Offshore articles from July 2003

Offshore archives from July 2003

Industry tougher than it may appear. (Comment).(offshore oil well drilling)(Column)
July 1, 2003... The US Department of Defense recently came to Houston with the goal of 3 designing a theoretical campaign to destroy the nation's offshore infrastructure. They recruited a crack team of specialists from a broad range of fields: safety...

Dafora Group. (Africa).(Nyuni, offshore Tanzania)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Dafora Group has contracted to drill two wells with an option for two more on the Nyuni license offshore Tanzania. This well marks the first offshore drilling in the region in 12 years. Aminex has signed Dafora to spud the Nyuni 1 well in...

Dana Petroleum. (Africa).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Kenya could also see exploration activity after two decades of inactivity. Woodside Energy acquired 40% interest from Dana Petroleum in four exploration blocks in Kenya's offshore. Steps are already underway to fulfill the exploration...

Tullow Oil plc. (Africa).(Acajou prospect)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Tullow Oil plc has discovered oil on the Acajou prospect off Cote d'Ivoire, confirming the hydrocarbon potential of the area, southeast of the Espoir field. The well on license CI-26 was drilled on the Acajou South prospect at 3,050 ft...

Total SA has a new oil discovery. (Africa).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Total SA has a new oil discovery with its first exploration well in Angola's ultra-deep block 32. The Gindungo-1 well was drilled in 1,445 m water depth and tested at rates of 7,400 b/d and 5,700 b/d from two separate zones. The well lies 40 mi...

BG Gas Marketing Ltd. (Africa).(Marathon Offshore Alpha Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... BG Gas Marketing Ltd. has signed a letter of understanding (LOU) with Marathon Oil Corp. subsidiary Marathon Offshore Alpha Ltd. for long-term LNG supply from Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. The LOU calls for the supply of 3.4 million tons...

Ministry of Energy and Mines. (Mediterranean).(Algeria)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Algeria has announced its fourth bidding round in three years to be offered to foreign companies. The new round, issued by the Ministry of Energy and Mines, includes 12 onshore and offshore areas. Though the primary focus is onshore in the...

Ecuador's four offshore blocks. (Americas).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Though expectations were high for Ecuador's four offshore blocks, the government took in no bids. The blocks, located in the Gulf of Guayaquil and covering 1.3 million hectares, brought in no offers from companies reportedly more interested in...

Offshore Petroleum Board. (Americas).(Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board call for bids)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... At long last, new acreage could be up for grabs off Newfoundland with the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board's announcement of the particulars for the 2003 call for bids. The offering includes two parcels in the northeast Newfoundland...

Black Sea activity could be heating up. (Europe).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Black Sea activity could be heating up. Toreador Resources has identified at least six gas prospects in the shallow water of the western Black Sea. Toreador believes that these prospects have a per-prospect reserve potential ranging from 200...

Ramco Energy plc and Hellenic Petroleum SA. (Europe).(Adriatic Sea)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Ramco Energy plc and Hellenic Petroleum SA plan to explore their extensive acreage in the Adriatic Sea offshore Montenegro. Ramco has been involved with the Ulcinj block in the Adriatic since 1998. Seismic data acquired in 2000 was added to...

China National Offshore Oil Corp. (Central Asia).(seeks investment opportunities)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... China National Offshore Oil Corp. will continue to look around the world for investment opportunities after being blocked in its bid to get into the Caspian. Eni, Royal Dutch/Shell, Total, and Exxon-Mobil blocked Cnooc's bid to buy into...

Murphy Oil Corp. subsidiary Murphy Sarawak Oil Co. Ltd. (Asia-Pacific).(oil found in West Patricia)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Murphy Oil Corp. subsidiary Murphy Sarawak Oil Co. Ltd. saw first oil from its shallow-water West Patricia field in block SK 309, offshore Sarawak, Malaysia, in late May. The initial development phase includes a single production platform...

Schlumberger launches stimulation vessel. (New Vesels, Rigs, Upgrades).(Schlumberger Oilfield Services' DeepSTIM III)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... In early May, Schlumberger Oilfield Services launched the DeepSTIM III, a fit-for-purpose stimulation vessel. Built to work in water depths as shallow as 20 ft, the vessel can also service deepwater wells. The DeepSTIM III is equipped with...

