Offshore articles from February 2008

Offshore archives from February 2008

Seismic activity reflects Asia-Pacific growth.(COMMENT)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Seismic survey activities in the Asia-Pacific are setting new records in response to growing energy demand in local economies. Geophysical companies are expected to set up pre-concession bidding-data libraries, introduce more 4D shoots, and...

Major Asia-Pacific technology exchange.(COMMENT)
February 1, 2008... Meanwhile, the growing offshore and deepwater exploration and production activity in the Asia-Pacific region has created a need for technology exchange. PennWell's Offshore Asia 2008 Conference & Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is filling...

Offshore rig market unfazed by new entries.(COMMENT)
February 1, 2008... With the US Gulf of Mexico rig market experiencing a downward trend in its fleet size as slack demand drives rigs from the area, other regions of the world are not only compensating with strong rig demand, but also benefiting from the US Gulf...

Subsea equipment qualification.(COMMENT)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Consistent, practical ways to define equipment qualification and testing can improve subsea reliability and can facilitate project execution. ExxonMobil Development Co. (EMDC) has developed a systematic, structured approach to equipment...

Active rig fleet, January 2008.(GLOBAL DATA)
February 1, 2008... Active rig fleet, January 2008 Floaters Jackups US GoM 37(0) 76(-3) Mex GoM 5(-1) 36(+2) North Sea 39(0) 34(-2) East Atlantic ...

GoM drilling permits issued.(GLOBAL DATA)
February 1, 2008... GoM drilling permits issued June 55 July 50 Aug. 41 Sept. 35 Oct. 55 Nov. 56 Dec. ...

Availability of drilling vessels by type.(GLOBAL DATA)
February 1, 2008... This graph compares the availability of offshore drilling rigs by type and by contractor from 2008 through 2010, according to company reports collected by Raymond James & Associates. Jackup rigs are shown in red and floating vessels in blue....

Gulf of Mexico day rates.(GLOBAL DATA)(Statistical table)
February 1, 2008... Gulf of Mexico day rates Month/Year Minimum Average Maximum Drillship Jan 2007 $190,900 $243,599 $295,200 Feb 2007 $190,900 $250,262 $301,700 Mar 2007 ...

Cairn Energy has secured interest in six offshore west Greenland exploration licenses covering 52,000 sq km (20,077 sq mi) in water depths from 300 m to 1,400 m (984 ft to 4,593 ft).(North America)
February 1, 2008... Cairn Energy has secured interest in six offshore west Greenland exploration licenses covering 52,000 sq km (20,077 sq mi) in water depths from 300 m to 1,400 m (984 ft to 4,593 ft). Cairn says its Capricorn exploration arm landed operated...

Modec's FSO Cidade de Macae, on lease to Petrobras, has seen its first oil, received final acceptance, and has begun its 20-year charter.(Latin America)
February 1, 2008... Modec's FSO Cidade de Macae, on lease to Petrobras, has seen its first oil, received final acceptance, and has begun its 20-year charter. The FSO, in Campos basin off Brazil, has storage of 2.15 MMbbl of oil and is permanently moored to an...

Canadian Superior Energy and partner BG International have made a natural gas discovery on Intrepid block 5(c) off the east coast of Trinidad.(Latin America)
February 1, 2008... Canadian Superior Energy and partner BG International have made a natural gas discovery on Intrepid block 5(c) off the east coast of Trinidad. "We have just finished the successful flow testing of the first zone to be completed on our...

Lundin Petroleum has resumed production from the Thistle field.(North Sea/Europe)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Lundin Petroleum has resumed production from the Thistle field. Production was suspended following a fire in one of the Thistle Alpha installation's power generation turbine enclosures. Turbine A, the unit directly affected by the fire, has...

Shell UK has produced first gas from the 175 million [pounds sterling] ($324 million) Starling development in the central North Sea.(North Sea/Europe)
February 1, 2008... Shell UK has produced first gas from the 175 million [pounds sterling] ($324 million) Starling development in the central North Sea. The Starling field, discovered in 1979 in 100 m (328 ft) water depth in block 29/3a, is tied back subsea to...

