Offshore articles from March 2008

Offshore archives from March 2008

Seismic vessel count jumps.(COMMENT)
March 1, 2008... You can expect to see a continued worldwide emphasis on offshore oil and gas exploration, according to the results of this year's Offshore seismic vessel report. A survey by IHS shows 22 net vessels entering the seismic fleet. This month's...

Subsea processing ready for deepwater, long tiebacks.(COMMENT)(Editorial)
March 1, 2008... Two contradictory perceptions are among the major findings and conclusions of a recently completed Joint Industry Project (JIP) on subsea processing technology conducted by INTEC Engineering. First, subsea oil and gas processing...

Devon breaks new ground off Brazil.(COMMENT)
March 1, 2008... Devon Energy Corp. became the first company to produce Brazilian oil without being associated with state-owned Petrobras when it announced first production from Polvo field in the Campos basin. Petrobras held an E&P monopoly in Brazil for...

Independents leading exploration revival off southern Italy.(COMMENT)
March 1, 2008... Foreign operators are making a comeback offshore Italy. A new group of companies is applying for blocks in the Adriatic and Ionian seas, with the encouragement of the country's licensing bureau. Although Italy is Europe's third largest producer...

Active rig fleet, February 2008.(GLOBAL DATA)
March 1, 2008... Active rig fleet, February 2008 Floaters Jackups US GoM 38 (+1) 76 (0) Mex GoM 4 (-1) 35 (-1) North Sea 39 (0) 35 (+1) East Atlantic 1...

GoM drilling permits issued.(GLOBAL DATA)
March 1, 2008... GoM drilling permits issued Drilling permits July 50 Aug. 41 Sept. 35 Oct. 55 Nov. 56 Dec. 31 Jan. ...

Gulf of Mexico day rates.(GLOBAL DATA)(Statistical table)
March 1, 2008... Gulf of Mexico day rates Month/Year Minimum Average Maximum Drillship Feb 2007 $190,900 $250,288 $302,000 Mar 2007 $190,900 $250,833 $302,000 April 2007 ...

Royal Dutch Shell is the apparent high bidder on 275 lease blocks in the Feb. 6 US Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sale 193 in the Chukchi Sea, offshore northwest Alaska.(United States)
March 1, 2008... Royal Dutch Shell is the apparent high bidder on 275 lease blocks in the Feb. 6 US Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sale 193 in the Chukchi Sea, offshore northwest Alaska. Shell's high bids totaled $2.1 billion. "I am pleased with our results...

The Kvitebjorn field in the North Sea is back onstream after the pipeline from Kvitebjorn to Kollsnes was shifted out of position and damaged by a ship's anchor in 2007.(North Sea/Europe)
March 1, 2008... The Kvitebjorn field in the North Sea is back onstream after the pipeline from Kvitebjorn to Kollsnes was shifted out of position and damaged by a ship's anchor in 2007. According to the company, the pipeline has sufficient technical...

Xcite Energy's 9/3b-5 appraisal well on the Bentley field was drilled to 4,105 ft (1,224 m) TD and encountered heavy oil bearing Paleocene Upper Dornoch formation sands.(North Sea/Europe)
March 1, 2008... Xcite Energy's 9/3b-5 appraisal well on the Bentley field was drilled to 4,105 ft (1,224 m) TD and encountered heavy oil bearing Paleocene Upper Dornoch formation sands. The well test met all of the company's principal objectives, including...

Eni Norge AS has concluded drilling of appraisal well 6507/2-4 on the 6507/2-2 discovery in the Norwegian Sea.(North Sea/Europe)
March 1, 2008... Eni Norge AS has concluded drilling of appraisal well 6507/2-4 on the 6507/2-2 discovery in the Norwegian Sea. The well proved gas and condensate 4.5 km (2.8 mi) from the discovery well. The appraisal well indicates that the total size of...

The Syrian Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources and the Syrian Petroleum Co. have approved commercial development of the Khurbet East field, according to Emerald Energy Plc.(Middle East)
March 1, 2008... The Syrian Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources and the Syrian Petroleum Co. have approved commercial development of the Khurbet East field, according to Emerald Energy Plc. Field development is intended to begin immediately to establish...

