Offshore articles from April 2007

Offshore archives from April 2007

Active rig fleet, March 2007.(GLOBAL DATA)
April 1, 2007... Active rig fleet, March 2007 Floaters Jackups US GoM 39 (0) 87 (-3) Mex GoM 5 (+3) 31 (+3) North Sea 40 (-1) 35 (0) East Atlantic 1 (-1) 4 (+4) L. America ...

GoM drilling permits issued.(GLOBAL DATA)
April 1, 2007... GoM drilling permits issued Drilling permits Aug. 68 Sept. 55 Oct. 50 Nov. 53 Dec. 66 Jan. 53 Feb. 68 Source: US Minerals Management Service Note:...

This month Infield Systems Ltd. (ISL) looks at forecast global subsea market capex for the 2007-2011 period.(GLOBAL DATA)(Industry overview)
April 1, 2007... This month Infield Systems Ltd. (ISL) looks at forecast global subsea market capex for the 2007-2011 period. The scope of the subsea market within this context includes control lines, pipelines (excluding conventional and trunk/export...

Gulf of Mexico day rates.(Statistical table)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Gulf of Mexico day rates Month/Year Minimum Average Maximum Drillship Mar 2006 $182,000 $229,617 $289,900 April 2006 $0 $216,401 $289,900 May 2006 $182,000 $233,650 $289,900 June 2006 ...

In early March, the Indian government signed production-sharing contracts (PSCs) for 52 oil and gas blocks.(Asia-Pacific)
April 1, 2007... In early March, the Indian government signed production-sharing contracts (PSCs) for 52 oil and gas blocks Heavy activity looks set to continue if the results of the NELP VI licensing round are any indicator. India's state oil company,...

Indonesia also awarded blocks recently.(natural reserves of indonesia )(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Indonesia also awarded blocks recently. International oil companies are expected to spend $411 million on drilling and seismic surveys over the next three years on the nine blocks awarded in the country's recent bidding round. ...

In early March, Petrobras discovered light oil with well 4-ESS-172-ES in the Espirito Santo basin.(Americas)
April 1, 2007... In early March, Petrobras discovered light oil with well 4-ESS-172-ES in the Espirito Santo basin. A formation test carried out in a lined well at 1,011 m (3,317 ft) water depth indicates the reservoirs have excellent productivity,...

A side note on Brazil is the recent Petrobras/Gazprom memorandum of understanding.(Americas)
April 1, 2007... A side note on Brazil is the recent Petrobras/Gazprom memorandum of understanding. Petrobras and Russia's Gazprom, the world's biggest gas company, have signed a memorandum of understanding to identify cooperation opportunities for oil and gas...

It looks as if EnCana is going to move ahead with the Deep Panuke project offshore Nova Scotia.(Americas)
April 1, 2007... It looks as if EnCana is going to move ahead with the Deep Panuke project offshore Nova Scotia. The company reportedly is looking for a jackup rig for a work program that includes re-entering four wells on the field and drilling two more, a...

In the first quarter, Total announced that the deepwater Egina field in OML 130 offshore Nigeria could be suitable for stand-alone development.(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... In the first quarter, Total announced that the deepwater Egina field in OML 130 offshore Nigeria could be suitable for stand-alone development. The first stage in exploration in block OML 130 resulted in the discovery of the Akpo field in...

Dana Gas, the Middle East's first regional private-sector natural gas company, plans to drill 15 wells in Egypt in 2007 through its exploration and production subsidiary, Centurion Energy.(Mediterranean)
April 1, 2007... Dana Gas, the Middle East's first regional private-sector natural gas company, plans to drill 15 wells in Egypt in 2007 through its exploration and production subsidiary, Centurion Energy. Ten exploration and five development wells are planned,...

Farther north, Northern Petroleum has landed three new offshore licenses adjacent to its permits off southern Italy.(Mediterranean)
April 1, 2007... Farther north, Northern Petroleum has landed three new offshore licenses adjacent to its permits off southern Italy. The licenses are the re-designated G.R20. NP (ex-d23GR.-NP), G.R21.NP (ex-d22GR.NP) and G.R22.NP (ex-d24GR.-NP). All are...

