New and expanding regulations governing the growing number of ageing offshore oilfields are pushing the industry to develop safe, innovative and fit-for-purpose technologies for well plug and abandonment (P&A) operations and late-stage interventions…
The traditionally risk-averse offshore oil & gas industry has long relied on not just following regulations set out by governments but also requirements outlined by classification societies to ensure their operations are safe. As water depths…
Mexico's latest licensing round only the second in state oil company Pemex's long history, made possible by recent exploration & production contract reforms failed to draw a successful bid for the offshore blocks on offer. Russell McCulley talks to Juan Carlos Zepeda Molina…
Regulatory enhancements prompted by the macondo disaster now require operators to submit a worst-case discharge (WCd) scenario report prior to obtaining a drilling permit in US offshore fields. How to model WCd for offshore wells in compliance…
OE's latest review of deepwater subsea tieback projects ongoing in the Gulf of Mexico shows the region is still suffering from the after-effects of the drilling moratorium that followed in the April 2010 Macondo disaster's wake. Jennifer Pallanich…
Mexicans go to the polls 1 July to elect a new president and congress. Polls suggest big gains for the institutional Revolutionary Party which dominated post-revolutionary Mexican politics for seven decades. Will a new administration have the…
Two years after Macondo, BP launched an all-out effort at OTC 2012 to demonstrate its commitment to safety and to its future in the Gulf of Mexico. Russell McCulley reports.Among the many legacies of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout is what's…
A fit-for-purpose capping stack designed to cope with Alaska’s environmental extremes will play a key role in the US Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)-compliant containment system Shell Exploration & Production has put together…
In a perceptive and timely contribution to the ongoing Macondo debate, US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement director James Watson spelled out the key lessons learned from the disaster in a Houston Chronicle opinion piece last month…
Iran is a problem that can be resolved as Alexander the Great solved the Gordian knot – whatever cannot be untied can be cut. Although a sudden and catastrophic event, buoyed by headlines, may push the price of oil to over $150, measures already taken will settle the situation relatively quickly…
BOEMRE director Michael Bromwich vows that deepwater drilling will return to the US Gulf of Mexico in the coming months, marking a return of exploration all but shut down after the Deepwater Horizon disaster. But the oil & gas industry remains skeptical…
In a world where two things are certain – death and taxes – Arctic exploration does offer a certain amount of certainty: just a little bit of information can completely alter the way the industry views a specific Arctic area. Industry leaders…
Now in its 43rd year, the Offshore Technology Conference returns to Houston’s Reliant Park 30 April-3 May. Almost as old as the offshore industry itself, the annual gathering has thrived throughout an E&P era marked by peaks, valleys, tremendous…
In his opinion piece in last month's edition of Offshore Engineer, consultant Ian Fitzsimmons questioned whether the UK Health & Safety Executive's Offshore Division was fit for purpose in a post-Macondo world. Here, Steve Walker, head of the HSE's Offshore Division…
Mexico’s state oil company plans to ramp up domestic production of crude oil to 2.7 million b/d next year and to 3 million b/d by 2017, buoyed by new shallow-water discoveries and enhanced recovery techniques in mature fields, a key member of…