Luva may herald start of deep-water development in Norwegian Sea

Statoil, together with its Luva field partners, has selected a Spar platform to develop the field. As a gas transport solution has also been decided, a major step has now been taken towards deep-water production in the Norwegian Sea. 

The Luva field, which is a deep-water pioneer in the Norwegian Sea, may be the first to have a Spar platform on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). The field is located outside of existing infrastructure and has a water depth of 1,300 metres. 

Illustration: SPAR platform

“This development may represent the start of deep-water production in the Norwegian Sea, and it will enable the tie-in of other discoveries in the same area”, says Ivar Aasheim, senior vice president for NCS field development in Statoil.

Luva concept

The Luva field is planned for development with a Spar platform, which consists of a large-diameter, single vertical cylinder supporting a conventional deck with processing facility, accommodation quarters, etc. The installation is fixed to the seabed.

The choice of concept is in line with the study presented in March 2011. It will be the first Spar on the NCS, and one of the largest of its kind worldwide.

The concept includes two subsea templates with four wells on each and one satellite template with one well. The platform will house accommodation quarters for a permanent crew, a storage unit for condensate, and a gas processing facility with a capacity of 23 million standard cubic metres per day.

NSGI concept

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Sea Gas Infrastructure (NSGI) project has chosen a gas transport concept that includes a 480-km long, 30-36 inch pipeline from the Luva field to the onshore processing facility at Nyhamna.

The pipeline will also be connected on to the Linnorm field and tied in to the Zidane field. In addition, connection to Åsgard Transport via the Kristin platform will be possible, and there are plans for tying in other fields and discoveries.

The concept includes the expansion of the Ormen Lange field’s Nyhamna gas plant with the intention of converting it into a gas terminal.

“NSGI would not only provide gas export solutions for Luva, Linnorm and Zidane, but also contribute in opening up a new gas region on the NCS – making it possible to develop existing and potential future discoveries in the area,” says Statoil project director Håkon Ivarjord.

“NSGI will also take care of gas exports from the Haltenbanken area that exceed the available capacity in Åsgard Transport, thus improving the resource management of the existing fields there.  In this respect NSGI may play an important role in securing the NCS’s position as a long-term, reliable gas province.”

Industrial development

The substantial investments being made on Luva will drive the development of deep-water production in the Norwegian Sea.

The biggest and most long-term spin-off effects will arise during the operational phase, even given the magnitude of the investments during the construction period.

Collaboration with Petro Arctic has been established, as Luva will have a considerable impact on industrial development in northern Norway.

Source: Statoil

Posted on 1/30/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

Det Norske: Drilling commenced on Storebjørn

Drilling operation on Storebjørn, in production license 450, has commenced.

Well 7/12-13 S is the first well in the license, which was awarded in the 2007 APA licensing round (Awards in Predefined Areas). The Storebjørn prospect is located in the southern North Sea, in close proximity to existing infrastructure on the Ula and Gyda fields.
The operation is carried out using the jack-up rig Mærsk Guardian.

Det norske is the operator of PL 450 with a 60 percent interest. Dana Petroleum and North Energy are partners, with respectively 25 and 15 percent stakes. An agreement between Det norske and North Energy to transfer 15 percent was signed in 2011. The agreement is approved by the Norwegian authorities.

Source: Det Norske

Posted on 1/30/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

SEVEN HAVILA ACHIEVES WORLD FIRS

The state-of-the art diving support vessel, the Seven Havila, owned by Subsea 7 and Havila Shipping, has achieved a world first in the number of divers working on the seabed.

Gael Cailleaux, Vice President for Offshore Resources at Subsea 7confirmed the achievement that eight divers were in action at the same time.

He said: “To our knowledge, there have never been so many divers on the seabed from one single dive support vessel simultaneously. We wanted to test having eight divers on the seabed at the same time. Both diving bells were in action together. While one diver stayed inside each diving bell, three divers from each diving bell worked outside.”

The diving test took place near Stavanger, Norway, in a depth of 30 metres. The diving system, provided by the German company Dræger, includes a 10 chamber 24 men saturation suite, fully computerised, with double bell handling system, able to work down to 400 metres and up to 6m Hs. The Seven Havila, one of the most advanced diving support vessel in the world, was designed and fitted with the latest diving systems. In 2011 it was presented with the highly prestigious Support Vessel of the Year award at the OSJ Conference in London. It is designed by Havyard Design & Engineering in Fosnavåg, Norway and constructed at Havyard Ship Technology in Leirvik, Sogn, Norway.

