Aker Solutions
Global reputation
Since its inception in 1982, one leading company’s vapour recovery business has grown to become the leading force in hydrocarbon vapour recovery from the distribution of gasoline.
By 1994 the company was able to include the recovery of crude oil vapour among its repertoire and sold the first unit of its kind within that year. By the end of the 1990s Aker Solutions became aware of the leading technology and chose to take a 35 per cent stake in its operations, this was increased to 67 per cent in 2001 and by 2005 Aker Solutions had taken over complete ownership of the company, which has been benefiting from the Aker Solutions global network ever since. Aker Solutions operates within two main markets; the gasoline distribution sector alongside oil companies, and the upstream business sector, performing vapour recovery during the loading and distribution of crude oil. On the back of its advanced expertise, the organisation can name StatoilHydro, Conoco Phillips and Vopak among its main clients.
Morten Hansen, managing director of Aker Solution’s vapour recovery business, outlines its main strengths and differentiators in the market: “We are highly flexible and are able to work in conjunction with customer specifications to produce a tailor made solution. Our longstanding experience is something that our peers can’t compete with, while the business is buoyed up by our renowned mother company. Aker Solutions is one of the first names people think of in regards to vapour recovery and half of our project enquiries are off our own back, while the other half comes from the global Aker name. We maintain long-term relationships with our clients and the after sales provision we supply is second to none, ensuring returned business.”
One of the organisation’s latest projects was in the installation of four identical vapour recovery modules in the Middle East. The modules were installed on two floating storage units operating in the Maersk offshore field in Qatar, one owned and operated by OSG and the other by Euronav. Neither of the ships are in full operation yet, though one is due for imminent use while the other is due on station in January 2010. All four modules were ordered for the recovery of displaced crude oil vapours during the transfer of crude oil from the oil rig to the 
FSO. The units posed quite a project engineering feat as they consisted of very large and complex systems, though this didn’t stop Aker Solutions delivering them on time within an eight-month period.
“These were not standard contracts at all. The crude oil was quite high in sulphur compounds, which needed to be taken into account throughout the production process, from selection of the materials through to the construction phase. Attention also had to be paid to the fitment of the ship, even though the units were technically identical they were all bespoke designs for the application. We work very closely with clients for the delivery of such tailor-made projects, this is especially important for these very large systems operating with crude oil as every crude oil is unique and specific, meaning that each vapour recovery unit has varying specifications,” Simon Shipley, global sales director of Aker Solutions vapour recovery business explains.
Moreover, the organisation has just been awarded a contract with ConocoPhillips for two vapour recovery units to be used during ship loading. The first unit is a shore-based unit that will be delivered in June 2010, while the other is an offshore jetty based vapour recovery system that is not due until the end of May 2011. Being owned by a globally recognised organisation has a plethora of benefits for operations, as Simon highlights: “Though our vapour recovery business is well known in its own right, Aker Solutions certainly carries a lot of respect and people understand that we are going to deliver a quality product on time, to specification and, more than that, we will be here well after it has been delivered to support the unit and the customer. Aker Solutions also has an office network around the world and we can utilise the facilities they’ve got and gain contacts. We also have our own growing network of offices in regions such as Thailand, South Africa, China, Ukraine and Moscow.”
Quality is a main focus for the company in order to uphold its international, blossoming status as an expert supplier. Aker Solutions follows a stringent project execution model that applies to all contract deliverance and sourcing, as well as the sales and tender base. Throughout the entire bidding and project process the entire engineering department are highly involved to ensure that when a solution is presented to a client, the same solution ends up being delivered with the minimum amount of rework. A small laboratory is maintained on location in Denmark, where thorough testing and simulation tools can be utilised to create the highest quality and safest product possible. Indeed, Aker Solutions is experiencing some of the best working conditions for the past few years despite the global economic situation. For the first time in two years, the company can see where the next year’s business is going to come from, with quite a list of potential projects coming to the fore.
“We are seeing quite a lot of prospects emerging for us in the market and this is not just in gasoline distribution, but also in large refineries as well as in marine operations. We are working hard on entering the Russian market, which is a very interesting area for us, while we would also like to develop in Asia eventually. We will proceed in following the same goal we have had for the last ten years and that is to become a more and more global force. We are proud of our achievements so far, especially when we can boast the worlds largest crude vapour recovery unit in our portfolio and I think we will continue to deliver some of the most technologically advanced firsts for the industry in the coming years,” Morten concludes.
Aker Solutions
Products:Hydrocarbon vapour recovery