Equinor to award $380 million worth of contracts for inspection services

Norwegian oil and gas giant Equinor has chosen suppliers for inspection services on all offshore installations on the Norwegian continental shelf and onshore plants in Norway.

The frame agreements are scheduled to be signed in a short time, Equinor said on Friday.

The agreements will be awarded to Aker Solutions, Axess, Oceaneering Asset Integrity, and IKM Operations, taking effect from January 1, 2020. The agreements have a fixed duration of six years plus two four-year options.

The total value, including options, is estimated at just above NOK 3.5 billion ($380.3M), where the scope will employ around 300-400 people per year.

“The agreements will ensure predictability for both Equinor and the suppliers. They form the basis for a strong long-term collaboration, allowing us to use new technologies, achieve continuous improvement and increase safety and value creation for all parties,” said Peggy Krantz-Underland, Equinor’s chief procurement officer (CPO).

Revealing weaknesses

According to Equinor, the main purpose of the inspection services is to keep all installations in good shape and prepare for safe, reliable and efficient operations.

The services will reveal weaknesses in oil and gas installations onshore and offshore to prevent serious damages, and several technologies are applied such as ultrasound, radiography and drone inspection, the company explained.

The agreements are designed to reward the suppliers for improvements in general and the use of new technology and digitalization specifically.

Kjetil Hove, Equinor’s senior vice president for Operations Technology, said: “We are already applying advanced ultrasound methods to reduce radiation from the use of radiography. These are advanced technologies that we expect to be even further developed. It is also exciting to see that drones are to mature from being a niche product to becoming standard deliveries within these services. This will benefit our installations, as we will have better methods for inspecting areas at height.”

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