Odfjell Technology on track to wrap up three-year campaign in Black Sea

Offshore operations, well services technology, and engineering solutions supplier Odfjell Technology (OTL) is on track to complete its three-year contract in the Black Sea with a Romanian energy company, Black Sea Oil & Gas (BSOG).

Odfjell Technology, a spinoff of Odfjell Drilling, revealed earlier during the week that it was about to close out work on a three-year drilling project with Black Sea Oil & Gas after delivering its entire product line offering during the life of the contract, including tubular running services (TRS), fishing and rental services.

The firm’s casing running tool technology solutions have already been implemented successfully in the Black Sea region where BSOG is actively developing conventional gas resources. The Romanian-based player is targeting offshore development of gas resources in line with the European Union’s Zero Emissions Goal by 2050, offering natural gas production as a transition fuel and providing infrastructure for the development of green energy projects.

Black Sea Oil & Gas’ portfolio includes the Midia Gas Development (MGD) project, which consists of onshore and offshore infrastructure and two gas production licenses at the Ana and Doina fields, located some 120 km offshore Romania. This project, which was sanctioned in February 2019, is the focus of the contract with Odfjell Technology.

Alexandru Gomoescu, Odfjell Technology Central Europe and Eastern Europe Regional Manager, remarked: “We are extremely pleased and proud to be part of the MGD project and the ongoing drilling campaign, where we have remained result-oriented and dedicated to safety.”

The company expects to complete the project on schedule despite significant operational challenges resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. The project started in 2021 and is anticipated to be completed this summer.   

“This project has not been without its challenges, but by working in partnership and being creative and flexible in our approach, we will deliver this milestone project without any delays and to the agreed schedule,” added Gomoescu.

Furthermore, Odfjell Technology informed that it had responded to several unforeseen challenges throughout the project, particularly in relation to Covid-19 and the impact on workforce mobilisation. The firm also adjusted its course to ensure it remained on schedule while its rotational schedules were adapted and – following a risk assessment carried out by the project team – the engineering pool was scaled up to meet project deadlines.

In addition, OTL advised that the repercussions of the current geopolitical situation in the Black Sea region were another serious challenge that needed to be addressed. The efforts undertaken to mitigate the effects of these challenges have resulted in minimal non-productive time (NPT), efficient execution, and on-time well delivery, based on the company’s statement.

Allan Gibson, BSOG Drilling Manager, commented: “We have been very impressed with the quality of service and equipment we received from Odfjell Technology. The company’s personnel have provided a safe, professional service while drilling the four Ana platform wells, and we look forward to continuing our close collaboration with Odfjell on the subsea Doina well.”