The Oil and Gas Journal articles from June 1997

The Oil and Gas Journal archives from June 1997

Technology needs management. (Amoco)(Column)
June 30, 1997... Take a look at any successful oil company, and you'll see an organization that uses technology as a tool to gain a competitive advantage, It is how technology is used, not the technology itself, that attains results. I was recently...

The view from Iowa. (about the oil and gas industry)(Editorial)
June 30, 1997... Here's what they say in Iowa about the oil and gas business: "...Big Oil has bamboozled, chicaned, fleeced, bilked, chiseled, duped, shafted, tricked, plundered, fooled, hustled and hoodwinked us over the decades to an extent that would...

Royalty valuation rule changes loom.(includes related article on royalty valuation for gas)
June 30, 1997... The U.S. Department of Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) is preparing to revise its controversial oil royalty valuation rule, but changes are unlikely to appease most oil firms. The agency is attempting to shift producers...

UPR makes $4.2 billion offer for Pennzoil.(Union Pacific Resources, includes related article on possible merger of Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas and American Exploration Co.)
June 30, 1997... Union Pacific Resources Group Inc. (UPR), Fort Worth, has offered to acquire Pennzoil Inc., Houston, in a cash and stock deal valued at $4.2 billion. UPR's offer breaks out as $2.1 billion in cash and $2.1 billion in stock. UPR also...

OTAG submits ozone recommendations to EPA.(Ozone Transport Assessment Group, Environmental Protection Agency)
June 30, 1997... The Ozone Transport Assessment Group, representing 37 eastern U.S. states and the District of Columbia, has submitted a package of ground-level ozone control recommendations to the Environmental Protection Agency. The OTAG policy group,...

New FERC chief Hoecker plans to keep electric industry restructuring on track.(Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, James Hoecker)
June 30, 1997... James J. Hoecker, first new chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission since 1993, plans to keep electric industry restructuring on track. Hoecker, who replaces Elizabeth Moler--recently named deputy Energy Secretary--also has...

Texaco slates gulf-Midcontinent pipeline. (to transport gasoline, jet fuels, diesel)
June 30, 1997... Texaco Pipeline Inc. plans to develop a major new network of pipelines and terminals to transport gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels from the Texas Gull: Coast to Midcontinent markets. Incorporating existing and planned facilities, the...

FTC: Exxon to retract claims about octane.(Federal Trade Commission)
June 30, 1997... Exxon Corp. has agreed to run advertisements retracting claims that premium gasoline makes cars run more efficiently, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said. The agency said Exxon's claim that its gasoline burned more cleanly and left...

Browner wins big. (US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner's stringent smog and soot rules)(Watching Government)(Column)
June 30, 1997... Ending weeks of debate within the administration, President Bill Clinton has overruled his economic advisors and decided to stick with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner's harsh smog and soot rules. She has been...

Exploration mounts off Western Australia. (natural gas reserves)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Natural gas reserves off Western Australia stand to increase with the awarding of another deepwater exploration license in the Gorgon field area. Following competitive bidding, Commonwealth-Western Australia Offshore Petroleum Joint...

Philippines gas field development on track.(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... A $2 billion Philippines gas field development has a green light after units of Royal Dutch/Shell Group and Occidental Petroleum Corp. clinched a supply deal last week. The deal also supports another $2 billion in pipeline and power...

Pluspetrol slates drilling program in Peru.(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Pluspetrol SA, Buenos Aires, plans to invest $30 million this year for a drilling program on Peru's northern jungle Block 8 and 8X, operated by state-owned petroleum company Petroperu SA until July 1996. Pluspetrol is the operator of the...

Undercover agents at 'green' debate. (Greenpeace conference)(Watching the World)(Column)
June 30, 1997... Early on June 23, I eagerly approached the building where Greenpeace was staging its "Denizens of the Deep" conference. After recent stunts by the environmental crusaders, I hoped to find petroleum company officials chained to the...

