Post-Macondo, the deepsea oil industry was challenged to revitalize faith in equipment integrity and contingency response. Across the world, various consortiums of international oil companies aligned to design, build, distribute, and plan for future subsea well crisis.  The first of such collaborations was the Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC), consisting of ten Gulf of Mexico companies involved in deep-water drilling.  MWCC awarded Trendsetter Engineering the contract to develop and manufacture a single ram capping stack, which was completed in an unprecedented 7 ½ weeks.  This was a critical element that allowed drilling to resume in the Gulf of Mexico, establishing Trendsetter as a global leader in providing fit-for-purpose capping stack technology.

Last year, Trendsetter was awarded a contract by Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) to design and construct four (4) capping stack toolboxes that will be made available for use should an offshore subsea well-control incident occur. OSRL is an industry owned cooperative and the largest global provider of oil spill response and preparedness services.

OSRL is collaborating with the Subsea Well Response Project (SWRP), formed by nine of the world’s leading oil and gas companies, to make a new integrated intervention system available to the global industry. Upon completion, OSRL will direct the movement of the equipment from Trendsetter’s facility in Houston, to four (4) strategic storage locations across the globe.  Participating with OSRL’s efforts allows Trendsetter to expand its reach worldwide.

Mario Lugo, founder and president of Trendsetter, will provide an overview of the design and technical basis for intervention and insight on dealing with consortiums of international oil companies across multiple regions and various national interests.   Business opportunities, challenges, and strategies providing for a successful execution will also be presented.