StatoilHydro has discovered further oil in the Fram area of the Norwegian North Sea.(North Sea/Europe)
February 1, 2008... StatoilHydro has discovered further oil in the Fram area of the Norwegian North Sea. The semisubmersible Bideford Dolphin drilled well 35/11-B23-H in the eastern part of Fram field, 10 km (6.2 mi) north of the Troll West oil province...

CNOOC Ltd. has brought two Bohai Bay projects onstream.(Asia)
February 1, 2008... CNOOC Ltd. has brought two Bohai Bay projects onstream. The Bo Zhong (BZ) 34-1 oilfield has come onstream at 4,800 b/d of oil from seven wells, and the Jin Zhou (JZ) 21-1 is producing 3.53 MMcf/d of gas via one well. BZ 34-1 has one...

Talisman (Vietnam 15-2/01) Ltd. has tested the Hai Su Den (HSD) exploration well offshore Vietnam.(Asia)
February 1, 2008... Talisman (Vietnam 15-2/01) Ltd. has tested the Hai Su Den (HSD) exploration well offshore Vietnam. This is Talisman's second oil discovery in Vietnam in the past year, following the Hai Su Trang (HST) Miocene sandstone discovery on the same...

Nido Petroleum Ltd. has extended the northeast of Service Contract 54 in the Philippines by 12,000 ha (29,653 a) through the relinquishment of an equivalent area from the less prospective southeastern boundary.(Australia)
February 1, 2008... Nido Petroleum Ltd. has extended the northeast of Service Contract 54 in the Philippines by 12,000 ha (29,653 a) through the relinquishment of an equivalent area from the less prospective southeastern boundary. The new acreage includes the...

Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Ltd. has initiated production from Kizomba C in 2,400 ft (800 m) of water 90 mi (145 km) offshore Angola.(Africa)
February 1, 2008... Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Ltd. has initiated production from Kizomba C in 2,400 ft (800 m) of water 90 mi (145 kin) offshore Angola. Kizomba C is designed to develop 600 MMbbl of oil from Mondo, Saxi, and Batque fields. Mondo is...

Total has outlined plans for the Pazflor development in deepwater block 17 offshore Angola.(Africa)
February 1, 2008... Total has outlined plans for the Pazflor development in deepwater block 17 offshore Angola. Drilling is scheduled to start in 2009 with oil production in 2011. The plan also calls for seabed gas/liquid separation next to the production wells,...

Noble Energy has completed a successful test on block I, offshore Equatorial Guinea.(Africa)
February 1, 2008... Noble Energy has completed a successful test on block I, offshore Equatorial Guinea. The I-4 well, which is on trend with the Belinda discovery on block O offshore Equatorial Guinea, encountered a Miocene reservoir that yielded flow rates of...

Norwegian operators lining up more projects.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Norway's oil and gas production last year dropped slightly to around 238 MMcm of oil equivalent, according to a review by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD). Overall exploration and development activity, however, remained high, and...

Fairfield plans Dunlin life extension.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)
February 1, 2008... Shell and ExxonMobil have begun their phased retreat from the UK Northern North Sea, first detailed last June when the duo opted to sell most of their operated interests in the region, bar the Brent fields. At that point, negotiations...

Petrofac finds role for Northern Producer.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)
February 1, 2008... Petrofac, better known for platform/facilities management, has submitted a plan for its first operated UK field development. This involves placing the currently idle semisubmersible production platform Northern Producer in between the small Don...

Eco-friendly power may be costly.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Long-distance power links to Norway's production platforms could be more expensive than previous estimates, according to a report commissioned by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. The study, conducted by a group including NPD and the...

StatoilHydro, W&T make deepwater discoveries.(GULF OF MEXICO)
February 1, 2008... StatoilHydro and W&T Offshore both reported discoveries in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico in early 2008. StatoilHydro and partner ExxonMobil (operator) struck oil on the Julia prospect in the Walker Ridge area. The discovery well was drilled in...

