Offshore articles from November 2003

Offshore archives from November 2003

The absurdity of risk aversion.(Comment)(oil industry technology, conservatism)
November 1, 2003... Wall Street is to blame. Somehow those big money players, who many suspect don't even understand the principal drivers of this industry, got the ear of the operating companies. Or maybe it's simpler than that. Maybe the stakes just got too...

Americas.(Global E&P)(Canadian geological reports)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Newfoundland Mines and Energy Minister Walter Noel has released two geological reports relating to 14 offshore parcels being offered in this year's call for bids that closes on Dec. 17. G&G Exploration Consulting of Calgary, Alberta, an...

Middle East.(Global E&P)(Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Petroleum Development Co. development agreement)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Qatar Petroleum and Qatar Petroleum Development Co. have signed an agreement for full field development of the offshore Al-Karkara and A-North structures. Qatar Petroleum and QPD signed the original development and production sharing...

Mediterranean.(Global E&P)(Intec Engineering awarded pipeline project contract)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Intec Engineering has been awarded the front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract for the Medgaz offshore pipeline project in the Mediterranean Sea. Intec's scope of work for the contract includes the design/engineering of the...

Europe.(Global E&P)(Grane platform well produces oil)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The first production well on the Grane platform in the Norwegian North Sea began producing oil on Sept. 23, three weeks ahead of schedule. It is the first of 12 pre-drilled wells being linked to the platform. Oil production from the field...

Britain and Norway have agreed on treaty principles that will enable gas to be transported from the Ormen Lange field offshore Norway to the British market.(Global E & P)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Britain and Norway have agreed on treaty principles that will enable gas to be transported from the Ormen Lange field offshore Norway to the British market. The agreement is based on delivery of third-party gas through the southern leg from the...

Central Asia.(Global E&P)(oil industry safety standards set in Azerbaijan)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Acona Caspian of Norway and Det Norske Veritas have established safety standards for Azerbaijan's oil industry. According to Acona, the Azerbaijani government is evaluating the standards. On approval, all oil companies working in the...

Africa.(Global E&P)(Repsol YPF wins rights along Moroccan coast)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Repsol YPF was awarded offshore exploration rights along Morocco's northwestern coast. The award allows Repsol to explore three areas covering 6,000 sq km off the coast between Tangiers and Larache. The exploration rights will he valid for...

Joint Development Authority of the Nigeria-DRSTP Joint Development Zone.(Global E & P)(licensing round)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Joint Development Authority of the Nigeria-DRSTP Joint Development Zone announced improvements to the fiscal terms applicable to the licensing round. The JDA announced an introduction of an Investment Tax Allowance as an integral part of...

In the Gulf of Guinea, HyperDynamics Corp. subsidiary SCS Corp. has isolated four tiers of fault blocks 150 km offshore.(Global E & P)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... In the Gulf of Guinea, HyperDynamics Corp. subsidiary SCS Corp. has isolated four tiers of fault blocks 150 km offshore. The blocks are at the edge of a large delta and confirm the presence of many major oil and gas prospects. Robert...

Asia-Pacific.(Global E&P)(investment in Vietnam)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Vietnam is "improving the climate for investment," said Dr. Nguyen Bich Dat, vice minister of Vietnam's Ministry of Planning and Investment, on a visit to Houston in late 3Q 2003. As Vietnam makes the transition from central economy to...

License nominations due.(Offshore Europe)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Block nominations for the Faroe Islands' second offshore licensing round are due by Dec. 13. According to the Ministry of Petroleum, oil companies have been asked to rank their preferred acreage as either "interesting" or "very interesting."...

Celtic Sea activity.(Offshore Europe)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Ramco Energy's exploration successes in the Celtic Sea have spurred a flurry of activity. London-based Astral Petroleum was awarded a licensing option and a petroleum prospecting license over four part-blocks in the North Celtic Sea basin, off...

Hewett gets new operator.(Offshore Europe)(Tullow Oil to operate North Sea gas field)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Tullow Oil has assumed operatorship of the Hewett gas field complex in the southern UK North Sea and its associated export pipelines and onshore processing terminal onshore at Bacton. Tullow has also raised its interest in these assets to...

Undiscovered Norwegian oil and gas.(Offshore Europe)
November 1, 2003... Statoil estimates Norway's undiscovered oil and gas resources at 28.3 Bboe, more than 20% above the figure put forward by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. The gap largely reflects the two parties' different views of the Norwegian Sea's...

