The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is naming Shell as being ultimately responsible for the grounding of the Kulluk ice-class mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) in 2012 offshore Alaska, due to the company’s inadequate assessment of the risk for the towing…
Producing oil and natural gas safely and responsibly in the Arctic will strengthen America’s economy and national security, API said in comments to proposed regulations for operations offshore Alaska. Image from CGG…
Viking Life-Saving Equipment is taking PPE to the limit. Meg Chesshyre explains. Viking’s polar liferaft is ready for use—even at -58°F. Photos from Viking Life-Saving Equipment Arctic…
Transocean’s Polar Pioneer has recently become the center of attention in Seattle. On 12 May 2015 a request was made by the Port of Seattle commissioners which asked Shell to postpone the rig’s move to the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5 while permitting issues are worked out…
Shell’s Executive Vice President, Arctic, Ann Pickard discussed the supermajor’s investment and current challenges facing its Arctic exploration program at this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston on 5 May 2015. In the summer of 2015…
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) granted conditional approval of Shell’s multi-year exploration plan for the Chukchi Sea today (11 May). The approval comes after what the agency described as a “comprehensive review.” Last month…
Shell released this video outlining its safety efforts for Arctic exploration. The company received conditional approval for its exploration plan in the Chukchi Sea on 11 May 2015. Shell is planning to spend US$1 billion to explore the Arctic…
At this week’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, DNV GL revealed a study that analyzes current regulatory regimes, outlining possible future developments and DNV GL’s recommendations to reduce the risk of major accidents. Safety model…
Preventing corrosion is necessary to avoiding production failures. Leokadia Rucinski and Genesis’ Binder Singh provide details. Fig. 1: A collage of somewhat unusual corrosion phenomena, many of…
Statoil’s CEO Eldar Sætre made the case for simplicity, industrialization, and standardization as a way for the industry to get through the current downturn at IHS CERAWeek in Houston Tuesday afternoon. Sætre opened with a joke about the downturn saying…
Norway-based North Atlantic Drilling (NADL) and Russia's Rosneft recently agreed to extend the termination date of the 2014 framework agreement until May 31, 2017. The agreement states that either party can end the agreement, including any offshore drilling contracts…
In April, Gazprom reached a milestone for its Prirazlomnoye oil field as the Kirill Lavrov tanker delivered a new batch of ARCO Arctic oil to Europe during its sixth shipment. More than 2.9 MMbbl of oil has been extracted from the Prirazlomnoye oil field since production began…
The US Department of the Interior (DOI) is reviewing Shell's Arctic drilling plans, according to a recent Reuters report. On 31 March, DOI issued a record of decision affirming Shell’s Arctic leases from the Chukchi Sea OCS oil and gas lease sale 193 from 2008…
Northern Offshore is delaying the delivery of two of its high specification jackups due to the downturn of the drilling market. The West Navigator. From NADL. Northern was able to…
Statoil started the first stage of the Polarled installation project with the Solitaire pipelaying vessel connecting the pipeline in the Norwegian Sea to Nyhamma. Solitaire. From Allseas. The…