First TWMA Offshore Processing Contract in Norway

TWMA, a  company in integrated drilling and environmental solutions for the international onshore and offshore oil and gas industry, has been awarded a major contract with Total E&P Norge AS to deliver offshore waste management services during the development of the Martin Linge field located on the Northern Viking Graben in the Central North Sea.

The seven-year contract is TWMA’s first offshore contract in the region and, if given the go-ahead by Norwegian authorities, could see the introduction of offshore processing to the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

The agreement commencing in 2014, will see TWMA incorporate its solutions to manage Total’s complete drilling waste operations on the new-build Maersk XLE Jack-up drilling rig during the development of the Martin Linge field.

TWMA has experience in providing advice and assistance to the Norwegian energy sector in respect of environmental issues and provides a variety of solutions in an onshore environment for operators in the region. It also manages offshore projects throughout the world, including high-profile projects in the Middle East and West Africa, where legislation is among the most stringent.

TWMA has developed a variety of solutions that can be implemented throughout the full-cycle of a project, from initial conception to decommissioning.

Leif Ove Svensen, Scandinavia region manager at TWMA, said, “TWMA has an intrinsic knowledge of the Norwegian energy sector having worked with operators over a number of years to put in place solutions which eliminate drilling wastes retrospectively.

“The company has been working with the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association (Norsk Olje & Gass) as part of a steering group to coordinate efforts by operators to outline and implement recognised protocols for handling and treating waste materials associated with drilling operations offshore on the NCS.

“We see this contract very much as an opportunity to progress that relationship further by utilising our expertise to minimize the environmental impact of offshore operations in the NCS even further by treating drill cuttings and associated fluids at source.”

TWMA currently employs 30 people at its Stavanger office and recently upgraded Mongstad base, supplying onshore processing, slops treatment and support services for operations in the NCS.

TWMA’s sales director Rob O’Neill added, “Norway is a key strategic region for TWMA. We have recently increased the capacity at our Mongstad base and this means that we are perfectly placed to provide Norwegian operators with solutions that are both cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.