Page 54: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Apr/May 2015)

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the cost of a vessel,

Thomson says.

However, “As a standalone business,

Subsea well intervention is at an early stage,” says Scotty Sparks,

Vice President,

Scotty Sparks

Commercial/Strategy,

Helix Energy Solutions. “Riserless intervention is quite well-established in the North Sea, and both riserless and riser-based intervention from a dedicated vessel is common in the Gulf of Mexico, but in other regions, well intervention is still predominantly performed from a rig at a much greater cost. If you consider the subsea tree count, however, Brazil and

Helix Energy Solutions’ operates the .Skandi Constructor Image from Helix Energy Solutions.

Africa are the high points and we see a adapted to be a subsea lubricator system. coiled tubing, many believe. “A num- strong business case for both riserless and

The same system, owned by Shell, can ber of service providers are looking riser-based operations in those areas.” also be used from a conventional rig into doing open water coiled tubing in

Integrated service oferings and was recently used in this way, this a safe manner,” Neumann says. But, it time with a riser, due to the need to used might not be that easy, he says, because Service companies have been working coiled tubing. established codes would be challenged hard to offer attractive packages. FTO

It is a market that is expected to grow. is when the tubing effectively becomes Services, an RLWI partnership between “Deepwater is an area a lot of people the riser. “I don’t see open water riserless FMC Technologies and ship owner/oper- speak about as a potential area for coiled tubing being operated in the next ator Edison Chouest Offshore, recently growth and I believe that’s the case as two years,” he says. relocated the upgraded RLWI vessel well,” Buchan says. “There will be more Island Performer, operated by Island

Global growth opportunities opportunities as we meet the technology Offshore to the Gulf of Mexico. [See more challenges and demonstrate the capabil- Even without expanding the RWLI on the Island Performer on page 26.] ity. But this needs to be built on frm envelope, operators, vendors and service Last year, Helix Energy Solutions, foundations and we need to make sure as providers see a growing RWLI market. OneSubsea, and Schlumberger formed an industry we are doing it correctly and Regions outside the Gulf of Mexico an alliance to focus on subsea well doing it right, the frst time, every time. and North Sea are showing increasing intervention, leveraging Helix’s growing interest in RWLI, but their take up could dedicated intervention vessel feet with

Coiled tubing be hindered by the availability of equip- OneSubsea’s equipment and technologies

There is also an aim to be able to pro- ment and/or the operators have yet to and Schlumberger’s downhole expertise. vide riserless coiled tubing interventions. use the technology and are a bit reluctant The alliance was offcially signed on 6

Although sand removal can be performed to be the frst in their region, Neumann January 2015.

using riserless systems, some wells, may says. “Our thinking was to create a full pack- require sand removal using coiled tubing “The industry has developed a wide age and to cover the full value chain. You and coiled tubing is currently unable to variety of downhole tools and has need the vessel, the access package and be run through riserless systems. increased the range and scope of what the in well services. Having the full pack-

BP has this issue in some UK North can be accomplished using riserless age minimizes the interfaces and number

Sea wells, for which it is looking for a systems. The challenge is to ensure of contract points with the client, as solution. “We would like to use riser- that operators are fully aware of these well as creating possibilities to optimize less coiled tubing but, while it has been recently developed capabilities. There the crew size and the equipment,” says talked about for a good few years, the are also the wells which have sand Henning Berg, OneSubsea. “Helix is the capability has not been developed yet,” ingress, which require coiled tubing leader in intervention vessels, OneSubsea

Thomson says. operations. has been making intervention packages

Island Offshore, working with Baker There’s also a “chicken and egg” sce- for the last 20 years and Schlumberger is

Hughes, last year used open water coil nario. Service operators will be unwill- the best in class for in-well services.” tubing drilling from the Island Performer ing to move their vessels into regions, Helix currently has fve well interven- on the Rogfast road tunnel connection such as West Africa or Brazil, if there’s tion vessels, from small intervention project outside Stavanger. The pair not enough work there for them. Island vessels up to a heavy duty semisubmers- drilled in the Boknafjord using coiled Offshore, for example, has capability to ible, and it is expanding its feet. This tubing without a riser from the monohull go to 1500m, but it would need a cam- year it will take delivery of the Q5000

Island Performer to collect rock samples paign to make it viable to move a vessel semisubmersible, next year two large from the seabed for the civils contractor. to say West Africa. In such circumstances, monohull units will be delivered to work

But, it is still early days for riserless operators need to work together to spread for Petrobras, and in 2017, the Q7000

April 2015 | OE oedigital.com 56 054_OE0415_Subsea_RWLI.indd 56 3/23/15 2:34 PM