'Green' issues once again top industry agenda. (petroleum)
June 30, 1997... Environmental/energy issues are again in the headlines, with a United Nations assembly in New York last week debating climate change and Greenpeace once again snapping at the heels of a petroleum company. Government leaders gathered to...

Texaco North American Production discovered natural gas in the Ouachita overthrust of Latimer County, Okla.(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Texaco North American Production discovered natural gas in the Ouachita overthrust of Latimer County, Okla. The 22-1 Worrell well was drilled to 18,100 ft TD and completed with a calculated open flow potential of 25 MMcfd. Sales began May 14...

Malaysia's Petronas Carigali Sdn. Bhd. plans to buy four to six liquefied natural gas carriers.(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Malaysia's Petronas Carigali Sdn. Bhd. plans to buy four to six liquefied natural gas carriers. A final decision on the purchase of tankers and shipbuilding contractors will be made early next year. State-owned Petronas already has nine LNG...

Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary, won regulatory approval to develop its Ross oil and gas field in the U.K. North Sea. (Alberta)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary, won regulatory approval to develop its Ross oil and gas field in the U.K. North Sea. Talisman has a 52% interest in the field, which has estimated reserves of 60-100 million bbl of light crude and 20-30 bcf of...

Phillips Petroleum Co. and partners on Block 15/11 in the South China Sea claimed a world record for extended-reach drilling with Xijiang 24-3-A14.(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Phillips Petroleum Co. and partners on Block 15/11 in the South China Sea claimed a world record for extended-reach drilling with Xijiang 24-3-A14. The well's displacement was 26,446 ft from the Xijiang 24-3 platform, 80 miles south of Hong...

Conoco Inc., Houston, let a 2-year contract to Producers Assistance Corp. (PAC) to provide screened and trained workers. (Houston, Texas)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Conoco Inc., Houston, let a 2-year contract to Producers Assistance Corp. (PAC) to provide screened and trained workers and certain equipment to operate the 1,100 gas wells in Texas' Lobo trend it acquired from TransTexas Transmission Corp....

Conoco (U.K.) Ltd. disclosed test results for an appraisal well in Buckland discovery on U.K. North Sea Block 9/18a.(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Conoco (U.K.) Ltd. disclosed test results for an appraisal well in Buckland discovery on U.K. North Sea Block 9/18a. Borgsten Dolphin semisubmersible rig drilled the well to 12,109 ft total measured depth. The well flowed 4,265 b/d of oil and...

Forcenergy Inc., Miami, signed a definitive agreement to purchase Edisto Resources Corp. and Convest Energy Corp. (Miami, Florida)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Forcenergy Inc., Miami, signed a definitive agreement to purchase Edisto Resources Corp. and Convest Energy Corp., both of Houston, in a cash and stock transaction valued at $172 million. Edisto's primary assets are ownership of Convest and...

Texaco Inc. combined its natural gas and alternate energy units into a single group.(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Texaco Inc. combined its natural gas and alternate energy units into a single group, Texaco Global Gas & Power, to market the company's natural gas, natural gas liquids, electric power, and synthesis gas and manage project development. The...

Union Texas Petroleum Holdings Inc. will invest $250 million during the next 3 years in Pakistan's oil and gas exploration, production, and marketing sectors.(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Union Texas Petroleum Holdings Inc. will invest $250 million during the next 3 years in Pakistan's oil and gas exploration, production, and marketing sectors. Projects under consideration include a 450-metric ton/day LPG plant, new oil and...

National-Oilwell Inc., Houston, and Dreco Energy Services Ltd., Edmonton, expect their merger to close by Aug. 31. (Houston, Texas, Edmonton, Alberta)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... National-Oilwell Inc., Houston, and Dreco Energy Services Ltd., Edmonton, expect their merger to close by Aug. 31 (OGJ, May 26, 1997, p. 30), following the end of an antitrust waiting period. National-Oilwell designs, builds and sells major...

