P1-3 News MonacotoMalaysia Wintershall DevonPolvoP4-5 AdvancesindeepwaterumbilicaldesignP6-7 AnalysingthepipelayprocessP8 ChangestoyourbusinessdevelopmentP8 Charitynews

Contents

DEEPSEA NEWS

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ISSUE 1 • Jan - Mar 2008

DEEPWATER-CLEARTHINKING

The quarterly periodical of DeepSea Engineering & Management

Although every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for any errors or omissions. Views expressed in DEEPSEA NEWS by contributors may be personal and should not neccessarily be treated as formal company policy.

barge as well as other significant engineering projects for Clough and TL Offshore.

Geoff T Stone will be responsible for developing the company’s business across the Asian region. Bringing over 30 years of experience in Project Management and Engineering and Design Construction, Geoff is charged with providing a local engineering interface for the company’s growing Asian client base. Given his prior positions as a Fluid Transfer Lines Manger on the Kikeh Project with Murphy Oil Corp., Malaysia, and Pipelines Project Manager for Premier Petroleum ML in Myanmar, SE Asia, Geoff has a wealth of expertise with the burgeoning Asian market.

“DeepSea is going through a strong growth phase, and opening an engineering centre in Asia is consistent with our strategy in other active deepwater regions,” said Dan Jackson, DeepSea Group Managing Director. “Geoff Stone brings to the company an abundance of expertise and knowledge that will benefit both DeepSea and our clients. We believe we have made the right appointment in light of our growing business needs, and we are delighted to have him on board.”

DeepSea expects its Bangkok operation to comprise around 50 technical staff by year end. Late last year, DeepSea opened an office in Aberdeen, Scotland, and an office in Perth, Australia. More information on how these offices are doing will be in the next edition of DeepSea News.

Bloomin’ AsiaLast year DeepSea announced the formation of DeepSea Asia Ltd., a subsidiary company focused on serving oil and gas operator and contractor clients in Asia. Headed up by newly appointed Managing Director Geoff T Stone, the company has had a very successful year from its engineering office located in Bangkok, the economic and financial centre of Thailand.

DeepSea’s Bangkok office has now completed two projects, including the detailed design for 42-inch pipelines, pipeline end manifolds (PLEMs) and single point mooring (SPM) refurbishment for SK Energy based in Seoul, South Korea. The second project, the Bualuang subsea system detailed design, involves a production and water injection line, power/control umbilical, fixed risers and an integrated PLEM/mooring base for GFI, an independent oil and gas operator based in Houston, Texas. The new DeepSea headquarters is also working on an articulated, ballastable stinger design for NorCE for their new-build derrick pipelay

DeepSea’s subsidiary in the land of the orchid has a flying start to the year.

The DeepSea Group of companies was founded to provide best-in-class deepwater engineering services for operators, contractors and service communities in the global oil and gas industry.

Operating through offices in strategic locations, and engaged in strategic industry partnerships, DeepSea has established a position as the worldwide subsea engineering contractor of choice.

The Group is renowned for both flexibility and focus: meeting clients’ needs on a global or regional basis, as a technical partner in critical phases or supporting senior management through major projects from initial concept to installation.

Fully focused on subsea engineering since the Group was founded, DeepSea has developed unparalleled expertise in adding value through design and knowledge, innovative thinking and intelligent engineering.

The Group specialises in meeting the challenges and grasping the opportunities presented by exploration and production in deepwater environments or projects with significant subsea challenges.

Dan Jackson DEEPSEA Group Managing Director

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DEEPWATER-CLEARTHINKING Jan - Mar 2008

Contractor, the flexible pipe supplier and the Operator. The project is now complete and the product is flowing to the FPSO, much to the satisfaction of the Devon team. From DeepSea’s perspective this was a technically difficult project, as there were many installation constraints and schedule challenges that tested our team. Our gratitude goes out to the Devon team for sending written thanks to our engineers in recognition of their hard work and responsiveness.

For the past two years SBM has been engaged in the engineering design, procurement and fabrication of the system, which is the first of its kind anywhere in the world. The system was fabricated at a bespoke site in Bintulu, Malaysia. It has been successfully installed and pre-commissioned and is now live, flowing product from the Kikeh SPAR to the FPSO. As well as a production platform the Kikeh SPAR is engaged in drilling and completion activities supported by the TAD West Setia. A Second drilling rig, The Ocean Rover, is engaged in drilling the Subsea wells and the production goes direct to the FPSO via subsea flow lines.

