Willem Timmermans is one of the founders of INTEC Engineering and over the past 20 years he has led the company in establishing its excellent reputation for specialized engineering services in the frontier and deepwater areas of the world.

Many in the offshore industry know Johnny Reed from his more than 20 years of service to Heerema Marine Contractors in Houston. His most recent position was President of HMC's North and South American Regions.

The transition commenced 1 October and included appointment of an INTEC Management Board (IMB) to support Johnny as CEO in the supervision of INTEC's growing global operations.

Joining Johnny on the IMB will be David McKeehan - Executive Vice President, Dr. Chris Tam - President and General Manager, North America, and Marc Rieke - Chief Financial Officer. The IMB reports to the INTEC Supervisory Board consisting of Pieter Heerema, JD Bax and cofounder Jim Gillespie.

Fran Steele has assumed Chris' former responsibilities as VP Operations in Houston in addition to her role as Chief Information Officer.

Along with Willem, Jim Gillespie, Bert Schultz, and David McKeehan founded INTEC in 1984 on the principle of teamwork; recognition of individual capabilities; commitment to technical excellence; and a clear focus on the needs of their clients. Under Willem's guidance, INTEC has expanded its global reach to establish 10 offices in prime geographic locations with a staff of nearly 600 and provides high technology solutions for the oil and gas industry. Along the way, Willem established a reputation for integrity, ingenuity, humor and industry leadership. His door was always open.

INTEC's many pioneering achievements have been built on a legacy of engineering excellence that well positions it for an exciting future.

"We will continue to grow INTEC's profitability, providing leading edge, best-in-class services to tackle the industry's tough frontier challenges around the world," said Johnny.

Indeed, recent engineering awards for such diverse challenges as designing pipelines to cross the Mediterranean Sea and the Congo River Canyon, engineering the first deepwater subsea systems in offshore India, and managing construction of new floating production systems in Asia clearly point to a continuation of INTEC's reputation for excellence and growing opportunities for its staff.

On behalf of the entire INTEC family and our business colleagues around the world, we wish Willem and Mieke Timmermans a joyful and healthy retirement and to Johnny and Diedre Reed, a hearty welcome aboard!

In the new EAME organization there are two Business Units. John White manages the Hardware Business Unit (HBU) and Graham Taylor manages the Engineering Business Unit (EBU). The Hardware BU retains the DMaC flowline connection business, while the hardware design engineering resources have been integrated into the full engineering resources of the Engineering BU.

The essence of the Hardware BU work continues to be the support for BP on the Foinavon and Schiehallion fields west of Shetlands with its DMaC diverless connection system. This includes comprehensive procurement, testing, and installation / commissioning services. INTEC provides rigorous traceability of components from materials procurement through to operational maintenance. INTEC's services range from provision of project management of the supply chain to support of installation and start-up and into the development and implementation of appropriate spares and planning for field extension.

The project management, procurement, and document control activities of the former Fuel Subsea business unit have been combined with the activities of the INTEC (UK) EPCM (Engineering, Procurement, Construction Management) business unit to form a new Project Services Group that supports the entire EAME organization.

The Hardware Business Unit’s primary focus continues to be supporting BP's West of Shetlands operations with the DMaC diverless connection system. By the end of the 2003 installation season, there will be approximately 690 DMaC connections operating.

While the DMaC technology is mature and reliable and provides few surprises to the engineers and offshore support teams, the subsea environment occasionally provides an unusual picture.

The photo was taken by a Subsea 7 ROV as it was preparing to make yet another DMaC connection. We were surprised at how well the predator fish was camouflaged. Whoever thought up the "paint job" must have known it was to evolve to live in the oil patch.

The Hardware BU has developed the successor to the DMaC. It is known as FTC for Flex To Connect. FTC is based on DMaC connection technology but has a new delivery system. In creating FTC, the engineers have kept the guiding principle of designing the hardware, tooling and installation operation as a single coordinated system, focused on ease of installation and ultra-reliable operation.