BP Egypt has discovered gas at record depths in the Nile Delta.(Middle East)
March 1, 2008... BP Egypt has discovered gas at record depths in the Nile Delta. BP says the Satis discovery is in the North El Burg Offshore, Nile Delta concession, 50 km (31 mi) north of Damietta. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The well was drilled with the...

Drilling has begun on the Aje 4 well offshore Nigeria, according to Providence Resources.(West Africa)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Drilling has begun on the Aje 4 well offshore Nigeria, according to Providence Resources. AJE Partners include: Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum (operator), Chevron Nigeria Deepwater (technical advisor), Vitol Exploration Nigeria, Energy Equity...

Sterling Energy says an appraisal well was to be drilled on the Banda discovery in Mauritania at the end of 1Q 2008 by the Atwood Hunter.(West Africa)
March 1, 2008... Sterling Energy says an appraisal well was to be drilled on the Banda discovery in Mauritania at the end of 1Q 2008 by the Atwood Hunter. It then is scheduled to drill two development wells and three workovers on the 50 MMbbl Chinguetti field...

CNOOC Ltd.'s LiuHua (LH) 11-1 oil field in the eastern South China Sea, has fully restarted production.(Asia)
March 1, 2008... CNOOC Ltd.'s LiuHua (LH) 11-1 oil field in the eastern South China Sea, has fully restarted production. The field is operating steadily and producing 23,000 b/d of oil. LH 11-1 started temporary production on June 27, 2007. During the...

CNOOC Ltd.'s Bo Zhong (BZ) 34-1 oilfield in Bohai Bay in northeastern China has successfully come onstream two months ahead of schedule.(Asia)
March 1, 2008... CNOOC Ltd.'s Bo Zhong (BZ) 34-1 oilfield in Bohai Bay in northeastern China has successfully come onstream two months ahead of schedule. More than 4,800 b/d of oil are currently being produced from seven wells. The development facilities...

Roc Oil (China) Co.'s Murmanskaya jack-up is drilling the Wei 6-12E-1 exploration well on a stratigraphic-structural prospect 1.7 km (1.1 mi) east of the Wei 6-12S-1 oil discovery in the Beibu Gulf, offshore China.(Asia)
March 1, 2008... Roc Oil (China) Co.'s Murmanskaya jack-up is drilling the Wei 6-12E-1 exploration well on a stratigraphic-structural prospect 1.7 km (1.1 mi) east of the Wei 6-12S-1 oil discovery in the Beibu Gulf, offshore China. Wei 6-12E-1 is the...

Roc Oil (WA) Pty Ltd. has begun a two-well exploration/appraisal drilling program in WA-286-P, in the North Perth basin, offshore Western Australia.(Australia)
March 1, 2008... Roc Oil (WA) Pty Ltd. has begun a two-well exploration/appraisal drilling program in WA-286-P, in the North Perth basin, offshore Western Australia. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The WilCraft jackup drilling rig commenced drilling the Lilac-1...

Apache Corp. reported its first offshore discovery from its 2008 exploration program.(Australia)
March 1, 2008... Apache Corp. reported its first offshore discovery from its 2008 exploration program. The Brulimar-1 on Australia's Northwest Shelf encountered 113 ft (34 m) of net pay in the Upper Triassic Mungaroo sandstone. Brulimar-1 is the fourth...

Independents prosper in Norway licensing.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)
March 1, 2008... Norway has issued 52 new production licenses under its Awards in Predefined Areas (APA 2007) licensing round in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea. All the awards are in areas already open to petroleum activity. Operatorships...

Volve jackup in production mode.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)
March 1, 2008... StatoilHydro has brought onstream its Volve field in the North Sea, 20 km (12.4 mi) west of Stavanger. Operations for the $308-million development were outsourced to Maersk, which began drilling the first of the eight wells from the field's...

Judy set for expansion.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)
March 1, 2008... ConocoPhillips has discovered an extension of its 2006 Jasmine gas/condensate find in the UK central North Sea. The jackup Ensco 102 drilled the structure in block 30/6-7, northeast of the Jasmine well. Following a flow test program, the rig...

Nini gains second platform.(OFFSHORE EUROPE)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... DONG is set to expand its Nini field development in the Danish North Sea. The Danish Energy Agengy has approved the company's DKK2.1 billion ($425 million) plan for the Nini East oil and gas accumulation, drilled and appraised last year by the...

