Pontem in STEM Conference 2024

Transitioning from Participant to Presenter

The STEM Conference, officially known as the Subsea Technology East Mediterranean Conference (STEM), serves as a prominent platform dedicated to the exploration and advancement of subsea technology in the Eastern Mediterranean region. With a primary focus on deep-water gas fields, STEM aims to facilitate collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the dissemination of best practices within the subsea technology domain.

Hosted annually in Limassol, Cyprus, STEM brings together a diverse audience of industry professionals, including representatives from global offshore operators, engineering firms, contractors, technology suppliers, service companies, and regulatory bodies. The conference is strategically designed to emphasize the development, application, and optimization of subsea technology to support the extraction of natural gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean offshore.

Could Pontem be absent? No, of course not! We couldn’t miss such an important conference. Plus, I would never say no coming back and speaking at my home for a couple of days!

Kostas Poursanidis 

The video from the previous year's STEM Conference encapsulates the essence of a ground-breaking event that brought together worldwide experts, transforming virtual connections into tangible relationships (see below). If you look carefully, you could see me also every now end then in there (note: I was not bald back then). The conference provided an exceptional platform for networking, fostering an environment where innovations were not just discussed but showcased. Industry leaders and company executives shared insights into operating challenges, shaping the discourse on the future of subsea technology. Being the inaugural STEM event in Cyprus, the conference marked a resounding success, leaving a lasting impact on attendees. The grand finale was the closing dinner held in the picturesque village of Lefkara, featuring a delightful blend of fun, drinks, and traditional dances—a perfect conclusion to a conference that seamlessly merged professional excellence with cultural celebration.

For many attendees, including me, it was a great opportunity to meet clients with whom we collaborated daily but had never encountered face-to-face. It was a pure pleasure, not only “cruising” together in the event, but also being lucky to spend a couple of days after the conference with the ones who stayed longer, driving literally all over the Island, and discussing all the aspects of life (+ O&G of course which we couldn’t live without it!).

Someone may ask why the Eastern Mediterranean is attracting such an attention. Just look on some highlights of the last month:

• First production from Karish North, ramp-up of gas production.

• Israel’s Tamar: Chevron FIDs 1.6bcfd Expansion With Egypt Sales Boost.

• Cyprus Discoveries: Cronos-2 well successful appraisal and promising Fast-Track Development which could bring first gas as early as in 2026.

• Lebanon 3rd licensing round with major operators, still interested in the area after the dry well found in Block 9.

All this, and much more! Clearly, the Eastern Mediterranean region is undergoing significant growth in its assets and production systems to meet both export and domestic demand.

Pontem has transitioned from a participant to presenter for STEM 2024!

To support this expansion, optimizing upstream production systems is crucial, requiring deep expertise in the field and an understanding of regional challenges such as long tie-backs, wax, hydrate and liquid management, and the balance between export and domestic offtake. With the help of our expertise, and most importantly experience in the region, we are continuously contributing to the sustainable grow in the region.

In addressing these complexities, we propose a roadmap for operational decision support development which leverage the latest digital technologies. The resultant systems integrate operational data with production assurance domain expertise and facilitates real-time and extended analysis of integrated production systems. These tools encompass physics-based simulation, discipline specific analysis and machine learning models which are embedded into client systems to guide operational decisions or provide closed loop control. In our presentation we will focus on practical experiences gained through successful deployments of decision support tools in the region, with insights into the key technical challenges in the region, description of the steps required for successful development and deployment of targeted digital solutions and learnings from how these solutions have been utilized. Stay tuned for more details in person, and the post-conference post that will follow up.

We are waiting you all next month in the STEM 2024!