Since March 2007 Barry has moved to Malaysia to be part of the Murphy Offshore Team engaged in the installation activities associated with the FTL GAP: Launch, Tow, Hook-up, Jumper and Umbilical Installation and Diving activities. His assignment with Murphy Oil is due to conclude in the first quarter of 2008.

facilities are nominally 1,600m apart. The system consists of a structural carrier pipe 1,300m in length. The carrier pipe supports four 10” flow lines (three production lines and one water injection line) as well as a power and communication umbilical.

Connected at either end of the carrier pipe are the tow heads suspended 200m below the water line: at the SPAR via a taught tether chain, and at the FPSO Turret via weighted catenary chains. A total of eight flexible jumpers, four mounted on each of the two tow heads, connect the rigid flow lines on the carrier pipe to the FPSO Turret at one end and to the DTU production hard piping at the other end.

Rigid spools are used to transition from the hard piping on the SPAR hull to the flexible jumpers, and from the rigid flow lines on the carrier pipe to the flexible jumpers on the tow heads.

In support of a very significant verification contract awarded to DeepSea in 2006, Barry Shepherd has been seconded to Murphy Oil Corporation in Malaysia for the last two years as part of the facilities team responsible for Murphy Oil’s Kikeh Field development in the South China Sea.

There were five main facilities contracts: Kikeh FPSO, Kikeh SPAR, Subsea Systems, Pipelines and Risers and FTL GAP. The FTL GAP (Fluid Transfer Line Gravity Actuated Pipe) contract was awarded to SBM (Single Buoy Moorings) in Monaco, which is where he was based for most of the past two years. His core responsibilities included Engineering, Interfaces and Contractor management support for the FTL GAP.

The FTL GAP is a subsea pipeline system conveying product from the SPAR (or DTU, Dry Tree Unit) to the FPSO. These

Monaco to Malaysiawith Barry Shepheard

Over the last year DeepSea has been engineering numerous subsea layout solutions for the Devon Polvo Project in Brazil. The subsea engineering is dominated by the configuration of the flexible riser and umbilical systems that have now been installed in a lazy wave configuration using distributed buoyancy. DeepSea’s scope expanded from the operational system design to include the installation engineering, working closely in the integrated team for the Installation

Lazy waving withDevon Polvo

WintershallSpiral lay

monitoring

Fibre integrity interrogation after fibre installation completion.

During the autumn of 2007 DeepSea Monitoring Solutions (DMS) provided Wintershall with a Distributed Strain-Sensing system to monitor dynamic strain profiles throughout their novel Spiral Lay offshore towing trials.

The objective of the Spiral Lay project is to provide a solution to the Oil & Gas industry that offers many benefits during pipeline lay operations. The approach aims to install prefabricated pipelines in varying water depths. Pipelines are to be fabricated and strung out onshore prior to being coiled into a spiral form in shallow water. This spiral is then towed to a final lay location and laid in position by unwinding the spiral and guiding the pipeline into position.

As part of Wintershall’s initial conceptual evaluation process, these sea trials were undertaken off the north coast of Holland, with a coiled one-kilometre section of pipeline, and included sea-bound tow, lay and recovery operations.

DMS’s role was to provide distributed in-plane and out-of-plane strain profiles for the

duration of the trials. The purpose of collecting this data was to provide both an insight into the fatigue life of a pipeline during such operations and validate previously utilised tow and deployment finite element models generated by DeepSea Engineering & Management Ltd.

DMS therefore undertook the installation of four strain-sensing optical fibres along the length of the pipeline. The fibres were installed around the outer circumference of the pipeline at 90-degree intervals and all four fibres were interrogated simultaneously. A Brillouin back-scatter-based interrogation method was utilised, and strain data was collected at a rate of one Hertz, with a spatial resolution of one metre, and a measurement resolution of 35 micro-strain.

The fibre installation stage of the project

was completed within seven days in-less-than-favourable weather conditions, and the spiralling process took a further five days. With the sea trials completed and the data collected, it was concluded that the initial trials had been a great success. As a result, the lessons learnt from this trial are to be taken forward and potentially implemented by Wintershall for a full-scale installation of a 5.5-kilometre pipeline early next year.

Finally, DMS was contracted to provide the monitoring solutions for this project due to their adaptable, flexible and dynamic project-based philosophy (from point of first contact to trial conclusion and decommissioning of interrogators was a period of some eight weeks) as well as their novel optical fibre-based monitoring solutions.

Lazy wave configuration for Polvo with the distributed bouyancy tanks.