Technip wins Shell Perdido installation contract.(GULF OF MEXICO)
February 1, 2008... Shell has awarded Technip a contract for installation work on the Perdido oil field. The contract covers engineering, fabrication, and installation of one flowline and one steel catenary riser, with a total length of 8.24 mi (13.2 km). The...

Operators approve budget increases.(GULF OF MEXICO)
February 1, 2008... Operators on the shelf are allocating more resources to drilling in 2008 versus 2007. W&T Offshore's board has approved an $800-million (41% exploration, 56% development, 3% seismic) budget for exploration and development in 2008, up 77% from...

WorleyParsons wins SSP-320 detailed design.(GULF OF MEXICO)
February 1, 2008... OPE Inc. has awarded WorleyParsons SEA Engineering the detailed design of the SSP-320 hull. The Satellite Services Platform (SSP) is a patented spherical shaped floating vessel with a center column, which provides measurable advantages over...

Shelf assets change hands.(GULF OF MEXICO)
February 1, 2008... W&T Offshore has agreed to acquire Apache Corp.'s interest in Ship Shoal 349 field offshore Louisiana for $116 million, pending closing conditions. The field covers two federal lease blocks, Ship Shoal 349 and 359. The effective date of...

Superior to plug wells, decommission platforms.(GULF OF MEXICO)
February 1, 2008... BP Plc., Chevron Corp., and Apache Corp. have contracted Wild Well Control Inc., a subsidiary of Superior Energy Services Inc., to decommission seven downed platforms and related well facilities offshore Louisiana for $750 million. The...

Socotherm opens anti-corrosion plant.(GULF OF MEXICO)(Socotherm Americas SA)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Socotherm Americas SA subsidiary Socotherm LaBarge officially has opened the doors of its anti-corrosion production and services plant in Channelview near Houston. The plant is designed to manufacture and to apply anti-corrosion coating...

Defective mooring shackles alert regulators.(GULF OF MEXICO)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... According to a safety alert issued jointly by the US Coast Guard and MMS, a failure occurred in a portion of an anchoring system in two separate incidents. One component failed on a system in the GoM; the other was found during installation to...

BP contracts Pride drillship.(GULF OF MEXICO)
February 1, 2008... BP has contracted Pride International's newbuild ultra deepwater drillship for five years starting in the GoM in 3Q 2010, upon completion of construction. The drillship will be capable of drilling in 12,000 ft (3,656 m) of water but rigged...

TGS-Nopec, WesternGeco start survey.(GULF OF MEXICO)
February 1, 2008... TGS-Nopec Geophysical Co. and WesternGeco have started acquiring a multi-client, wide-azimuth 3D survey in the GoM. The mcWAZ Freedom Phase survey is to cover 650 outer continental shelf blocks in Mississippi Canyon and Atwater Valley. The...

Angola subsea boom continues.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)
February 1, 2008... A number of significant subsea development projects offshore Angola are in the news recently. ExxonMobil at Kizomba and Total at Pazflor represent both ends of the spectrum. Kizomba started production and hardware contracts were let for...

Petrobras starts deepwater GoM development contracting.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)
February 1, 2008... Petrobras America has contracted Subsea 7 Inc. for installation work at the Cascade and Chinook fields in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The $50-million contract covers engineering and installing 70 km (43.5 mi) of power cables and control...

Technip to supply flexible risers, umbilicals for offshore India.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Two contracts totaling $396 million went to Technip from Aker Kvaerner for flexible risers and umbilical installation offshore India in 1,400 m (4,593 t) of water. Technip will provide 30 km (18.6 mi) of flexible risers and also will install...

Saipem to build deepwater field development ship.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)
February 1, 2008... Saipem plans to build a $547-million deepwater field development ship, Saipem FDS 2. The construction order will be placed with a shipyard in 2Q 2008 after completion of the engineering phase. Fabrication is expected to last 36 months. The...

MODEC's Stybarrow Venture MV16 produces first oil.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... MODEC has first oil from the FPSO Stybarrow Venture MV16. The vessel is in permit WA-255-P in the Exmouth sub-basin off the northwest coast of Australia. The unit sailed form Jurong shipyard in Singapore at the end of August 2007. MODEC...

