Russell McCulley reviews recent developments and talking points in the offshore communications arena.Florida-based Harris Corporation followed its summer 2010, $525 million acquisition of CapRock Communications with the purchase of Schlumberger's Global Connectivity Services (GCS) in November…
Things are stirring on the UK continental shelf if the attendance at last month’s Pilot Share Fair in Aberdeen is anything to go by. More than 1000 people, including Meg Chesshyre, turned out to hear from major operators and contractors about their strategies for future North Sea projects…
Merger and acquisition activity in the US oil & gas sector picked up steam 3Q 2010, despite ongoing uncertainty about business in the Gulf of Mexico, reported PricewaterhouseCoopers.For the three-month period ending 30 September, there were…
Global upstream capital spending should rebound this year, according to IHS Herold director Nicholas Cacchione, author of the research firm’s 2010 Global Upstream Performance Review, released last month. ‘In North America, E&P investment increased 30% in the first half of 2010…
There were echoes of the UK’s Dragon’s Den and its US reality TV brethren Shark Tank when the great and the good of the private equity world gathered in Aberdeen last month to sample the wares of would-be oil & gas sector high fliers.The occasion…
Current projections indicate around £27 billion will be spent on UK offshore decommissioning over the next 40 years, of which £9.2 billion will be spent over this next decade, according to a 2010 Decommissioning Insight brochure presented at the conference by Robert Harris-Deans…
Quicker connection Baker Hughes announced the commercialization of its Reconnect technology, which the company says provides an alternative for re-establishing surface hydraulic control to surface-controlled subsurface safety valves (SCSSVs)…
HYWIND’S HIDDEN ASSETS: Syntactic foam specialist Trelleborg Offshore recently released details of how it employed well-proven offshore oil & gas technology in the subsea buoyancy arrangements for the world’s first wind turbine ‘floater’,…
Schlumberger wrapped up its $11 billion purchase of Smith International at the end of August. Andrew Gould, chairman and CEO of Schlumberger, commented: ‘We are ready to begin the process of realizing the synergies made possible by this merger…
All dressed up and nowhere to go is never a good feeling. But that's exactly what has just happened to − of all companies − TGSNopec. The acknowledged maestro of the multiclient seismic survey business last month put out a terse statement that…
One or two recent asides from major seismic contractor bosses implies that they expect that the global seismic fleet to move closer to some kind of equilibrium next year where the supply of vessels is no longer so out of kilter with the demand for survey work…
The effect of the continuing credit crunch last summer meant that North Sea field development activity was down last year, but the steadying of the price this spring has led to projects being dusted off in both the UK and the Norwegian sectors…
Andrew McBarnet suggests that the major marine seismic players are favourites to win in a crowded market.You would never realise it from the current crop of financial results and muted forward-looking statements from CEOs of marine seismic vessel operators…
FIRMSSubsea 7 has entered a global technology partnership agreement with CRC-Evans Pipeline International. Under the agreement CRC-Evans' automatic welding, coating and testing technologies will be installed at the Subsea 7 pipeline fabrication spoolbases in Angola…
FIRMSTGS-Nopec Geophysical has bought the directional survey business and information for ongoing client-initiated programs from P2 Energy Solutions' Tobin business line. The purchase includes P2's existing database of over 38,000 directional surveys…