Ultra-deep Perdido pumpsThe Centrilift XP enhanced run-life electrical submersible pump (ESP) systems with which Baker Hughes outfitted the pioneering subsea boosting stations at Shell's Perdido field are being hailed as the only subsea pumping systems qualified for Perdido's 8000ft water depths…
The digital oilfield has become mainstream and is how business is now conducted. That was the message at the third SPE Intelligent Energy conference convened in The Netherlands this spring with over 1500 attendees including a high proportion of business leaders…
Since Petrobras and its partners reported finding the large Tupi field in 2006, excitement has reigned over Brazil's pre-salt reserves. Opportunities exist, even in a changing regulatory environment: the Brazilian congress is poised to consider…
Knowledge management is key if the offshore oil and gas industry wishes to remain healthy, survive, and endure upcoming challenges, says Pyrodyne’s Randy Smith. In his opener to this month’s recruitment & training review, he explains why KM…
The Underwater Centre in Fort William, Scotland, has been an influential training provider for commercial divers and ROV pilots in the offshore oil & gas sector for many years. Now, with a little more investment, the facility believes it can…
Water shortages could pose as great a threat to energy security as political instability or terrorism, leading peak oil theorist Matt Simmons told delegates at the Global Marine Renewable Energy Conference in Seattle, Washington, last month…
Non-productive time (NPT) associated with control systems software and hardware integration remains a significant drain on high-spec offshore asset costs, according to a study released last month.The study, by the Athens Group and ModuSpec,…
In 2007, OGX was but a dream of Brazilian entrepreneur Eike Batista. In the course of three short years, the company secured financing for leases, bid on and won shallow water blocks, secured drilling rigs, hired about 150 staff, tallied six…
Two recently published reports point to a speedy recovery for offshore E&P. The deepwater sector of the oil & gas business should recover quickly from the economic downturn and resume the growth the sector enjoyed before the recession, suggests a new report from Douglas-Westwood…
Two competing gas transportation projects in southern Europe could be combined to increase the future security of European gas supply, Eni chief executive Paolo Scaroni told CeraWeek attendees in Houston in March. According to Scaroni, combining…
With well costs escalating to consume up to half of a project’s funding, operators are seeking ways to trim costs. During IADC’s Deepwater Drilling conference in Rio de Janeiro in March, operators discussed some of their strategies to trim costs…
While operating in Brazil’s pre-salt region does require an array of technologies, Petrobras CEO Jose Gabrielli told a Houston lunch that a bigger challenge lies in meeting logistical demands for operating in deep waters offshore. During the Brazil-Texas Chamber of Commerce event in March…
‘It seems the world is feeling better,’ observed Talisman Energy president and CEO John Manzoni, striking an optimistic note in his keynote speech at the recent IP dinner in London. But, he wondered, is the oil & gas industry ready to drive…
The scheduled 2012 lease sale offshore Virginia will proceed, even without the environmental impact studies necessary to allow oil & gas exploration in place, according to MMS director Liz Burnham.The sale – the first on the US Atlantic OCS…
The shaky economic recovery could be threatened if US energy policies push up prices, ExxonMobil chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson said in Houston last month.‘You can raise taxes, raise royalties – it's going to ultimately increase the cost of energy…