BP Asia President Quits For OMV Petrom CEO Job

BP’s Asia-Pacific President Christina Verchere is leaving to become head of Austrian energy group OMV AG's Romanian unit Petrom, ending a 20-year career at the British oil major.

She will take up her new position by May 21 at the latest, OMV said in a statement on Jan. 9.

Verchere, 46, will replace Mariana Gheorghe, who will leave after 12 years at Petrom and before her contract was due to end in April next year.

Verchere worked for BP in Britain and North America with a focus on E&P. She is currently based in Jakarta.

Subsea NE Appoints Heppenstall To Serve As New Chairman

Subsea North East has named Bruce Heppenstall as its new chairman, replacing Andrew Hodgson.

Heppenstall, who serves as CEO of BEL Valves and is the former general manager for the GE Oil & Gas’ Wellstream division, will be responsible for promoting the northeast sector globally while working with Subsea UK, according to a news release.

Hodgson, who has been chairman of Subsea North East since 2010, will continue serving as chairman of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.

Maria Hanssen Takes Over As CEO Of DEA Deutsche Erdoel

DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG has named Maria Moraeus Hanssen as its CEO and chair of the board of management, the company said.

Hanssen succeeds Thomas Rappuhn, who served over 12 years on the executive board and eight years as CEO of DEA.

According to DEA, Maria Moraeus Hanssen has extensive experience in the oil and gas industry. Prior to joining DEA, Hanssen was entrusted with the entire international E&P business of Engie SA.

Helix Appoints Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer

Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. has named Geoffrey Wagner as executive vice president and chief commercial officer, the company said.

Wagner has more than 15 years of experience in the energy industry. Prior to joining Helix, Wagner spent several years in executive leadership with Atwood Oceanics Inc. as vice president of strategic planning, technical services and supply chain, and of marketing and business development.

Wagner joined Atwood from Transocean Ltd., where he spent five years in various management positions with increasing responsibility, and prior to that, he worked with SeaRiver Maritime Inc., a subsidiary of ExxonMobil Corp.

Tanzania’s Swala Oil Plans To Buy Stake In Orca’s PAE

Tanzania’s Swala Oil and Gas will buy up to a 40% stake in Orca Exploration Group’s PAE PanAfrican Energy Corp. for $130 million, Swala said.

When completed, the deal will give Swala part ownership of PAE’s Tanzanian subsidiary, which holds E&P rights for natural gas in the Songo Songo Block, in partnership with the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corp.

Swala said the transaction will involve the issue of 16.3 million preferred shares, worth $16.3 million, to Orca, if shareholders approve. It also will take on PAE Tanzania’s debts worth another $24 million, Swala said. Funding for the deal was arranged by Exotix Capital, a London-based specialist frontier markets investment bank.

Subsea UK Unveils Finalists For 2018 Awards

Industry body Subsea UK has announced finalists for its 2018 business awards, which recognize innovation and success in the Britain’s subsea sector.

The awards dinner is set for Feb. 8 at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre during the Subsea Expo exhibition and conference.

Finalists for each category are

  • Company of the Year: Caley Ocean Systems, Tekmar Energy and JDR Cables;
  • Innovation & Technology Award: Hydratight, Swagelining and Maritime Developments;
  • New Enterprise Award: 1CSI Ltd., Rovco and Triton Marine & Engineering Consultants;
  • Best Small Company: AgileTek, Namaka and DiveSource;
  • Innovation for Safety: The Underwater Centre, Secc Oil & Gas and Maritime Developments;
  • Global Exports: Tekmar Energy, STATS Group and Maritime Developments; and
  • Young Emerging Talent: Arnold Grundy, Oceaneering; Robert Marshall, Shell UK; and Jingyi Wan, JDR Cable Systems.

The individual who has made the most outstanding contribution to the subsea sector will be announced during the awards dinner.

Ashtead Technology, Forum Energy Technologies Complete Joint Venture

Ashtead Technology has completed its joint venture with Forum Energy Technologies Inc., effective Jan. 3, according to a news release.

As part of the transaction, Forum Energy Technologies contributed its subsea rentals business, which traded as Forum Subsea Rentals.

“With a fleet of 19,000 assets valued in excess of $139 million, and the ability to service all major subsea hubs, we become a business of significant scale and enhanced capability that is well placed to support our customers’ project requirements,” Allan Pirie, CEO of the combined business, trading as Ashtead Technology, said in a new release.

C-Innovation Forms Subsea Projects Group

Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) affiliate C-Innovation LLC (C-I) has formed a Houston-based turnkey subsea projects group capable of providing a complete solution to its global customer base without sourcing outside the Chouest family worldwide, a news release said.

C-I’s project management team provides engineering support, procedure development and review, project execution and final reporting requirements. With access to ECO’s inventory of vessels, it provides greater flexibility in matching and scheduling of assets, delivering savings to the customer, C-I said in the release. The group of companies also includes Chouest’s port facilities, a logistics company, tank cleaning services, shipyards and drydocks, located throughout the U.S. Gulf Coast and Brazil. ROV capabilities of Louisiana-based C-I also provide a broad spectrum of support to subsea construction projects as well as drilling, intervention, maintenance and heavy-lift assignments, the release said.

Rowan Acquires Two Modern Jackup Rigs From Petrobras

Rowan Co. said on Jan. 5 that it has concluded the purchase of two LeTourneau Super 116E jackup rigs. The rigs, P-59 and P-60, were both delivered new into service in 2013 in a public auction from a subsidiary of Petrobras for $38.5 million per unit.

As reported on May 11, 2017, Rowan was the high bidder in a Petrobras public auction with a bid price of $30 million per rig. While the high bid was not accepted by Petrobras, after negotiations, both parties agreed to the revised price.

The company intends to mobilize these modern jackups to the Middle East from their current location in Brazil in late first-quarter 2018.

Rowan also said that it sold the Cecil Provine rig in November 2017 for scrap and has cold-stacked the Gorilla IV following the conclusion of its latest contract.

—Staff & Reuters Reports