Havyard Design & Engineering’s Design Manager Arve Helsem Leinecommented: “You feel a sense of pride and humility when part of designing and constructing such a vessel. This proves that when you have ship-owners, operators, designers, shipyard and diving company all involved from the start, the end result will be good. The Seven Havila is a great example of this.”

From conception, the Seven Havila was designed to comply with advanced systems of saturation diving. It is a modern diving support vessel, custom designed for subsea operations assisted by saturation divers.

CEO Njål Sævik of Havila Shipping is very proud of the vessel’s world record achievement. “We frequently hear that the Seven Havila is the world’s most advanced and modern diving support vessel and this is further proof to that statement. For a shipping company like ours, it is a great advantage being a part-owner of a vessel of this type and having the opportunity to offer it to the market,” said Sævik.

The Seven Havila is designed with a focus on operating in challenging environments, while achieving maximum efficiency in carrying out its operations. In addition, there is an emphasis on a good working environment for the offshore personnel, along with quality and security during all operations.

Source: Subsea7

Posted on 1/30/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

Hyperdynamics Resumes Drilling Offshore Guinea

Hyperdynamics Corporation (NYSE: HDY) today announced it resumed drilling operations on the Sabu-1 exploration well on January 29th in its concession offshore the Republic of Guinea in West Africa. 

Drilling recommenced from a point 2,304 meters subsea. The well is expected to encounter prospective upper Cretaceous sandstone reservoirs while drilling to a total subsea depth of 3,600 meters. 

Hyperdynamics operates the Guinea concession with a 77 percent participating interest, with the remaining 23 percent held by Aberdeen-based Dana Petroleum. The well is operated through AGR, a well management company.
Source: PR Newswire

Posted on 1/30/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

STATOIL: More gas at Snøhvit

Hammerfest LNG plant at Melkøya. (Photo: Harald Pettersen)

Statoil and its partners on the Snøhvit field have increased the reserves estimate by 20 billion standard cubic metres of gas.


Production experience from the field has proven that it is possible to produce more gas from the reservoirs than previously assumed.

The adjustment corresponds to an increase of 125 million barrels of oil equivalents in relation to the resource estimate that was prepared in the plan for development and operation (PDO), and is equal to about half of a Luva or Skrugard discovery.

“I think it is very encouraging that, though work on the field, we can increase the resource estimate for Snøhvit. The increase is important for the potential development of our activity in the Barents Sea,” says Øivind Nilsen, production vice president for Hammerfest LNG.

“We will continue the work with reserve development and hope that we can further increase the recoverable reserves in the field through measures for improved recovery (IOR) in the future.”

When the PDO was submitted, the recoverable resources were estimated at 190 billion cubic metres of natural gas and 18 million cubic metres of condensate.

The Snøhvit owners have started assessing whether and potentially how the total gas export from the Barents Sea can be increased. Such expansion will either take place through increased LNG production capacity or through an export pipeline.

A decision regarding the concept for such an increase is planned for the second quarter of 2012. An investment decision for potential LNG capacity expansion is thus expected in 2013.

The fields that deliver gas to Melkøya are Snøhvit and Albatross, and the Askeladd field will also be developed for gas production. The first gas discovery here was made in 1981. The fields have been operational since August 2007 and produce about 13,000 tonnes of LNG daily from nine wells.

The partners in Snøhvit are Statoil (operator - 36.79%), Petoro (30%), Total E&P Norge (18.40%), GDF SUEZ E&P Norge (12%), and RWE Dea Norge (2.81%).

Snøhvit is the first gas development in the Barents Sea. With no installations on the sea surface, large volumes of natural gas are transported onshore and cooled at Hammerfest LNG on Melkøya, the world’s northernmost and Europe’s first LNG export facility.

Source: Statoil

Posted on 1/29/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

Fairstar awarded two contracts by Saipem for Golden Eagle

Fairstar Heavy Transport N.V. (FAIR) has been awarded two contracts by Saipem to provide marine transportation services for the Golden Eagle Project in the North Sea.

The first voyage is scheduled in early 2013 and will involve the FINESSE. The second voyage is scheduled in early 2014 and will involve the FJORD. The total contract value is Euro 11.99 million.

