The Oil and Gas Journal articles from January 1999

The Oil and Gas Journal archives from January 1999

Gas Up.
January 1, 1999... One sure-fire way to make a few bucks in the oil and gas business is to plant yourself in the path of rising prices. That makes sense. Concentrate on natural gas. We don't have anything against oil, but something's seriously wrong with the...

CORRECTION.
January 1, 1999... An article titled "Desktop Integration in E&P in the November Hart's Oil and Gas World should have said at the bottom of page 62, "Packages on the market--such as PetrisCannect--Web enable a company's existing system."

Exxon Corp.
January 1, 1999... Exxon Corp. agrees to buy Mobil Corp. in a $76.2 billion stock deal that will create the largest oil company in the world. Shareholders still must approve the deal, and federal authorities will look at antitrust implications of the merger of...

Exxon-Mobil agreement.
January 1, 1999... Even before the Exxon-Mobil agreement, oil and gas acquisitions in the United States reached a record $37.7 billion, including $30.2 billion for the U.S. portion of the BP-Amoco merger, according to Randall & Dewey of Houston. Transactions for...

CMS Energy Corp.
January 1, 1999... CMS Energy Corp. changes the name of its oil and gas exploration and production business to CMS Oil and Gas Co. Formed in Michigan in 1967, Houston-based CMS Oil and Gas Co. is one of America's 30 largest independent oil and gas companies in...

Nuevo Energy Co.
January 1, 1999... Nuevo Energy Co. signs a purchase and sale agreement with a Samson Resources Co. affiliate for the sale of its east Texas natural gas assets for $190.6 million. Nuevo's cash flow from these assets for the first half of 1998 was estimated at $10...

Smith GeoDiamond.
January 1, 1999... Smith GeoDiamond sets a record for longest cumulative footage for an 8 3/4-in. PDC bit. An M69 drilled seven wells for 41,445 ft in 716 hours, or 58 ft/hour in Webb County, Texas.

PetroSoft Inc., Seismic Research Corp. and The Discovery Bay Co.
January 1, 1999... PetroSoft Inc., Seismic Research Corp. and The Discovery Bay Co. agree to merge their assets into a single new entity, Rock Solid Images. The move is an attempt to deal with the problems facing small software companies without compromising the...

Nabors Industries Inc. and Bayard Drilling Technologies.
January 1, 1999... Nabors Industries Inc. and Bayard Drilling Technologies execute an agreement in which Bayard will merge into a newly created special-purpose subsidiary of Nabors. Each of the 18.2 million shares of Bayard will be exchanged for 0.375 shares of...

Ziff Energy Group of Houston.
January 1, 1999... Ziff Energy Group of Houston completes the first operating cost analysis for Gulf of Mexico fields. The study covers operations on more than 150 fields.

Leviathan Gas Pipeline Partners LP subsidiary Flextrend Development Co.
January 1, 1999... Leviathan Gas Pipeline Partners LP subsidiary Flextrend Development Co. LLC purchases a 100% working interest in the Sunday Silence Field from DeepTech International subsidiary Tatham Offshore Development Inc. The field is contained within four...

Kerr-McGee Corp. and Oryx Energy Co.
January 1, 1999... Kerr-McGee Corp. and Oryx Energy Co. merge to create America's fourth largest independent oil and gas exploration and production company. The new company, Kerr-McGee Corp., has a combined enterprise value of about $6 billion, an estimated I...

Cross Timbers Oil Co.
January 1, 1999... Cross Timbers Oil Co. enters an agreement to acquire producing properties in northwest Oklahoma and New Mexico's San Juan Basin from an undisclosed seller for $33.4 million. Cross Timbers estimates the acquisition's proved reserves at 42.5 Bcf...

Coral Energy.
January 1, 1999... Coral Energy opens a new marketing office in Omaha, Neb., to support its customers throughout a 15-state Midcontinent area. Fred E. McLouth joins Coral as vice president of the Midcontinent origination group to head the office.

