Bangladesh fight to establish its claim to 400 nautical miles of territorial waters

Bangladesh will fight to establish its claim to 400 nautical miles of territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal disputed by neighbouring India and Myanmar, officials said Sunday.
‘We will submit our claim to the UN over our maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal sometime next month,’ Foreign Minister Dipu Moni told reporters after finalising Bangladesh’s document for its claim over the disputed waters.
[Read More]
Source: SHIPTALK

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Norway to Fight Pirates

Norwegian shipowners don’t think their government is doing nearly enough to fend off piracy attacks at sea. The wave of modern-day piracy in the Indian Ocean, for example, is costing millions and putting crews in constant danger.
[Read More]
Source: SHIPTALK

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1 dead, 1 missing after tanker sinks off Niigata

A tanker carrying a flammable chemical sank off Niigata Prefecture in the Sea of Japan on Sunday morning, leaving one crew member dead and the ship’s captain missing, Japan Coast Guard officials said.
The 499-ton tanker went under about an hour and a half after notifying the No. 9 Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Niigata city that the vessel was listing and partially submerged, the officials said.
[Read More]
Source: JAPAN TODAY

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Hanjin Heavy in bond issue

Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction plans to raise Won 250bn ($223m) from a bond issues. The South Korean shipbuilder is planning a three-year notes issue, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed officials. The funds raised will reportedly be used to repay maturing debt.
Source: Seatrade Aisa

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China 2010 iron ore imports drop for first time this century

China's 2010 iron ore imports dropped 1.4% year on year. The December import volume was 58.08m tons, down 6.6% year on year but sequentially increased 1.2% to a nine-month high, according to the data from the General Administration of Customs. It is the first time China iron ore imports declined for 12 years.
[Read More]
Source: Seatrade Aisa

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Cleantec redelivered from Fayard

Fayard A/S has redelivered the Chinese owned bulk carrier Cleantec after repairing the damage caused by the collision with the container carrier Frisia Rotterdam. The repair work was finished several days before schedule.
[Read More]
Source: shipgaz

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Drunken Dutch captain on Dutch vessel

The captain of the Dutch cargo vessel Dongeborg was intoxicated when the vessel ran aground on the southern coast of Læsø on January 3. The Danish Naval Command got suspicious while talking to the captain on the radio, however it was not possible to get the captain ashore to get a blood sample.
[Read More]
Source: shipgaz

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Yacht builders eye Navsea FMS patrol craft solicitation

The Naval Sea Systems Command is conducting market research to determine the availability of new construction of thirty Fast Patrol Vessels. They would be procured under a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case for operation in the harbors and coastal waters of Saudi Arabia. Existing vessels or conversion vessels will not be considered.
[Read More]
Source: MARINE LOG

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Sweden orders new nuclear cargo vessel

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) has signed a contract with Damen Shipyards Group of The Netherlands to replace the SKB nuclear cargo vessel ‘Sigyn’, which has served the Swedish nuclear waste programme since the beginning of the 1980s.
[Read More]
Source: Baird Maritime

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China Navigation orders eight multipurpose vessels

The deepsea shipping arm of the Swire Group, China Navigation Company (CNC), has announced that it has placed an order for eight multipurpose vessels of 31,000DWT each, valued at a total of US$300 million, at Zhejiang Ouhua Shipbuilding, on Zhoushan Island, China.
[Read More]
Source: Baird Maritime

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China Capesize Bookings Fell 31% Last Month

Bookings for capesize vessels to deliver cargoes to China fell 31 percent last month, according to figures from a unit of the world’s biggest shipbroker. Raw-materials producers and traders hired 53 such vessels to make shipments to China, compared with 77 in November,
[Read More]
Source: Bloomberg

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Korea's shipbuilding industry takes on new challenges

After suffering briefly from the worldwide recession, experts have expressed optimism that the Korean shipbuilding industry will rise again in the New Year. According to forecasts, local shipbuilders will have a better year this year than last and secure an advantageous position in the international shipbuilding market.
Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (DSME) announced on January 4 that a total of nine ships from Daewoo were selected as the best ships of 2010 by overseas magazines.
[Read More]
Source: Korea Net

