Archive  February 1998 Vol. 219 No. 2  Drilling

J. John Grow,  Engineering Editor

New wave in handling old story

How to organize time and resources to get the most bang for your buck appears to be a never-ending story for all oil and gas professionals. This is especially true for today's industry, where companies expect more technical proficiency than ever before. Professional organizations once again are rising to the challenge of keeping pace with change while trying to accommodate all those who are willing to put in the effort and time to stay updated.

During November 1997, an organizational meeting was held for just such a purpose, when the Drilling Council of Professional Societies (Drilling COPS) assembled. The meeting's purpose was to provide a network for promoting coordination and communication of activities, as well as facilitating collaborative efforts among drilling-related professional organizations to increase the entire community's effectiveness. The meeting audience included 22 participants representing the leadership of the American Association of Drilling Engineers (AADE), Drilling Engineering Association (DEA), Gas Research Institute (GRI), API, IADC, SPE, DeepStar, and West Side Deepwater Study Group (WSDWSG).

These drilling industry needs were identified:

• A central drilling calendar needs to be developed to help individuals prioritize activities and assist organizations in scheduling events.
• Professional organizations need to focus on their role / mission and eliminate overlap with other organizations.
• Professional organization contacts need to be established to evaluate possible synergies among groups.
• The forward plan devised includes:
• Create an interactive, electronic calendar. TIPRO has volunteered to develop / coordinate such a calendar which will have a near-term focus on Gulf Coast drilling activities with hot links to each organization's web page, designated contacts and events registration.
• Name interim council representatives who are responsible for development of the calendar.
• Evaluate other opportunities to collaborate, such as networking and chat rooms.

Can anyone top this? EEX Corp., formerly Enserch Exploration, Inc., has landed a 7-in. casing liner in a Gulf of Mexico well and believes that this is a record for the area. There are statistics that indicate deeper-drilled wells exist but none indicate that casing was set. The well data is as follows: well, OCS-G 10350 No. 1 Sidetrack; area, Garden Banks Block 386; rig, Diamond Offshore Ocean Voyager.

A string of 7-in., 35-lb, P-110, SULX casing was set at 25,145 ft (24,319 ft TVD); hole size was 8½-in. to 25,342 ft (24,512 ft TVD); mud weight, 14.4 ppg; liner top, 17,197 ft; date set, 12/17/97 @ 22:00 hr.

Is this a new record in the OCS Gulf area? If not please contact / e-mail me at growj@gulfpub.com

Other innovations. Emsco has introduced the first 5,000-hp-rated, gear-driven drawworks with 2-million-lb hookload capacity. The system is applicable for deepwater operations (20,000 ft and greater) requiring heavy drilling, casing and riser loads. Also presented (among an array of other products and services) at Continental Emsco's "Tap the Technology" open house, was another first, a 60½-in. drilling rotary table, rated at a capacity of 1,000 t under dead load.

Parker closes on Hercules acquisition. Parker Drilling has completed its purchase of Hercules Offshore Corp. and Hercules Rig Corp. Hercules Offshore, a Houston-based offshore drilling contractor, was owned by Trenergy (Malaysia) BHD, while Hercules Rig was owned by private Malaysian interests. The purchase includes seven jackup rigs and three self-erecting platform rigs operating in the Gulf of Mexico. All rigs are under contract except one jackup that is being refurbished. Hercules is Parker's fourth major acquisition in the past 13 months. The Tulsa-based company acquired two offshore niche companies, Mallard Drilling and Quail Tools, in November 1996, and Bolivia's largest drilling contractor, Bolifor SA, in August 1997.

International news. Anadarko and Agip signed exploration agreements to partner on ventures already underway by both companies in Africa. Anadarko will get 50% of Agip's interest in Tunisia's Jenein Nord Block and Agip gets 30% interest in Zula Block in Eritrea's Red Sea. Anadarko Eritrea Co., a wholly owned subsidiary, has exploration rights to Zula and Edd Blocks in the Red Sea, offshore Eritrea.

Kerr-McGee's CFD 2-1-4 appraisal well on Block 04/36 in Bohai Bay, China, had a calculated flow of 2,992 bpd of 36°API oil and 3.7 MMcfg, from perforations between 12,140 and 12,336 ft. No formation water was recovered during testing. Total depth was 13,120 ft. This well is the third consecutive appraisal of the CFD 2-1-1 discovery that tested about 7,000 bpd in June 1996.

Another exploratory test to evaluate a large, pre-tertiary, buried hill prospect located about 4-mi west-northwest of CFD 2-1-1 is planned. Also, a 3-D seismic program is being conducted over the CFD 2-1-1 area. This survey, combined with data from the appraisal wells, will provide a model for further evaluation of several additional buried hill prospects on Block 04/36.

Correction: In the column "What's happening in drilling" January 1998, it was said that: Global Marine Inc. has 13 rigs undergoing upgrades in shipyards, and 23 are on order as newbuilds or conversions. The statement should have read: Global Marine has said there are 13 rigs undergoing upgrades in shipyards, and 23 are on order as newbuilds or conversions. . . . Apologies.

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