Offshore articles from October 2003

Offshore archives from October 2003

The new and improved North Sea.(Comment)
October 1, 2003... This year's Offshore Europe conference was what people in the marketing department call a "branding opportunity." Thousands of informed consumers gathered in one spot eager to be educated on what is new and exciting. So what was the latest...

Americas.(Global E&P)
October 1, 2003... The US Minerals Management Service took in $8.9 million in bids for only 39 of the 1,789 blocks offered in Lease Sale 186 in the Beaufort Sea off northern Alaska. The MMS offered the entire sale area for lease with the exception of two...

Middle East.(Global E&P)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Electro Silica Ltd. acquired 50% of Atlantis Holding Norway AS interest in Oman block 40, covering 12,000 sq km in the southern Arabian Gulf. Atlantis estimates that the block could contain unrisked recoverable reserves between 150 and 200...

Mediterranean.(Global E&P)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Total's Al Jurf field in block C 137 offshore Libya began production in late 3Q 2003. The Al Jurf field development consists of a platform with 10 production wells connected to the Farwah FPSO. The Farwah has more than 900,000-bbl storage...

Europe.(Global E&P)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... BP bas made a new oil discovery in block 16/28 in the central North Sea. The Farragon discovery lies close to the producing Andrew field 230 km northeast of Aberdeen. Farragon is estimated to contain recoverable reserves of around 30 MMbbl of...

Asia-Pacific.(Global E & P)
October 1, 2003... In late 3Q 2003, the Indonesian government awarded Santos Ltd. additional exploration acreage in the offshore East Java basin. Indonesia had opened 11 exploration areas--five off the coast of East Java, one north of central Java, two in...

Central Asia.(Global E & P)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Kazakh government has approved a two-year plan as part of a government program to develop the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea. This follows a May endorsement of a state program for developing the sea's hydrocarbon potential. Initial...

Africa.(Global E & P)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Cameroon's first well in the offshore Ebodje block has come up dry. The Ebodje block in the Douala basin offshore Kribi borders Equatorial Guinea, where the Ceiba project is moving into development. Perenco operates the block with 30%...

CNR aiming to revive Banff.(Offshore Europe)
October 1, 2003... Canadian Natural Resources is set to take over the reins at a third production complex in the UK North Sea. Subject to government and partner approval, it will operate the Banff oil and gas field in central block 29/2a, having agreed to...

Dutch outlet for Danish gas.(Offshore Europe)
October 1, 2003... Denmark win join the ranks of gas exporters to mainland Europe. Agreement has been reached between state oil company Dong and the DUC consortium (A.P. Moller-Maersk, ChevronTexaco, and Shell) to install a 100-km, 26-in. pipeline from DUC's Tyra...

Ekofisk recovery still climbing.(Offshore Europe)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Ongoing enhancement measures at Ekofisk have boosted recovery to 46%, said Lars Takla, managing director of operator ConocoPhillips, at Offshore Europe. The realistic longer-term goal was 50% he added, pointing out that each 1% gain was...

Second platform for Britannia.(Offshore Europe)
October 1, 2003... In the UK, ConocoPhillips has awarded Amec a $47-million front-end engineering design contract for phase one of a development known as Britsats 1. This involves a new platform bridge-linked to the existing Britannia production installation,...

Pioneer flying high in Falcon corridor.(Gulf of Mexico)
October 1, 2003... With four discoveries--one onstream and three under development--the 32-block Falcon corridor investment in the Gulf of Mexico has paid off for field operator Pioneer Natural Resources Co. Falcon went onstream in March, and Pioneer hopes to...

Gas shortfall continues despite LNG permit activity.(Gulf of Mexico)
October 1, 2003... Even as state-of-the-art LNG receiving terminals are installed, they'll incorporate new technology at a rapid pace, said Jim O'Sullivan, Technip Offshore's senior vice president for marketing, during the sixth annual Global Forum for...

