Offshore articles from January 2002

Offshore archives from January 2002

Oil recovery increased by 1 million bbl in 20 months. (Oilfield Bulletin).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... From a land well in Dorset, England, a Schlumberger completion solution using a REDA electric submersible pump helped produce oil from a reservoir located offshore. The objective of the solution for this artificially lifted well was to enhance...

World's first all-electric well installed in the UK. (Oilfield Bulletin).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... A long horizontal well in the same field was equipped with a Schlumberger tubing-retrievable all electric flow control valve and a REDA electric submersible pump. The flow control valve is a fully integrated system with gauges to sense...

Innovative completions raise North Sea Production. (Oilfield Bulletin).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... In a Norwegian subsea development, Norsk Hydro required a solution to optimize oil production in eight w Us. With the proper completion design, gas from an upper zone was precisely commingled with produced oil to increase flow. This solution...

A teapot recession. (Comment).(US Gulf of Mexico oil and gas business)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... There is a recession in the offshore oil and gas business, and it is confined to one small area of the world -- the continental shelf of the US Gulf of Mexico. Drilling activity on the shelf is almost nil, and exploration activity just does not...

Wall Street's 'darlings'. (Comment).(non-explorers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... When oil and gas commodities are in recession, equity investors and debt merchants take a high interest in a few small producers that possess an unusual niche or a salable business strategy, All too often, that business strategy depends heavily...

No one answer. (Comment).(deepwater exploration and production)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... One sign that the new technology driving deepwater E&P is maturing can be seen in operators' holistic approach to these solutions. Gone are the days when any one solution is considered a cure-all for taming deepwater. Now individual...

Rigs under contract by area. (Global Data).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Rigs under contract by area This Month Last Month Last Year Eastern Canada 4 4 5 U.S. Gulf of Mexico 123 121 182 Latin America 101 ...

Rigs under contract by rig type. (Global Data).(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Rigs under contract by rig type This Month Last Month Last Year Jackup 304 29 354 Semisubmersible 148 146 133 Drillship 34 33 ...

Regional drilling activity. (Global Data).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Regional drilling activity US Gulf ef Mexico (*)Dec 17/01 Nov 01 Dec 00 Deepwater Wells Underway 45 45 39 Designated Wildcats 20 41 83 Drilling Plans...

Oil and gas prices. (Global Data).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)(Illustration)
January 1, 2002... Oil and gas prices (*) Dec 17/01 Nov 01 Dec 00 West Texas Int. ($/bbl) $17.92 $19.56 $32.08 UK Brent(38 deg.) $18.44 $19.78 $32.51 Nigeria (37 deg.) $19.34...

Amerada Hess. (Europe).(discovers oil off Faeroes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... In mid-November, Amerada Hess made the first significant hydrocarbon discovery off of the Faeroes in license 0, which covers an area south of the Faeroes on the boundary with UK waters. Well 6004/16-1 showed both oil and gas over a gross...

Norsk Hydro. (Europe).(oil and gas finds in the North Sea)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Norsk Hydro's two promising oil and gas finds in the Oseberg area of the North Sea last year will likely form the foundation for a new subsea production development tied into the Oseberg field center. Hydro estimates new recoverable reserves at...

BHP Billiton. (Americas).(drills off Trinidad)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Last month, BHP Billiton announced the success of its fourth exploration well in the Block 2(c) production sharing contract off Trinidad. The jackup Glomar Labrador 1 began drilling the Canteen-1 exploration well at the end of October. The well...

J. Ray McDermott. (Americas).
January 1, 2002... J. Ray McDermott, S.A, announced the award of a $160 million EPCI contract to certain of its subsidiaries for two natural gas production platforms and related submarine pipelines offshore Argentina. The work was awarded by Total Austral S.A., a...

ExxonMobil Corp. (Asia/Pacific).(Satellite Fields Development Project, offshore Malaysia)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... In mid-December, ExxonMobil Corp. announced that oil and gas production began from the first of five new satellite platforms recently installed under the Satellite Fields Development Project, offshore Malaysia. This field development project is...

McDermott International, Inc. (Central Asia).
January 1, 2002... McDermott International, Inc. subsidiary McDermott Caspian Contractors Inc. has signed contracts with AJOC for fabricating platform topsides and installing offshore pipelines in Phase 1 of the development of the Azeri, Chirag, and deepwater...

David Woodward. (Central Asia).(BP President in Azerbaijan announces return to Caspian Sea Operations)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... David Woodward, BP President in Azerbaijan, recently announced that the company would resume operations in the southern Azeri sector of the Caspian Sea Operations were suspended in July when an Iranian military vessel claimed the BP ship was...

