the corrective action of an event of poor quality fluid that has made its way to the BOP equipment. Aside from the improved fluid quality the continuous conditioning provides, The Subsea Co. monitoring equipment will capture anomalies in pH signaling changes in microbial growth and conductivity indications of dissolved solids. Analysis of this data and correlating it with known events and activity surrounding BOP fluid make-up, storage and use will assist the subsea engineer to eliminate the occasional incidents that cause poor BOP fluid quality thus reducing downtime and saving money.

Our customers can rely on our exclusive BOP Fluid Conditioning and Monitoring system to improve their BOP fluid quality and reliably capture data that will allow them to track fluid quality and improve their subsea BOP control system reliability.

To learn how our BOP Fluid Conditioning and Filtration system can improve your BOP fluid quality, contact a Subsea Company representative today to arrange a demonstration. http://thesubsea.com/

When offshore conditions are severe, the offshore industry needs reliable parts and working equipment coupled with the advanced technology to hold it all together. This month The Subsea Company announces another product launch with its new, specially formulated lubricants that will hold up in extreme offshore situations and provide superior anti-seize, wear & corrosion control properties. For over a decade, The Subsea Company (TSC) has been innovating solutions for Oil & Gas, Drilling and OEMs to help protect the environment and potentially reduce or eliminate equipment failure and unscheduled downtime.

The company’s lines of Lubricants are designed to help companies save time and money by offering tremendous protection and overcome typical wear, corrosion and galling issues common in the marine environment. Manufactured for the diverse array of operating conditions found in oil and gas exploration and production, Subsea’s lubricant collection ranges from Subsea Greases developed environmental sensitive, extreme pressure or high load applications to Subsea Anti-Seizes, for Riser Bolts, structural steel and stainless which seal, protect and eliminate galling.

Heavy Grind Subsea is a superior underwater grease due to its super tacky consistency that assures adhesion and sealing on wet surfaces and splash-zone for high load slow moving skid, bearing, gear and sprocket applications. It is compatible with most other lubricant formulas; however, best results are achieved by continuing use after the older lubricant has dissipated.

Another option for severe offshore applications is Subsea’s Extreme Pressure Corrosion Control Grease, which exhibits outstanding performance and is fortified with molybdenum disulfide to endure heavy loads and shock loading and contains no additives such as lead, antimony, zinc, barium, sulfur or phosphorous. This formula makes it more hygienically safe and environmentally friendly. Also, metal-free Subsea Anti-Seize products prevent electrolysis from occurring while sealing the entire contact surface from the environment assuring threads and fittings will never gall, no matter how tight you turn them.

“Our test results from extensive analysis confirm that our line of lubricants will hold up much better against the competition,” said Ron Haehn, Sales and Marketing Manager for The Subsea Company. “Subsea Lubricants provide unequaled performance for all types of mechanical and threaded connections found in offshore drilling and subsea environment.”

Subsea’s proprietary lubricant formulations combat corrosion, extreme pressure, heavy loads and offer seawater resistance resulting in unsurpassed performance. In addition to lubricants, this year The Subsea Company is launching certified pressure gauges and 16 variations of BOP Drifts into the market. For more information, please visit, www.thesubsea.com.

June 19, 2014 (Houston, TX) – The Subsea Company has been busy innovating tomorrow’s standards with a recent launch of 16 standard drifts, designed in accordance with API 16A, Third Edition. Many companies are using these drifts to satisfy API 53 requirements as a worst-case safe guard in order to meet compliance and improve overall performance. The Subsea Company, a leading manufacturer of subsea equipment solutions, engineered the new BOP Drift configurations to allow for quick and safe drifting of BOPs. Designed, tested and certified to withstand years of service in an offshore environment, these innovative configurations improve the overall safety for Drifting Blow Out Preventers.

The Subsea Company’s BOP Drifts help reduce potential downtime issues, thus saving oil & gas companies, OEMs and drilling contractors time & money. The Subsea Company’s Drift designs are manufactured with several different connection options and are engineered with “True Precision” balance to ensure optimal and reliable performance. Each drift is built around a perfectly concentric mandrel and has the ability to transfer mass load to the solid straight bar center shafts and lifting eyes. The pad-eye versions are pull tested at 4,500 lbs. while the drill pipe versions are tested at 15,000 lbs. Drift total weights vary from 320 lbs. to 1,285 lbs. depending on connection option and mandrel length. The precisely machined components are assembled and welded to create a rugged one-piece drift, built to stand up to the harsh conditions in an offshore environment.

