Offshore articles from April 2008

Offshore archives from April 2008

Active rig fleet, March 2008.(GLOBAL DATA)
April 1, 2008... Active rig fleet, March 2008 US GoM 38 (0) 74 (-2) Mex GoM 4 (0) 35 (0) North Sea 39 (0) 34 (-1) East Atlantic 1 (0) 0 (0) L. America 39 (+1) 14 (0) W. Africa 29 (+1)...

GoM drilling permits issued.(GLOBAL DATA)
April 1, 2008... GoM drilling permits issued Aug. 41 Sept. 35 Oct. 55 Nov. 56 Dec. 31 Jan. 53 Feb. 56 Source: US Minerals Management Service Note: Table made from bar graph.

India offshore day rates.(GLOBAL DATA)(Statistical table)
April 1, 2008... India offshore day rates Month/Year Minimum Average Maximum Drillship April 07 $43,000 $166,316 $320,000 May 07 $43,000 $162,667 $320,000 June 07 $43,000...

Leed Petroleum successfully drilled the secondary target zone on its Eugene Island A-6 development well.(US)
April 1, 2008... Leed Petroleum successfully drilled the secondary target zone on its Eugene Island A-6 development well. Analysis of well logs acquired over the secondary target zone indicate a productive gas reservoir with approximately 51 ft (16 m) of true...

Tullow Oil has made an oil discovery with the Odum-1 exploration well off Ghana in 955 m (3,133 ft) of water.(West Africa)
April 1, 2008... Tullow Oil has made an oil discovery with the Odum-1 exploration well off Ghana in 955 m (3,133 ft) of water. The well, drilled to 3,387 m (11,112 ft) TD, encountered a gross oil column of 60 m (197 ft) and 22 m (72 ft) of net pay. Samples from...

Total has begun redeveloping the Anguille field in Gabon.(West Africa)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Total has begun redeveloping the Anguille field in Gabon. Anguille is 20 km (12 m) offshore Port-Gentil in a water depth of 30 m (98 fl) in the Grand Anguille Marine concession. Discovered in 1962, Anguille came onstream in 1966 and...

Petrofac Energy Development has awarded Technip a $55-million contract for development of Don West and Don South West oil fields in the North Sea.(North Sea/Europe)
April 1, 2008... Petrofac Energy Development has awarded Technip a $55-million contract for development of Don West and Don South West oil fields in the North Sea. The fields will be tied back to the Northern Producer floating production facility. Technip...

The Bredford Dolphin has spudded exploration well 16/1-9 on the Draupne prospect in license PL001B offshore Norway.(North Sea/Europe)
April 1, 2008... The Bredford Dolphin has spudded exploration well 16/1-9 on the Draupne prospect in license PL001B offshore Norway. Planned TD is 2,275 m (7,464 ft). Results are expected in late April. NOIL Energy operates Draupne with a 35% interest,...

Ithaca Energy (UK) is drilling the third Athena oil well.(North Sea/Europe)
April 1, 2008... Ithaca Energy (UK) is drilling the third Athena oil well. On March 10, Byford Dolphin spudded a well on Ithaca's 70%-owned block 14/18b to test a potential southern extension of the Athena oil pool. A deviated well will be drilled to 9,000...

Niko Resources Ltd. has signed four offshore production sharing agreements (PSAs) with the president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Government Holdings (PVT) Ltd., through the Secretariat of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources.(Middle East)
April 1, 2008... Niko Resources Ltd. has signed four offshore production sharing agreements (PSAs) with the president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Government Holdings (PVT) Ltd., through the Secretariat of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural...

Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd. (ONGC) announced an offshore discovery in well B-12-11 in PEL block BOFF 1, 2, and 3 in the Arabian Sea.(Middle East)
April 1, 2008... Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd. (ONGC) announced an offshore discovery in well B-12-11 in PEL block BOFF 1, 2, and 3 in the Arabian Sea. Tracy Dulle * Houston

ONGC says it will take a 30% additional stake in the development phase of Gulf-A in the joint venture block of CB-OS-1.(Asia)
April 1, 2008... ONGC says it will take a 30'% additional stake in the development phase of Gulf-A in the joint venture block of CB-OS-1, at the northern-most end of the Gulf of Cambay, bringing its share to 55.26% of capex. JV partners are Tata Petrodyne and...