Fugro vessel gets an upgrade. (New Vesels, Rigs, Upgrades).(Fugro Survey's Geo Searcher)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Fugro Survey's advanced survey vessel Geo Searcher has been upgraded to enable it to gather hydrographic and geophysical data in greater water depths, at higher speeds, and in less ideal weather conditions. New equipment includes a...

Halifax Shipyard launches AHTS. (New Vesels, Rigs, Upgrades).(achor handling tug supply vessel)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Halifax Shipyard, a division of Irving Shipbuilding Inc. in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, launched the second of two newbuild anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels on April 17. The Atlantic Osprey is an Ulstein UT 722L design, measuring...

Keppel sets up Kazakh facility. (New Vesels, Rigs, Upgrades).(Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. is setting up an offshore engineering and construction facility in Kazakhstan. According to Chairman and CEO Choo Chiau Beng, the new yard will complement another Keppel joint venture shipyard, Caspian Shipyard...

BOA moves into new markets. (New Vesels, Rigs, Upgrades).(BOA Offshore, BOA Deep C)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Trondheim-based BOA Offshore is moving into the specialist offshore construction market with a new vessel. The BOA Deep C, designed specifically for offshore construction work, will be among the largest and most versatile as well as the most...

Long-term licensing plan. (Offshore Europe).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Exploration off Norway has thrown up few surprises in recent years. The Energy Ministry's solution is more "predictability" -- at least as far as North Sea licensing is concerned. From now on, blocks will be offered each year from predefined...

Varg not finished. (Offshore Europe).(Varg South)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Pertra's recent successful appraisal of Varg South could extend the stay of the main Varg field's FPSO. Sidetrack 15/12-13B found a 35 m oil column within a gross hydrocarbon column of 90 m. The result seems to back Pertra's estimate of 100...

Cleaner water on Statfjord. (Offshore Europe).(Statfjord B platform, CTour system)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Statoil is conducting a long-term test of new water treatment technology on its Statfjord B platform. The CTour system involves injecting produced water with a condensed gas that serves as a detergent, with the mixture being passed through...

Pipe-in-pipe adapted for Rhum. (Offshore Europe).(gas field)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... BP has been cleared by Britain's DTI for a long distance subsea scheme for its high pressure, high temperature Rhum gas field. Rhum, with around 800 bcf recoverable, lies in 110 m of water in northern North Sea block 3/29. Gas will be piped...

Dong looks north and west. (Offshore Europe).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Danish oil company Dong is lining up a new batch of projects in Danish and Norwegian waters. In partnership with Amerada, it has been drilling three prospects within tieback reach of the Arne south platform. It has also debated joint...

Medusa topsides in place. (Gulf of Mexico).(ship Medusa Spar)
July 1, 2003... McDermott International Inc. subsidiary J. Ray McDermott has installed the 5,390-ton topsides on the Medusa Spar hull. The Medusa Spar hull is moored in more than 2,300 ft of water in the Gulf of Mexico in Mississippi Canyon block 582 about 100...

Vessels head to Mexican sector. (Gulf of Mexico).(Petroleos Mexicanos contracts)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Petroleos Mexicanos has awarded a series of drilling contracts for work in the Mexican sector of the Gulf of Mexico. Pride International picked up two renewals and work for four new rigs, and Diamond Offshore won work for three...

Appraisal well confirms K2. (Gulf of Mexico).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A subsalt appraisal well in the K2 discovery on Green Canyon block 562 gave field partners something to cheer. "We're pleased to discover the potential field size of K2 could be larger than Anadarko's previous estimates," said Anadarko...

Q4000 adds intervention riser. (Subsea/Surface Systems).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Cal Dive International's semi-submersible DP MSV Q4000 has acquired a 10,000 psi 73/8-in. through-bore intervention riser system for subsea well operations. The intervention riser system was built and tested by Worldwide Oilfield Machines...

Singapore to receive Sumatra gas by end-2003. (Subsea/Surface Systems).(Pulau Pemping to Pulau Sakra pipeline)
July 1, 2003... Completion of a 26-km pipeline linking the Indonesian Island of Pulau Pemping with Pulau Sakra (Jurong, Singapore) at the end of this year will move gas from south Sumatra's onshore fields to Singapore. Boskalis Offshore BV is responsible...

FMC, Accentus form GTL JV. (Subsea/Surface Systems).(FMC Technologies Inc., GTL MicroSystems)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... FMC Technologies, Inc. and UK-based Accentus PLC, have established GTL MicroSystems, a joint venture for the commercial development of gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology, with FMC holding a majority ownership interest Following a two-year...

