SUT-US Makes Its 15th Appearance at Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition

by Audrey Guzman & Araceli Lopez-Acosta February 20, 2020

The 20th Annual Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition (SSTB) was held on February 18th at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. The conference shares knowledge and collective experiences to improve the quality, safety, and economics of the subsea tieback industry.

 

During this conference, the Society for Underwater Technology in the U.S. (SUT-US) hosts a one-day course titled “Key Elements of Subsea Tiebacks”  covering the importance of the components of Subsea Tiebacks - subsea, umbilicals, risers, and flowlines (SURF). Additionally, attendees are given the opportunity to network with the presenters and other industry professionals.

 

Leading companies in the subsea industry sponsor their professionals to present during this conference and share important knowledge. All profits generated from this event help to support SUT-US student scholarships, student chapters and outreach programs. If you have attended a course or plan to attend the upcoming one, know that you are contributing to support the SUT-US Educational Support Fund.

 

The volunteer presenters for this course edition included:

 

Don Schlater, an SUT-US member who has been conducting the Subsea Tieback Course for over 15 years explained “All of the presenters are experts in their fields with on average 40 plus years of experience. This course is designed to give the attendees a general knowledge of a segment of the offshore industry that is playing an increasing role in the production of hydrocarbons from offshore fields”. In the Subsea Tieback Course, participants are given the opportunity to learn all the key objectives from the SUT-US four day Subsea Awareness Course in a one day workshop. 

 

Some participant demographics of this course include those who are new to the industry, new to subsea, transfers from onshore, department managers, those with engineering disciplines, purchasing agents, financial specialists (both banks and private equity), first tier suppliers, second and third tier suppliers, sales personnel, and university students.

 

Christopher Curran, one of SUT-US’s founders and leaders of the Key Elements of Subsea Tieback Course explained “The format of the course has been well received over the many years that we have been delivering it at the Subsea Tieback Forum. There was a strong engagement from the attendees, with very active questions being raised and answered by the presenters ”. In addition, Mr. Curran mentioned that “the numbers were strong this year, up from previous years which is an encouraging sign of the status of the industry back in February”.  

 

Karl Schnakenburg, another experienced leader who has been assisting the Key Elements of Subsea Tiebacks for 5 years told SUT-US “The course is designed to provide an overview of the subsea industry with an emphasis on easy-to-understand graphics, concepts and terminology so non-engineers and others from our industry will be able to participate and better support a subsea vendor, contractor or supplier or an O&G operator’s development project team or operations group without being intimidated or lost by the industry acronyms and jargon. The course is appropriate for engineers and non-engineers alike. Both are likely to significantly improve their overall understanding of subsea systems”.

 

 

SUT-US greatly recognizes the support of Apex Subsea for sponsoring the 2020 SUT-US course Key Elements of Subsea Tiebacks, their support demonstrates a commitment towards continuing education for the subsea sector. A special thanks is also extended to the organizers of SSTB for their continuous partnership in this conference as 50% of the profits are transferred to SUT-US for student scholarships and student chapters’ support.

 

The 2021 Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition is scheduled for March 2-4, 2021 in Galveston, Texas and SUT-US will continue offering this course. If you are interested in sponsoring this course at SSTB 2021 you can click here to contact us.

 

Follow the link to view the conference pictures in the SUT-US Flickr gallery: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmM6Y3sk