J. Ray completes Medusa spar project.(Gulf Of Mexico)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... McDermott International Inc. subsidiary J. Ray McDermott completed the Medusa spar project, delivered on a full scope engineering, procurement, installation, and construction (EPIC) basis. J. Ray subsidiary SparTEC provided overall project...

Riskex one factor in DP operations.(Gulf Of Mexico)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... In weighing the options for shuttle tankers and pipelines, Ernst Meyer of DNV Consulting urged Dynamic Positioning (DP) Conference attendees in Houston to consider risk expenditures (riskex). "What may appear to be the best solution with...

Forest buys Unocal properties.(Gulf Of Mexico)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Unocal Corp. is selling 70 of its Gulf of Mexico area properties to Forest Oil Corp. in a $260-295 million deal that was expected to close by the end of October. Forest said that following the purchase of the south Louisiana and offshore...

Regulatory notes.(Gulf Of Mexico)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The US Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service has updated its guidance on preparing exploration plans (EPs) and development operations coordination documents (DOCDs). The changes, provided in a recent notice to lessees...

Icebreakers for Sakhalin.(New Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Kvaerner Masa-Yards Inc. and Russia's Far-Eastern Shipping Co. PLC have signed contracts for the design and construction of two icebreaking stand-by and supply vessels for the Sakhalin-1 project. The contracts were evaluated by ExxonMobil,...

COSL to build workover rig.(New Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... China Oilfield Services Ltd. has entered into a well workover rig service agreement with ConocoPhillips China for the development of the Peng Lai 19-3 block. The agreement calls for COSL to build a workover rig, which will be leased to...

New semi for Maersk.(New Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. delivered a new generation semisubmersible rig to Maersk Contractors two weeks ahead of schedule in mid August. The rig was named Lider in a ceremony that was held at Caspian Shipyard Co. in Baku, Azerbaijan. ...

ABB delivers for China.(New Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... ABB has delivered a distributed control system (DCS), safety system, and fire and gas system for production process control oil a newly built FPSO for China National Offshore Oil Co. A second Chinese contract went to ABB's marine business...

New tanker joins the fleet.(New Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... ConocoPhillips subsidiary Polar Tankers Inc. has taken delivery of its newest double-hulled tanker from Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Avondale, Louisiana. The Polar Discovery is classed by the American Bureau of Shipping and joins sister...

Pertamina buys 12 tankers.(New Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Pertamina, Indonesia's state-owned oil and gas company, has purchased 12 tankers ranging in weight from 3,500 tons to 300,000 tons at a cost of $280 million. The order includes two 260,000-dwt very large crude carriers (VLCCs), three...

Schlumberger announces new mobile PVT lab.(Subsea/Surface Systems)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Schlumberger Oilfield Services says its PVT Express wellsite fluid analysis service can deliver reliable fluid property results in as few as eight hours turn-around, processing time. This mobile system provides pressure-volume-temperature...

Longest subsea tie-back using large-diameter pipe.(Subsea/Surface Systems)
November 1, 2003... Intec is providing engineering for the installation of deepwater seabed facilities feeding a record, 70-mi subsea tieback on the Simian Sienna and Sapphire projects, according to Peter Roberts, Intec's managing director for Europe, Africa, and...

New PRT design for Thunderhorse.(Subsea/Surface Systems)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... This month, Westech will ship a 1,200-kipcapacity production riser system (PRT) to Transocean's Discoverer Enterprise drillship. In November, the new PRT will be placed into service in the BP Thunder Horse field in the Gulf of Mexico. The...

Brazil's new field. (in Santos Basin).(Drilling & Production)
November 1, 2003... The new 14.8-tcf gas field discovered by Petrobras is of huge significance and is set to completely turn around the traditional dynamics of the Southern Cone gas market, according to a recent report by Wood Mackenzie. The find is by far the...

Processing/re-cycling cuttings.(Drilling & Production)(Total Waste Management Alliance PLC's RotoMill system)
November 1, 2003... An Aberdeen-based company has developed a solution to enable oily drilled cuttings and slops to be processed and re-cycled offshore at up to seven toils per hour. Designed and manufactured by Total Waste Management Alliance Plc. (TWMA), the new...

E&P software.(Drilling & Production)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Shell International Exploration and Production has accepted a multi-year, multi-product software master agreement with Schlumberger Information Solutions. SIS will provide a set of exploration and production application software that will from...