Source: Press Release

Posted on 1/29/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

DSME contract Technip for Wheatstone gas processing platform design

Technip Oceania (TPO), a Technip Group operating centre in Perth, Australia, has been awarded a contract, worth approximately AUD110 million (€90 million), by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) for the detailed design of Chevron’s Wheatstone offshore gas processing platform, located 200 kilometers off Western Australia’s coast.

The upstream (offshore) portion of the project is comprised of the development of gas fields in the WA-17-R and WA-253-P petroleum titles located on the Northwest Shelf offshore Western Australia at water depths of 70 to 200 meters. Subsea gas-gathering systems will transport production to the processing platform where the gas and condensate will be treated. It will then be exported to the onshore gas plant located at Ashburton North, 12 kilometers west of Onslow, on the Pilbara coast of mainland Western Australia.

This award follows on from TPO's successful completion of the front-end engineering design of the project, a contract awarded by Chevron in 2009. The contract represents a breakthrough for TPO, who are leading the work and performing over 40% locally in Australia. Frans Roozendaal, TPO’s Managing Director, says “the Wheatstone Platform is one of the largest offshore platforms ever built, and I am proud that we have been able to deliver the design for DSME from our Australian operation. We have had to expand locally to perform the work, with over 200 people in Perth working on the project.”

DSME’s Project Manager, KH Lee says “it has been good to be able to use Technip’s Australian office to lead this work. The continuation from FEED, the knowledge of Australian requirements, and the proximity to Chevron gives us a great advantage.”

Technip’s operating centers in Perth, Australia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will execute the contract, which is scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2012.

Source: Technip

Posted on 1/29/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

Drilling permit for well 30/6-28 S in production licence 053

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 30/6-28 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations.

Wellbore 30/6-28 S will be drilled from the COSL Pioneer drilling facility at position 60°33’59.33” north and 2°44’40.69” east after completing the drilling of wildcat well 33/12-9 S for Statoil Petroleum AS in production licence 152.

The drilling programme for well 30/6-28 S relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 053.

Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 49.3 per cent. The other licensees are Petoro AS (33.6 per cent), Total E&P Norge AS (10 per cent), ExxonMobil Exploration & Production Norway AS (4.7 per cent) and ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS (2.4 per cent).

The area in this licence consists of parts of block 30/6. The well will be drilled in the Oseberg field, between Osberg A and Oseberg C.

Production licence 053 was awarded on 6 April 1979 (4th licensing round on the Norwegian shelf). This is the 27th well to be drilled in the licence.

Source: Norwegian Petroleum Directorate

Posted on 1/10/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

Det Norske: Drilling on Kalvklumpen has started

Det norske oljeselskap ASA is pleased to announce that it has commenced drilling of exploration well 25/6-4 S in PL414. Target for the well is the Kalvklumpen prospect.

The well will be drilled in the central part of the North Sea about 20 kilometres southeast of the Frøy field and 37 kilometres northeast of the Heimdal field. The well is drilled with the semi-submersible drilling rig Songa Delta.

The partners in license PL414 are Det norske oljeselskap (operator, 40 percent), Noreco (20 percent), Faroe Petroleum Norway (20 percent) and Bayerngas Norway (20 percent).

Source: Det norske oljeselskap ASA

Posted on 1/10/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

Shandong Heavy Industry: Strategic Emerging Products Leads Future Development

The 2 ^nd Shandong Heavy Industry products exhibition was held grandly in Jinan on December 2, 2010. Different from the first exhibition, Shandong Heavy Industry highlight the exhibition of future products, high-tech products and strategic emerging industry products this time.

In the engine exhibition area of Shandong Heavy Industry we found that, among the engines exhibited here, the biggest is nearly two-floor tall and the smallest is less than half a meter tall.

Engine products structural adjustment is one of the major objectives of Shandong Heavy Industry this year. One big and one small product with the world's advanced level intuitively shows the engine layout of Shandong Heavy Industry has changed from 10L, 12L as major, to whole series, whole field development.

The executive president of Weichai Power of Shandong Heavy Industry, Mr. Zhangquan said, Weichai brings a full range of products in the next decade. The smallest engine is 2.8L, can be used for excavator and small multi-function engineering machinery, the biggest one is 380L, about 4,500 Kw, mainly for Marine engines.

Strategic emerging industry is another bright spot of Shandong Heavy Industry products exhibition, new energy vehicles become the exhibition protagonists. Here, you could not see compressed natural gas bus, which was insteaded by higher level of liquefied natural gas (LNG) heavy trucks.

