Offshore articles from January 2005

Offshore archives from January 2005

The unsinkable Gulf of Mexico.(Comment)
January 1, 2005... This year's annual Gulf of Mexico special report focuses on a number of trends--fewer deepwater wells, increasing activity by independents, declining production from shelf-based deep gas wells, deepwater interest from Pemex, and more. Gulf...

Amerada Hess Corp. made another oil discovery off Equatorial Guinea with the G-19 exploration well drilled on block G in the Rio Muni basin.(Africa)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Amerada Hess Corp. made another oil discovery off Equatorial Guinea with the G-19 exploration well drilled on block G in the Rio Muni basin. The G-19 well reached a total depth of 7,483 ft in 1,263 ft of water and encountered 113 ft of net oil...

Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) is on the cusp of a new era.(Americas)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) is on the cusp of a new era. The company has had its first deepwater discovery in the Bay of Campeche with the Nab-1 well, drilled in 2,230 ft of water. Nab-1 tapped a field that could produce as much as 100 MMbbl of...

Late last year, Suriname's state-owned Staatsolie signed a production-sharing agreement with Denmark's Maersk Oil.(Americas)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Late last year, Suriname's state-owned Staatsolie signed a production-sharing agreement with Denmark's Maersk Oil for offshore block 31. The contract covers exploration and development of the block, which lies 30 km offshore and covers...

Falkland Oil and Gas Ltd. recently landed sole operatorship.(Geophysical Services Ltd., contract)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Falkland Oil and Gas Ltd. recently landed sole operatorship for a production license offshore the Falkland Islands. FOGL already holds a 77.5% interest in licenses covering 33,000 sq km to the south and east of the Falkland Islands with its...

ChevronTexaco Corp. proved once again that the North Sea still holds surprises.(Europewell )(oil and gas discovery at the Rosebank/Lochnagar)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... ChevronTexaco Corp. proved once again that the North Sea still holds surprises, announcing a significant oil and gas discovery at the Rosebank/Lochnagar well (213/27-1Z) in the Faeroe-Shetland Channel. The deepwater well, completed last...

Statoil has tested oil at its Topas prospect between the Gullfaks and Visund A fields.(Europe)
January 1, 2005... Statoil has tested oil at its Topas prospect between the Gullfaks and Visund A fields in the Norwegian North Sea. Designated 34/10048S, the wildcat was drilled to a total measured length of 7,393 m and a depth of 2,849 m beneath the sea...

Statoil is looking for ways to expand its presence in Russia.(Europe)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Statoil is looking for ways to expand its presence in Russia and expects to sign contracts to that end this year. In 2004, OAO Gazprom, OAO NK Rosneff, and Statoil ASA signed a memorandum of understanding for six months of joint studies on...

The Dutch Parliament announced late last year it would support the cabinet in allowing gas production.(Europe)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Dutch Parliament announced late last year it would support the cabinet in allowing gas production and future exploration in the Wadden Sea. Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) is happy with the decision to open the sea and is...

Exxon Neftegas Ltd., Sakhalin-1 operator, held a ceremony at the welding of the first joint of a pipeline.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Exxon Neftegas Ltd., Sakhalin-1 operator, held a ceremony at the welding of the first joint of a pipeline that will connect Sakhalin Island to the Russian mainland. The 225-km pipeline will transport Chayvo crude oil west across Sakhalin...

India takes the show on the road for NELP V.(regulation for petroleum industry)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... India's NELP V Licensing round opens up 20 blocks for bid this year, eight of them offshore. Six of the blocks are in deepwater, and two are in shallow water. Recent world-class discoveries in the Bay of Bengal in the deepwater...

The government of Australia recently awarded three offshore petroleum exploration permits in Victoria.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The government of Australia recently awarded three offshore petroleum exploration permits in Victoria. All of the blocks carry an initial term of six years with a maximum of two five-year renewals. The permits resulted from bids submitted in...

The North Caspian PSA companies have awarded Saipem a contract for construction and installation of an offshore pipeline system.(Central Asia)
January 1, 2005... The North Caspian PSA companies have awarded Saipem a contract for construction and installation of an offshore pipeline system. The pipeline is part of the development program for the Kashagan field in the Caspian Sea. The $520-million...

