The Oil and Gas Journal articles from May 1997

The Oil and Gas Journal archives from May 1997

Unocal Chairman and CEO Roger Beach, in an exclusive interview with OGJ prior to presstime last week, advocates internal change and engagement - not unilateral sanctions - in dealing with problems areas throughout the world.
May 5, 1997... Unocal Chairman and CEO Roger Beach, in an exclusive interview with OGJ prior to presstime last week, advocates internal change and engagement--not unilateral sanctions--in dealing with problem areas throughout the world (see related story, p....

The positive effects of higher average oil and gas prices are being seen in the industry's 1997 first quarter financials.
May 5, 1997... The positive effects of higher average oil and gas prices are being seen in the industry's 1997 first quarter financials. Among majors/large companies, Chevron reports 1997 first quarter net income of $831 million was a 35% jump from a year...

The IPAA's supply/demand committee says higher prices, technology gains, and the offshore activity surge will cause U.S. oil production to rebound this year, rising 0.3% to 6.49 million b/d. (Independent Petroleum Association of America)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... The IPAA's supply/demand committee says higher prices, technology gains, and the offshore activity surge will cause U.S. oil production to rebound this year, rising 0.3% to 6.49 million b/d--potentially the first increase in U.S. oil output...

AGA's preliminary estimate of 1996 U.S. natural gas reserve additions found producers replaced 75-94% of production. (American Gas Association)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... AGA's preliminary estimate of 1996 U.S. natural gas reserve additions found producers replaced 75-94% of production. AGA estimates the U.S. inventory of gas reserves fell to 160.4-164 tcf because production of 18.5 tcf exceeded reserve...

Enron and Oregon electric utility Portland General have reached a settlement agreement with the Oregon Public Utility Commission covering their planned merger agreement.(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Enron and Oregon electric utility Portland General have reached a settlement agreement with the Oregon Public Utility Commission covering their planned merger agreement. Among other conditions, the companies will guarantee $141 million in rate...

Egyptian gas E&D continues to sizzle, presaging more pipeline work. (exploration and discovery)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Egyptian gas E&D continues to sizzle, presaging more pipeline work. Apache's Falak West 1-X new field discovery on its Khalda concession flowed 55 MMcfd of gas and 8,974 b/d of liquids from 185 ft of pay in three Jurassic Khatatba zones....

Vinland and Hispaniola. (first offshore oil strikes in the Gulf of Mexico)(Column)
May 5, 1997... Some visitors to the Offshore Technology Conference, which opens today in Houston, could come away with the notion that the first offshore well in the Gulf of Mexico was drilled 50 years ago. The National Ocean Industries Association at...

Improving industry's image. (oil and gas industry)(Editorial)
May 5, 1997... It is much easier to talk than it is to do anything about the oil and gas industry's public image. The two main trade groups representing U.S. producers recently illustrated the difficulty when their flirtation over the issue led nowhere. ...

U.S. petroleum firms hit hard by Washington's unilateral sanctions. (sanctions against Myanmar, Iran and other countries)
May 5, 1997... New U.S. federal restrictions on doing business with Myanmar have moved the debate about U.S. unilateral economic sanctions back into the Washington spotlight. As with many other U.S. unilateral sanctions targeting other nations for a...

U.S. economic sanctions cloud Myanmar E&D action. (exploration and discovery)
May 5, 1997... As official U.S. scrutiny intensifies over alleged repressive acts by the government of Myanmar, formerly Burma, operators continue to press exploration and development projects covered under existing production-sharing contracts. Project...

Pipeline code, unitization top Texas issues. (compulsory unitization of oil and gas fields)
May 5, 1997... Texas officials are grappling with proposals for a pipeline code of conduct and compulsory field unitization. Those issues were advancing on the regulatory front and pending in the legislature, respectively, as the Texas Railroad Commission...

MMS withdraws royalty valuation rule change. (Minerals Management Service; includes related article about royalty delegation to states)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Oil and gas industry groups are disappointed the U.S. Minerals Management Service has withdrawn a proposed amendment to its rules for valuing onshore federal natural gas for royalty purposes. MMS Director Cynthia Quarterman said, "After...

