What's happening offshore
Cold stacked rigs, other operation notesIn the drilling column in this issue, I note that "a bunch" of offshore mobile rigs are stacked, and some 98 jackups are not working in four major world areas. The latest Gulf of Mexico Newsletter sheds some light on the Gulf of Mexico situation, noting that "effective" jackup utilization there is more like 97%. The report says, "The reality is that only three competitive jackups are available for immediate work. These are all mat-supported units for 200 to 300-ft water. Three other uncontracted jackups are in the shipyard. "The remaining idle GOM jackups are either cold-stacked or workover units." The report notes further that the cold stacking of 19 GOM jackups has effectively reduced the pool of available equipment. Contract terms are beginning to lengthen and dayrates are improving. The shrinking pool of available equipment, coupled with rising GOM jackup demand, is giving contractors "reason to smile," the Newsletter notes. The caveat is that any rate increase will "begin to lure equipment out of cold stack." And depressed conditions elsewhere may lead to an influx of rigs. Ten jackups have moved into the Gulf this year already. Hazard database. In its recent newsletter, John E. Chance & Associates describes an important service for operators. The Gulf of Mexico is a maze of platforms, wellheads, pipelines and other obstacles, and accurate information is essential to successful offshore positioning, Chance says. The company has recently updated its in-house GOM database, which tracks the location of structures and potential hazards. The software is useful to Chance personnel to work with clients in planning projects, assuring a safer offshore operation. It has incorporated more than 40 years of survey service to the GOM into this database, along with Continental Shelf lease information, shipwrecks, block boundary polygons, pipelines and shipping fairways. For daily updates, information comes from in-house field work, and additional sources such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Minerals Management Service. Manmade and natural reefs are now also indicated. The database is particularly useful in assisting clients in planning pipeline routes and moving and anchoring rigs and barges. It has also proven important in providing information for base-map development, the article notes. Recently, a few new features have been added for more ease in planning route selection. The attributes of existing pipelines such as product, status, permit approval date and segment number are available. Also valuable is the ability to further customize the site area by overlaying navigation charts, bathymetric data and client CAD files. Chance says a similar database for Trinidad and Venezuela has recently been developed. Deepwater mooring test. Aker Marine Contractors (AMC) of Houston and Marlow Ropes have successfully executed a deepwater test to demonstrate and prove the use of new mooring components for ultra-deepwater station keeping applications for mobile offshore drilling units. They expect this technology to permit drilling units to be moored in as much as 10,000 ft of water using similar components. The test involved the installation – by AMC and Vastar – of AMC’s new Suction Embedded Plate Anchor (SEPLA) and Marlow’s torque-matched polyester rope at Vastar’s Mississippi Canyon Block 126, Horn Mountain Prospect. The SEPLA and polyester rope section were deployed from AMC’s new anchor handling construction vessel the Cal Dive Aker Dove, as a preset mooring in about 5,000 ft of water. After installation, the mooring components were load tested to about 350 t using both the Dove and Seacor’s new anchor handler Seacor Vanguard. The SEPLA required only 1.5 hr to reach full embedment of about 85 ft, using suction techniques activated from Oceaneering’s Millennium ROV. The new polyester rope was deployed from the vessel without incident. The mooring was then connected to Diamond Offshore’s drilling rig Ocean Victory to substitute for one of the conventional mooring legs. AMC says the mooring will remain in service for the duration of the well, after which it will be disconnected from the rig, recovered and taken to shore for extensive inspection, loading tests and analysis. The program is sponsored by BP Amoco, BHP, Chevron, Mobil and Vastar, and approved by both MMS and ABS. It heralds an important technological advancement, the companies say. AMC’s Chairman Peter Dove discusses mooring developments and the background for this important test in World Oil's Deepwater Technology supplement, August 1999. Best practice award in UK. The major organizations which developed the giant Britannia gas condensate field in the UK North Sea have received two of the country’s highest accolades in the construction industry. The Britannia Topsides Alliance won the Best Practice Award in this year’s British Construction Industry Awards (BCIA). The Alliance has also won High Commendation in the Major Project category of the competition. The Topsides Alliance comprises Britannia Operator Ltd., a joint venture of Chevron UK Ltd. and Conoco UK Ltd., the two largest field owners; AMEC Process & Energy Ltd.; KCA Drilling Ltd.; Kvaerner Oil & Gas; and Odebrecht Oil & Gas Services Ltd. "These are tremendous achievements in the face of impressive competition from all UK building and civil engineering sectors," Britannia Development Director Jeff Tetlow said, as he collected the award on behalf of the Alliance companies at the recent BCIA ceremony. The award was presented by the Department of Environment Transport and the Regions. The judges commented: "The Alliance introduced and sustained a culture of re-thinking and refinement embracing every facet of the project design and construction." Britannia came onstream in August 1998. Facilities comprise
the topsides – including drilling, utilities and processing – and the steel
jacket. Peak production capacity is 740 MMcfd gas, representing 8% of UK gas demand.
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