A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF PUMPING EXCELLENCE

ANinnovative hi-tech approach to pump systems hascemented MarFlex as a frontrunner in the eyes ofmany leaders in the marine and offshore sectors.

From initial development and engineering through to installa-tion on board, be it standard inland barge configurations throughto complex offshore systems, MarFlex has more than 12,000installed pumps, making the company a reliable partner andtrusted name worldwide.

The entire production and testing of the pumping systems arecompleted at the company’s Dutch headquarters in Oud-Beijerland.MarFlex also has offices in Russia, Hong Kong and China.

Sales, commissioning and service provision in Russia is arrangedvia the Moscow office, while sales in the Far East take place fromHong Kong and the Guangzhou office is engaged in project manage-ment and service provision in the Far East.

The pumping systems are put into operation on site byMarFlex personnel.

The company provides a complete pumping system for theunloading and monitoring of liquid cargoes onboard a ship orplatform in the maritime and offshore markets.

MarFlex develops, manufactures and maintains electric drive deep well pump systems and

hydraulic drive portable pump systems for the marine and offshore sectors. One of its latest

projects saw the installation of new pumps in readiness for a subsea development. Profile by

Andy Probert.

MARFLEX I PROFILE

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“We provide a 24/7 worldwide service, after-sales, and trainingfor all our pump system users,” commented Peter Versteeg, Director,MarFlex Asia.

The company has also delivered multiple Rainwater Draining PumpSystems for Floating Roofs suitable for tank terminals. These pumpingsystems are intended for the drainage of rainwater from the externalfloating roof tanks.

Western Isles projectMr Versteeg added that while the company had delivered on somemajor projects, the most recent project for the offshore market wasto supply a pump package for the Western Isles DevelopmentProject for Dana Petroleum.

The package includes electric drive cargo, slop, skimming and ballast pumps in addition to a portable pump including apower pack. The total length of the pipe stack and pump head is about 31m.

In total, explained Project Manager Frank Dikmans, there weresix different types of equipment supplied to the scheme, withpressure bars ranging from three to 15.

Dana Petroleum is operating the Western Isles project to developtwo oil fields called Harris and Barra in the UK Northern NorthSea. The site, 160km east of Shetland and 12km west of the Ternoilfield, has an estimated field life of 15 years.

The Western Isles project involves a subsea development of at leastfive production and four water injection wells tied back to a new buildfloating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) with oilexport using shuttle tankers.

With first oil expected this year, the main component of theFPSO, designed by Sevan Marine and constructed in China byChina Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), is the cylindrical hull.The FPSO utilises the hull for cargo storage and segregated ballasttanks as well as for marine and utility systems.

At a cost of $2 billion, Western Isles is the largest project cur-rently being undertaken by the company and it is also Dana’s firstend-to-end exploration and production project. The project willultimately deliver 40,000 barrels of oil a day.

Dana’s Joint Venture partner in the Western Isles DevelopmentProject is Japanese upstream exploration and production companyCieco. Dana has an equity share of 77%, and Cieco holds theremaining 23%.

Highly satisfactory resultsSpeaking about MarFlex’s involvement in the project, Mr Dikmanscommented: “From the very start, Dana, COSCO and MarFlex havebeen working extremely closely together to reach the best quality.As a result of this, MarFlex developed pumps operating smoothlyover the entire speed range of the pumps. It was also a demonstra-tion of what MarFlex can achieve in the highly competitive off-shore industry.”

Mr Dikmans added the project took off in 2013 and was deliveredby 2015, with finalisation in December 2016. He said: “This has beena highly complex, and at times, challenging project but one which hasdemonstrated MarFlex’s true extent of its engineering capabilities.”

Mr Versteeg added: “Knowing that the Western Isles FPSO hasbeen completed and will soon be operational, we can look backat a successful project. Particularly, since the final performancehas exceeded the expectations of all players.

“We are always looking for the best solution to market demandsby talking to the customer about their specific wishes.

Based on a data analysis, we offer insight and information to thecustomer to advise them on the optimal use of the system with theaim of minimising the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

“And of course, we are constantly working on improving ourproducts, both qualitatively and innovatively, as we naturallywant our customers to have a system that is always reliable andeasy to operate.” n

MarFlex employees on a guided tour on the Western Isles FPSO

MarFlex headquarters in Oud-Beijerland