NOAA has presented to the U.S. Coast Guard a new report that finds that 36 sunken vessels scattered across the U.S. seafloor could pose an oil pollution threat to the nation’s coastal marine resources. Of those, 17 were recommended for further assessment and potential removal of both fuel oil and oil cargo.

The locations of the 17 wrecks NOAA is recommending be considered for in water assessment and pollution recovery if necessary.

The sunken vessels are a legacy of more than a century of U.S. commerce and warfare. They include a barge lost in rough seas in 1936; two motor-powered ships that sank in separate collisions in 1947 and 1952; and a tanker that exploded and sank in 1984. The remaining sites are 13 merchant marine ships lost during World War II, primarily along the Atlantic Seaboard and Gulf of Mexico. To see a list of the ships and their locations, visit: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/protect/ppw/.

The report, part of NOAA’s Remediation of Underwater Legacy Environmental Threats (RULET) project, identifies the location and nature of potential sources of oil pollution from sunken vessels. Knowing where these vessels are helps oil response planning efforts and may help in the investigation of reported mystery spills--sightings of oil where a source is not immediately known or suspected.

“This report is the most comprehensive assessment to date of the potential oil pollution threats from shipwrecks in U.S. waters,” said Lisa Symons, resource protection coordinator for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. “Now that we have analyzed this data, the Coast Guard will be able to evaluate NOAA’s recommendations and determine the most appropriate response to potential threats.”

“The Coast Guard is pleased to receive these risk assessments from our partner agency NOAA and looks forward to our continued coordination on the matter of potential pollution associated with sunken vessels in U.S. waters,” said Capt. John Caplis, the Coast Guard’s chief of marine environmental response. “Coast Guard federal on-scene coordinators receiving the risk assessments will carefully review the data and incorporate it into their area contingency plans.”

In 2010, Congress appropriated $1 million for NOAA to develop a list of the most significant potentially polluting wrecks in U.S. waters, including the Great Lakes, specifically addressing ecological and socio-economic resources at risk. Those funds were not intended for oil or vessel removal.

NOAA maintains the internal Resources and UnderSea Threats (RUST) database of approximately 30,000 sites of sunken material, of which 20,000 are shipwrecks. The remaining items are munitions dumpsites, navigational obstructions, underwater archaeological sites, and other underwater resources.

Initial screening of these shipwrecks revealed 573 that could pose substantial pollution risks, based on the vessel’s age, type, and size. This includes vessels built after 1891, when U.S. vessels began using fuel oil; vessels built of steel; vessels over 1,000 gross tons, and any tank vessel.

Additional research about the circumstances of each vessel’s loss narrowed that number to 107 shipwrecks. Of those, some were deemed navigational hazards and demolished, and others were salvaged. Most of the 107 wrecks have not been directly surveyed for pollution potential, and in some cases little is known about their current condition.

To prioritize and determine which vessels are candidates for further evaluation, NOAA used a series of risk factors to assess the likelihood of substantial amounts of oil remaining onboard, and the potential ecological and environmental effects if that oil spills. Risk factors include the total oil volume onboard as cargo or fuel, the type of oil, and the nature of the sinking event. For example, a vessel that was struck by multiple torpedoes would likely contain less oil than a vessel that sank in bad weather.

After this third level of screening, 87 wrecks remained on the list developed for the Coast Guard’s area contingency plans. Among this group, NOAA determined that 36 shipwrecks are candidates for a “Worst Case” discharge event in which the shipwreck’s entire fuel oil and oil cargo would be released simultaneously, and recommended that 17 of these wrecks be considered for further assessment and feasibility of oil removal.

Six wrecks are potential candidates for a “Most Probable” discharge event, where a shipwreck could lose approximately 10 percent of its fuel oil or oil cargo. To date, known oil discharges from shipwrecks are typically in the “Most Probable” category or smaller.

The report, including 87 risk assessments, is not intended to direct Coast Guard activities, but rather provide the Coast Guard with NOAA’s scientific and technical assessment and guidance as a natural resource and cultural heritage trustee.

The Coast Guard, as the federal On-scene Coordinator for mitigating oil spills in the coastal marine environment, the Regional Response Teams, and local Area Committees, as established under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, will review and incorporate the assessments into regional and area marine environmental response contingency plans. The individual risk assessments not only highlight concerns about potential ecological and socio-economic impacts, but also characterize most of the vessels as historically significant and many of them as grave sites, both civilian and military.

Funding for any assessment or recovery operations determined to be necessary is dependent upon the unique circumstances of the wreck. If a wreck still has an identifiable owner, that owner is responsible for the cost of cleanup. Coast Guard officials say that if no responsible party exists, the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund would likely be accessed.

To view the report, 2012 Risk Assessment for Potentially Polluting Wrecks in U.S. Waters, visit http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/protect/ppw/.

As America’s maritime first responder, the Coast Guard protects those on the sea, protects our nation from threats delivered by sea, and protects the sea itself. By executing our marine environmental protection responsibilities, the Coast Guard reduces the risk of harm to the marine environment by developing and enforcing regulations to prevent and respond to maritime oil spills and hazardous substance releases.