Second Bully rig scheduled.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Shell EP Wells Equipment Services BV and Frontier Drillships Ltd. have committed to contract a second deepwater/arctic drillship of the Bully class. Rig delivery is expected in 2010. The Bully rig is a smaller vessel suited for deepwater or...

First Middle East built jackup launches.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)
February 1, 2008... Maritime Industrial Services Co. has loaded out the first jackup drilling rig built in the Middle East. The rig is a Friede and Goldman Super Mod 2 design rated for 30,000 ft (9,144 m) drilling depth in 300 ft (91 m) of water. The Sea Wolf...

StatoilHydro extends jackup contract.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)
February 1, 2008... StatoilHydro has extended its contract for Seadrill's jackup West Epsilon by one year. The extension, valued at around $116 million, will keep the rig on duty until November 2010. Tracy Dulle * Houston

Aker gets contract for harsh environment rig.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)
February 1, 2008... StatoilHydro has contracted the harsh environment, deepwater drilling rig Aker Spitsbergen upon construction completion in July 2008. The rig is to work offshore Norway. The duration of the contract has not been fixed. Tracy Dulle *...

Pemex contracts construction vessel.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)
February 1, 2008... Pemex has awarded a letter of intent to Constructora Subacufitic Diavas for a five-year inspection, maintenance, and repair contract using the DeepOcean MPSV Arbol Grande. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The contract to DeepOcean is valued at...

Solstad orders dive/construction vessel.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)
February 1, 2008... Solstad Offshore has contracted Bergen Group for a newbuild diving/offshore construction vessel for delivery in September 2010. Skipsteknisk in Aalesund designed the 120-m (394-ft) long, 23-m (75.5-fl) beam ST 256 L CD vessel. Features will...

PGS extends Aquila Explorer contract.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)
February 1, 2008... PGS has exercised both six-month options of the time charter contract for Aquila Explorer, making the contract firm until February 2009. The 12-month extension has a total value of $20 million. Tracy Dulle * Houston

Hornbeck Offshore to acquire Superior Achiever.(VESSELS, RIGS, UPGRADES)
February 1, 2008... Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc. has agreed with Superior Offshore International Inc. to purchase the Superior Achiever, a T-22 class DP-3 new generation multi-purpose support vessel, and related owner-furnished equipment. The MSV is under...

VetcoGray applies ModPod to Sequoia field.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
February 1, 2008... VetcoGray will supply its control system technology to the development of a new gas field in the West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) area offshore the Nile Delta for Burullus Gas Co. of Cairo. The company has received a contract worth more than...

SmartShim technology protects conductors.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
February 1, 2008... SmartShim technology has been installed on StatoilHydro's Oseberg Sor platform in the North Sea to protect against conductor damage as part of an underwater repair program. This technology from Furmanite is designed to prevent damage to...

Oselvar discovery well.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
February 1, 2008... Revus Energy says the preliminary results from the Oselvar appraisal well 1/3-10 proved oil/condensate and associated gas. A production test was performed proving a flow rate of 530 cm/d (3,334 b/d) of oil. GOR was 476 cu m/bbl (2,668 cu...

INTEQ drills deepest 12 1/4-in. hole.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] INTEQ Sakhalin Island has successfully sidetracked and drilled the deepest 12 1/4-in. (31.1-cm) hole in the Sakhalin ERD project. The 12 1/4-in. hole in the Z-16 ST well is 5,588 m (18,333 ft) in length and is the...

Wavefield, TGS merger remains in limbo.(GEOSCIENCES)(TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As of the last report before press time, the on again/off again Wavefield Inseis ASA merger with TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co. ASA is both on again and off again. According to Wavefield, TGS reported a "revenue...

Fugro adds another seismic vessel.(GEOSCIENCES)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Fugro has contracted BMV (Bergen Yards) to build a seismic vessel. The contract calls for a 108-m (35440 long, 28-m (92-ft) wide vessel with 16 tow points and the latest in seismic technology. Delivery is scheduled for August 2010 and Fugro...

