Elfin-1 discovery grows unrivalled natural gas portfolio in Australia
Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) announced Tuesday, further drilling success by its Australian subsidiary in the Exmouth Plateau area, located in the Carnarvon Basin.
Since mid-2009, Chevron made 21 discoveries offshore western Australia, adding 10 trillion cubic feet of resources.
The Elfin-1 exploration discovery well encountered approximately 132 feet (40 meters) of net gas pay in the upper Mungaroo sands. It is Chevron's 21st discovery offshore western Australia since mid-2009.
Located in the WA-268-P permit area, the well is located approximately 106 miles (170 kilometers) northwest of Barrow Island and was drilled in 3,570 feet (1,088 meters) of water to a total depth of 11,909 feet (3,630 meters).
"Elfin-1 is a demonstration of our continued industry leading exploration success," said George Kirkland, vice chairman, Chevron Corporation. "These discoveries build a platform for future growth for Chevron."
Melody Meyer, president, Chevron Asia Pacific Exploration and Production Company said "This remarkable series of exploration discoveries in the Carnarvon Basin has created a robust gas portfolio in Australia. The growth of this portfolio positions the company to supply future LNG demand in the Asia Pacific region."
Chevron Australia is the operator of WA-268-P with a 50 percent interest while Shell Development Australia and Mobil Australia Resources each hold a 25 percent interest.
.NorSea Group, the leading supplier of base services and integrated logistics systems to the Norwegian oil and gas industry, and the Scrabster Harbour Trust in Caithness have just signed an agreement which will result in major investment and new job prospects for the local economy.
Under the agreement NorSea Group will work with the Trust to bring in new business and develop Scotland’s most northerly mainland port as a one-stop supply base servicing the oil and gas industry.
Scrabster Harbour, Caithness, Scotland
NorSea Group already operates nine supply bases along the coast of Norway which provide logistics support to companies operating offshore on the Norwegian continental shelf. The Scrabster base will be the company’s first in Scotland and will combine the expertise, successful track record and resources of NorSea Group with the benefits of Scotland’s most northerly mainland port.
The bases in Norway each host between 40 and 60 companies in the oil and gas industry providing full range of services from warehouse and storage facilities to engineering, construction, lifting equipment and inspections, mechanical workshops and machining to waste handling and storage. The new plans will see a similar model developed in Scrabster.
Scrabster is currently undergoing significant redevelopment which will support the development of the base. The first phase has created a modern deepwater quay with 11,573 square metres of quayside and lay-down area which complement the existing harbour facilities and the port’s strategic location.
John E Stangeland, CEO of NorSea Group, said: “We are very excited about co-operating with Scrabster Harbour Trust to develop business for the strategically important port of Scrabster. The vision and commitment of the Trust have been fundamental in our decision to establish NorSea Group there. We are committed to involving the local community in all aspects of our phased development which will bring significant investment and job opportunities.
“NorSea Group is also very optimistic about opportunities which may arise from the emerging marine renewables sector as the company’s skills, expertise and operational model will be well suited to meet the needs of this sector.”
William Calder, Chair of Scrabster Harbour Trust, said: “We are delighted that NorSea Group has chosen to establish itself at Scrabster, especially at this time of redevelopment of the harbour to respond to new business demands. Scrabster is ideally situated to support the major oil and gas developments emerging west of Shetland.
“I recently visited NorSea Group bases in Norway and was impressed by the operational excellence and supporting infrastructure at their bases, a model of which will be eminently transferable to the further development at Scrabster Harbour.”
.Amarcon, a member of the ABB group, announced that it has signed a cooperation agreement with GTT (Gaztransport & Technigaz) to market and further develop a forecasting and advice software system for sloshing prevention onboard LNG carriers. The agreement was signed at the LNG17 Conference & Exhibition in Houston,US.
In the coming years, a significant growth in the long distance transport of LNG is expected.
