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Februaury 2010 NCS SURVEY WINS SUBSEA 2010 “NEW ENTERPRISE AWARD”
NCS Survey, of Aberdeen, recently won the Subsea UK New Enterprise Award. The award was announced and presented at the Subsea UK Business Awards Dinner on 10th February during the Subsea 2010 Exhibition and Conference. The dinner was an evening to celebrate the success of the industry as a whole and to highlight the achievements of the selected few who received acknowledgement for their hard work.
The New Enterprise Award is for companies who have been in business 5 years or less and was sponsored by Technip, who’s John Baron made the presentation to Andy Gray, Chief Executive of NCS Survey on the night.
NCS Survey is the leading independent UK survey contractor specialising in supporting the Oil & Gas and Offshore Windfarm Markets. The company was formed in 2005 and has grown from 8 employees to 56 in less than 5 years. In that period, over 400 projects have been carried out in 32 countries.
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March 2010 NCS SURVEY AWARDED CONTRACT WITH SAIPEM FOR NORD STREAM PIPELINE PROJECT
NCS Survey, of Aberdeen, has been awarded a major survey contract by Saipem S.p.A. for pipelay support during the inshore phase of the Nord Stream Pipeline Project, two gas pipelines linking Russia with the European Union via the Baltic Sea.
The contract is valued at €2m to €3m and will commence in the middle of the year.
Andy Gray, NCS Survey Chief Executive, stated “We are delighted that Saipem has embraced this innovative technology, which gives them a high accuracy solution at an economic price. NCS Survey was selected due to our experienced project management team coupled to our innovative real-time sonar Touchdown Monitoring (TDM) system. The TDM system has gained rapid acceptance in the industry as it eliminates the need for a DP2 class ROV Support Vessel on pipe and cable lay projects in water depths less than 50m. The sonar actively tracks the pipe catenary during lay operations using the unique beam steering capability embedded in our TDM software. It enables the contractor to know exactly where the pipe is laid in real-time and thereby minimises the risk when laying near any subsea structures or other live pipelines even when there is zero visibility.
“In deeper water, TDM transducers can be mounted on an ROV giving it the capability of monitoring touchdown in poor visibility or from 50m away, which keeps it out of the high risk area. ” For further details contact: |
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August 2010 NCS SURVEY INVESTS IN R&D
Being a market leader is top of NCS Survey’s agenda and to be ahead of its game, it recognises the need to invest in research and development. NCS Survey is a leading independent offshore survey company based in Aberdeen providing survey and positioning solutions to the offshore market worldwide. Since it was set up five years ago, the company has carried out over 550 projects in 34 different countries and employs 53 people.
The challenge
The delivery of new technology has always been key to NCS Survey’s business model. Historically, NCS Survey has used third party suppliers to support it’s research and development activities. However, to achieve its ambitions of maintaining a closer involvement with these technical developments, the company has estimated the need to spend between 5% and 8% of its revenue on R&D.
Solution
Following a conversation with its account manager at Scottish Enterprise, NCS Survey applied for an R&D Grant for £124,000 towards its own invesment of £1.5 million to develop a remotely operated automated underwater survey vehicle ( Gavia AUV) . The vehicle was selected due to it’s portablity and modular design, which allows the addition of new payloads and sensors, thus widening the potential user base for the system. With the investment, NCS Survey has become the first owner / service provider for this system in the commercial environment
The application was approved, and the company is now embarking on its 15 month project. This invesment signifies the first significant R&D project for the company.
Benefit
NCS Survey recognises the benefits of investing in developing new techniques and technologies. This project alone will safeguard two R&D jobs for the company and allows them to achieve their goal of harnessing new technology and solutions to differentiate them in the global oil and gas and renewables survey markets. |
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August 2010 WW2 BRITISH OILER ‘SHIRVAN’ IDENTIFIED
This August a Gavia Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) was deployed by the Icelandic Coast Guard (ICG) to positively identify a contact observed during previous operations in autumn 2009. Routine bathymetric surveys then found a ship-like shape in an area where in November 1944 two ships, the British oiler SS Shirvan and the Icelandic steamship Godafoss were sunk by a German submarine U-300. The new shape seen was roughly the same length as the SS Shirvan.