Non-OPEC oil supply to lead growth.(GULF OF MEXICO)
March 1, 2008... At print, oil had the reached the $100/bbl level during a trading session for the second time in 2008. Many analysts believe the modest growth in oil supply from non-OPEC producing countries is one of the primary drivers applying upward...

First Subsea to supply Thunder Hawk connectors.(GULF OF MEXICO)
March 1, 2008... First Subsea is supplying 12 Ballgrab subsea mooring connectors to SBM Atlantia for the Thunder Hawk floating production unit. The semisubmersible will be anchored by a polyester rope/chain spread mooring system connected to 12 driven piles by...

McMoran, Rowan to re-enter Blackbeard.(GULF OF MEXICO)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... McMoran and Rowan have teamed to re-enter the Blackbeard deep gas prospect in South Timbalier block 168. The jackup Rowan Gorilla IV has been nominated to deepen Blackbeard No. 1 in 70 ft (21 m) of water. Rowan's jackup Scooter Yeargain drilled...

Keppel lands FPSO conversion.(GULF OF MEXICO)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... BW Pioneer Ltd. has awarded Keppel Shipyard a contract to convert the FPSO for the Petrobras-operated Cascade and Chinook developments. The vessel will be moored in about 8,530 ft (2,600 m) of water by a disconnectable turret. To be named...

Majors find, confirm reserves.(GULF OF MEXICO)
March 1, 2008... Shell has discovered oil at the Vicksburg prospect in 7,500 ft (2,286 m) of water. The field crosses sections of DeSoto Canyon blocks 353 and 397 and Mississippi Canyon block 393. Shell operates Vicksburg with 57.5% interest; Nexen has 25%; and...

Bass Lite on tap.(GULF OF MEXICO)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Mariner Energy has turned on the taps on the two-well development Bass Lite on Atwater Valley block 426 in 6,750 ft (2,057 m) of water. The subsea wells are fled back 56 mi (90 km) to the Devil's Tower spar. Gas throughput was 60 MMcf/d with...

Anadarko extends drillship contract.(GULF OF MEXICO)(contracts)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Anadarko has extended its contact with Trans-ocean's drillship Deepwater Millennium for three yeas beginning in June 2010. The extension is worth an estimated $586 million. Meanwhile, Anadarko says its plans to focus its deepwater GoM...

MMS issues final lease sale notices.(GULF OF MEXICO)
March 1, 2008... The MMS has issued final notices for central lease sale 206 and eastern lease sale 224, scheduled to be held consecutively on March 19, 2008. Lease sale 206 includes approximately 5,000 unleased blocks in the central planning area offshore...

K2 EOR planning continues.(GULF OF MEXICO)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A decision on the optimum enhanced oil recovery technique for the Anadarko-operated K2 field is expected by year-end 2008. A project team was formed in 2007 to evaluate proposed solutions for the Green Canyon area complex. Lab testing,...

Rigs active in deepwater.(GULF OF MEXICO)
March 1, 2008... Rigs active in deepwater Operator Area/Block Rig Anadarko Lloyd Ridge 399 Deepwater Millennium Shell Alaminos Canyon 857 Noble Clyde Boudreaux Shell ...

Field development awards.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)
March 1, 2008... There have been a number of subsea system and equipment awards recently. These include the following: Venezuela -- Cameron has a $190-million contract to provide subsea equipment and services to Petroleos de Venezuela SA, the national oil...

UK opens first-of-kind Website.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(Website overview)
March 1, 2008... Oil & Gas UK's Step Change in Safety has launched a Website to help companies improve asset integrity of offshore installations. The site is designed to share good practices, improve learning, and enhance communication within companies and...

RLWI systems delivered.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Two riser light well intervention (RLWI) systems were delivered by Bennex to FMC Kongsberg Subsea for use in maintaining subsea wells without riser/vessel support. The first system is scheduled for delivery to the Wellserver in March/April 2008...

AK agrees with Shell.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)
March 1, 2008... Aker Kvaerner also has signed a five-year agreement with Shell UK Ltd. and A/S Norske Shell for provision, installation, commissioning, and life-of-field support for North Sea subsea control systems. Five optional one-year extensions may be...

