Offshore articles from April 2009

Offshore archives from April 2009

No slow-down in new technology.(COMMENT)
April 1, 2009... As we swing into that time of year again for the annual Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, it's clear that the offshore industry has cut back on some activity and spending. But at the same time it's significant to note that the...

Active rig fleet, March 2009.(GLOBAL DATA)
April 1, 2009... Active rig fleet, March 2009 Floaters Jackups US GoM 32 (0) 58 (-7) Mex GoM 5 (0) 34 (+1) North Sea 41 (+1) 35 (0) East Atlantic 2 (0) 0 (0) L. America ...

GoM drilling permits issued.(GLOBAL DATA)
April 1, 2009... GoM drilling permits issued Drilling permits Aug. 49 Sept. 25 Oct. 57 Nov. 43 Dec. 45 Jan. 39 Feb. 37 Source: US Minerals Management Service Note: Table made from bar graph.

India day rates.(GLOBAL DATA)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... India day rates Year/Month Minimum Average Maximum Drillship 2008 March $43,000 $204,333 $320,000 2008 April $43,000 $204,333 $320,000 2008 May $43,000 $204,333 $320,000 2008 June ...

The FPSO BW Cidade de Sao Vicente left Singapore last month and should be nearing the Tupi field off Brazil.(Americas)
April 1, 2009... The FPSO BW Cidade de Sad Vicente left Singapore last month and should be nearing the Tupi field off Brazil. Petrobras has contracted the vessel for long-term testing on Tupi--BW Offshore converted and modified the FPSO BW Peace for this...

Total Upstream Nigeria has brought onstream its deepwater Akpo field in block OML 130, ahead of schedule.(West Africa)(mergers between Total Upstream Nigeria and Akpo)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Total Upstream Nigeria has brought onstream its deepwater Akpo field in block OML 130, ahead of schedule. Akpo is 200 km (124 mi) from the Nigerian coast in water depths of 1,200-1,400 m (3,937-4,593 ft). Proven and probable reserves are...

Tullow Oil has discovered what it calls a "significant" light hydrocarbons accumulation in the Twenoboa structure in the Deepwater Tano license off Ghana.(West Africa)
April 1, 2009... Tullow Oil has discovered what it calls a "significant" light hydrocarbons accumulation in the Twenoboa structure in the Deepwater Tano license off Ghana. The well, drilled by the semisub Eirik Raude in a water depth of 1,148 m (3,766 ft), was...

Chevron Overseas Congo has contracted Granherne for front-end engineering and design for its Lianzi subsea development.(West Africa)
April 1, 2009... Chevron Overseas Congo has contracted Granherne for front-end engineering and design for its Lianzi subsea development. Lianzi is in water depths of 2,700-3,500 ft (820-1,070 m) in a unitized zone taking in part of block 14 off Angola and Haute...

First Australian Resources (FAR) has executed an agreement with Shell Exploration Co. to conduct an exploration program in the Sangomar offshore, Rufisque offshore, and Sangomar deep offshore blocks in Snegal.(West Africa)
April 1, 2009... First Australian Resources (FAR) has executed an agreement with Shell Exploration Co. to conduct an exploration program in the Sangomar offshore, Rufisque offshore, and Sangomar deep offshore blocks in Senegal. Under the agreement, Shell...

DONG E&P Norge has submitted a DKK4.2 billion ($713 million) development plan for the Oselvar oil and gas field in the Norwegian North Sea.(Europe)
April 1, 2009... DONG E&P Norge has submitted a DKK4.2 billion ($713 million) development plan for the Oselvar oil and gas field in the Norwegian North Sea. This calls for three subsea horizontal production wells connected via a pipeline to BP's Ula field, 23...

Cirrus Energy Nederland has completed testing of its L11-13 appraisal well in the Dutch North Sea.(Europe)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Cirrus Energy Nederland has completed testing of its L11-13 appraisal well in the Dutch North Sea. This was drilled directionally from the L11b-A production platform in the L8-D field, thought to extend across three blocks. The well tested dry...