The target is to provide the Operator or Installation Contractor with a connection system that puts control of interfaces and operations where cost and risks are the most difficult to control offshore.

FTC is compatible with both vertical and horizontal installation of jumpers. It can be used with both rigid pipe and flexible jumpers. FTC can also be used for pipelay initiation. FTC retains the amazing compact size of the DMaC with only a 1-meter porch spacing to handle up to 14-inch diameter pipelines.

FTC is designed to be run down onto vertical guideposts that locate the connector assembly inline with the porch, positioning it so it is ready to be hydraulically stroked into the porch and clamped in position. The installation contractor has the choice of running method. The FTC tooling can be run on guidelines from the surface, run without guidelines and located over the guideposts by a bumper or frame, or can be connected to local guidelines for the last 30 meters of the descent. The flowline and connector assembly can be vertical or horizontal during this run-to-place installation activity. Indeed, the flowline can be hinged over from the vertical to the horizontal as the assembly stabs onto the vertical guideposts.

Recent work has focused on demonstrating the depth capability of the connection system and on increasing the size of pipeline it can connect, up to 30-inch diameter.

In conjunction with Sheffield University in England, the Hardware BU has developed a unique mathematical modeling technique that enables quick and accurate parametric studies on a range of gasket sizes and pressure loadings. This allows optimized gasket designs to be developed for new applications very quickly.

The mathematical model, known as PASP, has allowed the 10-inch DMaC gasket to have its rating increased from 600 meters water depth to 3,000 meters. INTEC, in conjunction with Sheffield University, has developed a finite element based analysis tool that facilitates rapid prototyping of sealing elements of various diameters for the FTC.

The mathematical model has been verified by empirical results gathered from existing DMaC gaskets. The model was used to predict the performance limits of HBU's new gasket, and served as a check on the accuracy of the parametric design tool.

The mathematical model predicted that the application of new manufacturing techniques would allow the depth rating of the current gasket to be increased from 600 meters to 3,000 meters of water. Three samples were produced of the 10-inch gasket. Each sample was extensively tested for internal and external sealing capability using both water and gas as the test media.

The mathematical model was accurate to within 10 bar in 3,000 bar. Each of the three gaskets tested consistently at 3,250 meters, with excellent repeatability under a range of conditions, compared with the 337 bar the model predicted.

The model confirms that up to 24-inch diameter gaskets will give similar performance. PASP modeling has prompted consideration of design changes to be able to get the 30-inch connector rated to 3,000 meters.

One of the things I have enjoyed in the 30-some years in this business is the travel that comes with it. Developing business and visiting project locations gave me the chance to see places and people around the world in ways that would be lost on the average tourist. Vacation was often hard to schedule, but many times we could squeeze a few off days into a business trip.

The first major trip was when my first employer sent me to San Francisco for a year's training right after we got married. Every weekend and holiday was used to explore the exciting scenery of the Pacific coast, the mountains, volcanoes, desert and the old mining towns. These were the waning days of Flower Power, and everything was strange and intriguing, from the scenic vistas of Yosemite Park to the patently ugly roadside power lines and billboards, the graceful Golden Gate bridge, and the Hare Krishna chanting in Union Square. The political news showed similar extremes as one day we witnessed a campaign stop of Robert Kennedy in downtown San Francisco, and a few weeks later learned of his murder. We had little time for TV, but happened to see the riots at the Chicago Democratic convention where "the whole world was watching," and driving to work every morning heard on the radio the latest casualty count in Vietnam (they passed 30,000 during that year). Our first impression was that Americans were crazy; on returning to Holland we concluded that the Dutch were crazy too! Traveling teaches one to look at both sides of an issue, and opinions tend to get softened in the process.