In February, Qatar Petroleum and Exxon Mobil Corp. announced Qatar Petroleum had offered ExxonMobil Middle East Marketing Ltd. an opportunity to participate in the Barzan gas project.(Middle East)
April 1, 2007... In February, Qatar Petroleum and Exxon Mobil Corp. announced Qatar Petroleum had offered ExxonMobil Middle East Marketing Ltd. an opportunity to participate in the Barzan gas project. The offer brought with it the right to participate in all...

Dragon Oil is continuing its work in the Caspian Sea.(contracts between Dragon Oil PLC and North Drilling Co.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Dragon Oil is continuing its work in the Caspian Sea. The company has signed a five-year extension for the Iran Khazar jackup. The rig, operated by North Drilling Co., will continue to drill development wells from Dragon's new LAMA platform in...

In late February, Hydro's exploration well on the Nucula prospect in the Barents Sea proved the presence of oil and gas.(Europe)
April 1, 2007... In late February, Hydro's exploration well on the Nucula prospect in the Barents Sea proved the presence of oil and gas. Trans-ocean Inc.'s Polar Pioneer semisubmerisble drilled the Nucula discovery well 110 km (68 mi) northeast of the Goliat...

Toreador Resources Corp. continues to see successes from its Black Sea acreage.(Europe)
April 1, 2007... Toreador Resources Corp. continues to see successes from its Black Sea acreage. The company recently published a summary of its year-end 2006 reserves report results along with an operations update that indicates it will continue to invest in...

Barents Sea yields third find.(oil and gas reserves found near Norwegian barents sea)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Hydro has found oil and gas in a barely explored sector of the Norwegian Barents Sea. Nucula, drilled by the semisubmersible Polar Pioneer in 293 m (961 ft) of water in production license 393, is around 110 km (68 mi) east-northeast of the...

Dong keen to exploit Hejre.(Dong Energy acquires ConocoPhillips)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Dong Energy looks set to acquire ConocoPhilllps' Danish sector business for $300 million. The package includes equity in three North Sea licenses containing numerous discoveries, with further exploration potential. The main asset appars to...

Norway's reserves hold steady.(re[ports of Norwegian Petroleum Directorate )(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Recoverable reserves throughout the Norwegian shelf totalled around 13 bcm (459 bcf) oil equivalents at the end of last year. According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), this estimate represents a small drop on the previous year's...

UK/Ireland gas hunt gathers pace.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Tumbling gas prices on the UK mainland have not deterred activity offshore. Among those pursuing new opportunities are ATP, which last month was set to spud a dual-purpose horizontal well from its new Wenlock platform in southern North Sea...

Noble signs LOI for new semi.(GULF OF MEXICO)
April 1, 2007... Noble Corp. indirect subsidiary Noble Drilling Services Inc. signed a letter of intent with a Marathon Oil Corp. subsidiary for the Noble Bingo 9000 Rig 4 semisubmersible hull for a two-year contract, with an option for an additional two years....

Discoveries.(GULF OF MEXICO)
April 1, 2007... Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. has hit pay in deepwater, while McMoran and Petsec Energy each reported drilling success in shallow water. Helix completed drilling an exploration well and two appraisals on its 100%-owned Noonan prospect,...

Deepwater transactions.(GULF OF MEXICO)
April 1, 2007... Callon Petroleum Co. agreed to purchase BP's 80% working interest in the Entrada field for $190 million in cash. The purchased interests include Garden Banks blocks 738, 782, 785, 826, and 827. Following completion of the acquisition, Callon...

Fiber-optic load-out under way.(GULF OF MEXICO)
April 1, 2007... BP began loading out its deepwater fiber-optic cable in March, according to Steve Fortune, BP's Gulf of Mexico information management director. Fortune updated the status of the project while speaking on the benefits of using fiber optics with...

Hercules, TODCO to merge.(GULF OF MEXICO)
April 1, 2007... Hercules Offshore Inc. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding stock of TODCO in a stock and cash transaction valued at $2.3 billion, creating the world's fourth largest jackup fleet, according to the companies....

MMS proposes rule change, publishes new recommendation.(GULF OF MEXICO)
April 1, 2007... The MMS has proposed amendments to its regulations for oil and natural gas production on the OCS. The MMS says the proposed rule, Oil and Gas Production Requirements, 1010-AD12, would eliminate most restrictions on production rates and clarify...

Independence Hub is installed in a world-record water depth of 2,438 m (8,000 ft) in Mississippi Canyon block 920.(GULF OF MEXICO)
April 1, 2007... Independence Hub is installed in a world-record water depth of 2,438 m (8,000 ft) in Mississippi Canyon block 920. The semi also is the world's largest in terms of production capacity, capable of handling up to 1 bcf/d of natural gas, which...

