Extensive conference program for delegates

With technical sessions, master classes for young professionals, C-level panels, and several side events, Offshore Energy 2014 and the co-located Offshore WIND conference offers an extensive conference program to delegates. These delegates can expect to hear about the latest solutions in offshore E&P activities, maritime developments and renewable energy.

 The Future Is in the Water

The conference theme for this year is “The Future Is in the Water”, hinting at the increasing shift to offshore as the locus of E&P activities. The recurring technical session on North Sea exploration and production this year focuses on the changing playing field. As ‘big oil’ is retreating from the North Sea, more room is becoming available for smaller, independent E&P companies. During this session experts from the University of Aberdeen Business School, Hansa Hydrocarbons, EBN and others will discuss what is being spent this year on drilling, how new players expect to deliver value and what governments of countries bordering the North Sea do to establish an attractive E&P climate.

The conference also addresses one of the most topical developments this year – the Mexican petroleum industry reform. This session discusses the business opportunities ensuing from the reforms, the potential implications and risks associated with the reforms with a specific focus on tax related developments.

Maintenance and permanent well abandonment

Relevant to both the North Sea and other offshore producing regions are the sessions on offshore maintenance services and on permanent well abandonment. Many offshore platforms in use today are exceeding their intended lifespan, leading to challenges for operators to keep the equipment running. In this session John Alkemade, Director EMEA at Asset Performance Networks, Johan Ferket, Stork Technical Services and Harm-Jan Smit, Stork Technical Services representing AJS will, among other things, discuss offshore turnaround practices, asset related risks management, asset performance improvement and asset life extension and cover changes in regulations, in particular related to the offshore safety directive.

When the productive life of a field has definitely come to an end, a different process kicks in. Governments and regulatory agencies are informing the offshore oil and gas industry that unproductive wells must be adequately sealed to prevent potential environmental threats. In the North Sea area alone over 1,000 wells will have to be abandoned. The session “permanent well abandonment”, organized in cooperation with the Netherlands Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Association (NOGEPA) and joined by specialists from Schlumberger and Total E&P Netherlands, looks at the regulatory framework for abandonment as well as at cost effective technical solutions.

Subsea processing

Offshore Energy stays on top of new developments and with the session on subsea processing the conference addresses a key innovative area. Subsea processing provides an alternative to production equipment located on a fixed or floating platform. Experts from FMC Technologies, Aker Solutions and ExxonMobil, frontrunners in subsea processing, will present the viability of subsea processing for both green fields and brown fields. This session will discuss the latest developments in subsea processing solutions including water removal and re-injection or disposal, boosting, gas separation and gas compression.

Offshore Vessels

Together with the Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners, Offshore Energy will feature a session on the rules and regulations for offshore service vessels. There are no clear rules for offshore service vessels. This session, moderated by Bureau Veritas, will discuss how national governments are trying to fill the regulatory gaps and how possible new regulations are being discussed within IMO.

Offshore Energy again offers a session on new offshore vessels, this year in cooperation with the Port of Rotterdam. Roland van Assche, Director Bulk Cargo & Shipping will chair the session, which presents the latest in offshore ship concepts, design and construction. Among the speakers are Edward Heerema, founder of Allseas, who will present an update on the Pieter Schelte. GustoMSC’s design manager, Sjoerd Hendriks, will give an update on the Magellan. Maurizio Collu, lecturer at Cranfield University, will present a new concept of aerodynamically alleviated marine vehicles or AAMVs.

Renewable energy

Offshore Energy pays attention to all forms of offshore energy, including renewable. One of the technical sessions will offer a quick scan of developments in marine renewable energy. Delegates can expect to hear about the latest inventions in wave, tidal and ocean thermal energy in both tropical and temperate zones. The co-located Offshore WIND Installation and Maintenance Conference addresses the technical, operational, commercial and managerial challenges associated with future industry growth. Already in its fifth year the conference offers an overview of wind farm developments, presents innovations in wind farm installation and maintenance and discusses the challenges of grid integration.

C-level panels and Master Classes

In three C-level panels captains of industry address strategic industry issues including a strategic discussion on the industry’s future, offshore and finance, and workforce segmentation, planning and management.

Four Master Classes bring together masters and young talents in the offshore oil, gas and energy industry for an informal exchange of ideas and experiences, both technical and non-technical.

For the full program go to www.offshore-energy.biz/conference