ChevronTexaco donated thousands of miles of historic 2-D and 3-D seismic data covering offshore California and portions of the West Coast of the United States to the American Geological Institute (AGI). In conjunction, AGI has partnered with the US Geological Survey to place the data in a newly created repository called the National Archive of Marine Seismic Surveys. This will enable academic, government and industrial researchers; marine geologists; and environmental engineers throughout the world to have easy access to the data through a Web site (http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/NAMSS/).

Halliburton buys A2D business

Halliburton Digital and Consulting Solutions, a division of Halliburton, has acquired the smartSECTION geologic software business from A2D Technologies, a TGS company. SmartSECTION software provides a raster image cross-section application and has pioneered the use of depth-calibrated well log images for a faster, more affordable approach to high-volume well log correlation and geologic interpretation.

Central Graben gets rock physics

Rock Solid Images has entered into an agreement with Endeavour International Corp. to provide regional rock physics and seismic modeling data to support Endeavour's exploration activities within the Central Graben in the UK sector of the North Sea. About 50 wells will be pre-processed using Rock Solid's GWLA petrophysical workflows and then analyzed with the MOSS product suite, which provides tools for rock physics and seismic modeling.

Paradigm increases CIS capacity

Paradigm has upgraded its seismic data processing centers in the CIS with new 90-processor computation clusters based on the Intel Xeon processor with Intel EM64T and a 32-CPU SGI Altix system based on Intel Itanium 2 processors.

Surveys:

• Kuwait Oil Co. has upgraded its 3-D acquisition and processing contract with WesternGeco to include Q-Land technology. The 6,000-channel conventional system has been replaced with a 30,000-channel Q-Land system for the two remaining survey areas.

• Fairfield Industries has signed a contract with BP to acquire about 60 sq miles (145 sq km to 160 sq km) of seismic data across the deepwater Atlantis field in the Gulf of Mexico. Fairfield will acquire the data later this summer using its new Z 3000 deepwater nodal system.

• Geophysical Services Inc. has conducted a 2-D survey for Falkland Oil & Gas Ltd. over that company's South Falkland Basin acreage and will follow with a survey over the Falkland Plateau Basin. . This is the first seismic ever shot in the Falkland Plateau Basin.

Re-entry tool licensed

Subsidiaries of Knight Oil Tools, of Lafayette, La., have doubled their experience factor in providing efficient re-entry services since acquiring exclusive rights to manufacture, service and sell a new casing exit system. Called the Knight Advantage tool, the system combines the two best techniques of wellbore re-entry to produce a simplified casing exit in a single trip - section milling and setting an oriented whipstock, without a bridge plug. On a single trip, Knight's operators can mill an 18-ft (5.49-m) section in the full range of casings between 51⁄2 in. and 95⁄8 in. Then they orient and set their whipstock, disengage and pull out of the hole. Going back in with a steerable bottomhole assembly, they drill ahead to total depth. Engineering parameters are used to select appropriate applications for the technique, according to the company.

Safety improvement for top drives

BJ Tubular Services of Aberdeen, Scotland, has developed an innovative method that improves safety in running tubulars on rigs equipped with top drives. The TCAT Top drive casing alignment tool eliminates the need to place rig workers on the stabbing board, a significant hazard on floating rigs, especially those operating in rough seas. Consisting of an alignment spear, a set of slightly extended bails and a self-centering elevator supported by a cable sling, the device helps guide any size tubulars from 51⁄2-in. through 20-in. diameter all the way from the catwalk to the rotary where they are made up into the string. No stabbing board operators are required. The system can be fitted to any rig simply by adjusting the cable sling length.

New slim rotary steerable tool debuts

Sperry Drilling Services announced the successful completion of field trials of its Geo-Pilot 5200 series Rotary Steerable System (RSS). With the addition of the 5200 Series to the company's FullDrift drilling suite, Sperry technicians believe that they can significantly extend horizontal production sections to hit small target reservoirs from existing structures. Tested in Canada, the new system drilled a 2,445-ft (745-m) section in 51 hours, performing well over a wide range of deflection settings. Use of the system eliminated an additional trip and rig time to rearrange heavy wall pipe as is commonly done on conventional horizontal wells. The 5.2-in. diameter tool system is designed to drill 6-in. to 63⁄4-in. boreholes.

Foster Wheeler fine-tunes focus

Foster Wheeler Ltd., of Hamilton, Bermuda, has announced that its subsidiary, Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd., will form a new oil and gas division. Headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom, the new division will focus on meeting the needs of the global offshore and onshore industry, including gas compression, liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquids markets. The new division hopes to leverage Foster Wheeler's considerable expertise and experience in designing, managing and constructing successful world-scale oil and gas facilities. With its laser focus, the new group expects to be as flexible, creative and responsive as small, expert consultants, while using its broad-range capabilities to deliver practical commercial solutions, according to a company spokesperson.