Deepest subsea development. (Drilling & Production).(WellDynamics' SmartWell)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The installation of all six subsea completions for Total and Marathon Oil Co.'s Gulf of Mexico deepwater projects has been completed. The companies collaborated on the field development, combining their deepwater technologies and experience...

Casing repair. (Drilling & Production).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Four compliantly expanded casing repair systems have been installed for Imperial Oil Resources at its Cold Lake field in Alberta, Canada. The installation of the Weatherford Solid Expandable MetalSkin casing repair system returned the four...

Wireless compact tools. (Drilling & Production).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Reeves Oilfield Services is to supply through-bit logging (TBL) services to third parties under the terms of a technology license signed with Shell Research Ltd. In this new system, the wireless compact tools are run inside drill pipe and into...

Rotary steerable system. (Drilling & Production).(PowerDrive Xceed )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The new PowerDrive Xceed rotary steerable system is able to operate in tougher environments, making marginal targets economically viable, according to Schlumberger, the developer of the system. Full rotation of the entire drill string allows...

New PDC bit. (Drilling & Production).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A new PDC bit technology for steerable motor applications has been introduced by Hughes Christensen, a division of Baker Hughes Inc. To optimize steerable motor drilling, a bit needs to have precise directional response and exceptional tool...

Efficiency vs. creativity. (Geosciences).(with the drilling industry pushing for efficiency, there has been a lack of creativity)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Great strides have been made in business efficiency over the past 20 years. Computer technology continues to advance and is now synchronizing data across business units so that asset teams have access to internally consistent data sets. This...

Fluid analyzer. (Geosciences).(Numar commercializes its MRILab logging tool)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Numar (Halliburton Energy Services) commercialized its MRILab logging tool. The tool analyzes key reservoir fluid properties in real-time at reservoir temperature and pressure, including: * Fluid type * Viscosity * Gas-to-oil...

Geolog release. (Geosciences).(Paradigm releases its Geolog 6.5 software)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Paradigm has released Geolog 6.5 software for log management, correlation, and petrophysics. According to the company, the new release features the Xpos 3.0 data management and interoperability integration framework, which provides a way for...

Oman review. (Geosciences).(Spectrum Energy and Information Technology Ltd. signs a six-year deal with the Sultanate of Oman)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Spectrum Energy and Information Technology Ltd. signed a six-year exclusive agreement with the Sultanate of Oman for data reprocessing and acquisition of new seismic, gravity, and magnetic data along Oman's south coast. The project will...

Controlling risks. (Geosciences).(Landmark Graphics releases its DecisionSpace DMS software)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Landmark Graphics (Halliburton) has released DecisionSpace DMS, software to integrate risk factors for business objectives, The goal of the software is to reduce cycle-time for the field development decisions. The software simulates and...

Canada survey. (Exploration).(TGS-Nopec starts its 2003 acquisition season with a multi-client 2D seismic survey)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... TGS-Nopec begins its 2003 acquisition season with a multi-client 2D seismic survey offshore Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. The new shooting will cover key blocks in Newfoundland's 2003 call for bids and will add 12,000 km to the company's...

Canadian logs. (Exploration).(A2D Technologies offers Eastern Canada's offshore well log collection through its Log-Line Plus! database)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A2D Technologies is offering Eastern Canada's offshore well log collection through its online database, Log-Line Plus! The entire dataset is now accessible from the desktop. Logs from the 431 wells are available in multiple formats: raster...

Downhole seismic. (Technology).(the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory develops two new devices for downhole seismic surveying)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The US Department of Energy's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory developed two new devices for downhole seismic surveying. The first is a downhole source that uses gas to create an acoustic pulse. The infinitely...

High-density projection. (Technology).(Fakespace Systems announces a nnew active-stereoscopic projection system)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Fakespace Systems announced an ultra high-resolution, digital, active-stereoscopic projection system. The new projector provides UXGA resolution of 1,600 x 1,200 pixels. This creates a bright stable display for visualization. It will be...

Brazilian upstream activity reflects potential mixed with uncertainty: new rules for rounds. (Brazil).(Brazil's upstream exploration sector is examined)(Industry Overview)
July 1, 2003... A lot of progress has been made in the Brazilian upstream sector in the past few years. Most noteworthy is the diversity of exploration companies and the successful bidding rounds. The Brazilian upstream has 42 players and a fairly open market...