UTEC Geomarine has announced the successful completion of its first ever geoROV^TM CPT survey campaign in North America.

The geotechnical survey in the Gulf of Mexico was in support of a major pipeline construction project and work comprised of situ testing, interpretation and production of the final reports.

The technology was perfectly suited to geotechnical survey operations in the Gulf of Mexico, where challenging and variable seabed conditions required precise geotechnical data for pipeline design purposes.

The geoROV^TM system is the innovative ROV-conveyed geotechnical testing and sampling system developed in-house by UTEC Geomarine to address industry requirements.  It is a quick and cost-effective way of gathering high precision geotechnical data which has an established track record in the North Sea and Asia-Pacific regions.

Following the acquisition of UK headquartered Geomarine by UTEC in 2012, UTEC Geomarine now provides a range of advanced geotechnical services from UTEC’s international office network.

Commenting on the project, UTEC Geomarine’s Dr. Peter Allan said: “A key factor in the selection of geoROV™ for this project was the ability to work close in to existing infrastructure and to very precisely investigate the geotechnical properties of features on the seabed.”

UTEC CEO Martin O’Carroll added: “Following our successful entry into the North American market we are actively pursuing additional opportunities for the technology.”

UTEC is one of the world’s largest independent offshore survey companies providing a wide range of services including offshore positioning, construction support, geophysical (conventional, towed and AUV) surveys, measurement technology (dimensional control including laser scanning and modeling), metocean surveys and geotechnical (consultancy & sampling) services.  UTEC has offices located around the world including: Australia, Brasil, Canada, Italy, Singapore, UAE, UK and USA.

Research is Part of a Long-Standing, Interagency Collaboration

Scientists have returned from a 15‑day research expedition in the northern Gulf of Mexico with the best high-resolution seismic data and imagery ever obtained of sediments with high gas hydrate saturations.

Map: The USGS Gas Hydrates Project integrates across USGS mission areas, programs, and regions. The stars indicate the locations of personnel involved in the Gas Hydrates Project. Within the US, much of the research focuses on the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, which represent marine and permafrost-associated settings for gas hydrates, respectively.

The expedition and the data and imagery collected resulted from long-standing cooperation between the U.S. Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This collaboration aims to advance scientific understanding of gas hydrates, an important potential future energy resource.

Gas hydrates are ice-like substances formed when certain gases combine with water at specific pressures and temperatures. Deposits of gas hydrates are widespread in marine sediments beneath the ocean floor and in sediments within and beneath permafrost areas, where pressure-temperature conditions keep the gas trapped in the hydrate structure. Methane is the gas most often trapped in these deposits, making gas hydrates a potentially significant source for natural gas around the world.

“This expedition represents a significant milestone,” said USGS Energy Resources Program Coordinator Brenda Pierce. “The data and imagery provide insight into the entire petroleum system at each location, including the source of gas, the migration pathways for the gas, the distribution of hydrate-bearing sediments, and the traps that hold the hydrate and free gas in place. The USGS has a globally recognized research effort studying gas hydrates in settings around the world, and this project combines our unique expertise with that of other agencies to advance research on this potential future energy resource.”

The recently completed expedition was planned jointly by USGS, DOE, and BOEM, and was executed by USGS.  Using low-energy seismic sources, USGS scientists collected details about the nature of the gas hydrate reservoirs and about geologic features of the sediment between the reservoirs and the seafloor. The new data also provide information about how much gas hydrate exists in a much broader area than can be determined from using standard industry seismic data, which is typically designed to image much deeper geologic units.

“Understanding the nature and setting of deepwater gas hydrates is central to the National Methane Hydrates R&D Program, which is led by DOE and managed by Fossil Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory,” said Christopher Smith, DOE’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy. “Over the past 8 years, research carried out under this program has resulted in significant advances in our understanding of methane hydrates, their role in nature, and their potential as a future energy resource. This success is largely due to an unprecedented level of cooperation among federal agencies, industry, national laboratories, and academic institutions.”

“The high-resolution nature of the data acquired through this interagency project will uniquely inform the BOEM effort to assess the resource potential of gas hydrates on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf,” said Renee Orr, Chief, Strategic Resources Office, BOEM.

The data were collected at two locations in the Gulf of Mexico where the three federal agencies partnered with an industry consortium to conduct a drilling expedition in 2009. That expedition discovered gas hydrate filling between 50 and 90 percent of the available pore space between sediment grains in sandy layers in the subsurface. These reservoirs are expected to be representative of the 6,700 trillion cubic feet of gas that BOEM estimates is housed in gas hydrates in sand-rich reservoirs in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

The new data are being used to refine estimates of the nature, distribution, and concentration of gas hydrate in the vicinity of the 2009 drill sites. This will help assess how useful specialized seismic data may be to estimating hydrate saturations in deepwater sediments.

In coming years, the three agencies will continue their collaborative investigation of gas hydrates in the northern Gulf of Mexico and other locations across the world.

Learn more about USGS research on gas hydrates and energy at locations around the world.

