Offshore articles from July 2005

Offshore archives from July 2005

Industry makes a comeback.(COMMENT)(petroleum industry)
July 1, 2005... Amazing what $50 oil will do. Suddenly, we need rigs. With utilization rates nearing saturation, day rates are escalating to unprecedented levels. Meanwhile, rig construction has risen dramatically, with 33 newbuilds currently on the books, and...

Active rig fleet, June 2005.(oil drilling rigs)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 1, 2005... Active rig fleet, April 2005 Floaters Jackups US GoM 34 (+1) 102 (-10 Mex GoM 12 (0) 31 (+1) North Sea 38 (0) 31 (0) East Atlantic 2 (0) 2 (+1) L. America 31...

GoM drilling permits issued.(Gulf of Mexico)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 1, 2005... GoM drilling permits issued Drilling permits Nov. 81 Dec. 78 Jan. 89 Feb. 66 Mar. 87 April 82 May 94 Source: US Minerals Management Service...

Gulf of Mexico day rates.(GLOBAL DATA)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 1, 2005... Gulf of Mexico day rates Month/Year Minimum Average Maximum Drillship Jun 2004 $75,000 $149,028 $205,000 Jul 2004 $150,000 $189,930 $205,000 Aug 2004 $75,000 $172,880 $205,000 Sep 2004 ...

This month, Infield looks at subsea wells in West Africa.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... This month, Infield looks at subsea wells in West Africa. With the elephant discoveries of the last 10 years beginning to come onstream, the past few years have seen a major increase in the growth of subsea tree orders. In the near term, with...

The Danish Energy Authority has published the terms for the sixth licensing round for oil and gas licenses.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The Danish Energy Authority has published the terms for the sixth licensing round for oil and gas licenses in the Danish sector of the North Sea. Blocks for lease lie partly in the Central Graben, where the majority of the Danish fields...

A/S Norske Shell made a significant gas discovery in the Onyx South West.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A/S Norske Shell made a significant gas discovery in the Onyx South West prospect in block 6406/9 of Production License 255 in the Norwegian Sea off mid-Norway. The Transocean Leader semisubmersible drilled the well to 5,052 m TD in 308 m...

Toreador Resources Corp.'s Akkaya-1 well in the Black Sea.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Toreador Resources Corp.'s Akkaya-1 well in the Black Sea has produced natural gas offshore Turkey. The Akkaya-1 delineation well logs showed indications of gas in zones between 1,136 m and 853 m. The first gross interval the company...

Qatar plans to award offshore block 14 by the end of this year.(Middle East)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Qatar plans to award offshore block 14 by the end of this year. The interesting thing about the block is that it is oil, not gas, which underlies the vast majority of Qatar's leases. For several years, the country has been trying to...

The inauguration of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline marks a major step in BP's continuing long-term strategy.(British Petroleum Company PLC)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The inauguration of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline marks a major step in BP's continuing long-term strategy of delivering growing volumes of oil and gas from new hydrocarbon provinces around the world. The 1,770-km BTC pipeline will...

Exxon Mobil Corp. subsidiary ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc. began oil and gas production from the Guntong F satellite platform offshore Peninsular Malaysia.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Exxon Mobil Corp. subsidiary ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc. began oil and gas production from the Guntong F satellite platform offshore Peninsular Malaysia. Guntong F is the second of two platforms to come onstream under...

Thailand's PTT Exploration & Production Co. Ltd. reportedly hit oil and gas offshore Vietnam.(PTT Exploration and Production Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Thailand's FIT Exploration & Production Co. Ltd. reportedly hit oil and gas offshore Vietnam in the 1,370-sq-km Vietnam 9-2 project. The company began drilling its third appraisal well, CNV-3X, in the East Vietnam Sea southeast of Vung Tau...

Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corp. affiliate Kerr-McGee Angola Ltd. signed an agreement with Angola's national petroleum company.(Sociedade Nacional de Combustiveis de Angola)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corp. affiliate Kerr-McGee Angola Ltd. signed an agreement with Angola's national petroleum company to explore for hydrocarbons on block 10 offshore Angola. Kerr-McGee has already identified two primary prospects...