Petrobras renewed: new activity spells new future in Brazil's offshore sector. (Brazil).
July 1, 2003... With President Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva firmly entrenched and the Middle East relatively calmed, Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) exploration and offshore operations are looking up. It is hard to imagine an upside for Brazilian...

Dewatering facility provides production optimization, water management solutions. (Brazil).(a discussion of the problems Petrobras has had with its southern Campos Basin development)
July 1, 2003... A floating production dewatering facility has provided an economic solution to oil quality and water management problems encountered by Petrobras on its original southern Campos Basin development. The field is situated in 120 m of water, 90...

China sees expanding foreign participation: exploration in Bohai Bay opens the window of opportunity on investment. (China).(Industry Overview)
July 1, 2003... With the recent explosion of oil and gas production activity in China, the country will remain of key strategic importance to olifield service companies in the coming years. One company that is already pursuing business interests in China is...

Foreign cooperation and acquisitions add reserves: Cnooc brings Chinese fields into production. (China).(China National Offshore Oil Corp. has been focusing on growing production and adding reserves)
July 1, 2003... In the past year, "cooperation" has been the operative word for China's state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp. The company has exclusive rights to exploit hydrocarbon resources in the offshore areas of China in partnership with foreign...

MMS royalty relief piques interest in the Gulf of Mexico's shallow water: drilling contractors get ready for the next round of GoM drilling. (Special Feature).
July 1, 2003... Analysts have been predicting a rebound in the Gulf of Mexico since the end of last year. But despite a calmer business climate, the boom hasn't arrived. With the war in Iraq over and the world returning to "business as usual," the...

New fluid aids drilling in clay formations: developed for maximum shale inhibition in the Gulf of Mexico. (Fracturing Technology).(a discussion of Halliburton's Hydro-Guard fluid system)
July 1, 2003... Developed to deal with gumbo-type formations in the Gulf of Mexico, Halliburton's Hydro-Guard fluid system has already been put to the test in eight shelf and eight deepwater wells. On the road to creating Hydro-Guard, Halliburton's staff...

MODU newbuilding slows: upgrades target deep gas and deepwater. (Drilling Rig Technology).(a discussion of construction trends among the drilling contractors)(Illustration)
July 1, 2003... The construction trend is slowing down, and more money is being invested in upgrades. Most of the money being invested in the mobile offshore drilling unit fleet has bean to upgrade jackups. The average age of the worldwide jackup fleet is...

Improving drilling decision-making via real time operations centers: three components that must come together. (Drilling Rig Technology).(Shell Exploration & Production Co. elects to expand the RTOC to include all Gulf of Mexico drilling operations)
July 1, 2003... After running a six-month pilot Real Time Operations Center program in its New Orleans, Louisiana, office, Shell Exploration & Production Co., in cooperation with Halliburton Sperry-Sun, elected to expand the RTOC to include all Gulf of Mexico...

Shell taps best of best for EP Project team: beating best practices on the biggest project ever. (Management Economy).(Shell International E&P sets up a center of excellence for major project design)
July 1, 2003... In an example of the role experience plays in applying the latest deepwater technology, Shell International E&P has established a center of excellence for major project design and execution in the form of EP Projects. This group, comprising...

Modern communication packages enable e-field application. (Satellite Communications).
July 1, 2003... About the time a new service becomes accepted by everyone in the offshore business, a supplier comes along with a better solution. Satcom, as those who work closely with the systems call it, has now penetrated into offshore oil and gas...

South pars 4 and 5 communications to be compatible with future phases: integrated system will tie pieces together. (Satellite Communications).(Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co. awards a telecommunications contract to Invsat)
July 1, 2003... Iran holds 15.8% of the world's gas reserves (812 tcf), of which 464 tcf are thought to lie in the South Pars field in the Persian Gulf. Up to 30 development phases are planned over a period of at least 25 years, leading eventually to...

Electromagnetic sounding bridges siesmic and drilling: dry hole and appraisal well savings possible. (Geo Sciences).(a discussion of active source electromagnetic sounding bridges)
July 1, 2003... Active source electromagnetic (EM) sounding bridges the gap between 3D seismic and exploration drilling. While 3D seismic identifies the geological structures that may contain hydrocarbons, under many circumstances it does not reveal the...

