the marine analyst Subsea 7 and Shell Offshore Select BMT Scientific Marine Services to Provide Monitoring Systems

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1 A part of BMT in Energy and Environment the marine analyst Subsea 7 and Shell Offshore Select BMT Scientific Marine Services to Provide Monitoring Systems In May 2011, Subsea 7 contracted BMT Scientific Marine Services (BMT) to provide to provide riser monitoring systems for two Hybrid Riser Towers (HRT) and one Single Hybrid Riser (SHR) for the CLOV Development Project offshore Angola operated by Total E&P Nigeria Limited. These systems will monitor the integrity of these risers by measuring the buoyancy uplift and bending fatigue, as well as each riser s motions and set-down due to lateral excursions. Each system will include the BMT Subsea Strain Sensor Assembly; subsea data acquisition, motion and depth modules; and a rack-mounted display with BMT s WinMon software for riser monitoring systems. Data transmission will be via a hard-wired link to the FPSO. The system will be designed for 21 years subsea. One month after the Subsea 7 work award, BMT was selected by Shell Offshore to provide a Marine Instrumentation System (MIS) to the Olympus TLP in the Mars B Development Project in the Gulf of Mexico. The MIS is a comprehensive computer-based system for acquiring, displaying and recording vessel, marine and environmental data for operators. It is comprised of interdependent subsystems and software A typical Riser Tower System spool ready for deployment. A similar system will be provided for the CLOV Development Project. applications, including Marine Instrumentation, a Tendon Instrumentation System (TIS), Ballast Monitoring, Topside Tank Level Monitoring, Human Machine Interface (HMI) displays and Historical Archive Software (HAS). These two projects reinforce BMT s track record of experience providing innovative monitoring systems on over 47 floating platforms around the world. For information on CLOV, please contact ryedwards@scimar.com. For information on Olympus, please contact tgaseor@scimar.com. BMT wins Service Agreement for Petrobras Cascade/Chinook FSHR. Read more on page 3. Read about our new CDC_Visual service for clients who use Client Data Center for IMMS data on page 6-7. Fall 2011 Issue

2 President s Message Thomas Johnson We are thrilled by recent developments in the Gulf of Mexico and West Africa. The deepwater offshore oil and gas industry appears to be boldly moving forward with project sanctions/starts. We have been the fortunate recipients of several monitoring system awards of late including: Shell Olympus Marine Instrumentation System Subsea 7 / Total CLOV Riser Monitoring System Petrobras America s Cascade Chinook 5-year service contract Environment and Facilities Monitoring System for the Chevron Jack & St. Malo semi-submersible Our Data Analysis and Consulting group has been hard at work developing new products to visualize the integrated marine monitoring system data that we manage for several fleets of platforms (Anadarko, BHP Billiton, BP, Chevron and others). They have also been experimenting with advanced techniques for global motion signal processing. In case you missed our OTC newsletter, we have opened a new office in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Craig Campman is our country manager stationed in Rio. Finally, we have added four new and capable staff in our Escondido office: Kevin A Hearn - Mechanical Engineering Manager with a background in Naval Architecture Alex Endlein - Mechanical Engineer / Naval Architect Jimmy Ng - Senior Data Analyst with a PhD in Ocean Engineering Mary Hinkley - a Designer/Drafter If you have any questions or comments on this article or the newsletter in general, please contact me at info@scimar.com. Upcoming Events BMT Scientific Marine Services will be exhibiting at the following upcoming conferences/events: MTS Houston BBQ Thrustmaster of Texas Houston, TX October 20, 2011 Visit us at Table #29 Oceanology International 2012 ExCeL London, UK March 13-15, 2012 Visit us at Booth #I120 OTC 2012 Reliant Center Houston, TX April 30-May 3, 2012 Visit us at Booth #2441-E 2

3 BMT Contracted in 5-Year Service Agreement for Petrobras Cascade/Chinook BMT Scientific Marine Services has been contracted by Petrobras America Inc., a subsidiary of Petrobras, to provide support maintenance and repair for the Cascade and Chinook Free Standing Hybrid Riser Tower (FSHR) Monitoring System. This agreement includes two years of operation to support maintenance and repair of the FSHR monitoring system, including equipment replacement, change-out of batteries, repair of equipment, preventative maintenance, equipment refurbishment, freight and transport. The monitoring system was originally supplied by BMT in It was designed to monitor the stabilizing uplift forces on five Riser Towers and record Riser, Turret Buoy and FPSO position, motion and mooring data. BMT Engineer prepares Free-Standing Hybrid Riser (FSHR) data acquisition modules to go subsea The BMT Service Team has provided service to platforms and vessels around the world that utilize our monitoring and control systems. We offer pro-active maintenance, unscheduled or emergency service trips, remote support, and both onsite and shorebased training. For more information on this project, contact pjohnson@scimar.com. BMT Applies for Patent for ROV-Serviceable Strain Sensor Assembly BMT Scientific Marine Services is now in the process of patenting its ROV-serviceable Subsea Strain Sensor Assembly (SSSA) technology. The company submitted application number (currently pending with the United States Patent and Trademark Office) to patent its special ROV tool and alignment cage which allows for individual sensors in an assembly to be serviced or replaced without using a diver. BMT s SSSA is used to monitor the structural integrity of subsea structures such as steel catenary risers, production risers, ROV Qualification Tank Testing of SSSA tendons, platform legs and braces. Previously, these sensors were limited to diver serviceability due to the finesse needed to handle them and the inability of an ROV to manipulate the standard nuts and bolts that hold the sensors to the pipe. With the ROV-serviceable technology, Integrity Managers and Platform Operators can avoid the costs and risks involved with diver operations to change out a failed sensor and will no longer have to rely on highly redundant systems. For more information on the ROV Serviceable SSSA, please contact bgallagher@scimar.com. 3