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Freight Rates Tumbling as 35 Miles of Ships Passes Ore Demand

At a time when analysts anticipate record profits for the biggest mining companies and a third year of gains in commodity prices, shipping lines carrying raw materials are set for the lowest freight rates since 2002.
Leasing costs for capesizes, 1,000-foot-long ships hauling iron ore and coal, will drop 34 percent to average $22,000 a day this year, according to the median in a Bloomberg survey of eight fund managers and analysts. The last time that happened, China’s economy, the biggest consumer of the minerals used in steel and power, was 75 percent smaller and the benchmark Standard & Poor’s GSCI commodity index 67 percent lower.
[Read More]
Source: Bloomberg

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Why AIS is important

The Automatic Identification System (AIS) was originally conceived as a means of inter-ship identification, so that one vessel, perhaps on a collision course with another could ascertain its identity and communicate positively, as it provided its name, course and speed. But it quickly was seen as a far more versatile tool, which would be enormously useful to Vessel Traffic Services, in port approaches or narrow channels, with an operator being able to positively identify an echo on his screen.
[Read More]
Source: Sea News Turkey

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Excel Maritime Announces Delivery and Long-Term Time Charter of Newbuild Capesize M/V "Mairaki"

Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd (NYSE: EXM), an owner and operator of dry bulk carriers and a leading international provider of worldwide seaborne transportation services for dry bulk cargoes, today announced that it has taken delivery of the Newbuild Capesize, M/V Mairaki.
The Company has taken delivery of the newbuild Capesize vessel M/V Mairaki today from the STX Shipyard in South Korea. The vessel has a carrying capacity of 181,000 dwt. Upon its delivery, the M/V Mairaki will be commencing its 5-year time charter with a first class European Charterer, at a gross base rate of $28,000 per day with a 50% profit sharing above the base rate, based on the monthly AV4 BCI time charter rates as published by the Baltic Exchange.
Mr. Pavlos Kanellopoulos, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, commented, "We are very pleased to have taken delivery of the M/V Mairaki which expands our operational fleet to 49 vessels. We continue to implement our balanced charter strategy by securing period employment for our Capesize vessel Mairaki under profitable time charter with profit upside. Our time charter coverage for 2011 stands at 47% leading to an increased cashflow visibility for the year."
Source: Press Release

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West Africa-to-India Oil Cargoes Rose 61% in December, Clarkson Data Show

Indian oil companies arranged to collect 61 percent more crude oil from West Africa last month, according to vessel charters collated by the research unit of Clarkson Plc, the world’s largest shipbroker.
[Read More]
Source: Bloomberg

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Dry bulk market reaches new lows

The dry bulk market’s benchmark index, the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) lost further ground in the beginning of the week, following the trend of the past week, which marked one of the fastest tumbling ones for freight rates in a long time. Yesterday, the BDI lost 1.58% to end the session down to 1,495 points, the lowest in almost two years.
[Read More]
Source: Hellenic Shipping News

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Flex rejigs Samsung FLNG orders

Samsung Heavy Industries, South Korean shipbuilder, is giving Flex LNG more leeway on its planned quartet of LNG-FPSOs.
Late last month, Flex said it was in talks with the builder to “restructure the commercial relationship” between the two companies.
[Read More]
Source: Asiasis

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Korean stand at advantage

Korea's shipbuilding industry is understood to have the highest competitiveness and to make the best response to market changes compared to its rivals.
Lee Seok-jae, researcher at Seoul-based Mirae Asset Securities, revealed that "thanks to a rising oil price and strengthened environment regulations, new business circumstances of the shipbuilding and shipping industries are being created. And Korean shipbuilders are responding best to these changes, accelerating a full scale revaluation on them."
[Read More]
Source: Asiasis

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Hyundai Heavy Wins $900 million Deal for Qatar's Barzan Gas Project

Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's No.1 shipbuilder, received a letter of award (LOA) on
January 11 for a $900 million deal to execute the offshore part of Barzan Gas Project in Qatar.
Following the LOA, the official contract will be signed later in January.
The project will be located 80 km northeast of Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar. As an EPC
contractor, Hyundai Heavy will carry out engineering, procurement, fabrication, transportation,
installation, hook-up, and commissioning of offshore facilities including three offshore wellhead
platforms, 300 km of subsea pipelines and 100 km of subsea cables by the end of 2013.
The Barzan Project consists of onshore and offshore gas-processing facilities to be operated by
RasGas Company, a joint venture between the state-run Qatar Petroleum and Exxon Mobil.
The project, which will produce 1.9 billion cubic feet a day of gas, will come on stream in 2014.
This new order is a good start for Hyundai Heavy’s Offshore & Engineering Division, having set
their new orders goal for $4.8 billion this year.
As a reliable EPC contractor, Hyundai Heavy is cementing its status with major offshore
projects such as the $2.06 billion Australian Gorgon Project, $1.4 billion Myanmar SHWE Gas
Plant Project, and the $1 billion UAE Gas Treatment Plant Project.
Source: Press Release

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Hyundai Heavy Delivers VLCC with Electrolysis Ballast Water Treatment System

Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's No.1 shipbuilder, today handed over a 317,000DWTVLCC (Very Large Crude Oil Carrier) to Oman Shipping Company (OSC).  The ship, measuring 333 meters in length, 60 meters in height and 30.4 meters in depth, is thefirst VLCC with the new electrolysis ballast water treatment system that can treat as much as100,000 ton ballast water.  Ballast water is sea water used to stabilize hull balance when unloading cargo, and to maintainoptimal vessel speed. The seawater can contain bacteria, local plankton, mud and sand fromthe unloading port where the ballast water has been taken in. As the ballast water is released, itmight impact and disturb the marine ecosystem.  To handle this problem, IMO (International Maritime Organization) mandates that all new shipsto be delivered from 2012 and all ships operating on the seas from 2017 must have ballastwater treatment system installed. Driven by international regulations, the market for ballastwater treatment system is predicted to grow to over $30 billion.  Beside this eco-friendly ballast water treatment system, Hyundai Heavy has also taken the leadin developing green marine technologies such as  high output eco-friendly marine engines, a 3,000 ton hybrid petrol vessel, and ballast water treatment systems consisting of a filter and UVsterilizing system.
Source: Press Release

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Oil removed from sunken dry dock

Workers are able to proceed safely on Guam Shipyard's submerged dry dock now that the oily wastewater has been removed.
The shipyard's around-the-clock water removal operations have been successful so far, according to a Coast Guard news release.
[Read More]
Source: Guampdn.com

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FORMER DAEWOO CHIEF ATTENDS DEAL-SIGNING CEREMONY IN CHINA

The former head of now-defunct South Korean conglomerate Daewoo Group recently attended a ceremony for the signing of a tie-up deal between Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (KSE:042660) and a Chinese company, according to Chinese media Monday.
[Read More]
Source: Trading Market

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HSBC and BNPP close drillship financing

HSBC, BNP Paribas and Norway’s two export credit agencies have closed a deal to finance the two drillships ODN I and ODN II under construction in Korea.
HSBC, BNP Paribas and Norway’s two export credit agencies (ECAs) have closed a $1,05 billion deal to finance the two drillships ODN I and ODN II under construction at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in Korea.
Source: Trade Finance

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SINOPEC Launch his Biggest Pipelaying Barge with Marine Airbags

SINOPEC is one of the largest integrated petroleum and petrochemical companies in China.Recent years this magnate set foot in ocean oil business which was once monopolized by another oil company CNOOC.
[Read More]
Source: Maritime Professional

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STX gets order for luxury cruise ship to be built in France

South Korean-controlled shipbuilder STX Europe said Thursday it had received an order for a luxury cruise ship to be built at its Saint-Nazaire shipyard in France and operated by Germany's Hapag Lloyd-Cruises.
STX Europe did not divulge the contract's amount but said it represented about 2.5 million working hours at its French shipyard.
[Read More]
Source: EXPATICA.COM

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Tullow Oil Announces Tweneboa-3 Appraisal Well Confirms Greater Tweneboa Area Resource Potential

