Osbit Ltd delivers multimillion-pound project

The Northumberland-based offshore engineering company has successfully completed and loaded out £3m worth of well intervention equipment to Helix Energy Solutions

Osbit Ltd has successfully completed and loaded out £3m worth of well intervention equipment to Helix Energy Solutions, for installation in Schiedam on Helix’s chartered Siem Helix 1 vessel.

The multi-million pound deliveries are a major milestone in a series of projects awarded to Northumberland-based Osbit Ltd last year, to supply around £11m worth of equipment for the Siem Helix 1, Siem Helix 2 and Q7000 vessels.

The equipment, weighing over 300t in total, consists of a BOP Maintenance and Storage Tower, Intervention Tension Frame and Moveable deck. The three systems will be installed on to Siem Helix 1, ahead of the vessel being deployed in Brazil on a long term well intervention services charter for Petrobras. A second suite of identical systems will follow later in the year for the Siem Helix 2 vessel.

The Maintenance Tower offers a safe environment to assemble and maintain subsea equipment, incorporating a 125-tonne capacity lifting system to enable progressive assembly of stack modules.

The Intervention Tension Frames (ITF) represents a significant advance in safety and operability of coiled tubing and wireline operations on the vessels. Developed in close collaboration with Helix, each ITF provides a safer working environment from which coiled tubing and wire line operations can be conducted. The ITF has three platform levels for personnel to safely and efficiently conduct operations using dedicated skidding systems.

Continuous safe access to the ITF is possible via telescopic gangway, also designed and built by Riding Mill-based Osbit Ltd. The gangway links the ITF to the Maintenance Tower and removes the need for engineers to use rope access methods to operate the well intervention systems mounted within the ITF.

The Moveable Deck, which will be installed adjacently to the Maintenance Tower, is a specialised mezzanine deck to provide an additional support and work area over the vessel’s moon pool.

Paul Shotton, Helix’s special projects manager commented: “We have worked with Osbit Ltd on multiple projects and they continue to impress us with their diligence and flexibility. Osbit is a supplier that listens to our requirements and translates them into practical, high quality and cost-effective results, time and time again.”

Dr Tony Trapp, executive chairman of Osbit Ltd, said: “The design and build of these complex systems demonstrates Helix’s confidence in us to deliver safe, innovative, integrated equipment packages to meet their strict schedules and budgets.

“The extensive experience of our skilled engineers and commitment to delivering On Spec, to Budget and In Time has allowed us to develop a strong relationship with Helix and to secure multiple large projects for the company which support our growing presence in the international offshore industry.”