Sonangol and TotalFinaElf announced first production from Angola's deepwater Girassol Field in Block 17. (Africa).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... In early December, Sonangol and TotalFinaElf announced first production from Angola's deepwater Girassol Field in Block 17, the largest deepwater development in the world to be brought onstream. Eleven wells, eight of which are producers, were...

ENI drilled the Awa Marine-1 well offshore Congo at a water depth of more than 2,730 meters in November using Saipem. (Africa).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... ENI drilled the Awa Marine-1 well offshore Congo at a water depth of more than 2,730 meters in November using Saipem's semisubmersible Scarabeo 3. A second well is being planned to provide data for a more extensive evaluation of the discovery,...

West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM). (Middle East).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... BG Egypt and Edison announced the successful drilling of the Saurus-1 well in the West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) Concession off the Nile Delta, Egypt in November. This well is the 13th consecutive successful exploration and appraisal well on the...

Hunt Oil Oman signed an oil and gas E&P agreement with the government of Oman. (Middle East).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... In mid-November, Hunt Oil Oman signed an oil and gas E&P agreement with the government of Oman to search for oil in the offshore area number 50 in the Gulf of Masirab. The company will carry out exploration activities and seismic surveys over...

Snohvit taking shape. (Offshore Europe).
January 1, 2002... Statoil's Snohvit development in the Barents Sea will be the world's most northerly LNG project, with first gas deliveries scheduled for 2006 (assuming ratification by Norway's parliament). El Paso Global LNG and Spain's lberdrola have already...

Drilling embargo sought. (Offshore Europe).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Hard-line environmentalists have had to tolerate the Snohvit development, due to the hundreds of jobs it will create in northern Norway. New drilling restrictions may be applied farther south, however. SFT, the country's pollution control...

Baltic Sea gas link imminent. (Offshore Europe).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Partners in the Baltic Gas Interconnector project are seeking approval for a 219-km pipeline from Rostock to southern Sweden, via Denmark. Planned throughput would be 3 bcm/yr, with one of the partners, Norsk Hydro, supplying gas from its...

BG sanctions three projects. (Offshore Europe).
January 1, 2002... BG, formerly known as British Gas, has raised its profile through offshore gas/LNG/power projects in North Africa and Trinidad. At home, it is better known for downsizing. That process continued in November, when it sold a package of downstream...

FPSOs heading to Gulf. (Gulf of Mexico).(floating production, storage, and offloading systems)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Applications to use floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) systems in the Gulf of Mexico will be accepted, the US Minerals Management Service said. Leading up to the decision, the MMS released last February its final environmental...

Slicing offshore turnover rates. (Gulf of Mexico).
January 1, 2002... In less than five years, Diamond Offshore took its offshore personnel turnover rate from a high of 69% down to the current 27%. All it took, according to Diamond Offshore Vice President of Human Resources Lynn Charles, was a new approach to...

Like the 1990s, or is it the 1970s? (Gulf of Mexico).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Gas prices, rig counts, day rates, and the number of newbuilds will all increase as the industry climbs out of a downswing similar to the one that occurred in the 1970s, said Marshall Adkins, Managing Director at Raymond James & Associates....

Seafloor, current study released. (Gulf of Mexico).(Reanalysis and Synthesis of Physical Oceanography Historical Data report released)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Minerals Management Service (MMS) released the "Reanalysis and Synthesis of Physical Oceanography Historical Data" study, which focuses on water depths exceeding 200 meters across the northern Gulf of Mexico. The MMS (US regulatory agency)...

Newfield reports discoveries. (Gulf of Mexico).(Newfield Exploration drills for oil)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Newfield Exploration reported two discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico. Casing was run on the West Cameron 294 No. 5 wildcat well, where well logs encountered more than 100 ft of pay. Drilling operations were set to test deeper objectives....

Pioneer has Ozona success. (Gulf of Mexico).(Pioneer Natural Resources discovers oil)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Pioneer Natural Resources said it had an oil discovery on the Ozona Deep prospect in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico and a successful appraisal well on the Stirrup discovery on the Gulf of Mexico shelf. The Ozona Deep discovery well was drilled in...

Discovery with Llano well. (Gulf of Mexico).(drilling by Enterprise Oil)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Enterprise Oil said it successfully drilled its first well as operator of the Llano field in Garden Banks 385 in the Gulf of Mexico. The Llano field, 125 miles offshore Louisiana, is in about 2,600 ft water depth and was discovered in 1997. The...

First truss Spar installed. (Subsea/Surface Systems).(Kerr-McGee installs new equipment)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Kerr-McGee's Boomvang and Nansen projects in East Breaks Blocks 643 and 602 of the Gulf of Mexico have become the first applications of the truss Spar design. Dave Hager, Kerr-McGee Vice President, Gulf of Mexico and Worldwide Deepwater E&P,...

