Exploration

CGGVeritas makes Wavefield offer

CGGVeritas has said it will make a voluntary exchange tender offer for 100% of the shares of Wavefield Inseis ASA. Wavefield is a Norwegian pure-play seismic company that operates a fleet of eight vessels and develops geophysical equipment based on fiber-optic technology.
In 3Q 2008, Wavefield revenue was US $110 million, and operating income was $37 million.

GeoStreamer gets first commercial survey
Petroleum Geo-Services announced it will acquire a new multiclient 3-D seismic survey in the area of DeSoto Canyon offshore Alabama and Florida in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM).

Covering approximately 250 deepwater OCS blocks, the new program, named Discovery, focuses on a relatively underexplored area recently opened for leasing in the Central and Eastern GoM planning areas.

SMT signs Talisman
Talisman Energy Inc. of Calgary, Alberta, has chosen SMT KINGDOM software for exploration of new fields within its Global New Ventures team.

Wavefield Inseis wins major survey
The national oil company of Turkey, TPAO, has awarded Wavefield Inseis a major 3-D project in the Turkish sector of the Black Sea.
The 1,158-sq-mile (3,000-sq-km) survey is the third project that Wavefield will undertake for TPAO. The new project adds significantly to Wavefield’s already record-high backlog.

North Sea studies available

Ikon Science/GeoPressure Technology have completed the Viking Graben Pressure Study and the “Roknowledge” Rock Physics Studies, designed to enhance exploration success and reduce drilling risks for North Sea operators and acreage holders.

Drilling


Scheduling application selected

Repsol YPF subsidiary YPF S.A. has selected Actenum Corp.’s rig activity scheduler (RAS) software for operational scheduling of the company’s rig fleet. According to Actenum, YPF will use its RAS application to optimize rig use by automating the generation of rig/well assignments for any given period. The interface will assist YPF in determining impacts of rig deployment decisions (production output and rig costs) in real time. Deployment is expected to be completed in early 2009.

New record for deepwater drilling

In early December, Shell Oil Co. announced that its Perdido Develop-ment has set a new world water depth record drilling and completing a subsea well in 9,356 ft (2,854 m) of water. The well lies in the Silvertip field approximately 200 miles (322 km) from Houston in the GoM. The record oil well exceeds the previous record of 6,950 ft (2,120 m), also set by Shell at Fourier field.

The operator plans to drill an even deeper well (9,627 ft or 2,936 m) on the Tobago field. Shell operates the Perdido Development on behalf of partners Chevron and BP.

Production

Production begins on Blind Faith

Chevron Corp. began oil production from its Blind Faith field in the deepwater GoM in early November via a deep-draft semisubmersible. The field lies about 160 miles (250 km) southeast of New Orleans, La., in Mississippi Canyon block 650. Chevron’s deepest offshore production facility, Blind Faith lies in 6,500 ft (1,981 m) water depth and is producing via subsea systems in 7,000 ft (2,134 m) of water in Mississippi Canyon blocks 695 and 696.

Production is expected to ramp up to approximately 65,000 b/d of oil and 55 MMcf/d of natural gas by February 2009.

Expro assists FMC in Norway

In early December, FMC Technologies Inc. awarded Expro Group a five-year subsea landing string service contract to support FMC’s subsea work for StatoilHydro, with options for assignment to other clients in FMC’s portfolio.

The scope of work covers the entire Norwegian Continental Shelf and secures Expro’s Bergen base for the foreseeable future.
The initial contract is expected to be completed in March 2013. If options are secured, the contract will run until the end of March 2015.

GE completes two compression stations

GE Oil & Gas recently completed work ahead of schedule for two of the final four compression stations being built for an expansion of China’s West-to-East Gas Pipeline.
The new Yanchuan and Dingyuan compressor stations are part of a 12-station pipeline expansion project to boost the capacity of the West-to-East Gas Pipeline from 12 bcm/yr to 17 bcm/yr.

In addition to providing equipment, GE is responsible for installation, startup, and training services and will supply spare parts and personnel for scheduled maintenance for 12 years.