Izar launches LNG barge.(New Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Izar Fene Shipyard has launched the platform that will support a natural gas liquefaction plant in Hammerfest, Norway. Following the launch, the platform will be moored in the Spanish shipyard and will undergo hydraulic testing before...

Second LNG-powered vessel for Statoil.(New Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)
October 1, 2003... In mid August, Statoil took delivery of the second of two supply ships fueled by LNG. The Stril Pioner and Viking Energy are to be chartered by Statoil for 10 years. Fueling with LNG provides a considerable reduction in emissions of...

FSO for Gulf of Thailand.(New Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)
October 1, 2003... Canada's Teekay Shipping Corp. has signed a contract to provide a floating storage offloading unit to Unocal Thailand for 10 years, with options to extend the term to 15 years. Teekay will convert the 1988-built Aframax tanker M.T. Namsan...

Production begins off South Africa.(New Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)
October 1, 2003... The FPSO Glas Dowr began production of the Sable field off South Africa in early August. Prior to commissioning, the Glas Dowr's production and processing facilities were upgraded and modified in a Cape Town-based construction yard. ...

FMC Technologies joins with separation company.(Subsea/Surface Systems)
October 1, 2003... FMC Technologies Inc. has acquired a 55% interest in CDS Engineering and associated assets for $48 million. FMC plans to acquire the remaining interests in 2009. Based in the Netherlands, CDS Engineering has made a name for itself in gas and...

On-site manufacturing for remote pipelines.(Subsea/Surface Systems)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Helipipe X200 takes a new approach to remote pipeline installation both onshore and in deepwater. This pipeline is manufactured onsite, avoiding the cost of transporting the joints to the installation site. The system creates line pipe from...

Stabilized antenna puts platforms in touch.(Subsea/Surface Systems)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Schlumberger's new SpaceTrack Fast Response stabilized antenna, part of the SpaceTrack 4000 product line, embodies the latest generation of satellite and stabilization control technology. The system enables land-based operations to be extended...

Quickflange offers weld-strength connection.(Subsea/Surface Systems)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Morgrip's new Quickflange pipeline connector uses a metal/graphite sealing system for a weld-strength pipeline repair. The standard Quick-flange line is terminated by a 900-lb ring-type joint flange and is made up using a Hydratight Sweeney...

Underbalanced drilling.(Drilling & Production)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Amerada Hess recently completed the Phu Horm 3 sidetrack well in northeast Thailand using Halliburton's underbalanced drilling (UBD) technology. The UBD technology was a first for Thailand. The primary objective was to drill the well safely...

Reservoir simulation.(Drilling & Production)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Oil and gas companies depend heavily on computer simulations of their reservoirs to forecast hydrocarbon reserves, expedite reservoir development, and maximize the profitability of their reserves. To further this effort, Schlumberger...

Operations reporting.(Drilling & Production)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Landmark Graphics Corp. has developed a next-generation technology for wellsite operations reporting and analysis. Landmark recently released Open Wells, an operations reporting and engineering data management solution that offers both drilling...

Cuttings grinder.(Drilling & Production)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Baroid has acquired Two-Stage Hammermill cuttings grinder technology to assist operators in meeting stringent environmental regulations in onshore and offshore locations. The technology is a component of Halliburton's FullCircle cuttings...

Cutting tool.(Drilling & Production)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... A new downhole cutting tool has been used in well remedial operations near Hassi Messaoud, Algeria. The electric tool, developed by Sondex, a British oilfield technology company, does away with the need for chemicals or explosives--the...

Medium duty packer.(Drilling & Production)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Baker Oil Tools has developed a new economical and reliable medium duty (MD) 6K packer for completions and workovers. The new, fit-for-purpose Hornet MD 6K packer was built with the same chassis design as the field-proven Hornet 10K, but with...

African potential.(Geosciences)
October 1, 2003... Africa holds 9% of the world's known oil supply and provides 11% of the world's production, according to Stephen Hayes, president of the Corporate Council on Africa. Hayes spoke recently at the Africa: New Plays--New Perspectives symposium in...

