|
Vol. 226 No. 2 |
Schlumberger Oilfield Services and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) have extended the capabilities and functionality of DISKOS, the national and multi-company data repository for exploration and production-related data. DISKOS data and services are now available to all companies interested in investing or operating in the Norwegian continental shelf, through the Web at www.sinas.slb.com. Enhancements to the existing service include the addition of application service provision (ASP), integrated with the data provision to deliver more efficient oil and gas processes. The value of managed data has been enhanced additionally by the inclusion of the Expeditor pre-stack seismic data management system, which now manages 20 terabytes of pre-stack seismic data for DISKOS. The repository was established in 1994 by the NPD and four oil companies.
| |
 Sonsub successfully utilized and seal-tested the first ROV-installed deepwater elbow clamp in the Gulf of Mexico. Working off the HOS Innovator with the Innovator 09 ROV, the clamp was used to repair two holes on a 4-in. service line on a pipeline sled in 4,200-ft waters. Sonsub designed, manufactured, assembled and tested the required equipment used to facilitate the remote installation of the designed clamp, designed by Team Industrial Services. The company also performed systems integration and testing of the clamp, and designed installation procedures that enabled the ROV to float the 980-lb clamp onto the elbow, install and torque the bolts and pressure-test the clamp. Additionally, Sonsub designed and manufactured an epoxy injection system, which was successfully employed to inject the epoxy components into the clamp as a backup sealant on the repair, another first in the Gulf of Mexico.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kobe Steel Group has opened offices in Shanghai and Dubai. Products and services combine welding, iron, steel, aluminum and copper manufacturing technology with infrastructure, plant, machinery and construction machinery engineering. KOBELCO has an estimated market share of over 30% of worldwide crawler crane sales.
Honeywell has acquired the intellectual property of the HYSYS modeling software and the Operator Training Simulation (OTS) business from Aspen Technology Inc. The acquired technologies extend the capabilities of Honeywell’s Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS). Honeywell will develop, market and sell HYSYS as a process-modeling tool for steady-state simulation, design, performance monitoring, optimization and business planning. The company recently hired a number of HYSYS development staff from Aspen Technology.
Australia’s official trade-promotion agency, Austrade, has opened a new office in Houston, Texas. David Pinson, who has over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas exploration industry, is district manager. With the Australia United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) coming into effect in January 2005, and nearly 8,000 Australian companies already exporting to the US, expansion into Texas should generate more opportunities for Australian exporters.
Davis, California-based Schilling Robotics, LLC, has opened a regional office in Houston, Texas. Schilling Robotics designs and delivers the basic building blocks for subsea equipment operating in the world’s harshest environments. Schilling also has a North Sea office in Aberdeen.
Chesapeake Energy will acquire BRG Petroleum for $325 million. BRG assets overlap with existing Chesapeake acreage in Oklahoma, and expand the company’s presence in the Ark-La-Tex region. Current production from the assets is 30 MMcfe/d, and management is targeting an increase from the assets to 70 MMcfe/d by the end of 2006. Budgeted capital expenditures will increase by $50 million in 2005 and $100 million in 2006 to reflect additional drilling on the BRG assets.
An alliance has been signed between the Corpus Christi area office of the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the South Texas Exploration and Production Safety (STEPS) Network. The alliance gives an opportunity for OSHA and members of the oil and gas industry to come together through forums, roundtable discussions, meetings and conferences to discuss safety and health issues associated with production, drilling and transportation. The STEPS Network is an association of employers from several oil and gas companies who work together to promote safety and health. The alliance with OSHA is designed to raise awareness of oil- and gas-related hazards. OSHA has created more than 230 alliances with organizations committed to fostering safety and health in the workplace.
Montco Offshore, Inc., Golden Meadow, Louisiana, has ordered a second 245-ft-class liftboat, L/B KAYD, from Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. Like its predecessor, the L/B MYRTLE, the new vessel will be built in Lockport, with expected delivery September 2005. The basic difference between the two vessels is in the cranes and their increased lifting capacity. The three cranes, manufactured by Titan Industries, will include a port-bow-mounted primary crane with a 110-ft lattice boom rated for 175 tons; a starboard bow telescoping auxiliary crane rated for 40 tons with a boom that extends from 50 to 70 ft, and a 70-ft box boom crane mounted on the starboard stern rated for 25 tons. Equipped with 245-ft legs, the self-propelled floating platform will have the ability to work in water depths to 180 ft with a 15-ft air gap while lifting a total of 950 kips of variable load.
|
