Operators will focus on proven areas as the deepwater push continues. Consultants at Wood Mackenzie and Robertson are due to produce a new report in April 2004 entitled "The Future of... more

When tricone bits are balanced - both in force and in volume - stresses are reduced, leading to longer wear and increased performance. Unlike polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits, roller cone... more

BG Group's Mediterranean Scarab Saffron project was a class example of deepwater completions at the limit. An estimated savings of US $20 million were made by optimizing working practices during... more

Temperature anomaly mapping provides a rapid and inexpensive method of finding and evaluating hydrocarbon deposits. Each of the past 25 years has added knowledge, strength and value to the concept of... more

Basin data holds the key to developing new value in geological provinces by challenging or supporting assumptions, qualifying potential, and reducing risk. There are more than 1,500 sedimentary basins of various... more

Scatter seismology presents itself as the next logical domain because it extends to integrate all scatters as part of the seismic image. It costs less and yields more, but most... more

Supersonic gas separation technology, which was first used offshore Malaysia, is being developed for a subsea field application. Petronas and Shell began operation of the patented Twister supersonic separation technology on... more

While researching and developing technology for deepwater, one offshore contractor has been narrowing in on subsea technology. Within a broad research and development effort ABB, now in the process of a... more

For stranded natural gas, CNG may offer an alternative to LNG's high front-end costs. Marine transport of compressed natural gas (CNG) is an emerging industry that is critical to the monetization... more

A few years ago history was made at the Troll C field offshore Norway when the world's first subsea water injection pump was installed. A lot of water has gone... more

Lean Management: What can the automotive industry teach the oil and gas producers who fuel it? The concept of lean manufacturing, which traces its origins to the Toyota Production System developed... more

As facilities and structures mature, engineers are looking for ways to safely sustain the assets' lives and usefulness as cost-effectively as possible. Composites may be the answer. Recent work undertaken... more

Dozens of companies working in the UK subsea industry have banded together to form a better representative organization. Together they put their wares on display in Aberdeen to prove subsea... more

Austria's OMV is about to embark on a 2004 deepwater exploration campaign in a bid to boost its production base. Out in the Atlantic Ocean west of the Shetlands Islands, OMV... more

NORTH AMERICA Unocal Corporation announced that Timothy H. Ling, president and chief operating officer, died suddenly on Jan. 28 in El Segundo. Charles R. Williamson will assume responsibilities on an... more

Hydrocarbon-rich Kazakhstan, which is emerging as the winner of the Caspian region, could soon find itself as one of the top five oil-producing countries in the world. Existing and new investment... more

1. Prime Natural Resources Inc., Houston, Texas, plans a wildcat to look for oil and gas in Kern County, Calif. The company's 1-8 Coldwater Farms, in Section 8-27s-20e, is roughly... more

1. The Woodside Energy (USA) Inc. subsidiary of Australia's Woodside Energy found 30 ft (9 m) of net gas pay and an additional 60 ft (18 m) of gas sands... more

1. Production resumed from Shell's northern North Sea Brent Charlie platform on UK Block 211 on Feb. 19 from the Penguins fields. The shutdown came after a gas release on... more

1. Vanco Energy plans its first deepwater well off Morocco. The well, the US independent's first ever as operator in the deep water, will be spudded on the Ras Tafelney... more

1. Eight oil and gas companies submitted 18 bids for the 10 offshore oil and gas blocks put up for auction by Trinidad and Tobago. The country's energy ministry planned... more

1. Middle East Petroleum of Azerbaijan has purchased a 30% interest in Pirsagat field in Azerbaijan. China's Sheng Li subsidiary of Sinopec is the operator of the field, which has... more

1. Seismic specialist Veritas DGC is to carry out offshore surveys for the state-owned Syrian Oil Company (SOC). President Bashar Assad approved a US $4 million contract between SOC and... more

1. The Pertamina-Costa International joint venture signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for additional gas sales from its fields in the Gebang Joint Operating Area (JOA) offshore northern Sumatra. The... more

As wrong decisions become more and more costly, software providers are developing tools to make the right decisions easier to come by. If you're drilling a shallow well in the Illinois... more

Prevalent worldwide, massive salt sections add to well construction challenges. In our industry, good ideas come up like grass. But it takes determination, drive, and a significant investment to take... more

Elegant and sleek, Kerr-McGee's newest spar design has chalked up several "firsts" and promises to be a highly-efficient, economical deepwater production solution. Sometime this summer, Kerr-McGee and Devon will launch... more

This just in by way of Executive Editor Don Lyle. Dateline February 12, 2004, the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Anthropologist Virginia Abernathy, professor... more

The right people, doing the right jobs the right way breeds success. Seventy percent of Fortune 1000 companies reported that the lack of trained personnel is their largest barrier to sustained... more

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (KMP) has created an impressive downstream business in an unusual area for a pipeline company. In fact, KMP started 2004 as the fourth-largest producer of... more

Operators have found deepwater hydrocarbons. Now they have to get them to market. Far to the south on the Mexican border with the United States, the Discoverer Deep Seas drillship spudded... more

Third-generation rotary steerable drilling system and real-time downhole data monitoring improve efficiency. The application of advanced drilling technology - new-generation rotary steerable drilling system and real-time downhole data monitoring capability -... more

Tackling issues such as decommissioning, overcoming the inappropriate tax regime and funding exploration will force everyone to work harder at making the UK North Sea a sustainable environment in the... more