Offshore articles from October 2004

Offshore archives from October 2004

West Africa outlook.(Comment)
October 1, 2004... Offshore West Africa continues to be one of the most active and most promising exploration and production regions in the world. As we pointed out last month (Offshore, September 2004), it is the largest projected growth area for FPSOs and...

In early August, Exxon Mobil Corp. subsidiary Esso Exploration Angola Ltd., started production of the $3.4-billion Kizomba A project, the largest deepwater development offshore West Africa.(Africa)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... In early August, Exxon Mobil Corp. subsidiary Esso Exploration Angola Ltd., started production of the $3.4-billion Kizomba A project, the largest deepwater development offshore West Africa. Recoverable resources are estimated at 1 Bbbl, with an...

While Kizomba A begins production, state-owned Sociedade Nacional de Combustiveis de Angola (Sonangol) has authorized Total, as block 17 operator, to award the main contracts to initiate development of the Rosa oil field.(Africa)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... While Kizomba A begins production, state-owned Sociedade Nacional de Combustiveis de Angola (Sonangol) has authorized Total, as block 17 operator, to award the main contracts to initiate development of the Rosa oil field. Discovered in 1998,...

Norsk Hydro ASA is buying a 30% stake.(Africa)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Norsk Hydro ASA is buying a 30% stake in the Majunga block offshore Madagascar. The block covers 17,800 sq km in the relatively unexplored deepwater. The Majunga Offshore Profond joint venture group is conducting a comprehensive 3D...

Colombia's Ecopetrol, Petrobras, and Exxon Mobil Corp. affiliate, ExxonMobil Exploration Colombia Ltd., have signed the first exploration and production contract.(Americas)(Empresa Colombiana de Petroleos S.A., Petroleo Brasileiro S.A., ExxonMobil Exploration Colombia Ltd., national hydrocarbon agency )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Colombia's Ecopetrol, Petrobras, and Exxon Mobil Corp. affiliate, ExxonMobil Exploration Colombia Ltd., have signed the first exploration and production contract with Colombia's national hydrocarbon agency to begin exploration activities...

The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum's Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co. will hold an international bid round this year.(Mediterranean)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum's Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co. will hold an international bid round this year. Nine blocks will be on offer, seven in the Mediterranean Sea. The blocks, N. Ras El Hekma, N. Sidi Kerir Deep, N. El Amyria,...

Libya is also gearing up for a bidding round, the first since the US lifted sanctions.(Mediterranean)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Libya is also gearing up for a bidding round, the first since the US lifted sanctions. Blocks will be offered in an open bid process that will close in January 2005, with awards made the same month. Awards will reportedly be made under new...

Some potentially interesting areas are coming up for bid in Europe.(Europe)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Some potentially interesting areas are coming up for bid in Europe in the coming months. The Faeroe Islands will hold its second licensing round in the spring. The area offered for licensing lies east and south of the Faeroe Islands and...

Toreador Resources Corp. and its partners Stratic Energy Corp. and TPAO, the Turkish national oil company, discovered gas with the Ayazli-1 exploratory well.(Europe)(Stratic Energy Corp., Turkish Petroleum Corp.)
October 1, 2004... Toreador Resources Corp. and its partners Stratic Energy Corp. and TPAO, the Turkish national oil company, discovered gas with the Ayazli-1 exploratory well in the western Black Sea offshore Turkey. The Ayazli-1 well, spudded July 12, is on...

India's Reliance Industries Ltd. still has the Midas touch.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... India's Reliance Industries Ltd. still has the Midas touch. The company recently reported a major gas discovery in the D-6 block and a second gas discovery in the NEC-25 block off India's east coast. The deepwater M-1 exploration discovery...

Kazakhstan is positioning itself to pick up some of the slack in global oil production. (Central Asia).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Kazakhstan is positioning itself to pick up some of the slack in global oil production. According to Uzakbay Karabalin, president of Kazakhstan's state oil company, KazMunaiGas, Kazakhstan expects to produce 1.21.3 Bbbl of oil per year by 2015....

Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum has reportedly signed two agreements with BP PLC regarding the Gulf of Suez.(Middle East)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum has reportedly signed two agreements with BP PLC regarding the Gulf of Suez. One is for exploration in the Northern Shedwan area, where BP will spend at least $20 million on four wells over a nine-year period. ...