Active hurricane season expected.(GULF OF MEXICO)
April 1, 2007... Atlantic basin and US landfalling activity in 2007 is predicted to be about 75% higher than the 1950-2006 average, up from a 6096 above norm forecast made in December 2006, according to London-based Tropical Storm Risks (TSR) March forecast....

Technip wins $150-million tieback contract from Petrobras.(SUBSEA/SURFACE SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2007... Petrobras has awarded a contract for Roncador field development work to Technip. The $150-million contract is for engineering, project management, manufacturing, and testing of six flexible pipes. Included are 11 production flowlines, 11 gas...

Sunrise 2000 charter.(SUBSEA/SURFACE SYSTEMS)(Petrobras and Technip)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Petrobras also has awarded Technip a $200-million contract for a four-year charter of its vessel, Sunrise 2000, for laying flexible pipe. The contract has an option for a second four-year period. Sunrise 2000 is a DP vessel designed to...

Hess awards rigless conductor installation.(SUBSEA/SURFACE SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2007... Hess Indonesia (Pangkah) Ltd. has awarded a contract to BJ Tubular Services for rigless conductor installation operations on 14 wells in the Pangkah development. Work has begun on the installation. BJ plans to use its fleet of hydraulic...

Aker awards corrosion monitoring spools.(SUBSEA/SURFACE SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2007... Aker Kvaerner Subsea A/S has awarded a contract for 10 in-line spool-based metal loss measurement flow assurance tools to Cormon. The tool will be used in Reliance Industries Ltd.'s deepwater block KG-D6 in the Krishna-Godavari basin off the...

Oceaneering to supply Shenzi umbilicals.(SUBSEA/SURFACE SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2007... BHP Billiton Ltd. has contracted Oceaneering International Inc. to supply umbilical distribution and connection equipment for the Shenzi field in the Gulf of Mexico. The contract is for three suction pile-supported umbilical distribution...

Saipem awards ROV contract to DeepOcean.(SUBSEA/SURFACE SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Saipem UK has awarded a letter of intent to DeepOcean UK for ROV and survey services for the Dunbar project. DeepOcean will use the M/V Moersk Responder and M/V Moersk Recorder on the work. The M/V Moersk Responder will begin work in April....

Fiber optics to be installed in Southeast Asia.(SUBSEA/SURFACE SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2007... PT NAP Info Lintas Nusa subsidiary Matrix Networks and Tyco Telecommunications have signed a contract to build an undersea fiber-optic system to connect Jakarta, Batam, and Pontinak in Indonesia to Singapore. "Indonesia has a rapidly...

This table from Infield Systems indicates which types of companies are involved in deepwater subsea wells in the Gulf of Mexico since 2002.(SUBSEA/SURFACE SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... This table from Infield Systems indicates which types of companies are involved in deepwater subsea wells in the Gulf of Mexico since 2002. Independents have increased their participation substantially, taking shares from the integrated oil...

AGR Group, Helix Energy Solutions undertake FPSO conversion.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)
April 1, 2007... In 1Q 2007, AGR Group and Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. jointly acquired a fuel supply vessel from the Australian Commonwealth government. The group plans to convert the Westralia, previously used by the Royal Australian Navy, into an FPSO....

TSMarine invests in decommissioning, intervention vessels.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Aberdeen-based TSMarine is investing $253 million in two specialized vessels in a bid to move into the subsea decommissioning and rigless well intervention markets. TSMarine says the vessels will be uniquely equipped with specially...

Labroy Marine fills its order book.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)(Labroy Marine Ltd. develops jackup drillers for Standard Drilling ASA)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Late last year, Singapore's Labroy Marine Ltd. struck steel for a new jackup being built for Standard Drilling ASA. The L 201 MSC Gusto CJ 46-X100D design rig is an independent leg cantilever jackup with water depth capability of 107 m (350...

COSCO wins its first semisubmersible contract.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)
April 1, 2007... Early this year, Cosco Shipyard Group signed a letter of intent with Marine Accurate Well ASA to build a GM4000 semisubmersible for well intervention services. The GM4000 is designed for intervention services including through-tubing...

