EXPRO’S NEW TECHNOLOGY GRACES ABERDEEN SKYLINE

A massive yellow structure is now gracing Aberdeen’s skyline – but what exactly is it?

Leading international oilfield service company Expro can shed some light on its arrival to the city.

The AX-S subsea well intervention system, developed by Expro, is one of the most significant and innovative pieces of technology the subsea industry has seen.

AX-S (pronounced ‘access’) – currently being tested on a ‘dry’ well at the Weatherford Technology & Training Centre, next to the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre - will change the way in which oil and gas companies can access and work on their subsea wells, saving them valuable time and money.

There are approximately 4,000 oil and gas producing subsea wells across the globe and this number is ever increasing. With many now over a decade old, these wells require ‘servicing’ to allow for maximum oil and gas recovery. Current methods generally require the use of a rig to be positioned above the well while this work is carried out, which is a time-consuming, costly activity, with rig costs running at up to $1 million a day.

What makes Expro’s subsea solution different to others in the market place is the fact that this impressive structure - at 110ft high and weighing in at 220 tonnes - is deployed from a boat. This system can be lowered on to any subsea well in up to 10,000ft of water which covers every subsea well in the world today.

This allows Expro’s AX-S system to provide a safer and cheaper alternative to what is currently available.

Expro’s AX-S managing director David Shand said: “AX-S will totally revolutionise the global subsea well intervention market and we are delighted to be constructing and testing this new technology in the North-east of Scotland. Over the next few weeks, our team will be putting the AX-S equipment through its paces as we come towards the end of its seven-year development and qualification program.

“The system will then be transported up to Peterhead where we will make use of the excellent facilities there to load it on to the new boat which will then head out to sea for the final stages of its trials.”

More than 200 supporting companies from around the world have been involved in the creation and development of AX-S - 65 per cent of them being Scottish - with an in-house team of 80 now working exclusively on this project within Expro, which has seen investment of about £100million.

Here are some need-to-know facts about Bridge of Don’s new resident:

• 10,000ft is 1.8 miles or 28.5 football pitches or nine Eiffel Towers!

• 220 tonnes is the same weight as about 63 elephants or 166 average family cars

• 110ft tall is about the height of 8.5 double decker buses

• More than 200 supporting companies have worked on the AX-S system

• The AX-S system is made from more than 26,000 components