Prospective outlook from Appex.(Geosciences)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The AAPG Prospect and Properties Expo (Appex) kicked off with Perspectives 2003, an overview of the world's petroleum situation, organized by IHS Energy and co-conveners American Association of Geological Societies, Houston Geological Society,...

Multi-client surveys.(Exploration)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... TGS-Nopec is collecting two new surveys: a 2D survey off Greenland and a 3D multi-client survey in the Gulf of Mexico. The West Greenland programs will add 7,000 km to the company's existing 25,000 km of 2D data in the area, including 3,500...

Norwegian survey.(Exploration)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... WesternGeco is conducting a Q-Marine 4D survey for Statoil over the Smorbukk South field in the middle Norway section of the North Sea. The goal is to maximize production from the field. Petrophysical and geophysical modeling indicate that...

GeoProbe collaboration.(Technology)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Halliburton's Magic Earth released GeoProbe 3.0, the latest version of its visualization and volume interpretation software. According to the company, the software delivers enhanced interpretation capabilities with options for remote execution...

Addax expanding, extending production from 'marginal' Nigerian fields.(West Africa)
October 1, 2003... Big oil and LNG top the industry's agenda in Nigeria. But the government also wants action on smaller fields that have fallen off the radar screen. In many cases, discovery dates back decades, but development has been patchy or half-hearted....

Multi-field condensate project will re-vamp Angola block 0 gas management.(West Africa)
October 1, 2003... Fabrication yards in Angola, Spain, Korea, and Japan are providing the main hardware for the $1.4-billion Sanha condensate project offshore Cabinda. The ChevronTexaco-operated development will produce condensate for processing on the world's...

Offshore gas could quench Namibia's thirst for energy: GTE is a viable alternative.(West Africa)
October 1, 2003... Namibia's commercial energy and electricity consumption is growing as the country's economy expands. National energy consumption is about 60,000 terajoules/yr, about one-third of which is non-commercial. Namibia imports a growing share of its...

Group assists UK companies in West Africa markets.(West Africa)
October 1, 2003... The UK West Africa Action Group is providing member companies with a low-cost entry mechanism to allow them access to the lucrative West Africa oil and gas market. WAAG is an industry-led marketing initiative formed in partnership with the...

Total boosting production from Al-Khalij, driving Dolphin gas plan forward: first production set for 2006.(India/Middle East)
October 1, 2003... Qatar is looking to lift its production of offshore oil and step up exports of gas from the giant North field. Total is providing assistance on both counts, through expansion of its Al-Khalij development in offshore block 6 and through its...

India invests billions to boost domestic production: unexplored deepwater tracts draw foreign interest.(India/Middle East)
October 1, 2003... India is sinking big bucks into hydrocarbon exploration. As the seventh largest consumer of oil in the world, India is looking to meet its own energy needs. Enormous financial resources are being allocated to pave the way to self-sufficiency....

Southern France engineering groups taking underwater vehicles into new territory.(Deepwater E & P Report)
October 1, 2003... This year's Deep Offshore Technology conference will heavily focus on underwater vehicle technology. Henri-Germain Delauze, one of the most influential figures in subsea engineering in France, will deliver next month's keynote speech at DOT...

Technology, innovation keep Kerr-McGee leading GoM exploration, development.(Deepwater E&P Report)
October 1, 2003... Kerr-McGee doesn't focus on its image as a development leader in the Gulf of Mexico. The Oklahoma City-based company just goes about its business, and the reputation follows. The Gunnison and Red Hawk developments in the deepwater GoM are...

Extended TLP provides major weight savings for large topsides payloads.(Deepwater E&P Report)
October 1, 2003... ABB has made an in]pact on the deepwater sector with its new extended TLP (ETLP) concept. The company already has three orders under its belt, two for a major operator in West Africa and one for ConocoPhillips' Magnolia development in the Gulf...