Niko Resources Ltd. has discovered gas in the NEC 25 block of the Mahanadi basin, off the Orissa coast in the Bay of Bengal, India.(Asia)(Survey)
April 1, 2008... Niko Resources Ltd. has discovered gas in the NEC 25 block of the Mahanadi basin, off the Orissa coast in the Bay of Bengal, India. This block, covering 10,775 sq km (4,160 sq mi) in depths ranging between 20 and 600 m (66 and 1,968 ft),...

MEO Australia Ltd. has made a discovery with Blackwood-1 off Australia's northwest coast.(Australia)
April 1, 2008... MEO Australia Ltd. has made a discovery with Blackwood-1 off Australia's northwest coast. Seadrill's jackup West Atlas has completed a series of logging runs, including the recovery of hydrocarbons to surface by modular dynamics testing...

Roc Oil (WA) Pty Ltd. has drilled the Frankland-2 appraisal well at WA-286-P, Perth basin, offshore Western Australia, to TD of 2,330 m (7,644 ft) below the rotary table from the WilCraft jackup drilling rig.(Australia)
April 1, 2008... Roc Oil (WA) Pty Ltd. has drilled the Frankland-2 appraisal well at WA-286-R Perth basin, offshore Western Australia, to TD of 2,330 m (7,644 ft) below the rotary table from the WilCraft jackup drilling rig. The well intersected gas in the...

Hydrocarbon reserves in Nexus Energy Ltd.'s Crux field in the Browse basin have increased following the successful drilling of the Crux-3 and Crux-4 appraisal wells off the northwest coast of Western Australia.(Australia)
April 1, 2008... Hydrocarbon reserves in Nexus Energy Ltd.'s Crux field in the Browse basin have increased following the successful drilling of the Crux-3 and Crux-4 appraisal wells off the northwest coast of Western Australia.: * The Proved plus Probable...

UK activity hit by rising costs.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Investment across the UK continental shelf in 2007 totalled 4.9 billion [pounds sterling] ($9.97 billion), according to Oil & Gas UK's latest survey of its oil company members' activities. This represents a drop in real terms of around 1...

Government addresses decommissioning burden.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Oil & Gas UK's report also found that cost projections to decommission existing production facilities have doubled over the past five years, and on current estimates will reach around 16 billion [pounds sterling] ($32.57 billion) by 2030,...

Far north find for StatoilHydro.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)(Barents Sea drilling)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Barents Sea drilling continues to hit the mark. The latest find is StatoilHydro's Obesum, drilled by the semisub Polar Pioneer in 364 m (1,194 ft) of water, 175 km (108 mi) northwest of Hammerfest. The well--the first in production license...

Ireland issues more deepwater blocks.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Ireland's government has awarded ExxonMobil operatorship of two new deepwater licenses in the Porcupine basin. The package comprises 13 blocks extending over 760,000 acres (307,561 ha) in waters over 6,500 fl (1,981 m) deep. They include...

StatoilHydro under fire for leak.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)(Petroleum Safety Authority)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Norway's Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) has accused StatoilHydro of serious shortcomings in its report on the oil leak from Statfjord A in the North Sea last December. A breach in the platform's loading hose caused 77,500 bbl of crude (4,400...

OCS lease sale sets record; revenue sharing begins.(GULF OF MEXICO)(Report)(Statistical data)
April 1, 2008... Federal OCS lease sales 206 and 224 combined drew over $3.7 billion in high bids. Central Sale 206 individually tallied $3,667,668,246 in high bids, setting a record for high bids since area-wide leasing began in 1983. Eastern Sale 224...

Lease Sale 205 tallies $2.8 billion.(GULF OF MEXICO)
April 1, 2008... The MMS has accepted bids valued at $2,829,926,881 and awarded 683 leases in Central Lease Sale 205. Eighty-four companies submitted 1,428 bids on 723 tracts in the sale, held in October 2007. The total for high bids submitted on all...

LLOG scores deepwater hat trick.(GULF OF MEXICO)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... LLOG Exploration Co. LLC has made three deepwater discoveries in its 2007/2008 drilling program. The discoveries are in Mississippi Canyon blocks 72 and 503, and Green Canyon block 448. The MC 503 well reached total depth in late 2007 and the...

