New Topsides, Platforms & Hulls conference meets growing industry demand

Engineering, design, construction, and installation of offshore production systems will continue to increase as the number of offshore installations increases worldwide.

Focusing specifically on this important technology sector,Offshore magazine has launched the Topsides, Platforms & Hulls Conference & Exhibition, the offshore industry’s only event dedicated to the technology associated with topsides, platforms, and hulls for both deep and shallow water.

The conference and exhibition will be held Feb. 1-3, 2011, at the Moody Gardens Hotel and Convention Center in Galveston, Texas.

The conference will feature a comprehensive technical program that covers the design, engineering, construction, transportation, installation, and modification of topside structures, platforms, and hulls.

In fitting with the conference theme of “Where It All Comes Together,” Topsides will feature three days of presentations covering technical issues, business challenges, and future trends, plus showcase an exhibition of products and services from dozens of key engineering firms, contractors, suppliers, and service providers.

Opening reception

The conference will begin at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 1, with an opening night networking reception in the exhibit hall. The reception is open to all delegates and exhibition attendees and presents an opportunity to join hundreds of colleagues and industry professionals and view the latest technology and innovation in topsides, platforms, and hulls.

Wednesday program

The opening plenary session begins Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 8:30 a.m. The featured keynote speaker is Rick McLeod, Vice President, Developments, Americas & West Africa, for Hess Corp. McLeod joined Hess in 2006 as vice president, Production Technology. He was appointed to his current position in 2007. Prior to joining Hess, McLeod worked on the Buzzard Development project with EnCana Corp. and later with Nexen Inc. He spent 21 years with Mobil, later ExxonMobil, in various engineering, advisory, and management roles, including projects in Canada, Russia, and Kazakhstan.

The opening session also will include remarks by James Britch, Sr. Facilities Engineering Advisor for Hess and Chairman of the Topsides Advisory Board. In addition, Roy Oelking, President, KBR Oil & Gas will present a special welcome address to delegates and exhibitors.

Session 1

The technical program for Wednesday continues with Session 1, Feasibility/Concept Selection at 10:15 a.m. It is chaired by Jose Vazquez, Bennett & Associates, and Riley Goldsmith, Goldsmith Engineering.

Scheduled presentations are:

• The Octabuoy Platform - Shallow & Deepwater Applications, Robert Shivers, ATP Corp.
• Magnolia Tension Leg Platform, Z. George Gu, ConocoPhillips.
• Hullform Selection for the Pony Project, Craig Edel, Hess Corp. 

Session 2

Session 2, Concept Definition/Detail Design, begins at 1:15 p.m. It is chaired by Gary Devlin, Cameron, and Murray Burns, Technip.

Scheduled presentations are:

• Topsides Concept Definition, a Petrobras View, Sergio Libera, Petrobras.
• Status Report - API RP 14C 8th Edition, William Taggart, Murphy Exploration & Production.
• Adapting CO2 Membranes for Offshore Topsides, Faudzi Mat Isa and Rick Peters, Petronas and Cameron. 

Session 3

Session 3, Fabrication, begins at 3:30 p.m. It is chaired by Carlos Mastrangelo, Petrobras and Bill Pender, McDermott.

Scheduled presentations are:

• Worldwide Capacity – Hulls & Structures; Shipyards & Capability, JP Chevriere, Transmar Consultants.
• Weight Control on Floating Production Installations, John Andrew Breuer, ABS.
• Fabrication, Petrobras Strategy, Giovani Nunes, Petrobras.

Wednesday concludes with a networking reception on the exhibition floor beginning at 5 p.m.

Thursday program

The technical program for Thursday continues with Session 4, Transportation/Installation, beginning at 8:30 a.m. It is chaired by Finlay Baxter, 2H Offshore, and George Gu, ConocoPhillips.

Scheduled presentations are:

• Tahiti, Charles Borland, Chevron.
• Murphy Kikeh Topsides Installation Using the Floatover Method, Monica Perez, Technip USA. 

Session 5

Session 5, Operations, begins at 10:30 a.m. It is chaired by Travis Cagney, Total, and William Taggart, Murphy E&P.

Scheduled presentations are:

• Start-up Commissioning, Trey Lambert, Deepwater Specialists Inc.
• On-Line Condition Monitoring of Fixed Equipment Using Permanently Installed NDE Sensors, John Nyholt, BP America.
• Anadarko’s GoM Floater Experience, Gary Mitchell, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. 

Session 6

Session 6, Decommissioning/Redeployment Panel begins at 1:15 p.m. and is chaired by Matt Immel, El Paso E&P, and James Britch, Hess Corp.

A panel of industry experts from the three industry players; Operator, Contractor, and Regulatory will provide overviews of their activities with a look forward to Gulf of Mexico deepwater abandonments. The panel discussion will include a lengthy Q&A period.

Panelists include:

Win Thornton, Manager, International Decommissioning, Upstream Business Unit, Chevron EMC; Jan-Willem Leussink, Heerema Marine Contractors; Nederland B.V., the Netherlands; and a regulatory participant to be named.

The technical conference concludes at 2:45 p.m. with the presentation of awards and chairman’s closing remarks.