US Gulf leads world deepwater discovery count: major reserves round off Australia.(Deepwater E&P Report)(Industry Overview)
October 1, 2003... The past year and eight months have seen 69 deepwater wells drilled around the world, 44 in 2002 and 25 through August 2003, according to Infield Systems Ltd. Their tabulation of discoveries shows that the most deepwater finds have been made in...

Simulator improves understanding of forces acting on subsea equipment.(Floating Technology)
October 1, 2003... Marintek--the Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute--has developed a simulator with a range of deepwater applications such as modeling installation of subsea structures and the behavior of spar platforms. The institute's deepwater...

Studies reveal extensive interaction among CALM buoys, mooring, export lines.(Floating Technology; Catenary Anchor Leg Mooring Buoy joint industry project )
October 1, 2003... An offloading system using a single point mooring buoy and export lines is the basic solution adopted in current deepwater West Africa projects, including Girassol, Erha, Kizomba, and Bonga. A major topic in the design process, in addition to...

Midwater oil transfer for deepwater FPSOs.(Floating Technology)
October 1, 2003... ABB Offshore Systems has launched DeeWOS, or Deep Water Offloading System, to provide mid-water oil transfer from an FPSO to a tanker in deepwater. DeeWOS is intended for use with spread-moored FPSOs exporting to a remote tanker, usually around...

Anchor's vertical holding capacity suited for taut and semi-taut mooring systems: lower fabrication, transport costs.(Floating Technology)
October 1, 2003... ABB Anchor Contracting has further developed its range of anchors and mooring solutions with a high vertical loading (HiVel) anchor. HiVel is intended for deepwater and ultra-deepwater applications where the loads in semi taut-leg and taut-leg...

Challenges in deepwater subsea well completion design and implementation.(Deepwater Completions)
October 1, 2003... The subsea well completion design and implementation in Total's Aconcagua field and Marathon Off Co.'s Camden Hills field posed unpreccdented challenges. Water depths in the area of planned development (to 7,209 ft) were greater than for...

Na Kika faces updip flow assurance, shallow tiebacks defy blow down: the lowdown on blow down.(Pipeline Technology)
October 1, 2003... With subsea tiebacks that are updip of the host platform, flow assurance engineers on the Na Kika development in the Gulf of Mexico had to design a unique hydrate management system to take the place of blow down during system shut in. The...

Ormen Lange pipelay must surmount seabed slides, fish, freezing temperatures.(Pipeline Technology)
October 1, 2003... Gas from Norsk Hydro's Ormen Lange field in the Norwegian Sea will have a long way to go to reach the market--first a 120-km stretch from the field to the onshore processing terminal, then 600 km to the Sleipner field center in the North Sea,...

Hydrates may commercialize stranded gas: NGH saves 20% over LNG (Gas-To-Market Technology).
October 1, 2003... Close to 5,000 tcf of natural gas worldwide is stranded. The huge potential value of the gas explains why considerable effort is being made throughout the industry to reduce transport costs so stranded reserves can be brought to market. One...

Deepwater erosion processes in the Orinoco turbidite system.(Latin America)
October 1, 2003... The Orinoco turbidite system extends from the East Venezuela and Trinidad continental slope to the Atlantic abyssal plain. Most of the sediments of the Deep Orinoco delta and the Southern Barbados Ridge Complex originate from the South America...

Value of magnetic bearing solutions evident in compressor life-cycle costs.(Bearing Technology)
October 1, 2003... Over the past decade, technical breakthroughs have made many magnetic bearings economically feasible in industrial applications. Advanced software algorithms have also been developed to increase performance substantially. Revolve Magnetic...

DNV approval for vessel documentation system.(Documentation Reporting)
October 1, 2003... With database management systems making inroads on offshore installations, classification societies are changing their approach to inspections of technical documentation. They are beginning to perform checks in shore-based offices on...

SP test center devising improved water mist evaluation procedures.( SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute )
October 1, 2003... Simply extinguishing a fire doesn't say much about how well a water mist system performs, so the SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute is working to introduce additional parameters for use in qualifying a system's performance. ...