Total has signed an exploration, development, and production-sharing agreement with Socar for a license on the Absheron block in the Azeri sector.(Caspian Sea)
April 1, 2009... Total has signed an exploration, development, and production-sharing agreement with Socar for a license on the Absheron block in the Azeri sector. The location is 100 km (62 mi) offshore Baku, in a water depth of around 500 m (1,640 ft). Total...

Subsoil licensing agency Rosnedra has granted Lundin Petroleum a five-year extension to its Lagansky exploration license in the Russian sector of the Caspian.(Caspian Sea)
April 1, 2009... Subsoil licensing agency Rosnedra has granted Lundin Petroleum a five-year extension to its Lagansky exploration license in the Russian sector of the Caspian. The acreage includes last year's Morskaya discovery, which has estimated recoverable...

In the Cauvery basin, CUEL has completed the load-out of the jacket and topside for Hindustan Oil Exploration Co's PY-1 development.(India)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the Cauvery basin, CUEL has completed the load-out of the jacket and topside for Hindustan Oil Exploration Co's PY-1 development. The integrated platform weighs 3,320 metric tons (3,660 tons). CUEL's scope ranged...

ONGC's board has approved capital spending of $131.6 million as its share of the Hydra development under the Panna-Mukta joint venture.(India)(Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... ONGC's board has approved capital spending of $131.6 million as its share of the Hydra development under the Panna-Mukta joint venture. The production facilities will comprise two wellhead platforms and associated pipelines, and nine...

PGS Overseas is set to farm into the Panetelleria and Kerkouane permits operated by AuDAX Resources in the Sicily Channel.(Mediterranean Sea)(Petroleum Geo-Services ASA)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... PGS Overseas is set to farm into the Panetelleria and Kerkouane permits operated by AuDAX Resources in the Sicily Channel. Assuming approval from AuDAX's partner, Perth-based Kairiki Energy, PGS would earn 15% in both concessions through...

RAK has started production from two wells drilled from a recently installed platform on the West Bukha field offshore Oman.(Middle East)
April 1, 2009... RAK has started production from two wells drilled from a recently installed platform on the West Bukha field offshore Oman. Partner Heritage Oil reported initial flow rates of 10,000 b/d of 42[degrees] API oil and 30 MMcf/d of gas from the...

South Oil Co. has contracted Foster Wheeler Energy for basic engineering of new offshore oil export facilities for Iraq's Al-Basra terminal.(Middle East)
April 1, 2009... South Oil Co. has contracted Foster Wheeler Energy for basic engineering of new offshore oil export facilities for Iraq's Al-Basra terminal. These will include single-point mooring tanker-loading buoys, pumping and metering equipment, and...

Husky Energy has proven further gas from its Liwan discovery in the South China Sea.(Asia-Pacific)
April 1, 2009... Husky Energy has proven further gas from its Liwan discovery in the South China Sea. The Liwan 3-1-2 well, drilled by the West Hercules, encountered 36 m (118 ft) of net pay with a restricted flow rate of 53 MMcf/d. This could rise to 150...

Nido Petroleum says its recent Tindalo and Yakal discoveries in the SC 54 license off the Philippines contain estimated oil resources of 24.5 MMbbl and 10.7 MMbbl, respectively.(Asia-Pacific)
April 1, 2009... Nido Petroleum says its recent Tindalo and Yakal discoveries in the SC 54 license off the Philippines contain estimated oil resources of 24.5 MMbbl and 10.7 MMbbl, respectively. Analysis of data from the two discovery wells, both of which...

SapuraAcergy will handle subsea installations for Sabah Shell Petroleum's deepwater Gumusut-Kakap development.(Asia-Pacific)
April 1, 2009... SapuraAcergy will handle subsea installations for Sabah Shell Petroleum's deepwater Gumusut-Kakap development. The $825 million contract covers engineering, procurement, transport, and installation of an oil pipeline and catenary riser;...