At long last, the heads of state from Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe, have approved block awards for the countries' Joint Development Zone.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... At long last, the heads of state from Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe, have approved block awards for the countries' Joint Development Zone. The 2004 JDZ licensing round awards were decided at a meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, May 31, following a...

Northern Oil ASA has executed an agreement to buy into three licenses.(Camamu-Almada basin offshore Brazil)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Northern Oil ASA has executed an agreement to buy into three licenses in the Camamu-Almada basin offshore Brazil. The Manati field lies in one of the licenses. A significant gas discovery was made in the field in 2000, and the area is being...

Santos expands in Southeast Asia.(GLOBAL E&P)
July 1, 2005... Santos Ltd. is increasing its 2005 exploration program for offshore Australia and overseas, and Indonesia will see some of the investment. According to Stephen Gerlach, Santos' chairman, "Recently, the Indonesian government announced both a...

Shell's persistence pays off.
July 1, 2005... Another gas play is emerging off mid-Norway, following a previous Norske Shell discovery in the Halten Terrace region. The operator drilled the well in block 6406/9 in 308 m of water using the semisubmersible Transocean Leader, targeting the...

Field partners agree pipeline routes.
July 1, 2005... Development of Skarv--prior to Onyx, Norway's largest unexploited gas discovery--finally looks to be coming together. The field's partners, led by operator BP, have opted to export the gas through the Aasgard Transport pipeline system to the...

Mittelplate rig re-vamped.(oil drilling rigs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The latest phase of RWE Dea's Mittelplatte oil development in the German North Sea is underway, following completion of a new drilling rig for the production facility in tidal wetlands in the ecologically-sensitive Waddensee. The 2,500 hp,...

Success stories.(discovery and exploration)
July 1, 2005... ATP Oil & Gas Corp. celebrated first production from its Matagorda Island block 709 A-4 ST-1 well and its High Island block 74 No. 1 well. The operator completed the Matagorda Island block A-4 ST-1 well in 145 ft of water in an upper Miocene...

BP's Atlantis semisumersible platform, which weighs 31,000 tonnes, completed its 60-day journey from South Korea, around the Southern tip of Africa, and into the Gulf of Mexico atop the Dockwise heavy transport vessel Mighty Servant 1.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: BP's Atlantis semisumersible platform, which weighs 31,000 tonnes, completed its 60-day journey from South Korea, around the Southern tip of Africa, and into the Gulf of Mexico atop the Dockwise heavy...

Hurricane study.(GULF OF MEXICO)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... This year's Atlantic hurricane season will be an active one. That's what the experts say. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting between 12 and 15 tropical storms this hurricane season, which officially began June 1...

Lease sale results.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The MMS has awarded 10 leases and received $6,595,753.40 from the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 197. The lease sale, held on March 16, attracted nine companies submitting bids on 12 of the 124 tracts offered. MMS accepted bids totaling...

New SIM outpaces MODU.(SUBSEA/SURFACE SYSTEMS)
July 1, 2005... Exxon Mobil Corp. has developed a new technology that it says significantly reduces the cost and time of downhole logging, acidizing, and other interventions in deepwater oil and gas wells. The Subsea Intervention Module (SIM) system is...

Contracts.(SUBSEA/SURFACE SYSTEMS)
July 1, 2005... FMC Technologies Inc. has been on a hot streak lately with three contracts announced in May (see Offshore, June, page 18) and three more in June. The company recently signed a $28-million contract with Statoil ASA to supply a subsea system for...

Husky names shuttle tankers.(Husky Energy takes delivery of two shuttle tankers from Samsung Heavy Industries Koje )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Husky Energy has taken delivery of two shuttle tankers that will transport oil from the White Rose field off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Samsung Heavy Industries Koje shipyard in Busan, South Korea, the same shipyard...

Keppel keeps busy.(Keppel FELS Ltd., contracts)
July 1, 2005... The Keppel yards have been exceptionally busy taking orders over the last few months. In early March, Keppel FELS Ltd. completed a semisubmersible accommodation platform for the 85/15 special purpose company formed by Keppel Offshore &...

Ultra-deepwater, step-change in technology.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)(Brief Article)(Panel Discussion)
July 1, 2005... The concept of venturing into ultra-deepwater, 10,000 ft and beyond, needs a step-change in technology to bring reserves that lie farther from existing infrastructure into production. Uri Nooteboom, Intec Engineering's vice president offshore...

