From Houston (BN): Subsea Services Alliance - Helix Energy Solutions and OneSubsea - announced its first joint technology project to engineer and build a 15K INTERVENTION RISER system. It will be built at OneSubsea in Leeds, UK, and be available on a rental basis in mid-2017.

Helix also announced it has taken delivery of the Q5000 semi intervention vessel from Sembcorp Marine’s Jurong shipyard. Helix said it used a $250mn credit facility to make the final payment.

BP has handed Technip a contract for the design, engineering, fabrication, installation and pre-commissioning of the new production pipeline systems on the south side of the THUNDER HORSE (SEN 32/1) production drilling quarters unit in the GoM.

The current field development is located in 1,900m in Mississippi Canyon Blocks 778 and 822.

The project scope covers project management and engineering, coating, fabrication, installation and permanent anchoring of two rigid production flowlines of 3.25km each with four pipeline end terminations, pre-commissioning and testing.

Offshore installation is set for the second half of 2016 by Technip’s flagship vessel the Deep Blue, one of the world's largest ultra-deepwater pipelay and subsea construction vessels.

DELTA SUBSEA has booked the newbuild Olympic Delta multipurpose subsea support & construction vessel. The 94m long vessel has a maximum speed of 13 knots and is equipped with an 80t AHC crane with 2,000m of wire…Gallatin Marine has asked Tidewater Subsea to provide work class rov services on board the AMC Ambassador DP2 Jones Act vessel. The vessel is equipped with a 60t AHC knuckle boom crane and is currently providing IRM services primarily in the Gulf of Mexico.

Nexans has delivered one umbilical to the SNØHVIT (31/22) field in the Barents Sea off Norway as part of a €45mn contract with Statoil.

The Snøhvit activity will establish an additional well at a new CO2 injection template as well as prepare for gas production from existing templates.

The new umbilical, to be routed between an existing distribution unit to a new subsea template, is the third delivery in a portfolio of standardised umbilical deliveries awarded by Statoil in December 2012 for the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

Nexans’ specialised facility in Halden, Norway, has manufactured the new umbilical to Statoil’s new design. This has been developed to provide a consistent and cost-efficient solution for simplified or fast track projects, such as tie-ins to existing infrastructure, or other kinds of subsea oil and gas projects.

Installed at a water depth of approximately 300m, the Snøhvit umbilical features standard elements with minor adjustments.

From the North Sea (NT): The Norwegian government is putting up NOK30mn for research projects to develop petroleum technology for use in the Arctic. The funds, half from the oil and energy ministry and half from the foreign affairs ministry, is being offered under this year’s Demo2000 programme, with applications due in October and awards in December. Altogether the oil and energy ministry is providing NOK 55.5mn for Demo2000 projects this year.

SURF contractor Ceona has been awarded a new deepwater contract for work on Bennu Oil & Gas’s deepwater MIRAGE field in the GoM. This contract comes after a first contract was awarded and completed last year for operations on its Clipper deepwater field.

The agreement will see Ceona deploy its newest vessel, Amazon, to install a 3.8km flexible flowline and a 4.2km umbilical from the Mirage well, which is located in Mississippi Canyon 941.

Each will be tied-back to Bennu’s Titan production facility at a depth of 1,200m. Offshore work is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2015.

Saipem says it has received notice that SOUTH STREAM Transport BV is lifting a work suspension and that Saipem should begin installation activity on the offshore pipeline in the Black Sea.

Pipe integrity and engineering specialist FLEXLIFE has won over $6mn of contracts in the US Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea and Malaysia. Scope includes integrity management engineering, flexible riser annulus testing and ultrasonic scanning, subsea project management and engineering support…Separately, the company picked up another contract with Apache North Sea for work on the AVIAT (31/23) gas development in the Central North Sea, the Ness/Nevis tie-in and general subsea operations support for three years.

UK-based RED MARINE has developed a modular umbilical clamp system, made up of six purely mechanical elements, in conjunction with FMC Technologies. The clamp solution will be commissioned on board the deep water well intervention vessel, Island Performer, in the Gulf of Mexico and used as a key system element in Well Intervention Operations.

Wood Group Kenny has won a five year contract with OIL SPILL RESPONSE to provide maintenance support for a key part of a containment toolkit that would be used to control hydrocarbon release in the event of a subsea well control incident. WGK will work with OSRCL to ensure that the flexible flowlines included in the toolkit are continuously in a condition suitable for immediate load out if mobilised by subscribing oil and gas operators…Sister company Wood Group Mustang has completed engineering services for the two Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC) vessels that can be deployed in the event of a deepwater well control incident in the US Gulf of Mexico.

Proserv has wrapped up the first phase of a $40mn contract to provide SUBSEA CONTROL SYSTEMS for deepwater projects in Brazil.

The firm has delivered the initial three of nine control systems that will support drill pipe riser (DPR) intervention services at depths of 2,500m. The remaining six systems are expected to be delivered by the turn of the year.

Proserv’s DPR control system is the first of its kind for the offshore industry. The product incorporates deepwater electro-hydraulic installation and workover controls for supporting the manipulation of all subsea operations, the tubing hanger running tools and surface test trees.

Prysmian Group’s CABLE ENTERPRISE vessel is ready for operations after being upgraded from a moored cable laying barge into a DP2 cable laying barge able to manoeuvre with her own propulsion. The vessel’s first job in DP mode will be the supply and installation of submarine cables for a section of ExxonMobil’s existing offshore operations in the US.

Offshore Installation Services (OIS) will DECOMMISSION multiple wells in the North Sea for Centrica Energy. The initial campaign includes six subsea wells in the central North Sea, which will be abandoned using a diverless, vessel-based approach.

Planning and engineering are underway, and operations will take place this summer. The campaign will be conducted from the aht Island Valiant.

Because of the high degree of flexibility permitted with the rigless operations, OIS said it continues to engage with other North Sea operators interested in joining the campaign.

During phase one, the suspended well abandonment tool (SWAT) system from Acteon sister company, Claxton Engineering Services, will be deployed through the vessel’s moonpool to set cement plugs in the bore and across all the casing annuli.

The second phase will use an abrasive severance system for the cutting of the wells and sequential removal from the seabed. This will conclude the offshore operations.

Offshore