Tullow Oil plc (Tullow) announces that the Tweneboa-3 appraisal well in the Deepwater Tano licence offshore Ghana has successfully encountered gas condensate in excellent quality sandstone reservoirs. Results of drilling, wireline logs and samples of reservoir fluids, together with the well's down-dip position confirms the Greater Tweneboa Area resource base potential.
The well, located over six kilometres south-east of the Tweneboa-2 well and 12 kilometres south-east from the Tweneboa-1 discovery well, was planned with two deviated boreholes to test separate areas of the Tweneboa field. The first leg was drilled to calibrate the potential of an area with a very weak seismic response. Within prognosis, this leg encountered thin reservoir sands and approximately 9 metres of gas condensate pay. The well was then sidetracked 550 metres west, targeting the significant Ntomme anomaly, an area of strong seismic response. This leg successfully encountered a gross vertical reservoir interval of approximately 65 metres containing 34 metres of net gas condensate pay in two zones of high quality stacked reservoir sandstones. Work is underway to integrate seismic, pressure and hydrocarbon phase data in order to progress development options for the Tweneboa and Enyenra (Owo) fields in the Greater Tweneboa Area.
Tweneboa-3 was drilled by the Deepwater Millennium drillship to a total depth of 3,906 metres in a water depth of 1,601 metres. On completion of operations, the well will be suspended for future use in the field development. The rig will remain in the Deepwater Tano block to drill the top-hole section of the Tweneboa-4 appraisal well which will then be suspended before moving to drill the high impact Enyenra-2A well which will appraise down-dip from the Owo-1 oil discovery. The significant oil discovery, made by the Owo-1 exploration well has now been named the Enyenra field.
Tullow (49.95%) operates the Deepwater Tano licence and is partnered by Kosmos Energy Ghana (18%), Anadarko Petroleum (18%), Sabre Oil & Gas (4.05%) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) (10% carried interest).
Source: Press release

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Thai PTT expects consolidation plan to be ready Q1

PTT Pcl, Thailand's top energy firm, said on Monday it expected to have a group consolidation plan ready in the first quarter of this year and the merger should then go through in the third quarter.
The proposed consolidation may involve three companies that have operations in the eastern province of Rayong, and PTT plans to choose two of the three to be merged in a first phase, Chief Executive Prasert Bunsumpun told reporters.
[Read more]
Source: Reuters

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Alaska pipeline restart unknown; oil up, BP dips

The Trans Alaska Pipeline was shut for a third day on Monday with no timeline for resuming oil flows after a leak forced producers to cut Prudhoe Bay output from 630,000 barrels per day to a trickle.

Oil prices rose 1 percent on Monday as the outage halted nearly 12 percent of U.S. crude output, and shares in BP, the major stakeholder in pipeline operator Alyeska Pipeline Service Co, fell 1.25 percent.

[Read more]

Source: MSN 

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Dutch naval contract for Converteam

Converteam has recently announced a significant order from Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding to supply an integrated vessel energy plant (IVEP) for the Royal Netherlands Navy’s new joint support ship (JSS).
[Read More]
Source: Motorship

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VLCC success for Hamworthy pumps

Fluid-handling specialist Hamworthy has signed a contract with marine equipment purchaser Hua Hai Engineering & Equipment Co., Ltd to deliver pump room systems for installation on four VLCCs to be constructed in China.
[Read More]
Source: Motorship

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Rongsheng Shipyard to Build Green

China takes a lot of heat for environmental damage, much of it justified. However, things in China are changing: rapidly. The government has begun a push to encourage shipping lines to operate sustainably and efficiently, many of which are doing so voluntarily in anticipation of new emissions regulations. But, what about shipbuilding?
[Read More]
Source: SYS-CON Media

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Lime Rock Resources Acquires Oil and Gas Properties in New Mexico