4 Successful Delivery of Riser Tension Monitoring System with ROV-Serviceable Strain Sensor Assembly In April 2011, BMT Scientific Marine Services completed Ex Works delivery of a Riser Tension Monitoring System (RTMS) for a major Oil Company operating in West Africa. The delivery included an RTMS for each of the two riser towers being installed. The RTMS will measure the uplift force imparted on the Top Riser Assembly (TRA) by the Buoyancy Can and the tension data will be transmitted to the platform via an acoustic modem link. BMT also provided the Topside processing and control system for the RTMS. For this project, BMT introduced its patent-pending ROV-serviceable Subsea Strain Sensor Assembly (SSSA). The SSSAs are initially installed onshore under zero load and in the unlikely event of a failure, the strain sensor is able to be replaced by an ROV. The first phase of the onshore installation took place in June 2011, where BMT test fit all equipment to the TRA and successfully completed the Site Integration Testing prior to load out of the TRAs for transport to West Africa. BMT will support further SIT activities onshore in West Africa as well as oversee the offshore installation and commissioning of the RTMSs, scheduled for the end of BMT Engineer Operating ROV Tool for ROV Serviceable SSSA RTMS Installed on TRA Please contact mkinney@scimar.com for more information about this project. Chevron U.S.A. Inc. Selects BMT for Jack St. Malo EFMS Chevron U.S.A. Inc. has awarded a contract to BMT Scientific Marine Services Inc (BMT) to provide an Environmental and Facilities Monitoring System (EFMS) for the Jack & St. Malo Floating Production Semi- Submersible (FPSS) in the Gulf of Mexico. The EFMS monitors, logs, and displays data in real-time on the local environment and facility motions. It archives the data for assessing the FPSS integrity over time and interfaces with the facility s other platform control systems. The EFMS is comprised of a computer console, topside and subsea remote sensor packages, BMT s proprietary data acquisition system, and custom HMI user display screens. The Jack & St. Malo EFMS features BMT s new RRRS deployment scheme for ADCPs which protects the instruments and allows data collection during severe storm events. BMT brings significant experience to this project, having previously provided EFMS systems on four other Chevron deepwater Gulf of Mexico projects. For more information on this project, contact rbarker@scimar.com. 4

5 Advanced Signal Processing Improves Global Motion Accuracy BMT Scientific Marine Services recently developed a global motion signal processing technique that improves the accuracy of our Integrated Marine Monitoring Systems (IMMS). Based on the Multiplicative Extended Kalman Filter (MEKF), the method combines data from onboard rotation rate sensors, accelerometers and GPS receivers into an optimal estimate of platform position and rotation. This represents a significant improvement over traditional methods and significantly reduces error in estimating platform rotation and position, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2. FIgure 1: Kalman data fusion improves rotation estimation FIgure 2: Kalman data fusion improves position estimation The significance of this advance is that accurate motion estimates are important elements in integrity monitoring of floating offshore platforms. In many cases these estimates are used not only in onboard advisory systems, but also as inputs to numerical models used for platform design validation. This enhanced motion processing method will be a standard addition to new IMMS systems and is also available as an upgrade to already installed BMT IMMS systems worldwide. For more information on this project, please contact kdelaney@scimar.com. BMT Presents at ADCPs in Action in San Diego Ronald Regnier presented on behalf of BMT Scientific Marine Services at the ADCPs in Action conference, hosted by Teledyne RD Instruments in San Diego on October 2-5, Ron s presentation, Optimizing Offshore Platform Based ADCPs through Numerical Modeling of Instrument Position and Orientation, described BMT s methodology for analyzing the juxtaposition of platform subsea structures and ADCP acoustic beam patterns. This allows BMT to determine optimum ADCP placement and orientation to minimize structural interference and maximize acoustic penetration. For more information on the conference and how to attend future sessions, please visit rdinstruments.com. For more information on this presentation, contact rregnier@scimar.com. 5

