Editorial comment

	Vol. 232 No.4
PRAMOD KULKARNI, EDITOR

A new, contemporary look for an industry pioneer

World Oil began its publishing journey in 1916 as the Gulf Coast Oil News. It was an exciting time as the newsletter provided weekly coverage of the industry in its infancy. The earliest copy of the newsletter available in Gulf Publishing Company’s library is dated June 2, 1917. The lead story declares production from Texas’ Humble oil field to be 20,475 bbl for the week. In 1947, the publication became the monthly World Oil as the industry took on a global role after World War II.

Over the decades, World Oil has undergone several design transformations. With the April 2011 issue, we present a new, contemporary look for the magazine. The new design is intended to improve the readability of our technical articles and columns through a cleaner, more functional layout. The special reports make use of colorful spreads with large photos and graphics. The cover, fonts and overall page design have been updated to make the magazine more reader friendly and appeal to an international audience.

New content. World Oil has also been adding new columns and special reports over the last year. The additions include the Shale Energy reports on a series of plays that have collectively become a game changer for the onshore oil and gas industry, Technology Trends Q&A articles with the industry’s leading CEOs and technology officers, and the monthly Innovative Thinkers column on unique individuals who have achieved paradigm shifts in exploration and production.

The latest addition is a regular technical column on shale completion methods by Dr. Ali Daneshy, adjunct professor of chemical engineering at the University of Houston and a leading authority on fracturing technology. Daneshy’s column will appear in alternate monthly issues following our Shale Energy report.
Technology focus. Our industry has advanced in the last 85 years from Humble field to new frontiers in the ultra-deepwater Lower Tertiary play, international shale plays and even the Arctic. As such, our content additions are in keeping with our mission of defining technology for exploration, drilling and production. We will continue to feature our signature columns regarding advances in exploration, drilling and production, and our Special Focus and other technical sections will continue to feature operator-coauthored case studies of groundbreaking oilfield methods and technologies, as well as practical oilfield guidance  from industry experts.

Online resources. The design changes for our print magazine will complement continued growth in our online services, including WorldOil.com, data products and e-newsletters such as the Technology News Weekly and the monthly Deepwater and Shale Energy newsletters.

What do you think? Our success in implementing the magazine’s new, contemporary look and adding new content depends upon your response. Please take a close look at this issue and let us know how we can best serve your needs. 

IN THIS ISSUE

58 - Shale Energy: Marcellus. World Oil began its Shale Energy series with the Marcellus formation last March. In the current issue, we come full circle, with updates on the unconventional gas play’s E&P activity and a discussion of related political and environmental issues. Despite intensified scrutiny of shale production methods, drilling in the Marcellus nearly doubled last year compared with 2009, with indications of further activity increases this year.

78 - Regional outlook: GOM. The Gulf of Mexico has been labeled “the Dead Sea” several times in its recent life. The latest pronouncement came after the Obama administration imposed a six-month moratorium in the aftermath of the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon and the Macondo well blowout. The moratorium ended in October 2010, but it took the newly constituted BOEMRE an additional five months to put new safety and environmental impact regulations in place. Now, permit by permit, the Gulf of Mexico is slowly emerging from the dead.

T–143 - Technology from Europe. In anticipation of European participation in the Offshore Technology Conference, World Oil presents a series of interviews with European industry pacesetters and case histories of successful technology applications. News Editor Henry Terrell interviewed Per Jahre Nilsen with Det Norske Veritas about Norwegian shelf development using lighter BOPs and well intervention equipment. Marta Wagrodzka of the Polish Ministry of the Environment discusses the government’s role in shale gas development. And David Anderson with the Scottish Development Authority explains how Scottish companies are exporting their North Sea expertise to new areas such as deepwater Brazil.