Consequently, a considerable number of new build LNG carriers will come into the market. It is clear that the safe operation of these vessels will be imperative. To respond to this demand, last year Amarcon and GTT already announced the joint effort on development of sloshing prevention software for LNG Carriers. The sloshing prevention is an advanced module within Amarcon’s OCTOPUS advisory suite that will forecast and advise the crew with optimum route to achieve time savings while preventing risk for sloshing. Sloshing prevention will greatly boost the LNG tanker’s safe conditions and optimize the operational availability of the ships
“We are looking forward on working together with GTT in order to serve LNG carriers with a state of the art onboard sloshing advice, which will help crews to choose the route, speed and course with least risk for sloshing, so time savings can be achieved and damage to the LNG membrane tanks can be prevented. Also in the offshore LNG, we see large potential and need for this kind monitoring and advisory systems as a part of an asset management program” Leon, Adegeest, General Manager of Amarcon said.
GTT (Gaztransport & Technigaz) is a French engineering company formed in 1994 specializing in designing and licensing the construction of cryogenic LNG storage tanks for the shipbuilding industry.
Amarcon, a fully owned subsidiary of ABB, provides monitoring and forecasting software solutions for performance and availability optimization of sea-going vessels, and is the leader in vessel motion prediction solutions. ABB acquired Amarcon in august 2012 as an important step to expand its marine software offering. Today, ABB offers a wide range of marine advisory and optimization systems to the maritime and offshore market.
.Interest in Tritech’s industry-standard products has grown over recent years, prompting the company to hold live in-country product demonstrations.
Tritech is to showcase its anchor chain and riser monitoring system RAMS™ on Wednesday 8 May at LabOceano, COPPE, Rio de Janeiro. Subsea engineers, naval architects and subsea maintenance and inspection personnel as well as publishers and editors are encouraged to attend in order to gain first-hand experience of the real-time monitoring capabilities RAMS™ offers Floating Production, Storage and Offloading Unit (FPSO) assets.
The company is also pleased to announce its partnership with MACSea Ltda, who will provide support for future in-country deployments of Tritech’s RAMS™ systems.
Angus Lugsdin RAMS™ Business Development Manager, comments:
“This is a significant demonstration of Tritech’s FPSO monitoring system and comes at a time where there is notable shift change in industry requirements to have asset monitoring in place. Tritech is also committed to delivering localised support to our South American customers and our partnership with MACSea provides Tritech with a local presence in Macaé, to ensure our Brazilian customers receive the high levels of professional customer after sales support Tritech is renowned for.”
Antonio Silva, the Commercial Manager for MACSea Ltda, comments:
“We look forward to assisting Tritech with the demonstration of their proven RAMS™ technology and to supporting Brazilian customers with the deployment of this unique technology.”
Participants are invited to a presentation on the RAMS™ technology from 1130 to 1300 where a complimentary buffet lunch will be provided; the presentation will be followed by a live demonstration in the LabOceano test tank.
Places are strictly limited, to register to attend Tritech’s RAMS™ demo, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 1 May.
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Total announces that the Ivoire-1X exploration well, located in the western portion of Block CI-100 in 2,280 meters of water, encountered 28 meters of net oil pay in a series of about 100 meters of Cretaceous reservoirs. The oil in the abrupt margin geological play is light 35 API oil.
Operated by Total E&P Côte d’Ivoire, Ivoire-1X is the first well drilled on the CI-100 block. It was drilled to a total depth of 5,044 meters.
The well confirms the extension into Block CI-100 of the already proved active petroleum system in the prolific Tano basin, home to several fields, including Jubilee in Ghana.
The data acquired during drilling is being analyzed to develop an appraisal program for the reservoirs discovered and explore identified prospects further east in the block, near recent discoveries in Ghana.
Total E&P Côte d’Ivoire operates the block with a 60% interest, alongside Yam’s Petroleum LLC (25%) and Petroci Holding (15%).
Total Exploration & Production in Côte d’Ivoire
Total also has interests in three other ultra-deep offshore exploration licenses (CI 514, CI-515, CI-516) in Ivory Coast.