One of the advantages of business travel is that one doesn't usually consult travel guides that tend to predefine what is worth seeing, and thereby create landmarks out of some sites while equally interesting places end up getting ignored. Besides, it is worth looking at even the famous sites without instructions on how to appreciate them. On my first trip to Singapore the government had just started its social engineering and was moving people out of the kampongs into high-rise buildings in the interest of progress, outlawing throwing cigarette butts on the pavement and punishing mosquito breeding. Bogey Street and Tiger Balm Gardens had not yet been sanitized away though, and the messy, unregulated, human side of life was still clearly visible, if somewhat dirty. Being beaten repeatedly by a ten-year old at tick-tack-toe while sipping beer at an outdoor café and watching the transvestites parade by has since become material for established travel writers like Paul Theroux.

Entering Helsinki for the first time on a cold dark drizzly night (hardly distinguishable from the dark drizzly day) made me feel like being inside a Bergman movie. The yellow apartment blocks with their small windows seemed to come straight out of some gloomy motion picture in which terrible things are about to happen. The contrast with the light interiors and hospitable people behind those small windows turned out to be quite remarkable. I got to learn about and participate in the sauna culture and followed the Finns on many trips to the USSR and later Russia. This points out another plus for the unintentional tourist: the chance to see the connection between cultures and events in history. Why were the Finns where they are, with their strange language that doesn't seem to be related to anything else? Who is this Mannerheim on his bronze horse who fought the Russians and got away with it, and achieved independence after hundreds of years? In his museum-home I saw exactly the same giant Philips radio my college roommate used to have. Even distant things appear to be connected to the familiar.

An advantage of travel by plane is the feeling of disconnect with the troubles of the world below. Flying over Afghanistan or Cuba and seeing some lights down there, makes you wonder from a safe distance. It removes the pressure to be constrained by circumstances: there truly is something like 35,000 ft elevation thinking. I always had the urge to start making notes when reading books in flight, to capture some

The brief unanticipated connections with cultural life abroad can be quite moving. A Brazilian dance group I saw perform in Singapore, and which included some stunningly beautiful dancers, happened to be on a flight to Jakarta the next day. That experience was eventually matched when I got to see a Samba show in Rio a few years later. On a trip to Madrid I had just enough time left for an early visit to the Prado before the busses with Japanese tourists arrived, spent 20 minutes in front of Rembrandt's Artemis, and stared at the extremely intricately painted fabrics of her dress. Near a project location in Turkey I had a chance to crawl over a Roman aqueduct and tunnel system that nobody else seemed to be interested in, and marveled at the civil engineering prowess of those old Romans. In Helsinki I saw Saarinen's architectural marvels, and in Moscow listened to Aida in the Kremlin Hall, although my jet lag made me sleep through much of it.

And then there are the encounters with some most interesting and friendly people. On my trip to Murmansk just after the break-up of the USSR, the flight in an Aeroflot helicopter over missile silos and a submarine base produced material for tall tales, but the tour we got in the local museum from a beautiful young woman who abandoned her rehearsed text, and started talking about the millions who got killed in all the grand projects and in political programs during Soviet times is something I will not forget. Many of the friendly people we met were INTEC employees at the steadily growing number of offices around the world, who showed us the San Telmo market in Buenos Aires, the street restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, took us sailing on the Swan River in Perth and eating at a country pub in the Thames Valley.

This will be my last contribution to the INTEC Quarterly Journal, as this traveler will be moving on. The rest of my journey will no longer be on behalf of INTEC, but that will not stop us from traveling around and seeing more people and places in the world. Even though our base camp will likely shift to Europe, I am sure Houston will remain on the itinerary as we still have not covered all the sights of North America we had wanted to visit despite having lived here for 28 years. INTEC will follow its own travel schedule, and I am confident it will continue to grow and prosper. To all the readers of this column I wish a safe journey to wherever life takes you, hoping you'll enjoy the trip as much as I have, and get enriched in your encounters with people and places along the way. To all the Clients and business associates that have helped INTEC and its leaders grow the company to the successful enterprise it is today, my sincere thanks. I hope I'll still see many of you somewhere along the trail. May you always get the window seat!