Lime Rock Resources, acquirers and operators of producing oil and gas properties in the United States, today announced that it has successfully closed the acquisition of oil and gas interests in the East Artesia areas of Lea and Eddy Counties, New Mexico for $130 million. The properties were acquired from a publicly traded oil and gas company. The Lime Rock Resources team assumed operations of over 350 producing wells in December 2010 and is beginning the assessment of development drilling and operational improvement projects. The East Artesia acquisition represents the fifth major acquisition by the Lime Rock Resources team in New Mexico since 2006 and fourth since 2008. The team now operates over 1,000 wells and produces over 5,000 barrels per day of oil and gas equivalent in New Mexico alone, making it one of the state's top 20 producers. 
[Read more]
Source: Oil Voice

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Threat of oil disaster in North Sea, says watchdog

A repeat of the Gulf of Mexico environmental disaster is possible in the North Sea, an oil industry watchdog has said.
Research carried out by PLATFORM, which works to reduce the environmental and social impacts of oil corporations, has concluded the Deepwater Horizon disaster could be repeated in British waters, unless current policies are changed. The Deepwater Horizon oil leak caused the worse environmental catastrophe in US history last year.
[Read more]
Source: Greenwise Business

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Russian gas price for Ukraine to rise in Q1, '11

The price for Russian gas imported by Ukraine will rise by 4.7 percent to about $264 per 1,000 cubic metres (tcm) in the first quarter this year, Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted a government source as saying on Monday.
[Read more]
Source: Reuters

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DOF Subsea UK Secures Contract with Technip

Aberdeen-based specialist subsea service company DOF Subsea UK has secured a contract with Technip. The award is for the provision of a Light Construction Vessel in the North Sea and is worth approximately £8 million. 
The work is scheduled to start in Q2 2011, and to take place in 2011 and 2012 using DOF Subsea's vessel, the Geoholm, utilising the two WROVs onboard. The project is expected to have a minimum duration of approximately 170 days
Garry Millard, Managing Director, DOF Subsea UK says:
'We're delighted to secure this contract and to have the opportunity to further strengthen the excellent relationships with our clients. This project demonstrates the flexibility of our operations and the diverse combination of services we are able to offer.'
DOF Subsea provides subsea construction and engineering, IRM, ROV and survey support services to the world's major subsea markets. The company employs over 1,200 highly qualified staff and owns state of the art equipment including 33 offshore construction, diving and ROV support vessels, 41 ROVs, 1 AUV and 11 diving spreads.
Access news plus oil company and service company profiles in our Aberdeen section.
Source: Press release

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Bowleven: Further Drilling Success with Sapele-1 Discovery Well Off Cameroon

Bowleven, the West Africa focused oil and gas exploration group traded on AIM, announces that the Sapele-1 exploration well drilling in the Douala Basin, offshore Cameroon has encountered further hydrocarbon-bearing pay in both the Tertiary and Cretaceous objectives based on the results of drilling, wireline logs, samples of reservoir fluid and pressure data.
[Read more]
Source: Offshore Energy Today

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Kosmos Energy’s Tweneboa-3 Appraisal Well Offshore Ghana Confirms Greater Tweneboa Area’s Resource Potential

Kosmos Energy announces today that the Tweneboa-3 appraisal well has encountered gas-condensate in high-quality sandstone reservoirs on the Deepwater Tano Block offshore the Republic of Ghana. The results of drilling, wireline logs and reservoir fluid samples, in addition to the well’s downdip position, confirm the Greater Tweneboa Area resource base potential. The Greater Tweneboa Area comprises the Tweneboa-1 and Tweneboa-2 oil and gas-condensate fields and the neighboring Owo light oil field (renamed the Enyenra Field).
The Tweneboa-3 well was drilled with two deviated boreholes to test separate areas of the Tweneboa Field. The first leg was drilled to calibrate the potential of an area that had a weak seismic response. This leg encountered approximately 9 meters (29 feet) of gas-condensate pay, which was in line with expected results. The well was then sidetracked 550 meters (1,808 feet) west, targeting an area of strong seismic response. This second leg encountered a gross vertical reservoir interval of approximately 65 meters (214 feet), penetrating net gas-condensate pay of 34 meters (112 feet) in high-quality stacked reservoir sandstones in two zones.
The Tweneboa-3 well is located 12 km (7.5 miles) southeast of the Tweneboa-1 discovery well. The Tweneboa-3 well was drilled by the “Deepwater Millennium” dynamically positioned drillship to a total depth of 3,906 meters (12,816 feet) in a water depth of 1,601 meters (5,253 feet). The well will be suspended for potential future use in field development once drilling operations have been completed. Subsequently, the drillship will remain on the Deepwater Tano Block to drill the top-hole section of the Tweneboa-4 appraisal well and suspend it. Then the drillship will drill the Enyenra-2A well, which will appraise the Owo-1 discovery well.
“The Tweneboa-3 well was a significant stepout well in a very large stratigraphic trap. Producible gas-condensate in high-quality reservoirs at this location gives us confidence in the Greater Tweneboa Area’s commercial potential,” said Brian F. Maxted, Kosmos President and Chief Executive Officer. “We will now evaluate development options for the Tweneboa and Enyenra fields.”
Source: Press release

