Aker BP bolsters digitalization arsenal by streamlining brownfield asset management with help of digital twins

Norwegian oil and gas player Aker BP has expanded its collaboration with Aize, a digital twin software provider, by including a software-as-a-service (SaaS) agreement for all relevant facilities.

As part of the SaaS agreement, the two players will collaborate to facilitate implementation and adoption by targeted users, exploring ways to add value to their cooperation. Implementing Aize’s solutions for Aker BP’s topsides represents the continuation of the partnership between the two players which started in 2022. The upgraded contract aims to improve efficiency across projects and operations.

Jarle Skrebergene, Aize CEO, noted: “This is a significant milestone for our collaboration with Aker BP. Working closely with their experts has given us access to competence and experience that has been invaluable in developing our product. Expanding our agreement confirms how Aize is proving market fit nationally and internationally, and underlines Aker BP’s steadfast commitment to evolving their digital agenda.”

The duo’s combined development efforts are focused on two aspects. While the first one is all about developing a digital twin that aims to assist with the needs of current brownfield projects, the second supports the product’s development to suit the operational needs of Yggdrasil, said to be the biggest ongoing development on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). Global Energy Group recently won a contract to build 134 subsea spools for it.

Aize’s software has been used for platform visualization and collaboration at Yggdrasil, including for the field’s Skarv floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit. The software firm sees this as a milestone since it was Aker BP’s first brownfield facility to potentially benefit from Aize’s solutions. 

Thomas Hoff-Hansen, Aker BP’s CIO, said: “Adopting the SaaS model is the natural next step in strengthening the strategic partnership between Aker BP, Aize and Cognite. Today, we begin using a solution co-developed as a true partnership to generate value for our business. We will continue our fast-moving digitalisation journey and change how we work in the phases of projects and operations in our industry.”

The software allows Aker BP to visualize, monitor, and collaborate on asset models in 2D and 3D, improving collaboration between engineers internally, as well as between the firm and its partners. Meanwhile, it seems the Norwegian firm will have its hands full this autumn when the first steel structures for the topside at its Munin unmanned production platform, which started their journey from Aibel’s Thailand shipyard, are expected to reach its Norwegian yard.

The additional scope of work with Aker BP comes more than a year after BP extended the agreement with Aize to encompass all five of its North Sea oil and gas assets.