Well Stimulation Vessel- Easing Deep Sea Production

The concept of Well stimulation vessel originated to tackle the temporary nature of well stimulation. The offshore support vessels (OSVs) with the potential to infuse stimulation substances into offshore oil and gas wells are referred to as Well Stimulation Vessel. A well stimulation vessel mainly provides services for the production of wells, injects stimulation substances into wells through the operation of well stimulation installations and equipment to improve the productivity of oil and/or gas and support the offshore engineering production.

In this article, let us talk about how these vessels have eased the process of carrying out well stimulation in some of the most challenging environments across the world!

Vessels & Services: Well Stimulation Companies

Well stimulation vessels come with a huge capacity and are fitted with the latest stimulation and marine technologies. They are engineered for effectiveness and endurance, enabling them to operate in severe environments. The E&P companies around the world have experienced low non-productive time, rig time, and risk using well stimulation vessels, all the while maximizing profits and production.

For Well Stimulation companies, a fleet of well stimulation vessel broadens the range of services they can offer in deep water, such as acid fracturing, matrix acidizing, sand control, proppant fracturing, and scale control. The role of well stimulation companies become pivotal in such cases. Let us take a brief look at the companies that provide well stimulation vessels to the global upstream industry:

• Halliburton: Oilfield services giant, Halliburton is, most probably, home to the largest fleet of well stimulation vessels, with 10 vessels to its name. Engineered to deliver the latest, and equipped with the most cost-effective technologies and skilled personnel, these well stimulation vessels are deployed across the most challenging conditions worldwide. The fleet includes Stim Star Angola, Stim Star Arabian Gulf, Stim Star III, Stim Star IV. These well stimulation vessels provide fracturing, acidizing and sand control treatments.
• Damen Shipyards Group: Dutch conglomerate, Damen Shipyards is one of the leading names in the well stimulation vessel industry. The firm operates a fleet of such vessels, including Well Stimulation Vessel 8016 CD and Well Stimulation Vessel 6014. These vessels leverage the knowledge obtained during ongoing research programmes. For this purpose, Damen Shipyards has collaborated with world-renowned research institutes such as Delft University of Technology, Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) and the Netherlands Organization of Applied Scientific Research (TNO).
• Baker Hughes: Baker Hughes runs one of the youngest fleets of well stimulation vessel, with 7 vessels to its name. These vessels operate in the North Sea and offshore West Africa, Brazil, and Vietnam. Baker’s fleet includes Blue Dolphin, Blue Tarpon, StimFORCE Gulf of Mexico Well Stimulation Vessel and others. Known for providing the highest offshore pumping pressures in the world, Baker Hughes offers reliable, safe stimulation services to E&Ps around the world. The Blue Dolphin Well Stimulation Vessel was deployed to help tackle BP’s Deepwater Horizon subsea blowout in 2010.
• Island Offshore: Norwegian offshore vessel major, Island Offshore operates a fleet of three well stimulation vessels. These vessels are equipped for transportation and handling of liquid cargo and chemicals for use in well stimulation operations. They consist of acid storages, blender equipment, and stimulation pump rooms. The fleet includes 2011-built MV ISLAND CENTURION and MV ISLAND CAPTAIN.

Market Conditions of Well Stimulation Vessel

Rapid infrastructure development across the Gulf of Mexico and West Africa has led to the currently ramped up demand for well stimulation vessels. A very positive contribution to this demand has come from the growing transport capacity and logistics. Thus, a large segment of the well stimulation vessel market is currently focused on the Gulf of Mexico, followed by South America. The market is also getting a good share in emerging regions such as the North Sea, the Middle East, West Africa, and North Atlantic regions. As new developments in the measurement and real-time monitoring systems happen, it’d be interesting to observe the course of the well stimulation vessel market in the near future.