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Tap Oil:Commencement of GNKB-2010 3D Seismic Survey - Accra Block Ghana

Tap Oil Limited (“Tap”) commenced acquisition of a large 3D seismic survey in the Offshore Accra Contract Area, Ghana, on 9 January 2011. The survey has been brought forward in the exploration program because recent studies have highlighted additional potential in the deep water portion of the block which requires 3D data for maturation.
Since ratification of the Petroleum Agreement, Tap has focused on regional geological and geophysical studies aimed at improving understanding of petroleum systems in the area. Integral to this process, Tap licensed a significant volume of regional 2D seismic from TGS. Interpretation of this data has confirmed the presence of several potentially significant structural and stratigraphic features similar to those explored successfully elsewhere along the West African Transform Margin (such as at Jubilee, Tweneboa and Owo).
Rather than acquiring 2D seismic as per the minimum Work Program, the Joint Venture has elected to acquire 3D seismic to accelerate the technical evaluation of the block.
It is hoped that the new 3D will be able to define additional drillable prospects, thus providing the JV with a broad range of alternative targets prior to drilling in early 2012.
Seismic acquisition is expected to take about 6 weeks. Fast-track processed data will be available for interpretation about 4 weeks after the end of acquisition, with final processed data scheduled for delivery in late 2011.
At the end of the approximately 1200 sq km survey, 80% of the permit will be covered by new or reprocessed 3D seismic data.
The Contract Area is located on the West African Transform Margin, along trend from Tullow’s major Jubilee, Tweneboa and Owo oil discoveries. Jubilee, with ultimate reserves likely to be well in excess of 1 billion barrels, commenced production in December 2010 and is expected to reach a plateau rate of 120,000 bopd in mid 2011. The other discoveries are under appraisal.
Tap Oil Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Troy Hayden, said:
“The Company is very encouraged by early seismic interpretation in the block. The early acquisition of new 3D data will enable all recognized plays in the block to be properly characterised in a timely manner and ultimately result in a complete seriatim of drillable prospects from which the Tap-led JV will select the first drilling candidate.
This survey is Tap’s first operated field activity in West Africa and, as such, preparation for it has been one of our key activities of the past few months. Tap staff and contractors have worked diligently with GNPC and other Ghanaian authorities, acquisition contractor Polarcus, our Joint Venture partners and various other contractors to complete the planning and approvals process in a timely manner.
We now look forward to carrying out the operations as planned in a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly manner.”
Source: Press release

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Dana discovers gas with Cormoran-1 offshore Mauritania