Field work.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)
March 1, 2008... Australia -- Woodside Petroleum Ltd. has contracted Acergy SA for $150 million for offshore installation work at the Pluto LNG facility off Karratha, Western Australia. The contract covers installation of subsea manifolds, valve structures,...

First acoustic corer on order.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... OceanWorks has contracted PanGeo Subsea Inc. to design and build the first acoustic corer. The device is to produce high-resolution sub-seabed images of geohazards. To accomplish this, the tool will require sonar heads to be accurately scanned...

VetcoGray introduces high capacity wellhead system.(SUBSEA SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... VetcoGray's new MS-800 subsea wellhead offers increased casing load and higher pressure capacities, the company says. Targeted at deepwater drilling, the unit can hold an 8 million lb (3.6 million kg) load at the wellhead including 2 million lb...

AGR extends Transocean Prospect contract.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... AGR Group has extended its contract for the Transocean Prospect until September 2008. AGR will manage at least five additional wells for clients Antrim, Bow Valley, Granby, and Nautical in 2008 with the vessel. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

ASL to build seven ships for $67 million.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
March 1, 2008... ASL Marine Holdings Ltd. has secured new shipbuilding contracts worth a total of SGD 96 million ($67 million) for the construction of seven vessels. The vessels include two emergency response and rescue vessels, one water injection...

Seadrill gets new Malaysia assignment.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The Seadrill jackup drilling rig West Janus has a three-year contract valued at $164 million with a major operator in Southeast Asia. Start-up of operations is scheduled for 3Q 2008, in direct continuation of the fig's existing contractual...

Aker wins $1.1 billion FPSO contract from Reliance.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
March 1, 2008... Reliance Industries Ltd. has exercised an option for a 10-year bareboat charter for $1.1 billion from Aker Floating Production ASA on the FPSO Aker SMART 1. As a result, the operation and maintenance contract with Aker Borgestad Operations SA...

Atwood lines up work for Richmond.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Atwood's submersible Richmond is scheduled to begin drilling programs in the Gulf of Mexico with Helis Oil & Gas and Contango Operations Inc. following its life enhancement work. Applied Drilling Technology Inc. will manage the drilling...

Seafox 1 to support Inde removal.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
March 1, 2008... Shell UK has contracted the Seafox 1 support and accommodation vessel for its Inde platform decommissioning program in the southern North Sea. The long-term contract, starting this October, was awarded to the vessel's charterer, Logis...

Bibby Offshore lands FPSO management contract.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
March 1, 2008... FPS Ocean has entered into a technical, operational, and maintenance management agreement with Bibby Offshore Ltd. for its first FPSO, the DeeP Producer 1, currently under conversion at Dubai Drydocks. Houston's GreyStar Corp. will work...

Maersk orders FPSO from Keppel.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
March 1, 2008... Maersk Contractors has awarded Singapore's Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. a contract for an FPSO vessel. Maersk begins its second $3-billion investment program with the award of the FPSO, having already placed $3 billion worth of orders. ...

Keppel secures contract for Bully 2.(VESSELS & SURFACE SYSTEMS)
March 1, 2008... A jointly-owned Frontier Drilling and Shell company has awarded a $101-million contract to Keppel Shipyard Ltd. for the integration and completion of a newbuild Bully drillship. This is the second drillship of the Bully design awarded to...

New cement seals microleaks.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
March 1, 2008... Schlumberger says it has developed its FUTUR active set-cement technology that automatically seals microleaks in a cement sheath. Pumped and placed as part of any primary cementing operation, the active components of this cement system...

Particle Drilling Technologies completes first phase of test.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
March 1, 2008... Particle Drilling Technologies Inc. says it has completed the first phase of its in-house test program of the new particle injection system with good results. The testing confirmed that the automated system operates as designed as a mechanical...

Impact Guidance Systems develops DataCoil.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)
March 1, 2008... Impact Guidance Systems, a research and development company based in Spring, Texas, has released its latest sensor technology for coiled tubing applications. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The system, known as DataCoil, is a state-of-the-art...

PCM develops PCM VulcainT.(DRILLING & PRODUCTION)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The industry's first all-metal progressing cavity pump, the PCM VulcainT used recently offshore Congo, withstands the extreme downhole temperatures of thermal oil recovery. PCM, manufacturer of positive displacement pumps, says it developed...

