With the opening of a new office in Perth, Kvaerner is boosting its presence in the oil and gas hub of the Asia Pacific region.

- I am excited by the opportunities the Australian market represents, Kvaerner’s president and CEO, Mr. Jan Arve Haugan, said at the opening of the Perth office on December 7.

Norway and Australia share much in common; both leading world economies, with strong fundamentals underpinned by the resources in the oil and gas sector. Kvaerner brings long experience as Norway’s leading supplier to oil and gas projects offshore and onshore, with recognized competence in remote, harsh and deep water environments.

- Based on this solid foundation, we have a clear objective for further growth and believe our expertise and knowledge will be highly valued, particularly in the Australian offshore context, Haugan said.

The new Perth offices was officially opened by Mr. Per Rune Henriksen, Norway’s Deputy Minister, Petroleum & Energy, and the Hon. Martin Ferguson, Minister for Resources and Energy, Minister for Tourism . The Hon Norman Moore MLC, Minister for Mines and Petroleum attended on behalf of the State Government.

North West Australia with its vast reserves of undeveloped gas, generally in deepwater located far from shore in remote and harsh environments, is an ideal market for Kvaerner. With four major Greenfield LNG developments having received final investment decisions (Woodside Pluto, Chevron Gorgon, Chevron Wheatstone and Shell Prelude), Australia is currently poised to overtake Qatar as the world’s premier LNG supplier.

Mr. Haugan said the company was keen to see Kvaerner’s unit in Perth develop its role in the region. - We are eager to see local engineers to be exposed to exciting new technologies, especially in the area of floating structures. This is an area in which Kvaerner has been the global leader over the past 30 years, and which is currently experiencing a major renaissance, Haugan said.

Subsea World News Staff , December 14, 2011; Image: Kvaerner