The Oil and Gas Journal articles from April 1996

The Oil and Gas Journal archives from April 1996

U.S. petroleum company first quarter earnings are buoyant, led by an upstream surge.(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... U.S. petroleum company first quarter earnings are buoyant, led by an upstream surge. Upstream earnings for a group of majors Merrill Lynch tracks hit a 5 year high as a result of increased oil and gas prices and a boost in gas production,...

Merrill Lynch predicts overall 1996 earnings will be up slightly from 1995. (petroleum)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Merrill Lynch predicts overall 1996 earnings will be up slightly from 1995 as improving refining/marketing results more than offset a decline in chemical profits. For 1997 and beyond, the analyst says majors will be able to increase profits by...

Other yardsticks measuring the health of the U.S. petroleum industry are generally good.(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Other yardsticks measuring the health of the U.S. petroleum industry are generally good. Last week's Central Gulf of Mexico lease sale drew a record 1,381 bids for 924 tracts. High bids totaled $520.9 million. In all, 78 companies submitted...

API reports U.S. oil and gas completions were down slightly in the first quarter. (1996)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... API reports U.S. oil and gas completions were down slightly in the first quarter. It estimates 5,278 oil and gas wells and dry holes were completed in the first quarter, down 2.4% from a year ago. Oil well completions fell 8.4% to 1,696, gas...

API reports total U.S. petroleum products supplied to market in the first quarter jumped 4% to 18,322,000 b/d, the biggest year to year gain in almost 2 years. (1996)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... AGA estimates U.S. additions to proved gas reserves in 1995 at 100-125% of production. It pegs reserve additions, including discoveries and revisions, at 18.3-23 tcf, with only 21% from revisions. API reports total U.S. petroleum products...

While new LNG export projects in the Middle East seem to be capturing so much industry attention, expansions of export capacity by the biggest current LNG exporters should not be overlooked. (Liquified Natural Gas)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... While new LNG export projects in the Middle East seem to be capturing so much industry attention, expansions of export capacity by the biggest current LNG exporters should not be overlooked. Bank of Taiwan will finance the $1 billion H train of...

Iranian elections. (Iranian politics; effects on the oil industry)(Editorial)
April 29, 1996... It is easy to ignore politics in Iran. Trade sanctions by the U.S. make business with the Islamic republic difficult if not illegal. Iranian political developments thus can seem remote and inconsequential. Yet Iran is the site of an ominous...

Horizontal technology helps spark Louisiana's Austin chalk trend. (petroleum and gas drilling)
April 29, 1996... A handful of companies paced by some of the most active operators in the U.S. are pressing the limits of horizontal technology to ramp up Cretaceous Austin chalk exploration and development (E&D) across Louisiana. Most of the Louisiana chalk...

Texas high court upholds NGPA gas price. (Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... The Texas Supreme Court has upheld a 1979 take-or-pay contract requiring a U.S. interstate pipeline to pay above market prices for gas it doesn't want. The decision supported claims by three producers that Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. (TGP) is...

New Statoil drilling unit to cut costs. (Den Norkse stats oljeselskap AS; innovative twin hull drilling vessel)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Norway's Den norske stats oljeselskap AS aims to halve drilling and well operating costs in development of Aasgard fields in the Norwegian Sea by using an innovative twin hull drilling vessel. The small waterplane area twin hull (Swath) ship...

India's hydrocarbons market growing.
April 29, 1996... India's need to import crude oil and products could double during the next 5-10 years despite the country's plans to increase refining capacity. Growth also lies ahead for liquid petroleum gas (LPG) imports. Those are the findings of...

North Sea Britannia platform taking shape. (United Kingdom North Sea; Britannia offshore petroleum field)
April 29, 1996... Another step in development of Britannia field in the U.K. North Sea has taken place with completion of a topsides deck stacking operation during a 4 day period. Joint operators Conoco (U.K.) Ltd. and Chevron U.K. Ltd. expect to begin...

