Companies in the news

Norway’s largest and longest pipeline, laid by the vessel Saipem Castorone, has reached Johan Sverdrup field. The 36-in. pipeline extends 176 mi from the Mongstad oil terminal outside Bergen to the giant field in the North Sea. This project involved around 600 people, who helped weld over 23,000 pipes, which will support 660,000 bopd. The Saipem Castorone began pipelaying operations at Mongstad in second-quarter 2018. With the oil pipeline installed, Saipem Castorone is now getting ready for the next stage—laying the 97-mi gas pipeline that will extend from Johan Sverdrup field to the Statpipe pipeline, from which gas will eventually be shipped to Kårstø. The pipeline installation operations are expected to be completed during the autumn. 

Saudi Aramco has awarded the first large-scope integrated services contract for its Marjan oilfield to Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE). This is the first of three major offshore expansions in Saudi Arabia, and the company’s largest upstream development project this year. Under the contract’s terms, BHGE will provide drilling services, coiled tubing services and drilling fluids engineering services at Marjan. The project is scheduled to begin in third-quarter 2018. 

Vedanta Ltd has discovered natural gas in the Krishna Godavari basin, in the Bay of Bengal. In a regulatory filing, the company, which had merged recently with Cairn India, said it notified the oil industry and the upstream regulator, Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, about the discovery in well A3-2, in Block KG-OSN-2009/3. Vedanta holds a 100% participating interest in the block.

Petrobras has awarded Aker Solutions a contract to provide maintenance and modification services for nine platforms at oil and gas fields in the Campos basin, offshore Brazil. The Campos basin extends approximately 100,000 km². The three-year contract is valued at more than $60 million and includes options for a two-year extension. Aker will be renovating, repairing and upgrading offshore production units for Petrobras’ Campos basin operational unit. 

Faroe Petroleum has farmed into the UK Continental Shelf’s Agar Plantain exploration and appraisal well, close to the UK/Norwegian median line, and operated by Azinor Catalyst Limited. The exploration prospect will be drilled first, followed by a contingent sidetrack to appraise Agar oil field. Operator volumes in Agar and Plantain have been estimated by Catalyst at a combined mid-case resource of 60 MMboe, with an upside case of 98 MMboe. Drilling on Agar Plantain is scheduled to commence in third-quarter 2018 using the Transocean Leader at a total estimated gross cost of $15 million.  Faroe joins Catalyst (25% and operator) and Cairn Energy plc (50%) in this sole-risk well, the results of which will be announced on completion of drilling operations. Faroe’s equity interest in this well is 25%.

Tenaris unveiled its newest service center in Grande Prairie, Alberta, to better support customers in Western Canada. The Grande Prairie service
center is the company’s first greenfield pipe yard in Canada and is a $20-million, multi-phase investment.

Maersk Supply Service completed FSO tow and installation for Culzean field, and hook-up of the Ailsa FSO was completed successfully. This marks the final step of the FSO transportation and installation. The project has been delivered to Total E&P UK. Eight service vessels and crew carried out the marine operations. Advanced capabilities of two newbuild M-class anchor handling tug supply vessels were utilized throughout the project. With its large deck, chain lockers and winches, the tensioning of 12 50-ton anchors was performed from Maersk Master in just two vessel mobilizations, achieving the highest tensioned mooring system in the North Sea at 723 tons. Installation of 12 140-mm mooring chains and sheathed wires from Maersk Minder also was completed in two mobilizations. 

Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE), has received a three-year extension to a subsea services frame agreement with Equinor for its operations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. BHGE will provide support for several installations, including Troll, Snorre B and Tordis/Vigdis. Services support will be provided locally by BHGE’s Stavanger facility.

BCCK Holding Company has opened a new office in The Woodlands, north of Houston. The office is located at 2201 Timberloch Place, Suite 175,
The Woodlands, Texas 77380, giving the company access to a large pool of engineering talent, and the ability to create more jobs.

Azinam Limited, the Seacrest Capital Group-backed Namibian explorer, has entered into an agreement with ExxonMobil Namibia Limited to acquire a 30% interest in petroleum exploration license (PEL) 44, offshore Namibia. Azinam will retain a 12.5% interest, with Maurel & Prom, the license operator, retaining its current 42.5% equity interest and Namibian partners NAMCOR, Livingstone Mining, and Frontier Minerals also retaining their carried interests of 8%, 4% and 3%, respectively. PEL 44 is in the Walvis basin and covers an area of 2,209 mi², in water depths ranging from less than 985 ft to over 8,200 ft. In addition, Azinam Limited has acquired a 40% operating interest in Block 3B/4B and a 51% operating interest in Nearshore Block 3B/4B in the Orange basin, offshore South Africa, with Ricocure (Pty) Ltd retaining 60% and 49% in the blocks, respectively. The acquisition marks a new country entry for Azinam. The license areas of the two blocks cover 7,154 mi² in aggregate with Block 3B/4B, located between 75 and 155 mi offshore South Africa.

BW Offshore achieved first oil from the BW Adolo FPSO during third-quarter 2018, 18 months after the initial investment was made in the Dussafu license, offshore Gabon. The vessel arrived in Gabon during third-quarter 2018, and hook-up of mooring systems, installation of risers and umbilicals was completed in third-quarter 2018. The FPSO is installed on Tortue field, one of five proven discoveries in the Dussafu license. The BW Adolo is a converted VLCC, with a production capacity of 40,000 bopd. The vessel has undergone an increased life extension scope, enabling an extended production profile on the back of positive reserve developments.