Hess narrows Pony reserves estimate.(GULF OF MEXICO)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Hess has narrowed its estimated range of recoverable resource in its 100%-owned Pony field to 100 to 500 MMbbl of oil from the previously estimated range of 100 to 600 MMbbl of oil. This is based on results of appraisal well Pony No. 2. ...

Healey development planning under way.(GULF OF MEXICO)
April 1, 2008... Development planning of the 100% W&T-owned Healey discovery is under way. The field is in Green Canyon block 82 in 2,400 ft (732 m) of water. Development options include a floating production system, and a subsea tieback to the Lobster...

MMS recognizes safety.(GULF OF MEXICO)
April 1, 2008... The MMS has announced the winners of its 2007 District Safety Award for Excellence (SAFE) honors in the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific regions. Winners are selected by MMS district offices on the basis of safety performance and compliance...

Deepwater interest drives record sale.(GULF OF MEXICO)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Central Lease Sale 206's record results were driven by continued interest in the deepwater play. About 60%, or 365, of the blocks bids on lie in 800 m (2,625 ft) water depth or greater and about 88%, or $3.68 billion, of the total winning bids...

Subsea work contracts.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2008... ConocoPhilips Skandinavia AS has signed a Letter of Agreement with DeepOcean ASA for unmanned subsea construction work and pre-route survey at Ekofisk in the North Sea. DeepOcean's CTC Marine Projects Ltd. is to begin engineering...

Kittywake buoy to be removed.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... DeepOcean has won a contract to decommission the Kittywake loading buoy for Venture Production Plc. through a contract with AF Decom Offshore. DeepOcean plans to use its newbuild vessel Volantis to conduct the cutting and recovery of mooring...

New gen AUV planned.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(autonomous underwater vehicle )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Subsea 7 and SeeByte have joined to develop a next-generation autonomous underwater vehicle for offshore inspection and intervention services. The new vehicle will be designed to inspect risers, pipelines, moorings, and other structures plus...

Most powerful subsea motor tested.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The first of three 2,500 kW subsea motors ordered from Hayward Tyler by Aker Kvaerner to power seawater injection pumps on StatoilHydro's Tyrihans project in the Norwegian Sea passed its acceptance testing. The motors are variable speed,...

Hallin has ROV capability.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Hallin Marine has designed, built, tested, and demonstrated its own ROV. The C-ROV, designed and built in Singapore, is a low-cost, 100 hp, free swimming, work class vehicle capable of working to 1,000 m (3,280 ft) deep. It can carry special...

First gravity-installed, vertical load anchor run in GoM.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Delmar Systems has installed the Gulf of Mexico's first gravity-installed vertical load anchor (VLA). The anchor was installed at Anadarko's Garden Banks block 667 location in late December 2007. The anchor was deployed from the Alex...

Subsea equipment market to stay strong.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The global market for subsea hardware and services should stay high, according to a Scottish Enterprise study. The study forecasts $218 billion will be spent from 2008-12. And that follows a nearly 100% growth from 2003-07. The report was...

BG Norge secures rig for drilling contract.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2008... BG Norge AS has received consent to carry out exploration drilling at well 34/3-1 S using the Bredford Dolphin mobile facility. Well 34/3-1 is part of production license 373S. The 70-day drilling schedule expected to begin in March 2008....

Pride earns rig contract extensions.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2008... Petroleo Brasileiro SA has awarded Pride International contract extensions for the deepwater, dynamically positioned semisubmersible rigs Pride Rio de Janeiro and Pride Portland. The six-year contract extensions are expected to begin during...

ENSCO signs letter of intent for ENSCO 8503.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2008... ENSCO International Inc. has entered into a letter of intent for a drilling contract for ENSCO 8503, an ultra deepwater semisubmersible rig currently under construction by the Keppel FELS Ltd. Shipyard in Singapore. The aggregate day rate...

MODEC signs LOI for Petrobras FPSO.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2008... MODEC has signed a letter of intent with Petrobras for the supply, charter, and operations of an FPSO vessel. The lease is for 12 years with three one-year options. MODEC is responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction,...

HHI to deliver Usan FPSO.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2008... Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has received a $1.6-billion Letter of Award (LOA) from Elf Petroleum Nigeria to build an FPSO for the Usan field. HHI will carry out all phases of the project on a turnkey basis, from the engineering, procurement,...