Crowley Maritime Corporation's petroleum services group is entering the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) market by acquiring Carib Energy LLC.  Florida-based Carib Energy, founded in 2011, was the first company to receive a small scale, 25-year, LNG export license from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for LNG transportation from the U.S. into Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries.

While Crowley’s overall strategic focus on the LNG market will span several of its diversified business lines and leverage its storied history and success in the marine, project management, energy and transportation fields, Carib Energy provides an induction into the emerging energy market from which the company can grow its concentration on LNG transportation.

A Crowley LNG services group has been formed within Crowley’s petroleum services business unit. It is being headed up by Vice President of Business Development Matt Jackson, who reports to Rob Grune, senior vice president and general manager, petroleum services. This team will marshal Crowley’s extensive resources to serve the LNG market through LNG vessel design and construction; transportation; product sales and distribution, and full-scale, project management solutions.

“Crowley has a myriad of business lines, each with overlapping expertise perfectly positioned to develop a strong footprint in the LNG market,” said Tom Crowley, company chairman and CEO. “Whether it’s designing the next LNG bulk transport vessel, transporting ISO tanks via Crowley’s regularly scheduled liner service, arranging special carriage via our global logistics network or providing project solutions for LNG discovery and extraction; Crowley has the service portfolio to provide turnkey solutions within the LNG space.”

The acquisition of Carib Energy, which becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Crowley Petroleum Services, now provides Crowley an immediate book of business for the supply, transportation, and distribution of LNG via 10,000 gallon ISO tanks.  While Carib Energy has a pending DOE application to supply LNG transportation services into non-FTA countries, its current licensing allows them, and now Crowley, to supply cost-efficient, environmentally friendly LNG from the U.S. to both commercial and industrial customers within the Caribbean and Central and South America – all countries where LNG is an attractive commodity thanks to its low price point in the face of growing power supply costs.  Carib Energy is also cementing its involvement in future LNG fuel bunkering for ships transiting between the U.S. and Caribbean markets.

“The Carib Energy acquisition is an exciting opportunity for Crowley to utilize a combination of its core competencies including marine solutions, logistics planning and execution and associated technical and project management capabilities in an area that is by all measures growing rapidly both within the U.S. and abroad,” said Grune. “We look forward to playing a pivotal role with both new and existing customers as they strive to provide safe and reliable LNG distribution assets and services.”

As part of the Carib Energy acquisition, Greg Buffington (shown), the company’s president, will join Crowley as vice president of Carib Energy, reporting to Jackson. Buffington will continue to develop and expand the company’s Caribbean and Central America opportunities for small-scale LNG applications.  His experience is deeply rooted within the international propane gas industry where he spent 31 years in varying capacities. He was the founder of EFG Industries, an international supplier of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) equipment, engineering and plant construction.

“We are very pleased to welcome Greg to the Crowley family,” said Jackson.  “He shares our understanding of the exponential business potential for LNG as well as our corporate values. He knows our ‘One Crowley, One Team’ approach will allow us to leverage a multitude of experience towards a common goal of success within this vastly untapped energy market.”

LNG facts from the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas (CLNG): LNG, or liquefied natural gas, is natural gas that is cooled to -260° Fahrenheit until it becomes a liquid and then stored at essentially atmospheric pressure. Converting natural gas to LNG, a process that reduces its volume by about 600 times allows it to be transported. Once delivered to its destination, the LNG is warmed back into its original gaseous state so that it can be used just like existing natural gas supplies. When returned to its gaseous state, LNG is used across the residential, commercial and industrial sectors for purposes as diverse as heating and cooling homes, cooking, generating electricity and manufacturing paper, metal, glass and other materials. LNG is not stored under pressure and it is not explosive. LNG vapors (methane) mixed with air are not explosive in an unconfined environment. When exposed to the environment, LNG rapidly evaporates, leaving no residue on water or soil.

Gov. Bobby Jindal and Danos President and CEO Hank Danos announced the company will retain its headquarters in Louisiana and that Danos & Curole Marine Contractors LLC has selected a site in Gray, La., for its new $10 million corporate headquarters facility. In addition, Danos announced it is evaluating multiple Louisiana port locations to select where it will build a new $20 million manufacturing and fabrication facility.

A strategic construction and services partner for major oil and gas companies, Danos will create 426 new jobs over the next five years as it leverages new deepwater oil and gas opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico, along with land-based and international energy growth opportunities. LED estimates the Louisiana projects, with their combined $30 million capital investment, will result in an additional 871 new indirect jobs, for a total of nearly 1,300 new jobs in the state. Of the 426 new direct jobs, 326 will be at the headquarters site with salaries averaging $75,000 per year, plus benefits. The remaining 100 new direct jobs will be created at the manufacturing site with salaries averaging $65,000 per year, plus benefits.

The company's expansion project will also retain 400 existing land-based jobs in Louisiana and create 200 construction jobs. Danos will retain fabrication operations at its current headquarters site in Larose, where the company has operated since its 1947 founding in Lafourche Parish.

