Oil Spill Response Ltd (OSRL), Trendsetter Engineering and Halliburton announced the companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for integrated subsea well-capping response solutions. With the MOU, the companies will create a strategic alliance for oil and gas exploration and production companies globally, covering integrated solutions for preparedness and response associated with subsea well control activities.
The new agreement further enhances the policies and procedures previously established through the Global Industry Response Group (GIRG), and adopted by the Subsea Well Response Project (SWRP) consortium, by establishing an integrated, best-practice approach to managing subsea-well control incidents around the world.
Commenting on the announcement, OSRL’s Subsea Well Intervention Service Director, Matt Clements highlighted the memorandum’s strategic benefits to the industry: “We are delighted to be able to announce this agreement, formalizing our relationship with Trendsetter and Halliburton. This memorandum enables OSRL to better serve the evolving needs of our members and potential members, and establishes a comprehensive end-to-end best-practice solution for preparedness and response to a subsea well control incident, which includes access to operational and deployment support.”
Under the terms of the agreement, OSRL will retain responsibility for providing access, via membership, to an industry owned global capping and containment capability. OSRL will also continue to be responsible for ensuring that equipment related to the Subsea Well Intervention Service (SWIS) is properly maintained and response ready, as well as the mobilization of relevant equipment, including the physical handover of equipment to SWIS members. It will also continue to provide members with access to a full range of preparedness services including logistics planning, training and exercise delivery, including more traditional oil spill preparedness services.
Trendsetter, a highly-regarded specialist in subsea solutions, and Halliburton’s Boots and Coots well control division, an established global leader in well control planning and response, will provide access to trained and rapidly deployable response personnel and subject matter experts to support SWIS members at both strategic and tactical levels, in addition to supporting preparedness activities in a range of areas including source control, well control, relief well planning, and engineering through OSRL.
Additional Company Info
Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) is the largest international industry-funded cooperative. It exists to respond to oil spills wherever in the world they may occur, providing preparedness, response and intervention services. OSRL is wholly owned by most of the environmentally responsible oil and gas companies around the globe, and its membership represents the majority of the world’s oil production. It currently employs 300 people across nine locations around the world. In relation to subsea well services, OSRL owns, stores and maintains four capping stacks and two subsea incident response toolkits (SIRT), which are now strategically located at the following SWIS locations:
- Norway – 15K Capping Stack and SIRT
- Brazil – 15K Capping Stack and SIRT
- Singapore – 10K Capping Stack
- S. Africa – 10K Capping Stack
OSRL also owns, stores and maintains the containment toolkit to provide operators with a subsea flow-back option, which can be used in the event that a well flow cannot be stopped in a timely manner. This is stored in the following locations:
- United States – flow spools, FLETS, ancillary connectors, and swivels
- Singapore – flexible flowlines
- Norway – hose end valves, chemical delivery hardware, and flowline lifting tool
- Brazil – flexible flowlines
- United Kingdom – flexible flowlines, marine offloading hoses, transfer pumps, coolers and incinerator pumps
Oil and gas operations are commonly found in remote locations far from company headquarters. Now, it's possible to monitor pump operations, collate and analyze seismic data, and track employees around the world from almost anywhere. Whether employees are in the office or in the field, the internet and related applications enable a greater multidirectional flow of information – and control – than ever before.
