Bibby Offshore Merges With Rever Offshore

Bibby Offshore will merge with Rever Offshore, which includes subsidiaries CECON, a global subsea and offshore contractor, and two vessel companies called Cecon Excellence and Cecon Sovereign, Bibby said in a news release March 16.

“The combination of Bibby and CECON Contracting will create a larger and more robust offshore installation delivery business both in the North Sea and internationally, currently focused on the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions,” Bibby said. “Supported by strong ownership, the Bibby-Rever platform is well-positioned to deliver even greater service quality and efficiency for clients. The combined company will continue to evaluate growth opportunities in its core diving and subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines markets.”

Bibby added that the transaction is expected to close soon.

Laing Becomes New Director For NSRI

The National Subsea Research Initiative (NSRI) has named Tony Laing, a more than 35-year industry veteran, as its new director of research and market acceleration.

In the role NSRI said Laing will be “tasked with ensuring the U.K.’s subsea technology needs are understood and met within an increasingly diverse business environment and the associated complex innovation and funding landscape.”

According to a news release, Laing has been an independent consultant within the oil and gas industry since 2015. Before this he served as global director of integrated solutions at Schlumberger and OneSubsea, where he developed and delivered a new business model, integrating the field development offering of Schlumberger, Cameron and Framo Engineering. He also held positions at Marathon, Boreas (Atkins), Aker and smaller technology companies.

Axess Wins Subsea 7 Deal For SURF Projects

Axess Group has scooped an eight-year frame agreement renewal to its quality control services contract for Subsea 7’s new subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) projects.

Under the deal, Axess will provide all inspection services to ensure quality, safety and compliance with Subsea 7’s SURF equipment.

The work scope will include onsite inspections, review of procedures and certificates, nondestructive testing, material handling, welding and coating inspection.

Dril-Quip’s Jerry Brooks To Retire In March

Jerry M. Brooks will retire from his position as vice president of investor relations for Dril-Quip Inc., effective March 30, the company said.

Brooks, 66, began his tenure at Dril-Quip as chief accounting officer in February 1992 before becoming CFO in 1999. In 2007 he was named vice president of finance and CFO, Dril-Quip said in a news release. Brooks moved into his current role in March 2017.

“We are thankful for Jerry’s 26 years of financial leadership to the company and for his assistance in the transitioning of our finance department over the last year,” Dril-Quip CEO Blake DeBerry said. “Jerry was a key contributor to the company’s success over the years, and we wish him well in his retirement.”

McDermott, CB&I Form Executive Leadership Team

McDermott International Inc. and Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. NV have selected the executive leadership team and integrated organizational structure of the combined company.

Upon the close of the transaction, the combined company’s operations will be organized by four areas: North, Central and South America; Europe, Africa, Russia and the Caspian; the Middle East and North Africa; and the Asia-Pacific.

Under this new structure, the global executive leadership team will include David Dickson, president and CEO for McDermott; Stuart Spence, executive vice president and CFO for McDermott; Richard Heo, head of North, Central and South America; Tareq Kawash, head of Europe, Africa, Russia and the Caspian; Ian Prescott, head of Asia-Pacific; and Linh Austin, head of the Middle East and North Africa.

In addition, the following people will continue in their roles: Daniel McCarthy as head of technology, Brian McLaughlin as head of commercial, Jonathan Kennefick as head of project execution and delivery, John Freeman as head of legal, Gentry Brann as head of communications, and Tony Brown as head of integration for the combined company.

Scott Munro will become head of corporate, and Steve Allen will become head of human resources.

Kværner Names Karl-Petter Løken As CEO, President

Karl-Petter Løken has been appointed president and CEO of Kværner, the company said March 20.

Løken will start during the spring as soon as he has ended his current position as head of project development for the oil company Lundin Norway.

“He has a strong understanding of the industry, he knows Kværner also from the customer side, and he has a wide experience in developing teams for high performance,” said Leif-Arne Langøy, chairman of the board.

Since 1991 Løken has held key positions in the oil and gas industry for companies like Statoil, Aker Solutions and Lundin Norway.

“The company’s expertise, capacity and position are a strong base for continuing this systematic performance and for simultaneously developing the business further,” Løken said.

