The Oil and Gas Journal articles from November 1997

The Oil and Gas Journal archives from November 1997

Look for jittery oil markets in the short term now that Baghdad's dispute with U.N. inspectors trying to log Iraq's arsenal has flared anew. (forecast as of Nov 3, 1997)(OGJ Newsletter)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Look for jittery oil markets in the short term now that Baghdad's dispute with U.N. inspectors trying to log Iraq's arsenal has flared anew. As OGJ went to press, Saddam Hussein had banned all Americans in the U.N. inspection team from...

Non-U.S. firms are hitting it big in nations targeted by U.S. sanctions. (oil and gas exporation)(OGJ Newsletter)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Non-U.S. firms are hitting it big in nations targeted by U.S. sanctions. A group led by Lasmo has disclosed a possible giant oil strike on Libya's Block NC 174, roughly 470 miles south of Tripoli. Lasmo is operator, with equal partners...

China continues efforts to build a global reserves portfolio. (oil and gas reserves purchased through subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corp)(OGJ Newsletter)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... China continues efforts to build a global reserves portfolio. Kerr-McGee Corp. and Overseas Oil & Gas Corp. (OOGC), a unit of China National Offshore Oil Corp., have formed an alliance covering seven blocks in the Gulf of Mexico. OOGC...

A San Diego Superior Court judge has summarily dismissed a lawsuit against nine oil companies. (no price-fixing conspiracy found)(OGJ Newsletter)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... A San Diego Superior Court judge has summarily dismissed a lawsuit against nine oil companies. Plaintiffs in the class-action suit claimed the companies had conspired to fix prices in the California Air Resources Board-spec Phase II RFG market...

Gas companies are plunging headlong into power marketing.(OGJ Newsletter)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Gas companies are plunging headlong into power marketing. As part of Enron's push to become a recognized energy brand name, Enron Energy Services will offer California residential customers free electricity for 2 weeks. After the free...

Mobil, Pdvsa's Lagoven unit, and Veba have signed a joint agreement on the Cerro Negro extra-heavy oil upgrading project in Venezuela's Orinoco belt.(OGJ Newsletter)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Mobil, Pdvsa's Lagoven unit, and Veba have signed a joint agreement on the Cerro Negro extra-heavy oil upgrading project in Venezuela's Orinoco belt (OGJ, Sept. 23, 1996, Newsletter). Mobil and Lagoven will each own a 41.7% stake in the...

Bad news for Asian refining margins: Japanese refiners are expected to increase crude runs in the second half 5-7% from a year ago. (2nd half 1997)(OGJ Newsletter)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Bad news for Asian refining margins: Japanese refiners are expected to increase crude runs in the second half 5-7% from a year ago. "They clearly aim to cut costs by raising capacity utilization and lessening their dependence on imports,...

While Japan has long been a major downstream force, it is expected to further its move upstream.(OGJ Newsletter)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... While Japan has long been a major downstream force, it is expected to further its move upstream. During an upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia, Japanese Prime Minister Ryotaro Hashimoto is expected to ask for an extension of a Japanese...

Norwegian producers have received more bad news following the election of a government that puts the environment ahead of development. (Energy Minister Marit Arnstad announces cuts in oil and gas production)(OGJ Newsletter)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Norwegian producers have received more bad news following the election of a government that puts the environment ahead of development. New Energy Minister Marit Arnstad says the government is committed to cutting oil and gas flow to a...

Eco-bunglers target oil personnel. (Earth First placing banners outside oil company executives' houses is unacceptable behavior)(Editorial)
November 3, 1997... People around the world are getting steamed up over climate change, and petroleum companies are learning to live with a critical public. In Europe, protests against global warming have been mounted against companies and institutions, but...

Tests for industry recovery. (environmental protection, international sanctions against terrorist states pose much greater threats to oil and gas industry than Oct 27, 1997, stock market correction)(Editorial)
November 3, 1997... Gyration of stock exchanges brings into sharp and useful focus one of two essential dimensions of the oil industry's recovery. Plunges in equity share values in Asian and European markets, followed by the New York Stock Exchange's 7% loss...