From Shaanxi Automobile Marketing Dep. Of Shandong Heavy Industry, Mr. Zhangjun said that, the compression ratio of liquefied natural gas is over three times of compressed natural gas, this makes the vehicle can store more fuel, thus make the driving range of vehicle can reach over 1,300 kilometers, this is a type of heavy truck with the longest driving range in China till now.

In engineering machinery field, Shandong Heavy Industry emphatically exhibited bulldozer, excavator, truck crane and concrete machinery four leading products. According to the plan, in the next three years, the four types of products will be in the leading position among the same industry. All of the transmissions in parts exhibition area adopted aluminium shell, the application of new materials make dead weight of transmission lighten over 110kg, energy-saving effect is obvious, this is also the centralized embodiment of Shandong Heavy Industry devote itself to lightweight development. 

Shandong has 3,000 kilometers coastline, yacht industry is one of the key industries that would be greatly developed in the next five to ten years. On this show, Shandong Heavy Industry brought a nine-meter long yacht, its appearance will lead Shandong Heavy Industry group braving the wind and waves in the future emerging industry field.

Source: Weichai Group

Posted on 1/10/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

Semi-submersibe vessel Hahailong delivered

On January 9th 2012, China Merchants Heavy Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. held the Delivery Ceremony of Huahailong 30,000 dwt Semi-submersible Heavy Lift Vessel which is built for Guangzhou Salvage Bureau of the Ministry of Communications on the Mazhou Island yard.

Emceed by Mr. Wang Cuijun, the General Manager of China Merchants Industry Holdings Co., Ltd. and the Chairman of China Merchants Heavy Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Mr. Weng Mengyong, Mr. Li Jianhong, Mr. Song Jiahui, Mr. Zhou Zhiyu and Mr. Chen Beixian addressed to the ceremony and cut the ribbon.

Mr. Chen Beixian and Mr. Wang Cuijun signed the Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance of Huahailong on behalf of respective parties; Mr. Zhu Guiming, the Managing Director of CMHI delivered the ship model of Huahailong to Mr. Wang Zhenliang.

The vessel is semi-submersible heavy lift vessel with all-welded steel hull, streamlined bow, short forecastle, transom stern, wide working deck, electric propulsion and DP-1 system. Two casings at the stern are removable for carrying large scale vessels and offshore structures. The vessel can be used for salvage of large vessels, carrying of damaged vessels and transportation of offshore steel structures, platforms and so on. The length overall of the vessel is 182.2m, breadth 43.6m, depth 11m, designed draft 7.5m, full loading draft 8.0m, max submerging depth 23m.

The delivery of Huahailong made a solid milestone of the long term cooperation between Guangzhou Salvage Bureau of the Ministry of Communications and China Merchants Heavy Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.

Source: Shipbuildingtrubune

Posted on 1/10/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

Major new oil discovery in the Barents Sea

Statoil ASA (OSE:STL, NYSE:STO) has together with its partners Eni Norge AS and Petoro AS made a substantial oil discovery in the Havis prospect in the same licence as Skrugard (PL532) in the Barents Sea.


This is the second high-impact discovery in the North in nine months.

Well 7220/7-1, drilled by the drilling rig Aker Barents, has proved a 48 metre gas column and a 128 metre oil column.

Statoil estimates the volumes in Havis to be between 200 and 300 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalents (o.e.). The provisional, updated total volume estimate for the Skrugard and Havis discoveries in PL532 is in the region of 400-600 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalents.

“Havis is our second high impact oil discovery in the Barents Sea in nine months. The discovery’s volume and reservoir properties make it Skrugard’s twin. Skrugard and Havis open up a new petroleum province in the North,” says Helge Lund, President and CEO of Statoil ASA.

Havis lies approximately 7 kilometres southwest of the Skrugard discovery, made in April of last year. Havis lies within the same production licence, but forms an independent structure. There is no communication between the two discoveries.

The discovery provides further confirmation of Statoil’s faith in the exploration potential of the Norwegian continental shelf, and makes an important contribution to the revitalisation of the NCS in line with what was communicated at Capital Markets Day in June of last year.

Moreover, Havis and Skrugard prove that persistence and long-term thinking bear fruits. Statoil has been exploring in the Barents Sea for more than 30 years and the company has been involved in 88 of a total 92 exploration wells drilled in the area. This has resulted in continuous competence building and a deep understanding of the hydrocarbon systems in the Barents Sea.