Vista Resource Partners LP.
January 1, 1999... Vista Resource Partners LP merges with Midland Resources Inc. to create Vista Energy Resources Inc. All oil and gas leases formerly operated by Midland Resources Operating Co. are now operated by Vista Resources Inc. The office is in Midland,...

Barrett Resources Corp.
January 1, 1999... Barrett Resources Corp. reports President Clinton has signed a law that protects contracts and leases entered into by surface patent holders with respect to coalbed methane gas. The legislation was introduced in response to a ruling in the case...

Cross Timbers Oil Co.
January 1, 1999... Cross Timbers Oil Co. forms a royalty trust comprised of properties in the Hugoton area and the Green River Basin of Wyoming. The properties represent about 30% of the company's existing reserve base. The company plans to offer 10% to 20% of...

Arco Alaska Inc., Exxon Co. USA and BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.
January 1, 1999... Arco Alaska Inc., Exxon Co. USA and BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. start long-term test production from the Midnight Sun Field adjacent to Prudhoe Bay. The field is producing about 2,000 b/d of oil and 750 Mcfd of gas from the initial discovery...

Shell Oil Co.
January 1, 1999... Cross Timbers Oil Co. acquires properties in Alaska's Cook Inlet from Shell Oil Co. for about 2 million shares of common stock. The properties in Middle Ground Shoal Field include two operated production platforms in 70-ft waters about six...

Cambridge Energy Research Associates.
January 1, 1999... Cambridge Energy Research Associates offers electronic versions of its energy industry reports customized to the requirements of clients. The new service is called E-Profile.

Stickmap.
January 1, 1999... Stickmap helps prospective customers conduct data searches by providing a large-format map showing the buyer's area of interest and seismic data listed on its Web site. Upon request, Stickmap generates a 34- x 44-in, map for large areas, or an...

W.H. Linder & Associates Inc. and Waldemar S. Nelson and Co. Inc.
January 1, 1999... The Deepwater Consulting Alliance, a design engineering alliance formed by W.H. Linder & Associates Inc. and Waldemar S. Nelson and Co. Inc., is using Cadcentre Inc.'s Plant Design Management System software for its second Texaco project, at...

On The Move.
January 1, 1999... Operators and Consulting Services Inc., Lafayette, La., names Tommy Johnson chairman of the board and CEO, Jerry Artigue president and chief operating officer, Wayne Robertson vice president, and Francis Broussard production manager. ...

Web Procurement--Are You Ready?
January 1, 1999... About the Author Cheryl M. Roberts is Web strategy manager for IBM Marketing Communications for the IBM global industry vertical marketing and sales organization. You can E-mail her at croberts@us.ibm.com. Let your computer do your...

The ABCs of Safety Training.
January 1, 1999... The oilpatch has become a safer place to work as companies enlist the aid of all employees to change the culture of the workplace. It may seem silly to encourage safety in the workplace. After all, no one wants to get hurt. But with...

Steering the Bit.
January 1, 1999... About the Authors John Edwards is marketing manager for Schlumberger Product Center in Sugar Land, Texas. Previously, he was a geosteering specialist with Anadrill in the Far East, based in Jakarta, Indonesia, and marketing and sales...

Tough Under Pressure.
January 1, 1999... Cement jobs are subjected to rough wellbore environments, but service companies are stepping up to the challenge. Operators today drill in harsh conditions thought impossible a few years ago. But these costly wells would be a waste of time...

Data Processing: You Want it When?
January 1, 1999... In spite of the data explosion, seismic contractors have, with the help of technology and sound management strategies, vastly improved their turnaround times. For seismic processing companies, the words "better, faster and cheaper" almost...

GIS Pumps Profits into Frac Jobs.
January 1, 1999... About the Author Dean Bilden is project manager for Power Vision, the BJ Services Co. enterprisewide information technology system that incorporates stare-of-the-art GIS technology. Geographic information systems technology provides...

