Bureau Veritas secures multi-million-pound contract with Shell

Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification, has been awarded a multi-million-pound contract with Shell to deliver verification and acoustic noise services across 26 offshore installations and three onshore gas plants in the UK.

The three-year contract, which has an option to extend for two further years, is the latest project in a long-standing relationship between the two businesses, who first started working together on this scope in 2004.

The contract represents a continuation of the previous work between BV and Shell, during which BV provided Independent Verification Body services as well as decommissioning verification services for the Brent Alpha, Bravo and Delta platforms. BV will now continue to support the decommissioning of Brent Charlie, while also providing acoustic noise services to all Shell platforms in the Northern and Southern North Sea, as well as technical integrity audit services for onshore gas plants at St Fergus, Mossmorran and Bacton.

Paul Shrieve, Vice-President Global Services at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, said: “This latest programme of work was secured following a rigorous tendering process and shows that even with our existing relationship with Shell, we remain both a trusted and competitive choice for them when compared with our peers.

“BV has a proud history of working in the North Sea and has been involved in many of the most important chapters in its story. As we enter the decommissioning phase for a number of assets in the region, this new contract shows there is still a role for verification in the energy industry.

“While there are many significant issues facing the industry, one thing we do know is still the need for a trusted partner like BV. That will continue as the reliance on oil and gas decreases, with companies ensuring they get best value from their assets over the next 10 years and beyond.”

BV’s work will enable Shell to reduce the total cost of asset ownership due to remote working capabilities being increased. The two companies previously worked together to develop the BV Compliance tool, which streamlines planning, administration, project management and reporting to deliver a centralised live overview of the initial and ongoing assessment of SECE (Safety and Environmentally Critical Elements) suitability.

The organisations have also signed up to an innovative commercial model which will see any savings made during the duration of the contract split between both parties.

Paul added: “The way the deal has been structured offers incentives to both parties, and the agreement we have shown an extreme level of trust and comfort from both sides. We are able to offer Shell further value through our digital innovations which can be connected to their systems, allowing both organisations to benefit.

“Through BV Compliance, both parties see the value in delivering a consistent, high quality service, and relationships like this have been key to the growth of the BV offering. This contract award is an endorsement of the work we have done together over the past 17 years, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate closely with the team at Shell over the coming years.”

News of the Shell agreement follows a successful 12 months for the company after it won a three-year contract to deliver verification, certification, classification alongside environmental verification and audit services for six Ithaca Energy assets in the UK, as well as three-year deal from Centrica Storage Limited (CSL) for independent verification services at its UK onshore and offshore gas facilities.

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