In 4Q 2004, Lukoil Overseas began exploration drilling on the North-East Geisum block in the Gulf of Suez offshore Egypt.(Middle East)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... In 4Q 2004, Lukoil Overseas began exploration drilling on the North-East Geisum block in the Gulf of Suez offshore Egypt. The company acquired the right to work on this block and the neighboring West Geisum block, in January of 2003 through the...

SOCO has decided to let go of its assets offshore Tunisia.(Mediterranean)(Soco International PLC)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... SOCO has decided to let go of its assets offshore Tunisia. The company entered into a sale and purchase agreement of its interests in the Zarat permit in the Gulf of Gabes, which includes its 22.22% interest in the producing Didon field and a...

Dong buys stake in Ormen Lange.(Offshore Europe)(Dansk Olie og Naturgas A/S)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Danish oil company Dong emerged as the surprise suitor for BP's 10.34% stake in the Ormen Lange gas-condensate project. The two entered into an agreement late last year, which was due to come into effect Jan. 1, subject to approval from the...

Bids close for Faeroes round.(Offshore Europe)(petroleum exploration)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Eight oil companies have submitted bids for offshore exploration acreage under the Faroe Islands' second licensing round. The area offered covers over 19,000 sq km and comprises 83 whole and 39 part-blocks. Most of these lie east or southeast...

Gazprom sets supply target.(Offshore Europe)(Foreign operations)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Gazprom, the world's largest producer of natural gas, plans to step up its assault on the UK sector, which will become increasingly dependent on gas imports as UK North Sea production declines. The Russian company has been active in Britain for...

Taking the pressure off duty-holders.(Offshore Europe, petroleum industry)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... In November, Britain's North Sea industry had something to celebrate: the 40th anniversary of the UK Continental Shelf Act. This piece of legislation triggered the first wave of activity in the sector. Whether there will be anything left to...

Independence Hub dependent on six companies.(Gulf Of Mexico)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Five independent exploration and production companies and a midstream energy company have agreed to develop multiple ultra-deepwater natural gas discoveries in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Independence Hub LLC, an affiliate of Enterprise...

GoM to increase production.(Gulf Of Mexico)
January 1, 2005... New incentives to encourage energy companies to explore and develop difficult-to-reach areas of the GoM will help boost peak oil production in the Gulf by 43% and natural gas production by 13% over the next decade, says Assistant Secretary of...

MMS lease sales.(Gulf Of Mexico)(Oil and gas leases)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The MMS has accepted high bids on 346 of 351 tracts offered in offshore Oil and Gas Lease Sale 192, held Aug. 18, 2004. The high bids totaled $169.9 million. Of the 351 tracts receiving bids, MMS rejected four high bids totaling $1,257,085 as...

Subsea separation holds promise.(Subsea/Surface Systems)
January 1, 2005... Operators have long been attracted to the cost savings and production increases offered by subsea separation. The technology challenges, however, have so far prevented the concept from becoming reality. But hope is on the horizon. In a...

Technical challenges.(Subsea/Surface Systems)
January 1, 2005... For any subsea water separation application there are some key challenges, and the authors pointed out these: * Water re-injection quality with respect to the allowable content of oil-in-water and solids-in-water as well as the maximum...

Sand control completions using flux analysis.(Drilling & Production)
January 1, 2005... The potential for tremendous economic impact has fueled research to improve safe production rates to control the risk of sand control failure. According to Dave Tiffin PhD, a senior member of the BP Gulf of Mexico shelf sand control and...

Correlating data.(Drilling & Production)
January 1, 2005... The first attempt at correlating data tested how well the data lined up with drawdown. After plotting, it was clear that drawdown applied in this way does not help predict safe operating conditions, nor can it be used to optimize production...

C-factor correlation.(Drilling & Production, density mix)
January 1, 2005... BP observed a difference between gas and oil wells. Erosion experts have recognized this and developed a C-factor to account for differences in erosion with different fluid phases. C = (density mix) 1/2 x (maximum perforation velocity),...

Expanding possibilities.(Geosciences)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The upstream industry will likely do more this year because of capex increases of 15-20% by several oil companies. So, now is the time to consider what "visions" to pursue. Yes, current projects need to be completed, and much of the newly...

