courtesy Expro Group

Scotland-based sub-sea tools provider Expro International Group and Norway-based counterpart Aker Oilfield Services Ltd have agreed to jointly market the one’s well-intervention vessels and the others riserless well-intervention kit.

Expro’s AX-S will complement Aker Oilfield’s vessels for a seamless customer offering, one which does away with the hire of rigs for critical sub-sea well work. “A global alliance” is afoot, althought the two companies had once appeared to be rivals in the race to deepwater.

The Expro tool becomes “additional technology” in the Aker Kvaerner offering, after the Norwegians alligned their assets to pool the best of Aker Kvaerner Well Service, Aker Kvaerner Subsea and DOF Subsea. Expro had hitherto only acquired a partner in BP for developing the Expro tool.

“The letter of intent with Expro comes as a result of a thorough evaluation of the available and planned technologies for deepwater subsea wireline intervention,” Aker Oilfield chief exec, Per-Ola Baalerud, said in a statement.

He said the Aker Oilfield offering had been “focused on the heavier segment of the well intervention business”, including coiled-tubing service.

Tags: Aker Oilfield Services, Expro Group International