Future Developments—Subsea

 

15 February 2006 Australasia Branch Evening Meeting

Chairman Graham Bonner, ChevronTexaco

Sponsored by Chevron and Department of Industry and Resources, Australia

 

Report by Martyn Witton

 

Flyer

 

Overview

The drive to develop offshore oil and gas reserves is pushing production into ever-increasing water depths, and into harsher seabed terrain. Demand for, and reliance on, both proven and innovative subsea technology continues to grow. The presentations of this evening meeting provided insight into both halves of this equation—future development trends in Western Australia (WA), and the global technologies available to meet this subsea challenge.

 

Presentations

The Entirety of Subsea Technology and SUT's Place in It

Ian Gallett, Executive Secretary, SUT, London

Underwater Technology covers a very wide range of activities, from the heavy engineering of the deepwater oil and gas sector, to subsea archaeology, and a multitude of other disciplines, including renewable energy and fish farming. Ian's presentation took a quick look at representative technologies across this spectrum and showed how the learned society contributes to their development.

 

Outlook for Subsea Developments in WA

Bill Tinapple, Director of Petroleum and Royalties for WA, DoIR

As the oil and gas industry moves into deeper water with more subsea developments, new opportunities and issues arise: technology applications; Capex and Opex considerations; and resource management issues. With 22 billion AUD in planned developments, many in deep water, WA is fast becoming a test bed for these new technologies. Bill reviewed the location of deepwater applications and trend in this subsea sector.