Correction.(to article about Heritage Oil & Gas Company Ltd.'s bank guarantee made to government of Uganda in February 3, 1997 issue)(Correction Notice)
May 5, 1997... Heritage Oil & Gas Co. Ltd., made an irrevocable bank guarantee to the government of Uganda for $200,000 to back exploration obligations under an agreement, not $200 million, as reported incorrectly (OGJ, Feb. 3, 1997, p. 34).

Enterprise Oil plc.(and BP Exploration Operating Company Ltd. swap interests in three UK North Sea oil fields)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Enterprise Oil plc, London, and BP Exploration Operating Co. Ltd. swapped interests in three U.K. North Sea fields. Enterprise will receive BP's 42.79% interest in Block 23/27 Pierce discovery, of which it already held 31.2%, and will assume...

Talisman Energy Inc.(reports production of North Sea oil fields)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary, which acquired interests in Beatrice, Buchan, and Clyde fields in the North Sea late in 1996, disclosed its share of production from the fields is averaging 23,000 b/d. Its North Sea production is 72,000 b/d of...

Talisman.(reports production at horizontal development well in Clyde oil field, North Sea)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Talisman disclosed its first operated horizontal development well in Clyde field is successful. The well came on production Mar. 23 at an initial rate of 1,800 b/d and rose to 3,020 b/d. Talisman expects output to continue to increase as the...

Norsk Hydro AS.(signs contract with Kvaerner AS for hook-up work in Oseberg oil field off Norway)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Norsk Hydro AS let a $57 million contract to Kvaerner AS, Oslo, for modification and hook-up work in Oseberg field center off Norway. Work will include tie-in of Oseberg South and East satellites and hook-up of Oseberg D platform to the...

Venoco LLC.(purchases 50% interest in South East Hastings oil field in Galveston County, Texas, from Cross Timbers Oil Co.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Venoco LLC, Santa Barbara, Calif., acquired a 50% working interest in South East Hastings field in Galveston County, Tex., from Cross Timbers Oil Co., Fort Worth. The field is producing about 450 b/d of oil equivalent from five wells. Texas...

Petro-Canada.(sells non-core oil and gas assets)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Petro-Canada, Calgary, sold non-core oil and gas assets to more than a dozen buyers for $215 million (Canadian). Proceeds will be reinvested in western Canada. Properties sold produce about 62 MMcfd of natural gas and 4,200 b/d of oil and...

PanEnergy Corp.(to merge with Duke Power Co.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... PanEnergy Corp., Houston, and Duke Power Co., Charlotte, N.C., won shareholder approval for their proposed $7.7 billion merger (OGJ, Feb. 3, 1997, p. 19). But consumer group Citizen Action is asking the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission...

Apache Corp.(signs contract with Boral Energy Resources Ltd. for natural gas supplies)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Apache Corp., Houston, and partners in the Harriet joint venture off Australia will supply about 40 bcf of natural gas for 10 years to Australia's Boral Energy Resources Ltd. The deal is covered by a letter of intent. Apache recently disclosed...

TransTexas Gas Corp.(to sell TransTexas Transmission Corp. to First Intercontinental Leasing Trust)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... TransTexas Gas Corp., Houston, received federal antitrust approval under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act for the proposed $1.1 billion sale of its TransTexas Transmission Corp. unit to First Intercontinental Leasing Trust, a group of leasing...

Triton Energy Ltd.(discovers oil and gas field in Gulf of Thailand)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Triton Energy Ltd., Dallas, discovered a fifth field on Block A-18 in the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area in the Gulf of Thailand (OGJ, Jan. 27, 1997, p. 26). Its 1 Senja discovery well, drilled to 7,600 ft TD in about 179 ft of water...

Pinnacle Oil International Inc.(to jointly explore hydrocarbons in western Canada with Encal Energy Ltd.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Pinnacle Oil International Inc., Calgary, and Encal Energy Ltd., Vancouver, B.C., formed a 3-year venture to jointly explore for hydrocarbons in western Canada using Pinnacle's stress field detector technology. The Encal-operated venture will...