Australia activity.(Global E&P)(Antrim Energy Inc., OMV Australia Pty. Ltd., petroleum industry)
October 1, 2004... The Australian government's award of four new offshore petroleum exploration permits off Western Australia and Ashmore and Cartier Islands will generate over $87 million in exploration activities over the next six years. The blocks were awarded...

Hydro pushing to double Oseberg output.(Offshore Europe)(Norsk Hydro Oil and Gas Ltd.)
October 1, 2004... Norsk Hydro is looking to extend production from its Oseberg area complex in the North Sea beyond 2030 and to double remaining recoverable reserves to 3.12 Bboe. Business Unit Head Oystein Michelsen outlined the company's thinking during a...

Kristin jigsaw taking shape.(Offshore Europe)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... First shipments of Statoil's Kristin semisubmersible platform have been arriving at the Aker Stord integration yard in western Norway. Dockwise's Mighty Servant / barge transported the 14,620-ton hull from Samsung's yard in Koje, Korea, while...

Waddenzee drilling could resume.(Offshore Europe)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Restrictions on offshore activity in the Waddenzee could soon be lifted, following a review by the Dutch government. Drilling and production in the region, off the northeast Netherlands coast, was halted in 1999 by environmental concerns. If...

French acreage shrinks.(Offshore Europe)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Licensed acreage offshore France dropped by 25% last year to just over 37,000 sq km. According to the Bureau Exploration-Production des Hydrocarbures, only three offshore permits remain in force, following the expiry of blocks held by CNR in...

Deepwater GoM rates up.(Gulf Of Mexico)
October 1, 2004... Drilling contractors reported in August that deepwater day rates are increasing. This follows the announcement that jackup day rates are up 10% over last year. The number of jackups operating in the US Gulf of Mexico continues to fall, however,...

Anadarko divests $1.3 billion in GoM shelf.(Gulf Of Mexico)(Anadarko Petroleum Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Anadarko Petroleum Corp. has divested its Gulf of Mexico shelf properties through two transactions totaling $1.3 billion. The company has agreed to sell an overriding royalty interest to Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc., and thereafter, the...

Western GoM sale 192.(Gulf Of Mexico)
October 1, 2004... Deep gas remained an important focus of Western Gulf of Mexico Sale 192 held in New Orleans on Aug. 18. The offshore oil and natural gas lease sale, held by the US Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service, attracted $171.4...

Petrobras extends Lochnagar contract.(Subsea/Surface Systems)(Petroleo Brasileiro S.A., Subsea 7)
October 1, 2004... Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) has extended the contract for the Subsea 7 flexible pipelay vessel Lochnagar at an estimated value of $12 million. The contract is for the exclusive use of the Lochnagar for 175 days to provide flexible...

Subsea equipment for Greater Plutonio.(Subsea/Surface Systems)(FMC Kongsberg Subsea AS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... FMC Kongsberg Subsea AS, a unit of FMC Technologies Inc., has signed a $32-million contract to supply subsea systems and related services for the BP-operated Greater Plutonio project in block 18, offshore Angola. The contract, which covers...

Sonsub completes contract, continues another.(Subsea/Surface Systems)(Oceanografia SA de C.V.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Sonsub Inc has completed a 180-day contract with Oceanografia SA de C.V, in the Bay of Campeche on Pemex pipeline projects using the 75-HP work class ROV Discovery 3. Meanwhile, Sonsub's Scorpion 22 ROV, mobilized in May 2003, is continuing...

Maersk gets new jackup.(Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)(Maersk Drilling, Hyundai Heavy Industries Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Maersk Contractors has taken delivery of the Moersk Inspirer, a new ultra-harsh environment jackup rig built at Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. in Korea. The new fig is identical to the Moersk Innovator, which was delivered in 2003 and has...

BP awards follow-up job to Keppel.(Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)(Keppel FELS Ltd., BP Exploration Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Keppel FELS Ltd. has delivered the main hull sections of the BP Shah Deniz TPG 500 platform to BP Exploration (Shah Deniz) Ltd. Following hull construction, the joint entity, Keppel FELS and Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) subsidiary,...

Ulstein Verft builds construction vessel.(Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Ulstein Verft AS has been tagged to build a construction vessel for Solstad/SBM, a joint-venture company owned by Solstad and Monaco's Single Buoy Moorings (SBM) group. According to Ulstein Verft, the project is one of the largest single...