Gov. Jindal said, "Today's announcement is great news for the Bayou Region and for our entire state. Danos is one of Louisiana's deeply rooted homegrown companies renowned for its technical expertise, performance and, above all, outstanding safety in the oil and gas business. The company has proudly called Louisiana home for decades, and it knows that our state is home to an incomparable workforce, a strong business climate and a tremendous energy infrastructure.

"Despite a challenging federal regulatory environment, Louisiana companies like Danos are rising to new heights in business performance and leading the way in solving our nation's energy challenges. This growth by Danos in south Louisiana will continue bringing great new career opportunities to Louisianians for generations to come."

Danos ultimately selected a Terrebonne Parish site for its new headquarters after an exhaustive search of potential locations along the Gulf Coast. Extensive site selection by Danos eliminated Alabama, Mississippi and Texas from consideration.

Construction of the headquarters facility will begin by late summer, with the manufacturing site to be selected within three months and construction of that facility to begin before the end of 2013. Both new facilities will be complete by the end of 2014. Hiring for positions at the new headquarters will begin later this year, with new manufacturing positions being filled beginning in 2014.

With 1,100 employees based in Louisiana or working in offshore Gulf of Mexico operations linked with the company's Louisiana base, Danos is one of the major economic drivers in Louisiana's Bayou Region and a key contributor to global energy solutions, with 1,600 employees worldwide.

Launching a modest crew boat company 66 years ago, Danos attracted Gulf Oil (now Chevron) in its first year of existence and still retains the company as a customer today. Danos has evolved into one of the largest oilfield service companies in the Gulf of Mexico region with a continual focus on safety and execution. The company works with all major energy producers in the Gulf today, aligning its services with operators from the pre-commissioning phase of major developments through the construction and operation phases.

"The Danos family business has deep roots in South Louisiana: The heritage and culture of this area are important to who we are as a company," company CEO Hank Danos said. "We appreciate the commitment of our state's leadership. The Governor and the Secretary of Economic Development are shaping an environment that is beneficial to attracting and retaining companies who are creating good jobs in our state and region. We are thankful that our employees, customers and the state recognize the importance of our dedication to excellence in safety and job execution."

LED's Business Expansion and Retention Group, or BERG, worked with Danos to identify growth opportunities within Louisiana. To secure the headquarters and manufacturing project, the state offered Danos a customized incentives package that includes a performance-based, $1.5 million Economic Development Award Program grant to provide infrastructure improvements for the new manufacturing location. The state will also provide the comprehensive workforce solutions of LED FastStart ®, the nation's No. 1 state workforce development training program. In addition, Danos is expected to utilize Louisiana's Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.

"We are honored that Danos has chosen Terrebonne Parish for their new facility," Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet said. "Terrebonne Parish is truly fortunate to receive this vote of confidence by one of the most respected and admired companies in Louisiana. We welcome Danos to Terrebonne Parish as we continue to build a community that is attractive to such great companies."

"The Danos family, now in its third generation of service to our community and region, has not only survived both the natural and manmade challenges of the world, it has been doggedly defiant in its resiliency to prosper and grow," said President and CEO Vic Lafont of the South Louisiana Economic Council.

"We're very excited anytime a major announcement comes to our region," said Steve Vassallo, CEO of the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority. "It's just a further indication of how our economy is improving dramatically and continues to stay strong. Creating new jobs just makes it that much easier when we're recruiting the next company that we're going after."

Qatar Petroleum International (QPI) and Total are pleased to announce the signing of a framework of Agreement whereby QPI will participate in Total E&P Congo through its subscription to a 15% share capital increase of this company. This participation reinforces Qatar’s commitment to invest in Africa and illustrates Congo’s willingness to welcome Qatar as a new partner. Furthermore, thanks to its subscription to the capital of Total E&P Congo, QPI will contribute to the company’s significant investment programmed in Congo, specifically the Moho North project.

His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman of QPI, stated that this agreement is a further milestone in the implementation of QPI’s strategy to develop actively its presence abroad and especially in Africa.  He also welcomed the opportunity to reinforce relationships between Qatar and Congo and support Total E&P Congo in its development programmed.

Christophe de Margerie, Chairman and CEO of Total, expressed his satisfaction with this agreement which is a new step in the implementation of the MOU for a strategic cooperation in Africa entered between QPI and Total on 25 March 2010. It will further build-on the well-established partnership with QPI and will strengthen Total’s commitment to proceed with the development of the Congolese Petroleum Industry.

H.E. Jean-Jacques Bouya, Minister to the Presidency in charge of development and infrastructures of the Republic of Congo, attending the Doha 13th Forum and mandated by 
H.E. Denis Sassou-Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo, expressed his satisfaction with QPI’s partnering with Total in the Republic of Congo which will bring added value to the development of Congo’s petroleum resources. This new partnership is a clear milestone that will open a new era of cooperation between the Republic of Congo and the state of Qatar.

BP and partners Total, Petrobras and Petrogal were named winning bidders for eight deepwater blocks offshore Brazil in the Brazilian National Petroleum Agency’s (ANP’s) 11th bid round. BP will be operator in two of the blocks.