Sonat Inc.(reports production of oil wells in Alabama)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Sonat Inc...... Birmingham, Ala., disclosed its 3 Cook well, in the Cotton Valley pinnacle reef trend Bear Grass area, flowed at a rate of 35 MMcfd with flowing wellhead pressure of 6,750 psi through a 31/64 in. choke (see map, OGJ, Mar. 3,...

Correction.(to article about Vermilion Resources Ltd.'s purchase of Esso Rep oil fields in March 31, 1997 issue)(Correction Notice)
May 5, 1997... Vermilion Resources Ltd., Calgary, purchased from Esso France unit Esso Rep six oil fields in the Aquitaine basin, including Parentis field, as well as six other fields in the Paris basin. Esso Rep will retain Chaunoy, Vet-Ie-Grand, and...

Indonesia's.(Mines and Energy Dept. licenses Marathon Power Indonesia Ltd. and Paramarthacitra Mulia PT to explore Suoh-Sekincau geothermal prospect and develop steam power plant)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Indonesia's x Mines and Energy department awarded Marathon Power Indonesia Ltd. and Indonesian partner, Paramarthacitra Mulia pt, rights to explore the Suoh-Sekincau geothermal prospect and develop, own, and operate a steam field and power...

Coastal Corp.(completes construction of power plant at Sheikhupura, Pakistan)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Coastal Corp., Houston, completed construction-related financing for a $154 million, 125-MW power plant to be fired by fuel oil at Sbeikhupura, Pakistan, 40 miles west of Lahore, in Punjab province. The project, managed by a 90% Coastal-owned...

Canada's National Energy Board.(licenses various companies to export natural gas)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Canada's National Energy Board approved natural gas export licenses to various companies totaling 333.4 bcf for periods of 10-16 years. Supplies destined for the U.S. Northeast starting Nov. 1, 1997, are: Coastal Gas Marketing Co., 51 bcf,...

Russia's.(Gazprom to supply Turkey with gas)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Russia's Gazprom reportedly clinched a $1.3.5 billion deal to supply gas to Turkey. Under a 25-year agreement, Turkey will increase its imports of Russian gas to 30 billion cu m/year by 2010 from 3 billion cu m/year at present. Turkey imports...

Amoco and NOVA.(plan to expand Joffre, Alberta, petrochemical plant capacity)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Amoco and NOVA, planning a $570 million expansion (Canadian) of petrochemical capacity at Joffre, Alta., disclosed additions there will increase total new investment at Joffre to more than $1.3 billion. Their planned ethane pipeline system will...

BP Chemicals Ltd.(to jointly expand capacity of International Esters Co. with partners Korea Alcohol Industrial and Sumitomo Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... BP Chemicals Ltd. and joint venture partners Korea Alcohol Industrial and Sumitomo Corp. plan to expand capacity of their International Esters Co. plant at Ulsan, South Korea. The plant will be debottlenecked by applying a new BP solvents...

Nork Hydro AS.(signs contract with M.W. Kellogg Ltd. for modernization of ammonia plant at Porsgrunn, Norway)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Norsk Hydro AS let contract to M.W. Kellogg Ltd., London, for detailed engineering, procurement, and construction assistance for modernization of an ammonia plant at Porsgrunn, Norway. The upgrade is due for completion in 1999 and will increase...

Koch Industries International.(forms joint venture with Venezuela's Polar Group, Proseca and Inepropil to market propylene)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Koch Industries International, Venezuela's Polar Group, Petroleos de Venezuela SA unit Proseca, and Inelectra SA unit Inepropil, formed a joint venture to market about 132,000 metric tons/year of propylene. The group plans an initial investment...