LDDM technology.(long distance delivery management )
July 1, 2005... The industry panelists agreed that a concept called long-distance delivery management (LDDM) will help facilitate frontier technology development while making long-distance delivery systems possible. "Today's exploration and development...

Hub-and-spoke concept.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... "Anadarko is tackling these issues with its Independence Hub and Independence Trail project in deepwater GoM using a hub-and-spoke field development concept," McEvilly said. McEvilly explained that Anadarko has worked collaboratively with...

Electromagnetic attraction.
July 1, 2005... The oil industry, especially the offshore oil industry, lives with risk, but runs on luck. Good risk reduction coupled with luck opens new oilfields. Every well that is drilled has an uncertain outcome, even though risk mitigation and reduction...

360[degrees] viz.(product introduction)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Actuality Systems Inc. unveiled Perspecta 1.9 Spatial 3D system, its 360[degrees] 3D spatial visualization workstation. The new system has an embedded graphics system, faster graphics rendering, and increased-brightness than its earlier model....

New modules.(Roxar ASA introduces new software)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Roxar added two modules to its IRAP RMS software suite. A well correlation module, RMSwellstrat, reduces the time iterating between model and interpretation, according to the company, and allows interpreters to handle complex geology and well...

Combo seismic/CSEM.(Offshore Hydrocarbon Mapping and TGS-Nopec Geophysical Co. begins controlled source electromagnetic survey )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... TGS-Nopec Geophysical Co. in collaboration with Offshore Hydrocarbon Mapping (OHM) began a multi-client controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) survey in the Norwegian Barents Sea. The survey is based on TGS-NOPEC's multi-client 2D and...

Falkland Island survey.(EXPLORATION)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Falkland Oil and Gas Ltd. with partner Hardman Resources Ltd. began shooting an 8,000 km 2D seismic program over prospects identified in its recently completed 9,450 km survey. Geophysical Services Inc. of Calvary is shooting the survey Using...

Indonesian survey.(seismic surveying)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Serica Energy Corp. completed a 2D seismic survey over its Biliton block in the Java Sea, between the islands of Java and Kalimantan. The company shot 2,300 km of 2D seismic along with gravity and magnetic data. The survey was an infill program...

Black Sea attracts international interest: more exploration on the horizon.
July 1, 2005... The Black Sea is seeing renewed interest from international exploration companies, and more exploration drilling is on the horizon. The Black Sea has been poorly explored to date, and success in the region has been limited. In recent...

Petronas to mount extended test off Turkmenistan with newbuild jackup.
July 1, 2005... Load-out of the main components for Turkmenistan's first offshore extended well test should now be under way. By November, Petronas Carigali (Turkmenistan) expects all facilities to be in place for the three- to five-year campaign on block 1....

Drilling contractors capitalize on exploration spending: dayrates skyrocket across the globe.(OPERATIONS/MANAGEMENT)
July 1, 2005... Drilling contractors are making hay while the sun shines. After a downturn in drilling activity that saw many rigs leaving the Gulf of Mexico and many more looking for fewer and fewer contracts, there is suddenly more than enough work to go...

Shell dives under GoM salt play: ultra-deepwater exploration full of surprises.(Gulf of Mexico)
July 1, 2005... As the leading deepwater producer in the Gulf of Mexico, Shell Exploration & Production Co. is pioneering the way to the ultra-deepwater. In 2005, Shell plans to drill 12 "big cat" exploration and development wells worldwide. Big cat wells...

Jackup orders growing: newbuilds keep shipyards busy.
July 1, 2005... Jackup newbuilds top the charts in this year's mobile offshore drilling unit survey. Offshore research shows 33 newbuilds currently on the books, with options for several more likely to be exercised in the coming months. Though yards in...

2005 Worldwide MODU construction/upgrade survey.(mobile offshore drilling unit)
July 1, 2005... 2005 Worldwide MODU construction/upgrade survey New Status of construction MODU name or number construction (Planned/Underway or (rig type) (Yes/No) Recently...