Toward The 30 Tcf Market.
January 1, 1999... Today, the U.S. market for natural gas is 22 Tcf, a substantial portion of which is imported from Canada. Those of us who think we're in a growth industry should remember the U.S. gas market reached 20 Tcf in the late 1970s before declining to...

Largest NAPE Ever Expected.
January 1, 1999... Organizers of the North American Prospect Expo (NAPE) anticipate this year's show will be the largest ever. All of the exhibit spaces--just under 600--are booked, and a waiting list is forming for last-minute vacancies. The event will be Jan....

IPAA, DOE Work On Prices.
January 1, 1999... Several key DOE staff members attended the IPAA Annual Meeting in November and participated in discussions about low oil prices. For example, they described how Energy Secretary Bill Richardson had met with Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin to...

Offshore Appeal Filed.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... IPAA and the American Petroleum Institute Nov. 25 filed an amicus brief in the federal circuit court of appeals in the case of Marathon vs. United States, a breach-of-contract case relating to offshore North Carolina mineral leases. The...

In Memoriam.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
January 1, 1999... R. Harlan Krumme, 79, a Tulsa oilman regarded as the father or the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (OERB) and known for his efforts to improve the petroleum industry's image in the media, died from cancer Nov. 22, at his Tulsa home. ...

NSWA Elects Biggs.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... Daniel Biggs, vice president, Pickrell Drilling Co., Great Bend, Kan., was elected president of the National Stripper Well Association Nov. 14, at the association's 64th annual meeting in New Orleans. He succeeds Houston oil producer Stephen...

Regulatory Reform Needed.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... The domestic petroleum industry faces the most difficult regulatory system ever, IPAA Chairman George Yates told the North Texas Oil and Gas Association in Graham, Texas, Nov. 18. According to numbers compiled by the API, the U.S. oil and gas...

IPAA Releases Supply, Demand Forecast.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... IPAA's Supply and Demand Committee released new forecasts at the IPAA Annual Meeting in November. For domestic crude oil production, it forecast that 4999 domestic oil output could dip to its lowest level in more than 47 years The panel...

1998 Annual Meeting Wraps Up.
January 1, 1999... Active IPAA members found a lot of good information, along with good news and disturbing news at the annual meeting in New Orleans The 1998 IPAA Annual Meeting, preceded by the Emerging Technologies Energy Conference (ETEC), attracted a...

In Good Shape.
January 1, 1999... David L. Bole, vice president, corporate research and development, Randall & Dewey Inc., is Membership Committee chairman. Co-chairmen are Knute H. Lee Jr., president, KHL Inc., and Pamela S. Pierce, vice president, business development, Vastar...

Stretching the Reef.
January 1, 1999... "Stomping at the Savoy" is an old song, but Tom Pangborn and Bill Sperry are doing a little stomping at Savoy Exploration Inc. and Savoy Energy LP in Traverse City, Mich., too. Their latest hit is a four-and-a-half mile extension of the...

CLAY COUNTY.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... Plains Illinois Inc., Bridgeport, Ill., has staked three deeper-pool wildcats, all projected to 4,200 ft in Devonian, in Township 4n-5e in Iola Central Field. Petroleum Information/Dwights LLC (PI/Dwights) reports the ventures are the No. 1...

SHELBY COUNTY.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... Bi-Petro Inc., Springfield, Ill., is set to drill to 3,300 ft to evaluate horizons through Devonian Dutch Creek at its exploratory test No. 12 Slifer in Section 17-9n-4e. Bi-Petro's drillsite lies one-half mile east of a modest Devonian Hardin...

MONROE COUNTY.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... Three newfield wildcats targeting Cambro-Ordovician Knox have been scheduled in Kentucky, reports PJ/Dwights. Stowe, Vt.-based Knox Kentucky Ltd. plans to drill two of them in Monroe County. The No. CC4 and No. CC5 Charles Copas are scheduled...

