Highlights of the Week

Subsea World News has put together a recap of the most interesting articles from the previous week (February 09 – February 15).

Swiss-based offshore company Allseas has announced that the largest vessel in the world ‘Pieter Schelte’ is being re-named to ‘Pioneering Spirit’.

The company already announced on Friday, it has made a decision to rename the vessel after fierce criticism. Edward Heerema has until last Friday refused to rename the ship but the company after all agreed to change the name, saying: “It has never been an intention to offend anyone.”

Norwegian offshore wind and oil & gas services player, Reef Subsea, has filed a bankruptcy petition to Bergen District Court despite company’s efforts to restructure and cut costs in order to stay afloat in today’s challenging market.

According to reports in the Norwegian press, Chairman Mel Fitzgerald said that the fierce competition is one of the main reasons why the company now goes to probate.

Saipem’s deepwater installation vessel Castorone has kicked off the deepwater pipelay of 889 kilometre-long gas export pipeline (GEP) for The INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project.

The vessel will lay the remaining 718 kilometre offshore section of the 42-inch diameter GEP following the successful completion in November 2014 of the 164 kilometre shallow water section by the SEMAC-1.

Neptune Marine Services, a provider of integrated inspection, repair and maintenance solutions, has announced an expansion of it’s ROV fleet, by adding two fully refurbished 150 HP TMRV systems.

According to the Neptune, the acquisition is a part of the company’s strategic ‘One Neptune’ growth plan and brings the total number of work class ROVs within Neptune’s fleet to 15.

Tough times in the oil industry have also started affecting the subsea sector as the oil service company FMC Technologies is reportedly reducing its company-wide headcount by 10 percent.

The Houston-based subsea specialist, which roughly employs 20,100 people in 17 countries, is next in line to axe jobs, following the recent announcements by the world’s four largest oil field service firms, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, Halliburton and Weatherford International