ADC Energy, a specialist provider of dynamic integrated rig inspections, has secured a contract with a US-based global infrastructure organisation, as the business accelerates its strategic diversification plan.
The award comes as the company reported a strong first half to 2021 with new business wins totalling £5m, strengthening its order book with clients in the oil and gas and renewable sectors as demand increases for its services in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia.
ADC Energy has begun conducting a series of audits for a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) company to help select and identify drilling rigs which can be repurposed for the firm’s LNG operations globally.
As part of the workscope, the company’s specialist engineering teams from the US, UK and Asia Pacific will evaluate a number of oil and gas drilling rigs to determine energy efficiency and suitability for being repurposed for LNG deployment. ADC Energy will utilise its bespoke criteria to evaluate the functional design, physical condition and operability of each asset, before advising on the process to repurpose the rigs in line with industry safety and operating standards including API and OEM functional design specifications.
To date, ADC has conducted the initial assessments of the Maersk Gallant and Maersk Guardian jack up units prior to their departure from their North Sea locations to South America.
The business has also been advancing the oil and gas industry’s efforts to decarbonise existing assets in recent months, providing inspections to evaluate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) ratings, reducing non-productive time and highlighting how operators can gain greater efficiencies from their installations.
Austin Hay, director at ADC Energy, said: “While the oil and gas industry remains a key focus for ADC Energy, it’s exciting to see our diversification strategy come to fruition with our latest contract in the LNG sector. With the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, the last 18 months have been exceptionally difficult for the energy industry and I am proud of the work our team have continued to deliver globally.
“As stalled projects continue to reactivate this year, there is a real demand for efficient, fit-for-purpose assets across the oil and gas, LNG, offshore wind and geothermal industries. There is also a growing appetite for the repurposing of oil and gas assets for use in the renewable energy sectors and we are perfectly placed to conduct rig inspection and selection surveys to match operator requirements.”
Earlier this year, the company rebranded from Aberdeen Drilling Consultants to ADC Energy to reflect its increasingly diverse operating portfolio with the offshore wind market poised as a key growth area. With Rystad Energy projecting a five-fold increase in new build Wind Turbine Installation Vessels (WTIVs) set to enter the market by 2030, ADC is ideally placed to leverage its extensive worldwide shipyard assurance experience to ensure these vessels of the future are delivered operationally ready.
To support its continued growth trajectory, the firm has also recently taken on two data scientists at its Aberdeen base to boost its data capture and storage capabilities. The Aberdeen University Masters students are already playing a key role in building a data tagging system to deliver greater trend analysis during inspections. The duo are also involved in enhancing ADC’s existing Technical Rig Audit Management System (TRAMS).
TRAMS is a rapid reporting and intelligence sharing rig inspection tool, delivering a global standard for reporting using ISO 19011-based audit procedures. It allows real time reporting of identified threats for unplanned downtime so they can be addressed immediately. This ultimately ensures the rig remains operable during the inspection and major and critical non-conformances can be closed out while the audit team is still on board.
Mr Hay added: “Data intelligence is key to supporting our clients’ energy transition goals. Machine learning and AI systems deliver valuable analysis which allow us to understand where greater efficiencies can be garnered. Our TRAMS system is just one example of how we are utilising smart data to enhance our inspections and understand trends so we can effectively predict issues before they occur. The system is already delivering significant results for our clients and a great value proposition as we continue to increase our global footprint.”