During the August 2010 mission conducted by the Icelandic Coast Guard with the cooperation of the University of Iceland, a Gavia vehicle investigated the target using a range of acoustic sensors including a high-frequency side scan and a swath bathymetry system.
Dives by the Gavia vehicle gathered considerable data from both the 600kHz and the higher frequency 1200kHz Side Scan. A 500kHz Gavia mounted GeoSwath system from GeoAcoustics, provided detailed bathymetry of the wreck and surrounding area.
The Shirvan was hit by two torpedoes and burned for 24 hours before sinking which resulted in considerable damage to the wreck. It was found to be broken into three sections, with signs of considerable deterioration of the hull, allowing some interior structures to be seen. Despite the damage, the detailed high-frequency sonar imagery meant it was possible to identify the wreck based on several identifiable features, particularly in the better-preserved aft most section.
According to shipping manifests, the Shirvan was carrying a full load of oil or gasoline when she sank, and thus it was feared that if the 6,000 ton vessel was intact, there could potentially be a significant environmental issue associated with the leaking fuel. Utilising the data from the Gavia AUV the Icelandic Coast Guard was able to determine that due to the condition of the wreck it is highly unlikely any significant quantities of gasoline remain onboard.
The finding of the Shirvan is historically significant, as the exact location where the Shirvan went down has until known been unknown and the Icelandic Goðafoss was lost in the same attack after she defied orders and stopped to rescue the British sailors on the Shirvan. This action resulted in a significant loss of life amongst both the crew of Godafoss and the rescued crewmen from the Shirvan, to date, despite numerous attempts, the wreck of the Godafoss remains undiscovered. However, locating the wreck of the Godafoss may not be imminent as the stricken Shirvan drifted for roughly 24 hours after the attacks on the two vessels.
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May 2011 ACTEON GROUP BOLSTERS SUBSEA SERVICES WITH ACQUISITION OF NCS SURVEY Subsea services group Acteon has acquired Aberdeen-based NCS Survey Limited. The acquisition adds to Acteon’s capability in the rig-positioning market and provides an additional suite of survey services to clients that operate rigs and vessels.
NCS Survey provides high-precision rig-positioning, construction-support and subsea-visualisation services to the global offshore market, including upstream oil and gas and offshore wind. As the market leader in providing surveys through lightweight autonomous underwater vehicle technology, NCS Survey has performed over 600 projects in 35 countries since it was founded in 2005.
The company will retain its existing personnel and management team, headed up by current managing director, Andy Gray.
Gray said, NCS Survey has enjoyed continued growth thanks to the early adoption and delivery of technologies that deliver tangible benefits for clients. Joining Acteon will enable NCS to accelerate this expansion through the group’s international footprint.
Paul Alcock, Acteon executive vice president, said, The acquisition of NCS Survey continues our strategy of defining and shaping the subsea services industry allowing us to support our customers with an increased service offering that complements the skills we already have within the group.
NCS Survey joins Acteon’s other branded companies, linking subsea services across a broad range of interconnected disciplines. The transaction, the terms of which are not being disclosed, was completed on 25 May 2011.
Acteon enjoys the financial backing of First Reserve Corporation, a leading private equity company in the energy sector. Corporate finance advice to Acteon was provided by KPMG Corporate Finance, Aberdeen, UK. Legal advice was provided by Birketts LLP, Norwich, UK. NCS Survey’s vendors were advised by Simmons & Company International and Paull & Williamsons LLP, Aberdeen, UK. |
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June 2011 NCS SURVEY APPOINTS JOHN MEADEN AS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
NCS Survey, an Acteon company, is pleased to announce the appointment of John Meaden as Chief Operating Officer reporting to Andy Gray, President.
John will assist NCS Survey with the next stage of its growth following the recent acquisition of NCS by Acteon Group Ltd.
Andy Gray stated “We are delighted to have John join our Executive team as his 30 year operations experience in the survey sector will help us underpin our continued regional and product line growth, whilst ensuring we continue to deliver the levels of service we have become known for”.
The appointment is effective from 1st September 2011 and will be based in the Aberdeen office.
NCS Survey provides high-precision rig-positioning, construction-support and subsea-visualisation services to the global offshore market, including upstream oil and gas and offshore wind. NCS Survey is one of 17 Acteon companies linking subsea services across a range of interconnected disciplines. |