Smaller scale GVA 3000 to rival cell Spars and mini-TLPs. (Deepwater Production Semis).(GVA Consultants designs a semisubmersible geared for production deepwaer fields in the Gulf of Mexico)
July 1, 2003... GVA Consultants has designed a new semisubmersible geared for production deepwater fields in the Gulf of Mexico. The GVA 3000, good for water depths of 1,000-3,000 m, is aimed at fields in the 60-100 MMbbl range. It is targeted in particular at...

Trouble-free brake servo/autodriller systems selected for Petrobras rigs. (Drillfloor Operations).(Lidan Engineering places a DBS Brake Servo System with ADS Autodriller on the Petrobras V)
July 1, 2003... Lidan Engineering extended its braking reach to Brazil earlier this year with its placement of a DBS Brake Servo System and ADS Autodriller on the Petrobras V. The vessel, built in 1978 in Brazil, was upgraded earlier this year. Lidan's...

Lubrication process lowers risk of leakage, corrosion. (Propulsion).(Berg Propulsion develops a circulating lubricating system for its propeller hub)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Berg Propulsion has developed a circulating lubricating system for its propeller hub. The Circulating Lubricating System with ppm Management differs from other methods of using a stern tube to lubricate and then sealing the unit off. Managing...

Bulten working on increased yield and tensile strength. (High Strength Fasteners).(Buleen Stainless)(Company Profile)
July 1, 2003... As the offshore industry continues its quest for stronger materials, Buleen Stainless remains ready to respond. The fastener company, which has produced high-strength stainless steel fasteners Bumax 88 -- equivalent to Class 8.8 -- and Bumax...

Lead-free barrier meets environmental requirements. (Noise Suppression).(a discussion of Swedac's Powerflex FF)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Swedac developed Powerflex FF as an alternative noise barrier to lead and PVC-based materials for offshore vessels and platforms. The single layer barrier can be used to insulate bulk-heads, bull sides, pipes, and ventilation ducts. Swedac...

Silicone-based sealant stops fire advancing through pipes, bulwarks. (Fire & Blast Protection).(FireSeal won the U.S. Coast Guard's approval to use its fire protection system in the Gulf of Mexico)
July 1, 2003... Long used in the North Sea, FireSeal's silicone-based fire protection system is moving into the Gulf of Mexico. The company recently received US Coast Guard approval to use the seal in the Gulf of Mexico. The approval was in time to install the...

Stainless Snohvit markers designed for durability. (Cable Markers).
July 1, 2003... Statoil will benefit from the anti-corrosive properties of Fleximark's stainless steel markers as they label cables for the Snohvit development, in the Barents Sea off Norway. Fleximark was named as the preferred stainless steel marker provider...

Ozone generators could eliminate airborne pathogens. (Offshore Healthcare).
July 1, 2003... E.C.T. is looking to ozone to lower the sick leave rate for offshore workers. The Swedish company proposes installing ozone generators in offshore cabins to disinfect air, eliminating or reducing airborne pathogens, E.C.T Offshore Manager...

High pressure spray technique operable with full or part-loads. (Gas Turbine Cleaning).
July 1, 2003... Gas Turbine Efficiency is developing technology that will allow offshore platforms to wash their gas turbines on full or reduced load. Gas turbines take in so much air in the salty offshore environment that they may have to be washed daily....

MSS 6000 improves oil spill detection and tracking. (Airborne Ocean Surveillance).
July 1, 2003... Swedish Space Corp.'s latest Maritime Surveillance System, the MSS 6000, improves on its predecessor in terms of coordinated response. Used to maintain a state of preparedness to track oil spills, the various MSS versions have evolved in recent...

Queen Mary 2 disc brakes also suited to offshore use. (Brake Technology).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Dellner Brakes has delivered the first in a range of pressure-applied disc brakes suitable for the offshore and marine markets. The newly developed SKD 100 delivers high braking force relative to its size. The first units will be installed...

Multi-layer polypropylene system improves thermal performance and durability. (Pipe Coatings).
July 1, 2003... Borealis Business Unit Pipe has responded to the growing need in deepwater for foam structure and stiffness in pipe coatings with its multilayer polypropylene system, developed in cooperation with Bredero Shaw. The company looked at both...

Emtunga clinches repeat orders for Azerbaijan platforms. (Accommodtion Modules).
July 1, 2003... Following Pharmadule Emtunga's delivery of living quarters for the Central Azeri platform, the company now has repeat orders from operator Azerbaijan International Operating Company for the West and East Azeri installations. Emtunga Vice...

