Neil Douglas, managing director of Viper Subsea, said: “We have developed a product that has some great technical discriminators in terms of performance capability and ease of installation. Achieving high product reliability in the harsh deepwater environment has been a key design requirement, which needs to be proven through tests in a simulated subsea environment, so this investment is invaluable.”

Ranber Maan, business innovation adviser at the South West RDA added: “Viper Subsea has developed a product with key technology and technical features that will provide a unique connection system on the seabed in deepwater. The VIPERconnect, which has been designed to operate for 25 years in water depths up to 4,000 metres, is a great example of engineering innovation and we are delighted to have awarded a development grant to a product that is destined to have far-reaching impact in future oil and gas production.”

The grant was awarded in October 2009, and subsidises the test and qualification costs up to a maximum value of £134,000. Viper Subsea aims to complete the project by the middle of 2010.

In August 2009, Viper Subsea successfully passed the second stage audits of both ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management System) and OHSAS 18001:2007 (Health and Safety Management System), and as a result have received full certification that the systems operated by Viper Subsea comply fully with these two standards. During the summing up of the final two day assessment, the assessor congratulated the company on the overall level of control exercised and went on to say that everyone demonstrated a good understanding of the environmental management system and there was an enthusiastic commitment to health and safety. The assessor also commented that an overall positive approach exists within the company to both the environment, health and safety, and that the systems in place are some of the best that he has seen for a company of this size.

The successful outcome of these assessments was a key objective for the company and is a result of a concerted team effort.

Continued ...