W. J. Timmermans
President

Timmermans' friends and colleagues describe him as a mentor, a philosopher, a leader, a person of great intellect and vision, and most of all, a person of fairness, integrity and high moral stature, with genuine care and commitment in all areas. This "interesting mix," says one friend, culminates in an individual "who naturally does the right things." Others reflect on his passion for excellence and innovation in building a company focused on high-end engineering consultancy as a great motivator that "emboldens" courage and tenacity to achieve great things and to deliver quality services.

These qualities come from within and reflect the strength of a person who was born during the second World War in the south of Holland and experienced the destruction and dislocation of war and the hardship during the rebuilding period following. Inspired by the efforts of reconstructing the damaged sea defenses of The Netherlands, he chose a career in civil engineering, and in 1965 graduated from the University of Technology at Delft, Holland. Timmermans began his career on the design and construction of natural gas pipelines from the giant Groningen gas field throughout Holland and out to Germany and Belgium. Timmermans and his team applied instinctive know-how to cross Dutch waterways without disturbing centuries-old dikes that protect the country from flooding. It was a time of great promise and economic expansion in which young people were given responsibilities quickly, and reaped the benefits of this early challenge.

In the 1970s, Timmermans decided that "offshore" held more excitement and became involved in the development of pipelines in the North Sea, devising methods and concepts for crossing the Norwegian Trench. And when traditional pipelaying equipment used in the Gulf of Mexico proved no match for the rough North Sea waters, Timmermans was instrumental in designing a third-generation semisubmersible pipelay barge. The vessel, then named the "Viking Piper,"remains in operation today under the name "LB 200." His particular contribution was the robust pipe support system incorporating a rigid stern lay ramp.

Timmermans came to Houston in 1975 to start an office there for his then employer. He quickly became involved in finding solutions for deepwater pipelines and production systems, though "deep" then only meant 600 feet. In 1984, Timmermans and his partners Jim Gillespie, Bert Schultz and David McKeehan founded INTEC with the aim of creating a challenging and rewarding workplace for its staff; commitment to technical excellence; and unparalleled service to their clients. This made the company into a world-recognized leader among pipeline and subsea engineering companies. In 2000 the four partners sold the company to the Heerema Group, but it continues to operate as an independent engineering consultant.

But the early years at INTEC were lean. In early 1986 the oil industry suffered a major downturn from which it took at least five years to recover. During these years, INTEC sponsored and managed a number of joint industry studies in deepwater and arctic technologies. These efforts led to several innovative designs, including diverless connection systems and insulated pipeline systems for deep water. The industry took notice and the concepts soon found direct project applications.

Importantly, INTEC's commitment to these initiatives positioned the company as a global leader in frontier project development the consultants to call for tough technical challenges. Along the way, Timmermans and his colleagues have urged the industry to perform the appropriate front-end engineering and advance planning before spending project dollars; to know the risks and options and to contemplate how to safely and efficiently operate and maintain systems that often are in remote areas of the world.

The message has gotten through. Some of INTEC's more recent design challenges have included pipelines in waters depths ranging between 3,000 feet and to more than 7,000 feet. Projects in this world-class league include the BP Mardi Gras large-diameter deepwater transportation system in the Gulf of Mexico; the Blue Stream large-diameter pipeline in the Black Sea; the West Delta Deep record-setting subsea tie-backs offshore Egypt; and the MEDGAZ large-diameter pipeline system from Algeria to Spain in the Mediterranean Sea.

But where do we go from here? Timmermans suggests that there are no real technical limitations, and that given enough money, engineers will find solutions. The governing factors then are cost-benefit relationship, market demand and available funding, but it will be up to us engineers to outline the possibilities and make sure that technological advancement continues to help lower the economic thresholds. Because of the ingenuity and legacy of masters such as Timmermans, this vision and engineering capability will continue to reside in INTEC, ready for the taking each time the industry needs to move the boundaries.