Repsol fine-tuning international strategy for growth, repositioning. (Repsol Petroleo S.A.)(includes related article on stock offering in US)(Company Profile)
November 3, 1997... Repsol SA celebrated its tenth anniversary last year. During the past decade, the Spanish company has transformed itself into a world-class oil operator by establishing itself as a dominant force in Spain's oil refining and distributing chain,...

Norway studies deepwater exploration/development options.
November 3, 1997... Norwegian operators are gearing up for exploration and development in deep water and looking for ways to find and produce oil and gas as safely, reliably, and profitably there as they do in shallow water. Arne Loeken, head of the risers and...

U.K. operators mark progress with floaters. (floating production, storage, and offloading systems for offshore oil and gas)
November 3, 1997... Development of floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) system technology is at the top of the petroleum industry's agenda worldwide, given the increasing trend to field developments offshore and in deeper waters. That's the view...

Syncrude gets nod for Aurora oilsands plan. (Syncrude Canada Ltd, Aurora Mine oilsands project in Alberta, Canada)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Syncrude Canada Ltd. has received regulatory approval from the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board for its new $1.5 billion (Canadian) Aurora Mine oil-sands project. Syncrude said production will reach 260,000 b/d when the first phase of...

Sable Island gas pipeline project approved.(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... A Canadian Joint Review Panel (JRP) has approved plans for development of natural gas fields near Sable Island off eastern Canada and a related pipeline project to U.S. and Canadian markets. The panel gave the green light to the Sable...

Black Sea Energy JV to explore new Tyumen block. (joint venture with Tyummennedra; Tyumen oil field in Russia)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Black Sea Energy Ltd., Calgary, has formed a joint venture to explore a block adjacent to its existing acreage in western Siberia's Tyumen region. The 50-50 venture with Russia's Tyumennedra is called Radonezh Petroleum Joint Stock Co. It is...

Turkmen-Pakistani export gas pipeline marks progress. (Central Asia Gas Pipeline Ltd)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Turkmenistan and six international oil and engineering firms have formed a group to link the gas resources of Turkmenistan with markets in Pakistan and possibly India. Unocal Corp. is the major stakeholder in the group, called Central Asia...

U.K.'s MMS ready to drill off Bulgaria. (MMS Petroleum PLC)
November 3, 1997... Exploration in the Black Sea off Bulgaria has so far been disappointing, but a London independent reckons it has hot prospects. Texaco Inc. as operator of Block 91-3 found gas with Galata-1 and Galata-2 wells drilled in 1993 and 1996,...

Exploration sags off Viet Nam. (offshore oil and gas)(includes related article on contract for gas processing plant)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Industry's exploratory interest in Viet Nam has flagged. Wood Mackenzie Consultants Ltd., Edinburgh, reports a 55% fall in gross acreage under license off Viet Nam and a steady withdrawal by several upstream players. Recent higher...

U.S. petroleum products stocks hit record level in September. (1997)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... U.S. inventories of gasoline and distillate fuels rose sharply in September, sending total stocks to their highest level in more than 2 years, American Petroleum Institute reported. Stocks brimming Total U.S. inventories for...

Unocal wins first round of CARB RFG patent war. (California Air Resources Board, reformulated gasoline)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Unocal Corp. has come out on top in the early round of its patent-infringement trial against six other California refiners. The California oil company sued the six for making fuels that meet gasoline formulas patented by Unocal. The...

Caspian questions. (US may lose out on Caspian Sea offshore oil)(Column)
November 3, 1997... The oil boom in the Caspian Sea region is posing problems for U.S. policymakers. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) told a recent Senate foreign relations subcommittee hearing, "Our window of opportunity to influence events there is very narrow....

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (reformulated gasoline usage rule issued)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a rule to prevent states that chose to use reformulated gasoline (RFG) from reversing that decision during the transition from Phase I to Phase II RFG standards. States seeking to opt out of Phase II,...