Keppel FELS to build $205 million jackup.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2008... Keppel FELS Ltd. will build a third KFELS B class jackup drilling rig worth about $205 million for PetroVietnam Drilling Investment Corp. (PVD Invest). The agreement is subject to conditions being met by March 14, 2008. This latest unit...

Bollinger Marine Fabricators to design new tank barge.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Bollinger Marine Fabricators has signed a contract for the design and construction of a 55,000-bbl capacity, Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA'90) compliant tank barge with Martin Midstream Partners. Contract terms and conditions were not...

Transmitting in real time.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Expro achieved another successful application of its cableless telemetry system (CATS) in a UK North Sea offshore platform well. The well, W160 on the Mungo platform (UKCS block 22/20) operated by BP Exploration Ltd., had problems with a cabled...

Knowledge Reservoir implements Reservoir KB.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Knowledge Reservoir LLC has developed its deepwater Gulf of Mexico knowledge base, Reservoir KB. It provides coverage of all the deepwater reservoirs currently either in production or sanctioned for development. It provides unique, continually...

Well services completed off Cote d'Ivoire.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
April 1, 2008... BJ Tubular Services has completed well services offshore Cote d'Ivoire for Foxtrot International. Company personnel performed hydraulic hammer conductor-driving, casing and tubing running, and completion assembly services. To complete...

Aker Kvaerner launches IOR tool.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Aker Kvaerner has developed the PodEx, a new technology to maximize oil and gas recovery from mature subsea fields. PodEx integrates new functions and instrumentation directly into the existing subsea control system. It requires little...

Well confirms Nemo field extension.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
April 1, 2008... Lundin Petroleum drilled the appraisal well 7/4-2 in block 7/7 and 7/4 production license PL 148, on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), confirming an extension of the Nemo field, discovered in 1992. The well was drilled to a vertical...

Shell explores community involvement in Brazil.(GEOSCIENCES)
April 1, 2008... Corporate citizenship is as relevant in the operations of international oil companies as any technical discipline. For example, there is Shell Brasil Ltda.'s community involvement centered around what is called the "indirect influence area" for...

StatoilHydro, Schlumberger R&D reaches the reservoir.(GEOSCIENCES)
April 1, 2008... StatoilHydro and Schlumberger Information Solutions have released the results of a two-year joint research and development program to optimize production. The duo have developed and tested technologies and methods to optimize...

Borehole seismic contracted for the North Sea.(GEOSCIENCES)(contracts)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... BP Exploration Operating Co. UK Ltd. has awarded READ Well Services Ltd. a three-year contract to provide borehole seismic services on the North Sea UK continental shelf. At the same time, READ signed to provide similar services to StatoilHydro...

Ghana gets electromagnetic survey.(GEOSCIENCES)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Hess Corp. has awarded EMGS a $10-million contract to provide scanning and further delineation services to aid in the assessment of the hydrocarbon potential in Hess' acreage offshore Ghana. Pre-acquisition work is ongoing and the survey is...

Mississiippi Canyon data available.(GEOSCIENCES)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co. has completed a new depth migration of 3D data from the Mississippi Canyon GoM OCS. The "Revival Kirchhoff' data volume was processed by TGS and designed to refine the velocity model using anisotropic parameter...

Seismic vessel delivery scheduled.(GEOSCIENCES)
April 1, 2008... Singapore Technologies Marine Ltd. has signed a $20-million contract with Waveship AS to outfit the seismic vessel Geowave Voyager. Delivery of the 93 m (305 ft) x 22 m (72 ft) vessel is expected in the second half of 2008. The contract...

Transocean's Deepwater Frontier: first floater to use concentric riser and MPD.(DRILLING TECHNOLOGY REPORT)
April 1, 2008... Most managed pressure drilling (MPD) practices began in land-based operations. Now these over-balanced or under-balanced operations are emerging offshore in new and effective ways. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Recent development of MPD...

Opened for business: Rigstore supply model aims to cut MRO costs.(DRILLING TECHNOLOGY REPORT)(maintenance, repair, and operating)
April 1, 2008... Beginning as a model developed with Scorpion Offshore, National Oilwell Varco's (NOV) Distribution Services division is putting supply stores, called Rigstores, onto rigs with the aim of reducing maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) costs...