COSL breaks new ground.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)(China Oilfield Services)(Goimar SA de CV)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... In late December 2006, China Oilfield Services Ltd. signed agreements with Goimar SA de CV, an oilfield service company serving the Gulf of Mexico. COSL will supply four module figs to operate in the Gulf. COSL will build the four figs and...

ASRY completes jackup refurbishment.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)
April 1, 2007... The Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard in Bahrain recently completed a jackup refurbishment for Abu Dhahi's National Drilling Co. ASRY carried out $13 million in upgrades on the self-elevating three-legged jackup drilling rig Al Mariyah. ...

Expandable liner hanger enhances North Sea casing directional drilling program.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
April 1, 2007... READ Well Services has implemented a series of world firsts in the use of the hydraulically expandable tubular system (HETS) on a well in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. This advanced HETS-LH (liner hanger) was developed in response...

Space-saving flow meter for FPSO vessels.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
April 1, 2007... McCrometer has developed a space-saving V-Cone FPSO flow meter for liquid, gas or steam measurement on cramped floating production, storage and offloading vessels operating in deepwater or remote areas. The flow meter's no-moving-parts...

Solid expandable systems.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
April 1, 2007... Weatherford International Ltd. has developed a solid expandable system named MetalSkin for open- and cased-hole applications. Weatherford says it has focused in recent years on breaking barriers to the technology's adoption, which will help...

New fishing tools.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
April 1, 2007... The Logan Superior hydraulic fishing jar is a straight pull, up only, jarring tool with a special valve section to meter oil from one chamber of the piston to the other chamber for controlled jarring action during a stuck fish recovery. The...

3D survey under way in Timor Sea.(GEOCIENCES)
April 1, 2007... Avery Resources Inc. has scheduled a 3D seismic survey for the Katandra prospect in the Timor Sea off Australia. Operator OMV Australia Ltd. will use the Veritas Voyager across a 681-sq-km (293-sq-mi) area that includes the 272-sq-km...

Kambuna field, Indonesia, survey complete.(GEOCIENCES)(Report)
April 1, 2007... GFI Oil and Gas Corp. says a 432-sq-km (167-sq-mi) 3D seismic survey by Veritas on the Glagah Kambuna field is complete, and processing is under way. Following the processing, independent engineers McDaniels and Associates will assess the...

BP schedules Caspian Sea survey.(GEOCIENCES)
April 1, 2007... BP has awarded Reservoir Exploration Technology ASA a contract to acquire 4C seismic data over about five months on the Shah Deniz field offshore Azerbaijan in the southern Caspian Sea. The survey will be conducted as an adjunct to an RXT...

Kenya L-6 seismic complete, airborne survey scheduled.(GEOCIENCES)
April 1, 2007... The Geomariner has completed a 1,240 km (771 mi) 2D seismic survey offshore Kenya in block L-6 for Gippsland Offshore and Pancontinental Oil & Gas. That work is to be followed by a 1,500-sq-km (579-sq-mi) airborne gravity gradiometry survey by...

Indian exploration moves into deepwater frontiers: NELP VI brings in record bids.(GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS: INDIA)
April 1, 2007... India's offshore has seen a high level of exploration and production activity over the past five years, and all indicators point to increasing E&P in the five years to come. The majority of the offshore activity will take place in the...

Wide-ranging equipment scope for India's first major deepwater project.(GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS: INDIA)
April 1, 2007... Later this year, Aker-Kvaerner Subsea will deliver a complete subsea production system to Reliance Industries' KG-D6 deepwater development offshore India. The $400-million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract is the...

OTC expands for 2007.(OTC PREVIEW)
April 1, 2007... Following its 24-year record attendance last year, the 2007 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is expanding its exhibit space into Houston's Reliant Stadium and has added more outdoor exhibit space. As of late January, OTC 07 had 185 new...

2007 annual rotary steerable systems directory.(DRILLING & COMPLETION)(Directory)
April 1, 2007... Rotary steerable drilling systems have become a mainstream service with advantages in several applications. They can drill directionally and continuously without slowing or stopping to change direction, allowing uninterrupted drilling with...

Asia-Pacific managed pressure drilling takes off.(DRILLING & COMPLETION)
April 1, 2007... Managed pressure drilling (MPD) is a step-change from conventional wisdom, not a quantum leap. The technology has proven itself in several environments to be a better, safer way to drill challenging prospects. Almost 40% of all...