Deep gas research.(Geosciences)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The US Department of Energy awarded five cost-shared research projects to help meet America's growing demand for natural gas. The new projects will develop advanced diagnostic tools and technologies to reduce exploration and development risk...

Integrated software suite.(Technology)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... HRH Geological Services has launched its integrated software suite, Gravitas. The software collects well site data, produces geological logs, and generates reports on oil and gas exploration wells within one suite of programs. "Gravitas...

Computing on-demand.(Technology)(Massively Parallel Technologies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Massively Parallel Technologies is developing the world's first Virtual Power Center (VPC), a new means of accessing supercomputing power. Using Howard technology, VPCs will deliver supercomputer-like processing power through the Internet to...

Ocean research.(Geosciences)(BP America Inc. and Scripps Institution of Oceanography)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... BP America and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, signed a three-year, $3-million partnership to image and characterize the seafloor and sub-seafloor. The focus of the program is developing and...

Kenya survey.(Exploration, Dana Petroleum Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Polar Duke vessel began seismic acquisition of a 3,600-km infill 2D survey in blocks L-5 and L-7 offshore Kenya for Dana Petroleum. The survey will build upon and refine the 2003 survey data to guide selection of exploration well locations...

Jamaica licensing.(Exploration)(Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Jamaican government and the Petroleum Corp. of Jamaica (PC J) launched their first formal licensing round, with 22 offshore blocks offered in the Walton basin on the south side of the island. Water depths range up to 750 m. Eleven wells...

Deepwater GoM discoveries thinning: twelve successful wells in 2004.(Gulf Of Mexico, natural gas exploration)(Illustration)(Cover Story)
January 1, 2005... The number of deepwater discoveries in the US Gulf of Mexico continued a downward trend in 2004, dropping to a total of 12 from 17 in 2003 and 21 in 2002. Meanwhile, more independents than supermajors are scoring big in the GoM deepwater. Of...

GoM shelf key to gas supplies.(Gulf Of Mexico)
January 1, 2005... Production from deep wells in the shallow-water Gulf of Mexico is one of the most promising sources for additional natural gas to help meet the near- and mid-term energy needs of the nation, the US Mineral Management Service says. Deep gas,...

GoM deep-shelf incentive fails to overcome decline: "DeepShelf Star" needed to overcome technical challenges.(Gulf Of Mexico)
January 1, 2005... The Gulf of Mexico shelf has a serious problem--declining production that is not being arrested. Production from shelf wells has dropped from above 333 MMbbl and 4.8 tcf in 2000 to a projected 186 MMbbl and 2.5 tcf in 2004. The 244 MMbbl of...

Mexico moves toward deepwater GoM, seeks ways to accelerate drilling program: Pemex makes first discovery.(Gulf Of Mexico)
January 1, 2005... For the first time, the Mexican offshore oil and gas industry is looking at deepwater E&P as a top priority. Recently, Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) confirmed its first deepwater discovery with the Nab-1 well in Campeche bay. Moreover, the...

Study looks at generic gas field production in ultra-deep GoM.(Gulf Of Mexico)
January 1, 2005... EnerSea Transport LLC and Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corp. awarded a study to Paragon Engineering Services Inc. and Advanced Production and Loading Inc. to develop the field architecture of a generic gas field in the ultra-deep Gulf of Mexico. The...

Technologies needed to meet deepwater business needs.(Operations/Management Information)
January 1, 2005... Emerging new technologies offer the opportunity to reduce costs and improve the economics of deepwater field development. The key for the new technology provider is to manage or reduce the new technology deployment risk to an...

Multilateral, intelligent technologies prove winner for Glitne.(Drilling & Completion, Statoil)
January 1, 2005... Statoil has combined advanced multilateral and intelligent well technologies to increase production, tap additional reserves, and control water production in its Glitne field. The enabling technology includes a re-formable multilateral...

Sand extraction system reduces erosion, increases flow rates.(Production)
January 1, 2005... A device designed to remove debris has also proven successful in sand removal, resulting in the development of a new sand removal system. BP used the original device on a well experiencing frequent shut-ins resulting from perforation debris...

