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Vol. 227 No. 7 |
Schlumberger Ltd has acquired Ødegaard A/S, the Copenhagen-based supplier of advanced surface seismic data inversion software. Ødegaard, which will become part of WesternGeco, specializes in applications of seismic data to determine rock parameters critical to better reservoir characterization and improved oil and gas recovery.
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 Drilling contractor KCA DEUTAG picked up two major awards at the annual safety awards event organized by IADC. The company won the platform drilling category of Best Statistical Safety Performance during 2005 Award, which recognizes the company with the lowest number of incidents per number of man-hours in 2005. KCA DEUTAG also won a Merit Award for working six years without a reportable injury on the Beryl Bravo platform.
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Veritas DGC Inc. signed a letter of intent with Matco Capital Ltd. (Matco) to sell its land seismic-acquisition business for an undisclosed amount. In fiscal year 2005, the land seismic-acquisition business of Veritas generated about $140 million, or 22% of the company’s consolidated revenue. The deal is expected to close in the summer of 2006
The Ability Group (AGR) of Norway agreed to acquire The Peak Group, the UK-based provider of well construction services to the upstream oil and gas industry. AGR will purchase 100% of Peak for £26 million ($47.5 million). Peak will continue to operate under its own name from its Aberdeen headquarters. Some of the existing AGR services may be brought under The Peak Group brand.
Emerson Process Management and Wärtsilä Automation Norway will form an alliance to supply total electrical and instrumentation systems in the Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) segment. The alliance combines Emerson’s process management knowledge and digital automation architecture with Wärtsilä’s power and vessel automation systems. Engineering teams from both firms will develop turn-key solutions by collaborating from front-end engineering and design through to FPSO commissioning and operation. The first collaborative project is the BW Offshores FPSO, BW Enterprise.
Roxar unveiled its new multi-million-dollar, high-pressure hyperbaric test facility in Stavanger, Norway. The facility, which will test the company’s subsea instrumentation portfolio, can simulate water depths up to 3,500 m and pressure up to 350 bar. The tank is 3.5 m deep and 1.4 m wide. The tanks’s lid, alone, will be exposed to pressures up to 8,000 tons.
Petroleum Geo-Services ASA (PGS) will build a new third-generation Ramform vessel at Aker Yards, Langsten. The new seismic vessel has an agreed cost from the yard, including installation but not seismic equipment, of about $85 million. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in first-quarter 2008, in time for the North Sea season. The company will also have an option of building a sister vessel at the same yard. Aker Yards has constructed all of PGS’ six existing Ramform vessels. The new vessel design will be 16 m longer, giving higher fuel capacity and transit speed. A power upgrade will increase speed while surveying, and it will tow up to 22 streamers.
GlobalSantaFe Corp.’s GSF C.R. Luigs drillship was recognized by the US Minerals Management Service (MMS) for outstanding drilling operations in 2005. The ultra-deepwater drillship, operating in the US Gulf of Mexico forBHP Billiton, received an MMS Safety Award for Excellence (SAFE) for outstanding drilling operations in the Houma, La., district. The GSF C.R. Luigs underwent nine MMS inspections throughout 2005 without a single incident of noncompliance, and had no lost-time injuries during the year. SAFE awards have been presented since 1983 by the MMS to companies displaying the most exemplary performance on a single platform, rig, field, unit, or an entire district.
Hardide plc, a provider of ultra-hard surface engineering technology, will open its first US coatings facility in Houston, Texas. The move represents a $5-million (£2.9-million) investment over the next 24 months. The purpose-built, 17,000-sq-ft facility will initially employ a staff of 10, with a further 30 employees projected within two years. It will house a chemical vapor deposition vacuum furnace, along with pre-treatment, inspection, QA and finishing support equipment. Installation will be summer 2006.
Following a memorandum of understanding in September 2005, Technip and Subsea 7 have signed the final agreement for the formation of a jointly operated company for subsea offshore activities in the Asia Pacific region (excluding India and the Middle East). The company, Technip Subsea 7 Asia Pacific Pty Ltd, begins business in July 2006.
Fabrication/ construction firm Dynamic Industries, Inc., of New Iberia, La., said it has deployed the largest offshore crew in the history of the Gulf of Mexico. The 713 crew members working on projects throughout the Gulf is the largest number ever reported within the industry.
HB Rentals, a Superior Energy Services company, acquired Riverview Rentals of Riverton, Wyo. Broussard, La.-based HB Rentals provides the petroleum industry with living accommodations and accessories for onshore and offshore job sites. The purchase is a part of the company’s expansion into the Rocky Mountain region. Riverview Rentals is a provider of living quarter units and accessories.
Statoil ASA and Schlumberger Information Solutions (SIS) entered into a three-year technology collaboration agreement to develop new production optimization technologies to extend the lives of oil and gas fields. In addition to the development of new technologies, the agreement calls for standardizing and automating workflow processes with the ultimate goal of increasing oil recovery and accelerating production.
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