Newbuild jackup numbers hit all-time highs: Singapore captures the market.(DRILLING & COMPLETION)
July 1, 2005... The newbuild jackup market has reached record levels, and Singapore is raking in the profits. The country's two major yards, Keppel FELS and PPL Shipyard Pte. Ltd., have captured a commanding lead in worldwide jackup construction, with a...

Fast moving workover rig speeds production from Bahr Essalam.
July 1, 2005... Early last month, first production was due from ENI Gas BV's Bahr Essalam development, ll0-km offshore Tripoli. The project is harnessing offshore gas and condensate for export both to Libya and the Italian grid via a subsea trunkline to...

Deepwater mooring safer, more efficient: existing seafloor asset monitoring warns of danger.
July 1, 2005... Safe, efficient mooring operations present a challenge in deepwater. To protect valuable seafloor assets, rig masters must constantly monitor mooring lines during active mooring and anchor handling operations. Furthermore, accurate site...

Consafe re-emerges as a force in offshore construction support.(Consafe Offshore)
July 1, 2005... A familiar name--Consafe Offshore--has resurfaced in the flotel and construction support market. In little over a year, the company, based in Gothenburg and part of the JCE Group, has built up a fleet of four accommodation figs, including one...

Lightweight stainless steel sandwich material could transform structural engineering: steel fiber flocking gives lattice construction.(AB Volvo develops stainless steel material 'Hybrix')
July 1, 2005... Weight and strength of materials are major concerns for designers of offshore installations. Engineering would be more straightforward if steel had the weight of aluminum and aluminum the strength of steel. A new stainless steel sandwich...

ECT/Sintef urge re-think to safeguard against infections.(DRINKING WATER TREATMENT)
July 1, 2005... Norway has introduced new guidelines for drinking water treatment offshore, which include input from water specialist ECT Offshore Service. The guidelines have been issued by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health under the title...

Demand up for HIP components.(Metso Powdermet bags contract from China National Offshore Oil Corp. for hot isostatic processing )
July 1, 2005... Metso Powdermet, which produces metal components via the hot isostatic processing (HIP) method, has won its first order for an offshore customer in China. The China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) ordered two barrel casings for Sulzer...

Compact actuator delivers high level of torque, force.(Oden Control, product introduction)
July 1, 2005... Oden Control has launched a new Atex-certified, DNV-tested actuator for offshore duty--the P30EX series. It is a compact, modular unit based on the company's patented eccentric gear. At the heart of the design is the unique Oden Gear...

SeaQual seal designed for longer working life.(Cedervall and Soner)
July 1, 2005... Stern tube seals from Cedervall & Soner are proving effective at preventing water ingress along the propeller shaft. Following positive feedback from users, the company has extended its guarantee on its latest design, the SeaQual seal, from one...

CFD simulation improves droplet coverage during turbine wash.(gas turbine cleaning, computerized fluid dynamics )
July 1, 2005... Introducing computerized fluid dynamics (CFD) has enabled Gas Turbine Efficiency (GTE) to improve the effectiveness of its online gas turbine washing technique. Liquid is atomized at high pressure, creating a spray of fine droplets directed at...

VSAT stabilized antenna counters pitch, roll, vibration.(very small aperture terminal, SatPoint provides Satellite-based communications services to offshore industry)
July 1, 2005... Satellite-based communications services are available to the offshore industry from SatPoint as part of its range of GSM--global system for mobile communications--services for marine users. SatPoint took an important step toward realizing...

Dry low emission process limits impact from noxious gases.(GAS TURBINES)
July 1, 2005... A dry low emission (DLE) kit has been developed by the Volvo Aero Corp. to help gas turbine customers limit emissions of nitrogen oxide and other noxious gases. The move looks timely given the desire of many operators to improve the...

Projection technology improves operations management on Troll.
July 1, 2005... CGM's close large overview (CLOV) projection technology and control room layout and furniture are helping to improve ergonomic standards in offshore industry control rooms. ABB has incorporated both CLOV and operator desks in a new control...

Surfactant cleaning properties work with natural, synthetic drilling fluids.(CLEANING SURFACTANTS)
July 1, 2005... Novel surfactants for cement spacer cleaning are being developed by Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry plants in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and Stenungsund, Sweden. The products are designed to be both efficient and environmentally friendly, according to...