U.K. electricity. (Scottish Power PLC, Seaboard PLC will build gas turbine power plant)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... U.K. electricity generator Scottish Power plc, Glasgow, and electricity supplier Seaboard plc plan to build a 500-MW, combined-cycle gas turbine power plant at Shoreham Harbor on Britain's south coast. The plant is expected to cost 200 million...

An explosion. (on offshore oil platform in Campeche Sound, Mexico)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... An explosion on Chuc Alfa platform in Mexico's Campeche Sound may reduce Cantarell complex production by as much as 300,000 b/d. The blast caused a fire, which Petroleos Mexicanos extinguished within 30 min. No injuries were reported. Pemex has...

Samsung Heavy Industries. (construction begun on innovative deepwater drillship)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Samsung Heavy Industries, South Korea, laid the keel of a first-of-a-kind ultradeepwater drillship capable of drilling in as much as 10,000 ft of water (OGJ, July 1, 1997, p. 68). Commissioned by Conoco Inc. and Reading & Bates Corp., Houston,...

A group. (production starts in Indian offshore oil field using floating production system)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... A group led by Hardy Oil & Gas plc, London, started oil production from PY-3 field on Block CYOS-90/1 in India's Cauvery basin. The output, about 13,000 b/d of sweet, 48 [degrees] gravity oil, is being sold to Madras Refineries Ltd. The field is...

Enterprise Oil PLC. (production begins on North Sea fields)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Enterprise Oil plc and Marathon Oil U.K. Ltd. began producing oil from Sedgwick and West Brae fields, developed jointly but operated independently by Enterprise and Marathon, respectively. The fields lie on U.K. North Sea Blocks 16/16a and 16/7a....

Russian Energy Minister. (Chechnya pipeline will begin carrying oil again on Nov 7, 1997)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Russian Energy Minister Boris Nemtsov said Russian workers are finishing repairs on the oil pipeline linking the Chechen cities of Khasavyurt and Terskaya and "early" Caspian Sea oil will start flowing across Chechaya on Nov. 7. The entire...

Construction. (will start on Houston-El Paso petroleum products pipeline in Texas)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Construction will begin immediately on a refined products pipeline from Houston to El Paso with terminals in Midland and El Paso. Group members include Longhorn Partners Pipeline LP, Exxon Pipeline Co., and Amoco Pipeline Co. The 225,000 b/d,...

El Paso Field Services Co. (will buy pipeline and processors from Pacificorp)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... El Paso Field Services Co., a unit of El Paso Energy, agreed to acquire for $195 million the offshore pipeline and processing subsidiaries of Pacificorp, Portland, Ore. The pipelines include the Seahawk Shoreline and Tomcat pipeline systems and...

Ship Shoal Pipeline Co. (will increase oil pipeline capacity)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Ship Shoal Pipeline Co., Houston, will increase the capacity of its Ship Shoal pipeline system in southern Louisiana to 400,000 b/d from 310,000 b/d. The project includes installation of new pumping equipment at the Gibson, La., terminal and...

Kuwait and Tunisia. (will build oil pipeline)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Kuwait and Tunisia will soon start building a new pipeline from Sidi el Kilani field in central Tunisia to Skhira terminal, 300 km south of Tunis. Construction is scheduled to last 11 months. The pipeline will cost an estimated $12 million and...

Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. (will not go forward with retail expansion until 1998)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. postponed plans for a $70 million retail expansion program in the Philippines until next year. The news follows the collapse of the Philippine peso in international currency markets and a 1-month price freeze on...

Thailand's. (petrochemical factory construction contract)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Thailand's Songkla Petroleum let contract to German contractors Krupp Uhde GmbH and Thyssen Rheinstahl Technik GmbH to design and build a refining/petrochemical complex in southern Thailand. The $2.2 billion plant will have 125,000 b/d crude...

