Unique Maritime Capabilities Ready to Serve Mexico

Q: What contributions is Boskalis looking to make to Mexican offshore field development?

A: Our ambitions are considerable. Our unique and versatile range of assets and capabilities enable us to participate in all the phases of an offshore field’s life cycle. These services are performed by our subsidiary Gardline, which is a leading contractor in this category in the North Sea. We can also assist in the transportation of drilling rigs, not to mention the support our specialized assets can provide to a project’s general marine spread. We can also provide transport and installation solutions for production platforms. The scope of the projects we take on can also include general offshore infrastructural development, with activities such as shore crossings of subsea pipelines, trenching and finally rock dumping, more technically known as subsea rock installation, which is also an area in which Boskalis is a world leader.
Moreover, we are a leading contractor for decommissioning, particularly in the North Sea, and we want to offer these services here as well. Our specialized services can be combined into an integrated solution for offshore operators in Mexico. This is in addition to the synergies we create as one of Boskalis Group’s divisions, together with our dredging division and our towage and salvage Division.
Q: With these capabilities in mind, how are you planning to develop your client and project portfolio in Mexico?

A: We are constantly in contact with the large offshore EPC contractors to whom we would usually provide our services as subcontractor for their offshore infrastructure projects. Our communication with these contractors plays an important role in our efforts to identify potential projects and identify the services we can bring to the table. For PEMEX, we are looking closely at the publishing of its “packages,” which is what the NOC calls the bundled contracts of pipelines and platforms for development of its offshore fields. PEMEX has stated in its business plans and elsewhere that it has ambitious goals for developing shallow water production. Private operators like Talos, Eni, Fieldwood and Hokchi are also prominently in our radar. We actively explore where our capabilities can align with the installation of the fixed or floating facilities and subsea pipelines these operators will need for their projects.
Our added value is offering a unique combination of people, vessels and activities for our clients. That been said, we are also looking into chartering for the IOC clients. For example, in Mexico we have a vessel working for Eni on a long-term charter. We can reflag vessels to participate and support these types of projects for our clients. Ideally, having assets available in the Gulf of Mexico gives us a competitive edge to support other projects, because mobilization expenses are already taken care of so we can offer a competitive solution.
Q: To what degree are Boskalis’ capabilities still classified as unique in the offshore services market?

A: Boskalis has many firsts in a long history of outstanding projects. Just thinking back in the last couple of years, the Aasta Hansteen SPAR transportation and topsides floatover, and the P67 FPSO transport come to mind. In the Aasta Hansteen project, in the North Sea, Boskalis transported the largest and heaviest SPAR with the heavy transport vessel BOKA Vanguard. The installation of the topsides is the largest catamaran float-over that has ever been executed, involving more than 100,000 work hours with zero lost time injuries. The BOKA Vanguard also transported the 90,000tonnes P67 FPSO from Qingdao yard in China to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, which was record breaking in tonnage for a dry towage. This allowed Petrobras to shorten the transportation by 60 days of the 150,000 barrels of oil per day production facility, with the corresponding impact of bringing first oil forward while also having a safer transport of the FPSO. These projects showcase the diversity of marine assets and expertise of Boskalis, but most important for our clients, our commitment to execute technically safe, sound and cost-effective solutions.

Boskalis Offshore Energy was founded as a Dutch dredging company in 1910. Through growth and acquisition, it has become a reliable dredging and marine expert with a global footprint.