Shtokman Development AG has awarded a $32 million contract to Aker Solutions, SBM Offshore, and Technip France for the Shtokman gas-condensate Phase 1 development.(Russia)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Shtokman Development AG has awarded a $32 million contract to Aker Solutions, SBM Offshore, and Technip France for the Shtokman gas-condensate Phase 1 development. The consortium will provide concept definition for a floating production unit,...

Chevron says the Iago and Wheatstone fields off northwest Australia hold enough gas to support a two-train LNG and domestic gas supply facility, based at Ashburton North near Onslow.(Australasia)
April 1, 2009... Chevron says the Iago and Wheatstone fields off northwest Australia hold enough gas to support a two-train LNG and domestic gas supply facility, based at Ashburton North near Onslow. It expects to launch a front-end engineering and design...

First oil has flowed to the Maari wellhead platform off New Zealand's Taranaki coast.(Australasia)(First Oil International Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... First oil has flowed to the Maari wellhead platform off New Zealand's Taranaki coast. Over the field's 10-15 year life, it should produced 50 MMbbl of oil, peaking at 30,000 b/d in 2010. The development, operated by OMV, is based on five...

Norway reserves hold steady.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)(Survey)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Exploration on the Norwegian shelf last year led to 25 discoveries, including four in the Barents Sea, according to the latest survey by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD). Most were relatively small accumulations, with combined reserves...

Troll investment scaled down.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)
April 1, 2009... StatoilHydro and its partners in the Troll license in the North Sea have modified their re-development plans. Gas injection at Troll West will proceed in order to increase oil recovery by 17 MMbbl, but the proposed replacement of flowlines in...

Third success for Dana on Rinnes.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)
April 1, 2009... Dana Petroleum has discovered more oil in block 210/24a in the UK northern North Sea. The well on the South East Rinnes prospect targeted a Lower Brent reservoir sequence, 4 km (2.49 mi) from the company's producing Hudson field. After...

BIS Salamis recently performed composite and paint repairs on a vent stack at Shell's Leman Echo platform in the southern North Sea.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: BIS Salamis recently performed composite and paint repairs on a vent stack at Shell's Leman Echo platform in the southern North Sea. To protect staff and the 36-m (118-ft) tall stack against high winds, a...

Baird lined up for storage.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)
April 1, 2009... British Gas' parent company Centrica has acquired a 70% interest from Perenco in a potential subsea storage project. The two companies propose to convert the largely depleted Baird field in the southern North Sea into what would be the UK's...

Hansa farms into German blocks.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Hansa Hydrocarbons is looking to revive exploration in the German sector of the North Sea. The London-based company has a farm-in agreement with Wintershall which would give it 20% of nine blocks in Germany's "H" and "U' quadrants. In return,...

Chevron launches FEED for new deepwater hub.(GULF OF MEXICO)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chevron has initiated front-end engineering and design of a new hub to develop the Jack and nearby St. Malo discoveries in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, George Kirkland, executive VP of Upstream and Gas, said at the...

ATP revises Telemark area development.(GULF OF MEXICO)
April 1, 2009... In the southern part of the Telemark Hub area development, ATP has revised its drilling and production program at Atwater Valley block 63 to include a subsea well which will connect to the MinDOC ATP Titan. ATP says this revision will result in...

Thunder Horse ramping up to capacity.(GULF OF MEXICO)(BP America Inc. BP Oil Co.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Six wells are flowing through the Thunder Horse production, quarters, and drilling platform at a combined rate of 260,000 b/d of oil, making it the second largest producing field in North America, after Prudhoe Bay, said Andy Inglis, BP's chief...

Cascade/Chinook telemetry set.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2009... BMT Scientific Marine Services has contracted Sonardyne International Ltd. to supply an integrated acoustic positioning and telemetry system for use at Petrobras America's Cascade/Chinook field in the Gulf of Mexico. The system is part of a...