Maersk Contractors building technology-savvy fleet: $9 billion investment adds 10 vessels.(DRILLING TECHNOLOGY REPORT)
April 1, 2008... Maersk Contractors is on a $3-billion, five-year fleet expansion and drive to venture into new markets. "Our vision is to be a world-class company engaged in oil and gas contract drilling and production, all in an effort to assist global...

India intensifies E&P program: NELP-VII blocks to be awarded this year.(INDIA)
April 1, 2008... India is working on a five-year, $5-billion oil and gas exploration and development spending program through 2012, boosted by renewed efforts to further lease out concession acreages to draw the world's deepwater technologies for increasing...

Supply chain challenges facing Indian offshore drillers.(INDIA)
April 1, 2008... When it comes to offshore drilling activity, India is in a very select company of countries that have over 40 operating offshore rigs. Mexico and Norway are the only other countries in this league, not counting the behemoth United States with...

Upstream technology integration: opportunities, obstacles, success.(E-TECHNOLOGY)
April 1, 2008... With offshore E&P spending projected to approach one-quarter trillion dollars annually by 2010 (up more than $50 billion from 2006), cost-effective operations that simultaneously drive profitability have become more important than ever. ...

OTC 2008 preview--waves of change.(OTC PREVIEW)
April 1, 2008... With oil moving at more than $100/bbl and global demand showing no signs of abating, OTC's attendance this year most likely will break another record. Last year's attendance topped 67,000, an increase of more than 13% over 2006. Expect...

Australia surveys aim to boost offshore activity: recent awards push area spending past $2 billion.(GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS)
April 1, 2008... In an effort to sustain its offshore bidding and exploration activity, Australia has contracted magnetic and seismic surveys aimed at oil and gas bidders, and makes that data available at no charge. Geoscience Australia has acquired...

2008 annual rotary steerable system directory.(DRILLING & COMPLETION)(Directory)
April 1, 2008... Manufacturers of rotary steerable systems describe their technology in this year's equipment directory. Two companies have been removed from the list: Target Well Control and Noble Downhole Technology. New to this year's survey is Baker...

SeaMetric develops new heavy-lift vessel.(FIELD DEVELOPMENT)
April 1, 2008... With heavy-lift availability at a premium, the market is eager for alternatives to meet the demand. SeaMetric has launched an alternative heavy lift solution. SeaMetric currently has two multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels under construction...

Overcoming float-over challenges: topsides installation method offers alternative.(FIELD DEVELOPMENT)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Float-over topsides installation has become a cost-effective alternative for offshore construction over the past 25-30 years, as ever-increasing topsides weight constantly exceeds the lifting capacity of floating...

Escravos float-over installation dictates platform design: Chevron regional first.(FIELD DEVELOPMENT)
April 1, 2008... Chevron Corp. subsidiary, Chevron Nigeria Ltd. (CNL), has completed a float-over installation of the Meji Gas Gathering and Compression Platform (GGCP) on the Escravos Gas project Phase 3, marking the first of its kind for the company in the...

Shell moves BC-10 forward: development off Brazil precursor to Perdido in GoM.(PRODUCTION OPERATIONS)
April 1, 2008... The closer Shell Brazil Ltda. gets to bringing BC-10 onto production, the more Perdido in the Gulf of Mexico takes shape. Sustainable development and building on Shell's experience and standards are the by-words for both projects. In so...

Optimizing production strategies for remote, deepwater locations: early consideration of heavy-oil chemistry is key.(PRODUCTION OPERATIONS)
April 1, 2008... With global reserves of technically recoverable heavy oil estimated at more than 400 Bbbl, it is easy to see a time in the near future when heavy oil could become a mainstay of world energy supplies. Even though producers attempting to...

Multi-discipline sand management revises Snorre B system: erosion monitor system retrofitted.(PRODUCTION OPERATIONS)
April 1, 2008... Sand production management involves different disciplines and departments. Multi-discipline approaches and processes were keys to maximize production within a sand producing environment. In a sand producing environment it is important to use...

BPTT, superior complete Cashima, Mango subsea lines.(SUBSEA)
April 1, 2008... In 2007, BP Trinidad and Tobago (bpTT) plans were to produce two new gas fields, Cashima and Mango, to supply gas both to the domestic market and for LNG exports to the US. This required installation and connection of the fields' subsea...