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In addition, full 3D modelling permits better assessment of the installation conditions as the umbilical passes through the tensioner system, because it captures the correct load transfer from the tensioner pads into the umbilical components.

Benefits of advanced modellingIn the past, lack of knowledge about interactions between STU components has been a major issue in fatigue assessment of these structures. More accurate modelling can result in detailed targeted changes to designs and technical specifications, optimising performance and minimising manufacturing cost.

These improved modelling capabilities can also be applied to the installation phase. Outcomes include more precise assessments of acceptable weather windows, and a greater pool of installation vessels to choose from. All operations in the installation and the effects of wave and current loading during the operation can be assessed for their impact on the installability of the umbilical. When laying umbilicals in deep water, compression

loading at touchdown point can be assessed with greater

a c c u r a c y . T h i s

leads to greater confidence in the assessment, which can allow costly lay processes – such as lazy wave with distributed buoyancy – to be avoided, thus reducing both capital expenditure and lay time.

The increasing use of DeepSea’s sophisticated umbilical design methods allows clients to have a deeper

understanding of the technical risks they face and inform better design and installation

dec i s ion making, thus reducing cost while increasing design confidence in challenging environments.

Case StudyAnalysis of crush loads during installation of an umbilicalDeepSea has been frequently commissioned to assess crush loads

during installation of steel tube umbilicals. In one particular case the client’s concern was the potential damage through crushing under tensioner pressure during installation. The project successfully modelled the complex interactions under tensioner loading between the counter-wound layers of internal components. A similar issue exists for umbilicals that provide individual

conduits through which the steel tubes and electrical components are located. The internal friction associated with this type of umbilical construction requires detailed understanding as the fundamental approach is for these conduits to minimise friction within the cross-section. This is beneficial for dynamic fatigue response but some friction between components is required to ensure sufficient axial load sharing between steel and copper components and that the tensioner pressure is correctly transferred into the product during installation.For the umbilical in question the transfer of the tensioner grip/pressure to the central tube was the focus of this study. Detailed quasi-3D and full 3D finite element modelling of the umbilical cross-section under tensioner crush loading and axial tension was successfully undertaken. This showed all internal contact and accounted for the manufacturing tolerances/gaps between components.The results from the quasi-3D model showed that there was sufficient contact between the outer counter-wound layers and the central tube after crush loading and axial pull was applied to avoid its slipping during installation.The difference between the quasi-3D and 3D results indicate short samples (less than a pitch length) are less stiff radially than the full continuous umbilical, thereby resulting in greater radial deformation. This was expected as the total helix structural capacity is only available for loading over a long, continuous length of several pitches. The radial stiffness of the full 3D model is a more accurate representation of the true physical situation.Through use of the quasi-3D and full 3D modelling techniques, it was possible to demonstrate to the client with high confidence that the friction acting on the central tube due to load transfer from the tensioner pads was sufficient for installation without risk of damage, while ensuring good dynamic fatigue response.

integrity required under the demanding conditions in which operations take place. Therefore, the processes and techniques used to design STU systems for maximum reliability and integrity need to model the actual behaviour of the components as closely as possible.

To date, the relatively simple calculations used to analyse the behaviour of umbilicals in shallower waters have yielded acceptable results. However, as requirements shift towards deeper water and larger-diameter heavier umbilicals, the interactions between the umbilical’s internal components contribute additional stress and fatigue. Using traditional methods of design in these circumstances can lead to a non-conservative design, increasing the likelihood of umbilical failure.

Umbilical design and analysis – the next generationCurrent design practices approximate umbilicals as a single homogeneous structure. This approach leads to adequate modelling of the ‘global’ behaviour of an STU, i.e. the behaviour of a long length of umbilical; but it falls far short of representing the behaviour of the complex system of helically wound tubes and cables inside the umbilical. Sophisticated numerical tools such as ABAQUS are capable of modelling the complicated geometry and interactions inside an umbilical; however, they are very demanding of computing power and thus impractical for modelling the entire umbilical.

DeepSea’s approach combines proven global systems models with more complex 2D and 3D models to capture local stresses and contact between internal components. Starting with a global model of the umbilical system, constructed in an industry-recognised tool, force and

Until recently, interactions between internal components of an umbilical have been more or less neglected in modelling for fatigue prediction. However, in deeper waters and larger umbilicals, such interactions can contribute significantly to creating the conditions for umbilical failure. DeepSea has independently developed a suite of tools and processes for evaluating the internal performance of large umbilicals in deep water. These tools and processes allow the quantification of inter-component friction stresses, as an integrated part of current project execution processes. They enable users to make informed adjustments to designs before building and testing them, thus enhancing the design process, reducing installation risk and helping to contain costs through the entire lifecycle of the dynamic umbilical.