Water mist certified for larger engine rooms.(Fire Extinguishing)
October 1, 2003... Ultra Fog has added large engine room capability to its roster of certificates. The company tested its water mist system for certification in 500-2,000 cu m engine rooms, with a ceiling height of up to 7.5 m. The Gothenburg-based company has...

Used mud treatment system reduces water content and cost: failsafe discharge control.(Water & Mud Treatment)
October 1, 2003... Slurry typically comprises 60% solids, 20% oil, and 20% water, but the water content can be as high as 90%. Marinfloc has round a way to remove the extra water, decreasing mud treatment costs. Marinfloc's improved Slurry De-watering Unit...

Swivel simplifies GSF semis' mooring systems.(Mooring Components)
October 1, 2003... MoorLink has delivered half of its largest job to date, 24 custom swivels and new sockets for GlobalSantaFe's Development Driller I semisubmersible. An identical number of swivels, plus sockets, are being manufactured for the Development...

Vacuum-insulated, dual-skin tank protects LNG-fueled vessel.(Cryogenics)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... When Cryo AB delivered the cryogenic fuel tanks for the Viking Energy, it became only the second LNG-fueled supply vessel in active service. Several adaptations to the cryogenic onshore tank design made the tanks sale for use in the...

B&N Viking raising power threshold for anchor-handlers.(Multipurpose Vessels)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Looking for ways to keep icebreaking vessels busy over the summer months, B&N Viking Icebreaking & Offshore opted for anchor-handling and towing abilities for the three vessels in its fleet. Folke Patriksson, president of B&N Viking, said...

Low-weight separator reduces fuel treatment costs by 30%.(Separation Technology)
October 1, 2003... Platforms in the Middle East, Brazil, and Gulf of Mexico are benefiting from new fuel treatment technology from Alfa Laval. The Falcon series of fuel/lube oil centrifugal separators is a response to growing demands from offshore customers for...

Vibration monitoring system cuts breakdown risk for gas turbines up to 10 MW: flexible system for power generation, pumping.(Turbine Monitoring)
October 1, 2003... NIRA's vibration monitoring satellite (VMS) can trigger emergency shut down of turbines after detecting potentially damaging vibration levels. Once the trigger is activated, the turbine shuts down before damage occurs within the unit. This is...

Pressure-tight cap cuts accident risks.(Liquids Transfer)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Todo has introduced a pressure-tight safety cap (PTSC) that the company says should lessen spillages or accidents caused by handling of hazardous chemicals offshore. The system has bean designed in collaboration with chemical and gas...

White Rose FPSO well protected.(Fire Fighting)
October 1, 2003... Svenska Skum recently fulfilled a major order for firefighting equipment for the White Rose FPSO at Korean shipyard Samsung. The 18 oscillating monitors, with a total capacity of 108,000 l/min, were the biggest job the company has had for an...

Lightweight jack provides power in all directions.(Hydraulic Jacks & Tools)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Simson Power Tools' Compact jack employs a closed hydraulic system, which allows the jack to be operated at all angles--including upside down--for lifting, pushing, and pulling operations. Typical applications include stretching cables, rods,...

High-friction coating optimizes drive shaft design.(High--Torque Couplings)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... while couplings have long dictated shaft size, a new coupling coating is shrinking the necessary shaft diameter. Voith Turbo Safeset has developed a high-friction coating that reduces the necessary shaft diameter when used with its Hycon...

UL certificate speeds gulf of Mexico entry.(Power Generation/Ventilation)
October 1, 2003... Smogen-based AH-Automation, founded in 1944 to provide electrical services for fishing boats, has been involved in industrial automation since the 1960s. The company performs engineering work for main and emergency switchboards, pumps, and...

Alwyn North refurbishment program designed to minimize disruption.(Platform Elevators)
October 1, 2003... Early this year, Alimak completed an intricate contract to refurbish its 2,400-kg goods/passenger elevator on Total's Alwyn North production platform in the UK North Sea. Total had invited suggestions for the refurbishment program in 2002....