Guatemala outlines geology on offered tracts. (Peten basin tracts, gas and oil bidding)
April 29, 1996... Guatemala has begun releasing details on four Peten basin tracts offered this spring in an oil and gas bidding round. Guatemala's Ministry of Energy & Mines through the General Directorate of Hydrocarbons is offering acreage in the North...

Seaway expansion poised for service. (Seaway Pipeline Co., crude oil)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Seaway Pipeline Co. expects to have added capacity on-stream this week to meet higher summer demand for crude oil among refineries in the U.S. Midcontinent. Seaway project is a combine of units of ARCO and Phillips Petroleum Co. ARCO Pipe...

Next: a fifth generation semi. (semi-submersible drilling rig)(Watching the World)(Column)
April 29, 1996... Deep Sea AS, a unit of Odfjell Drilling AS of Bergen, has let a 300 million kroner ($46 million) contract to Kvaerner Rosenberg AS, Stavanger, for construction of a hull for a semisubmersible drilling rig. Norway's first newbuild semi since...

Total. (start up of ethyl tertiary butyl ether plant in Dunkirk, France, sets two industry records) (Alternate Fuels)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Total claimed two firsts with start-up of the Nord ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE) unit at its Dunkirk, France, refinery. Total said the $30 million, 50,000 metric ton/year unit is the world's first grassroots, purpose built ETBE unit and the...

Bitor Europe Ltd. (awarded contract for Orimulsion boiler fuel by Lithuanian Power System) (Alternate Fuels)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Bitor Europe Ltd., a unit of Petroleos de Venezuela SA, secured another European contract for its Orimulsion boiler fuel. Bitor will supply 300,000 metric tons/year of the heavy oil-water emulsion to Lithuanian state utility Lithuanian Power...

Taiwan's. (China Petrochemical Development Corp. to build liquefied petroleum gas plant in joint venture with unnamed Chinese company) (LPG)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Taiwan's China Petrochemical Development Corp. (CPDC) entered a $25 million venture with an undisclosed state owned Chinese company with refineries in China's Fujian province to build a liquefied petroleum gas plant in the province. Production...

Japan's. (Nissho Iwai Corp. in joint liquefied petroleum gas marketing venture with Petroleum Nasional Bhd.) (LPG)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Japan's Nissho Iwai Corp. and Malaysia's Petroleum Nasional Bhd. plan to jointly market LPG in southern China in a venture with two local companies. The venture plans to build LPG storage tanks and retail outlets at Yangjiang, Guangdong, at a...

Amerada Hess AS. (announces commerciality of two Danish North Sea blocks) (Drilling-Production)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Amerada Hess AS declared its South Arne oil discovery on Danish North Sea Blocks 5604/29 and 30 commercial. The South Arne discovery well flowed almost 2,500 b/d of oil in February 1995. Amerada is studying as development options either a...

Amoco Norway Oil Co. (announces installation of wellhead platform in Valhall field) (Drilling-Production)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Amoco Norway Oil Co. installed a wellhead platform in Valhall field off Norway, a project that took only 10 months from contract award to installation. The $234 million platform has space for 19 wells, giving access to reserves estimated at 82...

Cairn Energy plc. (completes winter drilling off Bangladesh) (Drilling-Production)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Cairn Energy plc, Edinburgh, completed winter drilling on Block 16 off Bangladesh so the rig can be moved off location prior to monsoon season. Two gas wells on the block have been tested, and the Sangu discovery has proved commercial (OGJ,...

BP Exploration Operating Co. Ltd. (awards contract for gas dehydration unit) (Drilling-Production)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... BP Exploration Operating Co. Ltd. let contract to KCC Process Equipment Ltd., Sunbury-on-Thames, U.K., to supply a gas dehydration unit for its Eastern Trough Area Project (ETAP) development in the U.K. North Sea. The $2.7 million tri-ethylene...

Texaco North Sea U.K. Co. (sells stake in Captain prospect to Korea Petroleum Development Corp.) (Drilling-Production)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Texaco North Sea U.K. Co. sold a 15% interest in its Captain discovery to South Korea's state owned Korea Petroleum Development Corp. for $210 million. Texaco said the deal is particularly complex because of the need to preserve lease...

