Semar AS
A sea change
Located in Lysaker, just west of Oslo in Norway, Semar AS offers a comprehensive consultancy service for concept development, design, installation and removal of marine structures.
With an employee base of 40, its technical staff consists of highly qualified engineers, naval architects, marine consultants, master mariners, and designers with broad professional knowledge. It has recorded a turnover in the region of 35 to 50 million NKr in the previous three years, and the expected turnover for 2008 is approximately 65 million NKr.
Established in 1980, initially under the name Structural Engineering AS, the company has since changed its name to Semar AS, representing its increasing involvement in marine operations since the initial formation of the company. Although Semar has expanded its focus in marine activities, its engineering department, SE, still remains intact. It focuses on delivering conceptual and detail design, as well as structural and marine analyses, while the company’s marine department, MAR, concentrates on delivering marine operational services to the offshore industry.
In February 2007, Semar became a part of DOF Subsea Norway AS. With a 50 per cent share, the remaining 50 per cent being owned by Semar’s employees, DOF Subsea Norway is now Semar’s main shareholder. Semar has both a broad and close relationship with its owner and efforts are combined from both companies to achieve its main objective in becoming a total contractor on deliveries to the offshore industry worldwide.
Bergen-based DOF Subsea Norway, a division of the DOF Subsea Group, is a leading subsea services and survey company. It seeks to meet industry-posed challenges with its high-quality equipment, vessels and personnel. The company has the knowledge and experience needed to perform highly complex tasks with sufficient capacity and flexibility to meet the demands of larger projects, and the constantly changing levels of activity that characterise the business.
Harald Vormedal, managing director at Semar, discusses the business’ role in the industry: “The work we do for our clients is related to subsea engineering and project assistance. StatoilHydro is perhaps our most important client, and then we have Shell Norway, where we assist with marine operations and rig moves; involving the planning and execution of various drilling rig moves, mooring analyses and installation of mooring systems. In terms of what we can offer our customers, we can contribute in all areas of a project, providing sea studies, concept development, project management, co-ordination and supervision management. So we can present a complete package, covering all aspects of the job.”
Traditionally, Semar’s experience originates from offshore projects in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. However, in recent years, the company has also been involved in projects from other oil and gas fields worldwide. Being involved in a vast quantity of projects, Semar has assisted with a broad variety of jobs for numerous premium oil and gas companies, such as the reliance buoy installation for APL AS, in 2007. The project involved establishing design forces for lifting, submersing, and float-off analysis; verification, design of supports and modification work regarding the connection frame; design and verification of the rigging systems; hydrodynamic modeling; and assisting the client in co-ordination, mobilisation, construction follow-up, management, and co-ordination of offshore activities required for the hook up of mooring lines.
Another example is the Langeled SSVS (sub sea valve station) project owned by Statoil in 2004-2005; as a subcontractor to Nemo Engineering AS, Semar was responsible for the structural analysis of the SSVS, which connected to the export pipeline carrying the gas from the Ormen Lange field to the UK. The company’s analysis activities included lifting, above and below sea level; retrieval; submerged tow; transport on a vessel, set down on the seabed; tie-in of pipe spools; operating; trawl-over and dealing with dropped objects.
With frame agreements for Aker Marine Contractors AS, StatoilHydro ASA and Norske Shell AS, Semar is currently experiencing ample business activity from its extensive customer base, Harald elaborates: “We have a lot of clients and new jobs are constantly arising with them, whether it be installation, engineering, organisation or an operation of that sort. We have a project FPS Ocean, a company that builds, owns and operates floating production systems; the job involves working with the company’s buoy systems. We are also doing a lot of engineering with regards to living quarter modules and fixed platform.”
He continues, outlining where he sees the company developing in the forthcoming years: “With our head office located near Oslo, we have also just started an office in Kristiansund, where there is a lot of activity with regards to vessel organisation and treatment. Next year we are hoping to expand on the west coast of Norway and we are also starting in Bergen, in the county of Hordaland on the southwestern coast of Norway. It is much easier to employ people, with a large population living on the west coast.” With Bergen’s harbour being Norway’s largest port, the city has a widely acknowledged link to maritime businesses. In addition, Flesland, Bergen’s international airport, is the main heliport for the huge Norwegian North Sea oil and gas industry, from where thousands of offshore workers commute to their workplaces onboard oil and gas rigs and platforms.
Semar can offer various types of marine equipment for use in marine operations. In connection with installation / removal of suction anchors or other underwater equipment, Semar can provide a complete package containing the following equipment: heave compensator, launching frame with trolley, mezzanine decks, hydraulic power packs. The mezzanine decks are used for storage of ROV equipment and containers when the space on the main deck of the vessel is limited. The heave compensator may also be used together with a vessel’s A-frame.
The company also utilises a variety of software tools in order to perform analysis and design operations. Mimosa, for instance, is an efficient computer programme used for the analysis of mooring systems and moored vessels. It is part of the Sesam software system developed by Det Norske Veritas, as is Wadam, a general hydrodynamic analysis programmes for calculating wave structure interaction, for fixed and floating structures of arbitrary shape. Also, the company makes use of programme such as Autohydro, which is used to perform hydrostatic and stability calculations, for both intact and damage conditions.
Semar’s expertise is utilised in the development of its services, providing it with an edge in a competitive market. There are great opportunities in the co-operation with the company’s new owner, DOF Subsea Norway and with frame agreement in place, defining the volume of operations that Semar will be performing through its clients, the company’s success and activity level looks to be ongoing in the forthcoming years.
Semar AS
Services Planning, engineering and execution of marine operations