SUBSEA PRESSURE CONTROLS: Strong New Base for Aberdeen Engineering Aces

Riding a 20-year wave of success after formation in Singapore in 2002, Subsea Pressure Controls has opened the taps in Aberdeen as its global growth story continues.

Established as a provider to operators and contractors in the offshore oil and gas market, the company has a strong and proven brand in Southeast Asia, working alongside some of the world’s majors on significant projects.

Subsea Pressure Controls specialises in the repair, refurbishment, manufacture, and sale of drilling and well control equipment, as well as related industry activities.

Today, the goal for this technical and innovative business is to grow its presence with existing clients while supporting an energy transition. Able to work across oil and gas, decommissioning, renewables, and maritime, Subsea Pressure Controls boasts experience like few others.

In January 2022, the business moved into its new in Aberdeen, where the river Dee spills into the North Sea, alongside some of the industry powerhouses that have made Aberdeen home.

Director, Ketih Skinner tells Energy Focus that even with roots in Singapore, this is a very Scottish business that empowers people to operate efficiently.

“We are three years old in the UK market” he says, “but we have been in business for around 20 years in Singapore where the owner – an Aberdeen local – created the company operating across Singapore and Australia. That is a unique story, to come back to Aberdeen and create a new arm of the business. Usually, companies start here and move abroad.”

Industry analysis suggests that while there has been a dip in production in Southeast Asia, realised over the past two years, expected to continue for the next decade, there has been an increase in decommissioning activity. This has forced organisations to be creative and efficient, reimaging areas of operation with cost pressure and productivity in mind.

Subsea Pressure Controls has delivered this mentality, encouraging inventive thinking.

“We are taking cultures and techniques that have been used overseas in the Southeast Asian market, bringing them back to Aberdeen, and rejuvenating what Aberdeen requires. It has been stagnant here for some time until everyone started talking about getting rid of oil rigs and putting up wind towers,” says Keith.

Neil Fentie, Managing Director comments: “It’s all about people – people are the most important part of this energy transition. We are bringing a different culture and way of working to the table and getting straight to business. We streamline and get things done efficiently which works very well right now where things need to be done quickly – we have been used to very slow processes here in the energy sector.”

Progress has been quick, growing from a minimal operation to 15 people servicing multiple contracts in just three years. The new facility could house up to 40 employees, leaving plenty of room for expansion. Building on the brand developed in Singapore, the company is targeting the growth of a sustainable and respected local business.

“We are putting a lot of new things into place in our new facility, and we are also going through a phase which will ensure we have all our accreditations in the UK – that is very important for us. The goal is to build a foundation that is really strong, but also adaptable and long-lasting,” he says.

When the company moved into its new Torry home at 142 Sinclair Road, Orchard Towers, it installed all recycled and upcycled furniture and fittings, trying to drive a circular economy ethos within the building and across the facility which has office capacity of 620 m², 700 m² covered warehouses, and 3000 m² secure yard storage and parking.  

UNLIKE ANY OTHER

Currently, Subsea Pressure Controls is innovating its product range and developing brand new solutions that will impact work on the ground (or seabed). The 200-te wellhead retrieval clamp, for which the company is well-known in the Southeast Asia, has been marketed from the Aberdeen office – manufactured in the UK to ISO 9001:2015 certification – allowing for effective decommissioning campaigns.

Already, this product has been used continuously on wells in the Gulf of Thailand and is proven on wellhead sizes ranging from 16-3/4″, and 18-3/4″. Recent improvements see the wellhead retrieval clamp able to accommodate Vetco H4 and Cameron wellhead profiles, and boasting diverless operation. The company describes this product as “unlike any other”.

“We encountered a challenge off the coast of Thailand in the decommissioning phase where the wells are constructed of various casings which go from around 30 inch down to around seven at various stages in the well. There are cement and mechanical plugs so that no product can reach the surface while the well head is pulled. The challenge comes in the annulus which still contains some hydrocarbon products within. We have developed a tool that can hot tap from the 30 inch all the way to the seven inch, with the ability to seal each annulus as you go. We are hot tapping, sealing the annulus, and that means the well is completely secured internally and externally, and we can cut the casing and retrieved.”