The companies have committed to explore concession blocks FZA-M-57, FZA-M-59, FZA-M-86, FZA-M-88, FZA-M-125, and FAZ-M-127 in the Foz do Amazonas basin, BAR-M-346 in the Barreirinhas basin, and POT-M-764 in the Potiguar basin, for oil and gas resources, with the right to develop any commercial discoveries under the Brazilian concession regime.

BP will be operator with a 70% stake in block FZA-M-59, and in block BAR-M-346, with a 50% stake.

“BP is delighted with this result. It will increase our frontier exploration exposure along Brazil’s equatorial margin and plays to our strengths in deepwater. We look forward to a successful exploration programme working with our partners Total, Petrobras and Petrogal,” said Mike Daly, BP’s Executive Vice President of Exploration.

Today’s winning bids follow BP’s re-entry into the Brazilian upstream in 2011 with the purchase of interests in 10 blocks from Devon Energy and the subsequent farm-in to four Petrobras-operated deepwater blocks in the Brazilian equatorial margin in 2012.

“This is an exciting outcome for BP. It reaffirms our long-term partnership with Brazil, expanding our upstream portfolio to 22 E&P concessions in seven different basins, in addition to our biofuels, lubricants, aviation and marine fuel businesses,” added Guillermo Quintero, BP Brazil Regional President.

BP and its partners now expect to work with the ANP to finalise the awards. The signing of the contracts, in which BP will participate through its Brazilian subsidiary BP Energy do Brasil Ltda., is expected to take place in August 2013.

Table of the awarded blocks:

Foz do Amazonas basin - SFZA-AP1

Barreirinhas basin - SBAR-AP2

Potiguar basin -

Cal Dive International, Inc. (NYSE:DVR) announced today that it has been awarded two additional contracts from Pemex Exploración y Producción that are expected to generate combined total revenues of approximately $188 million.

The first contract is for the procurement, installation and commissioning of 47 kilometers of 20 inch subsea pipeline and associated tie-ins to an existing platform. This contract is expected to generate revenues of approximately $129 million and will utilize two of the Company’s vessels as well as a third party vessel. The offshore construction is expected to commence in the third quarter 2013 with a portion of the work expected to be performed during the first quarter 2014.

The second contract is for the procurement, installation and commissioning of nine kilometers of two medium diameter subsea pipelines and associated tie-ins to existing platforms. This contract is expected to generate revenues of approximately $59 million and will utilize a third party vessel and a Company dive support vessel. The offshore construction for this contract is expected to commence in the fourth quarter 2013 and is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter 2014. On a combined basis, approximately 50% - 60% of the contracts are expected to be performed during 2013.

Quinn Hébert, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cal Dive, stated, “With the $63 million Pemex contract we announced in March, total contract awards with Pemex this year currently stand at $250 million. These awards increase our total Company backlog to over $400 million, our highest level in five years. We believe these awards demonstrate Pemex’s confidence in Cal Dive as a reliable contractor. These recent contract awards not only secure work for the second half of 2013, but also provide significant visibility for the first half of 2014 when our domestic business is historically slow due to the winter work season. Also, we continue to bid for additional work in Mexico that would mostly benefit our 2014 results.”

Noble Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NBL) announces  a natural gas discovery at the Karish prospect offshore Israel.  The discovery well was drilled to a total depth of 15,783 feet and encountered 184 feet of net natural gas pay in high-quality lower Miocene sands.  The Karish well, located in the Alon C license approximately 20 miles northeast of the Tamar field, is in 5,700 feet of water.  Discovered gross resources, combined with the de-risked resources in an adjacent fault block on the license, are estimated to range(1) between 1.6 and 2.0 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) with a gross mean of 1.8 Tcf.

The Karish discovery is the fifth discovered field with an estimated gross mean resource size over 1 Tcf.  It is also the seventh consecutive field discovery for Noble Energy and its partners in the Levant Basin.  With the addition of Karish and the recent increase in resource estimates at Tamar and Leviathan, total discovered gross mean resources in the Levant Basin are now estimated to be approximately 38 Tcf.

The Ensco 5006 rig drilled the Karish well and will relocate to Cyprus where it is scheduled to spud an appraisal well at the Cyprus A discovery next month.

Noble Energy is the operator of the Alon C license with a 47.06 percent interest. Co-owners are Avner Oil and Delek Drilling each with a 26.47 percent interest.

CGG announces that Robertson, a CGG company specializing in geology, geophysics and reservoir engineering, has completed the first phase of its MERLIN⁺ source and reservoir facies prediction project initiated in April 2012. Global subscribers can now gain a genuine commercial advantage from the project’s deliverables which are designed to improve exploration success in underexplored and frontier basins.

MERLIN⁺ provides a unique and proven means of reducing exploration risk by combining industry-leading plate tectonic reconstructions (Plate Wizard^TM), global databases and detailed palaeogeographic mapping with Earth systems modeling to predict key elements of the petroleum system.

MERLIN⁺ builds on the data and methodologies brought together by Robertson within the original MERLIN project launched in 2007 that have enabled the prediction of source facies globally. Comparison of predictions to known source rock data shows greater than 80% accuracy, giving confidence to the prediction of source facies for both conventional and unconventional plays.