Drill cuttings dryer reduces waste, increases fluid recovery: rotary vacuum system can save money, improve environmental performance.
April 1, 2007... Operators want to dry cuttings and recover oil-based and synthetic-based drilling fluids to reuse for both environmental and economic objectives. A cuttings dryer reduces the volume of drill cuttings, reduces the waste that has to be...

Comprehensive testing validates deepwater fluid selection: planning can avoid expensive lessons.(DRILLING & COMPLETION)
April 1, 2007... A decade of deepwater experience in the Gulf of Mexico has taught the oil and gas industry a number of expensive lessons about the planning and testing required for successful completions. These lessons have altered the routine testing and...

Malaysia's field of 'firsts': Kikeh production to kick off in 2007.(Petroleum shipping terminals construction and management of the project )
April 1, 2007... Kikeh, the first deepwater development offshore Malaysia, is on track to begin production in the second half of 2007. By now, there are few in the industry that are not aware that Kikeh will be the first development outside the Gulf of...

Statoil sees disconnectable FPSO as viable solution in the Gulf of Mexico: system proven in the South China Sea.(PRODUCTION)
April 1, 2007... Statoil believes the disconnectable FPSO is a feasible development solution in the hurricane-prone Gulf of Mexico. This type of floating production system is equipped with an internal disconnectable mooring system which allows it quickly to...

Sea trials prove AUV pipeline inspection value: BP test in GoM demonstrates performance.
April 1, 2007... Development to date of the multi-purpose AUV Alistar 3000 by ECA has culminated in a 10-day deepwater pipeline inspection trial for BP America Production Co. in the King field in the Gulf of Mexico. In mid-2006, the Alistar 3000 completed a...

Autonomous vehicle concept demonstrates variety of practical field uses: second vehicle incorporates lessons from earlier applications.(Report)
April 1, 2007... Field use of the AsterX autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) shows that the AUV concept has practical value. From February 2004 to January 2007, the AsterX was submerged at sea for more than 1,000 hours. Statistics from these missions are:...

The work-class ROV market--76% growth by 2011.(reports of Douglas-Westwood Ltd.)
April 1, 2007... Since 2002, expenditure on work-class remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) operations has more than tripled. Further strong growth is expected over the next five years--leading to a total market of some $1.46 billion per year by 2011....

Pieter Schelte the heavyweight contender for North Sea abandonment program.(Allseas)
April 1, 2007... Allseas has committed to its second new construction vessel within the past 12 months. But the 1.3 billion [euro] ($1.7 billion) Pieter Schelte will take the pipelay specialist into new territory, also providing heavy-lift and platform removal...

Heavy-lift equipment active in Gulf of Mexico: upgrades, new vessels on the way.(Heerema Marine Contractors)
April 1, 2007... Deepwater development calls for high-capacity construction and installation equipment. To meet those demands in the US Gulf of Mexico, two of Heerema Marine Contractors' largest vessels are busy in the arena. Some of the recent work has...

Sapura 3000 sails into the void: pipelay, heavy-lift vessel serves Asia-Pacific.(CONSTRUCTION & INSTALLATION)
April 1, 2007... Vessel availability is a serious issue for operators around the globe. Most areas of the world are strapped for resources, but in frontier areas like the Asia-Pacific region, there are not nearly enough construction and installation vessels...

Sealift to convert six vessels to heavy-lift semisubmersibles.(CONSTRUCTION & INSTALLATION)
April 1, 2007... A new player has entered the heavy-lift transport sector--Sealift. The company plans to operate six identical vessels. The first two should come on the market this year, with at least two more to follow early in 2008. Sealift is registered...

MPU HL makes a splash in the construction vessel market.(CONSTRUCTION & INSTALLATION)
April 1, 2007... Though much oil and gas industry focus over the last few years has been rig availability, there is another critical shortage in the industry that needs to be addressed--the shortage of construction and installation vessels. Recently, a...

Wet gas flow assurance critical.(TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS)
April 1, 2007... Deepwater wet gas developments typically have high pressure and high flow rates, making it difficult to detect water production profiles. Furthermore, at such depths the wells and pipelines are vulnerable to saline and unchecked water, which...

Novel single-pipe, direct heated tieback connects Staer, Svale to Norne FPSO: unique features span five oil wells, two fields.
April 1, 2007... Installing a single-pipe tieback with direct electrical heating (DEH) to counteract the precipitation of flow-blocking gas hydrates and wax saved $45 million on the Norne satellite project in the northern North Sea. Operations of the novel...