Sinvest to get another jackup.(Vessels, Rigs, Upgrades)(Sinvest ASA, Invest Pte. Ltd.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Norway's Sinvest ASA has exercised an option through a subsidiary of Deep Drilling Invest Pte. Ltd. with Keppel FELS Ltd. to build another KFELS Super B class jackup. In February 2004, the Skeie Group entered into option agreements with...

Teamwork expected to speed decisions.(Drilling & Production)
October 1, 2004... Exploration and production companies are now putting more focus on collaborative asset teamwork to speed and improve the decision-making involved with developing oil and gas fields. To facilitate such collaboration, companies are adopting...

Regional 3D returns.(Geosciences)
October 1, 2004... One of the weaknesses of current exploration practice is the reliance on "postage stamp" interpretation: imaging and interpreting relatively small areas with 3D seismic. For the Gulf of Mexico, this is represented by one-block...

Makassar Strait 2D.(Exploration)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... TGS-Nopec is shooting a non-exclusive 2D survey in Indonesia's Makassar Strait. The 5,200-km CM04 survey complements and infills earlier surveys. New data will be acquired over part of the West Sulawesi Fold Belt, an area likely to be offered...

GoM 4C OBC.(Exploration)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Terra Seismic Services deployed a four-component ocean bottom cable data acquisition system in the Gulf of Mexico. The system offers improved and automated in-sea system handling techniques for the VectorSeis Ocean recording and communication...

Madagascar survey.(Exploration)(Majunga Offshore Profond joint venture group )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Majunga Offshore Profond joint venture group is conducting a 3D seismic acquisition program over 3,657 sq km in the block's deepwater portion. The block covers about 4.4 million acres and is off northwestern Madagascar. The survey will...

P3.(Technology)(Veritas DGC Inc.'s product introduction)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Veritas DGC launched P3, a new pore pressure prediction algorithm. The software uses seismic data to predict the spatial distribution of pore pressures between wells. The method was tested in the North Sea and offshore West Africa. Victor...

DCCOD.(Technology)(IBM opened Deep Computing Capacity on Demand center)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... IBM opened its third Deep Computing Capacity on Demand (DCCOD) center in Houston, Texas. The DCCOD will run 512 IBM xSeries Xeon servers. Landmark Graphics (Halliburton) will be the anchor client for the Houston DCCOD and provide access to...

Sonangol lays groundwork for growth: training, processes pave the way.(West Africa)(Sociedade Nacional de Combustiveis de Angola)
October 1, 2004... With all of the activity taking place offshore Angola, national oil company Sociedade Nacionai de Combustiveis de Angola (Sonangol E.P.) is laying a solid foundation for growth. Exploration and development dollars continue to pour into West...

ExxonMobil forges ahead off Nigeria: Erha field scheduled for 2006 production.(West Africa)
October 1, 2004... Working in diverse areas of the world impacts finding and development costs, creating critical challenges for international oil companies. Exxon Mobil Corp. has risen to the challenge in West Africa and is making progress toward bringing its...

Dana to probe further off Mauritania following Pelican swoop.(West Africa)(Dana Petroleum PLC)
October 1, 2004... Early in 2006, Mauritania should join the league of African deepwater producers. The 120-MMbbl Chinguetti development is well under way, and three more positive finds have resulted from only a small number of deepwater wells. Assessment of...

New seismic data reveals unusual deepwater Ghana plays: stranded 'nappe' holds exploration promise.(West Africa)
October 1, 2004... Newly acquired seismic data reveal an unexpected and unusual structural history of the marginal ridge of Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. During the Senonian, several inversional and transpressional structures formed due to the adjacent Romanche...

CNG could be the solution to Newfoundland's stranded gas: Atlantic Canada leads the industry in CNG research.(Special report: offshore Canada)(compressed natural gas)
October 1, 2004... Gas production could eventually surpass oil production offshore Atlantic Canada. The scales won't tip dramatically for several years, but work is under way to commercialize the nearly 72 tcf of stranded gas the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore...

DOT: aligning technology with changing reality: conference in New Orleans to focus on deepwater lessons learned.(DOT Technical Preview)
October 1, 2004... The Deep Offshore Technology conference scheduled for Nov. 30-Dec. 2 in New Orleans continues the tradition of this event by offering attendees a wide selection of frontier technology for deepwater operations. The conference, entering its 16th...