The challengeSteel tube umbilicals (STUs) link a host/control platform to associated wells, and provide the hydraulic, electrical, signal and chemical functionality required for each well. Failure of even a single component in an umbilical will generally halt production, because well control or flow assurance requirement has been lost. Locating a failure presents significant challenges; repair to a dynamic section is not feasible because of the high level of structural

Advances in Deepwater Umbilical Designby Alex Boheimer

curvature time histories of the components are generated. These are converted then used as the input to local finite element models of the umbilical.

At this stage, either a quasi-3D or a full 3D approach can be adopted. In the quasi-3D approach, axial tensions are applied to the umbilical; the radial forces are calculated and applied to the components via a specially developed helical element producing quasi-3D modelling in a detailed 2D finite element model of the cross section.

The quasi-3D approach captures movements and deformation of all the layers and components, as well as the frictional forces between them. It provides an extremely efficient process for establishing the friction stress contribution that should be included in fatigue analysis of the umbilical, accounting for the inherent asymmetry of an umbilical’s lay-up.

In a full 3D approach, a representative 3D length of the umbilical is modelled. This provides more accurate inter-component interactions, particularly for large STUs with multiple layers that are counter-wound.

Business Manager Europe

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Analysing the pipelay processby Martijn Makkink

and his riser team

However, for operators in the area, the highest priority remains unchanged: making successful finds and establishing production as rapidly as possible.

Challenging projectThis task is a challenging one. The area presents unique requirements for engineering design and installation. In particular, as the Caspian is an inland sea, vessels and equipment for use there need to be transported on barges through the region’s network of narrow canals. This places a considerable size restriction on the types of equipment and vessels that can be employed, and calls for innovative thinking around installation.

In the first phase of development in the Azeri ACG Phase 3 project for BP with construction contractor McDermott Caspian Contractors, Inc. (MCCI), DeepSea Engineering & Management was commissioned to carry out detailed engineering analysis and assist with developing the offshore procedures for installation of flexible pipelines, flowlines and

Oil and gas developments in the Caspian region hold important potential for shoring up security of European supply over the coming decades. The world’s largest oil discovery of the last ten years was reported at the turn of the millennium in shallow waters offshore Kazakhstan, where original oil in place is estimated to be as much as 38 billion barrels. Across the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan has the fourth highest proven oil reserves in the Europe-Eurasia region, and ranks eighth in proven gas reserves. Turkmenistan, also bordering the Caspian Sea, has nearly twice as much gas as Azerbaijan (but much less oil).

The region is the focus of ongoing political developments (such as the recent alliance formed by Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan that could mean Central Asia’s gas exports are all headed for the Russian pipeline network; and the deal by Gazprom with OMV – the EU’s construction partner for the proposed Nabucco gas pipeline – to develop gas infrastructure in Austria).

umbilicals systems – and associated pipeline end manifolds, pipeline end terminations, subsea umbilical terminations and tie-ins – in a two-manifold layout on the Azerbaijan side of the Caspian Sea.

The purpose of DeepSea’s analysis was to define an optimised approach to laying, start-up, lay down, assembly and repair, and associated lifting and pull-in activities. This work complemented that of other partners in the project such as KBR, charged with detailed design of the platform and technical procurement support.

Weather awareDeepSea’s contribution to the project incorporated full static and dynamic analysis of the installation conditions, including the definition of weather windows and laying states. The analysis also had to take into account restrictions such as the limited winch capacity on the installation vessel.

For the weather-related part of the process,

DeepSea has developed its own tools to speed up the analysis of vessel response to weather conditions. These automate as much of the calculation as possible, looking at interactions between vessel Response Amplitude Operators (RAOs) (e.g. metre per metre, degree per degree) and weather conditions using meteorological data supplied. This streamlined RAO screening process enables the rapid identification of worst case conditions for installation in terms of heading wave period and wave height.

Expansion without shut-inWhilst the project plan in hand incorporated two manifolds, a stipulation was that it should be possible to allow a third manifold to be added to the development without shutting the field in, since no construction work would be able to take place within the exclusion zone on commencement of production. This called for some innovative thinking around pipeline laying and the analysis required for it. Manifolds were designed such that the pipelay was initiated at this point and for project cost considerations it was desirable to use the same design for the third manifold. However, the flexible pipeline would have to be laid away from the platform before commencement of production and a method laying the rest of the pipeline and joining this to the manifold devised.

