Advanced marine technologies solutions company Nautronix is set for its best year yet having secured further orders to supply acoustic positioning systems to American-owned super-drillships currently on order.
All-told, the Aberdeen firm’s order-book for NASDrill RS925 positioning equipment and NASeBOP blow-out preventer digital wireless control systems is currently valued at around $20million. This is a record for the company.
“We’re going to start our new financial year with the biggest backlog we’ve ever had,” CEO Mark Patterson told Energy. “And our bid level is the highest it has ever been . . . the majority of inquiries being for NASDrill and NASeBOP systems.
“We’ve hired about 15 new people in the last four months alone to cope with demand.”
Fresh orders have not long been placed by drilling majors Noble and Rowan.
Having already supplied three positioning packages for a trio of new-builds, Noble has just asked Nautronix for a further system, which will be fitted aboard a fourth vessel recently ordered in South Korea.
Further, the Scots firm is to supply NASDrill to a pair of ultra-deepwater drillships, also newly placed in Korea by Rowan.
It was last year that Nautronix was awarded the contracts for supplying NASDrill to Noble’s first three new drillships. All new vessels, including the fourth, will be constructed at Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan and be based on a Hyundai Gusto P1000 design. The rigs will have DP-3 station keeping abilities and the capacity to handle two complete BOP systems allowing for operation in water depths to 3,657m (12,000ft).
Rowan’s new vessels are also placed with HHI and are to the same basic design. The first of these is scheduled for completion in Q4 2013, with the second one estimated to be completed in 2014.
Patterson said of current progress at Nautronix: “The Noble order further strengthens our relationship with the corporation and I believe that it demonstrates their confidence in our NASDrill system. We are also delighted to be supplying Rowan with our positioning system for their new vessels.
Indeed, it is very encouraging to see the high level of interest we are receiving in NASDrill RS925 from the industry, with increasing orders over the last year and a healthy level of tendering for future potential orders.”
Nautronix has now supplied or is soon to fit a significant number of advanced mobile offshore drilling units with its systems, notably NASDrill and NASeBOP.
Helping to drive the market is heightened interest in rig safety improvements in the wake of the Macondo disaster.
Among major orders completed, the firm has, for example, supplied NASDrill RS925 to all six of Ensco’s 8500 Series sixth generation semi-submersible rigs.
It will be interesting to see whether Nautronix scores again shortly as Ensco has just ordered further premier division drilling tonnage.
The company is also tendering a number of opportunities that could particularly see NASeBOP specified for key Arctic projects. Indeed, such technology could become mandatory as a means of protecting the fragile coldwater marine climate from the risk of a hydrocarbons spill.
And, having just opened a satellite office in Norway, fresh contract news is believed to be imminent.
Indeed underwater digital “wireless” is increasingly demonstrating its potential to be a game-changer as recognised earlier this year when Nautronix won the 2012 Subsea UK Innovation & Technology Award, sponsored by energy investment banking specialist Simmons & Company International.