HWCG's management is pleased to inform you that the West Vela drillship is =
qualified for flow and capture operations and HWCG has received an acceptan=
ce letter from BSEE. Kudos to Steve Scanio and Adam Hunt who have spear hea=
ded this effort with PTS and several contractors. This work was accomplishe=
d just in time for the Q4000's departure from the GOM. The West Vela will b=
e a back-up vessel to the Q5000.
We have several upcoming activities and projects which may be of interest t=
o you or members of your team.
HWCG will be scheduling a Systems Integration Test (SIT) that will entail i=
nstalling the RCS onto the Open Water Landing System (OWLS) winch frame and=
landing the RCS onto the lower frame. The RCS|OWLS SIT will occur at GFM i=
n Houston later this year once the SIT plans are finalized and all equipmen=
t is ready for the demonstration. HWCG will provide at least two weeks' not=
ice to allow members confirm attendance.
Seahorse is finalizing revisions to the SSDI nozzle mounts for the mudline =
dispersant kit and HWCG will schedule the SIT and demonstration once the mo=
unts are confirmed to be sufficient for the operation. We'll ensure the sch=
edule allows for a least two weeks' notice to members to confirm attendance=
. This activity will also occur at GFM in Houston.
HWCG is finalizing plans for to test the SilCam 6000 cameras which measure =
oil, gas and particle size distribution for water column monitoring. FEED w=
ork has been completed and final integration is progressing. The SilCam - R=
OV integration and test will be performed in late Q4-2024 or early Q1-2025 =
based on facility schedule. Preliminary work has been completed, and we wil=
l coordinate with Apex, CSA and Sintef to schedule the test date. Members w=
ill be provided ample notice to schedule attendance.
HWCG has begun the Front-End Engineering & Design (FEED) work to develop co=
ncepts for a hydromechanical dispersion system that could eliminate or sign=
ificantly reduce the need for subsea dispersants. We envision a scaled test=
of the concept to be done at Ohmsett in New Jersey where the SilCams will =
also be used to measure PSD for effectiveness. Fabrication will commence on=
ce the concept is selected and sanctioned by the Steering Committee.
We have secured funding from the Steering Committee to provide access to a =
Trendsetter owned 15k Trident IRS next year, which can be utilized by membe=
rs for typical well intervention or abandonment operations and can also be =
used in a response for flow and capture, well kill and intervention operati=
ons.
Most recently the Steering Committee approved funding for a Static Offset F=
lowline to be used during flow and capture on shallow water wells or for we=
lls having dry trees on floating facilities where vertical access is not av=
ailable. This project is expected to be completed in late 2025.