Readily available, The Subsea Company has proven the willingness and ability to customize drifts per customer specification. The new product line of BOP Drifts is available for purchase with and without shipping containers for easy transport.

Typical reasons a BOP will not drift include: BOP is repaired or built out of spec, the rams do not fully open after closing and the annular does not open after testing. Failure can result in millions of dollars in losses.

“We wouldn’t be doing our job, if we simply put a Band-Aid® on a client’s current malfunction,” said Andy Cates, President of The Subsea Company. “We find the root cause of the trouble and create an improved standard in the industry. We certainly don’t want our clients to relive the same error again.”

For the last decade, The Subsea Company team has gone to great depths to develop new standards and long-term solutions to help prevent a crisis in subsea territory. In addition to BOP Drifts, The Subsea Company is launching an extended line of specially formulated lubricants and certified pressure gauges, vacuum test equipment and a BOP Fluid Conditioning and Filtration system to complement its custom Riser & MUX clamping solutions. The Subsea Company welcomes customer visits to the manufacturing plant located in Houston, Texas, where they can demonstrate the ingenuity of their product designs, rigorous testing and the ongoing compliance procedures.

At The Subsea Company, innovation comes standard. Since last year, the manufacturing company has been tweaking its already precise proprietary equipment and parts and ensuring that all Subsea Pressure Gauges are Subsea Certified. What does that mean to the consumer? Each gauge is individually calibrated, hydrostatically tested and certified for deep-water use.

Each Subsea Pressure Gauge has an advanced bourdon tube design and is manufactured for long-term, deep-water deployment. Subsea Gauges are designed to pass annual calibrations and recertification and in addition, the Zytel case provides superior corrosion and chemical resistance with a flexible structure that adds reliability to the internal breathing diaphragm for better depth compensation. The black face with white lettering on the gauge provides exceptional readability in low light conditions.

“Subsea gauges are precise in monitoring pressure and identifying problems, ultimately saving time and money,” said Ron Haehn, Sales & Marketing Manager for The Subsea Company. “Our gauges are accurate at any depth providing the user with reliable and precise pressure measurement readings.”

Rugged and designed to offer superior corrosion resistance, Subsea Pressure Gauges provide excellent subsea performance with high quality internal stainless materials that provide precise temperature and pressure compensation.

Another reason customers choose superior Subsea products is because the company performs rigorous testing and compliance standardization for each product and equipment that it manufactures.

The Subsea Company will be launching other innovative products, including an extended line of BOP Drifts and a full line of specially formulated lubricants. The manufacturing plant at The Subsea Company offers free tours to demonstrate the ingenuity of design, rigorous testing and the ongoing compliance procedures that are met prior to distribution.

“We haven’t opposed the rule, but we’ve asked for changes to make it more workable, and achieve emission reductions cost-effectively and safely while allowing oil and gas development to continue,” said Feldman during a conference call Thursday.

The proposed rule is scheduled to be finalized next week. API has not seen what the final rule will look like; Feldman did not rule out the possibility of API filing suit once the rule is finalized.

“We’re just asking that the cost effectiveness of the mandate is consistent with those imposed on other industries,” said Feldman.

API President and CEO Jack Gerard on Thursday sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson outlining API’s concerns over the rule. API has criticized the “one-size-fits-all approach” to regulating an industry varying in size, type and complexity of operations.

These concerns include the fact that the EPA has failed to account for whether enough equipment is available to allow companies to comply with the new standard quickly.

“This equipment is not produced on an assembly line, it must be carefully built in machine shops, which takes time,” Feldman noted. As a result, the proposed rule could result in net cost for the oil and gas industry rather than a cost benefit as EPA has claimed.

The oil and gas industry is already leading efforts to reduce emissions through the use of green completion technology where it is economically feasible to do so, Feldman commented.

“The technology and equipment being used to reduce emissions was created by the industry, not by the EPA or environmental critics of the oil and gas industry, and is already being implemented in many locations,” Feldman said.

