Top Interviews of 2016

In 2016 Subsea World News team has conducted interviews with members of some of the biggest players in the industry to bring you their perspective on the low oil price environment, and what plans they have for the future.

During the 2016 we have seen a lot of workforce reductions due to oil and gas landscape being significantly reshaped, and subsea oilfield services providers shifting their focus to offshore renewables as the fear of climate change presses the industries to reduce CO2 emissions.

The companies such as Aquatic, a part of Acteon’s subsea services group of companies, and Ocean Installer, a young Norwegian subsea services player, revealed how they are adjusting to current oil & gas industry slowdown.

We also spoke to JDR, a subsea cables specialist, and ROV manufacturer Saab Seaeye about their projects and innovations.

The top interviews for the 2016 were:

Aquatic Aims at Forging Alliances in Subsea Services Arena

Aberdeen-based provider of flex-lay solutions for the subsea industry, Aquatic, is a company with more than 40 years experience in onshore and offshore installation projects.

Through the interview with the company’s managing director Martin Charles, Subsea World News used an opportunity to bring you closer to what Aquatic is all about.

“Our strategy is clear: we want to be the preferred partner and market leader throughout all regions in which we compete.

“We’ll do this in a number of ways. Firstly, by bolstering the teams worldwide, secondly by leveraging our relationships with our sister companies within the Acteon Group. And thirdly, by forming alliances across our supply chain.”

Ocean Installer ‘Casts Wider Net’ to Tackle The Downturn

Ocean Installer, a young Norwegian subsea services player, established in 2011, in response to changing structures and increasing demand in the subsea construction industry.

Subsea World News spoke with Steinar Riise, a CEO of Ocean Installer, with 19 years experience in the subsea sector.

“Ocean Installer was established in 2011 as a response to, what was then, a need for additional players in the subsea/SURF market. Our business model was to develop a lean and flexible contributor with highly experienced people and efficient vessels as the company’s prime assets.

“Our organisation is well set up for the activity level we expect for 2016 and 2017, and this allows us to focus on our core business, namely delivering in existing projects and securing future work.”

Hydroid Eyes Further Growth in Defense Market

The autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) market has grown over the last decade, and Hydroid’s REMUS vehicles have become the tool of choice for military and commercial markets worldwide.

Hydroid was established with aim to manufacture, support and further develop the REMUS AUV technology.

“The markets and applications continue to expand as well as the increased acceptance of the AUV as a trusted tool to accomplish missions previously conducted by manned platforms. We have continued to see steady growth with both our commercial and academic markets, but the largest growth has been and is expected to continue to be in the military applications,” said Hydroid’s president Duane Fotheringham.

JDR Prepares for Market Recovery

Subsea World News  spoke to JDR’s global sales director for oil and gas, Carl Pilmer, about the company’s views of current market situation and JDR’s plans for the future.

“One of the benefits I think of this downturn will be that cost will be normalized and reduced. I think it will be a long time before we see operating and field service costs as high as they were.

“Operators know that with the oil price as it is they will probably have another year to 18 months to drive down costs even further.

“We are ready to hit the market when it comes back. I think the way forward is for suppliers like JDR to actively focus on reducing cost and to give operators the confidence in cost-effective, expert solutions.“

Safety is Key Factor for UXO Disposal Ops

As the offshore energy industry expands it is important that developers take account of and address the risks of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the marine environment.

We spoke to Adrian Dann, a man who heads up James Fisher Subsea UXO services.

“We’ve got an excellent safety record and an excellent track record of delivery, where we can demonstrate our live disposals to an absolute number, all of which can be cross-referenced to the jobs that we’ve undertaken. We use first class ex-military operators who are at the top of their game, and as a team we maintain levels of training to ensure that all of the operators are up to speed.

“JF Subsea also has all the assets required to deliver an integrated solution from the initial survey to the identification and risk assessment.”

Saab Seaeye to Further Advance Technology in Industry 

Saab Seaeye manufactures electric powered remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems for a wide range of professional applications.

In an interview with Subsea World News, Jon Robertson, managing director of Saab Seaeye, told us more about the company and its future plans.

“Our humble beginnings 30 years ago had the advantage of placing us close to our customers from where we could understand and appreciate the harsh and demanding world in which they worked.

“Over the years, by continuing to work closely with our customers and build strong partnerships, we have built a reputation of trust and reliability throughout the industry.

“Our proudest achievement is building our worldwide reputation for trust and reliability and creating pioneering solutions that continue to advance and change the industry.”

Subsea World News Staff