OSEA2016 features tech innovations that reduce costs, increase efficiency

The 21st edition of the International Oil & Gas Industry Exhibition & Conference (OSEA) highlights the industry’s ongoing search for business sustainability and capital efficiency amid the depressed commodity prices faced by the market in the past two years.

The four-day industry event featuring more than 1,000 exhibitors from 48 countries/regions including 17 international group pavilions opened on November 29 and will run until December 2, 2016 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

Chua Buck Cheng, Project Director from OSEA organizer Singapore Exhibition Services, said that the last two years have been challenging for the industry due to lowered oil prices.

“Over this period, we have seen a major shift to firms streamlining operations and seeking out efficiency to drive costs down and survive in this market. With that in mind, we have ensured that OSEA2016 is a place where businesses can find innovative technologies, sustainable solutions and insights and strategies that will help ease pressure on the bottom line,” he said.

As oil and gas firms in the value chain turn their priorities to reducing operational costs and increasing capital efficiency, many are now looking to technology to achieve lower reliance on human capital through automation and mechanization, increase personal safety to reduce risks and incidences, and improve communication and data networks to elevate asset performance.

At OSEA2016, Rutledge Omni Services – one of the leading providers of safety services for upstream drilling and exploration activities in the region – has unveiled an IoT (Internet of Things) device that allows real-time personnel tracking on an oil rig.

It is the first solution on their digital platform dedicated specifically for safety, health and security for the oil and gas industry. Conceptualized and developed in Singapore, the location tracker is a first of its kind made to overcome challenges and to serve purposes specific to oil rigs.

According to Anne Joseph, CEO of Rutledge Omni Services, the biggest cost to operators comes from the day rate of a rig and the weekly mandatory precautionary drills.Another time-saving activity is in the quantification of a contractor’s billable time, which can be automated to provide an independent verification of chargeable time sheets.

However, she noted that the greatest benefit of the device is improved personnel safety. Locating and rescuing injured rig crew will reduce loss time due to injury. Fatalities may be averted because the time taken by search parties to reach the injured will be very much shortened, and help can be correctly directed to the right location of the injured person.

Showcasing a fleet of agile and adaptable robotic inspection tools, Inuktun launched the MicroMag and Versatrax Vertical Crawler in Asia at OSEA2016. Inuktun’s Multi-Mission Modular (IM3) technology allows for the systems to be repurposed in the field for a variety of different applications in air or underwater – from pipe inspection to ship hull examination and PTZ camera applications in wells, pressure vessels and caissons.

Commenting on how firms are able to achieve cost savings through the use of their technology, David Wynne, President and CEO of Inuktun Asia said that their technology offers a robotic alternative to any applications currently requiring man-entry or rope access, therefore reducing the risk to human life and the expenses associated with those activities.

Singapore’s ambition to establish itself as the region’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub, and Asia Pacific accounting for nearly 70% of global LNG demand, provides a promising base for local firms to tap opportunities within this growing sector.

One such example is OSEA2016 exhibitor SSB Cryogenic Equipment, who is a member of Sing Swee Bee Group (SSB Group) – the only Singapore company and one of only four in the world certified by Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) – the global leader with a 2/3 market share of new built LNG carriers, to render LNG membrane global tests for GTT’s cargo containment system.

SSB Group signed a joint venture partnership at OSEA2016 with Gabadi – the first company to obtain a license from GTT for outfitting LNG membrane vessels, for the construction of small-scale LNG membrane vessels, and to develop local capabilities in LNG membrane repair.

SSB Group is also showcasing their capabilities in membrane tank integrity testing and construction of small-scale LNG membrane vessels suitable for ship-to-ship break-bulk LNG coastal distribution and off-shore storage, as well as their small scale LNG supply chain solutions for Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

“With our small scale LNG supply chain solutions, we are looking at bridging the current gaps in supply options between the current LNG bulk supply and the needs of small to mid-size users via break-bulking and to transport smaller volumes of LNG to these users. The thrust is about getting smaller volumes of LNG to those who needs it most,” Peh Lam Hoh, Managing Director of Sing Swee Bee Group, said.

The OSEA2016 International Conference featured 13 masterclass sessions held from November 29 to December 1, 2016, under three tracks titled Asset Optimization, Operational Excellence, and Sustainable Growth.

The morning plenary session on November 30 opened with a keynote presentation titled The Overview of the Oil & Gas Market and Tiding over the Challenges byMark A. Edmunds, Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Leader, Deloitte.

This was followed by country-focused sessions on Norway by His Excellency Tormod C. Endresen, Ambassador of Norway to Singapore; Australia by David Campbell, Minister (Commercial) & Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner, Australian Trade and Investment Commission; The Netherlands by His Excellency Jacques Werner, Ambassador of The Netherlands to Singapore; and the UK by His Excellency Scott Wightman, British High Commissioner to Singapore.

These country sessions highlighted oil and gas and offshore/marine technology developments and collaborative opportunities with major firms from the respective countries.

Featured alongside OSEA2016, the second edition of OGmTech is also back, presenting advanced manufacturing solutions for the oil and gas sector, and SUBSEA Asia – the exhibition and conference dedicated to subsea equipment and services -is being held at OSEA for the first time.