Companies in the news

GE Oil & Gas has signed a partnership agreement with the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, aiming to strengthen the performance of the nation’s energy sector by providing advanced equipment, technology and maintenance of the ministry’s assets. The agreement, which is the first of its kind, aims to enhance operational efficiency of all assets of the Ministry, and promote sustainable growth of the nation’s economy. GE and the Ministry of Oil also have agreed to partner on an end-to-end solution to reduce gas flaring in Iraqi oil fields, and use it for power generation. The partnership was signed by Fayadh Hassan Nima (right), deputy minister of oil, and Rami Qasem (left), president and CEO of GE Oil & Gas, MENA and Turkey. Photo: GE Oil & Gas.

Schlumberger has agreed to acquire coiled tubing drilling and CT units from Xtreme Drilling and Coil Services Corp., a Calgary-based provider of international land drilling and coiled tubing drilling services. The trans-action is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the third quarter. The addition of this CT technology to the Schlumberger portfolio will be a key enabler for future advances in drilling efficiency, particularly in challenging land-based environments.

Proserv has been awarded a contract by Statoil for the provision of production control equipment in Norway. The company will supply five wellhead hydraulic power units (HPUs) for Gullfaks field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea (pictured), which is undergoing an extensive topside upgrade program. The design, manufacture and supply of the work scope will be carried out by Proserv’s specialist engineering and project teams in Stavanger. Work has begun already on the manufacturing of these systems. All five are expected to be delivered by 2017. Photo: Øyvind Hagenm, Statoil.

Gazprom Neft and Wintershall Holding have signed a cooperation agreement for conducting research into enhanced oil recovery (EOR), aimed at maintaining or increasing oil production from mature fields. Both companies have agreed to launch a joint R&D project that will deploy chemical flooding technology, in conjunction with surfactant and polymer solutions. Additionally, it will include the preparation of a related technical feasibility study, which is expected to take several years. A joint technical working group will conduct laboratory testing, reservoir modeling and field investigations to identify the most suitable combination of surfactant agents and polymers for deployment in Gazprom’s
oil fields.

A 3.75% working interest in the Tuba Obi East (TOE) Technical Assistance Contract—in the South Sumatran basin, approximately 30 km northwest of Jambi City in Jambi province, Sumatra—has been acquired by Northcote Energy. This is in line with the company’s participation agreement with Andalas Energy & Power, which is farming into a 30% interest in TOE. It is an entry point for Andalas into the attractive Indonesian gas and power sector.

Xodus Group has been awarded a framework agreement by Lundin Norway to provide engineering studies and verification services for its NCS developments. The agreement is for four years, with a potential two-year extension. The agreement includes technical capabilities, such as concept screening, feasibility studies and concept selection, as well as pre-engineering, subsea and facilities, including modifications, debottlenecking and process optimization studies.

Hydratight has expanded its market coverage, after parent company Actuant Corp. completed a $60-million deal to acquire the MENAC division of FourQuest Energy. The Hydratight brand now includes 140 engineers, field technicians and support personnel, as well as additional services, including chemical cleaning, hydro-testing, oil flushing, air/steam blowing, nitrogen/helium leak testing services and pipeline pre-commissioning. Hydratight now has 1,400 employees globally, serving customers from 33 locations.

Technip has signed a four-year extension of its five-year initial contract with Petrobras SA for its Flexible Pipes Logistic Base (BAVIT), in Vitória, Brazil. The scope of work covered in the contract includes storage, handling, inspection, testing, load-out, internal cleaning and maintenance of flexible pipes. The base has a 300-t handling capacity, storage capacity for 220 reels, and serves as the main load-out point for all pre-salt flexible pipes.

Aker Solutions and ABB have agreed to work together, to utilize their strengths in subsea, power and automation technologies, to develop solutions that will improve global oil and gas production. By integrating each company’s expertise, they expect to enhance how production equipment on the seafloor is powered and controlled by onshore or platform applications, which will lower costs and enable economically viable production further offshore. The collaboration will target opportunities globally, and will be headquartered in Oslo, Norway.

After Suncor Energy bought an additional stake from Murphy Oil Corp.’s Canadian subsidiary, it will now have a majority stake in the Syncrude Canada oil sands mine. Following the transaction, which is worth almost $794 million, Suncor will own 53.74% of the operation. The purchase follows Suncor’s takeover of Canadian Oil Sands Ltd., previously the largest shareholder of Syncrude.

Kosmos Energy has entered into a farm-out agreement with Hess Suriname Exploration Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hess Corporation, covering the Block 42 contract area offshore Suriname. Under the terms of the agreement, Hess will acquire a one-third, non-operated interest from both Chevron Corp. and Kosmos. Hess will fully fund the cost of a 6,500-km², 3D seismic survey, expected to begin in third-quarter 2016. Additionally, Hess will disproportionately fund a portion of the first exploration well in the area. Upon closing of the transaction, Kosmos, Chevron and Hess each hold a 33.33% interest in Block 42.

Wood Group has been awarded a three-year contract, extending its support of Shell’s UKCS offshore assets. This is the third contract Shell has awarded Wood Group this year. Under the agreement, Wood Group PSN (WGPSN) will continue delivering maintenance and construction services to Shearwater, Gannet, Nelson, Curlew, Brent Delta, Brent Alpha, Brent Bravo and Brent Charlie installations. Additionally, WGPSN will provide engineering modifications to the Brent Alpha, Brent Bravo and Brent Charlie platforms. Two, one-year extensions are included in the contract.