As the North Sea continues to attract record investment, the scale of opportunity for the supply chain is growing, says the EIC. The growth is characterised by four key areas of activity: small or marginal developments, led by a growing number of independents…
Shale gas, and now tight oil has seen an unprecedented increase in energy supply in North America. It has entirely changed the energy landscape, resulting in a dramatic fall of the gas price and reversing long-term decline in US oil supplies…
Dwarfed by the majors and super majors, the impact of the small independent oil company on global exploration and production activity is often overlooked. But, these companies are driving increased production in mature provinces such as the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS)…
The foundations of the global energy system are shifting and the lives of energy policy makers are not getting any easier. If they didn’t have enough to worry about with securing affordable, sustainable supplies of energy to meet national needs…
I am very excited about the future of the oil & gas industry in the North Sea and internationally. The theme of this year’s SPE Offshore Europe conference is The next 50 years – but 50 years ago no-one could have predicted the way the UK oil & gas industry would develop or how we operate now…
Centrica Energy has paid tribute to the life of one of its pioneering exploration engineers who first discovered gas in Morecambe Bay Retired Chief Petrophysicist John Bains has died following a distinguished career which saw him discover one of the UK’s largest gas fields…
OMV is to invest in an offshore exploration block west of Madagascar. OMV will acquire a 40% stake in the Grand Prix block from Niko Resources (Niko). OMV will farm-in to the area for the planned drilling of an exploration well. OMV will…
Petroceltic International has launched drilling campaigns offshore Romania and in Kurdistan. The Romanian campaign, in the Black Sea, started with the spudding of the Cobalcescu South exploration well using the GSP Prometeu jack-up drill rig…
Viper Subsea will unveil its latest innovation on its stand (6A20) at SPE Offshore Europe 2013. The V-LIFE provides a solution to one of subsea engineering’s most common problems – the degradation of insulation resistance in subsea cables and umbilicals…
Colloquy: Editor’s Column This adage was adapted from the first two lines of Aphorismi, written by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates about 400 BCE. They translate: “life is short, arts (crafts, techniques) long,” which can be taken…
Recent Gulf of Mexico well control incidents have US regulators calling for better safety in shallow water. By Audrey Leon Representatives from the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), US Bureau of Lands and Minerals Management…
In Keathley Canyon, Gulf of Mexico, a 3D seismic data set was sharply focused using transmitted energies to update velocities using long and full azimuth streamer data. Authors S. Mothi, K. Schwarz, and H. Zhu of CGG share how it was done…
New vessels, acquisitions, and expertise are driving Dutch growth. Elaine Maslin reports. The Dutch offshore sector is leveraging its engineering and seafaring traditions to grow its presence in the global oil and gas industry. The…
There are many methods used to protect offshore pipelines: sand, grout or cement bags, burying, concrete or cathode coating, and trenching, to name a few. Most methods address ancillary issues like separation, support, erosion, expansion of infrastructure…
The Danish offshore is a mature oil and gas province with 40 years of production, but the Danish Energy Agency’s latest annual report,* says that the country is expected to remain a net exporter of oil through 2020, while gas production is…