Saga Petroleum AS. (swaps interest in offshore Varg prospect with Norske Conoco A/S) (Drilling-Production)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Saga Petroleum AS exchanged with Norske Conoco AS a 30% stake in the Varg discovery off Norway and a 25% stake in an area southeast of Varg for a 20% share in a license covering an area north of Troll field. Saga said the deal strengthens its...

Denbury Resources Inc. (buys Louisiana and Mississippi licences from Amerada Hess Corp.) (Drilling-Production)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Denbury Resources Inc., Calgary, will pay $42 million to Amerada Hess Corp. for leases in Louisiana and Mississippi that produce about 2,300 b/d of oil and 7 MMcfd of gas.

Bechtel Corp. (licenses lubricating base oil manufacturing technologies from Texaco Development Corp.) (Lubricants)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Bechtel Corp., Houston, agreed to purchase Texaco Development Corp.'s lubricating base oil manufacturing technologies. The agreement includes all licenses, contracts, patents, and other intellectual property. For 5 years, the companies will...

Eastman Chemical Co. (awards polyethylene terephthalate plant contract to Foster Wheeler Iberia S.A.) (Petrochemicals)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Eastman Chemical Co., Kingsport, Tenn., let contract to Foster Wheeler Iberia, Madrid, for detailed engineering, equipment, materials supply, and construction of a 130,000 metric ton/year polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant in Rotterdam...

Taiwan's CPDC. (government permits China Petrochemical Development Corp. to invest in Chinese acrylonitrile butadiene styrene production) (Petrochemicals)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Taiwan's CPDC received permission from the country's Investment Commission to invest in a venture to produce acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) in China, a first for a Taiwanese company. Chi Mei Corp., Taiwan's biggest ABS producer, earlier...

Marine & Mercantile Securities plc. (joint venture to develop coalbed methane resources in Czech Republic) (Coalbed Methane)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Marine & Mercantile Securities plc (M&M), London, entered a venture with Energie Kladno AS, Kladno, Czech Republic, to develop coalbed methane resources in established coal fields in that country. The Czech company was formed by privatizing a...

Taiwan's. (Chinese Petroleum Corp. adds to reserves by extending Shihshang gas field offshore Taiwan) (Exploration)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Taiwan's Chinese Petroleum Corp. (CPC) extended Shihshang gas field in the Taiwan Strait off Taiwan's southern coast (OGJ, Feb. 20, 1995, Newsletter). CPC estimates its 5 Shihshang added at least 24.5 bcf of reserves, bringing the field total...

Amoco Egypt East Tanka BV. (discovery in the Gulf of Suez) (Exploration)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Amoco Egypt East Tanka BV 3 East Tanka new pool wildcat in 203 ft of water in the Gulf of Suez off Egypt flowed 4,884 b/d of 31 degrees gravity oil and 3.7 MMcfd of gas. The well cut 56 ft of net oil pay in Miocene Asl at 8,592-8,680 ft. Amoco...

ARCO British Ltd. (North Sea gas well test is a success) (Exploration)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... ARCO British Ltd. tested a significant gas find at its 48/17c-12 well in the southern U.K. North Sea, reported license partner Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary. Talisman said the well flowed 37 MMcfd of gas and 600 b/d of condensate. The strike...

Chevron Overseas Petroleum (Qatar) Ltd. (signs with Qatar General Petroleum Corp. to explore offshore block) (Exploration)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Chevron Overseas Petroleum (Qatar) Ltd. signed an exploration and production sharing agreement with state owned Qatar General Petroleum Corp. to explore the 3,000 sq mile Block 1NW off peninsular Qatar. The block is near supergiant North Dome...

El Paso Natural Gas Co. (changes name to El Paso Energy Corp.) (Companies)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... El Paso Natural Gas Co., El Paso, Tex., began doing business as El Paso Energy Corp. and realigned its operating units to increase focus on expanding nonregulated businesses. El Paso Natural Gas Transmission will take the name El Paso Natural...

Texaco Inc. (forms international exploration division) (Companies)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Texaco Inc. formed an international exploration division to replace the company's central exploration department. The new division is intended to work seamlessly with Texaco's operating units and technology division to quickly apply best...