Visualizing, integrating data types positions salt flank: VSP, seismic, well data define a GoM subsalt prospect.(GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS)
July 1, 2005... Anadarko drilled the Tarantula No. 1 well in the Gulf of Mexico on the flank of a massive salt structure. All though the top of salt is well imaged I through 3D poststack time migration, interpretation of the salt flank is ambiguous. A diverse...

New tools and technology for the offshore industry: deepwater installation of umbilicals--avoiding stress.(New tools and technology; DeepSea Engineering & Management)
July 1, 2005... Deepwater steel tube umbilicals (STUs) are generally a late procured item. Though a vital, high-tech component of the subsea architecture, early specification of umbilicals is not critical. In fact, on many projects, operators procure them on a...

Stone Energy Corp.(Kenneth H. Beer appointed, James H. Prince resigns)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Kenneth H. Beer will become Stone Energy Corp.'s new senior vice president and CFO effective Aug. 1. James H. Prince, executive vice president and CFO, Stone Energy Corp. retires at the end of July.

Frontier Oil Corp.(Julie Edwards resigns, James Gibbs appointed)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Julie Edwards, CFO and executive vice president - finance and administration, Frontier Oil Corp., has resigned to pursue another career opportunity. James Gibbs, chairman, president, and CEO, Frontier, will assume Edwards' responsibilities...

TerraTek.(Offshore Technology Conference appoints vice president of Terra Tek Inc. Arnis Judzis)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The 2006 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) board members elected Arnis Judzis, executive vice president of TerraTek, as chairman. His appointment was announced at OTC.05 at Reliant Center at Reliant Park in Houston. The OTC board includes 13...

TDW Offshore Services.(Larry Worley promoted)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... TDW Offshore Services has promoted Larry Worley to director. From Houston, he will guide the company's global offshore business and direct facilities and personnel in Houston, Texas; Dublin, Ireland; and Aberdeen, Scotland. Worley comes to TDW...

Anadarko Canada Corp.(James R. Larson retires, Michael O. Bridges promoted)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... James R. Larson, CFO and senior vice president, Finance, will retire from Anadarko at the end of this year. Anadarko Canada Corp. has promoted Michael O. Bridges, president and general manager--Canada to vice president--Canada. He will continue...

Occidental Petroleum Corp.(Spencer Abraham appointed)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Stockholders elected Spencer Abraham, former US Secretary of Energy, to Occidental Petroleum Corp.'s board of directors. Abraham joins 10 other independent, outside directors, and Ray R. Irani, chairman, president, and CEO, who were reelected...

READ Well Services.(appoints Donald Mackay)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... READ Well Services has appointed Donald Mackay to base operations manager, located in Bergen, Norway. Mackay is responsible for health, safety, quality, and environmental management.

BPZ Energy Inc.(appoints Frederic Briens, Randall D. Keys, Edward G. Caminos)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... BPZ Energy Inc. appointed Frederic Briens as COO, Randall D. Keys as CFO, and Edward G. Caminos to corporate controller. In a planned transition, Manolo Zuniga, president of BPZ, has assumed the additional duties as CEO. The former CEO, Tom...

ExxonMobil.(appoints William W. George )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Shareholders elected William W. George to the ExxonMobil board of directors. George is professor of management practice, Harvard Business School, and former chairman of the board and CEO of Medtronic Inc.

Construction Specialists Ltd.(People)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Construction Specialists Ltd. added new Aberdeen staff. Andrew Patience joined as client projects delivery manager and will manage a 20-person team of subsea project managers and engineers, Mark Gillespie and Michael Rosich join as subsea...

Tenaris SA has acquired a 97% sharehold in Donasid SA, a Romanian steel producer, for 37 million [euro].(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Tenaris SA has acquired a 97% sharehold in Donasid SA, a Romanian steel producer, for 37 million [euro]. Tenaris is assuming 16.8 million [euro] in long-term debt held by Donasid with AVAS, the Romanian state privatization agency, and will...

CRC-Evans Pipeline International Inc. signed a contract with ZAO Izhorsky Trubny Zavod.(Companies)
July 1, 2005... CRC-Evans Pipeline International Inc. signed a contract with ZAO Izhorsky Trubny Zavod, based in Kolpino, St. Petersburg, Russia, for the design, manufacture, delivery, and installation of a pipe cleaning and coating facility for the...