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Parker Drilling Company (NYSE-PKD), an international drilling contractor and drilling services and rental tools provider, announces the acquisition of International Tubular Services Limited and certain affiliates (ITS), subsidiaries of ITS Tubular Services (Holdings) Limited, a privately held international rental tools and well services company. In line with Parker's strategic goal to offer additional integrated products, services and expertise to international energy exploration and production (E&P) operators and drilling contractors, the acquisition significantly expands Parker's Rental Tools business to include ITS' strong customer base in growing international markets and additional well services. The business combination also creates opportunities to increase financial performance by leveraging operating costs and realizing tax benefits.
ITS is a leading independent provider of rental tools and well services with 2012 annual revenues of $119 million. Principal activities are renting drilling tubulars and pressure control equipment and providing casing running and fishing services. ITS serves an extensive customer base of E&P companies, drilling contractors and service companies from 22 operating facilities primarily located in the Middle East, Latin America, U.K. and Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Under the terms of the agreement, Parker paid $125 million for ITS. An initial purchase price of $101 million was paid at the closing and an additional $24 million was deposited into an escrow account, which will either be paid to ITS Tubular Services (Holdings) Limited as additional purchase price when certain consents are obtained or, in certain circumstances, released to Parker. The transaction was financed with a $125 million term loan provided by Goldman Sachs Bank USA.
"Today we are further investing in a business segment we know well and an international rental tools growth strategy that we've focused on for some time," said Gary Rich , president and chief executive officer of Parker Drilling . "ITS is one of the industry's leading independent international rental tools and well service companies with a broad footprint and a strong portfolio of products and service capabilities. By expanding our geographic presence and services offering, we are positioning ourselves to better serve the growing needs of international E&P operators and drilling contractors."
Joe Chandler , previously chief executive officer of International Tubular Services (Holdings) Limited and now vice president of Parker's International Rental Tools business unit, commented, "This is an exciting combination. With the support of Parker, ITS is now in a better condition to provide the best solutions for our customers. As part of Parker, a company with a respected reputation, financial strength, process discipline and dedication to people, we expect to continue to grow our ability to deliver premier rental tools services on a global scale."
"This acquisition creates immediate advantages for Parker," Mr. Rich said. "It increases our geographic and product line diversity and enhances our ability to deliver innovative, reliable and efficient results to our customers. We are confident this transaction will provide attractive financial returns and compelling cost and tax benefits that will improve profitability and drive increased value for our shareholders."
For this transaction, Goldman, Sachs & Co. acted as financial advisor, Ernst &Young LLP provided advisory services, and Baker Botts LLP acted as Parker's legal advisor.
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Asset Guardian Solutions Ltd (AGSL), which specializes in protecting companies’ process critical software assets, announced that it has secured an important contract with Stena Drilling Ltd of Aberdeen, Scotland. This contract represents a significant development for AGSL, reinforcing its position within the Oil and Gas Drilling sector.
Managing and securing process critical software
As a result of this contract award, AGSL will provide Stena with Asset Guardian, its fully configurable process software management tool designed to meet the specific needs of Rig Control and Automation Systems. It will centralize Stena’s software and data storage into a single repository, improving workflow management, reducing risk and enhancing the ability to recover software and data should system failure occur, thus minimizing any negative impact on production.
Asset Guardian software will be installed on Stena’s entire fleet of drilling vessels. In addition to
providing a safer, more secure means of storing software and data management associated with each programmable system, Asset Guardian will also manage the process for making changes to the software configuration of these systems, ensuring compliance with industry standards, regulations and guidelines, such as IEEE 828 2005, CPNI, IEC61508, 61511, ISO 9001, and HSE KP4, among others.
The global nature of Stena’s business means that its drilling vessels and rigs are often required to operate in remote locations, sometimes with poor or intermittent access to the internet. To eliminate problems associated with poor communication links between remote locations and onshore facilities, AGSL will also provide AGSync, a solution specifically designed for the oil and gas industry which allows data and files to be seamlessly synchronized between locations.
The contract also provides for customization of the Asset Guardian system to Stena’s precise requirements, and migration of data from its existing system into Asset Guardian.
AGSL is also required to supply a third party review of Stena's process control management procedures and an annual audit of each offshore facility. These audits will include verification of software backups, validation of hardware and software records, and review of Stena's adherence to international standards and procedures.
