OFFSHORE EUROPE

Offshore Europe 2001 focuses on mature-field technologies

The Offshore Europe 2001 Exhibition and Conference will be held September 4 – 7, at the Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre, Ellon Road, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, Scotland. Offshore Europe, first held in 1973, and presented biennially since, attracts 25,000 visitors from 70 countries. More than 18,500 m² of exhibition space has been booked, to handle 1,800 exhibitors, 400 of whom are from overseas. New this year are an e-zone and a new U.S. Pavilion, plus country groups from the Faroes, South America, Russia and China. Twelve international pavilions display international technology. Exhibits are open each day, until 4 p.m. Friday.

The Conference program, ongoing along with the exhibition, except on Friday the 7th, opens with a keynote session and during three days, in three separate rooms, presents: six technical paper sessions with accompanying poster presentations, five panel debates, three roundtable discussions and one roundtable debate. The Conference program is further detailed below.

Offshore Europe 2001 convenes September 4 – 7 at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, featuring management roundtable discussions, panel debates, technical paper presentations and exhibits by 1,800 companies representing 20 countries.

This year’s Conference Chairman Alan Curran, Director Kerr-McGee North Sea (U.K.) Ltd., extends his invitation to participate in the largest oil and gas event outside the U.S., and enhance knowledge / experience exchange throughout our industry. "As a committee, we believe the Conference theme, ‘Sharp shooting the remaining potential’ encapsulates the approach required for future success," Curran says. In addition to Curran’s Conference Committee, six technical committees comprising nearly 40 operating / service company and contractor personnel organized the program.

The keynote session, chaired by Curran, will take the Conference theme as its discussion topic. Participating in the program are Luke Corbett, CEO, Kerr McGee; Sir Ian Wood, Chairman, Wood Group; and Lord Colin Moynihan, Chairman, Consort Energy. Short presentations will be made by each speaker. A roundtable discussion will continue, giving the audience a chance to participate with questions to the panel.

Panel Debates

The five panel debates will present timely subjects and varying viewpoints of four to six active industry participants, as described below and listed in the accompanying table. The three-hour sessions will allow thorough development of each speaker’s message.

The changing face of the North Sea. Managed by Dave Workman (Tuscan Energy) and Brian Taylor (KCA Drilling), the panel includes: Bruce Dingwall (Venture Production), Alasdair Locke (Abbot Group), Paul Willcocks (Harrison Lovegrove Assoc.), Steve Marshall (BP Scotland) and Tom Botts (Shell U.K. E&P). This discussion is intended to stimulate "healthy controversy" around such topics as: large vs. small operator; area operatorships, dream or reality; infrastructure ownership; industry regulation – is present regulation appropriate; and fallow discoveries, how best to extract value.

Winning the talent war. The industry faces a challenging future, and to meet the vision for 2010 set out by the Oil & Gas Industry Task Force will require a highly skilled, well trained and motivated workforce. This session will present the challenges facing industry based on the plan produced by OPITO and will hear from major employers. The session will be chaired by Professor Bill Stevely (Robert Gordon University). Mike Salter (Abbott Group) will overview current, issues-based labor market information. Andy Bostock (Dana Petroleum) will provide an independent company’s view of possible threats from skills shortages. Evelyn MacLean (Halliburton) will give a contractors view on emerging technologies. And Jane Richardson (Electronics Scotland) will offer a view from a major industry facing similar challenges in finding talent.

E-business: the power of E in E&P. Established companies are being challenged by upstarts with new business models. Technology and the Internet is changing our thinking and our workplace, but is this the panacea? The discussion will summarize the rise of technology and its impact, with case histories. Moderator Bill Green (Teamfuel.com) will coordinate speakers Tim Morrison (Shell Internet Works), Steve Peacock (BP’s worldwide Upstream Business), Cormac O’Reilly (Celerant Consulting) and a representative from Microsoft, as they analyze and discuss this timely topic.

Oil and gas field technology: Too much or too little. The panel comprising: Brent Cheshire (Amerada Hess E&P), Kenny Lang (BP), Helge Haldorsen (Norsk Hydro) and John Darley (Shell Technology E&P) is led by Andrew Gould (Schlumberger) in probing this challenging topic. The last 10 years have probably seen the most rapid advancement in theoretical / practical application of science in industry’s history, including: 4-component seismic, coiled tubing drilling, reservoir simulation on parallel processing machines, multilateral well technology / intelligent wells, and subsea separation. A challenge now is how to implement new technology in the field. This forum will examine the drivers on both sides of the industry, operators and service companies, asking and answering specific questions on technology identification, implementation, application balance between risks and drivers and, what is the way forward?

