2026 Deepwater Operations and Topsides, Platforms & Hulls Conference & Exhibition
Location: Galveston, Texas
Calendar of Events
| Date | Time | Track | Session | Speakers |
| Wednesday, November 4, 2026 | 3:15 PM | Topsides, Platforms & Hulls |
Operational Excellence: The Balance of Cost, Reliability & Safety |
Michael Reck, Senior Offshore Study Manager Lynn Yakoweshen, Senior Director of Upstream Business Development |
| Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 7:10 AM | Networking Breakfast |
Deferred Oil or Lost Value? A Changing Offshore Strategy Key Discussion Points:Industry thinking has shifted from lost oil to deferred oil, assuming production can be recovered later. Constrained topsides can lower capital costs, improve utilization, and simplify operations. Deferred production carries reservoir, economic, and licensing risks. Key question: Do the benefits of smaller facilities outweigh the value lost from delayed production? |
Michael Reck, Senior Offshore Study Manager |
Plan to Attend
Session TopicOperational Excellence: The Balance of Cost, Reliability & Safety
Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 3:15 PM - 3:45 PM
Exhibit Hall A: Room A1
Many operators struggle to implement their interpretation of “operations excellence” efficiently and effectively. Operations excellence is achieved through a sustained pursuit of reliability and availability. It is often a multi-year journey. Once a sustainable, reliability-centered state of maintenance, integrity, and reliability is achieved, the associated maintenance cost will fall.
This presentation will feature a case study of an operator that focused solely on cost reduction, believing that to be a top performer one had to be the lowest in all cost criteria. Significant reductions in maintenance cost compared to peers resulted in a deterioration in production efficiency and reliability performance, making its assets unavailable to capture positive market opportunities. What the client lost in production revenue offset all their maintenance cost savings – an estimated a $1.1 billion opportunity in production cost enhancement, as well as an estimated $950 million in production efficiency and reliability.
Operations excellence is about having the right strategy and a balanced scorecard of KPIs to enhance production efficiency.
Michael Reck - Senior Offshore Study Manager
Michael Reck has nearly 30 years of industry experience, including 20 years with Hess Corporation, where he worked across four continents in a range of Operations, Maintenance, and Reliability leadership roles. He played a key role in advancing the company's Operational Excellence strategy established in 2008, culminating in his position as Global Senior Advisor for Reliable Operations. Prior to joining Hess, Michael spent 10 years with ABB, building a strong foundation in industrial operations and reliability.
Lynn Yakoweshen - Senior Director of Upstream Business Development
Lynn Yakoweshen partners with operators across onshore, offshore, and LNG to benchmark performance and pinpoint opportunities to improve cost, reliability, and efficiency. She brings 25 years of experience across the energy and chemicals industries, spanning technical business development, consulting sales, and business management. Lynn is known for building collaborative, results-driven client relationships and high-performing teams that deliver exceptional financial results. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta and an MBA in Finance & Economics from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management.
