Cegal completes Tenaz Dutch North Sea IT transition

Cegal has completed an IT asset transition project for Tenaz Energy following the Canadian operator's acquisition of offshore oil and gas assets in the Dutch North Sea from NAM, the Shell-ExxonMobil joint venture.

The work covered systems and data across 25 platforms, the WGT pipeline, and a gas treatment centre in Den Helder. The Den Helder facility handles around half of Dutch gas flows, according to company details.

Tenaz agreed to the acquisition in late 2024. The deal left it responsible for a large set of operational technology and information systems that had previously been housed within Shell's infrastructure. Tenaz also had to take control of legacy systems and integrate former NAM and Shell staff into its operating model.

The project included migrating 1.6PB of engineering and subsurface data. Tenaz had a small team in Calgary and limited internal IT resources at the time of the acquisition.

Scope and timing

A deadline of 1 May 2025 was set for operational handover. The transition covered IT and OT environments used across offices and offshore platforms, while maintaining continuity for production and gas infrastructure management.

Regulatory compliance was also part of the work. Operations in the Netherlands are subject to EU rules governing areas such as cybersecurity and data handling. Tenaz needed systems that could support day-to-day operations immediately after the change in ownership.

Cegal, which has offices in Aberdeen and London, led the transition and integration programme. Its remit included software, hardware, networks and data associated with the acquired assets. Lone Beth Nyman led the project team as lead project manager.

Work began with planning for day-one operations, including mapping which systems could transfer and which required redevelopment. The programme also onboarded personnel moving from NAM and Shell operations into Tenaz.

Platform choices

Cegal deployed Cetegra, which it describes as a vendor-neutral cloud platform for the energy sector. The platform supported IT and geoscience operations and provided access to digital tools from the start of the new operating period.

The project also included hardware procurement. Cegal set up the infrastructure for the Energy Components suite, which the companies describe as a core application for Tenaz's operations.

Cegal also designed and deployed what it called a minimum viable IT environment to maintain operational continuity during the ownership transfer.

Technical delivery ran in phases, covering workflow migration and optimisation, establishment of a service desk, removal of redundant data and licences, and cybersecurity and hosting work.

Cegal said the project finished on time and within budget. Tenaz said the transition avoided downtime across its office environment and offshore platforms.

Operational support

The companies have also entered into an operational services contract. Under the arrangement, Cegal continues to provide services as Tenaz operates the assets and considers further growth.

Tenaz said it ended 2025 as the largest operator in the Dutch North Sea. It also operates in Canada through crude oil and natural gas development at Leduc-Woodbend in Alberta.

Anthony Wicks, accounts director at Cegal, linked the delivery to broader asset transition work in the region.

"We're proud to have delivered a solution that not only meets today's needs but sets Tenaz up for future growth. The partnership demonstrates Cegal's ability to deliver complex transitions under pressure, through our unique combination of energy expertise and advanced technology, bringing value to the customer and reinforcing our reputation as a trusted IT partner in the energy sector," Wicks said.

Tenaz executives highlighted operational continuity and the scale of the systems involved.

"Cegal's expertise and hands-on approach helped to simplify a complex transition. The project execution and support have been outstanding, and we're confident in our ability to manage these critical assets going forward," said Brian Giang, Tenaz VP Finance.

Tenaz IT Manager Dean Hanson said the transition covered IT and OT across the business.

"We are pleased with the deployment of all the IT/OT systems. It was a very successful transition with no operational downtime in the office or on the offshore platforms. The collaboration with Cegal has been open and constructive, and their team has been responsive to our needs at every stage," Hanson said.

Cegal plans to continue providing operational services to Tenaz under the existing contract while managing the acquired Dutch North Sea portfolio.