Deepwater Services
As the industry changes to meet the demands of new sources of fuel, BJ has committed itself to finding new ways of providing clients with the same essential services while also making their operations in these challenging new settings easier.

Cementing is an essential service that BJ provides, and the company says changes in the industry are leading to new ways of getting the job done. “As new technologies and techniques become routine, operators are demanding new approaches to well cementing,” the company says.

“Deepwater exploration, stringent environmental regulations and dozens of other factors drive the need to examine cementing in new ways.”

BJ says products such as its Liquid Stone pre-mixed storable slurries, Deepset slurries for controlling shallow water flow and automated foam cementing system are recent developments aimed at helping clients succeed in more difficult situations. “BJ’s specialized approach and dedication to achieving precision cementing produces innovative equipment, products and techniques that are backed by reliable service in the field,” the company says.

Helping clients work in increasingly difficult environments is one of BJ’s top priorities, the company states, especially in deepwater applications. “Deepwater operations and services require a commitment by all involved for any project to be a success,” the company states.

“BJ’s total commitment toward the deepwater frontier has led it to become one of the petroleum industry’s most-recognized service companies.

“Our deepwater involvement has not been limited to a single product line, but permeates the entire corporation, resulting in fluid and tool systems, acidizing fracturing and pumping that are innovative and unparalleled.”

The company’s recent addition of its C-Port facility in Port Fourchon, La., is a testament to its commitment to deepwater operations. “This unique, world-class facility is designed specifically for deepwater operations,” the company says. “BJ’s established network of port facilities decreases supply logistics while optimizing supply boat loading and unloading time. Large volumes of completion fluids and advanced loading technology help assure that expensive facility-related delays do not occur.”

Adding Capabilities
A big part of the reason why BJ has such an edge in technology is the company’s strategy of acquisition. Barden says BJ is dedicated to finding companies it can bring into the fold that provide a needed service for its customers that BJ can’t provide alone.

For example, the company recently acquired PROFILE International UK, creator of the PROFILE caliper tool. Norson Services, also based in the United Kingdom, was another key acquisition, Barden says, and both companies have brought additional capabilities to BJ. Barden says PROFILE, in particular, helped BJ fill a specific market need that the company has previously not been able to.

“The PROFILE acquisition was basically to give us a reliable, low-cost caliper tool to complement our rather high-end pipeline inspection services,” Barden says. “And the Norson Services business brought several different things, some new technology in the subsea deepwater precommissioning business, some technology in the oil flushing business and market share in both the UK market and also in the umbilical commissioning business.”

In particular, the addition of the PROFILE caliper to BJ’s toolbox has been a major boost to the company in market segments it didn’t serve previously. “The design of the tool makes it particularly robust, and we already have a very high-end caliper tool that has some additional features that the PROFILE tool doesn’t have,” Barden says. “You need a low-cost solution for that particular market segment, which we weren’t able to achieve. One of the other technologies we acquired with the PROFILE acquisition was a smart gauge tool, which is basically an addition to the standard gauging tool which allows us to detect if the gauge plate has been damaged before the gauge plate is removed from the pipeline.”