Trenching vehicles tackle pipelay in sand, hard ground.(SUBSEA)
April 1, 2008... CTC Marine Projects, a UK-based subsidiary of DeepOcean ASA, has introduced two new trenching vehicles for pipelay in problematic soils. The UT-1 Ultra Trencher is a jet trenching ROV capable of trenching pipelines up to 1 m (3.28 ft) OD in...

Clamp-on strain sensor proves staying power on subsea risers, pipes.(SUBSEA)
April 1, 2008... Monitoring structural integrity of underwater risers, and acquiring data suitable for improving their design, imposes numerous challenges on subsea strain sensors. The main goals for a strain sensor are reliability, long service life in...

Modeling, simulation mitigate flow assurance risk: combination of insulation methods ideal.(TRANSPORTATION & PIPELINE)
April 1, 2008... Tieback of new fields to existing facilities can be a viable method to develop offshore fields. Long subsea tiebacks, however, come with challenges. Most notable are the flow assurance issues associated with production shutdown, blowdown, and...

Deepwater thermal performance of long tiebacks examined: insulation, heat options compared.(TRANSPORTATION & PIPELINE)
April 1, 2008... Long deepwater tiebacks create a need for high performance insulation. The needs are being met with many different techniques through passive and active systems to alleviate the possibility of solids deposition and to reduce intervention times....

Production fluid evaluation saves opex, capex: multiple measures needed for accurate results.(TRANSPORTATION & PIPELINE)
April 1, 2008... The combination of an integrated production model with asphaltene and wax thermodynamic models improves flow assurance predictions because it accounts for changes in pressure, temperature, and composition during production life. As...

Advanced analytical techniques improve prospects for VIV suppression.(TRANSPORTATION & PIPELINE)
April 1, 2008... Vortex-induced vibration (VIV) is a prime cause of failure within many slender structures such as risers or drill pipes, and can lead to an unacceptably short asset life span. Fluid flowing past bluff objects can break into vortices that...

Eni aiming for 2012 production start for Barents oil in the arctic.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2008... Eni Norge has decided to develop the Goliat oil field in the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea with an FPSO. The company aims to submit a plan for development and operation (PDO) by year-end with a view to start-up in mid 2012. This...

Gjoa opening development in outlying sector of Norwegian North Sea.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2008... In terms of reserves, StatoilHydro's Gjoa project is the company's largest new development on the Norwegian continental shelf. But it is noteworthy for other reasons. When the field comes on stream, scheduled for October 2010, it will open a...

Rocksource banking on EM techniques to uncover new prospects.(NORWAY)(Electromagnetic data)
April 1, 2008... Electromagnetic data (EM) can be a valuable resource for identifying exploration targets. However, the industry needs to develop expertise in processing and interpreting such data, according to Rocksource Chief Executive Officer Trygve...

Field-tested power tong handles all sizes of casing, drillpipe, tubing.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2008... The UniTong power tong from V-Tech International is designed to improve safety and efficiency of drill floor operations. Last year the product won both the Woelfel Best Mechanical Engineering Award and the Spotlight on New Technology Award at...

Chemical injection technique provides more even distribution.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2008... ProScav, ProPure's compact hydrogen sulfide scavenging technology, now has more than 30 applications worldwide. It is seen as a cost-effective means to reduce the [H.sub.2]S content in hydrocarbon flows to within limits specified by pipeline...

DNV promoting improved integrity management of pipelines.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2008... A joint industry project led by DNV Energy is formulating guidelines for submarine pipeline system integrity monitoring. The resultant document of recommended practice, DNV RPF116, will provide the oil and gas industry with a useful tool in an...

Eidesvik expands LNG-powered PSV fleet.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2008... When Eidesvik takes delivery of the newbuild platform supply vessel (PSV) Viking Lady this year, the Norwegian ship owner Eidesvik will have a fleet of three offshore vessels fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG). The decision to expand the...

New depth-independent, high resolution subsea pipeline inspection tool released.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2008... External scanning of pipelines traditionally is undertaken by divers who require support vessels. AGR Group's Neptune system, however, provides inspection without diver intervention and associated availability issues and depth limitations. ...

Norwegian company profiles.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2008... Bjorge Bjorge is a supplier of passive detection systems, fire water pumps and active fire fighting systems. The company also supplies worldwide cargo offloading pump systems, seawater lift pumps, and subsea monitoring equipment. It has...