The data EPA is using to write the proposed rule is inaccurate and incomplete in terms of the costs and benefits, said Sara Banaszak, chief economist and vice president for America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA).

EPA is under court order to pass the rule after the environmental organization Wild Earth Guardian brought suit against the EPA for falling behind on its schedule for updating rules. The proposed rule would greatly expand existing standards and would cover a much larger portion of the industry.

A joint survey is underway of API and America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) to determine the exact number of companies doing green completions with wells.

A smaller survey had been previously conducted; the results of this larger survey will be released imminently, said Sara Banaszak, ANGA chief economist and vice president.

“We see natural gas as a critical component to America’s energy supply, economic health and energy security,” Banaszak commented.

Source: Rigzone http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=116873

Samsung Heavy wins a $645 million order to build a DP3 drillship for ENSCO, however buried in the middle of the press release read:

“New features on ENSCO DS-8 include retractable thrusters, enhanced safety and environmental features…”

Wait…Retractable thrusters?!

I talked to ENSCO yesterday and they noted that this new feature was a Rolls-Royce design, and that by retracting the forward thrusters, it increased the efficiency of the vessel while in transit while also reducing the overall maintenance burden.

Most importantly however, this new feature will help to reduce down time.  At an average day rate of over a $500 thousand per day, any investment that can keep these rigs up and working longer is money well spent by the contractor and anyone who’s ever had to switch out a thruster knows that it’s not a snap of the fingers… it takes many costly hours and is, to be quite frank, a pain in the ass.

Besides having retractable thrusters, the ENSCO DS-8  has other unique features such as below-main-deck riser storage, triple fluid systems, offline conditioning capability and enhanced client and third-party facilities.

Storing upwards of 12,000 feet of 21″ heavy gauge steel riser on deck presents a significant vessel stability issue, not to mention all the associated drill pipe and casing.  Considering this rig may very well be destined for the arctic and the associated surface area of this pipe, this stability issue could be compounded significantly under ice-loading conditions.  Under these circumstances, storing the riser in a cargo hold below the main deck, is likely a smart move.

Consistent with the previous five Samsung ultra-deepwater drillships ordered since 2007, this new drillship is based on the proprietary Samsung GF12000 hull design measuring 755 feet in length and 125 feet in width. It will offer a payload in excess of 22,000 metric tons and a 1,250-ton hoisting system. The rig’s design and capabilities include numerous features that increase operating efficiency. Primary to these capabilities are enhanced and redundant offline tubular stand-building features and a 165-ton active heave compensating construction crane, allowing for the deployment of subsea production equipment without interference with ongoing drilling operations.

The rig, which will be initially outfitted for drilling in water depths of up to 10,000 feet, will be equipped with dynamic positioning in compliance with DPS-3 certification; six-5.5 megawatt thrusters for enhanced station-keeping; expanded drilling fluids capacity; a 15,000-psi subsea well control system with six rams, upgradable to seven rams and/or a second BOP stack; burner boom for well testing; and living quarters for up to 200 personnel.will be built to meet the demands of ultra-deepwater drilling in water depths of up to 12,000 feet and a total vertical drilling depth of 40,000 feet.

Ensco Chairman, President and CEO Dan Rabun said:

An ongoing trend of new deepwater oil and gas discoveries around the globe is creating a high demand for equipment capable of tapping those resources. Our track record of leading safety and deepwater performance increasingly makes us the driller of choice for operators working in complex offshore fields. Our high-grading strategy will ensure that we continue to be equipped to respond to rising customer demand.” The latest EnergyPoint industry survey rates Ensco first in total customer satisfaction among offshore drillers overall and specifically in safety, health and environment performance as well as in deepwater drilling.

This addition to our fleet is in keeping with our strategy of standardization, which streamlines construction, operations, inventory management, training, regulatory compliance, repairs and maintenance,” Mr. Rabun pointed out. “We are very pleased to continue our successful newbuild drillship program with Samsung.

Ensco’s three active DP3 drillships are currently contracted into 2016 in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and West Africa. A fourth, ENSCO DS-6, is undergoing pre-commissioning modifications in preparation for its first well assignment under a five-year contract with BP. ENSCO DS-7 is scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2013.

Source: gCaptain http://gcaptain.com/ensco-orders-drillship-retractable/?43981