News
Upstream International Oil & Gas Newspaper – December 2007
Players Line Up for BHP’s Macedon Job
BHP Billiton is weighing up at least three bids for a pre-feasibility engineering study on its Macedon gas field development off Western Australia. Macedon is a sizeable project comprising offshore production, a subsea pipeline of at least 100 kilometres length to shore, and onshore gas processing near Onslow, said sources.
A host platform is likely to be located in shallower waters of about 50 to 70 metres, with flowlines running down to production wells in deeper water, although the field could also be produced with an all-subsea system, said sources. Offers for the pre-feasibility study, or pre-front end engineering and design, were submitted about six weeks ago by various oil and gas contractors including Clough, Intec Engineering, Technip, Wood Group subsidiaries JP Kenny and Mustang, WorleyParsons and other players too, said sources. Some have formed alliances to complement each others skills. Sources said one such example is understood to be Clough with UK front-end specialist Xodus, which is new to Australia in 2007. Sources suggested the Clough-Xodus offering may be of interest to BHP.
Privately-owned Xodus set up a Perth office in February — its first foreign post — and has made a quick impact in the area of subsea engineering solutions competing against the likes of Intec and JP Kenny. Sources said it has hired senior, experienced people from rival companies in Australia including its local executive director Matthew Rawlings, who was most recently with Granherne in Perth. Xodus has quietly grabbed a slice of the subsea engineering market from its two rivals. The company itself said it has been involved in Woodside’s Pluto, Angel, Browse, Sunrise and Vincent projects and carried out FEED support for Helix Energy Solutions’ floating production, storage and offloading vessel Shiraz. It recently picked up a contract with the Woodside-led North West Shelf Venture for the ODP8 project, which involves evaluating and prioritising field development sequencing, considering integration of small Western Flank oil rims, and the venture’s infrastructure.
Xodus said: “In less than a year, we have cracked this major piece of work which could have been seen as the exclusive domain of others with a longer track record in the province.” It is not known when BHP plans to award the Macedon pre-Feed contract. Tenders for the big turnkey contracts will follow in due course.
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Press Release – September 2007
Xodus Enjoying Australian Move
Australia has quickly become home to the first Xodus Group overseas office with the base almost doubling in size since launching earlier this year. Internationalism was always on the agenda for the oil and gas development consultancy company, the only question was over the location for the first overseas office. Perth, Australia quickly became the obvious choice as it offered a region with huge potential for the integrated Xodus offering.
In March, Xodus began its assault on Australia with a big bang. In similar fashion to the launch of Xodus in Aberdeen, the group attracted senior, experienced people and started from day one with high quality people, premises and infrastructure in place ready to exploit the opportunities. The office is led by local directors Matthew Rawlings, Grant Veroba and Stuart Barr who between then have over 60 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry and bring an unrivalled knowledge of the oil and gas consultancy business and the Australian/Asian market to Xodus. Key wins have included major development support for Woodside, complete development planning services for a world scale gas condensation development in the Middle East, a confidential due diligence assignment and the FEED support work on Shiraz FPSO for Helix ESG.
“We have reached our business plan headcount for the year almost five months earlier than planned and have got an economic critical mass established,” Mr Rawlings said.
“This has included leadership and capabilities in all divisions. We have all been blown away by the growth of the business and it is absolutely clear that high calibre resources are in the highest demand in Perth.
“Not only have we been surprised about the dynamic growth but also in our client portfolio.
“We have established a top table relationship with Woodside, a strong relationship with a strategic company in Malaysia as well as fostering an exciting relationship with Helix ESG. Diversifying our client base will certainly be a key focus for the second half of the year.”
More new faces, including director Gordon Cowper and Paul Sartory have joined the office with the establishment of the Subsea and TSR Divisions. This promises to open up many new and exciting opportunities.
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Press Release – August 2007
Xodus Group Raises £7,000 for Cancer Charity
Athletic employees from oil and gas engineering consultancy Xodus Group have raised more than £7,000 for a north-east cancer support charity by taking parting a sponsored fitness challenge. More than 50 employees embarked on a virtual 16,000km journey – the equivalent of travelling between their existing headquarters in Aberdeen ad the firm’s new office in Perth, Australia.The distance was covered via a variety of means, from running, cycling and swimming to walking and playing squash and football, over a period of 12 weeks. Funds raised are to be donated to CLAN (Cancer Link Aberdeen and North) which provides a range of services and support to people affected by cancer. Xodus Group director Colin Manson is delighted with the response the challenge has received, with more than half the Aberdeen office signing up to take part.
He said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for the staff at Xodus to show how we can all work as a team to raise a substantial amount of money for such a worthwhile charity as CLAN. The work CLAN does and the care it offers is quite exceptional, therefore we are very proud to be supporting it.”
More than half the total was raised by Xodus employees, with the reminder donated by the firm.
CLAN is an independent charity which offers support to anyone affected by cancer. Based in Aberdeen, the charity covers the whole of Grampian, Orkney and Shetland.
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Press Release – July 2007
Perth Opening Solidifies Xodus Group’s WA Presence
Xodus Group is setting the pace as Australia’s fastest growing oil and gas development consultancy. Established in February this year, the growth of the Perth-based business follows on from the success of the established UK business. Executive Director, Matthew Rawlings said the Australian opening had already proven to be an enormous success and that the company is looking forward to significantly building its presence in Western Australia.
