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Vol. 226 No. 6 |
Chevron, Total and Schlumberger formed a joint initiative for research and development of thermal simulation technology to improve recovery efficiencies in heavy-oil reservoirs. The two-year collaborative project will use the newest reservoir-simulation technology, currently being developed by Chevron and Schlumberger under their research project named “Intersect.” At the center of the technology are parallel architecture and simulation algorithms, built to capitalize on advances in software and hardware technologies, parallel computing, advanced gridding and modern software engineering techniques. The results of the joint R&D will be commercialized by Schlumberger and subsequently made available to exploration and production operators as a part of its next generation of simulation software products.
Harken Energy Corp. subsidiary Gulf Energy Management Co. entered into an exploration and development agreement with Ohio Cumberland L.P., a Texas limited partnership, for the joint exploration and development of coalbed methane within the Cumberland Prospect area, consisting of approximately 400,000 acres in Guernsey, Noble, Muskingum, Washington and Morgan counties in Ohio. Harken Energy previously entered into a similar agreement for a 400,000-acre coalbed methane prospect in Indiana. The recent acquisition brings the company’s total coalbed methane prospect portfolio to 800,000 acres.
Expro International Group has acquired DHV International Inc., a supplier of downhole video services to the oil and gas industry. Based in Oxnard, Calif., DHV International provides a range of downhole video services through its Hawk-Eye III, Fibre-Optic and Slickline camera systems. Downhole video systems are used to diagnose wellbore problems quickly, for fluid entry surveys and as a fishing aid.
International land drilling contractor KCA DEUTAG is opening a Russian regional head office in Tyumen, Western Siberia, to manage and support the company’s onshore drilling operations in Russia. The company will retain a representative office in Moscow and a branch office in Nojabrsk in northern Siberia. In addition to offices, the complex will include a logistics center and a workshop for technical maintenance and equipment integration.
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The seabed logging company emgs launched its second seabed logging (SBL) survey vessel, the MV Atlantic Guardian. It contains all-new SBL equipment, including receivers with the latest technology, a newly upgraded source and a new and improved handling system. The survey vessel can handle the most severe conditions and can stay at sea for up to 40 days at a time. Currently, it is conducting SBL surveys for emgs clients offshore Norway. MV Atlantic Guardian joins emgs’ other SBL survey vessel, the MV GeoAngler, which completed a major SBL survey offshore West Africa for Woodside Energy.
Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corp. and Technip Offshore, Inc., received the Offshore Technology Conference Distinguished Achievement Award for companies. The award recognizes the partnership between Kerr-McGee and Technip in pioneering and delivering three generations of spar technology to the deepwater Gulf of Mexico during the past decade. The companies have developed a total of five production spars, using three different designs. Each is an integral part of Kerr-McGee’s hub-and-spoke strategy in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
PPL Shipyard, a subsidiary of Semb-Corp Marine, will construct a Baker Marine Pacific Class 375 deep drilling offshore jackup rig for Seatankers Management Co. Ltd. Construction of the rig is expected to take 31 months, with delivery scheduled for fourth-quarter 2007. The jackup will be equipped with a drilling package enabling it to drill high-pressure and high-temperature wells at 30,000 ft while operating in 375 ft of water. It has accommodations for 120 crew.
Schilling Robotics LLC of Davis, Calif., and Sub-Atlantic Ltd of Aberdeen, UK, have formed an alliance that pools the companies’ resources for sales, service, product development and marketing. The alliance will provide a wide range of subsea vehicles, vehicle components, and control systems from a single source. The two companies are also pooling their technical expertise to enhance existing products and develop new ones, and are reviewing each other’s facilities to see if customers can benefit from spares stocking at these locations. They will support products from bases in the UK, Norway, US (California and Texas), UAE, Russia, Japan and Australasia.
Chevron Corp. has donated to the American Geological Institute (AGI) thousands of miles of historic 2D and 3D seismic data covering offshore California and portions of the West Coast of the US. In conjunction, AGI partnered with the US Geological Survey (USGS) to place the data in a newly created repository called the “National Archive of Marine Seismic Surveys.” Researchers, marine geologists and environmental engineers will have easy access to the data through a website created by the USGS office. Chevron acquired seismic data to image and evaluate potential of the West Coast US continental shelf for oil and gas beginning in the 1960s.
Electrochem Commercial Power, a manufacturer of lithium battery packs and cells used in extreme environments, announced a distribution agreement with Joint Sensor Instruments (Shenzhen) Ltd, a manufacturer of pressure transducers, transmitters, load cells and strain gauges in China. The distribution agreement between Electrochem and Joint Sensor will improve the availability of Electrochem cells for Asian-based oil and gas projects.
HAMPCO Group agreed to acquire 75% of ODS International of Houston, Texas, and Brazil, a provider of pipe-handling products and services, for $3.2 million, half in ordinary shares and half in cash. HAMPCO Group provides products and services to the North Sea oil industry, including complete drilling packages, subsystems, mechanical handling products and consulting.
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