Broken Hill Pty. Ltd. (BHP) assigned its 43.75% stake in Viet Nam's offshore Dai Hung oil field to Malaysia's state-owned Petronas Carigali Sdn. Bhd.(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Broken Hill Pty. Ltd. (BHP) assigned its 43.75% stake in Viet Nam's offshore Dal Hung oil field to Malaysia's state-owned Petronas Carigali Sdn. Bhd. BHP initially had high hopes the field would be one of Asia's largest but was disappointed...

Enron International, a unit of Enron Corp., and Singapore Power International Pte Ltd. formed a joint venture.(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Enron International, a unit of Enron Corp., and Singapore Power International Pte Ltd. formed a joint venture, EnSing Power Pte Ltd., to develop and acquire small-scale power projects in China. The new company will focus on cogeneration...

BP Energy Ltd. won a $46 million contract from food processor H.J. Heinz Ltd.(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... BP Energy Ltd. won a $46 million contract from food producer H.J. Heinz Ltd. to design, build, and operate a combined heat and power plant at its Harlesden, U.K., plant. The contract calls for a 4.8-MW capacity plant to provide Heinz with...

Colombia's government awarded NorAm Energy Corp., Houston, and partners the right to build and operate natural gas distribution systems. (Houston, Texas)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Colombia's government awarded NorAm Energy Corp., Houston, and partners the right to build and operate natural gas distribution systems in four concessions in the states of Valle del Cauca, Quindio, Risaralda, and Caldas, west and southwest...

Bharat Oman Refinery Ltd. (building Residuum Oil Supercritical Extraction unit at refinery in Bina, India)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Bharat Oman Refinery Ltd. will build a 9,120 b/d Residuum Oil Supercritical Extraction (ROSE) unit for incorporation into a grassroots refinery under construction at Bina, India. M.W. Kellogg Technology Co. licenses the process for...

Borealis AS. (increase in ethylene capacity at Stenungsund, Sweden, plant)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Borealis AS, Copenhagen, will spend $210 million to increase ethylene capacity at its Stenungsund plant in Sweden to 610,000 metric tons/year from 400,000 tons/year. Work on the cracker will take place during a turnaround in fall 1999 for...

Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (contract with Technip Saudi Arabia, Kinetics Technology International BV for engineering and construction on ethylene unit at Jubail complex)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Saudi Basic Industries Corp. let contracts to Technip Saudi Arabia and Kinetics Technology international BV, a unit of Mannesmann AG, Dusseldorf, for engineering, design, supply, and construction of the complete furnace section of a new...

Pakistan and Turkemenistan. (chose Unocal Corp. to lead pipeline group)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Pakistan and Turkmenistan nominated Unocal Corp. to lead a group planning a $2.5 billion, 1,403-km pipeline connecting the two countries via Afghanistan (OGJ, Jan. 20, 1997, Newsletter). The pipeline would transport as much as 2 bcfd of gas...

Norway's. (Statoil AS contract with McDermott-ETPM for gas pipeline construction)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Norway's Den norske stats oljeselskap AS let a $140 million contract to the Paris-based McDermott-ETPM joint venture to lay a gas pipeline from Aasgard field off central Norway to Kaarstoe terminal. Work on the 690-km pipeline is slated to...

Columbia Gas Transmission Co. (service requests double anticipated capacity of Millennium pipeline project)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Columbia Gas Transmission Co. disclosed that the open season for its proposed Millennium gas pipeline project resulted in service requests for more than double the anticipated 650 MMcfd capacity (OGJ, Apr. 14, 1997, p. 29). Millennium remains...

Mobil Oil Canada Ltd. (new sulfur recovery plant at Harmattan gas processing facility to increase sulfur recovery to 96.5%)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Mobil Oil Canada Ltd, started up a $10 million sulfur recovery plant at its Harmattan natural gas processing complex in central Alberta. A new system will increase sulfur recovery to 96.5% from 94.1% at the plant.

