UTEC secures Zohr contract win with Saipem

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UTEC secures Zohr contract win with Saipem

UTEC, a leading global survey company in subsea services group Acteon, has been awarded a contract with world leading subsea construction company Saipem to support its operations as part of the Zohr Field Development Project.

As the largest global operator of low logistics systems, UTEC will bring its experience in Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) to the project, which is expected to be one of the biggest gas field discoveries in the Mediterranean Sea, with an estimated 850 billion cubic metres (30 trillion cubic feet) of gas in place.

UTEC will work with Saipem in performing surface positioning on-board the Saipem operated barges, Bautino and Castoro 10, and associated Anchor Handling Vehicles (AHVs), while also providing trenching support, including trench monitoring services and as-trenched surveys utilising UTEC’s Teledyne Gavia AUVs in water depths ranging from 2.5m to 20m. The contract is expected to last around five months.

UTEC has been deploying AUV systems on a range of projects around the world since 2010 and, upon becoming part of the Acteon group, has become the single largest commercial user of the system with seven AUVs in their fleet.

Cory Goodyear, UTEC Business Unit Director, Europe and Africa, said: “The award of this significant contract underlines UTEC’s core values of performance and excellence by providing our clients with the ability to achieve more powerful results, while remaining focused on executing these projects safely and in a cost-effective manner.

“UTEC has built up a strong relationship with Saipem utilising AUV solutions in Africa, and we look forward to continuing our close working relationship to remain at the forefront of emerging technology and ensure that all of our customers continue to receive world-class service and solutions”.

Paul Smith, UTEC Global Director, Projects and Operations, added: “At a time when our industry is challenging conventional methods of survey, the use of low logistic AUVs is a great example of how our global clients can optimise their offshore operations and reduce costs to projects.

“By deploying AUVs from vessels already in field, Saipem has been able to eliminate the requirement for a dedicated survey vessel to support this phase of the project”.

About UTEC
UTEC, an Acteon company, is one of the world’s largest independent offshore and onshore survey companies providing a wide range of services including offshore positioning, construction support, geophysical (conventional, towed and AUV) surveys, measurement technology (dimensional control including laser scanning and modeling), metocean surveys and geotechnical (consultancy & sampling) services. UTEC has offices located around the world including: Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Norway, Singapore, Indonesia, UAE, UK, Ghana, Republic of Congo and USA.

About Acteon
Acteon provides a range of global subsea services from surveying, installation and asset integrity management through to decommissioning. Acteon’s companies are 2H Offshore, Aquatic, Claxton, Clarus Subsea Integrity, Conductor Installation Services (CIS), Core Grouting Services, InterAct, InterMoor, J2 Subsea, LDD, LM Handling, MENCK, Mirage Machines, Probe Oil Tools, Pulse Structural Monitoring, Seatronics, Subsea Riser Products (SRP), TEAM Energy Resources and UTEC Survey. Acteon’s companies share knowledge and experience to add value and create effective, tailored solutions for clients across four business segments: survey, monitoring and data; risers and moorings; seabed foundation technologies; and project support services.

More info: www.acteon.com

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.