Significant Investment Drives BOE to Industry Forefront

Balmoral Offshore Engineering (BOE) says a dynamic bend stiffener on its OTC stand represents significant investment that has driven the company to the forefront of the industry for these deceivingly complex products.

Bend stiffeners are used globally to support flexible pipes and umbilicals at rigid topside or seabed connections. Balmoral’s OTC display sample was cut to 4m in length so that it could be accommodated on the stand.

Jim Milne, chairman and managing director, said on his 39th visit to OTC: “We have invested heavily in technology and infrastructure to produce the largest stiffeners in the world. Our added capacity allows us to produce stiffeners in excess of 15m in length and with root diameters greater than 2m.”

A key aspect of the BOE bend stiffener and restrictor development programme was to eliminate the significant health and safety issues associated with previous stiffener products.

Dr Bob Oram, Balmoral’s technical director said: “BOE has eliminated the use of aromatic amine materials and uses only ‘stripped’ prepolymers which are essentially free of volatile and toxic materials.

“Additionally, BOE bend stiffeners comply with Norwegian product regulations which ban the use of highly toxic mercury catalysts.”

Balmoral’s Americas activity

Meanwhile, Balmoral Offshore Engineering’s Houston office is “buzzing with activity” says Milne.

Balmoral Houston sales personnel Bob Haley and Paul Collins specialise in the drilling and SURF sectors respectively and provide support to the company’s local clients on exploration and production projects in the Gulf of Mexico.

In South America, site infrastructure work for the company’s Brazilian manufacturing facility in Vitoria has been completed.

When it comes on stream next year the new plant will provide Balmoral’s full range of products including drill riser buoyancy and elastomer products such as bend stiffeners, restrictors and cable protection.

International business development director, Jim Hamilton: “We are committed to cost effective technology-led solutions for the deepwater oil and gas sector and will be offering this as local content to the Brazilian market in 2014.”

Supported by Balmoral’s UK design and production teams, the company expects to employ up to 200 people in Brazil when the facility is complete.

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Press Release, May 10, 2013