Survey, acquisition news.(GEOSCIENCES)
March 1, 2008... Tap Oil Ltd.'s Labatt 3D Marine Seismic Survey in Bass basin permit T/47P offshore Australia is completed with more than 524 sq km (202 sq mi) of full-fold data acquired. The survey concentrated around the Cormorant-1 well and Tap anticipates...

Seismic vessel business.(GEOSCIENCES)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... SeaBird Exploration Ltd. has received a contract extension for its vessel Kondor Explorer from CGGVefitas. The new time charter contract extends CGGVeritas' use of the Kondor Explorer as a source vessel until early November. The contract...

Study results.(GEOSCIENCES)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... CGX Energy Inc. has released the results of a Gustavson Associates LLC. study of four of CGX's prospects in the Corentyne license offshore Guyana. According to Gustavson, the P50 reserves estimate for the four prospects, developed using...

4D applications.(GEOSCIENCES)
March 1, 2008... Reservoir Imaging Ltd. (RIL), the 4D seismic software services consultancy based in Edinburgh, Scotland, announced the award of major contracts from Shell UK Ltd. and BP for projects in the North Sea during 2008. The company will be advising on...

Independents leading exploration revival off southern Italy: re-license system makes permit acquisition possible.(SPECIAL REPORT: ITALY)
March 1, 2008... Foreign operators are making a comeback offshore Italy. Anew group of companies is applying for blocks in the Adriatic and Ionian seas, with the encouragement of the country's licensing bureau. Although Italy is Europe's third largest...

Seismic vessel count jumps: 22 net units added to world fleet in IHS survey.(GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS)
March 1, 2008... There will be a continued worldwide emphasis on oil and gas exploration based on the results of this year's seismic vessel survey done by IHS's World Geophysical News staff. One new company was added to the list and there were a net gain of 22...

First offshore composite riser joint proven on Heidrun.(DRILLING & COMPLETION)
March 1, 2008... Demand for strong yet lightweight materials able to stand up to the harsh subsea environment has spiked, with a corresponding peak of interest in composites. Composite risers have been an aim because they can offer real performance benefits vs....

Deepwater safety challenges to consider in a fast-paced development environment.(FIELD DEVELOPMENT)
March 1, 2008... New concepts continually are developed to get better overall marine performance and hydrocarbons production efficiency in the harsh offshore environment, yet maintaining appropriate level of safety in the operation to protect the onboard...

Standardization adds value to FPSO topside.(PRODUCTION OPERATIONS)(Floating Production, Storage and Offloading )
March 1, 2008... As global E&P moves to increasingly deeper waters and more remote locations, the FPSO vessel has become integral to field development considerations. The industry reports approximately 115 FPSO units currently in service worldwide, with more...

Devon breaks new ground at Polvo: producing oil in Brazil independently of Petrobras.(PRODUCTION OPERATIONS)
March 1, 2008... Devon Energy Corp. became the first company to produce Brazilian oil without being associated with state-owned Petrobras, when it announced first production from Polvo field in the Campos basin, offshore Rio de Janeiro, in July 2007. ...

Subsea processing ready for deepwater, long tiebacks.(SUBSEA)
March 1, 2008... Two contradictory perceptions are among the major findings and conclusions of a recently completed Joint Industry Project JIP) on subsea processing technology conducted by INTEC Engineering. First, subsea oil and gas processing...

New study finds Port Fourchon 'vital' to US economy: port supported $63.4 billion in oil, gas services in 2006.(Fort Fourchon Supplement)
March 1, 2008... An advance copy of a soon-to-be-published report on the economic impacts of a 21-day disruption of activity at Port Fourchon, Lousiana, on both the national and regional economies contains a number of findings judged by port officials to be...

White ribbon of new LA 1 taking shape near Fourchon: Leeville Bridge going up.(Fort Fourchon Supplement)
March 1, 2008... Construction is under way on the beginning stretch of Phase 1 of Louisiana's LA 1 Highway Project, which comprises a 6.8-mi section of two-lane, elevated highway running from Leeville south to LA 3090 at Port Fourchon, says the LA 1 Coalition,...

Newbuild vessels are long-term strategy for ACO's growing offshore fleet.(Port Fourchon Supplement)
March 1, 2008... Operating a fleet of modern offshore vessels designed to carry personnel and a wide variety of cargo to offshore installations. Abdon Callais Offshore LLC (ACO) of Golden Meadow. Louisiana, continues to grow by adding newbuild vessels to its...