MCCI and DeepSea worked together to explore different methodologies. A number of different solutions were considered in DeepSea’s analysis. One incorporates a surface mid-line join procedure, rather than a more traditional approach using pipeline end manifolds and a spool. This approach would allow production to be maintained, and also result in cost and time savings in the installation process.

Mid-line joins have been carried out successfully with steel pipes in many projects around the

world. The procedure is most feasible in water depths of 100-300 meters: i.e. not so deep as to result in excessive tension, and not so shallow as to raise the possibility of problems with the dynamic motions of the vessel (as non-benign combinations of the vessel motion and sea state could lead to high compression loads in shallow waters).

However, an important hindrance to deploying the mid-line join procedure in this particular instance was the 38 tonne winch capacity of the installation vessel. The vessel itself was large enough to hold the pipe during the join procedure, but as soon as any load was applied its winch capacity would have been insufficient to support the process. The limited size of the vessel made installing a bigger

winch questionable. As bringing in a bigger vessel was precluded by the constraints of the region’s transport options, and reworking the lay vessel would have been too costly, the mid-line join was not deployed in this

project.

So MCCI and DeepSea are currently working together to study and develop a new, alternative technique for the Caspian project, which adopts second-end abandonment using a stab and hinge mechanism for attachment. This approach has not been used elsewhere in the past. DeepSea has undertaken modelling to see whether a device originally designed for initiation with a stab and hinge mechanism could be lowered carefully to be abandoned in the correct position relative to the pipe.

It became evident that lowering the device using only a crane would not work, as it would result in lateral loads which the crane would not be able to support. This led to a decision to employ the winch in a controlled manner as well. This combination of winch and crane control would enable the device to be lowered to the correct position without the risk of overbending. The results of DeepSea’s modelling indicated that this approach based

on second-end abandonment has good potential to yield a cost-effective solution with a high level of confidence.

Unusual phenomenaThe dynamic analysis for installing the pipeline end terminations and subsea umbilical distribution systems uncovered some unusual structural phenomena which warranted further investigation. The combination of a light umbilical in shallow water, with a small laying vessel displaying significant motions at certain wave periods, led DeepSea’s analysis to predict a compression wave, which would travel down the umbilical and, where it touches down, cause bending and undesirable bending moments in the umbilical termination. Bending moments on umbilical terminations would cause any manufacturer concern.

As the nature of the project dictated that more and more umbilicals were going to be installed in more and more challenging situations, a balanced approach to establishing optimum laying conditions was required. Having calculated that the significant wave height (i.e. the wave height at which unwanted effects would kick in) did not give a sufficient workability window, DeepSea adopted a probabilistic route to the definition of reasonable conditions. Calculating the probability of a given wave height and wave period occurring, this approach made it possible to make a reasonable extension to the laying window for the umbilicals in the subsea distribution system on the sea bed.

The analysis was backed up by DeepSea’s random wave analysis using data widely available in sea state diagrams from the Caspian. By considering both random and regular seas, it was possible to make sure any levels of conservatism in the analysis were well understood by the project partners.

Design for installationThe collaborative ethos established with MCCI in the project, and the creative inputs of the project partners, have provided the right environment to design the project for efficient and cost-effective installation – an important precursor to successful and sustainable operation.

‘We are all very excited about the upcoming East Manifold installation phase, where I will be based in Baku and working offshore to ensure a seamless interface between the engineering phase performed by DeepSea in London and the MCCI project team in Baku’Martijn Makkink

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Dave was born in Aberdeen, Scotland and, after his education in Aberdeen, began his working career with Cameron Iron Works in their Aberdeen aftermarket facility. This involved working offshore as a Service Engineer in the

installation, repair care and maintenance of the products that they supplied. Cameron provides high-quality products such as Blowout Preventers and Drilling equipment, Surface Wellheads and Christmas Trees as well as Subsea Systems (wellheads, trees, controls, manifolds, etc.) and he was involved in all of these products with their customers. Dave has spent time in various sales and management roles in London, Houston and Norway, and his last position was the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Cameron’s Subsea Systems group.

‘The opportunity with DeepSea arose and I was impressed with the personnel and their vision of where they need to be in several years’ time and was happy to be part of that team going forward. I have been impressed with the level of expertise as well as the “nimble” approach that is lacking in many major corporations. I have been welcomed into DeepSea and I have really enjoyed working with this team.’