MERLIN⁺ will be completed in a number of phases over an initial four-year period and global subscribers are invited to guide and participate in its continued improvements. MERLIN⁺ incorporates the results of the Earth systems modeling into an innovative predictive methodology to deliver valuable source facies and clastic sediment flux predictions.

Sophie Zurquiyah, Senior Executive Vice President, Geology, Geophysics & Reservoir, CGG, said:  “As it becomes increasingly difficult to identify viable new exploration opportunities, innovative solutions such as MERLIN⁺ are essential to maintain a competitive edge. The addition of its unique predictive capabilities to Robertson’s broad portfolio of global and regional multi-client geological products opens the door to addressing the key challenges of frontier exploration and, combined with CGG’s other products and services, helps to position us as the partner of choice for delivering the key geoscience solutions required by the industry today.”

Statoil was the highest bidder on 6 licenses in Brazil's 11th licensing round, the first licensing round in the country since December 2008. With the new licenses, Statoil has strengthened its position in the Espirito Santo basin.

The award in Brazil's 11th licensing round reflects Statoil's extensive application and ambition of long-term growth in Brazil. Out of the six licenses awarded in Espirito Santo, Statoil is the operator for four and partner in two of the licenses.

"We are very pleased with the outcome," says Tim Dodson, executive vice president for Exploration in Statoil.

 "The award of the blocks in the Espirito Santo basin is in line with Statoil's exploration strategy to build on core positions in prolific and proven basins."

Statoil's application for exploration licenses in the basin is based on established and new geological play models.

"The new positions underscore our ambition to grow in Brazil, which we see as a region for long-term growth.

"Access to new quality acreage is an essential prerequisite for further value creation through exploration activities and for increasing Statoil's international production level from key clusters such as Brazil," says Thore E. Kristiansen, senior vice president South America and president for Statoil Brazil.

In December 2012 Statoil acquired a 25% participating interest from Vale SA in BM-ES-22A in the Espirito Santo Basin. Petrobras is the operator with 75%.

The farm-in is pending Brazil National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuel (ANP) approval. BM-ES-22A is adjacent to the BM-ES-32 license where Statoil is partner and which holds the Indra discovery.

"These new licenses in the Espirito Santo basin give us a significant acreage position in a proven hydrocarbon basin. They have the potential to provide large-scale additional resources close to our existing discoveries, which with success will result in Statoil building a new core position," says Dodson. 

Statoil operates the Peregrino field in Brazil, which came on stream in April 2011, and Statoil is currently the largest international operator in the country. Statoil is also operator of some of the world's largest oil and gas discoveries over the last couple of years and has a strong safety and environmental record.

The 11th bidding round on 14 May was conducted by the ANP. The concession agreements from the 11th licensing round are scheduled to be signed in August 2013.

In the 11th licensing round in Brazil Statoil has been awarded:

Six exploration licenses in the Espirito Santo basin, of which four as operator and two as partner.

The licenses are located in the deepwater sector of the Espirito Santo basin, close to the licenses BM

ES-32 and BM-ES-22A which are operated by Petrobras and in which Statoil is already a partner.

The blocks have an exploration phase of seven years, divided in to two periods of five years and two

years, and the total well commitment for the six licenses is 10 wells.

Consortium:

ES-M-596: Petróleo Brasileiro S.A.* (50%), Statoil Brasil Óleo e Gás Ltda. (50%)

ES-M-598: Statoil Brasil Óleo e Gás Ltda.* (40%), Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (40%), Queiroz Galvão Exploração e Produção S.A. (20%)

ES-M-669: Petróleo Brasileiro S.A.* (40%), Total E&P do Brasil Ltda. (25%), Statoil Brasil Óleo e Gás Ltda. (35%)

ES-M-671: Statoil Brasil Óleo e Gás Ltda.* (35%), Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (40%), Total E&P do Brasil Ltda. (25%)

ES-M-673: Statoil Brasil Óleo e Gás Ltda.* (40%), Queiroz Galvão Exploração e Produção S.A. (20%), Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (40%)

ES-M-743: Statoil Brasil Óleo e Gás Ltda.* (35%), Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (40%), Total E&P do Brasil Ltda. (25%)

In the construction of a subsea project, one challenge is the long delivery time of large steel forgings used for key components. This is mainly due to compliance with oil companies’ individual requirements. DNV is now inviting the subsea industry to jointly obtain synergies by developing a best-practice approach. The aim is to reduce delivery time and production costs and improve material quality, thus reducing the risk throughout the supply chain.

Due to quality concerns, the end users of subsea systems are stipulating company-specific requirements for subsea forgings, such as those used for X-mas trees. “This has made the stocking of prefabricated forgings and thereby shorter lead times difficult for the vendor industry. The typical delivery time can be in excess of seven months, and has a high potential for being shortened,” says Bjørn Søgård, business development manager at DNV’s Well, Pipelines and Subsea Section.