Roxar launches new multiphase meter, looks at acquisition bid.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Roxar has launched its third generation multiphase meter, the MPFM 2600 based on its new Zector Technology. Zector Technology consists of new field electronics, new electrode arrangements, and voxel-based signal processing, which will...

Deepwater subsea mooring design venture starts.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... First Subsea and Offspring International plan to jointly develop the next generation of subsea mooring systems, designed for deepwater projects. The joint development intends to produce mooring systems and connectors that are easier and...

Wastewater technology goes subsea.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2009... A method to process and retain polluted fluids subsea has come from CKFCO Oilfield Services. Its Nomadic Environmental Media Operated Host (NEMOH) can treat and retain chemically contaminated water without topside facilities, the company says....

OceanWorks, Schilling team on ROV packages.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2009... Schilling Robots has sold two new Ultra-Heavy-Duty ROVs to Ocean Works International. The ROVs will be part of two systems with OceanWorks electric drive ROV winches and handling equipment for an unnamed operator. The 150 hp ROVs will be...

Pemex hires Cal Dive for Tabasco pipeline.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2009... Cal Dive International Inc. has won a contract from Pemex Exploracion y Produccion to install 13.9 km (8.6 mi) of 20 in (51 cm) subsea pipeline in the litoral Tabasco field in 30 m (98 ft) of water. The lump sum contract will generate revenues...

Murphy selects FDPSO riser monitor system.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(A. Murphy Construction Co.)(2H Offshore Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Murphy has contracted 2H Offshore, an Acteon Co., to supply a flex-joint monitoring system for the Azurite Floating Drilling Production Storage and Offloading (FDPSO) drilling riser offshore, Republic of Congo, West Africa. The FDPSO is...

Deepwater rig demand forecast to outpace supply.(VESSELS, RIGS, & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2009... Good news for deepwater drillers and equipment suppliers--the market for your services is expected to remain strong. That, at least, is the thesis of a recent industry report by Pritchard Capital Partners. The report suggests that demand for...

Seadrill has taken delivery of its new deepwater semisubmersible drilling rig West Eminence from Samsung Shipyard in South Korea.(Vessel deliveries)
April 1, 2009... Seadrill has taken delivery of its new deepwater semisubmersible drilling rig West Eminence from Samsung Shipyard in South Korea. The rig is expected to begin its six-year contract with Petrobras in the Santos basin in June. David Paganie...

SeaWolf Oilfield Services of Nigeria has taken delivery of its new jackup SeaWolf Oritsetimeyin (Hull 104) from UAE-based Maritime Industrial Services.(Vessel deliveries)
April 1, 2009... SeaWolf Oilfield Services of Nigeria has taken delivery of its new jackup SeaWolf Oritsetimeyin (Hull 104) from UAE-based Maritime Industrial Services. The rig is the first built to the Friede & Goldman Super M2 design, and the first jackup...

MODEC's FPSO Cidade de Niteroi MV18 has achieved first oil for Petrobras under a nine-year lease with six one-year options.(Vessel deliveries)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: MODEC's FPSO Cidade de Niteroi MV18has achieved first oil for Petrobras under a nine-year lease with six one-year options. The spread-moored FPSO is equipped with capacity to process 100,000 bid of oil and...

Swiber Holdings has taken delivery of two offshore construction vessels for deployments in Asia.(Vessel deliveries)
April 1, 2009... Swiber Holdings has taken delivery of two offshore construction vessels for deployments in Asia. The Swiber Supporter, a 100-metric ton (110-ton) crane dive-support work barge was delivered in January and is working in India. The other vessel,...

Northern Offshore has taken delivery of its jackup rig Energy Exerter from Fairstar.(Vessel deliveries)
April 1, 2009... Northern Offshore has taken delivery of its jackup rig Energy Exerter from Fairstar. The rig is working with Aegean Energy under a 120-day contract in the Prinos North and Epsilon fields, offshore Greece. David Paganie * Houston

Lamprell Energy has awarded Seajacks International a contract to build two special purpose four-legged self-propelled jackup units to facilitate well intervention and platform maintenance services in the southern North Sea.(New construction, refurbishment)
April 1, 2009... Lamprell Energy has awarded Seajacks International a contract to build two special purpose four-legged self-propelled jackup units to facilitate well intervention and platform maintenance services in the southern North Sea. The units will be...