Statoil has previously communicated that the Skrugard discovery will provide the basis for an independent development, with the Havis volumes the development project becomes even more robust. Going forward, the partnership will drill an appraisal well in the Skrugard discovery and assess further upside potential in the licence.

“The Havis discovery boosts the development of Skrugard as a versatile new centre with processing and transport capacity. We are about to realise the Barents Sea as a core area on the Norwegian continental shelf,” says Statoil’s Erik Strand Tellefsen, vice president for Skrugard development.

“The Skrugard and Havis discoveries will be important for industrial development and will further boost activity in the supplier industry, providing new jobs and generating spin-off effects throughout the region,” adds Lund.

Well 7220/7-1 is the second well in production licence 532, which was awarded in 2009 in connection with the 20th licensing round. The well is drilled to a vertical depth of 2200 metres below sea level at a sea depth of 365 metres.

Statoil is operator for production licence PL532 with an ownership share of 50%. The licence partners are Eni Norge AS (30%) and Petoro AS (20%).

* High impact  =  > 250 million barrels o.e. in total or > 100 million barrels net for Statoil

Source: Statoil

Posted on 1/09/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

Keppel AmFELS to Construct and Upgrade Deepwater Semisubmersible for Diamond Offshore for US$150 million

Keppel AmFELS LLC, a US wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), has secured a contract from Diamond Offshore to construct and upgrade a moored semisubmersible rig with delivery scheduled for 3Q 2013. The estimated shipyard contract price is approximately US$150 million.

The rig, to be named Ocean Onyx, will be constructed from an existing hull from a Diamond Offshore cold stacked unit, which previously operated as the Ocean Voyager.

Keppel AmFELS' scope of work on the Ocean Onyx includes the reconstruction of the rig, installation of advanced equipment such as a modern drilling package, and installation of sponsons to the pontoons to enhance the stability of the rig in deepwater. The rig will be designed to operate in water depths of up to 6,000 feet and will have a variable deck load of 5,000 long tonnes, a five-ram blowout preventer, and quarters capacity for 140 personnel.

Mr Larry Dickerson, President and CEO of Diamond Offshore, said, "We have worked with Keppel for more than a decade, and our rigs have consistently been delivered on time and within budget, whether in the US or Singapore. With Keppel's track record as a leading offshore yard, we are confident that this project will also be a success."

Keppel O&M has previously built four similar semisubmersible rigs for Diamond Offshore: the Ocean Baroness, Ocean Rover, Ocean Endeavour and Ocean Monarch.

Mr Tan Geok Seng, President of Keppel AmFELS, said, "We are pleased to be able to embark on another major rig project for Diamond Offshore, who has worked with Keppel on more than 20 projects since 1996. Diamond's rigs are sent regularly to our yards around the world for maintenance, repair and upgrade, and Keppel AmFELS has proven to be their choice yard in the US Gulf of Mexico. Having built a long-term partnership with Diamond, we understand the company's needs and are confident of delivering another high quality rig to their satisfaction."

The above contract is not expected to have a material impact on the net tangible assets or earnings per share of Keppel Corporation Limited for the current financial year.

Source: Keppel AmFELS

Posted on 1/09/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

Songa Offshore FLEET Update

Songa Venus remained on location for Petronas Carigali, Malaysia through-out the period. The rig was shut down during the majority of the period and completed earlier announced repairs and testing of re-worked BOP components on December 19.  The unit achieved 100% operating efficiency for the remainder of the period after re-commencing operations.

Songa Mercur completed its de-mobilization and load off from Sakhalin, Russia to Labuan Malaysia end of October and the rig has undergone extensive contractual acceptance testing and installation of third party equipment through November and December. The rig is now fully accepted and scheduled to depart for commencement of its two well program in Malaysia with Petronas Carigali.
Songa Dee continued its program for Statoil at the Gulfaks field, and the rig achieved an average operating efficiency of 99% during the period. 
Songa Delta completed its scheduled SPS and rig upgrade yard stay at CCB base outside Bergen, Norway during the period. The yard stay was extended from an original 40 days to 56 days mainly due to extended work scopes and additional work related to the BOP system. The rig was then further delayed by weather and remained in sheltered waters until 6^th January and is currently in process of anchoring up at location in order to re-commence the contract with Wintershall / Det Norske Oljeselskap. 
Songa Trym achieved an operating efficiency of 99% during the period.  The rig continues to operate for Statoil in Norway.
Songa Eclipse completed its mobilization to Angola during the period, and the rig is currently undergoing final rig contractual acceptance testing which is expected to be completed during second half of January. The rig will thereafter commence its one well plus 18 month contract with Total E&P Angola
8 January 2012
Limassol, Cyprus

