Cortez Subsea signs alliance in Malaysia

ABERDEEN, United Kingdom -- Cortez Subsea, a subsea services and technology products company, has established its first foothold in the Malaysian oil and gas sector after signing an exclusive agreement with a major player to introduce its supply chain capabilities into the region.

The Aberdeen-based company has joined forces with procurement and engineering company Oceancare Corporation Sdn Bhd (OCBS) to equip the firm with their modular pipelay system (MPS), which has NOV Tuboscope Zap-Lok connection technology.

The alliance will allow the companies to put their joint technology capabilities forward for Petronas’ Vender Development Program, which will give a significant advantage when bidding for work in the region.

The move marks another milestone in Cortez Subsea’s international growth strategy, which has already seen it undertake projects in Trinidad and Tobago.

Alasdair Cowie, managing director of Cortez Subsea, said, “We are gearing up for an intense period of activity in our business with increasing demand in the industry for the services we provide across subsea pipeline, inspection and intervention."

MPS allows the use of the Zap-Lok connected pipeline to be installed from any suitable offshore multi-purpose DP vessel. Designed to facilitate the storage, handling, connection and deployment of the pipeline in an S-lay configuration onto the seabed, it can deliver up five km of pipe per day.

“Malaysia is forecast to lead the Southeast Asian region for offshore investment over the next three years with a number of major projects and significant fields expected to come on-stream. Across the entire pipeline market, Malaysian developments are expected to require the largest expenditure over the next five years so there is a substantial market opportunity for proven technology suppliers like us,” Cowie added.