Dana Petroleum advises that the Cormoran-1 exploration well has been drilled to a total depth of 4,695 meters below sea level and has been plugged and abandoned as a gas discovery. Stabilized gas flow rates of between 22 and 24 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfpd) were obtained during a test of one of the four separate gas columns encountered by the well.
The Cormoran-1 exploration well is located in Block 7, offshore Mauritania. It lies approximately 2 kilometers to the south of the Pelican-1 gas discovery well, which was drilled in late 2003. The well was drilled by Dana Petroleum, as Operator of Block 7, using the Maersk Deliverer deepwater semisubmersible drilling rig. Water depth at the well location is approximately 1,630 meters.
The primary purpose of the Cormoran-1 well was to test the Cormoran prospect, which adjoins but lies at a greater depth than the Pelican discovery. A secondary exploration objective was the Petronia prospect, which lies beneath the Cormoran prospect. A further objective of the well was to provide appraisal information on the Pelican gas discovery.
The Cormoran-1 well encountered generally thin but good quality, gas-bearing, sands within the Pelican Group at depths between 3,376m and 3,711m true vertical depth subsea (TVDSS). This interval comprised two gas columns, one in the Upper Pelican Group (3,376 to 3,420m TVDSS) and one in the Lower Pelican Group (3,691 to 3,711m TVDSS).
Good quality, gas-bearing, sands were also encountered within the Cormoran prospect, in the gross interval from 4,351 to 4,471m TVDSS, and at the top of the Petronia prospect, in the gross interval from 4,660m to 4,695m TVDSS.
Drilling was stopped at a depth of 4,695m TVDSS for operational reasons (elevated pore pressures). The well was still in gas-bearing reservoir section at this depth.
A drill stem test was carried out across a 33m interval in the Lower Pelican Group (3,679 to 3,712 TVDSS). Stabilised flow rates of up to 22 to 24 MMscfpd were obtained on a 32/64” choke, the flow rate being constrained by the need to avoid sand production. Substantially higher flow rates could have been achieved were it not for this operational constraint.
Following the DST, the Cormoran-1 well was plugged and abandoned, this being done in such a way that the well could be re-entered in the future.
Participating interests in Block 7 are:
Dana Petroleum (E&P) Limited (Operator) 36.00% GDF SUEZ Exploration Mauritania B.V. 27.85% Tullow Petroleum (Mauritania) Pty Ltd 16.20% C Mauritania I Pty Ltd 15.00% Roc Oil (Mauritania) Company 4.95%
Dana Petroleum is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Korean National Oil Corporation (KNOC).
Source: Press release

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Lundin Petroleum Announces Caterpillar Exploration Well In PL340BS Has Spudded, Offshore Norway

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) is pleased to announce that drilling of exploration well 24/9-10S on the Caterpillar prospect has commenced. The well is located in licence PL340BS in the Norwegian North Sea.   
The Caterpillar prospect is located 6 km east of the Marihøne discovery which sits 27 km south of the Alvheim Field facilities. The well will target sandstones of the Hermod Formation in the same reservoir trend as the Marihøne discovery. The Caterpillar prospect is estimated to contain gross unrisked prospective oil resources of 11 million barrels (MMbbl) and will potentially be developed as a satellite to the Marihøne discovery. 
The planned total depth is 2,165 metres below mean sea level. The well will be drilled with the drilling rig Transocean Winner, and the duration is expected to be approximately 50 days. 
Lundin Petroleum holds 15 percent interest in PL340BS. Partners are Marathon Petroleum (operator) with 65 percent interest and ConocoPhillips with 20 percent. 
Source: Press release

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KRB subsidiary Granherne wins Bonaparte LNG pre-feed contract from GDF Suez

A consulting subsidiary of KBR, Granherne has been selected by GDF SUEZ to execute the upstream pre-Front End Engineering and Design (pre-FEED) study for the Bonaparte Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project. 
The Bonapart LNG project is a proposed floating liquefaction plant to be located in the Bonaparte Basin, Northern Territory, Australia. The project, being developed through a joint venture between GDF SUEZ and Santos Ltd., has a planned LNG capacity of two million tonnes per annum (mtpa). 
Granherne will provide a single integrated service for the upstream pre-FEED, comprising various disciplines such as subsea engineering, field development planning, process, safety engineering and flow assurance. The project will be managed by Granherne’s Asia Pacific regional office in Perth. 
“This is an exciting project for Granherne. Execution of the Bonaparte pre-FEED allows the company the opportunity to support a significant global player on a challenging floating LNG project,” said Richard D’Souza, Vice President, Granherne Global Operations. “This contract award also allows Granherne the opportunity to expand its portfolio to include the growth of our multi-discipline capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.” 
Granherne, a wholly owned subsidiary of KBR, is a leading front-end engineering consultancy for onshore, offshore and deepwater oil and gas developments with experience of over 3,000 projects in more than 20 countries.
Source: Press release