Sand removal.(Drilling & Production)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... A system in which the sand produced from oil reservoirs is removed online has been further enhanced. According to the manufacturers, the new innovation will automatically transport the sand significant distances and heights on a production...

Exploring deeper.(Geosciences)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... A series of industry events that provides a snapshot of current conditions and attempts to project future directions made it abundantly clear there is increasing need for geologically directed exploration. Present seismic data is insufficient...

IODP begins.(Geosciences)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program began on Oct. 1. Contract awards by the National Science Foundation went to an alliance formed by the Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Texas A&M University, and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of...

Learning curve.(Geosciences)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... When companies choose to explore deep sediments, they should remember that learning to deal effectively and efficiently with the drilling challenges of pressure and temperature in a deep trend will require drilling 12-20 wells per year to find...

Focusing effort.(Geosciences)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Other trends gaining momentum are tighter integration between software tools and the application of historic data to traditional problems. At the Schlumberger Information Solutions Forum in Miami recently, Peter Goode, SIS president, outlined...

Valhall monitoring.(Geosciences)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... BP Norge and partners Shell. Amerada Hess, and Total recently installed a permanent subsea seismic system over the Valhall field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The OYO Geospace system contains 2,504 multi-component stations with...

Linux protection.(Technology)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Central Command announced the availability of Vexira Antivirus for Linux with real-time virus protection of the Samba, Netatalk, and NFS network shares. Vexira is a complete Linux antivirus defense system designed for easy and dependable virus...

Research excellence.(Technology)
November 1, 2003... Citing Compagnie Generale de Geophysique's innovative use of technology in the field of seismic research, Dell designated the company as a Dell Center for Research Excellence. The company uses more than 3,000 Dell PowerEdge servers linked to...

Belanak field development combines platforms, FPSO, FSO, subsea links: innovative technology key to field economics.(Southeast Asia)
November 1, 2003... Development of the ConocoPhillips Belanak field offshore Indonesia will combine a range of production structures, including two drilling platforms, an FPSO, a floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel, and a variety of subsea connections....

Offshore Malaysia's first ultra-deepwater project.(Southeast Asia)
November 1, 2003... Malaysia has a long history of offshore drilling with proper oilfield support. However, ultra-deepwater drilling had not taken place in the country when Murphy Sabah Oil Co., Ltd. signed a production sharing agreement with Petronas in January...

Total expanding Mahakam delta output to increase share of Bontang LNG.(Southeast Asia)
November 1, 2003... Mahakam, off and onshore East Kalimantan, is Indonesia's most prolific gas production hub. Since 1982, more than 7 tcf have been extracted from five fields in the 2.089-sq-km Mahakam production sharing contract (PSC) area, which extends north...

OMV targeting swift production hike from newly acquired Australasian interests.(Australia/New Zealand)
November 1, 2003... Austria's leading independent, OMV, is looking to double its global production to 160,000 boe/d by 2008 Much will depend on its activities offshore Australia and New Zealand, where the company is preparing to invest heavily in new development...

BHP Billiton finds success in fewer wells, larger deposits: building on subsea technology experience.(Deepwater Operations)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... BHP Billiton, which calls itself "a different kind of wildcatter," has found success in the Gulf of Mexico by staying within basins that have significant or potentially significant trends. "We really do wildcat," said Steve Bell, president...

Demands on heavy lift vessels increase with water depth: more than just a landmark installation.(Heavy Lift Vessels)
November 1, 2003... As the offshore industry evolves to keep pace with the demands of deepwater field developments, many opportunities and challenges lie ahead for heavy lift vessels. Adding the world's largest J-lay tower, capable of laying pipe of 4-in. to...

The dollars and sense of combined transportation, installation: new heavy-lift method saves money and time.(Heavy Lift Vessels)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Heavy-lift shipping company Jumbo has adapted standard technology, to perform a combined transportation and installation project off Australia. The Technip Coflexip-Subsea 7 joint venture (TCS7 JV) selected Jumbo to carry out a complex...

Bayu Undan topsides delivered and installed in 86-day operation.(Heavy Lift Vessels)
November 1, 2003... The semisubmersible heavy transport vessel Blue Marlin has installed two topsides on pre-installed jackets fox ConocoPhillips' Bayu-Undan gas recycling development in the Timor Sea. A contract that Perth-based Clough Aker Joint Venture awarded...