Shell China Ltd. (polystyrene joint venture with Shell China Holdings B.V., Jinling Petrochemical Corp)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Shell China Ltd. and Shell China Holdings BV signed a joint venture agreement with China's Jinling Petrochemical Corp. (JPC). The venture will be owned 60% by Shell and 40% by JPC and will modernize and enlarge JPC's expandable polystyrene plant...

Engro Chemicals Pakistan.(to form joint venture with Mitsubishi Corp. and Asahi Glass Co. to build polyvinyl chloride plant in Pakistan)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Engro Chemicals Pakistan, Asahi Glass Co., and Mitsubishi Corp. will form a joint venture to build a 100,000 metric ton/year polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant at Port Qasim, Pakistan. The $80 million plant will be operated under the name Engro Asahi...

Thai Cement Public Co. Ltd.(and Itochu Corp. to jointly build condensate refinery in Thailand)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Thai Cement Public Co. Ltd. and Itochu Corp. formed a joint venture to build a condensate refinery at Rayong, Thailand. The plant will process 64,000 b/d of condensate and produce naphtha, kerosine, diesel oil, and solvents. Thai Cement will own...

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.(purchases Koch Exploration Canada Ltd.'s Alberta oilsands leases)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNR), Calgary, acquired 39,800 acres in undeveloped Alberta oilsands leases from Koch Exploration Canada Ltd. The leases are immediately south of CNR holdings in the Pelican Lake area and increase the company's...

ARCO.(and Syntroleum Corp. to build plant to manufacture synthetic fuels)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... ARCO and Syntroleum Corp., Tulsa, will build a 70 b/d pilot plant at ARCO's Ferndale, Wash., refinery to demonstrate Syntroleum's gas-to-liquids technology (OGJ, Aug. 4, 1997, p. 68). The plant will produce synthetic fuels, which ARCO will use to...

Texaco Inc.(and Spirit Energy 76 test wildcat in Gulf of Mexico)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Texaco Inc. and Spirit Energy 76, a unit of Unocal Corp., tested a wildcat on Ladybug prospect in the Gulf of Mexico. The well was drilled as a straight hole to 8,660 ft subsea and flowed 7,266 b/d of oil and 3.7 MMcfd of gas. Ladybug is in 1,355...

Kazakhstan.(signs contract with Turkiye Petrolleri AO for oil exploration and development projects)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Kazakhstan signed a contract with Turkey's Turkiye Petrolleri AO (TPAO) covering oil exploration and development in the Baiganinskoye and Mugodzharskoye areas of Aktubinsk region in western Kazakhstan. TPAO has an "area of mutual interest...

Scimitar Production International Ltd.(discovers new wildcat in Mozambique)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Scimitar Production International Ltd., a unit of Calgary's Scimitar Hydrocarbons Ltd., spudded a second Mozambique wildcat, Garabega-1. The well, targeted to 6,726 ft, is on the company's 3-million-acre Buzi-Divinhe block (see map, OGJ, Sept. 8,...

Italy's Agip SpA.(purchases 25% of oil exploration project in Azeri Caspian Sea)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Italy's Agip SpA acquired a 25% interest in a project covering exploration and development on the Kyurdashi block in the Azeri Caspian Sea. State Oil Co. of the Azerbaijan Republic will have a 50% interest. The other 25% has yet to be offered,...

Pakistan.(awards oil field exploration licenses to joint venture of MS Pakistan Oil Fields Ltd. and Government Holdings)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Pakistan granted two exploration licenses to a joint venture of MS Pakistan Oil Fields Ltd. (POL) and Government Holdings, the petroleum concession arm of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. The licenses are for Southern Sindh Block...

Shell U.K. Exploration & Production.(discovers oil in UK North Sea)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Shell U.K. Exploration & Production disclosed an oil find straddling U.K. North Sea Blocks 22/28d, 22/23b, and 22/28a, the latter operated by Phillips Petroleum Co. U.K. Ltd. The Sedco 704 semisubmersible drilled a vertical well that cut a...