Arabian Drilling Co. (ADC) has awarded Maritime Industrial Services Co. a $5-million letter of intent to refurbish the jackup rig Arabdrill 08 for its contract with Khafji Joint Operations.(New construction, refurbishment)
April 1, 2009... Arabian Drilling Co. (ADC) has awarded Maritime Industrial Services Co. a $5-million letter of intent to refurbish the jackup rig Arabdrill 08 for its contract with Khafji Joint Operations. The workscope includes equipment replacement and...

ASRY Offshore Services (AOS) in Bahrain has completed its first major contract, the upgrading and repair of Hercules Offshore's jackup drilling rig Hercules 170.(New construction, refurbishment)
April 1, 2009... ASRY Offshore Services (AOS) in Bahrain has completed its first major contract, the upgrading and repair of Hercules Offshore's jackup drilling rig Hercules 170. The work package included a number of upgrades to increase its performance and...

Pemex tenders rigs.(VESSELS, RIGS, & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pemex has awarded a tender for four jackups and one semisubmersible. The 350-ft (107-m) IC jackup for a 785-day contract from April 30 was awarded to Rowan for the Rowan Gorilla IV. Three awards for 250-ft (76-m) IC...

Brazil shrugs off price woes with higher output.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
April 1, 2009... Brazilian national oil company Petrobras continues to raise oil and gas production with the recent start-up of three offshore platforms. In March the company set a new daily oil production record of 2,012,654 bbl, beating its previous...

Smart DPU for harsh conditions.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)(downhole power unit)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Halliburton has developed a new downhole power unit (DPU) series with real-time monitoring for exploration of unconventional assets. The Intelligent series permits increased setting and retrieving force and enables readings at higher...

Custom cementing unit for ultra deepwater.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
April 1, 2009... BJ Services has developed a custom, high-performance cementing unit for BP's ultra deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The technology will be deployed to Pride International's drillship PS 1, expected to begin operations in late...

Low impact drilling for the OCS.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)(outer continental shelf)(Houston Area Research Center)(Texas A&M University)(Report)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... An initiative under way to fund and transfer low impact drilling technologies could remove some of the obstacles toward opening off-limits areas of the US outer continental shelf (OCS) to operators. The group plays an important role given...

Diamond cutter inserts from India.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
April 1, 2009... Newkut Industries, a start-up diamond synthesis company, has two new grades of polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter inserts. The Zafonic PDC cutter inserts are designed to maximize the hardness and wear resistance of the cutter...

Africa.(GEOSCIENCES)
April 1, 2009... CGGVeritas plans to acquire two 2D seismic surveys offshore Gabon and to have the data before the 10th Gabonese License Round scheduled between June and December 2010. That license round will be the first in the country since 1999. It focuses...

Latin America.(GEOSCIENCES)(Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.)(Schlumberger)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Petrobras of Brazil and Schlumberger have agreed to cooperate on pre-salt reservoir research and development. Four specific projects are listed in the agreement: 1. Electromagnetic technology to improve deep reservoir characterization ...

US OCS.(GEOSCIENCES)(outer continental shelf)(TGS-Nopec Geophysical Co.)(WesternGeco Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... TGS-NOPEC Geophysical and WesternGeco have resumed data acquisition for the Freedom Wide Azimuth multi-client project in Mississippi Canyon of the Gulf of Mexico with two recording vessels each towing 10 streamers. The total project covers...

Shell's North field SIMOPS at forefront of innovation: simultaneous operations save time and money in Qatar.(DRILLING TECHNOLOGY)
April 1, 2009... Shell has a new way to drill and to prepare a well ready for start-up in the North field of Qatar that accelerates well delivery to significantly reduce costly rig time. The Pearl GTL project was the first in Qatar to undertake drilling...

