Under a memorandum of understanding with Petrobras, Cameron plans to invest $30 million in R&D facilities at two Brazilian locations. The company's Jacarei plant will add testing capabilities, including a hyperbaric chamber, along with a highpressure…
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…
Technology and concerns about staffing took center stage at last month's SPE/IADC Drilling exhibition & conference in Amsterdam. Jennifer Pallanich listened in as companies discussed how to remain competitive. Hint: it's mostly the people.One…
Differing perspectives on the African exploration & production scene were offered during IP Week in London last month, with Tullow Oil and Afren describing their respective approaches to the continent and Equatorial Guinea's energy ministry updating the republic's offshore developments to date…
As chief technology officer for Shell, Gerald Schotman oversees a research and development program with a budget that exceeds $1 billion. During a recent Houston visit, Schotman sat down with Russell McCulley to discuss how the company decides how to direct its R&D efforts…
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…
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…
The world's largest cargo barge – Heerema's H-851 – announced its arrival on the offshore scene in 1988 when installing the 44,785t jacket for Shell's Bullwinkle platform in a then daunting 412m of water in the Gulf of Mexico. Now, following…
The Macondo well disaster and its ramifications were never far from the surface during the recent GE Oil & Gas annual meeting in Florence, where business leaders gathered in large numbers to discuss the technological and regulatory challenges…
Drilling system vibration was recognized as a potential cause of elevated drilling costs half a century ago. It has been thoroughly studied in the years since, and sound mitigation practices have been published. Shell's Mark Dykstra discusses the state of the art…
Never one to pull his punches, consultant Ian Fitzsimmons applauds the openness of January's National Commission report to President Obama on the Macondo well disaster, but reprimands the UK Health & Safety Executive over its handling of the…
Utilization trends for the worldwide mobile offshore drilling fleet are slightly depressed of late. Overall utilization dipped to an average of 69% last month. Global utilization rates for semis are 78%, below the average for the prior six month period of 82%…
Coring practices and equipment used in the Gulf of Mexico's Lower Tertiary needed to adapt to formation conditions to improve on past recovery success. Petrobras' James Meyer opens OE's drilling & completion technology two-parter with a review…
Ahead of the September launch of its second offshore licensing round, Uruguayan national oil company Ancap opened up a Houston data room in February in hopes of whetting IOC appetites. Jennifer Pallanich paid it an early visit.Uruguay Round II has fair bidding terms according to Santiago Ferro…
Ever seen the effect on the seabed of a 300t BOP dropped from a rig? Marin's George Stroud, aka Boris or the 'Deepwater Red Adair', has and he likens it to a carpet tack being driven into the floor with the force of an impact hammer. The subsea…
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