Tullow Oil plc.(reports wildcat test results in Pakistan)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Tullow Oil plc, London, reported test results for its Suri-1 wildcat on Pakistan's Block B. The well was spudded in late September and reached 1,249 m TMD, cutting three gas pay zones. The first pay zone, Ranikot, flowed at a rate of 12.2 MMcfd...

Pinnacle Resources Ltd.(purchases properties and undeveloped land from Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd.)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Pinnacle Resources Ltd., Calgary, acquired producing properties and about 788,000 acres of undeveloped land from Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. (CanOxy) for $308 million (Canadian). The properties produce about 11,200 boed and were acquired...

Chesapeake Energy Corp.(to purchase assets of DLB Oil & Gas Inc. in US Midcontinent and Barbados)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Chesapeake Energy Corp., Oklahoma City, agreed to acquire the U.S. Midcontinent and Barbados assets of DLB Oil & Gas Inc., Tulsa, in a merger involving $65 million of Chesapeake common stock and the assumption of about $85 million in liabilities....

Small advances yield big improvements in seismic images from difficult areas. (for oil and gas exploration)(Applied Geophysics Report)
November 3, 1997... Difficult areas for exploration present opportunity to see what has not been seen before, make new plays, and find new reserves by solving signal-to-noise, imaging, sampling, and logistical problems. Problem-solving in difficult areas tends to...

Calibration method helps in seismic velocity interpretation.(Applied Geophysics Report)
November 3, 1997... Acoustic velocities derived from seismic reflection data, when properly calibrated to subsurface measurements, help interpreters make pure velocity predictions. A method of calibrating seismic to measured velocities has improved interpretation...

AVO helps seismic imaging in deepwater environments.(amplitude variation with offset)(Applied Geophysics Report)
November 3, 1997... Amplitude and frequency variations related to offset should be analyzed routinely during interpretation of seismic data acquired in deepwater environments. Amplitude variation with offset (AVO) in three dimensions is the key exploration...

Marine four-component acquisition boosts role of shear-wave data in seismic work.
November 3, 1997... Marine four-component (4C) acquisition has been gaining significant worldwide interest, especially in the North Sea where several 4C surveys have been acquired over the last 2 years. Still in its early days, 4C--or, more generally,...

Mechanical oscillator frees stuck pipe strings using resonance technology.
November 3, 1997... Resonant vibration technologies provide an alternative method for freeing stuck coiled-tubing, liners, and drillstrings. Situations where the axial reciprocation of pipe; the use of large tensile, compressive, or percussive forces; or...

Linear regression determines crude properties at variable boiling points.
November 3, 1997... Crude assays nearly always include a true boiling point (TBP) distillation, which consists of crude properties given at discrete boiling points. However, an engineer is often interested in blends with different boiling ranges than those...

Interference tests verify reservoir continuity, offshore Africa.(offshore oil exploration)
November 3, 1997... Interference testing during start-up of the Zafiro field, offshore Equatorial Guinea, determined the degree of reservoir continuity within the field. This testing involved producing a single well at a fixed rate while observing the reservoir...

Stone & Webster, Inc.(appoints Thomas L. Langford chief financial officer)(Brief Article)
November 3, 1997... Stone & Webster, Inc., Boston, Mass., has named Thomas L. Langford executive vice president and chief financial officer, reporting to H. Kerner Smith, chairman, president and chief executive officer. Langford replaces Jeremiah P. Cronin,...

Union Texas hopes to reproduce its Pakistan Badin experience.(Union Texas Pakistan Inc.'s international oil and gas exploration projects)
November 3, 1997... Union Texas Petroleum Holdings Inc. has resolved to transplant elsewhere in the world the success of its 20 year old grassroots exploration effort on the Badin block in Pakistan. Union Texas Pakistan Inc. (UTP) is actively seeking...

