From Australia (LB): MEO Australia has signed an agreement with Brooke Dockyard & Engineering Work Corporation which will see the pair bid on oil and gas exploration and development opportunities in Malaysia.

Under the agreement, MEO will provide technical assistance and opportunity evaluation assistance to Sarawak-based Brooke.

In return, Brooke will fund the evaluation activities and the exploration component of joint bids for successfully screened opportunities that satisfy the criteria of both companies.

For the initial opportunity to be considered under the agreement, Brooke will have a 75% participating interest and MEO 25%.

MEO will be free carried for evaluation activities and exploration of any captured opportunities. MEO said Brooke would bring strong local Malaysian content to MEO having access to local fabrication and construction capability, for both onshore and offshore facilities.

UNIQUE GROUP is looking to double its global subsea and offshore business by 2019 through capital investment, acquisitions and expansion into key markets.

With a current turnover in excess of $100mn, the company has restructured its worldwide organisation into five new business units.

The first expansion into new sectors is the launch of Unique Group’s range of technically advanced products for dive support vessels (DSVs), the result of three years of research and development and significant investment by the group.

The business has made three senior appointments to oversee the expansion in key growth areas. Within Unique Group, Mike Jessop has been promoted to global head of diving. The group has also recruited leading figures from within the industry: Andy Doggett, former manager of Teledyne CDL has been brought in to head up the new survey equipment division; and Steve McMillan, former head of diving at McDermott, has been appointed as global HSE & projects director.

TULLOW OIL has settled its capital gains tax (CGT) dispute with the government of Uganda and the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) with regard to its farm-downs to CNOOC and Total in 2012, Tullow said.

Following discussions with the Ugandan government and the URA, Tullow has agreed to pay $250mn in full and final settlement of its CGT liability. This sum comprises $142mn that Tullow paid in 2012 and $108mn to be paid in three equal instalments of $36mn.

The first of these was paid upon settlement and the remainder will be paid in 2016 and 2017.

J2 SUBSEA has opened a new subsea tooling facility at sister Acteon company, Seatronics’, subsea electronics location in Houston.

The new facility marks the next stage in J2 Subsea’s global expansion plan. North American customers can now access a comprehensive suite of subsea equipment for diver and rov applications.

GE OIL & GAS has officially opened its new Innovation Centre in Newcastle, UK.

The centre will focus on R&D activity for the next generation of flexible pipelines for ultra-deepwater, hpht reservoirs. It combines existing GE Oil & Gas testing equipment alongside new investments in a single site, enhancing the business’ already rigorous testing and qualification operations.

R&D teams are already involved in a number of projects at the centre, looking at extending the water depth capability of GE’s large bore risers, and qualifying a new polymer grade for hpht markets.

RED7MARINE, a service provider for offshore oil and gas, marine renewables, subsea engineering and marine civil engineering, has become another victim of the oil price crisis after going into administration, with 47 jobs lost.

Administrators from Ernst & Young (EY) have been appointed at Red7Marine Group Ltd, Red7Marine Ltd and Red7Marine Offshore Ltd.

This comes just a few months after the company boosted its subsea services by investment in diving support vessel Red7Alliance, followed by the expansion of its rov fleet with eight observation class rovs.

AKER SOLUTIONS’ Front End Spectrum unit and Baker Hughes' Reservoir Development Services group are teaming up to provide customers with development concept studies that address the entire value chain - from reservoir understanding and well design to subsea and topsides facilities, including flow assurance and risk management.

The new agreement comes after Aker Solutions and Baker Hughes in 2014 formed the Subsea Production Alliance to develop solutions that will boost output, increase recovery rates and reduce costs at subsea fields.

The IMCA (International Marine Contractors Association) is on the hunt for a ceo and a technical director.

Check the IMCA website at www.imca-int.com/vacancies for more details. Applications for both roles close on 6 July 2015.

IMCA is the international trade association representing companies and organisations engaged in delivering offshore, marine and underwater solutions, and has over a thousand members in more than 60 countries.

SEN would like to note the passing of Tony Cousins who had been battling cancer for some time.

Cousins was part of the four-man team, along with David Pridden, Bob Chambers and Graham Day, who formed Mentor Engineering Consultants in 1987 which engineered the subsea system for BP's Foinaven development, the UK's first deepwater project in the mid 90's.

He had earlier worked at Kongsberg Subsea Developments after having been at National Oilwell. Cousins later joined forces with Bob Eden of Capcis at The Rawwater Engineering Co which did early work on subsea raw water injection.

Lundin Petroleum’s board of directors has named Alex Schneiter as the company’s next president and CEO.

The decision followed Ashley Heppenstall's decision to step down from the position with the company. Heppenstall, who has served as president and CEO since 2002, will remain on the company’s board.

Schneiter has been executive vice president and COO of Lundin Petroleum since inception in 2001 and has in particular been instrumental in growing Lundin Petroleum's business in Norway over the last 11 years.

Nick Walker, who recently joined the company as senior vice president development and operations, will assume the role of COO. The changes will become effective from 1 October.

Norway’s 4Subsea has appointed Peter Jenkins, one of the founders of the company, as new ceo. He replaces Henning Christensen, also one of the founders.

4Subsea specialises in technology and solutions for production riser systems and subsea well systems, including monitoring solutions.

Offshore