Pemex goes EMGS.(GEOSCIENCES)
February 1, 2008... Petroleos Mexicanos has contracted EMGS for $10 million to determine the hydrocarbon potential of deepwater prospects in the Mexican sector of the Gulf of Mexico. Preparations were to be done by the end of 2007 with the survey to start in 1Q...

Schlumberger ties up MetaCarta.(GEOSCIENCES)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Schlumberger has acquired exclusive distribution rights to the oil and gas sector for the MetaCarta map-based geographic information search technologies. MetaCarta combines map-driven geographic search, referencing, temporal filtering, and data...

Chevron, Paradigm join forces.(GEOSCIENCES)
February 1, 2008... Chevron Energy Technology Co. and Paradigm have agreed to integrate Paradigm's interpretation and reservoir modeling software into Chevron's proprietary E&P system. As part of the multi-year, multi-million dollar agreement, Paradigm also...

US Gulf rig market wanes; rest of world prospers: fleet count up, utilization rate stable.(TOP 10 DRILLING CONTRACTORS)
February 1, 2008... With the US Gulf of Mexico rig market experiencing a downward trend in its fleet size as slack demand drives rigs from the area, other regions of the world are not only compensating with strong rig demand, but also benefiting from the US Gulf...

Kambuna offshore development restoring power to North Sumatra.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
February 1, 2008... Indonesia is running short of gas to fuel the needs of some of its largest population centers. This creates openings for foreign operators willing to invest in new production programs. One of these companies is London-based Serica Energy,...

Asia-Pacific seismic activities on the rise.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
February 1, 2008... Seismic survey activities in the Asia-Pacific are peaking and geophysical companies are expected to set up pre-concession bidding data libraries, and introduce more 4D shoots and more intensive deepwater subsurface surveys using the...

Asia strengthens as significant worldwide E&P player: Offshore Asia Conference & Exhibition to showcase regional technology, developments.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
February 1, 2008... World oil demand growth is coming from emerging Pacific rim countries, analysts say in 2008 forecasts. The demand created by these growing Asia-Pacific economic centers has pushed offshore exploration and development activity in the...

Evolution of real time operations monitoring: from concept to global implementation.(E-TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2008... Starting with a small-scale "war room" in 2002 with limited scope for real time monitoring, the New Orleans-based "Real-Time Operations Center" (RTOC) now monitors all offshore wells in the Gulf of Mexico, select land wells in the Continental...

Fiber optic OBS field trial succeeds: 4C tested at two depths, shows advantages.(GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS)
February 1, 2008... A multi-component fiber-optic seismic acquisition system has been developed and qualified in a joint venture between Statoil ASA and Optoplan AS. The seismic sensors were based on fiber-optic sensor technology, i.e. each 4C ocean bottom seismic...

PeriScope provides new insight into Veslefrikk's productive zones.(DRILLING & COMPLETION)
February 1, 2008... As oil fields mature, well placement becomes progressively more challenging. Operators must contend with issues that may not have existed earlier. Precision k steering away from fluid boundaries is increasingly important, as a single...

Completion design secures production through dual-formation Mittelplate well.(DRILLING & COMPLETION)
February 1, 2008... The Mittelplate oilfield, operated by RWE Dea, is off the German North Sea coast on the southern boundary of the Wattenmeer Tidelands National Park. Since 1987 the field has produced from four main sandstones within the Dogger formation, namely...

Micronized weight material optimizes ERD drilling.(DRILLING & COMPLETION)
February 1, 2008... A dry micronized weight material (MWM) designed to improve hydraulic pressure management while mitigating sag tendencies while drilling extended-reach wells has been developed and used successfully in recent Gulf of Mexico projects. The...

Reducing risk in extended reach drilling: people, technology hold keys.(DRILLING & COMPLETION)
February 1, 2008... Technology advances continue to push the boundaries of extended reach drilling (ERD) to access stranded reserves, reduce environmental impact, improve both production and recovery, and lower field development costs. These technical advances...

