October 2002
Columns
What's new in production
Offshore prospects look good. Energy analysts Douglas-Westwood and data specialists Infield Systems of the UK say the offshore industry should enjoy steady growth over the next five years, and the longer-term prospects are looking even better as the potential for higher oil prices grows. However, the growth is mainly seen to be outside the North Sea, where reserve sizes of new field developments are now "very small." Considering global offshore prospects, Infield notes that there were "a total 2,384 fields under consideration for future development worldwide, which could involve 1,587 fixed platforms, 232 floating production systems, 138,000 km of pipelines and 30,000 km of umbilical cables."
