SPT Young Offshore Pipeline Engineers Seminar
Monday 14 September 2026
Leonardo Royal London Tower Bridge Hotel, London E1
supported by
sponsored by
The 2026 SPT Young Offshore Pipeline Engineers (YOPE) seminar, supported by Young Pipeline Professionals Europe (YPPE) will be held the day before the SPT 2026 congress on Monday 14 September at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London Tower Bridge. YOPE is a one-day technical programme for young engineers and new entrants to the subsea and offshore pipeline industry.
Industry experts will discuss lessons learned and introduce young engineers to some of the new technologies currently under development or in operation.
The subsidised event includes admission to the evening drinks reception where young engineers can gain access to Speakers and the SPT Advisory Committee in a relaxed environment and have the opportunity to network with other young professionals and industry experts.
YPPE is a group of highly motivated young professionals working within the pipeline industry with the aim of knowledge sharing to ensure the longevity of the industry, addressing the industry’s skill shortage and foster relationships. Full details www.yppeurope.org
Registration costs
SPT Young Offshore Pipeline Engineers seminar - £150 plus VAT
Eligibility criteria
If you are currently working, looking to work or studying within the pipeline industry, under the age of 35 years old or have less than 10 years’ experience in the sector, then you are eligible.
To book your place, please complete the registration form at the bottom of this page
Monday 14 September 2026 | Leonardo Royal London Tower Bridge Hotel, London E1
9:30
Registration and coffee
10:00
Welcome from the Chair
Alasdair Clyne, Business Line Manager, Integrity Services, ROSEN (UK)
10:10
What goes on at the interface between economics and engineering?
Molly Turner, Tendering Specialist - Pipeline Group, Subsea7
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Macroeconomic and microeconomic factors influence both the cost of hydrocarbon recovery and the price ultimately paid by consumers. At a global level, economic conditions play a key role in determining whether new subsea pipeline projects receive sanction and investment approval. In this talk, Molly will revisit some fundamental economic principles before exploring the day-to-day economic decisions involved in selecting pipe materials and planning the fabrication and installation of subsea pipelines. She will also discuss the importance of operators and contractors working collaboratively, guided by a shared set of core values, to deliver successful projects. Finally, Molly will provide an insight into the role of an early-career economist within a pipeline installation contractor’s organisation. The presentation will highlight how critical thinking and sound decision-making are essential at the intersection of economics and engineering, helping to drive value throughout the project lifecycle.
10:40
Subsea pipeline design: lessons from past projects
Kevin Williams, Director, OGV Ltd
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This presentation aims to provide a brief introduction to the importance of the unknown unknowns and forgotten knowns in subsea oil and gas pipeline design; and also introduce some of the topics that will be covered in the main conference. The presentation will draw upon real-world examples from past projects, covering lessons learned, what went well and what did not. By discussing things that have not progressed as well as hoped as well as successful case studies, the presentation aims highlight lessons to be learned, and the challenge of evolving approaches to pipeline design.
11:20
Networking refreshment break
11:50
Progress and benefit of FE analyses for offshore pipeline systems
Graeme Roberts, Engineering Specialist, Subsea7
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Finite element analysis is used for the assessment of subsea pipelines and risers, the associated spools, the pipeline end and in-line structures and manifolds. The FE approach offers a ‘toolbox’ or ‘Lego kit’ from which analytical simulations or constructs of real-world problems can be realised. Pipeline engineers have learned over the last four decades how to work successfully with FE software to get convergent and reliable outcomes from efficient solvers. Through time, project requirements have forced the development of engineers’ skills and adeptness with FE to cover increased challenges; for example, HP/HT pipeline systems, PIP systems, bundles, flexibles, RCM installation and pipeline roll, re-assessment of operating pipelines, free spans and VIV, fracture mechanics and ECA. FE has continued to prove itself as the only viable analytical tool that is applicable to the complete range of offshore pipeline thermo-dynamic assessments, albeit with a serious need for bespoke pre-processing that enable rapid generation and post-processing that clearly indicates code compliance or areas for redesign.
In this talk, the history of FE in the pipeline industry is briefly discussed as are some fundamental aspects of FE’s application. We will consider engineers’ backgrounds, influences and experiences. The status of FE in the context of an EPCI contractor is described and the history and future of project work is indicated with reference to ages of Innocence, Enlightenment, Industrialisation and a Post Modern era.
