The mix of orders for all categories of drillings rigs continues, with Asia Pacific and Middle East shipyards and their overseas affiliates indicating a marked drift away from jackups and towards ever larger semisubmersibles and ultra-deepwater drillships…
TORXS saves a well Baker Hughes has introduced an expandable liner hanger system that the company says is the only system of its type that is installed and released prior to a cement job, eliminating the risk of running tools becoming fixed in place during cementing…
Class society Lloyd's Register is working with leading owners and operators from the oil & gas sector to improve current methods of monitoring the performance of blowout preventers. Two risk management specialists within the Lloyd's Register Group…
Despite a brief interruption post-Macondo, the rig newbuilding boom that started in 2005 is gathering momentum. Jennifer Pallanich talks to IHS about the latest trends in the drilling contractor market.One of the trends that Tom Kellock, Houston's head of consulting for IHS Petrodata…
The focus on safety within the offshore oil & gas industry has never been clearer. Two of Rowan's safety specialists took time to discuss with Jennifer Pallanich the company's work on the safety case for the Rowan Mississippi while the jackup was in the Sabine Pass…
Dozens of obsolete offshore platforms have been successfully converted to artificial reefs under the US ‘rigs-to-reefs’ program. But an independent Houston operator is pushing for rule changes that, its CEO says, would preserve far more delicate ecosystems…
Ever-alert to the need to hone its competitive edge, the drilling technologies business unit of Aker Solutions is looking to take its service offering to an unrivalled level of sophistication with the new drawworks extended test facility in Erkelenz…
Having established itself as the largest independent provider of onshore drilling services in Russia, Eurasia Drilling Company is now looking to have a bigger say in the developing CIS offshore market. David Morgan reports.Eurasia Drilling Company's…
Heavy demand--Schilling Robotics confirmed during OTC that EMAS has ordered eight of its Heavy-Duty ROVs while another offshore contractor, Global Industries, is purchasing one of the company's new Ultra-Heavy- Duty systems. EMAS plans to install the work-class HD ROVs…
Orders for newbuild floaters and jackups have surged to the highest level in years. But will tight shipyard capacity squeeze some drillers out of the market? Russell McCulley rounds up some opinions on the drilling business circa 2011, including a forecast of greater industry consolidation…
The AP Moller-Maersk Group's Maersk Drilling has signed a contract with the Keppel Fels yard in Singapore for the construction of two ultra-harsh environment, high-capacity jackup drilling rigs. The new rigs are targeting operations in water…
Offshore disposal of untreated oil base mud (OBM) cuttings is not permitted anywhere in the world, and in several geographical areas the discharge limit is generally 1% oil on cuttings or less.--Norwegian firm Thermtech claims its TCC technology…
DNV expects shortly to issue the first ISDS (Integrated Software Dependent Systems) class certificate to Dolphin Drilling. This new state-of-the art class notation has been under development since 2008 and the class society says it is already in demand…
Worldwide, the mobile offshore drilling fleet has kept between 500 to 550 rigs under contract over the past two years. Recent overall utilization remains at a two-year low of 68% or 507 rigs working. However, tendering activity has been on the…
Norwegian-based Brude Safety has expanded its gangway portfolio to cover a range from 2-14m. The two latest developments, the 11m and the 14m gangways, are knuckled versions, giving the shipowner the opportunity to use it for crew-change as well as for standard deck-quay solutions…