Real-time formation pressure testing extends 'while-drilling' capabilities.(DRILLING TECHNOLOGY)
April 1, 2009... The growing complexity of drilling applications makes real-time formation pressure data acquisition increasingly vital to successful reservoir development. In deepwater exploration wells, where one critical challenge is the ability to optimize...

20,000 psi completion coming to GoM.(DRILLING TECHNOLOGY)
April 1, 2009... The first subsea system qualified at 20,000 psi (138 MPa) system is scheduled for installation by Anadarko Petroleum Co. in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Offshore oil and gas operations continue to trend towards developing high-pressure/...

Regional activity revives interest in Africa's final frontier: Seychelles, Madagscar lead way in licensing.(INDIAN OCEAN)
April 1, 2009... Exploration drilling could soon resume off the Seychelles after a gap of 21 years. Two companies recently signed separate production agreements covering a total of 38,000 sq km (14,672 sq mi), and both are keen to drill. Later this year, the...

Bangladesh looks to deepwater for gas: $8 billion in investments required.(INDIAN OCEAN)(Editorial)
April 1, 2009... Bangladesh is set to explore its deepwater basins to source more gas, given the foreseeable end to existing proven, probable, and possible reserves in the country in 2019, based on current estimates. "We need to invest $8 billion on...

Complex imaging challenges met offshore India: 3D SRME approach effective.(INDIAN OCEAN)
April 1, 2009... Imaging in complex environments requires a wide range of tools to suppress various classes of noise and multiples. This must be accomplished in the pre-stack domain so that automated dense picking can be performed on migrated gathers to permit...

OTC .09--celebrating 40 years: panel on energy outlook kicks off technical program.
April 1, 2009... With oil prices dropping more than 50% over the past year as a result of the global economic downturn, profitability is a concern for most oil companies. Technologies that allow oil companies to continue exploration and production while saving...

Subsalt overpressure detection with wave equation depth imaging can save time, cost.(GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS)
April 1, 2009... Subsalt oil deposits likely represent the most significant remaining conventional oil resource base for the US. However, a variety of geotechnical risks and engineering challenges make recovery of this resource anything but conventional. Chief...

Leasing under way off Iceland and Jan Mayen, Norway.(GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS)
April 1, 2009... The announcement by Iceland last year that it would hold a petroleum license round undoubtedly surprised a number of people, geologists among them, who thought that the area, bisected as it is by the Atlantic Mid Oceanic Ridge and its...

2009 annual rotary steerable system directory.
April 1, 2009... Rotary steerable system (RSS) technology for the offshore market continues to advance amid a pull-back in oil prices. In this year's survey of manufacturers and equipment directory there are new offerings from a number of respondents. ...

RSS case study: steerability in the GoM subsalt: applied science for challenging transition zones.(DRILLING & COMPLETION)(Case study)
April 1, 2009... A Gulf of Mexico deepwater development well to be drilled from a fixed drilling facility expected to encounter approximately 5,000 ft (1,524 m) TVD of salt with potential inclusions at the base. Subsalt tar attack was a potential drilling...

Subsurface waste injection taking quantum technical leap.(DRILLING & COMPLETION)
April 1, 2009... Today, cuttings injection has advanced from a simple pumping operation to a scientifically engineered technology that, when designed and monitored correctly, represents a permanent and liability-proof waste disposal option. What was once a...

Micro-emulsion wash technique suited to all offshore environments.
April 1, 2009... The application of micro-emulsion technology to the problem of oil-contaminated waste may solve the problem in many instances. Oil-contaminated drilling waste long has been a concern for the oil and gas industry. Aside from environmental...

Skidbean/cribbing design simplifies shipment of Opti-Ex hull.(ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION & INSTALLATION)
April 1, 2009... In 2008, Exmar contracted Dockwise to transport the 7,500-metric ton (8,267-ton) hull of its Opti-EX 6000 platform from Korea to the Gulf of Mexico. Opfi-EX is a deep-draft, ring-pontoon semi-submersible developed by Exmar to produce marginal...

