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Report
The inaugural SUT Annual Conference was held in sunny Perth from
17-19 February 2009. This conference provided the opportunity for
over 240 registered delegates to learn of the latest advances in a
huge range of subsea technology, from marine research and product
innovation, to the latest challenges in current subsea projects.
The Welcome Reception kicked
off on Tuesday, 17 February, with a very timely reminder from Helen
Liddle (UK High Commissioner to Australia and former UK Minister for
Energy) on the importance of subsea technology, both for the
Australian and UK energy industries, to meet the community's
expectations for continued reliable supply of our energy needs. She
emphasized the strong links between the UK and Australia, enabling
the efficient transfer of essential technology through organisations
such as SUT, Subsea UK and Subsea Energy Australia.
Delegates were welcomed to
the official conference opening and plenary session by Martyn
Witton, the Perth Branch SUT chairman. The conference was officially
opened by the Hon. Peter Collier MLC, representing the Premier of
Western Australia. As WA's Minister for Energy, Peter highlighted
the extent to which the world-class petroleum resources off the
Northwest Coast provided the impetus for building Perth as a
regional hub for technical leadership and expertise. His clear
message was that enabling technologies will be essential to meet the
challenges ahead.
Betsy Donaghey (Senior Vice
President, Woodside Browse Development) then provided an enlivening
synopsis of the prospects for improvement in subsea technologies.
She stressed that these would be key enablers for Woodside to
achieve its development goals. Among the primary requirements are
improvements in reliability, lower costs and greater
inter-operability between different equipment suppliers.
These views were nicely
complemented by the next presentation from Patrick O'Brien, speaking
in his capacity as Director of Subsea UK. He outlined the extent to
which key industry organisations such as learned societies like SUT,
or trade-oriented organisations like Subsea UK and the newly formed
Subsea Energy Australia (SEA) are able to promote and support the
development of subsea industry. Importantly, this included
education, through-supply-chain advocacy and encouraging relevant
research. Patrick used his company, MCS, as an example of how this
can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes, through collaboration
between these organisations. Finally, Ian Gallett (Chief Executive
of the SUT) provided a global perspective on the future of subsea
technology.
Delegates at the conference
were treated to a wide range of in-depth presentations on the latest
subsea technology, covering subject themes such as deepwater,
pipeline, geotechnics, metocean, acoustics and controls from
offshore contractors and suppliers, engineering houses and research
organisations. Presentations also informed delegates of the latest
challenges and successes on recent projects, contributing useful
guidance for application in future projects.
Recognising the extent to
which delegates at this event would bring a wealth of knowledge and
experience on some of the key challenges facing the subsea industry,
three workshops were conducted as an integral part of the
conference. Graham Bonner (Upstream Operations Advisor, Chevron
Gorgon Development) chaired the workshop on Subsea Reliability.
While component reliability is critical to achieving the system
availability, this workshop investigated the raft of aspects, such
as design, construction and operation, that actually determine the
extent to which reliability is achieved. David Liddle and Neil Poxon
(Operations Director and Managing Director of ITF, or the Industry
Technology Facilitator) identified the range of challenges and steps
through which nascent technology concepts progress before deployment
and commercialisation. Jerry Baker (Atkins Global) provided a useful
example, including a warts-and-all assessment of the strengths and
weaknesses in the ITF model. Jim Leven (WA Department of Commerce)
chaired the final conference workshop on Perth as a Regional Centre
of Subsea Capability, looking at the uniquely local challenges to
further developing and promoting this capability in WA.
The conference was held at
the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre in parallel with the
Australasian Oil and Gas (AOG) exhibition. This provided the added
benefit to delegates of being able to attend one of the largest
regional oil and gas trade fairs held in the Southern Hemisphere.
This year AOG attracted over 7000 visitors and 400 exhibitors,
including over 50 subsea exhibitors in the Subsea Zone. This zone
was the venue for the SUT Welcome Reception and conference lunches
and was an ideal chance for the more business-oriented discussions
to take place.
The conference also featured
a social programme, including the dinner that began with a relaxing
and leisurely cruise along the beautiful Swan River to the Fremantle
Maritime Museum. This museum has a commanding outlook over the mouth
of the Swan River and the Indian Ocean. Many delegates took the
chance to have a wander around the museum, viewing some of the
impressive displays, including the infamous winged keel on the 12m
yacht Australia II, which won the America's Cup in 1983. The evening
proved to be a great opportunity to mingle with old friends and make
new acquaintances, while watching a truly spectacular sunset over
the harbour and ocean during this balmy evening. A brief address by
Colin Beckett (General Manager Greater Gorgon Project, Chevron
Australia) detailed the extent to which Chevron depended on subsea
technology in the Gorgon project, which is one of the world's most
significant subsea-to-beach LNG developments. He reiterated the
message that 'Gorgon's time is now', and that the team was eagerly
working towards final investment decision (FID) sometime later this
year.
The conference wrapped up
(much to the relief of the organising committee) on Thursday, 19
February, with a Sundowner to cap off a most rewarding event. Our
sincere thanks are extended to the platinum sponsor, TS7; gold
sponsor, Fugro; as well as other sponsors J P Kenny, Xodus, WA
Department of Commerce, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), Oceaneering,
MCS and INTECSEA for their support, together with thanks to Promaco,
as the conference secretariat.
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