U.S. Federal Trade Commission. (prevents sale by Enron Corp. of Oklahoma Panhandle gas gathering lines to Phillips Petroleum Co.) (Pipelines)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Phillips Petroleum Co. agreed to a consent order barring Enron Corp.'s sale of 830 miles of gas gathering lines in the Oklahoma Panhandle to Phillips. The order also bars Phillips from buying more than 5 miles...

Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. (reduces throughput on Trans-Alaska Pipeline System after inspection reveals leak) (Pipelines)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. cut throughput to 700,000 b/d on the 1.5 million b/d Trans-Alaska Pipeline System after it detected a subsurface leak in the line during a routine inspection Apr. 20 at Pump Station 10 near Glenallen, Alaska. The...

Canada's National Energy Board. (gas export license applications ) (Exports-Imports)(Industry Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Canada's National Energy Board received eight applications for licenses to export 110 MMcfd of gas for terms of 5-20 years. Applicants include Coastal Gas Marketing Co., Renaissance Energy Ltd., St. Lawrence Gas. Co., and Talisman Energy Inc....

El Paso Energy Corp. (seeks federal approval to increase gas pipeline capacity from San Juan basin)
April 29, 1996... El Paso Energy Corp. asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve a $20 million project to boost gas pipeline capacity by 180 MMcfd from San Juan basin in Northwest New Mexico to delivery points in West Texas' Permian basin by...

Oil companies focus on emergency care for expats in Russia. (expatriate workers)(OGJ Special - Remote Medicine)
April 29, 1996... A deplorable medical and public health system, compounded by social unrest, makes living and working in Russia risky for oil industry travelers and expatriates. This situation, coupled with a surge in overseas ventures, has prompted oil...

Air ambulance plan can be critical. (OGJ Special - Remote Medicine)
April 29, 1996... Like an adventuresome tourist, the oil industry traveler often overlooks a potentially critical detail during trip preparation--the eventuality of a medical evacuation for him or her while in another country. This oversight could at best be...

Remote paramedics have high level of training.(OGJ Special - Remote Medicine)
April 29, 1996... [FIGURES HAVE BEEN OMITTED] Highly trained paramedics with baggage containing a couple hundred pounds of drugs, medicines, disposables, and portable medical instruments are as essential for exploration and production ventures in Russia and...

Other facets of remote medicine.(OGJ Special - Remote Medicine)
April 29, 1996... Expatriates and paramedics at remote sites are not the only concerns of oil industry corporate medical departments. There is a great deal that can and should be done before the traveler or expatriate ever leaves home base. Even the...

Properly designed underbalanced drilling fluids can limit formation damage.(Technology)
April 29, 1996... P.L. Churcher, Fred J. Yurkiw PanCanadian Petroleum Ltd. Calgary Ron F. Bietz, D. Brant Bennion Hycal Energy Research Ltd. Calgary Drilling fluids for underbalanced operations require careful design and testing to ensure they do not damage...

More precise pipe wall calculations developed.(pipeline wall thickness)(includes equations)
April 29, 1996... Methods for determining pipeline wall have been developed which may reduce the required thickness by up to 7%, depending on steel grade and required design pressure. A more precise calculation for pipeline wall can yield significant savings...

Simple tests determine catalyst regeneration temperature.(oil refining research)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Laboratory results from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and derivative thermal analysis (DTA) were used to determine the temperature range for regeneration of a commercial hydrodesulfurization catalyst. Further testing of this catalyst after...

Operator/E&C relationship explored in Europe.(Transmar Enterprises Ltd. survey of trends in refining and petrochemical industries)
April 29, 1996... A survey of 60 European executives and technical managers in the refining and petrochemical industries has revealed important industry trends. Results of the survey, conducted by Transmar Enterprises Ltd., Paris, showed that: * Incorrect...