MCN Energy Group Inc. (DTE Energy Co. form joint venture to sell retail power)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... MCN Energy Group Ltd. and DTE Energy Co., both of Detroit, formed a joint venture to sell retail electricity, natural gas, and related services. The JV, DTE-CoEnergy LLC, will be owned 50-50 by DTE and MCN unit CoEnergy Trading Co. MCN is...

NGC Corp. (Nicor Inc. form joint venture for energy marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... NGC Corp., Houston, and Nicor Inc., Naperville, Ill., formed a joint venture to offer a variety of energy services to customers in the U.S. Midwest. Initially, the new company, Nicor Energy LLC, will market energy primarily to industrial and...

Gulf Canada Resources Ltd. (forms join venture with IPL Energy Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Gulf Canada Resources Ltd. and IPL Energy Inc., both of Calgary, formed a 50-50 joint venture that will be Canada's largest crude oil and liquids marketer, with initial volumes of 250,000 b/d. Gulf also created a joint gas marketing venture...

Avista Energy Inc. (forms joint venture with Energy West Inc. develop retail market)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Arista Energy Inc., Spokane, Wash., a unit of Washington Water Power Co., formed a joint venture with Energy West Inc., Great Falls, Mont., to develop a retail market in Montana. The joint venture will provide energy marketing, risk...

A U.S. District Court judge. (dismissed Colonial Pipeline Co. suit)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... A U.S. District Court judge in Alexandria, Va., dismissed Colonial Pipeline Co.'s $31 million lawsuit against a construction company for allegedly causing a 400,000 gal diesel fuel spill on Mar. 28, 1993, that polluted 50 miles of the...

Ghana's. (Volta River Authority contracts with Stone & Webster Inc., engineering and construction of power plant)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Ghana's electric utility, Volta River Authority, let a $55 million contract to Stone & Webster inc., Boston, for engineering, procurement, and construction of the second phase of the 350-MW Takoradi gas-fired power plant. General Electric is...

CNG: aiming to be an 'energy' company, not a gas company. (Consolidated Natural Gas Co.)
June 30, 1997... Long before regulatory changes in the U.S. paved the way for the union of natural gas and electric utility companies, Consolidated Natural Gas Co. (CNG) embarked on a strategy that would serve the company well in the 1990s. CNG, a...

Horizontal air drilling increases gas recovery in depleted zone.
June 30, 1997... Increased gas recoveries in depleted gas zones can be achieved through horizontal air drilling. In December 1995, OXY USA Inc. drilled the Pirkle 2, the first air-drilled horizontal well in the Carthage field of Texas. Targeting the...

Offshore drilling activity increases demand for risers.(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Cameron's facilities in Texas, Scotland, and Norway have delivered more than 2.5 miles of risers in the first quarter of 1997, and will be shipping 5.5 miles of risers by the end of the year. The 21-in., 60-ft long Cameron RF flanged...

Design advanced for large-scale, economic, floating LNG plant. (liquefied natural gas)
June 30, 1997... A floating LNG plant design has been developed which is technically feasible, economical, sate, and reliable. This technology will allow monetization of small marginal fields and improve the economics of large fields. Over the past 2...

Platform serves as pipeline hub, production facility. (Enchilada production platform in Gulf of Mexico)
June 30, 1997... The Enchilada production platform, in Garden Banks Block 128, will serve both as a production platform for the Enchilada field and as a pipeline throughput hub for production from Gulf of Mexico fields. The Enchilada development is a...

New ethylene routes are available, but economics inhibit their use. (Ethylene Technologies, part 2)
June 30, 1997... A number of novel technologies for ethylene production have been announced. Among these are processes that use catalysts to convert methane or methanol to olefins. While these processes may play certain niche roles in ethylene...

The M.W. Kellogg Co. (Peter M. Evans named president and chief operating officer)(Moves and Promotions)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... The M.W. Kellogg Co., Houston, Tex., has named Peter M. Evans president and COO, and Doy F. Cole has been named executive vice president. Evans, a 30-year industry veteran, previously held the position of executive vice president. He...