Intelligent well design and installation challenges at Na Kika.(DOT Technical Preview)
October 1, 2004... The ultra-deepwater Na Kika field (50% Shell/50% BP) in the US Gulf of Mexico required innovative and complex intelligent-well designs to develop economically multiple stacked reservoir sequences with a minimum well count. Intelligent well or...

Deepwater single-line tiebacks--achieving operability while minimizing cost.(DOT Technical Preview)
October 1, 2004... Deepwater subsea tiebacks pose a number of flow assurance issues, such as multiphase hydraulic capacity, flow measurement, hydrate, wax, sand, corrosion, and scale management. Among the most challenging of these issues is hydrate management....

Mad Dog polyester mooring installation.(DOT Technical Preview)
October 1, 2004... The Mad Dog project is the first truss spar to use a polyester mooring system, the first to receive regulatory approval for use in the Gulf of Mexico from the US Coast Guard and Minerals Management Service, and the first permanent polyester...

Aspen subsea tieback--an innovative facilities approach.(DOT Technical Preview)
October 1, 2004... The industry has continued to develop smaller "fast track" subsea tieback projects and in general, has improved its track record. Much of this success can be attributed to a better understanding and management of the risks of fast-track...

Solid expandable technology: the value of planned installation v. contingency.(DOT Technical Preview)
October 1, 2004... Narrow pore pressure/fracture gradient windows commonly encountered in deepwater in the Gulf of Mexico often require additional casing strings to reach the objective depths. The inability to make accurate predictions for pore pressures and...

Riser concept designed to reduce platform loads: mid-water arch supports weight.(Drilling & Completion)
October 1, 2004... SEAL Engineering, a subsidiary of Technip, is developing a new riser concept for ultra-deepwater applications. The Hybrid S Riser system (HySR) is designed to reduce loads transmitted by the riser onto the floating production platform. The...

Thiocyanate corrosion inhibitors suspected in chloride stress corrosion cracking: tubing failure shares a common thread.(Drilling & Completion)
October 1, 2004... Recent analyses of catastrophic packer fluid-related failures suggest that discontinuing the use of thiocyanates in non-zinc brines can mitigate the problem. The relationship between stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and completion fluids and...

Driller recalls 35 years of change.(Drilling & Completion)(Interview)
October 1, 2004... Robert J. Scott, senior vice president of operations for Transocean Inc., has seen a lot in his 35 years in the offshore drilling industry. In this exclusive interview, he talks with Offshore Editor Eldon Ball about how the industry has changed...

Total increases output from marginal Otter field: longest subsea tieback with dual ESPs.(Production)(electrical submersible pumps)
October 1, 2004... Stepping out with existing technology in electrical submersible pumps (ESP) and linking with the longest tieback to a platform in the North Sea, Total has demonstrated the value of marginal field developments and the benefits of using ESP...

Hybrid mooring systems enter Gulf of Mexico: Delmar system balances short, long lines.(Production)
October 1, 2004... The industry-accepted way to moor a drilling rig requires eight or more equal lengths of mooring lines around the vessel. Most of the industry believes that if a short line is needed to avoid a pipeline or other seabed architecture, the same...

Prototype AUVs prove capability for subsea inspection and intervention.(Subsea)(autonomous underwater vehicle)
October 1, 2004... Early in July, ECA's Alistar autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) undertook its first significant autonomous pipeline inspection task. In a trial mounted offshore Toulon, southern France, the AUV tracked a pipeline and recorded video images over...

Rocket-fuel process applied successfully for Kuito anchors.(Subsea)(IHC Hydrohammer)
October 1, 2004... IHC Hydrohammer, based in Kinderdijk, The Netherlands, has developed the Pyrodriver tool to push an anchor or a pile into the seabed. By burning a rocket propellant in a combustion chamber, a large force is created acting upward on a reaction...

Menck seeks to double depth record for underwater pile-driving.(Construction & Installation)
October 1, 2004... Driving piles to fix platforms to the seabed has been routine for decades in conventional water depths. In shallow-water fields, where the piles are driven through the platform legs from the surface, the entire range of pile-driving equipment...

Spar technology meets Atlantic Canada's deepwater challenges: concrete design offers opportunity for local content.(Construction & Installation)
October 1, 2004... Deepwater spar technology is ideally suited to develop one of the most difficult regions in the world--Atlantic Canada's Orphan basin. A new disconnectable design allows the spar to move off station in the case of iceberg threat. The spar also...

