07.08.2024

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The year is 1972, and the Norwegian oil adventure was in its very early stages. Statoil (now Equinor) was newly started – with two employees. The Ekofisk field was still in trial production, and the first fixed installation in the North Sea was yet to be delayed for two years. In Drammen, TESS founders Erik Jølberg and Olav G. Nygaard received a letter from a customer: A request for hose delivery to the North Sea. The same year, TESS opened an office in Stavanger. In 1973, the first Norwegian delegation went to the oil fair in Houston, consisting of 17 men, including Crown Prince Harald and Erik Jølberg. The following year, ONS was arranged for the first time, and TESS was one of the exhibitors. 50 years later, TESS is still in place at ONS in Stavanger.

For five decades, TESS has been an integral part of ONS, captivating audiences with dynamic exhibition stands, technical services, and innovative product demonstrations.

TESS at ONS in 1978. Photo: ONS.

Today, TESS delivers and develops solutions to the largest energy players in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea. The TESS Group reports record high revenue for 2023. The largest increase comes from the energy segment, which passed one billion in turnover. The good development continues in 2024, after the first four months of the year, sales from the Energy segment have increased by 67 percent. The main reason is larger engineering assignments and additional sales.

- We have had the right focus and positioned ourselves well toward the operating companies, drilling companies, and service companies. We are now getting paid for this in the form of new agreements and many new customers, especially in Engineering and hose sales, says founder and CO of TESS Erik Jølberg. As the only exhibitor, he has represented TESS at ONS at all 50 fairs since 1974.

New solutions for new times

The industry and society have evolved; Offshore operations are no longer synonymous with oil and gas. TESS now delivers sustainable products, services, and services adapted to the new times of the energy industry.

- The industry is constantly looking for cost-effective and sustainable solutions. TESS is an active and innovative partner in this respect. In 2022, TESS delivered Norway's first digital unmanned warehouse solution, TESSgate, offshore. The storage solution was transported by supply ship and hoisted onto the platform. Now the platform workers can pick equipment around the clock, without anyone having to operate the warehouse. Stock levels are automatically updated using RFID technology, and withdrawals are recorded digitally on a screen in a lock at the exit. Our vision is that all offshore installations and platforms will have unmanned storage solutions from TESS. This is one of our contributions that makes the industry more environmentally and cost-effective, says Jølberg.

Oil and gas will continue to be an important pillar for many years to come, but now there will also be offshore wind, CO2 capture and storage, and in the long term perhaps also nuclear power and hydrogen production. TESS has already started supplying hoses for carbon storage.

While Norway's first plant is still under construction, Denmark is already in the pilot phase – with hoses from TESS, which transport liquid CO2 from the ships to the drilling rig, before it is stored 1800 meters below the seabed.

 

The solution of the future for offshore bunkering operations

In the development department in Lier there is a TESS prototype, Remote Chemical Loading, unmanned bunkering. In addition to cutting costs and saving the environment, the solution will revolutionize the loading of chemicals to offshore installations.

One of the most important purposes is to reduce the risks associated with lifting operations and ensure fast loading – even in challenging weather conditions.

- Today, one tank at a time is lifted onto the platform by crane, with the risk that this entails in waves and wind. With Remote Chemical Loading, it becomes possible to connect a multibundle between the supply vessel and the platform. Inside this multi-bunch, there are dedicated hose lines for each chemical – enabling up to 28 media to be pumped in one operation. The tanks themselves remain on the boat, explains Espen Halland-Johansen, Marketing and Segment Director at TESS Vest.

Regardless of whether TESS is to deliver well-established products, solutions or new innovations, one thing is clear:

– We sell uptime so that our customers can produce optimally. TESS takes its role as a mission-critical supplier very seriously. Customers should be able to trust us. They should know that we are there at all times. What we deliver must work, Jølberg states.