“One pre-requisite for shortening the lead times and effective project execution is the timely availability of forgings that meet all likely end users’ quality requirements. A unified set of requirements across the industry would be a solution with a synergetic effect, make procurement easier and help reduce quality challenges,” he points out.

On this basis, and in response to requests from key stakeholders in the subsea industry, DNV has now established a Forging-material Joint Industry Project (JIP). It will run for 14 months and include valuable contributions from major oil companies, subsea contractors and manufacturers of steel forgings. In addition, DNV will contribute the advice of its own pool of subject-matter experts. The conclusions will be presented in a Recommended Practice available to the industry.

Søgård explains that the core goal for all participants is to improve the quality, cost and delivery times of forgings for the subsea industry. “A unified approach will also help limit the risk of failure during fabrication, subsea installation and operation. The outcome will not only benefit the manufacturers and sub-suppliers, but also improve the end-customers’ way of specifying their requirements regarding mechanical loads, interfaces with other materials, environmental issues, cathodic protection, cyclic loading, etc,” he concludes.

The adoption of a unified material standard with a consistent methodology to manage all steps in the supply chain processes will help ensure consistently high and repeatable quality across the industry and geographical regions and build confidence into the final product. The JIP will be run with participation from the industry based in both Houston, USA and Oslo, Norway.

Wood Group PSN (WGPSN) will deliver operations & maintenance services to Hess Corporation's Baldpate production platform in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, under a new five-year contract.

WGPSN will also provide these services to Hess for the Tubular Bells and Stampede deepwater facilities in the Mississippi Canyon and Green Canyon regions of the Gulf of Mexico when they come on stream in the future. The contract will lead to the creation of up to 100 new jobs in the region.

WGPSN will develop a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to track the maintenance and repair of rotating equipment and maintenance parts. They will also manage the inventory of engineering parts.

Derek Blackwood , WGPSN Americas president, said: "Hess is a valued customer to WGPSN. Since 1999, we have maintained contracts with Hess in the U.K. and in Equatorial Guinea, and we are pleased to have extended this relationship to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. We will recruit new employees to service this contract and are committed to developing a skilled and talented local workforce."

WGPSN employs over 5,000 people in the US, working both offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and onshore servicing the conventional oil & gas sector and shale plays.

Baldpate is located in 1,650ft of water, in Garden Banks (GB) block 260, 120 miles off the Louisiana coast. Installed in 1998, it was the first freestanding offshore compliant tower and is one of the tallest freestanding structures in the world.

Gulfstream Services Inc (GSI), provider of cutting edge equipment to the international oil and gas industry, has successfully completed two six figure decommissioning contracts with major oil and gas service companies, Helix Well Ops UK and Dof Subsea.

The Helix contract was part of the BP North West Hutton decommissioning project where GSI tools were used to remove 10” and 20” pipelines from the seabed. GSI’s Hydraulic Shear was an effective engineering solution in the situation due to the quick boat to boat times.

Photo: Martin Blake, operator/workshop technician, GSI,  working on GSI product

GSI equipment was used by Dof Subsea for the cutting and recovering of items on a North Sea platform including a 6” pipeline, concrete mattresses, clump weights and various small steel structures. After the assignment it was reported that the performance of GSI equipment and personnel were above expectations and caused no downtime.

Both projects were carried out in the North Sea over a three and two week period respectively.

Caroline Grant, operations manager GSI, said: “It has been a busy few months for GSI. We are delighted to be involved in such high profile projects with Helix and Dof Subsea. The efficient delivery of the projects are a testament to the effectiveness and quality of our products and staff. This is further proof that we are at the forefront of the decommissioning market.

“Since we established the GSI hydraulic shear division in 2006 we have performed over 8000 cuts in worldwide locations using our specialised decommissioning equipment. Looking ahead, we will continue to endeavour to provide first class service to all our customers.”

GSI was established in the US in 1978 and now has four bases across the states. Gulfstream Services UK was set up in January 2010 in Aberdeen to serve the international oil and gas industry and growing demand from customers in UK, Norway, Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Around 6300 subsurface cuts have been carried out and 2000 land based cuts. The deepest cut completed by the firm was 3019ft, for major oil and gas projects in the Gulf of Mexico.

GSI aims to provide innovative and cost efficient solutions to industry challenges and all of its products have evolved in line with customer requirements.

Currently the GSI global hydraulic tooling fleet consists of 26 workable shears and grapples, which are used for numerous applications within the oil and gas industry including platform and pipeline removal, slot recovery, chain cutting, wire rope cutting, salvage work and well blow out intervention.

GSI recently increased its staff numbers in response to business growth – the company currently has 12 members of staff and plans to expand this by a further three in the coming months.

Buccaneer Energy Limited (ASX:BCC) advises that the Alaskan Oil and Gas Conservation Commission ("AOGCC") has inspected and certified the Endeavour jack-up rig for operations within Alaskan state waters, this was the final certification required for the Endeavour to be able to commence drilling operations.

The Cosmo # 1 well spud at approximately midday EST on 13 May 2013 (Sydney) and is currently at 600' drilling ahead.

The Company will provide weekly drilling updates commencing on Tuesday 21 May 2013.