Tough, fast-acting valves enabled

Usually exclusive properties, high-speed and high-torque are combined in Flowserve's Limitorque SMB electrical valve actuators. Using technology originally developed for the high-specification nuclear power industry, the weatherproof, explosion-proof actuator uses a double reduction helical and worm gear set to deliver a "hammer blow" to the valve that eliminates speed versus torque tradeoffs. Torque ranging from 15 ft-lbs to 60,000 ft-lbs with stem thrusts of up to 500,000 lbs is offered. The design allows the motor to reach full speed before engaging the load, ensuring appropriate torque application. However, a safety feature de-energizes the motor if an obstruction is encountered. The actuator can be relocated to another valve easily, and without modification.

Gas hunt hits South Korea

Australia's Woodside Energy inked a joint venture pact with Korea National Oil Corp. to spend US $500,000 to spend a year looking for oil and gas in the Ulleung Basin off the east coast of South Korea. The money will include a review of existing geological and geophysical work. The basin is north of the nation's Donghae-1 gas field, the only producing field in South Korea. The study will cover some 11,969 sq miles (31,000 sq km) in water to 6,562 ft (2,000 m) deep.

New rigs threaten price cuts

A host of new jackups is on order or under construction, and at least one contractor worries that a glut of rigs will undercut rising day rates for jackups in 2006 and 2007. In a Dow Jones report, Ensco International Inc. Chief Financial Officer Jay Swent said he was more worried now than when 13 were under construction a year ago. Currently, 24 new-build jackups are in the works. Among new rigs, Maersk has ordered four high-efficiency jackups designed for deep drill in high-temperature/high-pressure zones from Keppel Fels in Singapore with deliveries beginning in late 2007. In addition to the US $900-million Maersk order, Keppel Fels is building jackups for Awilco, PV Drilling, Gulf Drilling International, Smedvig Offshore A/S, Ensco, Sinvest, National Drilling and Odfjell.

LNG hits growth path

The world's first offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal is ready for business on West Cameron 603 block approximately 116 miles (186.6 km) off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico. Excelerate Energy is the operator of the system that will accept standard LNG carriers. That's just a sign of the times. The United Kingdom's Douglas-Westwood "The World LNG and GTL Report" expects spending on LNG projects to total US $67 billion through the next 5 years, climbing from $7.2 billion in 2004 to $17.5 billion in 2009. Spending includes $31 billion on 27 new liquefaction trains and $14.5 billion on 37 new terminals (eight offshore) and 6 expansions. Newbuild LNG carriers will cost $21 billion in the period.

US studies sea treaty

Members of the US Senate are tussling over signing the United Nations-sponsored Law of the Sea Treaty. Basically, the treaty would extend the offshore boundaries of any signing nation to 350 nautical miles (402.5 statute miles), depending on conflicts with neighboring countries. The current jurisdictional limit is 200 nautical miles (230 statute miles). Proponents, including oil and gas industry representatives, say the extra territory would give them more room to explore. They also note that Russia already is carving out big pieces of the Arctic oceans for itself. Opponents say the United States would have to give up some of its sovereignty to the United Nations. Oil companies that did find hydrocarbons on the extended territory would have to pay a royalty of 7% to a newly created International Seabed Authority.

Venezuela gears up

Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. plans to hire 5,281 contract employees as full-time workers. After the company, under Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, fired 18,000 PdVSA workers in 2002 and 2003, the company hired contract workers to fill in some of the gaps. At that time, the company said it would pick the best of the contract workers as fulltime employees. With the hirings, PdVSA will have more than 20,000 employees, according to Business News Americas. All still is not well, according to Pedro Palma in a Union Radio report. Production capacity has been declining since the massive cutbacks of 2002 and 2003, he said. With an OPEC quota of 3 million b/d of oil, the nation can produce only 2.6 million b/d of oil. The nation needs outside money to increase production, but he is worried about the recent Overseas Private Investment Corp. decision to refuse financing insurance to any US company working in Venezuela.

Sudanese cancel contracts

Former rebels controlling southern Sudan have rescinded licenses for oil and gas companies that hold acreage. According to Ogilvie's E&P Daily, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement reassigned seven blocks, including one that was held by a consortium that included France's Total. Part of that tract went to the United Kingdom's White Nile.

MMS plans rental rate hike

The US Minerals Management Service, which regulates offshore oil and gas activity, proposed an increase in its rental rate from US $5.00 an acre for blocks in water shallower than 656 ft (200 m) and $7.50 an acre for blocks in water 1,312 ft (400 m) deep and deeper. The new base would be $6.25 per acre and $9.50 per acre, respectively. The organization also proposed a sliding rental scale for the deeper water properties. Under that scale, the rental rate would increase to $10.50 an acre in the sixth year of the lease and increase annually to $17.50 in the 10th year. The MMS hopes the proposal will entice operators to develop blocks more quickly.

Comments