Optimizing managed pressure drilling: different problems, different solutions.(DRILLING & COMPLETION)
February 1, 2008... Managed pressure drilling (MPD) uses controlled formation pressure during drilling operations to reduce non-productive time to increase return-on-investment. IADC defines managed pressure drilling as "an adaptive drilling process used to...

Minimal semisubmersible hits marginal deepwater development economics: more space for more power.(FIELD DEVELOPMENT)
February 1, 2008... There are marginal fields with significant reserves that are not large enough to warrant a dedicated process platform nor close enough to an existing platform with spare capacity. These reserves may become economic if development costs can be...

Surging demand forecast for offshore energy.(FIELD DEVELOPMENT)
February 1, 2008... The offshore oilfield services sector faces unprecedented levels of business; some companies that might normally have a six-month backlog are now booking work for 2011, according to John Westwood of Douglas-Westwood Ltd. Recent $100 oil adds to...

Deepwater well re-entry model can save time, money: extra feedback loop improves BOP position control.(PRODUCTION OPERATIONS)
February 1, 2008... The dynamics of a semisubmersible platform coupled with a free-hanging vertical rigid riser during the re-entry operation in ultra deepwater is complicated by the effects of platform motions on the installation procedure. The placement and...

Innovative technologies increase coiled tubing capabilities: cleanout and stimulation treatments benefit.(PRODUCTION OPERATIONS)
February 1, 2008... Coiled tubing (CT) technology is part of the offshore routine because of its efficiency, reliability, and effectiveness. For well cleaning and stimulation applications, CT offers technical and economic advantages compared with snubbing or...

New deepwater subsea equipment qualification system eases execution, improves reliability.(SUBSEA)
February 1, 2008... Consistent, practical ways to define equipment qualification and testing can improve subsea reliability and can facilitate project execution. ExxonMobil Development Co. (EMDC) has developed a systematic, structured approach to equipment...

ROV system re-design targets more efficient subsea intervention.(SUBSEA)(remotely operated vehicles)
February 1, 2008... Technology for remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) has evolved rapidly over the last 20 years, driven mainly by the need to support deepwater field development. Most deepwater intervention operations are now beyond diver depths, so the...

New tools and technology for the offshore industry: PC-based software provides asset management for smart instruments with fieldbus capabilities.(EQUIPMENT & ENGINEERING)
February 1, 2008... Offshore platforms are integrating smart instruments into their process automation solutions via fieldbus technologies such as Hart, Foundation, and Profibus. Adding configuration, commissioning, and asset management capabilities to these...

Offshore Hydrocarbon Mapping.(People)
February 1, 2008... Offshore Hydrocarbon Mapping has restructured its board of directors. Dave Pratt, currently CEO has been appointed as executive chairman. Thierry Joseph Marie Le Roux has been appointed as a non-executive director. Stephen John Ludlow has been...

National Oilwell Varco's.(People)
February 1, 2008... National Oilwell Varco's CTES group has named Trevor Pugh as VP of engineering. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Knight.(People)
February 1, 2008... Mike Brady has been named director of HR for Knight and its operating companies. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

EPCO Inc.(People)
February 1, 2008... EPCO Inc. has appointed Leonard W. Mailer as senior VP of engineering.

Acceleware.(People)
February 1, 2008... Acceleware has appointed Shawn Lorenz as VP of sales.

Enventure Global Technology.(People)
February 1, 2008... Enventure Global Technology has appointed Jolene Chipiuk as technical sales representative for its North America team.

SOCO International.(People)
February 1, 2008... SOCO International has promoted Antony Maris to VP of operations.

StatoilHydro.(People)
February 1, 2008... StatoilHydro has nominated Svein Rennemo as the new chair of the board of directors. Marit Arnstad will remain deputy chair.

KBR.(People)
February 1, 2008... KBR has appointed Brad Lankford as senior VP of sales.

Aker Yards.(People)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Oddvar Slettevold, executive VP projects and technology for Aker Yards, has died. He was 56 years old.