When the expansion project is completed next year, the entire West-to-East Gas Pipeline will have 23 compressor stations.

The pipeline runs for nearly 2,485 miles (4,000 km), transporting natural gas from the remote Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in western China to the economic hub of Shanghai and other eastern provinces along the pipeline’s route.

Oilfield technology center opens in Calgary

In early December, Schlumberger inaugurated a new oilfield technology center in Calgary, Alberta. The center will work with oilfield technical teams and regional research facilities to help customers increase heavy oil production, reduce technical risk, and minimize environmental footprint.

The company said the Heavy Oil Regional Technology Center (RTC) will provide a working environment where clients can work with Schlumberger geoscientists and petroleum engineers to solve key technical challenges associated with heavy oil recovery. These research projects include, but are not limited to, innovative geological and geophysical services, advanced well placement strategies, new formation evaluation and characterization techniques, and novel integrated completions and monitoring programs.

The RTC features a 3-D visualization center, a high-performance computing cluster, a multi-use conference center, and interactive collaboration space designed to accommodate locally based scientists and engineers as well as short- and long-term visiting experts and clients.

Offshore

Total acquires interests in Nigerian blocks

In early November, Total signed an agreement with OMEL Energy Nigeria Ltd. (OENL) and OMEL Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd. (OEPNL) to acquire 25.67% interest in deepwater license OPL 285 and 14.5% interest in deepwater license OPL 279.

OENL will continue to operate block OPL 285, and OEPNL will operate block OPL 279.

OPL 285, which lies near the Bonga field in water depths ranging from 1,312 to 2,953 ft (400 to 900 m), covers 452 sq miles (1,170 sq km).

OPL 279 lies 62 miles (100 km) offshore near the Ehra and Bosi fields, in water depths ranging from 2625 to 5,906 ft (800 to 1,800 m). The license covers (1,125 sq km).

Mustang, JP Kenny win Ekofisk FEED

In early November, Mustang Engineering and JP Kenny, both part of John Wood Group plc, were awarded the front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract for ConocoPhillips’ Greater Ekofisk Area Development 2/4 Z, a 40-slot wellhead platform in 230 to 246 ft (70 to 75 m) of water in the Norwegian North Sea.

Mustang will design the jacket and topsides, and JP Kenny will provide design services for the subsea flowlines and pipelines across the Greater Ekofisk area, building on an earlier contract to provide services associated with the subsea water injection. The FEED is expected to be complete by year-end 2009.

Bourbon inaugurates training center, AHTS simulator

Bourbon Offshore Asia has inaugurated a training center and an anchor-handling tug and supply vessel (AHTS) simulator in Singapore.

The training center, which aims to train all Bourbon AHTS crew members based in Asia, includes a fully equipped bridge, the deck portion of the vessel, and classrooms where theoretical courses and debriefings are held.

This AHTS simulator is the second for the company. The first was opened in Marseilles, France, in November 2007. Both simulators were developed by the Offshore Simulator Center in Norway and are an integral component of Bourbon’s internal training program.

BJ Services wins North Sea award

Petrofac Energy Development Ltd. has awarded BJ Services Co. a contract to provide casing and tubing running services on the Don Southwest and West Don fields in the northern North Sea.

Work on the seven-well drilling program, scheduled for completion at the end of 2009, will be carried out from the John Shaw semisubmersible.

The Don development lies 93 miles (150 km) northeast of the Shetland Islands and 7.5 miles (12 km) north of the Thistle field in 500 ft (152 m) water depth.

Aker Solutions lands Murphy contract

Aker Solutions has signed contracts with Murphy Exploration & Production Co. to provide subsea trees, control systems, and steel tube umbilicals to the company’s GoM program.

The initial orders — which will launch Murphy’s inventory stocking program for its upcoming eastern GoM development schedule — includes two wellsets and an umbilical.
Engineering design and project management will be provided from the Aker Solutions office in Houston, with most of the component manufacturing taking place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Umbilicals will be manufactured in Mobile, Ala. The Houston office also will provide offshore installation. Delivery is scheduled for Q2 2009.

— Rebecca Torrellas, Managing Editor