IK-Norway’s newly appointed Subsea Manager, Adrian Gamman, recently sat down with IK-Group Marketing Manager, Neil Shepherd, to talk all things industry, Subsea, education and even fly fishing!
Tell me a little more about yourself.
My name is Adrian Gamman, I am the Subsea Manager for IK-Norway in Forus, Stavanger (Norway). I have lived here most of my life and stay not far from Forus with my wife and two kids. My main hobby is fly fishing. I don’t think there is anyone in IK who does not know this, I love it. You should check out my Instagram page and my podcast for more fishing tips!
How did you get into the Oil and Gas industry?
After leaving school I went into the military and was one of 250 selected onto an Officers specific course from roughly 1200 applicants. This is where I started to hone my leadership and communication skills. It was only for one year, but it was very important for my development.
Following my time in the military I studied a Masters in Engineering with industrial Management at NMBU in Ås, Norway. Straight out of University I was hired by Kongsberg Nemo as an Engineer in 2013. After only 10 months with the company I was promoted to a Project Manager. I then joined IK in January 2015 as Business Acquisition Manager / Project Manager within the Subsea Department. It was clear that IK was a company who shared my philosophies for detail, responsiveness and always pushing to be better. As a Project Manager I managed some of the biggest projects in IK’s 30-year history. This is a testament to the faith they showed in me and my abilities from an early stage.
In January 2019 I was promoted to Deputy Department Manager of Subsea and in March 2020 I was promoted to Subsea Manager at IK. It is truly a privilege to work with such a dedicated and talented team here at IK. We like to think of ourselves as the Navy Seals of IK!
Tell me a bit about your clients, do they fall into a specific category?
As we say here at IK “Our clients are our heroes”. We have helped clients all over the world including the Norwegian and UK North Sea, Africa, South American, Asia, Australia. We work with all types of clients from small marine service companies right up to the super majors and National Oil Companies. From a personnel perspective, a lot of my time is spent talking to Subsea Engineers and Asset Integrity Engineers who need our assistance with particularly difficult problems.
What are the most common problems your clients face?
People come to IK because of our credibility, responsiveness, our knowledge and our track record of delivering solutions for 30+ years. We are known for our responsiveness and solution-oriented personality.
Most common issues are structural problems or leakages, both of which require an urgent response. Again, IK is known for its rapid response time and here within Subsea, we have delivered clamps from initial design to installation in under 4 weeks, complete with a 20-year working life promise.
What are the consequences of not finding a solution and how do you do it?
The consequences of not fixing these issues range from compromised personnel and asset safety to environmental damage and even reputation. IK manages the risk and works to resolve these issues and minimise the consequences. We utilize our knowledge and our field proven technologies; IK boasts a strong safety record without any LTIs in the last 5 years alone.
When a customer comes to us with an urgent problem, IK assembles its Emergency Response Team consisting of Senior Engineers, Project Managers and Senior Management to discuss the issue, brainstorm and look at what proven technology we have that can work to make the solution. IK has a trusted network of suppliers who we can count on when it comes to our response time without compromising on quality. It is our combination of speed and quality that we are known for in the industry.
Can you give me some examples of the projects you’ve completed; something you are proud of?
Yes, for sure. We designed, produced and installed a sealing clamp at a depth of 1100 metres complete with a 20 lifespan promise in West Africa, all within 4 weeks. However, our work was not complete here, once we’d successfully completed the first phase we then engineered a solution using a structural clamp above the sealing clamp to restore the integrity of the pipeline.
Another project that we are particularly proud of was repairing the leg of a fixed single leg platform that was compromised in the North Sea. There was a problem with the grout between the pile and the leg so the whole platform was swaying in high seas which made it dangerous. The Subsea team collaborated with DNV to survey and evaluate the problem which in turn allowed us to engineer the solution. Firstly, we installed a huge clamp to lift the entire platform into the correct position as it had sagged with the grout issues. We then designed and manufactured from scratch a Ø300mm drill machine, drilled 35 individual holes and secured with Ø300mm expansion plugs. It was a really interesting project for sure and very satisfying for the team to complete.
What are the top challenges facing our industry right now?
The oil price drop combined with the devastating Coronavirus has put huge strain on our industry. Now more than ever we need to find ways to try and do projects more efficiently. Systems are more often than not too complicated and complex and it doesn’t make for an efficient project, plus it adds unnecessary costs. One benefit to come from the Coronavirus pandemic is the use of technology for communication and is changing the way we do things in terms of finding more efficient ways of doing business.
Want more information about IK’s Subsea capabilities? Email Adrian directly here or connect with him via LinkedIn