Mobil Oil Pakistan (Private) Ltd.(forms joint venture with Pakistan's Army Welfare Trust to build lubricant oil and petroleum gas blending plant in Pakistan)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Mobil Oil Pakistan (Private) Ltd. formed a joint venture with Pakistan's Army Welfare Trust to invest $60 million in a 25,000-30,000-metric ton/year lubricant oil and liquid petroleum gas storage and blending plant and related...

Giant Industries Inc.(to purchase service station/convenience store outlets from Thriftway Marketing Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Giant Industries Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz., will acquire 96 existing service station/convenience store outlets and seven outlets under development from Thriftway Marketing Corp., Farmington, N.M. Outlets are in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and...

Hungary's.(Crude Storage Co.'s contract with Bouygues SA for construction of crude oil storage tanks)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Hungary's Crude Storage Co. let an $86.5 million contract to Bouygues SA, Paris, for construction of crude oil storage tanks. Work will include building six 80,000 cu m capacity crude oil storage tanks at each of two refineries operated by...

Alyeska to close two more TAPS pump stations.(Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., Trans-Alaska Pipeline System)
May 5, 1997... Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. plans to close another two pump stations on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) about July 1 but said throughput capacity will not be affected. Scheduled to be closed are Pump Station 2, near Franklin...

California oil line finally gets green light.(crude oil pipeline to be built to Los Angeles, CA, refineries)
May 5, 1997... In the third try in more than 25 years, a new California crude oil pipeline will be built to Los Angeles-area refineries after winning tough legal challenges--at the same time other competitive transport options are expanding. It was a...

Phillips eyes Texas-Arizona products line.(Phillips Pipe Line Co. to build petroleum products pipeline in US Southwest)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Phillips Pipe Line Co. plans to construct a petroleum products pipeline and terminal to serve growing markets in the U.S. Southwest. The project, part of a larger strategy by the Phillips Petroleum Co. unit to expand Phillips'...

U.K., Norway settle Frigg treaty squabble.(governments of UK and Norway to revise Frigg pipeline treaty to boost Norwegian gas sales to UK)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Governments of the U.K. and Norway have agreed to a revision of the Frigg pipeline treaty. That could lead to increased sales of Norwegian gas to U.K. and even to the European continent via the U.K.-Belgium Interconnector pipeline. ...

BP, Sonatrach land Algerian gas pact.(BP Exploration Operating Company Ltd. and Sonatrach report their joint venture Salah Gas' contract to supply ENEL with natural gas)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Exploration Operating Co. Ltd. and Algerian state firm Sonatrach have announced the first sales contract for their joint venture planning to develop gas fields in Algeria for export of gas to Europe. In Salah Gas, a 50-50 marketing...

Fina/Total's U.K. refinery starts up CHP project.(Fina PLC and Total Oil G.B. Ltd. report output from combined heat and power plant operated by their Lindsey refinery in UK)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Fina plc and Total Oil G.B. Ltd. have received first output from a 21 million pounds ($34 million) combined heat and power (CHP) plant at their joint-venture Lindsey refinery in North Lincolnshire, U.K. The plant is owned and was built by...

Colombia to relax E&P license terms.(oil field exploration and production)(Column)
May 5, 1997... Colombia's oil production has grown in the last few years, but state company Empresa Colombiana de Petroleos (Ecopetrol) reckons activity to date has only scratched the surface of its potential. Antonio Urdinola-Uribe, new president of...

Chauvco acquires three Gabon blocks.(Chauvco Resources Ltd.'s oil field exploration contracts with Gabon)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Chauvco Resources Ltd., Calgary, has signed three new exploration and production-sharing contracts with Gabon. The Ngalo, Maga, and Avomo permits encompass 2.06 million acres, adjoining Chauvco's existing Remboue and Mondah Bay permits....

A monumental controversy.(President Clinton's decision on creation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah to affect oil well drilling operations in the region)(Column)
May 5, 1997... Utah's congressmen are still seething over President Bill Clinton's Sept. 18 executive order creating the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah (OGJ, Mar. 24, 1997, p. 69). They are all the more angry because there...