Trencher overcomes high sea states and hard seabed conditions. (Subsea Trenching).
July 1, 2003... Late last year, Nordic Offshore used its free-flying jetting machine to trench an 85-km a gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea. The company deployed the second generation of its remotely operated trenching systems (ROTS) for the Polish oil and...

Electrolux modular system cuts thawing time by 90%. (Galley Equipment).
July 1, 2003... Electrolux Marine has integrated its defrosting, cooking, chilling, and storage systems in the air-o-system, which was introduced early this year. Kristian Vidfar, marketing manager, said the new modular system preserves food quality while...

Volvo expanding its range for Zone 2 hazardous duty. (Diesel Engines).
July 1, 2003... Volvo Penta now offers four diesel engines certified for use in Zone 2 areas in the offshore oil and gas industry. In Z2 hazardous areas, or those that are potentially explosive, diesel engines must conform to strict protection requirements...

Software minimizes investment decision risks. (Pre-Feed Engineering).(Glisco Optekon)
July 1, 2003... Many of the suggestions Glisco Optekon puts forward for optimizing offshore projects come at a time when most decisions have been made. "For our approach, that's a little late," said Thomas Ernby, Optekon development manager. To get...

Turbine filter triples run times between offline cleaning. (Air Filtration).
July 1, 2003... Camfil's H12 filter allows offshore gas turbines to run for longer periods without requiring offline cleaning. The filter is an addition to the company's Cam GT filtration product range, which has been on the market since 1998. The Cam GTline...

External threaded bolts simplify riser deployment. (Bolting Technology).
July 1, 2003... Skruvteknik delivered 180 Superbolts for a drilling rig working on Norsk Hydro's Troll project. The Superbolts, new in design because they are threaded on the outside, were created as locking mechanisms for the workover risers. Once these...

Valve range improves drilling, winch maneuvers. (Hydraulic Drive Systems).
July 1, 2003... Hagglunds Drives has supplemented its Compact motors line with a new family of valves, developed with the offshore industry in mind. The valves will be standard on the Compact CA motors and an option on the Compact CB, introduced last year....

CRP propulsion may have bright future for LNG carriers. (Finland).(Contra-rotating propeller (CRP) Azipod propulsion systems)
July 1, 2003... With a commercial order for its contra-rotating propeller (CRP) Azipod propulsion systems, ABB believes the concept has a great future in the offshore industry with LNG carriers. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has ordered two CRP Azipod systems...

New software allows 4D vessel modeling. (Finland).
July 1, 2003... Deltamarine is adding a new dimension to its experience in modeling with a software program that allows vessel 4D modeling. "We've been working with 3D for a long time," Managing Director Jukka Laitera said. Deltamarin is now working...

Hollming Works. (Finnish Company Profiles).
July 1, 2003... Hollming Works is a specialist provider of mechanical engineering services. The company's internationally expanding operations are run out of four locations in Finland: Kankanpaa, Loviisa, Parkano, and Pori. The company employs a team of nearly...

Kvaerner Masa-Yards. (Finnish Company Profiles).
July 1, 2003... Kvaerner Masa-Yards operates two shipyards in Finland and is experienced in designing and building special tankers, gas carriers, FPSOs, FSOs, ice-going vessels, and other ships for the offshore oil and gas industry. Design and engineering...

The board of West Oil NL. (People).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The board of West Oil NL has reported that Charles Morgan, Craig Burton, and Bevan Warns have resigned as directors of West Oil and Gary Steinepreis has resigned as company secretary. Ian Middlemas has been appointed an executive director, and...

OPE Inc. (People).(Makes several hirings)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... OPE Inc. has announced the hire of several new employees, including Larry Aertker, senior controller; Tom Connor, flow assurance engineering manager; Timothy Lee, business development manager, Nicolaas Vandenworm, vice-president of marketing;...

Atlantia Offshore Ltd. (People).(Joseph W. Blandford, president and CEO, will retire on July 3)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Atlantia Offshore Ltd., a member of the IHC Caland Group, has announced that Joseph W. Blandford, president and CEO of Atlantia Offshore is to retire on July 3. Kenneth A. Caldwell, the company's COO will take over as president. Blandford will...

Eastern Hemisphere since 1999. (People).(J. Ray McDermott names Kurt S. Nelson senior vice president, sales, marketing, and strategic planning)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... J. Ray McDermott has named Kurt S. Nelson senior vice president, sales, marketing, and strategic planning. Nelson, who has held his current position of vice president and general manager, Eastern Hemisphere since 1999, will report to Robert A....