Vision 2020. With the UKCS industry at a critical turning point in its more than 30-year long history, there is a well established "hunger" to look ahead as to what the next decades may look like. This roundtable session is designed to meet that demand. The objective is to have industry leaders share their visions of the medium to long-term future of the UK / European E&P industry from a number of perspectives, in the broader global / societal context, reflecting on possible future business environments rather than ways to overcome current barriers to get there. The participants will include: leader Stephen Boyle (The Royal Bank of Scotland), Alex Salmond (Member of Parliament for Banff & Buchan), Paul Sullivan (Shell E&P Technology Applications and Research), a representative from a major operator and Mike Wagstaff (Venture Production).

Roundtable Discussions

The Conference further investigates important management topics through three roundtable discussions and one roundtable debate, as summarized below and listed in the accompanying table. The format provides for presentation of a topic and ensuing discussion by groups (tables) of industry experts led by high-profile industry figures.

Unlocking value through new relationships. As the North Sea enters maturity, industry has been challenged to maximize recovery and improve efficiency while protecting the environment and improving safety. In response, industry and governments have developed new relationships and cooperation to unlock value and ensure the future health of the North Sea. PILOT was established in the UK in January 2000 and KON-KRAFT in Norway last autumn, both to provide strategic leadership and allow the two sectors to retain their leading positions as active centers in E & D.

Workshop themes include: 1) PILOT and KON-KRAFT, how successful have they been and what are the key lessons learned from the collaboration; 2) what next for industry / governments / service sector cooperation; 3) what is the European dimension; and 4) what value can be unlocked from developing relationships across the North Sea. The session chair is Mary Shafer-Malicki (BP). Panel speakers include: Malcolm Brinded, PILOT Member and Chairman (Shell U.K. Ltd); a representative from the Norwegian Oil / Gas Ministry; Kjell Erik, (Schlumberger, Norway); and a representative from the UK Oil / Gas Ministry.

Meeting the skills challenge in well engineering. Developing small fields and the difficulties of mature field production mean that technology is now critical to the future viability of the UKCS. This roundtable event will open with a presentation on recent research (Skills Foresight and Sector Workforce Development Plan), which highlights the skills issues faced by the oil / gas industry. This will be followed by a presentation from a recent graduate entrant to the industry. Participants will then break into discussion groups led by a facilitator knowledgeable in each area. Individual groups return to a plenary session with no more than three key activities as their contribution to an overall action plan. The session would agree on an outline action plan and secure commitments from individuals to further develop this plan. Session managers are Brian Taylor (KCA Drilling) and John Ramsay (OPITO). Participants were yet to be named.

Environment – sustainability: Has the offshore industry grasped the nettle? Since the 1987 Brundtland report defined sustainability as "a form of development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs," industry has struggled to make sense of its role as an extractive industry in terms of sustainability. This roundtable discussion, billed as a "debate," will examine industry’s response to the challenge of sustainability and seek to address issues such as: does current thinking match the intent of the Brundtland definition; can industry engage sustainability issues effectively; will alternative sources meet gross demands for energy; does oil / gas have a long-term, sustainable future; when is the right time to act. Session manager is Simon Harbord (Conoco). Participants were not yet announced.

Health and safety: Actions speak louder than words. Session Chairman Donald Taylor (Kerr McGee) will lead six presentations covering the selected topic. The keynote address by a speaker, not yet announced, will discuss and introduce: STEP Change through to revitalization. The topic will be further developed by three speakers: Mike Milner (STEP Change Coordinator), Jim Keech (BP) and Ian Morrison (Shell U.K.), discussing occupational safety, health initiatives and major accidents (hydrocarbon leaks), respectively. Two other presenters, Roison Johnson (DNV) and Ged Adams (Leadon Development), cover integrating human factors into FPSO design; and Kenneth Findlay (Offshore Safety Division) discusses an integrated approach to using audit and inspection techniques as a part of health and safety management. This program is accompanied by two poster presentations, presenting SPE papers on benchmarking human and organizational factors, and improving competence management.

Technical Sessions

In addition to the above described panels and roundtable discussions, six technical sessions and accompanying poster sessions will present a total of 60 SPE papers, beginning Tuesday afternoon and running through Thursday. The technical sessions are categorized by operational coverage in the accompanying table. Highlights of each session are noted here.

