Some notable heavy oil projects offshore Brazil are entering advanced phases to increase or maintain production. Russell McCulley reports from Rio de Janeiro on the latest developments at three Campos Basin fields – Statoil’s Peregrino, Petrobras’…
Potentially game-changing research which seeks to unlock the potential of nanotechnology to help maximise production from oil wells and extend the life of mature fields is under way in the US under an ITF-funded laboratory-based particle research project…
To meet drilling challenges, such as hole sections with long steep inclinations and severe doglegs, the keystone of a new drilling campaign offshore Thailand includes use of rotary steerable systems instead of the downhole motors traditionally used there…
Human factors, such as lapses in concentration, mistakes and violations, are frequently cited as the root cause of incidents in the offshore oil & gas industry. Changing these behaviours has therefore been identified as key to reducing recordable incidents and improving overall safety performance…
Guadalajara construction | TransCanadaTransportadora de Gas Natural del Noroeste, a subsidiary of TransCanada, has entered a $1 billion deal with Mexico's Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) to build, own and operate the El Encino-to-Topolobampo pipeline…
'There are 'suspicions' that [Gazprom] has prevented alternative sources of natural gas from and into European countries, applying inappropriate practices, exploiting its position as the dominant supplier of natural gas to Europe.'It took time but it eventually happened…
'In two to three years' time we could be looking at data speeds of 1Gbps.' Derek RobertsonThe development of subsea controls over the past 30 years, and trends for the future, were reviewed as part of a subsea technology day held in Aberdeen last month by Aker Solutions…
Rising day rates and demand for drilling in deepwater environments are helping the offshore drilling sector recover from not just the global economic gloom of recent years but also the post-Macondo drilling moratorium in the US. According to…
'There was a great buzz throughout the project, a real sense of achievement all the way through.' Jim Thompson, Aker SolutionsA novel approach to installation of a new flare line, flare access stairway and flare tips was adopted on Fairfield Energy's Dunlin Alpha platform last summer…
With a recent injection of capital having positioned the company for growth, Fairfield Energy – the self-styled only independent of substance solely focused on the UK continental shelf – moved into new operational headquarters at Westhill last month…
Floating systems consultant Peter Lovie offers his personal take on the debt crisis facing round FPSO pioneer Sevan and the unexpected challenges encountered by the US Gulf of Mexico's first FPSO .Sevan brought the first round FPSOs into operation…
An offshore scaffolding safety innovation from RBG has attracted industry plaudits aplenty since its launch last year and has already been adopted by Apache North Sea on a number of its platforms. In this opener to OE's HSE two-parter, Bill Abbott outlines the thinking behind PlusGard…
Norwegian operator Statoil acknowledged last month that it could have been clearer in its dialogue with Norway's Petroleum Safety Authority following the May 2010 incident where pressure build-up in well 34/10-C06A resulted in a near blowout and the shutdown of the Gullfaks C platform…
‘An exciting future for the subsea business' was predicted by Ross Kinnear, head of subsea operations in BP's North Sea SPU, when he addressed Subsea UK's annual flagship conference in Aberdeen last month. David Morgan reviews some of the Subsea 2011 highlights…
Aberdeen-based Churchill Drilling Tools had on display at ONS an innovative dart activation system now being deployed for technically challenging high-angle sections in Norwegian continental shelf wells. According to Churchill, DAV MX mechanical…