Play of the Month.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... * Energy Associates Inc., Lexington, Ky., says it has followed the highly successful (2.916-MMcfd of gas) No. EA6 Princeton et al, in Whitley County, Ky., with the No. EA9 Princeton et al. The confirmation well flowed 522 Mcfd of gas on a...

HILLSDALE COUNTY.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... Miller Exploration Co. has scheduled three wildcats in Michigan's Hillsdale County, according to PI/Dwights. The Traverse City independent plans to test Ordovician Trenton and Cambrian Mount Simon to a depth of 7,000 ft at the No. 1-25...

YATES COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Belden & Blake Corp., North Canton, Ohio, has staked an Oriskany newfield wildcat in New York. Projected depth is 7,200 ft at the No. 1 NYS Reforestation Area in Section G, Potter Quad, Italy Township. The new venture is three miles southeast...

LICKING COUNTY.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... Eastern American Energy Corp., Charleston, W.Va., has drilled to an approximate total depth of 4,150 ft at one Cambrian Copper Ridge wildcat and staked another in Monroe Township, Johnstown Quad. Status and details are not reported at the...

MONROE COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Spooner Petroleum Co., Jackson, Miss., tested its No. 1 Burns & Perkins Oil Co-Mary Ann Brown 23-16 flowing 415 b/d of oil from Jurassic Norphlet to confirm the opener of Ollie Field. Southeastern Oil Review reports the well, tested on a...

GRAND ISLE 116.
January 1, 1999... Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Houston, and its partners have announced a commercial subsalt discovery in the Gulf of Mexico called Hickory. In 320-ft waters, the No. 1 OCS-G-13944 was drilled to a total depth of 21,600 if and found about 300 ft of...

NATCHITOCHES PARISH.
January 1, 1999... Cretaceous Rodessa, perforated at 6,563-73 ft. gave up a flow of 2.068 MMcf of gas and 2 bbl of condensate at the Brammer Engineering Inc. No. 1 Pullig discovery. Petroleum Information/Dwights LLC reports Shreveport-based Brammer's well is in...

Well of the Month.
January 1, 1999... * The Williams Cos. Inc., Tulsa, Okla., says the No. 2 Nash, a 14,55,8-ft exp1oratory well it drilled m Leon County, Texas, yielded a flow of gas at the rate of 25.8 MMcfd: In Maria de la Concepcion Marquez Survey, A-12 in the Kenwood Field...

WAYNE COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Initial tests of the discovery at Houston-based Benz Energy Ltd.'s Wausau Prospect indicate production of 348 b/d of oil and 1.62 MMcfd of gas, according to Benz. The No. 1 Board of Education 16-12, Section 16-8n-9w, logged 68 ft of total pay...

PIKE COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... A wildcat drilled by Worldwide Cos., Magnolia, Miss., was completed on gas lift producing 102 b/d of oil and 50 Mcfd of gas, reports the Southeastern Oil Review. Worldwide's No. 1 Braswell 24-12, Section 24-2n-7e, was tested on a choke. It's...

CHAMBERS COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... The No. 1-R State Tract 86, an exploratory well in the Umbrella Point Field area of Texas' Galveston Bay, is expected to have an initial daily production of 15 MMcf of gas, reports Mitchell Energy & Development Corp., The Woodlands, Texas....

BARBER COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... An Ordovician Simpson discovery completed by Woolsey Petroleum Corp. has the potential to flow more than 700 b/d of oil, reports Woolsey. The company, based in Wichita, drilled to a total depth of 5,390 ft at the No. 1 Bouziden Trust in Section...

KAY COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... The discovery No. 1 Refinery is a dual producer finaled by Warren Corp., Oklahoma City, in Section 33-26n-2e. Upper Pennsylvanian Hoover Sand, perforated at 1,556-63 ft, yielded 76 b/d of oil on pump, while Mississippian, perforated between...

BEAVER COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Flow was gauged at 501 b/d of oil and 500 Mcfd of gas at an Oklahoma well that's part of Houston-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp.'s 3-D seismic-driven program targeting Mississippian Chester channel sands in the Hogoton Embayment. The No. 1 Smith...

