ASCO, one of the world’s leading oil and gas service companies, has played host to the launch of cutting edge well capping equipment that can be deployed in the event of a subsea well control incident in Europe.
On Friday (15 March 2013) around 200 guests assembled at ASCO’s Tananger base in Stavanger, Norway for the launch event. The event was attended by Ola Borten Moe , Norway’s Minister for Petroleum and Energy.
ASCO’s Norway business will provide the storage facilities for the equipment and provide logistics support wherever the equipment has to be deployed in the event of an emergency, in Europe.
Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) will provide the emergency response service in addition to its other oil spill response and preparedness services to the international oil and gas industry.
The Subsea Well Intervention Service (SWIS) is the culmination of unprecedented industry collaboration. In 2011, nine international oil and gas companies formed the Subsea Well Response Project (SWRP), pooling resources to develop equipment that could enhance subsea well control capability. OSRL collaborated with them to construct this equipment for the benefit of the wider industry.
Robert Limb , Chief Executive of OSRL said, “This equipment helps our members prepare for, and handle, potential subsea well control incidents on a global scale. The launch in Norway is the first step in a global programme that will ensure a response capability that has never been provided before”.
Runar Hatletvedt , ASCO Norway Managing Director said, “It is a great honour for us to be involved in this development. There has been tremendous collaboration throughout the industry and supply chain to bring this project to fruition”.
Keith Lewis , Project Manager, Subsea Well Response Project said, “Incident prevention is the oil and gas industry’s number one priority, but we can never be complacent. The delivery today of world-class intervention equipment is a major milestone for technical capping capabilities, but also for industry collaboration”.
OSRL will also have equipment stored in three other international locations –Brazil, South Africa and Singapore – and maintained ready for immediate mobilisation and onward transportation by sea and/or air.
[mappress] Press Release, March 21, 2013; Image: OSRL