Technology is a key enabler for Shell, Matthias Bichsel, director of the supermajor’s Projects & Technology business, told a two-day briefing at the Rijswijk technology centre in The Hague this spring. Meg Chesshyre joined the tour of the company’s iScope…
The energy industry skill shortage has renewed long-running debates in Australia over immigration and at times pitted the population centers in the east against the resource-rich but sparsely populated west. The topic was on the minds of many…
One portion of the Golden Triangle – the Gulf of Mexico – has slipped a notch in its dominance of the global deepwater play while activities in the other two corners – West Africa and Brazil – amped up. In addition, a new region has joined the report this year…
Two platform supply vessels under construction at Louisiana's Harvey Gulf International Marine will use LNG as a propulsion fuel, a first for the US. Russell McCulley hears from Harvey Gulf and others about the move to LNG fuel in the offshore oil & gas market…
Shell's 100% owned and operated Prelude FLNG project offshore Western Australia, long in the works and given a final investment decision in May, will include what the company boasts is the largest floating offshore facility. Russell McCulley…
Earlier this year the refrain was ‘$5 natural gas forever', based on the US Energy Information Administration's (EIA) annual outlook, which argued that natural gas prices will remain below $5 per million btu until 2022. The underlying rationale was growth in the ‘vast' US shale gas resource base…
With floating LNG facilities now widely acknowledged to be a key enabler for exploiting stranded gas reserves, Trelleborg Marine Systems' Simon Wilson offers some insights into the new design methodologies needed for integrated berthing and…
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…
For Fluor, America is only one land of opportunity. Recent contract wins for work offshore Australia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East have buoyed Fluor's backlog. Jennifer Pallanich talks to Fluor executives about recent contract wins and Fluor's offshore strategy…
With FEED almost complete and a final investment decision approaching, operator Inpex is moving ahead with the Ichthys LNG project, on --track to be the first field development in the Browse Basin off Western Australia. Russell McCulley talks to the operator about the Ichthys journey thus far…
Subsea welding goes deeperA decade of research at the UK's Cranfield University has confirmed that subsea welding can be successfully conducted at depths of up to 940m, more than 600m deeper than previous records and far deeper than the 180m depth limit for divers…
Finland's Wärtsilä and Norway's Aker Solutions are combining their respective fields of expertise to develop the ultimate environmentally friendly offshore wind farm installation vessel concept, designed for operating in IMO emission control areas…
March's Japanese earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear contamination at the Fukushima power plant spawned a disaster that will be hard to remedy or forget. As usual the events have had a number of dimensions, mostly unfortunate for that country no matter how developed and prosperous it has been…
While the Pluto and Browse LNG projects have dominated recent headlines, operator Woodside has also been busy expanding its North West Shelf infrastructure. Russell McCulley speaks to the company's North West Shelf executive vice president Kevin…
With several major LNG projects under way locally and rising demand in neighboring Asian countries, Western Australia's premier Colin Barnett is presiding over a pivotal moment in the state's history. He talks to Russell McCulley about the LNG…