Providing secure solutions to the oil and gas industry
The six figure contract from Stena Drilling is one of several recent contract awards to AGSL from companies operating in the oil and gas industry. Most recently, operator Woodside of Australia awarded AGSL a contract to provide a Programmable Systems Management tool set to provide enhanced management of its critical software assets. The company also welcomed contracts from BP, Marathon Oil UK and EON.
The agreement with Stena is a real breakthrough for us since it is our first major contract with a drilling company,” said Peter Beales, Business Development Manager for AGSL. “It demonstrates that our services have wide applicability across the oil and gas sector.”
Our contacts at Stena Drilling confessed that it was refreshing to encounter people who are not only knowledgeable and well-informed about industry regulatory requirements, but are passionate about their product,” said Beales. “We take great pride in compliments like this because it is precisely how we would like AGSL to be perceived: informed and passionate.”
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Knowledge Reservoir, a leading global energy consulting company, announces its acquisition by RPS Group plc (RPS).
RPS is a global, multi-disciplinary consultancy providing advice upon the exploration and production of oil and gas and other natural resources; and the development and management of the built and natural environment. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, RPS employs more than 5,000 people in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Africa, the Middle East Australia and Asia.
The acquisition of Knowledge Reservoir by RPS creates a substantially enlarged geoscience and engineering consulting group with global reach and one that is better equipped to meet the challenges posed by complex, multi-disciplinary projects. The new organization will be known as RPS Knowledge Reservoir.
Dr. Ivor Ellul and the Knowledge Reservoir management team, along with all current staff, will remain with the business which will continue to operate from its existing office locations.
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A welcoming ceremony was held for two newbuild vessels SL Gabon and SL Libreville at Port‐Gentil, Gabon on 17 April.
Among those attending the ceremony were the Minister Delegate of Transport Mr Emmanuel Jean Didier Biye, the Governor of the Ogooué Maritime Province Mr Martin Boguikouma, the Prefect of the Bendjè Department Mr Joseph Mouele, Total Gabon Chief Executive Officer Mr Benoît Chagué and Smit Lamnalco Chief Executive Officer Mr Daan Koornneef.
SL Gabon and SL Libreville have been contracted for a five year period by Total Gabon. The vessels will support offshore oilfield activities and tanker operations at the terminal of Cap Lopez, Port‐ Gentil.
“The partnership between our two organizations has roots reaching back 30 years,” says Mr. Koornneef. “Port‐Gentil’s location demands robust and reliable marine support services. We are delighted to bring these two state of the art tugs into service for Total Gabon, signifying our continuing commitment to invest in the future of Gabon.”
Smit Lamnalco now operates five vessels for Total Gabon, has a further four vessels under contract for Shell at its Gamba terminal and manages one vessel for Perenco.
The marine support company praised the performance of its 179 Port‐Gentil‐based staff, 75% of whom are Gabon nationals. Special mention was made of Master Jean‐David Mpaga who has been sailing with the company for over 30 years.
.MacArtney Norge has a long standing relationship with ROV manufacturer SAAB Seaeye - and the two companies have worked together on numerous projects related to the production, maintenance and sale of the versatile Sea Owl 500 observation class ROV system. Now MacArtney and SAAB Seaeye have developed an upgraded XTi version which, while staying within the realm of the original and proven Sea Owl 500 design, features significant upgrades of all system facets.
The Sea Owl
The Sea Owl system was developed by SAAB in the early 90’s and has since proved itself as an extremely reliable and also a very popular ROV among its users. Applications include observation and inspection of subsea installations and light work tasks in challenging environments.
The primary market for the Sea Owl is firmly rooted on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and the XTi has been developed to meet the requirements of operators who perform subsea work on behalf of, for instance, Statoil. Among the new features, the XTi boast a 360 degree control programme (6 DOF), a 3000 metre depth rating and a 400 metre tether length on the top-hat TMS. In addition, the SAAB Seaeye ICON control system enables easy integration of sensors. Finally, tooling package application is made even more flexible and user-friendly.
To realise this exciting system upgrade, MacArtney Norge has worked closely with the MacArtney Group HQ in Denmark - to develop a complete launch and recovery system that meets customer demands for ‘No Manuel Handling’ and HSR requirements.