Exploration, geology and geophysics. Tuesday 2 p.m – 5 p.m. Following a keynote presentation by Simon Tool (UK Dept. of Trade & Industry) on UKCS exploration, authors from five major oil companies and a contractor present SPE papers representing timely technology / case history projects. Included are: the Cook project; enhanced depth imaging combining tensor gradiometry; impact of volume interpretation and visualization on upstream business; true 4-D-ready seismic with Q-marine; and time lapse reservoir evaluation in Shell’s Central North Sea fields. The session is co-chaired by Wouter Hoogeveen (Shell U.K. E&P) and Karen Leadbitter (Enterprise Oil). An accompanying poster session displays three SPE papers covering the session theme.

Field development, redevelopment. Tuesday 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. Six SPE papers present five specific offshore field developments and a technical treatise on offshore gas-to-solids technology. For the particular fields, Reservoir Management Ltd. / Global Marine Integrated Services / Talisman North Sea discuss the Beauly oil field marginal discovery. BP and Conoco cover joint development of dual-operated Bell field. The Brigantine marginal gas field is discussed by Shell U.K. E&P. ExxonMobil covers Buckland. And BP reviews the Foinaven development. The session is co-chaired by Alistair MacLeod and Nicola Gordon, ExxonMobil and Shell U.K. E&P, respectively. An accompanying poster session displays four SPE papers featuring relevant technology developments / applications.

Reservoir management. Wednesday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Peter Leach (Brovig RDS) and Nitin Shrimanker (BP) co-chair a session of five SPE paper presentations, preceded by a keynote address on reservoir management / technology by Howard Mayson (BP). The papers include North Cormorant small target hunting (Shell U.K. E&P); targeting remaining reserves in Gryphon (Kerr McGee and Trace Editors); and the ETAP Heron Cluster HPHT reservoir (Shell U.K. E&P). BP and the Norwegian University of Science & Technology discuss the role of 4-D seismic in sustaining the North Sea; and IFP authors cover an integrated test study on production scheme optimization with "uncertain" reservoir management. The accompanying poster session presents four SPE papers, including two case studies on Bell and Schiehallion fields and three technology applications.

Production and facilities: "Intelligent" assets. Wednesday 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. In an SPE-paper session strongly representing the growing technology of "intelligent well" applications, three of five presentations deal specifically with this topic. Shell authors discuss IW technology in mature assets; ABB Offshore covers subsea production control systems; and Schlumberger / Norsk Hydro present a model-based approach to IW completions in the Ness formation. BP talks about innovative technology leveraging value; and Halliburton discusses data management systems to improve well testing. The session is co-chaired by Shell’s Leo Roodhart and Kate Gibbons (Halliburton). The accompanying nine-paper poster session includes five SPE papers related to intelligent well completions, plus presentations of fiber optics, downhole completions (2) and marginal field development.

Well engineering. Thursday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Co-chairmen Brian Taylor (KCA Drilling) and Chris Kuyken (Shell U.K. E&P) lead a six-SPE-paper session presenting a variety of drilling and development related reviews. In four, drilling-related presentations: 1) E2 Tech / Shell discuss development of an in situ solid expandable liner; 2) Sperry Sun / Halliburton / Norsk Hydro describe a multilateral system for Troll field; 3) Statoil authors overview key environmental drilling performance indicators; and 4) Baker Hughes INTEQ shows how rotary closed-loop drilling increases efficiency. Shell U.K. E&P/KCA Drilling discuss a Cormorant North well development in a mature field; and ITF discusses JIP use to accelerate high-risk technology implementation. Two poster presentations present through-tubing rotary drilling and use of rotary steerable / LWD for precise well placement.

Brown field development, decommissioning. Thursday 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. The final technical session of the Conference, co-chaired by Alan MacAskill (Talisman UK) and Gordon Stirling (Wood Group Engineering), starts with a keynote overview by David Gair (BP), followed by four field case histories and a regulatory initiative report. BP talks about Forties, the area’s biggest new field; Shell U.K. discusses sand management during Brent depressuring; TotalFinaElf describes value creation at Alwyn; and Amerada Hess authors describe Fife field rejuvenation. UKOOA’s Drill Cuttings Initiative: Phase 2 is discussed by Shell U.K. and DNV authors. The accompanying 5-paper poster presentation covers a variety of technical concepts, including subsea well abandonment, subsea field decommissioning; Texaco Captain UTM tree / wellhead, hydraulic fracturing for reservoir management, and perforating / gravel packing for high-rate gas wells.

Offshore Europe 2001 is organized by the Offshore Europe Partnershp LTD., a partnership between PGI Spearhead and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Additional information on registration and updated programing can be found on the website: www.offshore-europe.co.uk.