New remote concept improves subsea control, long-distance stepouts.(PRODUCTION OPERATIONS)(virtual control buoy )
April 1, 2009... The Virtual Control Buoy (VCB) is a new concept for the control of remote subsea gas wells. It uses an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) called a seaglider to carry out the control and communication function. This provides a cheaper, more...

Using optical fibers for integrity monitoring in risers, flowlines: multiple field retrofits simplify stress screening.(PRODUCTION OPERATIONS)
April 1, 2009... Two retrofitted subsea fiber optic strain monitoring systems have been deployed in recent months, with installation accomplished by remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). In the first instance, a work-class ROV deployed sensors to monitor...

Managing sand and erosive solids to optimize safety and production: coordinated data gathering aids risk assessment.(PRODUCTION OPERATIONS)
April 1, 2009... Sand management is a vaunted piece of terminology, but the safety and production implications of sand are greater than one might think. Sand is hard and often abrasive. It is defined as a detrital grain between 0.0625 mm and 2 mm in diameter,...

Autonomous vehicle offers greater flexibility for deepwater inspections.(SUBSEA)(Subsea 7)(SeeByte)(Southampton Oceanographic Centre )
April 1, 2009... As offshore oil and gas exploration and production has evolved, more and more infrastructure of increasing complexity in deeper water and of increased criticality to successful operations is being installed on the seabed. Installation, support,...

Construction vehicles engineered for fast deployment in heavy seas. (SUBSEA).
April 1, 2009... The newly developed Innovator Leviathan is Sonsub s most powerful heavy work class ROV to date, providing high levels of power and control for deepwater operations. In 2007, Sonsub, the subsea division of Saipem, announced that the first...

Understanding hydrate, corrosion issues through flowfield investigation: CFD analysis critical to safeguard system integrity.(FLOWLINES & PIPELINE)
April 1, 2009... Understanding and managing flow and thermal fields is becoming more important as the oil and gas industry strives to understand and minimize risks caused by corrosion and hydrate formation. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis helps to...

HiLoad system to stabilize drillship in Arctic waters.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2009... As Remora's first HiLoad unit prepares for sea trials, the contractor already is planning a second under an EPC contract awarded by Stena Drilling last year. The first unit is a HiLoad DP designed for offshore oil loading, which it achieves by...

Frigg jacket removed to shore via novel re-float method: Buoyancy tanks guide heavy structure to Stord.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2009... Last year Aker Solutions successfully deployed a new jacket removal method to remove the DP2 jacket from Total's Frigg field in the Norwegian North Sea. With the aid of buoyancy tanks, the jacket was floated clear of the seabed and towed ashore...

Innovation Park to showcase Norwegian technologies.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2009... For the first time, Norway's presence at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston May 4-7 will feature an Innovation Park, where 11 companies plan to display novel products and services for the oil and gas industry. A further 45...

ROV winches with AHC engineered for harsh environments.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2009... Rapp Hydema has introduced ROV winches with active heave compensation (AHC) for extreme conditions such as ultra deepwater and arctic areas. The company already has orders from leading ROV contractors--in March, two units were being installed,...

High-capacity pumps boost Gjoa fire protection capability.(NORWAY)(StatoilHydro ASA)(Frank Mohn A/S)
April 1, 2009... Bergen-based Frank Mohn is supplying StatoilHydro's Gjoa platform in the North Sea with what it says are the world's largest firewater pumps. The four fire-pump systems each have capacity of 3,700 cu m/hr, or 1,030 1/sec (272 gal/sec)--the...

Multipurpose 'lift boat' suited to heavy topsides, subsea deployments.(NORWAY)
April 1, 2009... Master Marine is due to bring a new-concept multipurpose offshore vessel into service in 2010. Sea Jack 1, the first unit based on the Service Jack design, was contracted recently by ConocoPhillips for duty on the Ekofisk field in the Norwegian...