Changes to your business development team

Going south for charityHuge congratulations go out to Michael Smith, who ran the 2007 Antarctica Marathon last year. With everyone’s help he managed to raise around £1,417 for the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice in Hampton, DeepSea’s Charity for 2007. Shooting Star House Children’s Hospice provides care and support to children and young people living with life-limiting conditions and their families. With 10 children’s bedrooms, six family rooms and facilities, including The Hydrotherapy Pool & Spa, the Sensory Room and wet and dry play areas, they offer a “home from home” environment to families who find themselves in the most unimaginable circumstances. With no current long-term statutory government funding, the £2.5 million required each year to run the hospice comes from charitable voluntary donations and fundraising. During a visit to the hospice last November, two employees of DeepSea had a first-hand view of the differences everyone’s contributions help to make. The donations also fund the staff at the hospice, which does a great job of creating a warm and homely environment under such difficult circumstances.

This year, DeepSea’s charity will be The Isabelle Hopkins Infantile Refsum Trust. The trust aims to raise money for two specific areas. In conjunction with Chase, Isabelle’s Trust will establish a lending service of specialist and sensory equipment for families with severely disabled children. The trust will also be used for medical research and Pre-implementation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD). More information is available at www.trustisabelle.com.

Michael Smith runs across freezing beaches in the Antartica MarathonDOT, Houston, stand 332, 12-14th Feb • SSTB, Galveston, stand 4,

3-5th Mar • MCE, Paris, stand 931, 8-10th Apr • OTC, Mark Dixon presenting, 5-8th May • DOT, Perth, stand 300, 3-5th December

D I A R Y D AT E S

Dave Kennedy

Sunil grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia before moving to the UK in 1999. After graduating with a BEng in Mechanical Engineering he returned to KL, working for Malaysia’s biggest independent power

producer, Malakoff Bhd. Having worked at Malakoff for three years, he then moved to Dresser and into the oil and gas industry.In 2005, Sunil gained an MBA at Cranfield, UK. He then joined DeepSea, where he has been since 2006. Sunil has been heavily involved in the business development side of DeepSea and is working on market intelligence and project proposals.

Sunil Ratti

Ivan’s title is Business Manager UK, and he has been working for DeepSea since October 2006. Recent projects at DeepSea include managing global configuration design and analysis for disconnectable

turret systems, design of risers and an umbilical system for Olowi field in West Africa for CNR, analysing the impact forces of risers on gutters of a mid-water arch and the clamp designs for Devon Polvo development offshore Brazil.Ivan has a PhD in forced-response analysis of aero-elastically coupled mistuned bladed discs. Ivan’s PhD research was sponsored by Rolls-Royce and involved CFD-FE-coupled analyses of the vibratory response of aero engine fan and turbine blades. He has authored three publications. Prior to his PhD, Ivan also conducted research at the Rolls-Royce UTC, creating a mesh of complex geometry for CFD analysis using different finite element tools.

Ivan Sladojevic

Ramez has had five years of experience working in the Oil & Gas industry and worked for various other companies, including Vetco Gray and Great Lakes Dredge & Doc. He has a Bachelor of Science

in Ocean Engineering from Texas A&M University, where he won second place for the construction of a human-powered submarine for the international submarine race.Ramez is the Business Manager for the UK. He joined the Epsom team from Houston in December.

Ramez Sabet

Lara joined DeepSea’s Business Development team in January as Business Manager and is based in the Houston office. She has gained useful skills in marketing and sales, working in a range of

companies including KBR. Lara studied at Texas A&M University, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in civil engineering. Following university she went to Brown & Root, where she got an Engineer in Training (EIT). This gave her invaluable experience in the engineering world, including engineering design, construction management, project controls and business development.

Lara Zsohar

Craig started working life designing interactive substation control system layouts and quickly progressed into a Tendering Engineer role. He has now spent the last seven years in various Oil & Gas Business

Development roles, mainly in Aberdeen, but he has also spent some time living and working in Dubai. The last three years of his career have been spent within the Subsea Industry with Technip and Nautronix, dealing directly with the North Sea Operators, Installation Contractors and Drilling Contractors. Craig started working for DeepSea as Business Development Manager North Sea in December. ‘My first few months with DeepSea have been very enjoyable and I already feel like part of the team.’ Much of Craig’s spare time is spent coaching football as a qualified SFA youth coach.

Craig Stratton