Decomissioning awards imminent for giant MCP-01 compression platform: program to coordinate with Frigg platform removals.(Construction & Installation)(Total E&P UK)
October 1, 2004... Total E&P UK has opened consultations over the future of its redundant MCP-01 platform. The 386,000-tonne structure, which includes a concrete gravity base, was installed in 1976 in the UK North Sea. Its main role was to serve as a pigging and...

Seismic analysis used in pipeline design.(Pipeline & Transportation)
October 1, 2004... Seismic ground waves produce strains in buried pipelines. However, because there are little or no inertia effects from dynamic excitation, the strains tend to be small and often are well within the yield rupture threshold of the pipeline...

Original Buchan lifts refurbished with little disruption to field operations.(Platform Elevators)
October 1, 2004... Since the mid-1970s, Alimak passenger elevators have been providing access to offshore personnel from the deck level down each of the five legs of the Buchan Alpha Pentagon-design platform in the UK North Sea. Originally, the elevators were...

Surfactant prevents aggregate build-up in multiphase wellstream.(Flow Assurance)
October 1, 2004... One recent application for surfactants in the oil and gas industry is inhibiting the formation of gas hydrates in pipelines. The surfactant supplied for this role by Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry is an anti-agglomerate that is adsorbed on...

Swipe card system improves monitoring of offshore crew movements.(Security)(Entry Systems)
October 1, 2004... Card-based systems for monitoring personnel movements offshore increase both safety and security, according to Entry Systems. The company is a leading provider of such systems to both marine and onshore users. Entry Systems was the first...

Phased treatment is first to satisfy IMO water regulations.(Oily Water Treatment)(Marinfloc, International Maritime Organization)
October 1, 2004... In May, Marinfloc became the first company worldwide to comply with new IMO rules for bilge water cleaning, MEPC 107/ 49, which come into force on Jan. 1, 2005. Ship operators face a considerable toughening of standards, including a new...

Moorlink chasing repeat Kizomba deliveries.(Mooring Components)
October 1, 2004... The Kizomba A FPSO, which achieved first oil in August, is using mooting and tethering components supplied by Moorlink. In July, the Gothenburg-based company also completed delivery of components for the Kizomba B FPSO. Both developments are...

Alfa Laval survey reports good reliability for plate heat exchangers.(Heat Exchangers)
October 1, 2004... Plate heat exchangers were first introduced to the oil and gas industry in the 1960s, and now represent a significant portion of all heat exchangers used by the sector worldwide. Many, however, still consider this a "new" technology, a tag that...

Polyolefin-based solutions for deepwater pipelines.(Pipeline Coatings)(Borealis A/S)
October 1, 2004... Borealis, a polyolefins producer specializing in polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) for pipeline applications, is seeing increasing demand for its services from the offshore industry. For several years, the company has worked closely...

Norne turret machined without halting production.(In-Situ Repairs)(Metalock Engineering)
October 1, 2004... Metalock Engineering, which specializes in on-site machining, saved the day for Statoil when it repaired a damaged part in the turret system of the Norne FPSO without production having to be interrupted. The Gothenburg-based company was...

Pressure increases for routine drug/alcohol tests among offshore crews.(Health & Safety)(Marconova)
October 1, 2004... Due to the risks to health and safety arising from drug and alcohol use, more offshore companies are insisting on regular tests to ensure that their employees are drug flee. One of the first offshore assignments for Marconova, a specialist in...

Couplings ensure safer transfer of liquid cargoes.(Spillage Prevention)(Todo)
October 1, 2004... Breakaway couplings developed by Todo to ensure no spillage of harmful substances in the event of unintended or emergency disconnection are attracting interest from the offshore industry. The new product comes to the market amid increasing...

Oxidation technique eliminates bacteria in industrial/potable water treatment systems: process could also be extended to reservoir injection.(Water Purification)(Advanced oxidation technology, Benrad)
October 1, 2004... Advanced oxidation technology (AOT) is a patented process from Stockholm-based Benrad that can solve water purification problems encountered offshore. Applications are wide-ranging, although the company's current focus is in marine and...

Gullfaks degassing consignment.(Process Equipment)(Berglunds Rostfria)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Berglunds Rostfria, which produces pressure vessels, heat exchangers, and similar products in corrosion resistant materials, has its sights set on Statoil's Snohvit project. The Norwegian oil company already figures on the company's reference...