The Cosmopolitan Project ("Cosmo") is located in 80' feet of water approximately 30 miles to the north west of Homer. Cosmo is jointly owned with privately owned Fort Worth, Texas based BlueCrest Energy II, LP ("BlueCrest") owning a 75% working interest and Buccaneer a 25% working interest, with Buccaneer as the Operator for the project.

Cosmo # 1 Well Plan

The Cosmo # 1 well is a vertical well that has a targeted Total Vertical Depth of 8,000' ("TVD"), the well is anticipated to take approximately 45 days to drill and test.

Surface casing will be set at 800' after which the well will be drilled to the top of the Tyonek Formation ("Tyonek") at 2,000' where casing will again be set. The first gas Tyonek gas zone should be intersected at approximately 2,150' with multiple gas zones anticipated intersected to 6,000'.

Casing will be set at approximately 6,000' before drilling through the proven oil bearing Starichkof and Hemlock Formations, and will reached the target depth of 8,000' after drilling the prospective West Foreland Formation. The current plan is to take oil cores to augment the reservoir data to further optimize the future oil plan of development. At this stage it is not planned to flow test the oil formations.

On completion of drilling and logging operations the well will be plugged back to the bottom of the Tyonek gas formation. Gas zones within the Tyonek Formation that are identified as potentially commercial through drilling and logging will then be perforated and flow tested. If successfully tested the well will be temporary abandoned as a future gas producer.

Historical Technical Appraisal and Drilling

The Cosmopolitan oil accumulation was initially discovered by Pennzoil by exploration drilling in 1967.

- Oil reservoirs are the Oligocene Lower Tyonek (Starichkof sands);

- Reservoirs are non-marine sandstones with 750' of vertical oil column;

- Oil gravity is 24-27 degrees API; and

- Pioneer estimated OOIP at 360 MMBO;

An offset well (Starichkof State Unit #1) was drilled by Pennzoil in 1967 to the northeast of the discovery well:

- Well was low on the structure and wet in the oil zones;

- Several cores in the shallower Tyonek Formation revealed excellent rock properties with porosities >20% and permeability of 100 - 1000 md;

- Conventional core was taken in the Lower Tyonek Starichkof Formation with average porosity >14% and average permeability > 36 md; and

- Gas cut mud was tested from Tyonek intervals suggesting possible gas higher on structure.

The accumulation was tested again by Arco in 2001:

- Hansen #1 well was drilled from onshore with long reach and found oil in the Starichkof and Hemlock sands;

- 2 Drill Stem Tests ("DST") in the Starichkof sands tested at 200-300 BOPD; and

- Follow up DST's in 2002 found Hemlock sands oil which tested at 300 BOPD and a subsequent Starichkof test of 125 BOPD.

The accumulation was tested again by ConocoPhillips who acquired Arco assets in 2003:

- Hansen #1A was sidetracked out of the original Hansen #1 with a long reach well drilled from onshore;

- DST in the Starichkof/Hemlock intervals tested at rates up to 1000 BOPD; and

- Extended production test stabilized at 550 BOPD.

Pioneer acquired a 40 square mile 3D survey covering the structure in 2005 and obtained a 100% ownership position in 2007

Additional drilling occurred by Pioneer in 2010:

- Hansen #1A-L1 was drilled as a long lateral out of the #1A sidetrack;

- The #1A-L1 is a horizontal well drilled within the Starichkof interval;

- An extended production test was conducted after drilling and stimulation (frac); and

- Results were a cumulative 33,504 BO produced with no water at 250 BOPD + 1 MMcfg/day additional to the Hansen #1A extended production test of 550 BOPD.

Applus RTD, a global leader in the provision of integrity technology services, has unveiled its most sophisticated ultrasonic 3D inspection technology to date – the latest addition to its revolutionary NDT3D technology range.

The RTD IWEX (Inverse Wave Field Extrapolation) is an emerging Non Destructive Testing (NDT) technique that allows detailed inspection and mapping of defects within critical pieces of pipework.

The system increases the probability of detection of defects within welds, as well as more accurately detailing the size, position and characterization of faults. It has the potential to save operators millions of dollars by reducing the number of welds being rejected in new construction pipelines both onshore and offshore.

Rienk de Vries, technical director at Applus RTD, said: “RTD IWEX provides users with a reconstructed image of the inspected object, giving a clearer insight into the scale and nature of any existing defects than is currently possible.

“By utilizing this technology more accurate results in relation to the size and position of the defect can be gained throughout the inspection process.”

The product has been designed to tackle a number of known client issues during processes such as pipeline construction and strain-based pipeline designs and can be utilized during operations for the oil and gas and renewables sectors.

Mr de Vries added: “We are committed to a program of technological research and development aimed at delivering new techniques that maximize the effectiveness and value of our services.

“Ensuring the integrity of the infrastructure being used in the global energy industry is critical to the success of E&P activity and it is of paramount importance to Applus RTD that we not only contribute to improved standards, but set the bar within the ultrasonic NDT arena.

The RTD IWEX is the product of six years of research and development and has already been validated by several oil majors.