Fugro GEOS Inc. has announced its support of marine science, engineering, and underwater technology education by offering a $5,000 scholarship to an undergraduate student pursuing a course of study in a related field.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Fugro GEOS Inc. has announced its support of marine science, engineering, and underwater technology education by offering a $5,000 scholarship to an undergraduate student pursuing a course of study in a related field. In conjunction with Fugro...

PennWell Corp.(appoints John Royall and Eldon Ball )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... PennWell Corp. has hired John Royall as vice president and group publisher of Offshore magazine. Royall is a seasoned publishing executive with 20+ years' experience. Prior to joining PennWell, he served as group publisher for Reed Business...

Scan Tech UK, part of James Fisher & Sons plc, has signed a strategic agreement with Perry Slingsby Systems, a provider of remote intervention technologies and equipment systems.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Scan Tech UK, part of James Fisher & Sons plc, has signed a strategic agreement with Perry Slingsby Systems, a provider of remote intervention technologies and equipment systems. Scan Tech will be the exclusive rental supplier for Perry's ROV...

ABZ Group has acquired Labtech Services Ltd.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ABZ Group has acquired Labtech Services Ltd. Former owner and manager of Labtech, Jim Manson, will remain with the company and be involved in ABZ's development.

Microsoft Corp. and Schlumberger formed a strategic initiative to align analysis and enterprise software and to speed delivery of software solutions on the Windows and Microsoft .NET platforms.(Companies)
July 1, 2005... Microsoft Corp. and Schlumberger formed a strategic initiative to align analysis and enterprise software and to speed delivery of software solutions on the Windows and Microsoft .NET platforms. Schlumberger will assist Microsoft in bringing...

Schlumberger has acquired Diamould Ltd.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Schlumberger has acquired Diamould Ltd., an oil and gas industry firm specializing in electrical, hydraulic, and fiber-optic connector solutions, based in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK.

Vienco and AGT Energy have formed a jointly owned company, OilFlow Solutions Ltd.(joint venture)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Vienco and AGT Energy have formed a jointly owned company, OilFlow Solutions Ltd. OilFlow will market Proflux 200 and Proflux 300, which optimize the flow of viscous oils.

Prosafe Rigs Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Prosafe ASA, was awarded a 30-day contract extension for the Safe Caledonia from Aug. 5, 2005.(Companies)
July 1, 2005... Prosafe Rigs Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Prosafe ASA, was awarded a 30-day contract extension for the Safe Caledonia from Aug. 5, 2005. Shell Nigeria Exploration & Production Co. extended the contract, the second of four possible 30-day...

Fugro McClelland Marine Geosciences.(wins Jones F. Devlin Award)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Fugro McClelland Marine Geosciences has won the Jones F. Devlin Award for safety from the Chamber of Shipping of America. FMMG earned the award for the safety aboard its geotechnical drill ship, Fugro Explorer. The vessel has had no lost-time...

BUE Viking of Aberdeen, UK, is changing its name to Viking Offshore Services Ltd.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... BUE Viking of Aberdeen, UK, is changing its name to Viking Offshore Services Ltd. The company is rebranding its 37 vessels by adding the prefix, "Viking," to their names and repainting the vessels yellow and black. Viking Supply Ships acquired...

JDR Cable Systems in partnership with Subsea 7 has developed what it says is the first hydraulic flying lead.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... JDR Cable Systems in partnership with Subsea 7 has developed what it says is the first hydraulic flying lead that offers the flexibility of a thermoplastic umbilical with the leak-tight reliability of a steel tube umbilical.

Statoil AS awarded a NKr143 million contract to Halliburton AS for precommissioning of the Langeled pipeline.(Companies)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Statoil AS awarded a NKr143 million contract to Halliburton AS for precommissioning of the Langeled pipeline. Engineering design work will begin this year with the precommissioning operation phase occurring in 2006 and 2007. The project...

Is the UK North Sea an attractive investment for new entrants?(BEYOND THE HORIZON)
July 1, 2005... In August 2004, the UK Offshore Operators' Association, in consultation with the UK Government, published a code of practice on access to upstream oil and gas infrastructure. The code contains radical measures to provide greater transparency....