The former Soviet Union again is dominating petroleum news. (Boris Yeltsin allows 100% foreign ownership of Russian petroleum companies; also Gazprom does not plan to stop dealing with Iran while U.S. pursues sanctions)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... The decree removes all restrictions on ownership by non-Russian companies, says Boris Nemtsov, Russia's Fuel and Energy Minister. It will likely draw fire from the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, which opposes foreign...

Plans for pipelines across former Soviet states continue to proliferate.(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... Gazprom Chairman Rem Vyakhirev said the 1,213-km line, called Blue Stream, would extend from Izobilnoye, Russia, to Ankara. A 396-km section will traverse the Black Sea at a depth of 2,150 m. Start-up is planned for April 2000. ...

Harsh ocean conditions aren't the only hazard facing deepwater players - some may miss E&P targets due to a lack of experienced staff. (exploration and production)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... This is the warning Curtis D. Burton of U.S. contractor Total Offshore Production Systems gave delegates at the Deep Offshore Technology conference in The Hague last week (see related stories, pp. 36, 37). Burton said massive...

Majors are finding further exploration success in Australasia. (Shell Australia, Mobil Corp.)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... It flowed 44 MMcfd and 1,500 b/d of condensate through an 80/64-in. choke from pay at 2,223-2,241 m. On a second test of pay at 2,193.5-2,155 m, flow through a 72/64-in. choke reached 32.5 MMcfd and 910 b/d.

India's ONGC is trying to contain what could be shaping us as a major blowout in the offshore Bombay High area.(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... The B-24-2 well had been spewing gas since Oct. 28, and at presstime last week, the crew of the Saga Shakti jack up had been evacuated. ONGC failed three times to kill the well, and the uncontrolled gas plume was 10 m high at last...

The ingenuity problem. (petroleum industry will need money to expand operations due to rising labor costs and increasing drilling rig costs)(Editorial)
November 10, 1997... Economic recovery needs, at some point, to become expansion. Where the oil and gas producing industry is in that transition is a question best left to economists. For company managers, a more pressing problem is what the expansion...

Mobile Bay gas enjoying banner year despite production problems. (off the coast of Alabama)(includes related article on exploration technologies)
November 10, 1997... Recent production increases by operators in Mobile Bay off Alabama highlight their success in surmounting the challenges posed by sour, high-temperature, high-pressure deep Norphlet gas. Production from the Mobile Bay...

OPerators mull new deepwater concepts.
November 10, 1997... Deepwater discoveries around the world have combined estimated reserves of more than 40 billion bbl of oil, and operators are developing ways to produce hydrocarbons in up to 2,000 m of water. Tim Warren, director of research...

Concrete deemed best option for LNG floater hull. (liquefied natural gas)
November 10, 1997... Growing demand for natural gas and tougher competition is forcing liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers to look for cheaper methods. With gas developments anticipated in increasingly remote locations, one concept currently...

Deepwater semi upgrade nearing completion. (drilling rig owned by Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc.)
November 10, 1997... Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc., Houston, is nearing completion of a major upgrade of its Ocean Victory drilling rig. The rig is slated to begin work on Jan. 1 for Vastar Resources Inc., also of Houston. Vastar is at the...

Engineers need 'rock-bashers.' (geologists can offer valuable help to petroleum engineers)(Watching the World)(Column)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... Last year we received letters of complaint and irate telephone calls over a piece in which I claimed firm evidence that geology is voodoo (OGJ, Sept. 9, 1996, p. 37). At risk of landing myself in the soup again, let me quote...

Gazprom and Iran. (Gazprom decision to develop South Pars petroleum field violates U.S. interests)(Watching Government)(Column)
November 10, 1997... Several U.S. senators are working to block U.S. financing for Russia's Gazprom because it plans to help Iran develop South Pars field. On Sept. 30, Iran signed a $2 billion deal with Total of France, Petronas of Malaysia, and...

Oil at center of U.S. sanctions aimed at Sudan.(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has announced economic sanctions against Sudan, alleging the African nation has sponsored international terrorism and violated the human rights of its citizens. The sanctions bar all...

