The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has announced two public workshops to discuss the Voluntary Confidential Near-Miss Reporting System. The workshops, which were scheduled for April 22 in Los Angeles and April 24 in Houston, were to include presentations by BSEE and the US Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), with questions taken afterward.
The workshops were expected to give the offshore oil and gas industry, other stakeholders, and the public an opportunity to discuss the Voluntary Confidential Near-Miss Reporting System and contribute to the development of the system.
"The Voluntary Confidential Near-Miss Reporting System has the potential to help prevent catastrophic incidents that endanger lives and the environment," said BSEE Director Brian Salerno. "However the tool is only as good as the information provided. We will need to gather input from the offshore industry on how to design a system that will yield maximum value for overall safety improvements."
BSEE and BTS signed an interagency agreement in November 2013 to develop the Voluntary Confidential Near-Miss Reporting System for use on the Outer Continental Shelf. BTS will maintain control of the individual confidential reports. Progress reports, trends analyses, and aggregated data will be developed by BTS and made publicly available on the BTS website. The BTS reports will enable BSEE to work with the offshore oil and gas industry as a whole to identify important trends and enhance safety across all operations.
The identity of individuals and companies who submit reports will be completely confidential and protected under the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act, legally protecting them from disclosure and from release under the Freedom of Information Act.
Rig utilization update
Total mobile rig utilization in the GoM was 65.4% according to RigData's weekly report ofoffshore drilling plans, well permits, and rig locations dated March 31, 2014. That figure remained unchanged from the week prior, with 70 of 107 rigs under contract or committed for work. Utilization of the marketed rig fleet, which excludes cold stacked and other rigs that are along the Gulf Coast but not marketed in the US Gulf, also remained the same at 85.4%, with 70 of 82 units under contract.
Utilization of the jackup fleet also remained at 58.2%, with 32 of 55 units under contract. Marketed rig utilization remained unchanged at 84.2%, with 32 of 38 units under contract.
Floating rig utilization also remained unchanged for the week at 73.1%, with 38 of 52 units under contract. Marketed utilization remained unchanged at 86.4%, with 38 of 44 units under contract or committed for work.
Total platform rig fleet utilization remained unchanged at 65.9%, with 27 of 41 units under contract. Marketed utilization remained unchanged at 81.8%, with 27 of 33 units under contract or committed for work.
New exhibit to showcase offshore history
Those interested in the history, pioneers, and technological advances of the offshore drilling industry can learn more at a new interactive exhibit called "Offshore Drilling: The Promise of Discovery," which will be on display March 31, 2014, through Feb. 1, 2015, at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University.
The exhibit focuses on the history, current developments, and future of offshore drilling, with an emphasis on the work of George Bush, emerging technologies, and ongoing research at Texas A&M University.
"President Bush was an entrepreneurial Texas oilman, first in Midland-Odessa then later in Houston and offshore in theGulf of Mexico. This exhibit is an ambitious undertaking for our museum and staff, reflecting the ambition and enormous scale of the offshore industry itself," said Bush Library and Museum Director Warren Finch.
With Shell as title sponsor and supporting sponsorships from Ensco, Schlumberger, Move Resource Group, and the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation, the exhibit covers all aspects of the search for oil offshore, with a special look at the geology of finding oil, focusing on exploration of the Gulf of Mexico. Industry pioneers recount their personal experiences. Visitors will be taken from start to finish — from developing the "play" to platform production — via an interactive display.
"The offshore oil and gas industry has gone from zero to 10,000 ft of water depth in the past 100 years, a journey full of amazing achievements by courageous individuals and organizations committed to bringing us energy to run our daily lives," said John Hollowell, executive vice president for Deep Water, Shell Upstream Americas. "We're honored to help sponsor this inspiring exhibit that showcases our journey from humble beginnings all the way to today's technologically sophisticated deepwater industry."
Expertise for the exhibit has been provided by the library's partnerships withOffshore magazine; the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig Museum; Texas A&M University through the College of Geosciences, Petroleum Engineering, Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, Department of Oceanography and Offshore Technology Research; LeTourneau University; and 20 lenders from industry. Industry experts and guest speakers will highlight various aspects of offshore drilling at monthly issues forums at the library and museum.
For more information about the exhibit, go to bushlibrary.tamu.edu/offshore. The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is part of the National Archives and Records Administration's Presidential Libraries system. For more information go to bushlibrary.tamu.edu.
Shell expands GoM portfolio
Shell says it is continuing to build upon a strong position in the central Gulf of Mexico and is the apparent high bidder on four blocks during the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Lease Sale 231.
Shell bid on a total of eight blocks and exposed approximately $100,000,000. Shell was the apparent high bidder on four blocks, totaling approximately $45,543,721, including a key block that will consolidate Shell's position in the greater Appomattox/Vicksburg area. Shell continues exploration of the Norphlet play on the basis of its promising giant Appomattox and adjacent Vicksburg discoveries.
Cameron to provide BOP for Freeport-McMoran
Cameron has secured a contract from Freeport-McMoRan Oil & Gas to supply a 25,000 psi blowout preventer stack and 25,000 psi manifold, according to Energy Business Review. The report says that Freeport-McMoRan has decided to place this second order with Cameron for high-pressure activity planned to begin in 2015, after successful and extensive use in the Gulf of Mexico.
