Premier Oil Awards UK Asset Inspection Contract to GL Noble Denton

Premier Oil, the FTSE-250 oil and gas exploration and production company, has awarded a major asset integrity management contract to GL Noble Denton for the provision of asset integrity advice and inspection services across Premier Oil’s UK operated assets.

The multi-million pound deal will include inspection management, risk analysis, examination support and non-destructive testing to a range of production and processing facilities. The contract, which was awarded following a competitive tender, will be supported by a team of engineers based both at Premier Oil and GL Noble Denton’s Aberdeen offices. The project delivery team will include senior integrity, corrosion and structural engineers, project and planning engineers, offshore inspection engineers and technical assistants, with additional input from GL Noble Denton’s global Asset Integrity Management workforce.

GL Noble Denton’s services have been contracted at a time when asset integrity management is particularly important to North Sea oil and gas operators. It is crucial to mitigate risks from maturing assets by planning comprehensive inspections and developing robust strategies to address associated anomalies. GL Noble Denton has previously undertaken a number of structural services on the Balmoral floating production vessel (FPV), which lies 120 miles northeast of Aberdeen; however, the new commission represents a significant expansion to that previous work.

Mike Skitmore, Premier Oil’s UK Business Unit Manager, said: “Ageing assets pose specific technical challenges relating to risk management, performance and reliability. We were specifically looking to work with an engineering-led asset integrity management organisation in order to manage those challenges. GL Noble Denton has considerable engineering expertise and many years of asset integrity management experience in upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas, enabling it to deliver a holistic solution that meets our needs.”

Mike Pritchard, GL Noble Denton’s Vice President, Process and Integrity Services, said: “We are delighted to have been selected by Premier Oil to provide integrity management and inspection services to its assets in the North Sea. Operators need to continually manage their facilities’ risks if they are to safely optimise the value of their oil and gas assets. We aim to play a key role in supporting Premier Oil to manage those risks by providing a tailored range of services, including: developing integrity management strategies; optimising inspection and maintenance activities; delivering corrosion consultancy; and online condition monitoring.”