Talisman trees FMC. (Subsea/Surface Systems).
January 1, 2002... FMC Energy Systems has been awarded a frame contract with Talisman Energy to provide subsea trees, wellheads, and associated equipment in the North Sea. The company also signed a similar agreement with Soekor E&P to provide subsea equipment and...

HP/HT perforation in Elgin/Franklin. (Drilling & Production).(TotalFinaElf Exploration UK PLC uses high pressure/high temperature correlation system for drilling)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Located in the Central North Sea, the Elgin/Franklin project is a combined high pressure/high temperature (HP/HT) development (1,110 bar, 200[degrees]C) of two gas condensate fields. The wells have been drilled with an "S" profile to...

Erosion tests for wellhead cuttings. (Drilling & Production).(drill cuttings injection system by ABB Vetco Gray improved)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The service life of ABB Vetco Gray's drill cuttings re-injection system will be extended, thanks to erosion research carried out by BHRSolutions. Experiments carried out at the fluid engineering center have produced wear rate information and...

Solid expandable tubular technology. (Drilling & Production).(Enventure Global Technology)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Formed in 1999 as a joint venture between Shell and Halliburton, Enventure Global Technology created and defined solid expandable tubular technology (SET) and made it commercially viable. Ninety-nine percent of all existing footage of solid...

Borehole imager for wells drilled with nonconductive oil or synthetic-base mud. (Drilling & Production).(Schlumberger Oilfield Services' oil-base micro imager tool)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Detailed borehole images, derived from microresistivity measurements, can now be acquired in wells drilled with nonconductive oil-base mud. Images from the oil-base micro imager (OBMI) tool by Schlumberger Oilfield Services are being used to...

Closed Gulf of Mexico? (Geo Sciences).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Gulf of Mexico is an amazing basin. We're discovering that the more we probe its geological depths, the more varied its history. Recent seismic work has identified a large sediment plume extending northwest from Cuba. This new finding,...

Orbits and climate. (Geo Sciences).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Hard evidence demonstrates that global temperatures, continental ice sheets, and orbital cycles are linked, according to a report in a recent issue of Nature. The evidence comes from oxygen isotopes gathered from sediment cores of Antarctica's...

Compression forcing out professionals. (Geo Sciences).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Merger mania is loose again. Conoco and Phillips' oil company merger along with Veritas and PGS' seismic contractor merger continue the trend to larger entities. The drivers in each case are different but the effect is similar -- a continued...

West Africa: Spectrum Energy and Information Technology Ltd. signed an agreement with Solgas Petroleum Ltd. (Exploration).
January 1, 2002... Spectrum Energy and Information Technology Ltd. signed an agreement with Solgas Petroleum Ltd., allowing Spectrum to offer 3D seismic data in OPL 226, off Nigeria. The data set covers 698 sq km and was acquired and processed in 2000. Petroleum...

Brazil: Petroleum Geo-Services announced that it is gathering new multiclient surveys in Espirito Santos and Campos basins offshore Brazil. (Exploration).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Petroleum Geo-Services announced that it is gathering new multiclient surveys in Espirito Santos and Campos basins offshore Brazil. Two surveys in Espirito Santos Basin cover 3,600 sq km and utilize PGS' continuous long offset (CLO) technology....

Knowledge management. (Technology).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... Wellogix, Inc. announced a new suite of knowledge management software tools. Proxis [TM] is a software set that provides access to stored expertise. The Internet software tools allow companies to concentrate on core business while implementing...

Tape storage. (Technology).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... Sony Corporation announced a new tape-based data storage technology, the S-AIT format, which will enable up to 500 GB of uncompressed data to be stored on a single-reel, half-inch tape cartridge. The S-AIT drive will use a 5.25-in, extended...

Satellite communication. (Technology).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Businesses in the US will now be able to use Inmarsat Ltd.'s high speed data and voice communications services. US legislation was signed extending the Orbit Act deadline for Inmarsat's initial public offering. As a former Intergovernmental...

US Gulf's early isolation from ocean hypothesis for steep base level fall: Early Eocene sea level changes. (Gulf of Mexico).
January 1, 2002... The existence of several deeply incised and filled paleo-canyons in Paleocene shelf strata around the Gulf of Mexico leads us to speculate that the water level was drawn down by evaporation at least once by as much as 3,000 ft while the Gulf...

Discoveries in deepwater Gulf of Mexico decrease by five in 2001: Interest headed East. (Gulf of Mexico).(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... A decrease in the Gulf of Mexico deepwater discoveries (over 1,000 ft) is possibly the result of extremely expensive technology or plentiful hydrocarbons awaiting development in shallow water fields, whatever the reason, discoveries in 2000...