Baker Hughes Process Equipment Co.(acquires Vortoil Separation Systems)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Baker Hughes Process Equipment Co. (BHPEC), Houston, Tex. has acquired Vortoil Separation Systems. Vortoil will be merged with Baker Hughes Process Systems, a division of BHPEC headquartered in Rugby, England. Vortoil is a supplier of...

New Albany shale gas flow starts in western Indiana.(Seminole Land & Cattle Co.)
April 29, 1996... A group led by Seminole Land & Cattle Co., Seminole, Okla., started gas sales in late January from Devonian New Albany shale in Greene County, Ind. The formation has physical similarities to Devonian Antrim shale in the Michigan basin (OGJ,...

Two basins explored in Dominican Republic.(Petrolera Once Once SA, Mobil Murfin drill exploratory wells for oil and natural gas)
April 29, 1996... Exploration companies are exploring two tracts in separate basins of the Dominican Republic. Drilling is under way or planned in the eastern Cibao basin in the northeastern part of the country, where Petrolera Once Once SA holds a 1,001,287...

Exploratory drilling to start in eastern Tanzania.(Tanganyika Oil Co. Ltd.)(Brief Article)
April 29, 1996... Exploratory drilling is possible later this year in southeastern Tanzania. Tanganyika Oil Co. Ltd., Vancouver, B.C., is negotiating with potential partners to drill two structures near the Indian Ocean coast about 180 miles south-southwest...

Expect a tense OPEC meeting in June over the issue of accommodating the return of Iraqi oil to the world market. (1996)
April 22, 1996... Expect a tense OPEC meeting in June over the issue of accommodating the return of Iraqi oil to the world market. No agreement on limited oil sales had been forged between Iraqi and U.N. officials at OGJ presstime last week. The two sides...

Central to the contentiousness likely at the June OPEC meeting is the issue of quotabreaking by some members - with the latest data showing the chief violators apparently not mending their ways. (Middle East Economic Survey)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... Central to the contentiousness likely at the June OPEC meeting is the issue of quotabreaking by some members--with the latest data showing the chief violators apparently not mending their ways, according to Middle East Economic Survey (MEES)....

Crude oil markets have come off the boil after stock shortages drove the price on New York and London exchanges to a 5 year high this month. (April, 1996)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... Crude oil markets have come off the boil after stock shortages drove the price on New York and London exchanges to a 5 year high this month. The price of May Brent peaked at $23.15/bbl Apr. 11, but by closing in London Apr. 17 Brent for June...

1995 U.S. gasoline prices, adjusted for inflation, were the lowest in the 77 year history of recorded pump prices. (American Petroleum Institute report)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... Despite an outcry against a recent gasoline price spike spawned mainly by the crude price rally (see story, p. 28), API says 1995 U.S. gasoline prices, adjusted for inflation, were the lowest in the 77 year history of recorded pump prices and...

Efforts persist to streamline government, notably those affecting the petroleum industry. (Dept. of Energy; includes news on sale of interest in California's Elk Hills field)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... Efforts persist to streamline government, notably those affecting the petroleum industry. Sen. Rod Grams (R-Minn.) filed a bill to abolish DOE but acknowledges the current Congress probably won't pass it. Similar to one proposed in the House...

EPA has set new guidelines for the first time in a decade to assess cancer risk posed by pollutants and chemicals in the environment.(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... EPA has set new guidelines for the first time in a decade to assess cancer risk posed by pollutants and chemicals in the environment. The policy will focus attention on the carcinogenic contaminants people are most likely to be susceptible to...

MMS wants potential bidders to express any interest in three Alaska offshore lease sales in the planning stage. (Minerals Management Service)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... MMS wants potential bidders to express any interest in three Alaska offshore lease sales in the planning stage. MMS asked industry to identify areas of interest for Cook Inlet Sale 149 this June, Beaufort Sea Sale 144 this September, and Gulf...

Industry continues to experiment with business combinations to achieve cost cutting and efficiency improvements. (Gulf Canada Ltd. plan to buy oil and gas assets from Pennzoil Co.)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... Industry continues to experiment with business combinations to achieve cost cutting and efficiency improvements. Gulf Canada signed a letter of intent to buy for $250 million (Canadian) Pennzoil's western Canada oil and gas assets, including...

