Subsea Specialist Aims to Expand into Australian Market

A leading flexible pipe specialist has announced plans to expand into the Australian market by opening a base and developing its operations to serve the sector.

UK-basedFflexlife will be attending the DOT exhibition in Perth, Australia, in December (3rd to 5th) and AOG in February 2009 to reveal new technology to the marketplace and make vital connections to drive business growth in the region.

Flexlife recently formed a partnership with AGR Field Operations to provide a ground-breaking new application, developed over two years, that will help prevent the failure of flexible risers and flexible flow lines, thereby minimising lost production and associated environmental impact of a leak.

Flexlife - HQ in Aberdeen, Scotland - devised the patented solution to scan flexible risers in situ and detect annulus flooding anywhere along their length while AGR Field Operations has the ROV capability to deliver it through the Neptune system.

The technology is the first subsea inspection application that can be used for the reliable, in-situ annulus examination of flexible risers and flowlines for the detection of flooding and to reduce or eliminate hydrocarbon leaks and spillage from offshore FPSO oil production facilities due to a breach of flexible risers or flexible flowlines resulting from in-service failure.

Flexlife director Carl-Petter Halvorsen said: "The Australian market has massive potential for us and there are clear benefits to be had from our cost-effective solutions. We see DOT as a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of the technology and we are also attending AOG 2009 in February as growing our business in Australia is a priority for us.

"The new technology is generating an enormous amount of interest from the industry. It is the first time it has been possible to scan any flexible pipe in situ without access to the end fitting meaning any potential failures can be identified and dealt with more quickly than was possible previously. Neptune is fast, reliable and can go down to 6,000metres so the technology can go anywhere in any environment meaning the potential cost savings and environmental benefits are immense.

"Flexlife was established to create solutions to the most common failures in flexible risers. The technology is a step change for the industry and we are delighted to be working in partnership with AGR Field Operations to enable us to deliver solutions immediately for clients globally.  We believe that the Neptune system and development of this technology is such a breakthrough that the traditional approach of vacuum testing might be rendered obsolete."

The company was established by flexible pipe experts Stuart Mitchell, John Marsden and Carl-Petter Halvorsen who identified a gap in the market for an innovative consultancy to offer field-proven solutions, deliver them and also deal with integrity management.

They have built up 40 years experience between them working on projects at key locations around the globe and have headhunted a world-class team with similar backgrounds.

Flexlife's core business is the delivery of subsea and riser pipe projects, from tie-backs to deep water, including pipe specification, cross section and system design.

"We formed Flexlife through the desire to create a company capable of delivering what it engineers for all flexible pipe requirements and we believe we are the first in the market place to offer a full service through the project lifecycle and beyond. We have found there has been high demand for our practical, realistic approach which saves our clients time, effort and money," said Mr Halvorsen.