New lift vessels gain work quickly.(Heavy Lift Vessels)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Cosco Shipping Co. Ltd., continuing its semisubmersible heavy lift fleet expansion, added the Kang Sheng Kou to its fleet on Oct. 1. A sister vessel to Tai An Kou, Kang Sheng Kou moved into the market, carrying Transocean's Ron Tappmeyer jackup...

Deeper water opportunities force contractors into unknown territory.(Global Field Development)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The worldwide offshore construction industry is in transition. As more deepwater fields are discovered, development plans become more complex, incorporating various floating production solutions as well as subsea systems. Growth regions...

2003 Global field development survey.(Illustration)
November 1, 2003... 2003 Global field development survey Platform Tree Floating platform Operator count count count ANGOLA Cabinda Gulf 5 ChevronTexaco...

Worldwide LNG trade to expand with gas demand.(LNG Technology)
November 1, 2003... LNG trade is expected to increase significantly over the next 20 years from the present level of approximately 150 million tons per annum (MMTA) to more than 200 MMTA. The growth is clue to the increasing world demand for clean burning fuels,...

Subsea processing--the gamechanger: majors collaborate with suppliers to improve performance.(Subsea Processing)
November 1, 2003... Subsea processing has the potential to massively reduce expenditure on offshore platforms by placing much of the hardware required to separate the well products on the seabed. The logical extension of the concept is that in some situations,...

Cape Town yards offer competitive services: South Africa emerging as an industry hub.(Marine Construction)
November 1, 2003... Cape Town's waterfront is playing an increasingly larger role in construction for the oil and gas industry. According to South Africans, the area offers the best supply and servicing position on the sub-continent. Cape Town is in the...

Offshore industry focuses on crane safety.(Marine Construction)
November 1, 2003... An integral part of day-to-day work offshore, crane operations are a risky business, a fact that industry groups are striving to change. As of mid-year, the US Minerals Management Service showed four crane safety incidents with one injury. ...

New tool tests shutdown valves on offshore platforms.(Risk Management)
November 1, 2003... Availability, production output, and operation and maintenance costs are important offshore platform metrics that directly affect the bottom line. Required periodic testing of critical shutdown valves (SDVs) degrades availability, interrupts...

David B. Robson, CEO of Veritas DGC, citing health reasons, intends to step down as CEO when a suitable replacement can be found.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... David B. Robson, CEO of Veritas DGC, citing health reasons, intends to step down as CEO when a suitable replacement can be found. A committee appointed by the Veritas board will conduct a candidate search with the assistance of executive search...

J. Ray McDermott.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... J. Ray McDermott has named Gay Stanley Mayeux vice president, controller effective Sept. 1. Mayeux has spent most of her 28-year career in financial management positions, primarily with international energy services companies. She will report...

Weatherford International Ltd.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Joseph Gocke, formerly the assistant treasurer for Aquila Inc., has joined Weatherford International Ltd. as treasurer.

CGG.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... CGG data processing centers have made the following changes: Finn Foldal is manager of CGG's Oslo processing center, Bruno Virlouvet is manager of CGG's Luanda processing center, Patrick Andre is manager of CGG's Perth processing center, Atle...

Dresser-Rand Co.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Dresser-Rand Co. has promoted three company executives. Bradford W. Dickson, executive vice president for Americas region, will also pursue business opportunities in the company's European region and market and sell new equipment worldwide....

Pioneer Natural Resources Co.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Pioneer Natural Resources Co. has announced that, effective Nov. 1, 2003, Dennis E. Fagerstone will retire from his position as Pioneer's executive vice president of international operations after 32 years in the industry.

Tenaris SA.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Tenaris SA has elected Paolo Rocca to chairman of its board of directors. Rocca, in addition to acting as chairman of the board, will continue in his role as CEO. The board of directors also appointed Lucio Bastianini, vice-chairman of San...

UWG Group.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... UWG Group has appointed Alan MacKenzie to engineering services business manager. MacKenzie, who will be based in Norwich, UK, joins the company from Baker Oil Tools.

Verdisys Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Verdisys Inc., provider of patented lateral drilling oil services and satellite solutions for energy production enhancement, has appointed Kevin Bailey as major accounts manager for satellite communications. Bailey most recently was senior...

Subsea 7.(People)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Global subsea contractor Subsea 7 has appointed Mike Earlam as chartering manager. Earlam joins Subsea 7 after 10 years' employment with the logistics and supply chain management company ASCO plc, where he was European marine manager...