It's been a long, uphill battle for drilling contractors that survived the oil price collapse of the 1980s, but prospects for this industry sector nor are bright. (Rowan Cos. Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... It's been a long, uphill battle for drilling contractors that survived the oil price collapse of the 1980s, but prospects for this industry sector now are bright. Rowan Cos., Houston, reports a profitable first quarter the first time in 11...

Mobil will join Kazakhstan's troubled Tengiz oil megaproject.(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... Mobil will join Kazakhstan's troubled Tengiz oil megaproject. Mobil agreed to acquire half of Almaty's 50% stake in Tengizchevroil, the venture Chevron established with Kazakhstan to further develop supergiant Tengiz oil field and export its...

The real gasoline price story.(Column)
April 22, 1996... In this issue, we offer a 3 year forecast of world petroleum supply and demand. We always try to be as logical and accurate as possible in developing our forecasts. But as always, there is uncertainty. Weather related fluctuations in...

The outlook: 1997-99. (oil and gas industry)(Editorial)
April 22, 1996... The triennium beginning next Jan. 1 holds both promise and questions for the oil and gas industry. OGJ's 3-Year Forecast, the special report beginning on p. 45, notes that all signs point to economic growth in most of the world. Growth...

U.S. refiners face more challenges in wake of RFG introduction. (reformulated gasoline)
April 22, 1996... Now that reformulated gasoline has been successfully introduced into the U.S. market, refiners face even more fuel reformulation challenges. With the peak driving season approaching, the Energy Information Administration has predicted there...

U.S. gasoline price spike spawns outcry.
April 22, 1996... Rocketing gasoline prices in the U.S. once again have spurred calls for government action to deal with the problem. The biggest U.S. independent gasoline marketers association last week said its members' survival may be threatened by rising...

U.S.-Mexico dispute simmering in gulf. (Gulf of Mexico; includes related article about boundary treaty)
April 22, 1996... The U.S. oil and gas industry's push into ultradeep waters of the Gulf of Mexico has placed a spotlight on a long territorial dispute between the U.S. and Mexico. At issue is acreage claimed by both nations in the Alaminos Canyon area of the...

Phillips hikes spending plans for 1996. (Phillips Petroleum Co.)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... Phillips Petroleum Co. last week disclosed a 16% increase in its 1996 capital budget to $1.62 billion. The increase, 11% above 1995 outlays, hikes the company's spending to its highest level since the mid-1980s. Earlier plans for 1996 called...

Nigerian state firm's shortfall feared. (Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. shortfall may adversely impact onshore oil and gas field project involving Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd., Elf Nigeria Ltd., and Agip S.p.A.)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... Shell Petroleum Development Co. of Nigeria Ltd. has proposed a capital budget of $1.63 billion this year by partners in a venture that accounts for almost half of Nigeria's oil production. However, the company fears spending may have to be...

Heated debate hits Niger delta oil. (Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd. attacked for relationship with Nigerian government at Royal Geographical Society meeting)
April 22, 1996... The lecture theater at the Royal Geographical Society in London is normally a forum for calm, cool debate. But on Apr. 15 the temperature went up several degrees during a seminar on petroleum and Nigeria's environment. Shell Petrolettm...

Accord seen possible off China, Viet Nam. (disputed offshore oil field in South China Sea)
April 22, 1996... A Vietnamese deal with a unit of Conoco Inc. to evaluate a large offshore area in the South Con Son basin could help resolve a territorial dispute with China over the acreage. So says Randall C. Thompson, president of Crestone Energy Corp.,...

Amoco adds to list of strikes in area off eastern Trinidad. (Amoco Trinidad Oil Co. finding more gas and oil)
April 22, 1996... Amoco Trinidad Oil Co. is amassing a large supply of gas in the Caribbean with a string of offshore discoveries east of Trinidad & Tobago (T&T). The company in mid-April disclosed its sixth gas strike off Trinidad. Its 1995-96 exploratory...