Caspian Sea MODU refurbished to western standards.(Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit for oil drilling in Azerbaijani sector of Caspian Sea)(Offshore Petroleum Operations)
May 5, 1997... A consortium of eleven companies acquired and refurbished the semisubmersible drilling unit Kaspmorneft for drilling in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. This was the first such acquisition and refurbishment project in the region....

Gras Dowr joins world's FPSO fleet. (floating production, storage and offloading vessel for Amerada Hess Ltd.'s North Sea Durward and Dauntless offshore oil fields)(Offshore Petroleum Operations)
May 5, 1997... The Gras Dowr, a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel (FPSP) for Amerada Hess Ltd.'s North Sea Durward and Dauntless fields, is one of the latest additions to the world's growing FPSO fleet. Oil production from the fields is...

Cold-forged connector ties back well risers in Congo field.
May 5, 1997... The tieback of eleven 10 3/4-in., high-pressure risers in Elf Congo's offshore N'Kossa field used a coldforge tieback system to create a metal seal. The time-saving tieback method allows for placing the risers in residual tension. The...

Tests show best corrosion inhibitors for high pressure, temperature pipeline.
May 5, 1997... Autoclave tests have determined corrosion-inhibitor effectiveness under the severe flow conditions anticipated for a pipeline to serve Texaco North Sea U.K. Co.'s Erskine field, the North Sea's first high pressure, high-temperature field. ...

Kyrgyzstan starts up its first refinery. (oil refinery)
May 5, 1997... The Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan started up its first oil refinery in October 1996. The 10,000 b/d plant is designed to produce gasoline, diesel, and mazut (heavy fuel oil) from local Kyrgyz crude. The refinery is located in the...

Australia's Cossack crude oil is light and sweet.(Guide to World Crudes)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... In early 1995, the characteristics of Australia's light, sweet Cossack crude were analyzed. The 47 degrees API, 0.03 wt % crude oil is produced off the coast of Western Australia. Woodside Petroleum Pty. Group started production from the...

Hibernia will emphasize electronic documentation.(Hibernia Management and Development Company Ltd.'s technical document management system)
May 5, 1997... The extensive and detailed documentation required for operating the Hibernia platform, offshore Newfoundland, will largely be in an electric form. Instead of depending on paper, Hibernia Management & Development Co. (HMD) has implemented a...

Multivariable control benefits Alberta plant.(Optimum Predictive Control system at Mobil Oil Canada Ltd.'s Harmattan gas plant)
May 5, 1997... Installation of multivariable constraint controllers at the Mobil Oil Canada Harmattan gas plant has improved plant profitability by increasing the yield of the most valuable products, reducing energy consumption, and creating a more consistent...

Yokogawa Electric Corp.(acquires GTI Industrial Automation B.V. from GTI Holding N.V.; renames company Yokogawa Industrial Safety Systems B.V.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Yokogawa Electric Corp., Tokyo, Japan, has taken over all shares of GTI Industrial Automation B.V. from n.v. GTI Holding. GTI Industrial Automation B.V. will continue as Yokogawa Industrial Safety Systems (Yokogawa ISS). Yokogawa ISS B.V. is...

Hurricane Compressors and EDO Corp. (form ANGI International LLC out of EDO Corp.'s ANGI Division)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Hurricane Compressors and EDo Corp. have consummated the transfer of the business and assets of EDO Corp., ANGI Div. to ANGI International LLC, a new entity formed by the parties for purposes of acquiring these assets. ANGI and Hurricane...

Photon Systems Ltd. (changes name to CogniSeis Development (Canada) Inc. after being acquired by CogniSeis Development Inc.)
May 5, 1997... Photon Systems Ltd. has changed its name to CogniSeis Development (Canada), Inc. The name change is associated with its acquisition by CogniSeis Development Inc., Houston. CogniSeis is a provider of software and data management systems....

Sierra Well Service Inc. (acquires United Well Service)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Sierra Well Service, Inc., Midland, Tex., a subsidiary of Southwest Royalties, Inc., has finalized the purchase of all of the assets of United Well Service, Odessa. The acquisition consists of four service rigs and all the other assets of the...