Devices improve personnel tracking, emergency response.(Mobile Communications)
October 1, 2004... Rapid and efficient communications can be achieved with mobile personnel on offshore installations, using Ascom's wireless products. These facilitate swift response to events such as production breakdowns and accidents to personnel. The...

Merger expands options for offshore constructors.(Galleys/Laundry Equipment)(Electrolux Marine, Loipart group)
October 1, 2004... Electrolux Marine, a specialist provider of galley and laundry equipment for the offshore sector, has been acquired by Finland's Loipart group and now trades under the Loipart name. Previously, the two companies had worked together...

Countering legionella outbreak.(Technology In Brief)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Operators need to be more vigilant to prevent outbreaks of legionnaires' disease on their installations, says Yvonne Putzig of E.C.T. Offshore Service. Legionella can have a devastating effect offshore, as respiratory infections spread three...

Fireproof/waterproof doors.(Technology In Brief)(Hellbergs International)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Electrically operated doors have been introduced by Hellbergs International that are both fireproof and semi-watertight. Both hinged and sliding versions are available. All of the company's doors are approved and certified to the latest...

Dalia mooring chain.(Technology In Brief)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Chain-maker Ramnas has been hauling in new orders since it was restructured earlier this year. Its main contract awards this summer, since new Swedish owners took over, are: * Mooring chains for Total's Dalia FPSO in Angola, ordered by...

Airborne surveillance.(Technology In Brief)(Swedish Space Corp.'s product)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Swedish Space Corp. has launched MSS 6000, a new generation of its maritime surveillance system, which is used for oil spill tracking, search and rescue, economic zone protection, fishery, and ship traffic control and ice patrol. MSS 6000...

Volvo extends engine range.(Technology In Brief)(Volvo Penta AB, marine diesel engine )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Volvo Penta has extended its marine diesel engine range for the offshore sector through a recent agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The new range of engines, which provide high reliability and good fuel efficiency, are available with...

Deepwater fiber rope deployment system.(New tools and technology for the offshore industry)
October 1, 2004... Traditional materials used as lifting or mooring lines in deepwater exploration and production are steel chain and wire. These materials have limitations, particularly in deepwater, primarily due to their weight. For example, a very large winch...

Coiled tubing compensation system for deepwater operations.(New tools and technology for the offshore industry)
October 1, 2004... Schlumberger Oilfield Services has introduced the CT TComp coiled tubing total compensation system for the Gulf of Mexico and other offshore areas. The CT TComp system protects wellhead integrity during coiled tubing operations by limiting...

Smart Shim solves wellhead movement while drilling.(New tools and technology for the offshore industry)
October 1, 2004... Furmanite, an industrial specialty maintenance service company, has introduced Smart Shim to its North American customer base. Smart Shim is an advanced-materials solution manufactured from a PVC-proofed nylon that features good abrasive...

Wire line monitoring.(New tools and technology for the offshore industry)(RC Technology )
October 1, 2004... RC Technology has developed Data Stem, a line monitoring system that allows the operator to acquire well log information in the form of pressure and temperature during any slickline, braided line, or electric line operations. The system offers...

300-ton hydraulic crane for construction vessel.(New tools and technology for the offshore industry)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... National Oilwell recently delivered its largest-ever hydraulic telescopic crane, a 300-ton system, for the Solstad Shipping subsea construction vessel Norman Cutter. Hydra tech partnered the company in developing and manufacturing the...

TGS-Nopec.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... TGS-Nopec shareholders have elected Claus Kampmann as the company's new chairman of the board of directors. Kampmann was first elected to the TGS-Nopec board in June 2002, and has served as the chairman of the board's Compensation Committee...

Daniel S. Sanders.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Daniel S. Sanders, president, ExxonMobil Chemical Co., and vice president, ExxonMobil Corp., retired on Aug. 31 after more than 43 years of service. Sanders joined the company in 1961 and started at his latest position in January 1999.

Devon Energy Corp.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Devon Energy Corp. has hired Stephen J. Hadden as senior vice president--exploration and production. Hadden will work out of Devon's Oklahoma City headquarters and will report to John Richels, the company's president.

Workstring LLC.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Workstrings LLC, a Superior Energy Services company, has named Ray Dixon as vice president--operations and general manager of Workstrings' Superior Inspection Services division. Cornado Rubio is the company's new general manager of the Latin...