Big Latvian seaport undergoing expansion. (Ventspils)
April 22, 1996... Latvia has begun expanding facilities at the Baltic Sea port of Ventspils in an effort to sustain the port's role as a main export terminal for Russian oil. The project is part of a bigger plan by the Latvian government to add enough...

Bolivian controversies. (governmental actions involving petroleum industry resulting in political repercussions)
April 22, 1996... Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada is determined to push hydrocarbons bills through Congress to allow: * Partial privatization of state oil company Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB). * Approval of the Brazilian...

ARCO Chemical Co. (planning 625 million lb/year propylene oxide/styrene monomer plant for operation by fourth quarter 1999, and expansion at another site for the same products by early 1998)(Petrochemicals)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... ARCO Chemical Co. plans to build a plant it claims will be the world's biggest grassroots propylene oxide/styrene monomer complex at Maasvlakte, Rotterdam, to be complete by fourth quarter 1999. Capacity will be 625 million lb/year of PO and...

American Petroleum Institute. (report on petroleum industry employment statistics for January 1996)(Labor)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... American Petroleum Institue reported U.S. oil industry employment fell to 1.405 million last January from the peak of 1.912 million in February 1982. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show the number of exploration and production employees fell...

Ottawa's. (Canadian International Development Agency awards contract to Coopers & Lybrand Consulting Group for training of petroleum industry employees in Pakistan)(Labor)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... Ottawa's Canadian international Development Agency let a $28 million contract to Coopers & Lybrand Consulting to train oil industry personnel in Pakistan. Coopers & Lybrand will lead a group of firms in implementing the 6 year training contract.

U.S. Department of Energy. ($15 million in grants being provided to companies willing to purchase fuel cell prototypes)(Alternate fuels)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... U.S. Department of Energy will provide grants totaling $15 million to firms willing to buy fuel cell prototypes. DOE will provide $1,000/kw, or as much as one third of total project costs. Energy firms are eligible, with priority given to...

Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (planning onshore gas reserves development and gas processing plant)(Drilling-production)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. plans to develop gas reserves in onshore Asab oil field and install a gas processing plant. It will lay gathering and injection pipelines linking 29 production and 11 injection wells completed in the Thamama F and G...

West Australia Petroleum Pty. Ltd. (contract with AOC Australia Pty. Ltd. for oil field modifications and maintenance work)(Drilling-production)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... West Australia Petroleum Pty. Ltd. (Wapet) let a $24 million contract to the AOC Australia Pty. Ltd. subsidiary of OGC International plc, Aberdeen, for oil field maintenance and modifications in Western Australia. The contract covers pumping...

Shell Petroleum Development Co. of Nigeria Ltd. (pump sets from Sulzer U.K. Pumps Ltd. delivered)(Drilling-production)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... Shell Petroleum Development Co. of Nigeria Ltd. took delivery of 52 pump sets from Sulzer (U.K.) Pumps Ltd., Leeds, U.K.. Valued at $8.7 million, the pumps will be installed by Sulzer in the next year at 17 crude oil flow stations in western...

BHP Petroleum Pty. Ltd. (two contracts awarded to Australian division of Expro Group PLC for well testing services)(Drilling-production)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... BHP Petroleum Pty. Ltd. let two contracts to the Australian unit of Expro Group plc, Aberdeen. A 2 year, $3.2 million multiwell options contract involves well test services in BHP's Zone of Cooperation Area operations in the Timor Sea. Expro...

Enron Corp. (acquiring Hardy Oil & Gas PLC's U.S. gas and oil assets)(Drilling-production)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... Enron Corp., Houston, acquired the U.S. interests of Hardy Oil & Gas plc, London, in two deals valued at a combined $179 million. Proceeds from the sale will help fund Hardy's share in new developments during the next 5 years, including U.K.'s...

Badr Petroleum Co. (contract with ABB Lummus Global for engineering work on gas field production processing unit)(Drilling-production)(Brief Article)
April 22, 1996... Badr Petroleum Co. (Bapetco), a venture of Egyptian General Petroleum Corp. and Shell Egypt NV, let contract to ABB Lummus Global for engineering design of a production processing system for Obaiyed field in Egypt's Western Desert. ABB will...