Oilfield Testing Services Offer Professional Multi-Discipline Engineering and Inspection

Oilfield Testing Services Offer Professional Multi-Discipline Engineering and Inspection

Oilfield Testing Services offer professional multi-discipline engineering and inspection services specialising in the requirements of the construction, offshore oil and gas, onshore petrochemical and merchant marine industries.

With a workforce of multi-disciplined inspectors and technicians, Oilfield Testing Services are committed to ensuring that all our work is completed in a professional, regulated and quality assured manner. To this end OTS has a comprehensive Quality Management System in place which complies fully with BS EN ISO 9001:2000.

Our headquarters are in Great Yarmouth in the UK and we have representation in the Middle East (Dubai).

Our premises were purpose built with an underground exposure bay and an overhead crane, they are licensed by the Environment Agency for carrying out industrial radiography, and we are accredited

by IRATA to carry out rope access training courses on our own purpose built training facility. Audit of our premises is available and welcomed.

The very nature of our business dictates that we are available to work worldwide, for example we have worked in the following countries:

 Brazil

 Chile

 Venezuela

 France

 Germany

 Lithuania

 Netherlands

 Panama

 Portugal

 Qatar

 Spain

 Turkey

 UAE

 USA

 US Virgin Isles

 Equatorial Guinea

OTS is a full member of IRATA The recognised authority on Rope Access in the UK.

We are also certified to carry out and report on the thickness measurements of ships, high speed & light craft and mobile offshore units for class surveys in accordance with most classification societies.

NDT and Specialist Inspection Techniques form the basis of our core business. A catalogue of different skills and disciplines are able to be deployed on a global basis and often at short notice. It is this ability to met client demands and provide solutions promptly and efficiently that maintains our position at the forefront of this competitive and evolving industry. The various inspection services available to clients include, but are by no means limited to:

  • Ultrasonic Inspection
  • Eddy Current
  • Process plant inspection
  • Boiler tube Inspection
  • Radiography
  • Flash X-ray
  • Thermal Imaging
  • Magnetic Particle Inspection
  • Dye Penetrant Inspection

All of these inspection techniques can be employed in conjunction with our own in-house rope access department, taking professional inspection into areas of interest where access has previously been difficult or expensive.

Oilfield Testing Services have over 15 years experience of Industrial Rope Access and have been full members of the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) since 1992. All our technicians are trained and independently assessed to the highest recognised standards.

Oilfield Testing Services have utilised Rope Access to gain safe and efficient access and egress to:

  • Buildings
  • Bridges
  • Crane booms
  • Oil Tankers
  • Jetties
  • Ceiling Structures
  • Telecommunication towers
  • Offshore installations

Once the work-site position has been reached our technicians can then progress with the tasks, these include:

  • Inspection
  • Maintenance
  • Cleaning
  • Demolition
  • Repair
  • Painting
  • Grit blasting
  • Welding
  • Electrical Work

Access can be difficult for numerous reasons. Confined spaces of course pose as many risks as those associated with working at heights.

OTS Personnel are fully trained in all aspects of confined space entry as stipulated by the Confined Spaces regulations of 1997. Personnel are independently assessed on the many elements required to execute a successful confined space workscope. Recent Confined Space Entry workscopes successfully carried out by OTS include:

  • Cargo & Ballast Tank Inspection on Chemical & Oil Tankers
  • Inspection of shore based silos & storage tanks
  • Inspection and Modification of process vessels.
  • Inspection of underground aviation fuel storage tanks

We are not only accredited to operate under rope access or confined space legislation, we are also approved trainers in rope access and as such are able to offer training courses at our own in-house training and assessment facilities.

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) has become a critical element in the continuing development of remote or difficult access inspection. Our innovative use of CCTV includes the operation of tractor-mounted cameras, skid mounted cameras, flexiprobes, endoscopes and rigid borescopes.

Through considerable investment in equipment and training, OTS can now provide a comprehensive service for the following applications: - pipelines, vessels, tanks, gas turbines, oil and chemical tankers, food processing and general plant inspection.

Our camera systems start from 6mm diameter with Explosion proof rated systems starting from 3”. These greatly reduce the need for cleaning and gas freeing of pressure vessel and pipework. We have proven to our clients that CCTV can be a cost-effective means of enhancing the normal inspection activities and reducing downtime of equipment.

We currently operate two different tractor mounted camera systems, the smaller of the two is the P420. It is a powerful variable speed, six wheel drive tractor which is capable of transporting the camera and lighthead up to 300m under ideal conditions. The camera mounted on the system (P403) is capable of producing high quality pictures with the minimum of light.

The P448 steerable tractor demonstrates the capabilities and versatility of CCTV cameras, this explosion proof rated camera has the ability to inspect pipelines with diameters of 15” and up, negotiating radical bends and turning on its own axis. With its’ range of 250m and variable speed capabilities it is the flagship of the range.

The range of CCTV and specialist camera systems operated by OTS has recently been extended to include the VideoRay 2002 ROV system.

This latest addition enables OTS to add underwater visual surveys to the comprehensive list of CCTV applications already on offer.

With the total system weighing in at less than 70 pounds (32 kg), the VideoRay system offers a highly portable, cost effective and innovative solution to many subsea and underwater requirements. In the past this may have only been achievable via larger and more expensive workclass and observational units.

Rated to a depth of 500 feet with a range of 1000 feet, the 8 pound unit provides quality digital footage to the integrated 12 inch video screen in the system control box. The camera itself features 2 20-watt halogen lamps which together with the unit’s omni-directional flight

and additional 160 degree camera tilt, enable excellent manipulation of both the unit and the resulting video footage.

Due to the size and versatility of the VideoRay system it may be employed in situations that do not immediately suggest an ROV solution. The system can undertake inspection workscopes in liquid filled tanks or silos without the need for draining or costly isolation from plant. An identical VideRay system owned by NASA is regularly employed to inspect the interior of rocket fuel tanks, eliminating the need to place divers into such a harsh environment.

The system can also be modified to incorporate an underwater ultrasonic inspection probe to obtain wall thickness data or a Scanning Sonar System can also be employed should survey requirements dictate

Oilfield Testing Services are constantly pushing forward the processes and application of the inspection function. Particularly in the field of remote access and confined entry inspection which demands a need for stringent regulations and training for both personnel and equipment which can prove expensive and result in ineffectual workscope duration’s.

To counter these constraints OTS is able to draw on its in house CCTV resources. Operated by personnel specifically trained in their operation OTS can supply CCTV recording and monitoring services for a multitude of remote or hazardous operations.

Through the use of rope access, confined space entry, CCTV, chemical and Haz-Op handling, and the employment of the many and varied disciplines of NDT and specialist inspection OTS can all but eliminate the need for scaffolding, plant coating removal and certain isolations.

The very nature of our business dictates that a high degree of lateral thinking must be employed to achieve the most efficient and accurate results for our clients, who for reasons of efficiency and safety are themselves often under pressure. By liaising with the client at the front end to identify the specific form of access & testing required we have a proven track record of reducing shut down turn around times and minimising down time.

Oilfield Testing Services
Viking Road
Gapton Hall Ind. Estate
Great Yarmouth
Norfolk
NR31 0NU

Tel: +44 (0) 1493 440555
Fax: +44 (0) 1493 440737
E-Mail:

Department Contacts

Peter Furlong -
Managing Director - Sales, Marketing and Quotations
Shaun Hutchinson -

Base Manager - Project Management, Health & Safety, Quality, Personnel and Operations.

Ray Hughes –
Operations Manager - Logistics and operations

Amanda Durrant -
Quality Administrator

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