Profitpoint Solutions Inc. (Douglas C. White forms company to assist refiners with investments)(Moves and Promotions)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Profitpoint Solutions Inc., Houston, Tex., has been formed by Douglas C. White to help companies in the oil refining industry achieve and sustain continuing value from their computer and communication investments. Profitpoint Solutions will...

Innovations help exploit mature Trinidad land fields.
June 30, 1997... The Vessigny/Guapo/Parrylands fields in southern Trinidad are believed to contain substantial reserves of heavy oil in deltaic sands of Cruse and Forest formation of Pliocene age. These fields, which produced over 57 million bbl of oil...

Egypt eastern desert exploration turns up oil.
June 30, 1997... Discoveries are popping up and oil transportation plans are being made as exploration gears up in one comer of Egypt's eastern desert. The eastern desert, the area south of the Nile delta lying between the Nile River and Gulf of Suez/Red...

As global energy projects proliferate, company spending has reached record levels in the U.S. (Arthur Andersen report on 1996 capital expenditures by petroleum, natural gas companies)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... As global energy projects proliferate, company spending has reached record levels in the U.S. During 1996, capital spending by the 39 largest companies canvassed by Arthur Andersen in its annual U.S. E&P trends survey reached the highest...

Alaska has enacted a law establishing a state commercialization team. (for negotiation of incentives to launch North Slope natural gas exports)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Alaska has enacted a law establishing a state commercialization team (OGJ, Apr. 21, 1997, Newsletter) charged with negotiating tax/royalty incentives for a natural gas pipeline/LNG export project to allow 35 tci of North Slope gas reserves to...

Gulf Canada, looking to the Pacific Rim to triple its reserves in 3 years. (petroleum company aims for $1 billion level)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Gulf Canada, looking to the Pacific Rim to triple its reserves in 3 years (OGJ, May 12, 1997, Newsletter), says it wants to create a $1 billion (Canadian) international heavy oil company and take it public in 1998 if markets are right--but a...

Calgary's IPL Energy has joined a group planning a $1 billion natural gas pipeline. (IPL's Consumers Gas unit in project with Transcanada Pipelines Ltd., Gaz Metropolitain Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Calgary's IPL Energy has joined a group planning a $1 billion natural gas pipeline to move Sable Island gas to Canadian and U.S. markets. IPL unit Consumers Gas, Toronto, joined Calgary's TransCanada PipeLines and Gaz Metropolitain,...

More power and transportation projects are on tap in Brazil as that country accelerates the opening of its energy sector to foreign investment.
June 23, 1997... try accelerates the opening of its energy sector to foreign investment. Houston's Enron plans to build, own, and operate a 480-MW power-generation plant in Brazil's Mato Grosso state. Enron, project low bidder, now must complete a...

Major changes have occurred in key energy regulatory slots. (North America)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Major changes have occurred in key energy regulatory slots. In the U.S., James Hoecker, a FERC commissioner since 1993, has been named chairman effective immediately, replacing Elizabeth Moler (OGJ, June 16, 1997, Newsletter). A Senate...

Seeing the entire global environment. (solutions to global warming should include consideration of economic impacts)(Journally Speaking)(Editorial)
June 23, 1997... Reviewing the commentary and proposed solutions to the controversial issue of "global warming," one gets the uneasy feeling that comes when images are hazy or out of focus. Maybe it's just me. My vision isn't as good as it once was....

The North Slope's lessons. (petroleum, gas companies demonstrate ability to extract resources from Alaska without environmental damage)(Editorial)
June 23, 1997... The oil and gas business learns as it goes. In the course of its work, it gains knowledge, and the knowledge becomes treasure. The industry, however, has trouble turning knowledge into political advantage. Alaska's North Slope...

