Iara tested
PETROBRAS has completed formation tests on its appraisal well drilled offshore Brazil in the Santos Basin block BM-S-11 - the so-called Iara block.
Anadarko scores with Lucius
ANADARKO Petroleum has made what is says is a major discovery with its Lucius exploration well drilled in the ultra-deepwater sector of the US Gulf of Mexico in Keathley Canyon Block 875.
AGR Oz win
AGR Field Operations' Asia-Pacific unit has signed a three-year contract with Australian Worldwide Exploration (AWE) for operation and maintenance of its Perth Basin assets in Western Australia. Norwegian-owned AGR, which has a major Aberdeen presence, says the contract has provision for two successive two-year extensions.
Analysts dismiss Peak Oil argument
FEARS that the world is about to run out of oil are exaggerated and production will continue to climb over the next 20 years, according to petroleum industry analyst IHS CERA
Back on track
Global think tank sees sturdy outlook for Canadian oil sands
Although Canada's oil-sands rush came to an abrupt end with the global financial crisis and recession, the development of the industry will continue in the future, says the Centre for Global Energy Studies (CGES).
KD Marine launches dive daughter craft
ABERDEEN company KD Marine has purpose-designed and built a pair of 12m (40ft) workboats specially to support dive operations in the North Sea.
Questions over IP joint ownership
Innovation is key to the success of all business whether it means that you have new ideas for delivering existing goods and services or are creating new ideas, product lines or services.
New generation of ships
Helix's new intervention ship, Well Enhancer, ambles into Aberdeen. It is one of a new generation of ships able to service the growing subsea wells population
GDF Suez score best in class
A NORTH Sea high-pressure and temperature (HP/HT) well drilled by the UK unit of GDF Suez has achieved best in class under the Rushmore benchmark process.
Market-only rejected
A KEY part of the UK's future is to have a successful green-tech revolution, but other than setting targets (the UK is way behind with those) and implementing some incentives such as ROCs (renewables obligation certificates), there is a view that Britain is trailing behind and that, somehow, the market will provide.
Clean-up for Old King Coal
GREAT store is being placed on coal-fired plant, not just in the UK, but also in other countries such as the US and China.
Nuclear – key part of the ‘trinity of low carbon’
MEDIA headlines in the UK have been full of nuclear in recent months because of the extensive new-builds programme planned for England and Wales, but rejected by Scotland.
OPITO restructures for global push
UK oil&gas skills standards could soon become the norm around the world thanks to a bold initiative by North Sea training body OPITO - The Oil & Gas Academy.
Jack-up surplus to prevail for years to come
The world is awash with idle jack-up rigs, with more than 100 units stacked, plus a further 60 new ones under construction/on order.
Hot-house climate means methane hike
UNUSUALLY high temperatures in the Arctic and heavy rains in the tropics are thought to have driven a global increase in atmospheric methane in 2007 and 2008 after a decade of near-zero growth, according to a new study.
Scots and US firms make seismic connection
ABERDEEN company ffA has teamed up with US firm OpenSpirit to provide what they describe as "multi-vendor connectivity" to users of ffA's 3D seismic analysis products using the OpenSpirit software development kit. ffA says its SVI Pro and SEA 3D Pro seismic analysis applications will be able to reach out to any OpenSpirit-enabled data store to access data and share interaction events with other geotechnical software.
ICoTA clan to gather later this month
WELL intervention: rejuvenating the North Sea is the theme of this year's ICoTA conference, with the keynote to be delivered by Leo Koot, MD of Taqa Bratani, which company is playing a key role in that process. However, arguably at this time, it is StatoilHydro which probably has the most ambitious well revamp programme in train in the North Sea (see Page 17).
First launch of $800m rig series
WHILE most new drilling tonnage is built in East Asia, the US continues to build, too. The first of four $200million Rowan EXL Super 116E jack-up drilling rigs has just kissed the water for the first time at the Keppel AmFELS Yard in Brownsville, Texas.
Hadfield calls for organised approach – especially subsea
Cyclotech boss Hadfield said: "Every tonne of sand has got to be put through treatment to reduce the number of parts per million (ppm) to the baseline minimum, and you try to use reservoir energy as far as you possibly can to achieve this.
Biggest problem is steelwork rusting from the inside
Key issues and findings of corrosion specialist iicorr's report include:
Technology investment critically low
It's bizarre, isn't it, that the biggest story that came out of Offshore Europe was that visitors who parked on the grass verge on the approach roads were all handed parking tickets? In reality, though, the biggest story from Offshore Europe was that not much happened.
Laying the foundations of a massive market opportunity
Britain faces potentially fierce competition for offshore wind construction contracts and, despite the huge North Sea oil&gas heritage that can be brought to bear, it is, in Energy's view, several years behind where it should be.
Finding opportunity in the challenge
The world faces a major energy challenge. Global energy demand will double by 2050, driven by economic and population growth. At the same time, it will be necessary to curb emissions of greenhouse gases to avoid the environmental and economic damage of climate change. Business as usual is not an option.
This is a call to arms …
Widely publicised recent reports of rising costs, major tax hikes, declining investment and falling exploration rates across the UKCS have painted a bleak picture of the oil&gas industry in the media.