LATIMER COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Oklahoma's Arkoma Basin is the site of two wildcats completed by The GHK Co. LLC, Oklahoma City, as Lower Mississippian Jackfork discoveries, reports PI/Dwights. The No. 1-33 Amoco/GHK Ratcliff, Section 33-3n-20e, flowed 3.859 MMcfd of gas on a...

Well of the Month.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... * Marathon Oil Co., Houston, completed a directionally drilled wildcat in Washita County, Okla., as a Pennsylvanian Des Moines discovery flowing 8.7 MMcfd of gas, 250 b/d of condensate and 35 b/d of water. Petroleum Information/Dwights LLC...

HARPER COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., Houston, reports the completion of No. 2-1 Luke, an exploratory venture in Section 1-26n-21w, producing 220 b/d of oil and 750 Mcfd of gas. A half-mile extension of Lovedale Field, the well was tested in Morrow "B" at...

GRADY COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... A wildcat completed by Oklahoma City independent United Production Co. LLC at the No. 1-36 Bashara tested 825 Mcfd of gas and 5 b/d of condensate. Pennsylvanian Skinner, perforated between 9,038-61 ft, is the formation at the new-field opener...

HEMPHILL COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Tulsa-based Samson Resources Co.'s Samson Lone Star LP subsidiary gauged a flow of 5.3 MMcfd of gas and 9 b/d of water at the No. 2-4 McQuiddy to extend Morrow production in Texas' Howe Ranch Field a mile to the northwest. According to...

ANDREWS COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Magutex Field got its first horizontal producer when Titan Resources LP completed the No. 3 Faken Block "GB" A/C2 pumping 270 b/d of oil and 180 Mcfd of gas from Devonian. Midland-based Titan's well, in Section 37, Block 40, T3N, G&MMB&A...

WINKLER COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Denver-based Ocean Energy Inc. has completed one wildcat as a producer and is drilling another. The No. 1 University "21-9," Section 9, Block 21, University Lands Survey, was drilled to a total depth of 21,000 ft. plugged back to 15,572 ft and...

ECTOR COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... The opener of Jars Field was confirmed with the completion of Altura Energy Ltd.'s No. 2 Clarence Scharbauer "Deep" pumping 321 b/d of oil from Ellenburger. Petroleum Information/Dwights LLC says the well, in Section 32, Block 44, T1N, TCRR...

Well of the Month.
January 1, 1999... * Permian Wolfcamp at 6,194-6,242 ft gave up a flow of 232 b/d of oil and 452 Mcfd of gas at No. 1 Jalapeno, a discovery completed by Ruwco Oil & Gas Corp. in Pecos County, Texas. Austin-based Ruwco used a 10/64-in. choke to test the wildcat in...

GAINES COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Another field discovery has been confirmed, this one the opener of G-M-K West field. Apache Corp., Houston, pumped 172 b/d of oil, with 54 Mcfd of gas, from Permian San Andres at 5,608-95 ft at the No. 2 Monty. The new producer confirms the...

EDDY COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Chi Operating Inc., Midland, set pipe on bottom at 8,900 ft and is waiting on completion tools at No. 1 Top Dog-Federal Corn in Section 28-16s-27e. Other details on the exploratory venture are not released.

LEA COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Vista Resources Inc., Midland, plans to deepen by 12 ft an exploratory test abandoned in 1970 that reached a total depth of 21,240 ft in Precambrian. Vista's project is the No. 1 South Lea in Section 17-26s-36e. A production test in Ellenburger...

WELD COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... United States Exploration Inc., Denver, reports it has entered a development agreement with HS Resources Inc. providing for the deepening of as many as 86 wells in northeastern Colorado's Wattenberg Field. The agreement covers properties m...

