First Oil
A truly remarkable feat was achieved on April 28, when the Allseas single-lift installation, decommissioning and pipelay vessel, Pioneering Spirit, set a world lifting record by removing the topsides of Shell UK’s Brent Delta platform from the North Sea. Removed in one piece, the 24,000-tonne topsides are the word’s heaviest, single offshore lift in history.
Shell says that the Delta topsides were transported to the Able UK Seaton Port yard in Hartlepool, where at least 97% of the material will be recycled. It is anticipated that it could take between 12 and 18 months to fully dismantle and recycle the topsides. Previously, Able yard has worked on several oil and gas decommissioning projects, including BP’s North West Hutton platform.
The Brent Delta platform had been in operation for 40 years, and its topsides removal generated some interesting statistics. The topsides weigh the same as 2,000 London buses and stand as high as the London Eye. Yet, the Pioneering Spirit took just 10 seconds to lift those topsides before placing them on its deck. And for perspective, the lift vessel is the same length as six jumbo jets.
Venezuelan mess continues. It is truly depressing to see how badly the situation in Venezuela has deteriorated. What was once a proud, vigorous country has been brought to its knees economically by a ruthless President Nicolas Maduro. While he now tries to re-write the Venezuelan constitution to his advantage, his gang of corrupt, thuggish associates continues to plunder the treasury and steal the country’s lifeblood. The result is massive shortages of food, toilet paper, medicine and (can you believe it?) gasoline.
Venezuelan oil production is down to 2.1 MMbpd, and one has to wonder how long it will be before that output implodes. To their credit, U.S. senators from both parties are advocating sanctions against Maduro’s regime. For more on Venezuela’s upstream sector, please see Associate Editor Emily Querubin’s Latin American Regional Report on page 48.
Zinke strikes an impressive pose. What a difference a new administration can make for U.S. oil and gas policy. Gone is the arrogance and heavy-handedness of the Obama administration, replaced by a “how can we help” attitude exuded by the Trump White House. The upstream-friendly approach is exhibited by not only President Trump, but by Energy Secretary Rick Perry (the former Texas governor) and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke (the former Montana congressman and former Navy SEAL).
Zinke has been quite visible during the early days of Trump laying out his aggressive energy development plans. In fact, Zinke was at OTC on May 3, touring the show floor, attending some meetings, and delivering a set of remarks that afternoon. At the latter event, he also signed two secretarial orders that are geared toward increasing U.S. offshore energy potential and improving the national economy.
But it is Zinke’s demeanor that leaves a lasting impression. Too often, his predecessor, Sally Jewel, despite holding a mechanical engineering degree and working three years in this industry, came across as edgy and adversarial, accompanied by a “we know better” arrogance. In contrast, Zinke comes across as relaxed, confident and eager, with a sincere desire to be helpful. “Without energy, you can’t keep your promises,” he says, referring to the Trump agenda of boosting the economy. “It is better to produce energy in this country, under regulation, that to watch energy being produced in other countries without regulation. I don’t want your children to have to go to war, ever, over a resource.”
The secretary told an OTC audience that he doesn’t want the U.S. to be just energy-independent. “There’s a difference between independent and dominant,” he explained. “We’re in a position to be energy-dominant.” Asked how it is to work for Trump, Zinke replied without hesitation, “The President is a great boss. He doesn’t micro-manage.” 
