Subsea cutting under ultra-high pressure

James Fisher Offshore (JFO) teams are working on a suite of high-profile oil and gas decommissioning contracts worldwide, secured thanks to the regional location of expertise and equipment. With JFO facilities in Malaysia, Dubai, Houston and Mexico, the powerful and effective ultra-high-pressure abrasive water jet cutting (AWJC) system can be brought into action at short notice.  

This is enabling JFO to contribute to the Oil and Gas Authority’s target of 35 percent cost savings for customers across all decommissioning projects. 

Major decommissioning projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UK have been ongoing throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and the team recently completed work on projects in Malaysia and Thailand.  

In the Persian Gulf, JFO has just completed on a high-assurance pipeline and jacket removal project. The company minimised costs and lead times by operating from its facility in Dubai – which provides customers in the Middle East with a responsive source of regional support. JFO also mobilised to Thailand, Malaysia and the central North Sea (UKCS) to begin a host of complex projects, ranging from well severance to platform pile severance.  

Looking to replicate its success in the Middle East, the company invested in permanent facilities for each region, ensuring that a local team is always on-hand to communicate with customers throughout all stages of project delivery.  

‘We have been building and staffing facilities in key areas over the last few years, and have now created a strong reputation for being able to move equipment and expertise quickly and cost effectively between locations,’

says Jack Davidson, managing director of JFO. 

‘Having invested heavily in developing our operations, we are pleased to see that majors and top-tier contractors across the industry are turning to our innovative methods and worldwide support network for their projects. As we continue to grow, we remain committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of our employees and customers during this difficult time,’

Jack adds.  

By collaborating with customers and operators, JFO also recently adapted its approach in response to COVID-19, enabling its field engineers to complete work effectively while adhering to social distancing measures. The company also frequently monitors local guidelines to ensure that a safe working environment is maintained at all times throughout its operations.  

As the company expands its worldwide decommissioning capabilities, JFO continuously looks to adopt new facilities, technologies and methods to meet the industry’s global needs, taking into account the operational challenges of COVID-19.  

UK 

In the UK, JFO teams have been working in the Viking field off the Lincolnshire coast performing critical path well severance in water depths of 70-100ft. The contract forms part of a field decommissioning project for subsea construction company, Rever Offshore.  

JFO’s market leading AWJC system and expert offshore team used the Rever Topaz dive support vessel to remove 30 multi-string conductors sitting proud of the seabed, to a depth of three metres below seabed level. Additionally, the team were asked to sever large piles in order to facilitate the removal of two large subsea structures. 

‘This is the first well severance scope we have been asked to complete for Rever Offshore,’

says JFO project manager, Keith Burnett,

‘and it comes on the back of existing decommissioning work we have been successfully completing for this customer for some time.’ 

This contract was awarded after JFO successfully demonstrated its ability to cut multi-sting conductors in one pass, in particularly fast times. The team was able to provide real-time cut verification, which provided both confidence and cost efficiencies to Rever Offshore and its customer. 

Malaysia and Thailand 

The JFO team in the Far East has just completed an oil well severance contract at the Sepat field 200km off Kuala Terengganu on the Malaysian peninsular. The contract, with a high-profile operator, was won on the back of a live video streaming exercise during which the JFO team was able to demonstrate the superior cutting prowess of the AWJC system. The challenge was to cut a 36-inch conductor plus casings at six metres below the mudline, and the team carried out two successful trial cuts.  

The job, which was successfully completed in mid-September, represented a world first for a cut of this kind, using this method. The conductor was then retrieved in sections using JFO cutting tools and drill and pin tooling for lifting. 

The same live video streaming technique was used to secure a second contract for a contractor in Thailand, and the team has just finished removing and transporting seven rig jackets there, transporting them to reefing sites. 

The team provided a full back deck of cutting and recovery equipment and offshore personnel team to perform all of the cutting subsea for this job which ran from July to September 2020. 

Saudi Arabia 

JFO was able to create immediate cost and time savings for its customer at Safanya, one of the world’s largest oil fields in the Middle East, by mobilising from its base in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

‘The great advantage of the AWJC is its speed,’

says Regional Manager for the Middle East at JFO Ross Anderson,

‘The unique airflow of the JFO cutting system negates the need to de-water, minimising the equipment requirement and delivering a 60% reduction in overall cutting time. 

The team can cut four jacket legs with an average cut time of 42 minutes per jacket leg.’