Nodal seismic system aids deepwater field development: wide azimuth gathers better reservoir data.(Geology & Geophysics)
January 1, 2005... The offshore oil and gas industry continues to have imaging problems around complex structures. This difficulty is due in large measure to the limitations of towed streamer acquisition. To properly image complex features, geoscientists must...

SeaQuest fracturing fluids service GoM.(New tools and technology for the offshore industry)(Gulf of Mexico, Halliburton Co.)
January 1, 2005... Gulf of Mexico operators have used Halliburton's SeaQuest stimulation service in fracturing treatments for over a year. The trend for high-permeability offshore fracturing systems has reduced treatment fluid damage while maintaining the...

Excalibur trencher system now available.(New tools and technology for the offshore industry)(OceanWorks International Inc. delivered to Global Marine Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... OceanWorks International Inc. has installed and completed trials of a pipeline trenching upgrade package for the 1,200-hp Excalibur trencher system for Global Marine Systems Ltd. (GMSL). The Excalibur is mobilized onboard the Bold Endeavour,...

Ultima Labs delivers resistivity measurement-while-drilling tool.(New tools and technology for the offshore industry)(4.75-in. Compact Propagation Resistivity tool )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Ultima Labs has delivered its 4.75-in. Compact Propagation Resistivity tool (CPR) to the drilling industry. Resistivity MWD data provides critical information about the formation during the drilling process. When combined with natural gamma...

Newfield Exploration.(People)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Newfield Exploration's board of directors named David A. Trice, president and CEO, to the additional role of chairman of the board. Joe B. Foster, founder and outgoing chairman, made the announcement at the John S. Herold Energy Conference in...

3i.(People)(3i Group PLC)(appointments)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... 3i, a European venture capital and private equity company, has appointed Mike Sibson as investment director. Sibson has moved to 3i's Aberdeen-based oil and gas team from the company's venture capital team based in Cambridge, where he worked...

NACE Foundation.(People)(National Association of Colleges and Employers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Amber Pappas has joined the NACE Foundation as executive director. Pappas recently relocated to Houston, Texas, from Athens, Greece, where she was the general manager of an international advertising/public relations agency. Jamie...

Horizon Offshore Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Horizon Offshore Inc. announced that J. Louis Frank resigned as chairman of the board and was named chairman emeritus. Frank will continue to serve on the board of directors and will remain an employee of the company for the remaining term of...

Keppel Corp. Ltd.(People)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Keppel Corp. Ltd. appointed Tow Heng Tan, managing director of strategic development of Temasek Holdings Ltd., as director. He will also serve as a member of the executive committee and remuneration and share option committee. Jamie...

Quantapoint Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Quantapoint Inc., provider of as-built documentation, has hired James McGill as vice president of marketing. McGill will be responsible for the company's global marketing efforts. Jamie Kammerzell Houston

Strata Control Services Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Strata Control Services Inc., a provider of specialty drilling fluid additives to the oil and gas industry, has appointed Richard L. Boyd general manager. Jamie Kammerzell Houston

Dave Rees, president of CorrOcean Inc. ASA, Houston-based subsidiary of CorrOcean ASA, has appointed Joergen Pedersen to US sales manager--topside systems.(People)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Dave Rees, president of CorrOcean Inc. ASA, Houston-based subsidiary of CorrOcean ASA, has appointed Joergen Pedersen to US sales manager--topside systems. Pedersen was previously project manager for CorrOcean's corrosion, sand erosion, and...

Pride International.(People)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Pride International announced the departure of John C. G. O'Leary, its president. Paul A. Bragg, the company's CEO, assumed the additional position of president. Bragg held the position of president from 1997-2003 and was both CEO and president...

AVEVA Group Plc.(Companies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... AVEVA Group Plc, a lifecycle engineering IT solutions and services provider, has launched version 9.5 of its Vantage Project Resource Management (VPRM) product, a comprehensive solution for the management and control of materials for...