OPS Group Ltd., provider of qualified specialist personnel to the international oil and gas industry.(Companies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... OPS Group Ltd., provider of qualified specialist personnel to the international oil and gas industry, has acquired Coiltec Ltd., an oil, gas, and pipeline recruitment consultancy based in Great Yarmouth, England.

Aberdeen-based offshore accommodation provider Duffy and McGovern has secured a NKr17.5 million contract with Norwegian energy company Statoil.(Companies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Aberdeen-based offshore accommodation provider Duffy and McGovern has secured a NKr17.5 million contract with Norwegian energy company Statoil. Duffy and McGovern will supply an offshore rental accommodation package for use on Statoil's Troll A...

Energy Resources Consultancy LLC.(Companies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... A group of international energy project experts have formed a new business venture called Energy Resources Consultancy LLC. The organization will offer expert review of project proposals, technology selection, design, financing options,...

Expro Americas Inc., part of oilfield services provider Expro International Group PLC, has opened a new office in Houston.(Companies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Expro Americas Inc., part of oilfield services provider Expro International Group PLC, has opened a new office in Houston to accommodate its growing business in the Gulf of Mexico area.

ASCO, international providers of managed supply chain solutions, has won an integrated logistics contract with Mobil North Sea Ltd.(Companies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... ASCO, international providers of managed supply chain solutions, has won an integrated logistics contract with Mobil North Sea Ltd., an ExxonMobil subsidiary. The three-year contract began in August 2003, with operations from ASCO's supply...

Statoil Innovation AS, a venture capital company wholly owned by Statoil ASA has subscribed to a new issue of shares in GasOptics and become owner of 55% of the company.(Companies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Statoil Innovation AS, a venture capital company wholly owned by Statoil ASA has subscribed to a new issue of shares in GasOptics and become owner of 55% of the company. GasOptics, based in Lund, Sweden, develops instruments, called "gas...

Under a new agreement between Geotrace and Multiwave.(Companies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Under a new agreement between Geotrace and Multiwave, Geotrace will provide onboard data processing services on all of Multiwave's fleet of 2D and 3D vessels.

Marathon Oil Corp.(Companies)
November 1, 2003... Marathon Oil Corp. will be consolidated into two business units, Northern and Southern, headquartered in Houston. By consolidating production operations in Houston, the company will concentrate operational management and technical expertise in...

Shell has awarded MCS, an engineering services group, a contract in West Africa for the Shell Bonga project.(Companies)
November 1, 2003... Shell has awarded MCS, an engineering services group, a contract in West Africa for the Shell Bonga project. The Shell contract involves the development of a management strategy for the Bonga offloading system, which includes large diameter...

Oceaneering International has acquired Rotator AS.(Companies)
November 1, 2003... Oceaneering International has acquired Rotator AS, a designer and manufacturer of subsea control valves, topside control valves, subsea chemical injection valves, and specialty control panels. With annual revenues of $16 million, Rotator will...

Procurement company Craig International Supplies Ltd. won a two-year contract with Transocean.(Companies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Procurement company Craig International Supplies Ltd. won a two-year contract with Transocean. The contract, worth $1 million per year to CIS, involves the provision of general oilfield products to the Transocean fleet within the North Europe...

KBR, the engineering and construction subsidiary of Halliburton.(Companies)
November 1, 2003... KBR, the engineering and construction subsidiary of Halliburton, has opened an operations support office in northern England to support new business growth in the area. The new office will accommodate an initial team of more than 20 people.

UWG Group has acquired MENCK GmbH.(Companies)
November 1, 2003... UWG Group has acquired MENCK GmbH, the German-based anchoring and foundations specialist, from J. Ray McDermott SA.

Douglas-Westwood.(Companies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The Ocean Survey Report 2004-2008 produced by Douglas-Westwood estimates the world market for ocean survey at $2.5 billion in 2004 and forecasts it will continue long-term growth to reach $2.8 billion in 2008. The report provides analysis of...

STUs address key issues for deepwater dynamic applications.(Equipment/Engineering)
November 1, 2003... Umbilicals are a key component in the wet tree development of deepwater fields. Umbilical failure can result in partial or total loss of production, with resulting severe economic consequences. In many recent deepwater projects, steel tubes for...

Harvesting value from the digital oilfield of the future.(Beyond The Horizon)
November 1, 2003... Most companies picture the oil field of the future as the CEO sitting on the beach with a laptop optimizing the operations of the entire company. It's a nice vision, but it gives the digital oil field concept an aura of unattainability. Why...