12:25
Piggyback pipelines: lessons learnt
Ian Nash, Group Managing Director, Peritus International
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Project background
Piggyback design
What happened
Initial assumptions on the cause
Root cause analysis
The analysis
Mitigation
Lessons learnt
13:00
Networking lunch
14:00
Introduction to hydrogen pipelines
Pieter Swart, Director and Pipeline Authority, SeaLeopard Engineering
14:35
Introduction to CO₂ pipeline design
Philip Cooper, Independent Consultant
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CO₂ pipelines are an enabler for carbon capture and storage projects and are attracting significant attention. Many projects in the UK and Europe are in advanced stages of design or preparing for construction. Equinor’s Northern Lights project in Norway leads the way, with the 12”, 100km offshore pipeline installed last year and start-up planned in 2024. Accordingly, pipeline engineers are now required to be familiar with the design and operation requirements of CO₂ pipelines. This talk provides a high-level introduction, touching on:
The CO₂ phase diagram, effect of impurities and implications for pipeline transport
CO₂ safety
Dense Phase vs Vapour Phase operation
Materials and corrosion considerations
Repurposing of redundant gas pipelines for CO₂
Design requirements for CO₂ pipelines
Fracture control requirements
Pre-commissioning and commissioning considerations
Special requirements for operation, shut-down and de-pressurisation
15:10
Networking refreshment break
15:40
Controlling buckling during reeling
Tim Crome, Independent Consultant
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The reeling of smaller diameter steel pipelines, involving the plastic bending and straightening of them, from DP vessels has been around for about 50 years since the original Apache was introduced by Sante Fe. In the late 1990s the technique was extended to flowlines of CRA material with thick insulation coatings. In the earliest projects with these materials there were several instances of buckling of the flowlines during the loadout of the flowline stalks onto Apache. This presentation addresses the reasons for this behaviour and the FEA work performed to re-establish full control of the reeling process.
16:15
Ensuring safe late life operation of a multiphase offshore gas pipeline through flow assurance hydrate and corrosion modelling
Karl Dahlgren, Flow Assurance Engineer, ROSEN UK
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This paper presents an integrated flowassurance, corrosion, and hydrate risk assessment for a 30km, 12-inch Raw Gas Offshore Pipeline in the Asia Pacific region, demonstrating how transient multiphase modelling can be used to sustain safe operation up to the field’s cessation of production.
Late life operation of offshore gas pipeline systems presents integrity and safety challenges as declining throughput, changing multiphase behaviour, and reduced flow velocities make conventional integrity management methods such as inline inspection (ILI) challenging.
Hydrates are crystalline solid structures formed from water and light hydrocarbons at high pressure, low temperature conditions. They pose a significant integrity risk to pipelines as they can lead to restricted flow and even blockages. Furthermore, the lower gas flowrates and velocities associated with late life operation pose a localised internal corrosion risk due to increasing water holdup and accumulation in low points.
A flow assurance modelling framework was developed to produce detailed operational parameters in order to investigate the pipeline internal corrosion risks for various corrosion mechanisms. Water condensation rates were predicted to exceed topofline corrosion thresholds in some sections. However, owing to the simultaneous cocondensation of hydrocarbon condensate, it was postulated that that this significantly limited water wetting of the top of line, mitigating top of line corrosion. ROSEN corrosion experts utilised this flow modelling data to provide detailed recommendations considering ILI data from a previous inspection conducted by ROSEN. This multidisciplinary work was an example of how close collaboration between engineering teams lead to comprehensive results.
Further flow assurance modelling was conducted to assess hydrate formation risk for continuous operation and shutdown (settleout) conditions. A fluid model was produced to determine the conditions at which hydrates will form and the MEG concentrations to inhibit their formation. It was found that the current operating conditions posed a hydrate risk requiring MEG to be injected as an inhibitor. As pressures decline with late life operation, the pipeline system moved away from hydrate risk, allowing for lower inhibitor injection flowrates and potentially reduced operational costs.
This work demonstrated how flow assurance modelling can support integrity assurance in ageing assets, delivering recommendations to extend operational life. The methodology and findings may be transferable to similar mature gas systems facing late life flow assurance and integrity challenges.
16:55
Close of seminar
17:00
Drinks reception hosted by
(Leo’s bar – ground floor)
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14 September 2026
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