Dry-dock slated for delivery at Bollinger's Port Fourchon yard early 2009.(Port Fourchon Supplement)
March 1, 2008... Bollinger Shipyards Inc. has scheduled an early 2009 delivery of a new dry-dock for its Bollinger Fourchon LLC shipyard at Port Fourchon. Of the company's 13 shipyards along the Louisiana-Texas Gulf Coast, the Fourchon facility has been the...

InterMoor upgrades it Fourchon lift capacity to meet new mooring challenges.(Port Fourchon Supplement)
March 1, 2008... As part of an expansion program begun in 2007 at its 22-acre Port Fourchon shore base, InterMoor Inc., international supplier of offshore rig mooring systems and components, has upgraded the facility's heavy-lift capability with installation of...

US liquids optimizing E&P waste management at Fourchon.(Port Fourchon Supplement)
March 1, 2008... US Liquids of Louisiana (USLL) has opened its second transfer station in Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The strategically positioned facility offers a 24-hour-a-day/seven-day-a-week full-service marine operation for oilfield drilling and production...

GVA branching out into FPSO conversions and drillships.(SWEDEN)
March 1, 2008... GVA Consultants, known worldwide as a designer of semisubmersible drilling rigs and production platforms, is broadening its horizons to include all kinds of floaters. It is already involved in its first FPSO conversion project, and plans to...

ROV survey tool searches for mines along Baltic pipeline.(SWEDEN)
March 1, 2008... Identifying buried mines and munitions for the Nord Stream pipeline project in the Baltic Sea was an assignment in which Marin Matteknik (MMT) could not afford to make any errors. The seabed survey specialist had to develop special technology...

Exmar opts for chain locker closure system to secure GoM semi.(SWEDEN)
March 1, 2008... MoorLink has delivered its chain locker closure device to Samsung Heavy Industries in Korea for use on Exmar's new OPT/-EX semisubmersible production platform. The 12 units will handle 107 mm (4.21 in.) studless chain, and have been classified...

Replacement LQ modules in demand in Europe, Mexico.(SWEDEN)
March 1, 2008... After a lean period in 2006, living quarter specialist Emtunga Offshore has rebuilt its orderbook and positioned itself for a variety of future work, partly via new alliances. Requests for quotations have been flooding in, proof that the market...

LNG-powered supply vessels cut C[O.sub.2] and N[O.sub.x] emissions.(SWEDEN)
March 1, 2008... LNG is being used increasingly for powering ships in the Norway fleet, including offshore vessels. It offers an environmentally friendly option, which has been welcomed by shipowners, oil companies, and authorities. Gothenburg-based CRYO has...

Diesel engines suited to hazardous area operations.(SWEDEN)
March 1, 2008... Volvo Penta has certified two of its marine engines, one mechanical and one electronic, for use in ATEX Zone 2 environments, including offshore. The two engines are the D7 TA and the D12 MH, both six-cylinder, four-stroke, direct-injected,...

Bassoe forms drilling rig design specialist.(SWEDEN)
March 1, 2008... A new engineering company has been established in Gothenburg to focus on mobile offshore installations. Bassoe Technology is the latest addition to the group of offshore companies associated with the Bassoe Group, led by Norwegian investor...

Sondex Oilfield Technology.(People)
March 1, 2008... Sondex Oilfield Technology has appointed Goran Kolaric as business development manager for Europe and Africa.

C&M Group.(People)
March 1, 2008... C&M Group has appointed Colin Smith and Jim Eccles to senior management positions.

Frontline.(People)
March 1, 2008... Frontline has appointed Kafltrine Fredrlksen as the company's director.

OceanWorks International.(People)
March 1, 2008... OceanWorks International has appointed Javier Gomez as sales manager.

The Lloyd's Register Group.(People)
March 1, 2008... The Lloyd's Register Group has appointed Tim Walsh as oil and gas general manager for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and Ron Edgar as floating offshore installations (FOD global manager.

Petroleum Geo-Services ASA.(People)
March 1, 2008... Petroleum Geo-Services ASA has appointed Jon Erik Reinhardsen as president and CEO. He succeeds Svein Rennemo.