Sproule Associates Ltd.(opens corporate office in Denver, Colorado named Sproule Associates Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Sproule Associates Ltd., Calgary, opened a U.S. corporate office in Denver, Colo. The U.S. company is Sproule Associates Inc. Leslie O'Connor, manager of this office, has over 18 years of geological, reservoir engineering and evaluation...

Arizona's Holbrook salt basin holds oil, gas opportunities. (includes related article)
May 5, 1997... Good opportunities for oil and gas production exist in the Holbrook basin of central eastern Arizona. The nearest oilfield services are at Farmington, N.M., 200 miles to the northeast. For the most part, the Holbrook basin is readily accessible...

Exploration outlook gains strength in Poland.(oil and gas exploration)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... A large part of Polish territory is under study or license for conventional oil and gas exploration. Polish Oil & Gas Co. in 1996 discovered a large structure in western Poland based on 3D seismic data. The Buszewo-Mostno-Barnowko...

China.(Samsung Products Corp. enters into joint venture with Ningxia Oil Co.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Samsung Products Corp., Seoul, signed a 10 year joint venture pact with Ningxia Oil Co. of China to develop oil resources outside state designated oil fields, Xinhua News Agency reported. The deal covers Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in...

Laurence D. Belfer.(named president of Belco Oil and Gas Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Laurence D. Belfer has been named president of Belco Oil & Gas Corp., New York. He will continue as chief operating officer, chairman and chief executive officer.

Knut Eriksen.(named Aker Engineering Inc. president)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Knut Eriksen has been named president of Aker Engineering Inc., Houston.

James A. Watt.(named Box Energy Corp. president)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... James A. Watt has been named president and chief operating officer of Box Energy Corp., Dallas.

Paul M. Rady.(succeeds William J. Barrett as Barrett Resources Corp. chief executive officer)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Paul M. Rady has been elected chief executive officer of Barrett Resources Corp., Denver. He succeeds William J. Barrett, who will continue as chairman.

Charles D. (Chuck) Davidson.(named Vastar Resources Inc. president)(Brief Article)
May 5, 1997... Charles D. (Chuck) Davidson has been elected president and chief executive officer of Vastar Resources Inc., Houston.

By yearend 2000, MMS forecasts Gulf of Mexico production could total as much as 13-17 bcfd of gas.(Minerals Management Service)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997... By yearend 2000, MMS forecasts Gulf of Mexico production could total as much as 13-17 bcfd of gas vs. about 13 bcfd in 1995 and as much as 1.9 million b/d of oil compared with 945,000 b/d for the same period. Deep water, which MMS defines...

There's more E&D action in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.(Union Texas Petroleum Holdings Inc. and Oman Oil Co. sign exploration and development agreements for Kazakhstan and Caspian Sea)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997... There's more E&D action in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Houston's Union Texas Petroleum Holdings (UTPH) and Oman Oil signed agreements to develop and produce oil and gas onshore Kazakhstan and offshore in the unexplored Kazakh sector of the...

Alberta will fight a new Canadian federal law banning importation or interprovincial trade of the gasoline additive MMT.
May 12, 1997... Alberta will fight a new Canadian federal law banning importation or interprovincial trade of the gasoline additive MMT. David Hancock, Alberta Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs minister, says Alberta will challenge Ottawa under the...

Gulf Canada forecasts strong results in Indonesian operations could triple the company's reserve base.(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997... Gulf Canada forecasts strong results in Indonesian operations could triple the company's reserve base in the next 3 years. Gulf's current reserves are 800 million bbl of ori equivalent, and Indonesian properties alone could produce an...

Africa's bifocal vision.(oil and gas exploration in sub-Saharan Africa)(Column)
May 12, 1997... At conference in Johannesburg last June, Pik Botha, then South Africa's minister of mineral and energy affairs, gave a farewell He was due to retire within weeks. Instead of the expected nostalgic review, he gave us his personal vision of...