Source: Songa Offshore

Posted on 1/09/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

Hyundai Heavy Greets New Year with the Simultaneous Naming Ceremony of Two 318,000 DWT VLCC

Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's biggest shipbuilder, hailed the New Year by naming two 318,000 DWT VLCC (Very Large Crude Oil Carrier) for an Indian shipping line, GESCO on 6th January 2012.
In the simultaneous naming ceremony, the vessels were named Maneklal Ujamshi Sheth and Ardeshir HBhiwandiwalla, after the former owner and the founder of GESCO respectively. Maneklal Ujamshi Sheth was delivered today and Ardeshir HBhiwandiwalla is scheduled to be delivered in the middle of February this year.
Starting with the ships featuring 319m in length, 60m in width, and 30m in depth with service speed of 16.3 knots, Hyundai Heavy plans to deliver 93 ships this year.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Heavy is aiming to secure new orders worth USD 30.6 billion in 2012, 19.6% up from a year earlier and sales of KRW 27.6 trillion (USD 23.9 billion), 9.5% up from last year.

Source: HHI

Posted on 1/08/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

SAL's MV “Lone” gets DP II upgrade

The MV “Lone” is now in the last stages of upgrading her existing DP 1 system to a DP 2 system. In dry-dock at the German shipyard Norderwerft, the vessel received one additional 1,200 kW bowthruster, two retractable azimuths of 1,200 kW each and three 1,600 kW auxiliary engines to secure the power supply for the redundant dynamic positioning system. To optimize the functionality of the high capacity cranes in offshore operations, the vessel was further equipped with a motion monitoring system.

The installation of the system bears a number of significant advantages: the vessel will be fully self-propelled without the need for tugs or external mooring systems, the vessel reaches optimal maneuverability and has the ability to respond rapidly to changes both in weather conditions as well as in operational requirements.

With these features in place, the MV “Lone” has all the necessary elements for undertaking complex projects in the area of oil and gas field development as well as offshore wind farm support. Within this scope of service, the vessel can provide wet handshake solutions, FPSP mooring support as well as transportation and placement of extraordinary structures on the seabed. In the realm of offshore windfarm support, the vessel can both feed installation units to the field as well as provide installation services for transition pieces.

Source: SAL

Posted on 1/08/2012 / 0 comments / Read More

Total Awarded two Exploration Licenses in Mauritania, Offshore and Onshore

January 6, 2012: Total today announced that it has signed two exploration licenses with the Mauritanian government that gives it, as operator, a 90% interest in the following blocks:

• Block C 9 in ultra deep offshore
• Block Ta 29 onshore in the Taoudeni basin.

The National oil company SMH will hold the remaining 10%.

The block C 9 is located approximately 140 kilometers offshore Western Mauritania, covering an area of more than 10,000 km², in water depths ranging from 2,500 to 3,000 metres. The Block Ta 29 is located in the Saharan desert, 1,000 kilometers east from Nouakchott and north of the Block Ta 7 in which Total is already conducting exploration activities. For both blocks, a seismic acquisition campaign is planned as the first phase of the exploration program.

“With this ultra deep offshore award, we are entering into a high-potential, frontier play, known as the abrupt margin, in which major discoveries have been made recently, like in French Guyana" said Marc Blaizot, Total's Senior Vice President, Exploration. “The license award is aligned with Total’s strategy of expanding its exploration operations into high-potential geological plays while leveraging the Group’s globally recognized ultra-deepwater expertise. The new onshore block is on the same trend as onshore Block Ta 7 on which latest exploration results show good prospectivity in this part of the Taoudeni basin.”

Total in Mauritania

Present in exploration and production in Mauritania since 2005, Total, with its partners Sipex and Qatar Petroleum International is exploring Blocks Ta 7 and Ta 8 in the onshore Taoudeni basin, in the desert 800 kilometers east of Nouakchott.

Total is also active in fuel and lubricant retailing in Mauritania, with 33 service stations in the country.

Source: Total

Posted on 1/06/2012 / 0 comments / Read More