Will Gulf of Mexico producers spend budgets in 2002 -- or just sit it out? Will demand recover? Royalty relief expand? (Gulf of Mexico).(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Despite an abundance of drilling rigs and leases to be drilled, early data indicates oil and gas producers in the Gulf of Mexico might just sleep through 2002 -- meaning minimal exploration and dwindling production and workover activity similar...

Cutting deepwater costs with surface BOPs, expandable tubulars, pre-installed moorings: Key to exploiting Gulf's marginal reserves. (Drilling Technology).(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Surface blowout preventers (SBOP) are allowing second and third generation semisubmersible drilling units to operate in water depths previously consigned to fourth or fifth generation drilling units. Although this technology has been limited to...

Inflow control method improves gravel packing of horizontal completions: Balanced profile reduces breakthrough risk. (Gravel Packing).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Managing production from long horizontal sections poses a number of challenges to operators. Some key elements among these concerns are effectively controlling inflow from the reservoir and ensuring that the entire length of the interval is...

Agbada well solid tubulars expanded bottom up, screens expanded top down: Sidetrack first to feature both products. (Expandables Technology).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... In Enventure's first-ever application of solid expandables in a horizontal well in the delta region off Nigeria, the company acquired a number of lessons. Expandables were installed in three wells for Shell Petroleum Development Co. of Nigeria...

Issues to address in the selection of production separation methods/equipment: Critical questions for unique applications. (Production Technology).(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... A number of changes have influenced the separation equipment industry since the separation poster, "Worldwide Survey of Separation Technology for the New Millennium" (Offshore, December 1999) was released. Many unrelated equipment manufacturers...

Enhanced flow assurance by active heating within towed production systems: Developing a track record for systems. (Flow Assurance).
January 1, 2002... The future of the oil and gas industry lies in the development of deepwater and ultra-deepwater opportunities. Fewer significant finds are being discovered in shallow water depths, and as a result, exploration has shifted to deeper locations....

Diverless pile connector allows re-leveling during structure life: Option to swaging grouting, and latches. (Subsea Technology).
January 1, 2002... There is a tendency to believe that diverless problems demand sophisticated solutions. However, adding complexity introduces cost penalties and issues surrounding inspection, maintenance, repair, and reliability. For diverless structure/pile...

Part II: 'Smart metals' providing actuation, sealing, and connection functions downhole: Short learning curve for 'new' technology. (Materials Science).
January 1, 2002... PART II: This is the second of a two-part series. Part I focused on the theory behind shape metal alloys. Part II features downhole well applications now being made using 'smart metals' technology. Petroleum industry manufacturers and...

Interpreting sonic logs for seismic may resolve reservoir detection problems: Retaining layered log character critical. (Seismic Technology).
January 1, 2002... Attributing rock property significance to seismic data has always been a key objective in the exploration industry, and never more so than with current demands to extract detailed reservoir descriptions. Whether the application is...

Aeromagnetic data helps define salt structure variations in Gulf of Mexico: 'Sentinel' for thickness variations. (Seismic Technology).
January 1, 2002... A low cost and efficient qualitative tool -- aeromagnetic data -- can now help provide an exploralionist with 85% accuracy in predicting the presence and thickness of salt structures, a key element in determining oil and gas prospects. ...

In select applications, AUVs work faster, cheaper than tethered vehicles: Ultra-deepwater hybrid AUV/ROV within five years. (AUV/ROV Technology).
January 1, 2002... Mustang Engineering and Offshore Magazine have sponsored Texas A&M University's Ocean Engineering Program in developing a worldwide survey of AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles.). Because of the growing interest in AUV technology by the oil...

Bilge keel refit, offloading re-arrangement allows Ramform to resume Banff service: Small FPSO now on 100% up-time. (FPSO Technology).
January 1, 2002... Ramform vessels were an instant hit in seismic data acquisition, but adapted less well to floating production. After 18 months' service on Conoco UK's Banff Field, motion problems led to the Ramform FPSO -- the world's first -- being taken off...

Telemetry/berthing control multiplex designed for Girassol offloading: Multiple redundancy for harsh weather. (FPSO Technology).
January 1, 2002... A new design of telemetry and berthing aid system (TBAS) to improve safety during floating production system maneuvers has been deployed on the Girassol development offshore Angola. The system, developed by Thales Industrial Services, is...

Pull-through composites may give new life to damaged offshore pipelines. (Pipeline Technology).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... With an eye to operators' desire to reduce costs, Fiberspar has developed a composite line pipe that could simplify not only pipeline remediation projects, but the installation and operation of infield flowlines in deepwater. Fiberspar's...

Mining value from e-connectivity. (Beyond the Horizon).
January 1, 2002... The oil and gas industry stands on the threshold of a new way of doing business. Over the last 12-48 months, a dramatic shift in understanding has taken place within the industry; fully embracing the notion that information technologies (IT)...