The company also recently collaborated on the development of a specialised Multi String Hot Tapping tool combined with a lock down tool to help keep the seal assembly in place while performing hot tapping operations. Combined with the Subsea Pressure Controls Wellhead Protection Frame, Containment Cap, and ROV Interface Panels, this is a business that has a deep understanding of the industry but has the ability to diversify so that clients can improve working practices.

A new mobile workshop has been developed to provide services to vessels or facilities anywhere in the UK, performing pressure testing up to 15,000psi. These mobile workshops are completely self-contained and do not require any connection, while also being able to live stream operations, removing the need for onsite attendance. Inhouse technicians can provide bolt torquing to industry standards, hydraulic hose manufacturing, wire rope inspection, re-lubrication services, completing equipment recertification or preservation requirements – all tailored to customer’s needs. Benefits include positive impact on safety, time, and budget; and reduced downtime and carbon footprint.

“The diversity of the company in general is a great offering that we can give to the sector,” states Keith.

“Our ability and variety to move the expertise and competency of our teams from oil and gas – which is up there with anyone else in the sector – and see further afield, into the transition, through decommissioning phases, and returning the seabed to a natural state is where we play a big role.”

TRANSITION?

As the landscape across many offshore regions changes – and rigs are replaced with wind towers, floating solar, wave generation, and hydrogen piping – Subsea Pressure Controls has a product range to take part in the important energy transition.

From sale and rental of pressure control equipment through to the support of competent personnel, Subsea Pressure Controls can also provide specialist manufacturing services, working hand-in-hand with clients. As true engineering experts on the seabed, an agile approach to business is at the heart of this exciting company.

“In the long-term, the infrastructure that is needed within the hydrogen market is going to need subsea expertise in manifolds – not only offshore but also onshore – and that is something we are geared up for with mobile solution units. These are two big units that can go anywhere in the UK and be self-sufficient,” explains Keith.

Another part of the company’s growth strategy will see a renewed focus on quality manufacturing – something which the company believes is vital to the transition.

“We have engineering and design teams within the organisation that are developing a brand new, very attractive clamp for decommissioning wellheads. It’s not a one-size-fits-all but it is close to that.

“Our engineering team has knowledge in additive manufacturing and we feel that the energy sector is lacking with that compared to aerospace, nuclear, or other areas. At present we feel oil and gas, and wind and tidal are slightly behind with this and it needs to be improved.”

VERY INNOVATIVE

Today, operations continue in Southeast Asia while business in Aberdeen ramps up.

“Mainly, we are working in Thailand, but we are working with oil operators all over the world. We have a portfolio that includes some of the largest operators and contractors – we are open to the world market,” confirms Neil, adding that the company has had recent successes with Chevron, Texo, Schlumberger Cameron.

The challenge going forward is pricing, as the market becomes more unpredictable. Positioning a rental or purchase price in a volatile market (including rising material costs) remains a difficult thing to do. But, SPC enjoys a fantastic supply chain and works closely with all partners to create clear opportunities for clients, says Keith.

“Our supply chain is very important and if we don’t have that feeding us then we will not succeed. We put more effort into ensuring that our relationships our built as strong below as they are above – our culture is that the companies who supply us are part of our success.”

He adds that upcycling and further integrating circular principles into company culture will assist in lowering costs. “If we can upcycle and rejuvenate equipment – across everything including our people and our building – rather than always putting new things out there, that is a culture that we want to push. If a connector comes off a well, we look at why it is not being used in a decommissioning project rather than creating something new. We don’t want to create another cost for an operator.”

With decommissioning activity expected to ramp up over the next decade, especially in the North Sea, and with the introduction of hydrogen to the commercial energy mix imminent, Subsea Pressure Controls is in a great position to grow its Aberdeen pipeline and become the industry’s preeminent subsea service partner.

“Our message is that we are very innovative, and our people are experts in what they do,” concludes Keith.