International drilling and engineering contractor KCA Deutag, a subsidiary of Abbot Group Plc, has acquired the assets of specialist engineering company.(Companies)
January 1, 2005... International drilling and engineering contractor KCA Deutag, a subsidiary of Abbot Group Plc, has acquired the assets of specialist engineering company Rig Design Services Ltd. Jamie Kammerzell Houston

GE Energy's oil and gas division is extending through October 2006 its partnership with one of Germany's leading research centers to develop new technology used in pipeline inspection tools.(Companies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... GE Energy's oil and gas division is extending through October 2006 its partnership with one of Germany's leading research centers to develop new technology used in pipeline inspection tools. GE Energy's work with Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe,...

Sonsub Inc. recently completed a 180-day contract with Oceanografia SA de CV, working in the Bay of Campeche on Pemex's pipelines using the 75-hp work class ROV Discovery 3.(Companies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Sonsub Inc. recently completed a 180-day contract with Oceanografia SA de CV, working in the Bay of Campeche on Pemex's pipelines using the 75-hp work class ROV Discovery 3. Meanwhile, Sonsub's Scorpion 22 ROV, mobilized in May 2003, is...

Employing the Innovatum tracking system.(Companies)(Remotely Operated Vehicles)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Employing the Innovatum tracking system (also used on Sonsub's Sedna trenching system), the ROVs have been able to perform the work in 0.2-0.4 m of visibility at 0.9 km/hr. Jamie Kammerzell Houston

The state oil company of Malaysia, Petronas Carigali, has awarded a major full field review study of one of the key fields offshore Malaysia to Uzma Engineering in Kuala Lumpur, working in partnership with Knowledge Reservoir.(Companies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The state oil company of Malaysia, Petronas Carigali, has awarded a major full field review study of one of the key fields offshore Malaysia to Uzma Engineering in Kuala Lumpur, working in partnership with Knowledge Reservoir. The study will...

Engineering specialist to the oil and gas industry, Labtech Modular Engineering, has completed a fully winterized cabin to combat the extreme weather conditions on Sakhalin Island in a contract for Baker Hughes Inteq.(Companies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Engineering specialist to the oil and gas industry, Labtech Modular Engineering, has completed a fully winterized cabin to combat the extreme weather conditions on Sakhalin Island in a contract for Baker Hughes Inteq. The multi-purpose,...

Houston-based Paragon Engineering Services Inc. has joined with Nigerian firm International Trading & Logistics Co. Ltd. (Intralog) to form Paragon-Intralog Engineering Ltd., a new engineering services company based in Lagos, Nigeria.(Companies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Houston-based Paragon Engineering Services Inc. has joined with Nigerian firm International Trading & Logistics Co. Ltd. (Intralog) to form Paragon-Intralog Engineering Ltd., a new engineering services company based in Lagos, Nigeria....

Petroleum Geo-Services ASA.(Companies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Petroleum Geo-Services ASA has reached an agreement in principle with the PL 038 license owners on the main terms of a new compensation structure for the FPSO Petrojarl Varg producing the Varg field on the Norwegian continental shelf. The main...

ImpactWeather Inc. and Horizon Marine Inc. have created a strategic alliance to benefit the clients of both companies.(Companies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... ImpactWeather Inc. and Horizon Marine Inc. have created a strategic alliance to benefit the clients of both companies. Knowing that oceanography and meteorology go hand-in-hand, the decision was made to pool the efforts of the two specialty...

Enventure Global Technology has completed the world's longest ever solid tubular expansion in the Southern North Sea.(Companies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Enventure Global Technology has completed the world's longest ever solid tubular expansion in the Southern North Sea. The expansion by the Shell/Halliburton joint venture company, which recently established a permanent European base in...

Asset Performance Networks, a company that implements best practices to drive superior capital project and turnaround performance for chemical, gas, power, refining, and upstream (exploration and production) industries, is expanding its services to the Middle East.(Companies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Asset Performance Networks, a company that implements best practices to drive superior capital project and turnaround performance for chemical, gas, power, refining, and upstream (exploration and production) industries, is expanding its...

2005 a year of challenges for GoM deepwater transportation infrastructure.(Beyond The Horizon)(Gulf of Mexico)
January 1, 2005... For years, the 30,000 mi of pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico has functioned relatively unnoticed. Then Hurricane Ivan ripped through the GoM in September and caused mud in the sea bottom to slide. These marine landslides caused breaks in 11...