Gas-to-liquids projects gaining momentum as process list grows. (companies strive to build commercially viable facilities for production of synthetic petroleum)(includes related article on Energy Department technology project)
June 23, 1997... Processes to convert gas to synthetic petroleum have been under development for 70 years or more, but only recently are they being seen as commercially viable. Among reasons for a resurgence of interest are an increasing need to utilize...

Egypt eyeing Mediterranean gas exports.
June 23, 1997... Egypt is mulling prospects for an eastern Mediterranean gas grid as its gas reserves continue to grow. With new discoveries of gas disclosed seemingly every week, Egypt cannot but consider its export prospects. On one hand,...

EU gas directive slows investment. (experts say European Union's plan to deregulate market likely to prompt mergers, caution)(Watching the World)
June 23, 1997... At presstime, the European Union (EU) was still wondering whether or not to call a meeting of energy ministers on June 24 to hammer out a political agreement over its gas directive (OGJ, June 16, 1997, Newsletter). The gas directive is...

CGES foresees stable oil price to yearend. (Centre for Global Energy Studies, 1997)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Crude oil prices are expected to remain fairly stable throughout the rest of the year, about $17.50/bbl for dated delivery Brent crude, with upward and downward pressures in balance. This is the view of London's Centre for Global Energy...

BP: surprising energy demand growth in '96. (British Petroleum Company PLC figures)
June 23, 1997... Global energy demand outstripped expectations in 1996, and oil prices were surprisingly high. However, world markets have already corrected for this growth spurt and returned to longer-term growth trends. So says British Petroleum...

E&D to accelerate off Republic of Congo. (oil, gas exploration and development)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Exploration and development are poised to accelerate off the Republic of Congo. Elf Congo, a unit of France's Elf Aquitaine SA, increased its holdings there with the award of an exploration license for the Mer Tres Profonde Sud block,...

Ultradeepwater exploration slated off Gabon. (government, Vanco Gabon Inc. sign production-sharing contract)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Exploration stands to advance off Gabon with the award of that country's first ultradeepwater permit. Vanco Gabon Inc., a unit of Vanco Energy Co., Houston, has signed a production-sharing contract (PSC) with the Gabon government for the...

BG to prune worldwide exploration and production portfolio. (BG Exploration and Production Ltd. plans to sell assets in seven countries)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... BG Exploration & Production Ltd. is to sell all exploration and production assets in seven of 16 countries in which it operates, in a bid to tidy up its portfolio. BG was formed when British Gas plc split earlier this year, holding an...

BG must accept gas transport charge cuts. (British Gas PLC must make initial rate reduction of 21%)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... BG plc has failed in a bid to escape a government ruling in favor of massive cuts in gas transportation charges to third parties using its U.K. gas transmission grid. U.K.'s Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC) ruled that BG's Transco...

House panel endorses another SPR sale. ($200 million in oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve to be sold in fiscal 1998)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... A U.S. House appropriations subcommittee has voted to sell $200 million worth of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in fiscal 1998. Purpose of the sale is to finance SPR maintenance and operations, continuing a trend of...

API: U.S. gasoline costs in '96 still low. (American Petroleum Institute estimates average retail price at $1.288 per gallon)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... The American Petroleum Institute says the cost of motor gasoline to U.S. consumers last year was the fourth lowest in history when adjusted for inflation. In nominal terms, the average U.S. retail pump price in 1996 was 128.8 cents/ gal,...

First automated refueling system on trial. (Autofill AB's robotic gasoline pumps for service stations)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... The world's first fully automated car refueling system is on trial at 350 sites in Sweden and is expected to see its first application outside the country in early fall. Developer of the system, which consists of a conventional pump with...

South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries Ltd. (to build two oil tankers for Chevron Corp. for $170 million)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries Ltd. signed a $170 million contract to provide two oil tankers to Chevron Corp. The 310,000 dwt tankers, measuring about 1,100 ft long, 192 ft wide, and 102 ft tall, are slated for delivery late in 1999...