“The Xodus approach of integrated consulting Divisions, specialising in subsea, oil and gas, technical safety and risk, technology and environment, enables us to provide a unique offering – a truly integrated development solution for clients,” Mr Rawlings said.
“With this integrated capability, we are able to better understand the challenges and opportunities our clients face,” he said. “We offer a complete capability – from opportunity appraisal, through concept selection and definition, to design/construction and into operation.”
Mr Rawlings said it was especially pleasing that the company had already achieved its primary objective, with the establishment of a critical capability in each of its foundation areas.
“Xodus’ success in Perth is a clear indication that our innovative and dynamic business approach is meeting a gap in the marketplace. We are now working for a number of oil and gas operators in Perth on a range of large-scale and technically challenging developments. Our clients range from the majors to the aspiring independents,” he said.
“WA is enjoying an enormous amount of growth at the moment, underpinned by the resources and oil and gas industries, and we are very keen to have a strong presence here.”
Mr Rawlings said that, without doubt, the foundation of Xodus’ business is its highly skilled personnel who bring experience from the major oil and gas development areas of the world. Xodus Group has combined this experience with the latest techniques and tools in problem solving.
“Our clients have expressed their desire to deal with accessible, independent and locally based consultants who understand their needs and can deliver integrated solutions. This is everything Xodus now offers in Western Australia,” he said.
“We’ve secured a great location on St Georges Terrace and we’re looking forward to offering innovative solutions to meet the needs of our new and existing clients as we grow.”
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Press Release – May 2007
Xodus Develop Environmental Capability with Acquisition of Aurora
Xodus Group has acquired leading environmental consultancy, Aurora Environmental, for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition underlines Xodus’ intention to rapidly expand its environmental division which will now be known as Xodus AURORA. The fast growing oil and gas consultancy believes the market is ripe for an integrated approach to engineering and environmental issues. It is anticipated that the division will employ 30 people by the end of the year, more than doubling Aurora’s existing workforce.
“Since setting up the business in 2005, we have been looking at developing an environmental capability,” says Colin Manson Xodus managing director. “After researching the market, we believed that Aurora with its excellent reputation, experienced staff and a culture similar to our own was a natural fit.
“We have long-maintained the view that, with environmental requirements increasing, it is vital and more efficient to make sure those requirements are built into the engineering design process. This deal ensures that Xodus is now able to bring a unique and integrated approach to fill the gap in the market.”
Orkney-based Aurora provides independent environmental survey and consultancy services to industry and government worldwide. Formed in 2000 by Liz Foubister and Zoe Cairns, the company has 12 staff and a client portfolio that includes BP, Chevron, CNR International, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Maersk and Venture Production.
Commenting on the deal, Zoe Cairns says: “Aurora has experience of working on large, high profile contracts in both the UK and overseas and has an extremely solid platform from which to capitalise on the rapidly growing environmental market. Being part of Xodus will allow us to fast-track our growth and exploit all the opportunities, particularly in the oil and gas sector.”
Mrs Foubister and Ms Cairns will head up Xodus AURORA from their purpose-built facilities in Orkney and remain committed to the region.
“We have built up a successful business from Orkney and will continue to grow through the new opportunities afforded by being part of Xodus.”
Xodus is projecting to increase staff from 12 to 30 within a year, with staff divided between the offices in Orkney and Aberdeen.
Mr Manson concludes: “On the back of this acquisition we will be able to rapidly expand our environmental division and diversify into other areas such as marine renewables and aquaculture where Aurora has an excellent reputation.”
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Press Release – March 2007
Xodus Opens Australia Office
One of the fastest growing oil and gas consultancies has opened its first overseas office in Perth, Australia. Xodus Group unveiled plans to open the office in January and has since secured premises on St. Georges Terrace in the city’s CBD (central business district), recruited over fifteen staff and is working on a six figure sum contract for a major Australian gas-condensate deepwater project. The rapidly growing engineering consultancy expects to be employing 40 consultants and engineers by the end of the first year of trading.
The office is led by local Directors Matthew Rawlings, Grant Veroba and Stuart Barr. Between them they have over 60 years experience in the oil and gas industry, with over 15 years of consultancy operational management and bring an unrivalled knowledge of the oil and gas consultancy business and the Australian/Asian market to Xodus.
Director Matthew Rawlings announced “We have been exceptionally pleased with the start up of the Perth operation, the recruitment campaign has been very successful and we have assembled a world class consulting core from which to grow. Our independent and uniquely integrated offering of oil and gas consulting across the asset life cycle, subsea and pipelines, technical safety and risk, environment and technology has been received with interest by major clients in Perth.”
Strategically it is anticipated that the Perth operation will become the centre of excellence for development planning of Greenfield opportunities.
Director Colin Manson explains: “When we launched in Aberdeen just over a year ago, we explored the opportunities in Moscow, Kuala Lumpur and Houston. However, the best strategic overseas move for us initially is Western Australia where there are major greenfield development opportunities and where we can also target the buoyant Asia Pacific market, which has huge potential for our experience and expertise”.
The Aberdeen office recently announced that it had exceeded its financial objectives, allowing it to embark on its international growth plans earlier than expected. The international expansion has been entirely self funded.
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