RIO BLANCO COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Exxon Corp. plans to drill two 12,200-ft exploratory tests on its Love Ranch lease, both ventures being in Section 9-2s-97w. Exxon has moved in a rotary rig and is waiting for weather conditions to improve before starting the wildcat No. 1...

RICHLAND COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Recovery of a "large amount" of oil on a drillstem test of Ordovician Red River was reported by Vastar Resources Inc., Houston, at the No. 1-24 Bellezza, an apparent discovery in Section 24-23n-53e. Top of Red River was expected at about 10,985...

GARFIELD COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Conoco Inc. has added a fourth and fifth wildcat to its remote Cambrian drilling program. The No. 1-36 Studhorse-State, Section 36-33s-7e, is to go to 6,393 ft, while the No. 1-32 Death Hollow-State, Section 32-34s-7e, is projected to 6,615 ft....

SUBLETTE COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Another Upper Cretaceous Lance discovery has been tested on the Pinedale Anticline in Wyoming's Sublette County, this one the 13,055-ft Ultra Petroleum Corp. No. 3-22D Mesa in Section 22-32n-109w. Vancouver-based Ultra says the well flowed 5.1...

Well of the Month.
January 1, 1999... * The No. 9-5 Federal, a Red River discovery completed by Flying J Oil & Gas Inc., North Salt Lake, Utah, in Section 5-149n-103w, McKenzie County, N.D., initially flowed 292 b/d of oil, 292 Mcfd of gas and 12 b/d of water on a 14/64-in, choke....

Arco Alaska Inc.
January 1, 1999... NORTH SLOPE. A well drilled by Arco Alaska Inc. and Exxon Corp. has set a new North American record of 19,804 ft for directional distance, or departure, reports Petroleum Information! Dwights LLC (PI/Dwights). The No. 11 Niakuk was...

NORTH SLOPE.
January 1, 1999... According to PI/Dwights, the permitting process has begun for a wildcat in Alaska. BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. plans to drill No. 1 Genese in Foggy Island Bay about eight miles northeast of Point Brower. The test would be drilled in Section...

Well of the Month.
January 1, 1999... * An announcement coming out of Anchorage says Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Arco Alaska Inc. tested a flow of 10.6 MMcfd of gas through a 33/64-in, choke at the Moquawkie discovery well, known as the No. 1 Lone Creek, on the west side of...

COOK INLET.
January 1, 1999... Syracuse, N.Y., independent Frontier Petroleum Corp. plans to drill a test on its Maverick Unit, made up of some 17,157 acres on the west side of Cook Inlet. Frontier proposes to drill its 5,000-ft venture in Section 32-7n-16w, Seward Meridian....

COLUMBIA COUNTY.
January 1, 1999... Two new wildcats, both staked by Bakersfield independent Enerfin Resources Co., are scheduled to be drilled to evaluate Clark and Wilson zones, according to PI/Dwights. They are the 2,825-ft No. 14-22-75 Columbia County (Raptor) and 2,550-ft...

Veritas DGC Inc. and Input/Output Inc.
January 1, 1999... Veritas DGC Inc. and Input/Output Inc. conduct field tests that demonstrate the operational viability of telepresence, which enables seismic crews to control seismic data acquisition from activities in remote locations. Telepresence is an...

Landmark Graphics Corp.
January 1, 1999... Landmark Graphics Corp. releases Parallel-VIP on multiprocessor NT computing platforms, scheduled to begin shipping in early 1999. The addition of the NT version broadens the range of computing platforms suitable for large-scale reservoir...

ESRI.
January 1, 1999... ESRI introduces ArcView 3D Analyst, a new program of geographic information system (GIS) software. ArcView 3D Analyst is an analysis and presentation tool that supports a wide variety of applications, allowing users to generate 3-D contours,...

GeoQuest.
January 1, 1999... GeoQuest becomes Alternate Realities Corp.'s (ARC) official reseller of VisionDome to the oil and gas industry. VisionDome is a multiuser, 3-D virtual-reality display unit. It is also the world's first fully immersive, portable,...