Japan's fishery agency. (reports oil spill caused minimal damage to Sea of Japan marine life)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Japan's fishery agency said there was no significant damage to marine life in the Sea of Japan in the wake of a large oil spill caused by a Russian tanker that ran aground earlier this year (OGJ, Apr. 21,1997, Newsletter). Some beaches still...

Ramco Energy plc. (in production-sharing arrangement with Saknavtobi in country of Georgia)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Ramco Energy plc, Aberdeen, signed a production-sharing agreement with Georgian state oil company Saknavtobi covering Block N10 in the Kaheti district of northeastern Georgia. The block covers 525 sq miles of the Alazani Valley and Greater...

Angola's Songanol awarded operatorship of Block 22 to Texaco Inc. (offshore petroleum interest)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Angola's Sonangol awarded operatorship of Block 22 to Texaco Inc., marking the company's first deepwater exploration block off Angola. Texaco operates shallow-water Block 2-80/85, where it produces 110,000 b/d of oil. Texaco also has...

A gas well blowout and fire June 16 in a remote Louisiana swamp. (1997 fatal accident at Denbury Resources Inc. site)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... A gas well blowout and fire June 16 in a remote Louisiana swamp left four dead and wreckage so severe that rescue efforts were impeded. The fire still was not extinguished at presstime June 18. The SL 411-19 well, operated by Denbury...

A fire caused by a well blowout in Mugrachhara gas field in the Sylhet region of northeastern Bangladesh.(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... A fire caused by a well blowout in Mugrachhara gas field in the Sylhet region of northeastern Bangladesh injured four people, damaged train tracks, and threatened adjacent forest last week. A well being drilled for operator Occidental...

BP Exploration set a record for extended-reach drilling, reaching 22,441 ft. (well in Gulf of Mexico)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... BP Exploration set a record for extended-reach drilling, reaching 22,441 ft TD in its Pompano A-18 well in the Gulf of Mexico's Viosca Knoll 989 area, claimed contractor Baker Hughes Inteq, Houston. BP reached a total displacement of 18,725...

Total Oil Marine plc. (estimates North Sea field's reserves at 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Total Oil Marine plc increased reserve estimates in the U.K. North Sea's AIwyn North field after testing two wells. An appraisal well flowed 18 MMcfd of gas and 1,800 b/d of condensate, proving a further extension of the reservoir. The...

Shell U.K. Exploration & Production lets contract to Coflexip Stena Offshore Ltd. (offshore well intervention in North Sea)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Shell U.K. Exploration & Production let contract to Coflexip Stena Offshore Ltd., Aberdeen, for well intervention services using CSO Seawell multipurpose support vessel, citing significant cost savings compared with a semisubmersible drilling...

Southern Mineral Corp. (SMC), Houston, paid $2.7 million to acquire a 10% interest in southwestern Ecuador's Santa Elena concession. (petroleum field)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Southern Mineral Corp. (SMC), Houston, paid $2.7 million to acquire a 10% interest in southwestern Ecuador's Santa Elena concession, where cumulative output exceeds 120 million bbl of oil from shallow formations and current production is...

Norsk Hydro AS.(receives $75 million claim from Aker Maritime AS)
June 23, 1997... Norsk Hydro AS received a $75 million claim from Aker Maritime AS, Oslo, for extra costs incurred in construction of Njord platform. The claim relates to Hydro's demand to speed up work on the platform and for amendments to work plans after...

Canadian Fracmaster Ltd.(Chinese government grants approval for 720-well hydraulic fracturing program)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Canadian Fracmaster Ltd., Calgary, won approval from the Chinese government for a 720-well hydraulic fracturing program in certain undisclosed oil fields in China. The company will start with 10 wells in the third quarter and will increase...

Abacan Resources Corp.(debt financing)(Brief Article)
June 23, 1997... Abacan Resources Corp., Calgary, postponed a debt financing plan and is reviewing financing alternatives for its offshore Nigeria oil field. The company is not comfortable with a $160 million financing program. It expects production for June...