Gasoline, air, and oxygen.(Auto/Oil Air Quality Improvement Research Program)(Editorial)
May 12, 1997... After 6 years of work, the Auto/Oil Air Quality improvement Research Program has published its last report. Established to give the U.S. government scientific data on which to base air-quality decisions, the program released 20 technical...

1997 OTC highlights 50 years of offshore technological progress.(1997 Offshore Technology Conference)
May 12, 1997... Speakers from private and public sectors recognized an important milestone for the oil and gas industry as the 29rh Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) got under way in Houston last week: 50 years of progress in offshore technology. In...

Statoil slates first oil field development off Ireland.(awards subsea construction contract to Stolt Comex Seaway S.A.)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997... Norway's Den norske stats oljeselskap AS (Statoil) has let contract for work in the first oil field development off Ireland. Development is on tap for Connemara oil field on Block 26/29 in the Porcupine basin off the western coast of...

Phillips begins output in Judy and Joanne fields.(in North Sea; Phillips Petroleum Company United Kingdom Ltd.)
May 12, 1997... Phillips Petroleum Co. U.K. Ltd. has begun oil production from Judy and Joanne fields in the U.K. North Sea, after a delay caused by a dispute over delivery of associated gas. Meanwhile, Enterprise Oil plc and Marathon Oil U.K. Ltd. have...

Diverless bolt assembly system tested.(Atlantis system for flange joint assembly being tested in U.K.)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997... The first diverless system for assembling and undoing ANSI and API bolt flange joints on subsea pipelines is being tested in the U.K. Called Atlantis, the system was developed by Hydratight Ltd., Wolverhampton, U.K., and Aberdeen-based...

Premier slates gas development off Indonesia.(Premier Oil PLC signs gas sale agreement with Pertamina Humas P.T.)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997... Premier Ori plc has signed a letter of agreement for sale of gas from West Natuna A block off Indonesia and is preparing to begin field development early next year. Premier is operator and 66.67% shareholder in Natuna Sea Block A, which is...

Shell/Cairn deal to step up Bangladesh E&D.(exploration and development; Shell Exploration B.V.; Cairn Energy PLC)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997... Shell Exploration BV has acquired a farmout of Bangladeshi exploration and production licenses operated by Cairn Energy plc, Edinburgh, for $130 million cash plus a $200 million work program. The Shell/Cairn agreement will involve setting...

Canadian firms pressing Oman exploration.(Arakis Energy Corp.; Odyssey Petroleum Corp.; Bow Valley Energy Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997... Exploration is picking up steam in Oman. A unit of Calgary's Arakis Energy Corp. spudded a wildcat on its Block 15 concession in Oman late last month. Meanwhile, Arakis disclosed participation of two new partners in the well, both also...

Sales eyed for field off Cote d'Ivoire.(United Meridian Corp. to provide gas to Abidjan)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997... United Meridian Corp. (UMC), Houston, has received a boost for its planned $100 million development of Kudu gas find off Cote d'Ivoire, signing a 10-year take-or-pay contract to meet power generation needs in Abidjan. The company will...

MMS panel urges environmental studies on moratorium areas.(Minerals Management Service on potential leasing in offshore areas affected by congressional funding moratoriums)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997... An advisory panel for the U.S. Minerals Management Service has recommended that the agency conduct environmental studies in offshore areas where congressional funding moratoriums have blocked leasing. The Minerals Management Advisory Board...

U.S.-Mexico gulf treaty pressures rising.(U.S. oil and gas industry pushes for ratification of U.S.-Mexico border treaty in Gulf of Mexico)
May 12, 1997... As U.S. oil and gas companies press the frontier of deepwater exploration and development in the Gulf of Mexico, pressure is rising within the administration of President Clinton and within the petroleum industry for the U.S. Senate to ratify a...

Cabre wins three Morocco permits.(Cabre Exploration Ltd granted onshore exploration permits from Morocco's National Office of Petroleum Research and Exploration)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997... Cabre Exploration Ltd., Calgary, has received three onshore exploration permits with Morocco's National Office of Petroleum Research and Exploration (Onarep). The permits cover a total of about 5,800 sq km acres in the west Oued Sebou,...