For more information on MacArtney launch and recovery systems visit www.macartney.com/systems/launch-and-recovery
The entire Sea Owl XTi solution is marketed by MacArtney Norge AS and is now available for delivery. Already, MacArtney is experiencing significant interest among existing as well as new customers.
.Design and analysis of offshore and maritime structures has previously involved the use of several different models where data from one model must be manually transferred to others – a costly and time-consuming process. DNV Software is now releasing Sesam GeniE 6.4, where design engineers can use one single model for design, modification and life extension. This new version increases significantly both efficiency and the quality of the design results, says Ole Jan Nekstad, DNV Software Product Director for Sesam.
One of the key features of the new Sesam GeniE release is the ability to work inside a consistent user interface. A typical example of such is connections between pile and leg as well as the disconnection of beams and plates. The data model may be made by Sesam GeniE only or imported from several systems. This is a major timesaver in for example life extension analysis for customers who use supporting programs.
“This release will enable users to do more, as well as to do it more easily,” says Nekstad. “In addition, they will have better control with higher quality of calculations.”
“Sesam GeniE has seen an exceptional growth in sales across the globe,” says DNV Software Managing Director Are Føllesdal Tjønn. “This enables us to invest even more in development, and we see the results now. Our offshore engineering solution has unique capabilities in an integrated environment for structural modelling, environmental load calculations, structural response analysis and engineering evaluation and redesign,” he says.
Part of the integrated one-model solution allows tension and compression analysis inside Sesam GeniE. This has been requested by customers in order to reduce superfluous investments in separate systems, thereby cutting cost on unnecessary licences and on training.
For customers needing to migrate model data from other systems, the new release features expanded import capabilities where less manual work is needed, another way to cut cost.
Details about Sesam GeniE: www.dnvsoftware.com/sesamgenie
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Bowhead Transport Company, LLC, and Crowley Marine Services, Inc., have announced the formation of a joint venture to provide marine services in Alaska’s Arctic. The new Alaska-based joint venture will operate under the name UIC Bowhead-Crowley, LLC. Bowhead Transport is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC), the Alaska Native Village Corporation of Barrow, Alaska.
Both companies have longstanding histories of providing services in the Arctic with Bowhead Transport Company providing common carriage service for 30 years to the coastal communities of Alaska and Crowley providing marine transportation, energy support and petroleum distribution services for over 60 years throughout the state.
The companies’ complementary business models offer clients a comprehensive package for their marine, logistics and transportation needs. The UIC Bowhead-Crowley joint venture will be mainly focused on the oil and gas industries and supporting their growing needs in the Arctic. Because of the companies’ strong ties to the communities in which they work, they are able to facilitate local hire and provide local expertise.
"This new partnership is really tailored to meet the needs of customers in the oil and gas; mining and minerals; and engineering, procurement and construction management industries,” said Crowley’s Bruce Harland, vice president in Anchorage. “Crowley has provided turnkey marine solutions in the Arctic for many years utilizing the company's diverse capabilities, assets and world-class project management skills. Our solutions team is very much looking forward to working with Bowhead to provide greater value to customers with multifaceted marine and offshore construction-related projects.”
“We look to provide greater efficiency, lower costs, expanded capabilities and higher value to our customers through the joint venture. Both of our companies have a strong commitment to the safety of our employees and those we work with and strive to be good citizens in every community in which we operate,” said Jim Dwight, general manager of Bowhead Transport Company.
.Hertel Offshore have signed a €70 million contract with Hyundai Heavy Industries for the engineering,design and construction (EPC) of the new accommodation for Statoil’s Aasta Hansteen platform. This is another big Norwegian contract for Hertel Offshore and follows on from the award for Statoil’s Valemon Living Quarter (LQ) project in 2011 and the Shell Norge Draugen Additional Living Quarter project in 2012, both currently under construction in the Rotterdam facility. The project is on a lump sum EPC basis and will draw on the in-house capabilities of Hertel Offshore. Work has already started and delivery is scheduled for April 2015. Design will be based on the stringent Norsok standards and Statoil requirements. Several Hertel innovations will be used including prefab cabins to facilitate an efficient construction process.