In February Kværner said its former president and CEO, Jan Arve Haugan, was leaving to take on a new position as manager for Aker Energy. Kværner’s executive vice president and CFO, Idar Eikrem, will continue as interim CEO until Løken takes on his position.

PTT Picks Technology Chief As Next CEO

Thailand’s PTT Plc said it had chosen Chansin Treenuchgron as the next CEO in place of Tevin Vongvanich, who will retire later this year.

Treenuchgron, 57, will take up the company’s helm on Aug. 31 after Vongvanich reaches the compulsory retirement age of 60. Treenuchgron will have a term of 20 months, PTT said in a statement. Thai state-owned enterprise law requires employees retire at the age of 60.

Treenuchgron, who joined PTT in 1982, is the company’s ​CTO and engineering officer. He also served as senior executive vice president for the company’s petrochemicals and refining business unit.

PTT Chairman Piyasvasti Amranand said the board unanimously voted for Treenuchgron’s appointment.

Treenuchgron’s expertise in technology is in line with the company’s plan of using disruptive technologies to seek new businesses, Amranand said in a statement.

Woodside Names New COO As Utsler Steps Down

Woodside has named Meg O’Neill to become the company’s COO in May as Mike Utsler will be leaving the company, Woodside said in a news release.

“Mike joined Woodside in December 2013 and over the past four and a half years has made a valuable contribution to both our Operations Division and the broader Woodside organization,” the company said.

Woodside added that O’Neill’s most recent role was vice president of Africa for ExxonMobil. O’Neill holds dual bachelor degrees in ocean engineering and chemical engineering and a master’s degree in ocean systems management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the release said.

M² Subsea Names New Sales, Marketing Director

Andrew Imrie has been named global sales and marketing director for M² Subsea, where he is expected to lead a push to grow the company’s offerings from its Aberdeen and Houston hubs.

Imrie joins M² Subsea from Ampelmann where he was commercial director. He has more than 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, according to a news release. Prior to this, he held several senior roles with Proserv, Amec, GE Oil & Gas and National Oilwell Varco.

He will be based at M² Subsea’s headquarters in Aberdeen.

BP America Names Susan Dio As President, Chairman

BP said on March 20 it has appointed Susan Dio as chairman and president of BP America Inc., BP’s chief representative in the U.S., effective May 1, 2018.

Dio succeeds John Mingé, who will move to chair a study by the National Petroleum Council into carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies and their potential deployment. He will retire from BP in March 2019.

Dio, a chemical engineer by training, has been the CEO of BP Shipping for the past three years, responsible for BP’s shipping business worldwide. Previously during her 33-year career with BP and heritage companies, she has held a series of senior commercial and operating roles in the U.S., U.K. and Australia.

Energean To Invest $1.6 Billion In Israeli Offshore Fields

Energean will invest $1.6 billion in its Karish and Tanin gas fields off the coast of Israel, the company said March 22, days after raising about $460 million on the London stock exchange.

Karish and Tanin have potential reserves of 68 Bcm (2.4 Tcf) of natural gas and 32.8 MMbbl of light oil and condensate.

Energean expects first gas from Karish in 2021. Tanin will be developed after Karish.

The company has signed gas supply agreements in Israel for about 4.2 Bcm (148 Bcf) of gas a year.

Energean is also positioning itself in the eastern Mediterranean with a newly built FPSO with capacity of 23 MMcm/d (800 MMcf/d) and liquids capacity of 800,000 bbl.

Chrysaor Buys Three North Sea Fields From Spirit Energy

Chrysaor, which bought a portfolio of Royal Dutch Shell assets in 2017, said on March 22 it would acquire stakes in three aging North Sea fields from Spirit Energy.

“The acquisition is part of Chrysaor’s strategy to prolong asset life, maximize recovery and deliver value from the U.K. North Sea,” CEO Phil Kirk said in a statement.

The company will soon begin surveys in preparation of drilling new wells in the fields, he said.

Private equity-backed Chrysaor will become the sole owner of the Armada, Maria and Seymour fields, it said. It expects the deal to close in second-half 2018. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

Spirit, an oil and gas joint venture created last year between Centrica and Bayerngas Norge, will retain costs linked to future decommissioning of the fields, Chrysaor said.

—Staff & Reuters Reports