Step Offshore, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aker Solutions, and Derrick Equipment Company, a division of Derrick, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement, effective immediately, that gives Step Offshore the exclusive rights to sell Derrick's premium solids control equipment and related products in Europe.
The agreement is valid for capital equipment, such as shale shakers, mud cleaners, centrifuges, degassers, flow dividers, and for operational equipment such as shale shaker screens and spare parts. The company said that this enables Step Offshore to offer an even greater range of drilling fluid management solutions.
Derrick’s screen technology includes the Pyramid and Pyramid Plus design. These three-dimensional screens offer the benefits of traditional flat, multi-layered screens while adding a substantial increase in usable screen area. The result is a screen that allows for an increase in fluid handling capacity. Pyramid screens allow rigs to screen finer earlier in the drilling process, thus significantly reducing total drilling fluid and disposal costs, the company said.
Step Offshore will utilize Aker Solutions’ global logistics hubs to keep inventory of consumables close to where it is needed.
Pal Eriksen, president of Step Offshore, said: “I am very excited to secure this agreement with the premier solids control player in the world. With our presence in the market, and with the logistics support from Aker Solutions, we are well set up to serve our customers.”
As part of the agreement, Step Offshore has purchased the existing assets from Derrick Equipment in Germany, and will continue operating out of the same facilities, with the same staff, as Step Offshore.