6 CDC_Visual: Interactive Trends Visualization for Marine Integrity Data BMT Scientific Marine Services is an industry leader in the management, analysis and reporting of full-scale real time floating offshore platform data acquired by custom engineered Integrated Marine Monitoring Systems (IMMS). Our goal is to provide a reliable, secure and quick turnover of information to our clients that depend on the measured data from BMT s IMMS. BMT has now launched a new Statistics Data Trend Visualization service, CDC_Visual, for our clients who already have their IMMS data stored on the BMT CDC_ Data server. CDC_Visual is offered as an individual subscription for interactive and secure access to client proprietary statistics data. This service combines the access to a platform-specific statistical data base that contains basic statistics based on measured or post processed time series data. In addition to the most current data, all historical data available on the CDC Data server can be visualized as well. CDC_Visual enables statistics data to be visualized using the BMT proprietary graphical user interface which interacts seamlessly with the database. The access to the statistics data is secure, transparent to users, easy and straightforward. Data Visualization Service can be securely accessed remotely and the program appears like it runs on a local computer. Before purchasing the first subscription, a trial version of the full service can be provided for a limited time. Typical CDC_Visual screens are shown in the figure below: CDC_Visual Screenshots (Article continued on page 7) 6

7 CDC_Visual (continued from page 6) There are two great and convenient features of CDC_Visual service: Statistical trends can be accessed any time for any available data set specifies by a user. Remote access does not require instalation of any additional software on the user computer, other than what is already available through MSWindows based operating system. The service relies on the RemoteApp a feature that is a part of the Windows Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). This feature enables accessing specific applications on the BMT servers that are enabled and only controlled by the BMT IT system administrator. Therefore, clients do not need to worry about software maintenance and updates. This is all done at the BMT side. Features that are included with the charts creation are cusomizable by the user: Line Type or Scatter Color for lines and points Chart axes can be re-scales. Charts can be easily copied to clipboard or saved in a variety of graphical formats for importing into a PowerPoint or Word document. The selected statistics trend data can be saved as CSV (Excel compatible) file for additional analyses. This service provides a significant addition to the existing BMT CDC Data services which hosts more than fifty existing BMT designed and installed IMMSs. The service is particularly useful to marine assurance personnel and top level management to be able to visualize trends for relevant IMMS data during or after a storm or other significant events. For more information on this service, please contact prislini@scimar.com. BMT to Participate in Brazil Oil & Gas Panel Craig Campman, Brazil Country Manager for BMT Scientific Marine Services, recently participated in a special panel hosted by the Energy Industries Council (EIC) South America. The forum, focusing on case studies, experience and expertise within the Brazilian Oil & Gas industry, took place at Sistema FIRJAN in Rio de Janeiro on October 7, Craig presented a brief overview detailing the use of BMT Scientific Marine s Subsea Strain Sensor Assembly (SSSA) to provide measurements during field installation and commissioning of production risers and riser towers. The evolution of the SSSA to its current ROV serviceable configuration was also mentioned. For more information on this forum and how to participate in or attend future sessions, please contact rio@the-eic.com. For more details on this presentation, please contact ccampman@scimar.com. 7

8 955 Borra Place, Suite 100 Escondido, CA This newsletter is printed on 100% recycled material. New to the BMT team... Kevin A Hearn Kevin A Hearn has joined BMT as the new Mechanical Engineering Manager/Project Manager. Kevin received both his Bachelor s and Master s degrees in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan. For the last two years, he has been the Senior Program Manager at L-3 Communications in Carlsbad. Prior to that, Kevin managed his own Engineering consulting business for six years. In addition, he has worked in various engineering positions for Imodco and Boeing. Alex Endlein Alex Endlein is a new Mechanical Engineer in our Marine Engineering Group. He earned his Master of Engineering in Naval Architecture / Marine Engineering from University College London in the UK, where he was awarded a BMT Bursary, and worked for BMT Designers and Planners and BMT SeaTech. Alex worked as an R&D Associate for Kodak Research Center, as well as an Industrial Engineer for Rolls-Royce in the UK. He was awarded the Cambridge ISMM Entrepreneurship Module Top Business Model Award, and the Cambridge Overseas Trust Bursary. Mary Hinkley Mary Hinkley recently joined as a Draftsperson for our Design/Drafting Group. She will support the team by creating drawings and updating them for various projects. Mary has worked at various CAD and Designer positions throughout San Diego for the last 20 years, and holds certifications in Electrical CADD and PRO-E. Jimmy Ng Jimmy Ng joins BMT as a new Senior Data Analyst for our Analysis & Consulting Group. He will assist the A&C team with reports for data management projects and will also help develop tools to increase the quality and reliability of A&C services. Jimmy received his Bachelor s and Master s Degrees and his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from National University in Singapore. He previously worked as a Research Engineer and Fellow for four years and speaks Mandarin and Malay.