Posted on 1/10/2011 / 1 comments / Read More

Scarabeo 9 Rig to Arrive in Cuban Waters Later than Expected

A Chinese-built drilling rig that was expected to arrive in Cuban waters in first quarter 2011 and begin the first full-scale offshore oil exploration there has been delayed until mid-summer, industry sources said on Friday.
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Source: Offshore Energy Today

Posted on 1/10/2011 / 0 comments / Read More

Offshore Solutions commences offshore operations in Qatar for world's largest GTL plant

Offshore Solutions B.V. (OSBV), the joint venture between AMEC and Cofely Nederland N.V., has commenced operations of its Offshore Access System (OAS) to support personnel transfer to and from the offshore component of the Pearl Gas to Liquids (GTL) project in Qatar.
Pearl GTL, the world’s largest GTL plant, is being jointly developed by Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Shell.
OSBV, which completed sea trials in December, was awarded the contract by Qatar Shell GTL Ltd for three years, with an option to extend the contract for a further two years. This is the first GTL facility that OSBV has supported.
The OAS is fitted onboard the Bourbon Gulf Star, a DP2, IBC* Type 2 platform supply vessel that will be used to transfer personnel to and from the plant’s two wellhead platforms to execute operations and maintenance work. The OAS will remain connected when personnel are onboard the platforms.
The contract was awarded based on the OAS’ proven technology, safety record and the potential to increase operational efficiency. Operating since early 2006, the company has achieved over 5,500 operational connections and in excess of 67,000 personnel transfers without any safety or environmental incidents.
OSBV’s managing director, Lindsay Young said: “We are very pleased to start work in The Gulf for Qatar Shell GTL Ltd. We appreciate the opportunity they have created for us to demonstrate the OAS capability in the region and are confident that our system will support the excellent safety performance of the project.”
Source: Press release

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Vietnam cold shoulders Soco licence extension request

Oil and gas company Soco International plc said there had been a negative response from Vietnam to its request to extend its offshore licence area.
Soco announced in November that it was applying for an extension to the Te Giac Den Appraisal Area licence. 
The company said it had now been told by the operator of Block 16-1 in the Cuu Long Basin that the initial response from the Industry and Trade Ministry did not support an extension. 
However, the Hoang Long Joint Operating Company (JOC) intended to pursue the request further.
Soco said the JOC would make clear the case that its level of geological knowledge of the appraisal effort was the most expedient route to unlocking the 'vast potential resource', providing the most immediate benefit to Vietnam. 
Source: Press release

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FOCUSING ON THE KEY CHALLENGES

Management and major accident risk, groups exposed to risk, barriers and the natural environment are the main priorities for the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) in 2011.
Certain ultra-important areas identified by the PSA on the basis of its knowledge of and experience with the Norwegian oil and gas industry underlie these choices.
Particular attention will accordingly be paid during the coming year to these four priorities.
Barriers
The object is to ensure that technical and operational barriers are maintained, so that the risk of major accidents can be minimised.
Management and major accident risk
The focus will be on making sure that management at all levels in the industry works to reduce the risk of major accidents, and that such efforts are made in an integrated manner.
Groups exposed to risk
The PSA wants to reduce the risk of injury and ill health for particularly vulnerable categories of petroleum industry employees to the lowest possible level.
Natural environment
The goal is to ensure that the industry works purposefully to prevent accidents which can cause acute discharges. The players must also work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the Norwegian petroleum industry.
These four priority areas are basically unchanged from 2010, but their content and focus have been updated to take account of the challenges regarded by the PSA as the most serious for 2011.
Source: Press release

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Ithaca Energy Inc. Fourth Quarter 2010 Production and Operational Update

Ithaca Energy Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Ithaca Energy (UK) Limited , an independent oil & gas company with exploration, development and production assets in the UK sector of the North Sea, announces that combined production in the fourth quarter averaged 8,754 barrels of oil equivalent per day (“boepd”) gross (4,148 boepd net to Ithaca).
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Source: Offshore Energy Today

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