Analytical geomechanical models--insightful, fast, cheap: simple reservoir monitoring analysis provides information at low cost.
April 1, 2007... Analytical methods from materials science can be applied to give quick, low-cost information about geomechanical reservoir changes during production. Hydrocarbon extraction induces mechanical deformations of the reservoir and of the...

Electric actuators widen options for remote subsea production.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2007... Subsea production is moving into increasingly deeper waters with longer step-outs and more complex seabed systems. Ifokus Engineering is targeting the potential of electric control and power systems, which could offer cost-effective, timesaving...

IFE seeking more accurate analysis of multiphase flow.(Norway's Institute for Energy Technology)
April 1, 2007... Norway's Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) is one of the players in a major research drive to extend knowledge of multiphase pipeline flow. Along with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the Foundation for...

Offloading technique offers improved uptime in all water depths.(the usages and methods of offloading)
April 1, 2007... Construction is under way on the first HiLoad DP offshore loading system. The work is being handled by Aibel (formerly Vetco Aibel) at its Haugesund yard in western Norway, with Grenland Group responsible for detailed engineering. Delivery is...

Fiber rope system scores heavily over wire for deepwater installations.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2007... Subsea 7 is using the ODIM CTCU (Cable Traction Control Unit) system to install subsea structures for the Independence Hub development in the Gulf of Mexico. The installation program, employing the monohull pipe-lay/construction vessels,...

Rigless drilling tool enters testing phase.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2007... Badger Explorer--a game-changing drilling technology, according to Badger Explorer ASA's CEO Kjell Erik Drevdal--has moved off the drawing board and entered the testing phase. It should be proven and ready for the market by late 2008. This...

Harsh environment semi provides improved stability and deck space.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2007... Grenland Group's P099 semisubmersible rig concept is designed for drilling ultra deep holes in ultra deep waters, and to operate in ice-laden waters, giving it all-round capability for the most demanding conditions. The rig, with a...

Dynamically positioned FPSO broadens options for ultra deep production.
April 1, 2007... FPSOcean has identified a market need for a dynamically positioned FPSO for deepwater production operations. By year-end, the company hopes to have a production contract in place for its first DP FPSO, which will be ready for operation in 1Q...

Norwegian company profiles.(Aker Floating Productions company overview)(ClampOn A/S product information)(company overview of DNV )(Company overview)
April 1, 2007... Aker Floating Production Aker Floating Production was established to own, operate and charter FPSOs based on conversion of existing tankers. The company has purchased three, 190,000-dwt, 1.3 MMbbl tankers, the first of which is being...

New tools and technology for the offshore industry: eOperations to cut oil, gas production losses.(EQUIPMENT & ENGINEERING)
April 1, 2007... A new phase in Hydro's developments in eOperations, or integrated operations, has opened. Hydro is investing in systems to enable land-based specialists to support the process operators on the platforms, helping to prevent failures on...

New turbo-electric generator powered with produced gas.(Natural Gas Turbine Technologies Inc. and Cabinda Gulf Oil Ltd developing a new natural gas powered turbo electric generator )
April 1, 2007... Through field testing offshore Angola, Cabinda Gulf Oil Ltd. (affiliate of Chevron) and US-based Natural Gas Turbine Technologies Inc. (NGTT) have developed a natural gas powered turbo-electric generator that will be installed at each of...

CT Centralizer introduced in the Gulf of Mexico.(New tools and technology)
April 1, 2007... UK-based Centek Ltd. and US-based Protech have introduced the Centek CT (Close Tolerance) centralizer to operators in the Gulf of Mexico. The centralizer has proven to reduce deepwater drilling costs based on a six-month trial by BHP Billiton...

Enhanced diamond protection improves drilling efficiency.(EQUIPMENT & ENGINEERING)
April 1, 2007... Varel International has expanded its offering of enhanced diamond protection to improve rate of penetration (ROP), enhance bit life and reduce drilling costs in motor, directional and rotary steerable applications. The enhanced package will be...

Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc.(People)
April 1, 2007... Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. has appointed John Bolton to the company's board of directors.

GlobalSantaFe Corp.(People)
April 1, 2007... GlobalSantaFe Corp. has named Blake Simmons senior VE, operations, responsible for worldwide contract drilling operations. Simmons was president of GlobalSantaFe's drilling management services subsidiary, Applied Drilling Technology Inc....