Compact winch drive system helps ROV trencher maximize uptime.(Hydraulic Drives)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Hagglunds Drives has supplied the hydraulic drive system for the winch and A-frame for a new ROV trencher from Perry Slingsby Systems. The vehicle, which PSS considers the flagship in its fleet due to its power and advanced tooling systems,...

Worldwide certification scheme for explosion-protected electrical equipment.(Certification)
October 1, 2003... The International Electrotechnical Commission has launched the IECEx multilateral certification plan. Based on IEC standards, the plan will reduce the need for retesting and recertification for different markets, benefiting Ex-equipment...

Photoluminescent signs star brighter for longer periods.(Sakerhetspartner)
October 1, 2003... Sakerhetspartner was selected to deliver the low location lighting (LLL) signs for the Thunder Horse project in the Gulf of Mexico this month. Earlier this year, the company also delivered LLL signs for the Bayu Undan FPSO in the Timor Sea. ...

Hot isostatic pressing increases fatigue resistance.(Propulsion)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Vessel propeller manufacturer AlcoPropeller will increase its steel foundry melting capacity from 6.5 to 10 metric tons in order to handle larger orders. Fulfilling this goal will require installation of a new melting furnace, said Managing...

Container solution eases transfers of water purifiers.(Desalination)
October 1, 2003... Enwa has introduced standard 20-ft containers to simplify installation offshore of its desalination system, which purifies water through reverse osmosis (RO). According to the company, the new solution should appeal to vessel operators and to...

East Africa's potential unmarred by limited drilling: continental hinge is the key to deepwater reservoirs.(Geosciences)
October 1, 2003... The last two years have seen increasing numbers of awards of acreage along the East Africa margin. Now, after initial forays by smaller companies, the majors are active in the area. The deepwater situation is akin to that in West Africa...

Falkland Islands petroleum play evolves: new knowledge expands potential plays.(Geosciences)
October 1, 2003... The exploration targets in the North Falkland basin changed after the drilling of tie first six wells in the basin. The initial wells targeted deltaic sediments above a basin-wide lacustrine source rock. Now the exploration objects are rift...

Nova Technology Corp.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Nova Technology Corp., an engineering and service company that manufactures high-resolution, high pressure, high-temperature electronic gauges and subsurface flow meters, has appointed Bob Rees and Seb Patout to vice president of global...

Ensco International Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Ensco International Inc. has named James "Jay" W. Swent as senior vice president and CFO. Swent previously held various financial executive positions at Memorex Corp. and Nortel Networks and served as CFO and CEO of Cyrix Corp. and American Pad...

Ernst & Young.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Ernst & Young has appointed Scottish-based partner Hywel Ball as the firm's national head of energy, chemicals, and utilities (ECU). Ball will be responsible for all ECU business, dividing his time between Aberdeen and London. Nell Campbell is...

Nova Technology Corp.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... John Molbert has joined Nova Technology Corp, as subsea systems engineer, reporting to Cully Firmin, director of research, development, and engineering. Molbert is responsible for the development and commercialization for cost-effective subsea...

Landmark.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Landmark has appointed Murray Roth as its executive vice president of marketing and systems. Roth was previously executive vice president of R&D and joined Landmark in 1989. Dean Witte is Landmark's new executive vice president of R&D. He began...

Seamap.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Seamap of Houston has appointed Rich Schiffman as president. Schiffman brings over 30 years of experience in the seismic and survey industries. He is tasked with further developing Seamap's sales and support in the Americas. Seamap has also...

WellCut Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... WellCut Inc., an abandonment service provider, has appointed Nell McKay as general manager. Neil will report to WellCut President Paul Alcock.

Superior Energy Services Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Superior Energy Services Inc. has elected Enoch Dawkins to the company's board of directors. Dawkins has 40 years of experience in the energy industry. From 1991 until his retirement in March 2003, Dawkins served as president of Murphy...

Marathon Oil Corp.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Marathon Oil Corp. has announced the retirement of John T. Mills, Marathon CFO, effective Dec. 1, 2003, following 27 years of service.