Straightpoint (SP), part of The Crosby Group, has named Thunder Oilfield Services (TOS) a distributor of its full range of force measurement equipment in Thailand.
TOS specialises in the fabrication, training, inspection, maintenance and repair of lifting equipment and components used in the offshore energy industry. It operates throughout Asia Pacific and the Middle East, with a strategic service centre located in Thailand; other key sites are widespread, including facilities in Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.
Travis Dupre, CEO at TOS, said: “We place the highest priority on the health and safety of all stakeholders and protection of our partners’ assets and the environment. Supporting our business with technology that provides accurate information about loads at a safe distance—utilising state-of-the-art Bluetooth and other wireless technologies—is a natural fit.”
SP’s load cells join an extensive fleet of lifting and rigging gear that is stocked across TOS’s global hubs, where they will be used in support of day-to-day activities, offered for rental and direct sale. They will work alongside a comprehensive stock of Crosby rigging hardware as the company delivers services related to offshore operations, onshore support and training. Fabrication, inspection and maintenance of cranes and other lifting equipment in the offshore energy sector will cover the majority of the workload.
Thailand-based Dupre said: “The timing of onboarding the [SP] equipment hasn’t been perfect because we’ve encountered unexpected slowdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic just as we were starting to gain momentum. However, that is a short-term issue; longer term, we are confident that the equipment will be integral to continued growth of the business as the offshore sector in Thailand and further afield returns to normality—and prosperity—particularly as we enter the second half of the year.”
SP’s range of equipment is used in the offshore sector across the world. Dupre pointed to the wireless load shackle (with Crosby shackle) as a standout product. The load cell is available as a long-range, 2.4Ghz version providing a wireless range of 1,000m or 3,280 ft. to SP’s SW-HHP handheld or software options, while a Bluetooth option can be connected to any smart phone running the free HHP app on iOS or Android at ranges up to 100m or 328 ft. An internal chassis provides IP67 or NEMA6 environmental protection even with the battery cover plate missing. However, the Radiolink plus, which boasts many of the same features, is SP’s most popular product and is expected to sit at the forefront of TOS’s offering. The range also includes the Subsea Link, a standard product for applications up to 2,000m (6,562 feet) beneath the water’s surface.
Dupre added: “We’re all about improving reliability, increasing integrity and enhancing overall safety of our partners’ offshore crane operations. We possess expertise in all aspects of total crane management and bring a fresh and innovative approach to operations, backed by fully equipped tool containers, water weights, load cells and thousands of items of rigging gear. SP’s equipment will be a perfect fit as we return to full speed in the post-COVID era.”