Peter van Aken, Managing Director said: "We are very proud to work alongside Hyundai Heavy Industries and it is a privilege to build such a state of the art LQ. This project will also further strengthen Hertel’s presence on the Norwegian Continental Shelf."
The Aasta Hansteen Living Quarter will be made of steel and will accommodate 108 persons. The five storey building weighs approx. 2,600 tonnes and will be fully equipped with everything required for offshore operations, such as galley, recreational area, medical room, control room and heli deck.
The Aasta Hansteen gas field is located on Blocks 6706/12, 6707/10, roughly 186 miles (300 kilometers) from land in 4,265 feet (1,300 meters) of water in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. Statoil serves as the operator, holding a 75% interest; OMV holds 15%; and ConocoPhillips holds the remaining 10% interest.
.InterMoor, an Acteon company, has successfully completed a contract with Cross Group, Inc. that included the provision of heave-compensation services for the installation of a Cross 7.0 workover riser package (WRP). An InterMoor compensated anchor-handler subsea installation method (CASIM) unit played a key role in deploying and recovering the WRP.
“The CASIM system enabled us to provide effective heave compensation and to recover the delicate WRP on a vessel without an active heave-compensated crane or stern roller,” said InterMoor vice president of business development David Cobb. “That was the only way to achieve the WRP installation from this vessel. The success of this project underlines the value of the CASIM system as a cost- and time-effective solution, and explains why more and more subsea contractors and operators are choosing it to facilitate the installation of workover packages.”
Each standard CASIM unit has a maximum stroke of 3 meters and can accommodate loads up to 50 tons.
The heave compensation operation was in water depths of about 140 meters and used Cal Dive’s Uncle John DP saturation diving vessel to install the 29-ton WRP. The project took place at East Cameron well 378#3, offshore Louisiana, USA. The Cross Group is conducting a plugging and abandonment (P&A) program in the field for EPL Oil & Gas, Inc.
This project demonstrates how InterMoor can provide cost-effective solutions for the installation of subsea workover equipment using vessels of opportunity. Operators trust InterMoor to be part of their P&A campaigns and to help them meet BOEMRE NTL No. 2010-G05 requirements for timely decommissioning of idle infrastructure on active leases.
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Units will be built in Brazil, with 60% local content
On 04/18 Petrobras signed contracts for 23 support vessels, as part of the 3rd Fleet Renewal Plan for Offshore Support Vessels.
The units, type PSV 4500 and OSRV 750, fulfill 60% local content requirements and will be built in Brazil. Prices presented were competitive, given expected metrics and budgets.
This was the 4th Round of the Fleet Renewal Plan. In July this year, Petrobras will go to the market for another 24 offshore support vessels (5th Round), thus fulfilling the 2014 contracting target of 146 vessels to be built in Brazil, as planned in the 3rd Renewal Plan Fleet for Offshore Support Vessels.
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Fugro GeoServices is pleased to announce several recent promotions within the company, including two key management appointments: Mr. Ted Hampton, president, and Mr. Adam Jackson, senior vice president.
Mr. Hampton is a licensed geologist and former vice president of the company. He replaces longtime leader Mr. Tom Hamilton, who will retire this spring after nearly 30 years of service with Fugro. Together, Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Hampton led the formation of Fugro GeoServices in 1999 to provide oil and gas clients in the Gulf of Mexico with high quality marine geophysical surveys. Under their leadership, the company has developed from a conventional survey company for the Gulf of Mexico to a high-tech survey organization with expanded reach into South America and Alaska markets.
Mr. Jackson also enjoys a long tenure with Fugro, having worked in field and management positions in the United States and abroad. For the past decade, he has served as business development manager for Fugro GeoServices, helping to win new projects and manage their successful completion. As senior vice president, Mr. Jackson will work closely with Mr. Hampton to support the company’s goals while having direct oversight of marketing and project management functions. Mr. Jackson works from the company’s Houston, Texas, office, which allows close contact with the company’s oil and gas clients.
In addition to the senior management appointments, the Lafayette office announces the following promotions:
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