DiBona urges consolidation of Washington oil associations. (Charles DiBona)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... Former American Petroleum Institute Pres. Charles DiBona says the oil industry should consolidate some of its Washington, D.C., associations. In an interview, DiBona said that if some of those groups were merged into API, it...

Oil Co. of Australia. (acquires permit from Conoco Australia Ltd.)(Coalbed Methane)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... Oil Co. of Australia (OCA), Brisbane, a unit of Boral Energy Resources Ltd., Sydney, will acquire from Conoco Australia Ltd. Coalbed Methane Permit PL94 in southeast Queensland's Bowen basin. OCA will operate the permit, which...

Atlantic Richfield Indonesia Inc. (supply contract with BG Exploration & Production)(LNG)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... Atlantic Richfield Indonesia Inc. and BG Exploration & Production signed an agreement to supply gas to the proposed Tangguh liquefied natural gas export project in Irian Jaya, indonesia (OGJ, Sept. 15, 1997, p. 30). Supplies will come...

Shell Exploration BV. (purchases 60% of production interest in western Kazakhstan)(Exploration)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... Shell Exploration BV acquired a 60% interest in the production-sharing contract for Temir block in western Kazakhstan from Veba Oel Kazachstan GmbH. Veba will hold the remaining 40%. Shell will assume operatorship of the license...

Pakistan. (grants exploration licenses to MS UMC Pakistan Corp.)(Exploration)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... Pakistan granted two exploration licenses to a joint venture of MS UMC Pakistan Corp., a subsidiary of United Meridian Corp. and Pakistan's Government Holdings. The licenses are for Pasni South block, covering 7,400 sq km off...

South Africa's. (Soekor Proprietary Ltd. signs contract with Energy Africa Ltd.)(Exploration)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... South Africa's Energy Africa Ltd. and Soekor (Pty.) Ltd. signed a technical cooperation agreement covering Blocks 3B and 4B in deep water off the country's west coast. The agreement gives Energy Africa the right for 1 year to...

Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte.) Ltd. (Refining)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... Shell Easern Petroleum (Pte.) Ltd. will cut staff by 25% at its 405,000 b/d Pulau Bukom refinery in Singapore. It cited intense regional competition, difficult market conditions, and the probability of higher costs as reasons for the...

OMV AG. (plans acquisition of 10% of Pak-Arab Refinery Co.)(Refining)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... OMV AG plans to acquire a 10% stake in Karachi's Pak-Arab Refinery Co. Ltd. (Parco) from Abu Dhabi based International Petroleum Investment Corp. (IPIC). Parco, which owns and operates a 1,215 km pipeline from Karachi to Mehmood...

ANG Pipeline Co. (seeking customers for natural gas pipeline it plans to begin building in May 1999)(Pipelines)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... ANG Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of TransCanada Pipelines Ltd., Calgary, is seeking customers for a proposed natural gas pipeline across British Columbia. The 561-km, 20-in. Kootenay Pacific Pipeline will extend from Yahk, B.C., to...

Daehan Oil Pipeline Corp. (commissions building of oil storage terminal and crude oil line)(Pipelines)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... Daehan Oil Pipeline Corp. (Dopco), South Korea's state oil distribution company, commissioned a 593-mile crude oil line and oil storage terminal at Songnam, near Seoul. Dopco invested about $890 million in the projects during 7 years....

Petroleos Mexicanos. (pipeline construction contract with Commisa)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... Petroleos Mexicanos let contract for engineering, procurement, and installation of a subsea pipeline in Mexico's Campeche Sound to Commisa, a joint venture of Halliburton Co. unit Brown & Root Energy Services and Mexican contractor...

China. (natural gas pipeline completed in Shaanxi province)(Brief Article)
November 10, 1997... China completed a 534-mile natural gas pipeline from Shaanxi province to Beijing. The $475 million line will transport gas from Changqing field in northwestern China's Ordos basin. Shipments are expected to total 10.6 bcf in 1998. The...