People
Noble Corp. has namedThomas Mitchell senior VP, CFO, treasurer, and controller of the company, effective Nov. 6. Mitchell fills a position previously held by Mark A. Jackson.
IFP has appointedOlga Vizika as the new director of the reservoir engineering division. She will be replacing Vincent Richard.
AlMansoori Specialized Engineering (MSE) has appointedStephen Maharaj as the new general manager of the company. Maharaj will be in charge of developing MSE’s recently expanded services in Southeast Asia from its base in Bangkok, Thailand.
International subsea engineering company MCS has appointedAndrew Wylie as riser delivery manager. Wylie will help market the company’s new approach to riser delivery management and he also will focus on planning and organizing the deliverables for clients.
Total has appointedYves-Louis Darricarrère as president of exploration & production. His appointment is effective February 2007, when Christophe de Margerie takes over as CEO.
Noble Corp. has appointedMark A. Jackson as CEO of the company. Jackson retains his current offices as president and COO.
Bollinger Shipyards Inc. has promotedCindie Roussel to VP of procurement, logistics, and life cycle support for the South Louisiana-based shipbuilding and repair company. Roussel’s new responsibilities will include material and purchasing support and life-cycle sustainment for all US government and commercial new construction programs. Roussel will continue to be involved in the management and future growth of CHAND, Bollinger’s technical and logistic support division, and will also take a lead role in the future development and implementation of company-wide procurement initiatives.
John Wood Group Plc has appointedAllister Langlands as the Group chief executive effective Jan. 1, 2007. Langlands has been with the Group for 15 years, initially as Group finance director and then as deputy chief executive for the last seven years.
TrinidadianKirk Cabral has been appointed Red Spider Technology’s operations coordinator for Norway. Cabral’s appointment signals the increasing adoption of Red Spider’s products by Norwegian oil and gas industry operators. “We are very pleased that Kirk has joined our team. He brings with him a strong mechanical engineering background and international service experience in an industry renowned for its high quality service levels,” said Chris Oliver, managing director of Red Spider.
AEA Technology Plc has appointedRichard Aiken to lead the group’s development in the US. “Richard’s skills will add to our expertise in advising on areas such as carbon pricing policy, the development and deployment of renewable and alternative energy technologies, and the promotion of energy efficiency amongst individuals - three critical policy areas identified in the Stern Review to manage climate change,” said Andrew McCree, chief executive of AEA.
Petris has appointedDavid Archer VP of the company. As VP, Archer is responsible for product management and expanding the scope and presence of Petris through industry alliances. His knowledge and understanding of industry trends and needs will help Petris better identify new opportunities and craft solutions meeting these requirements, said the company.
Rigdon Marine Corp. has appointedNathan Guice as VP for crew boat operations and business development. Guice will be in charge of overseeing the crew boat and fast supply division, and will provide assistance with the business development and marketing of Rigdon Marine vessels and services. Guice will be based in the company’s St. Rose office.
Umberto Micheli has been appointed region manager for the Europe-Africa region of the well services division for BJ Services. As region manager, Micheli will oversee all aspects of operations, marketing and financial management of the division in the region.
Newfield Exploration Co. has namedMichael Van Horn senior VP of Exploration. Van Horn replaces Elliott Pew, Newfield’s executive VP of Exploration, who has elected to retire at the end of 2006.
SBS Logistics Ltd. has appointedBrendan O’Mahony as operations director. His appointment is part of a management restructuring at SBS following growth in the business, mainly as a result of the acquisition of Seaforth Maritime earlier this year.
HitecVision has appointed a new partner to help drive its international growth.Mike Hill will be based in Aberdeen and will recruit two more investment professionals to join him in the Aberdeen office.
Murphy Oil Corp. appointed the following management changes effective Jan. 1, 2007:David Wood will become executive VP with responsibility for worldwide exploration and production operations. Murphy’s exploration and production offices will be centralized in Houston, Texas, and the New Orleans office will be closed. John Higgins, who has been in charge of exploration and production operations in the GoM, will retire. Harvey Doerr will become executive VP with responsibility for worldwide refining and marketing operations, and all strategic planning activities. Doerr will be based at the corporate headquarters in El Dorado, Arkansas. Bill Stobaugh, senior VP of planning, will report to Doerr. Mike Hulse, currently executive VP of downstream operations, will retire from the company. Kevin Fitzgerald will become senior VP and CFO with responsibility for all financial and accounting activities of Murphy. John Eckart will become VP and controller with responsibility for all accounting operations. Mindy West will become VP and treasurer with responsibility for all of Murphy’s treasury functions and investor relations.
Companies
BP has awarded a contract to Heerema Marine Contractors for the offshore removal and onshore recycling and disposal of the North West Hutton installation. The North West Hutton topsides and jacket will be removed by heavy lift vessel and taken to the Able yard on Teesside for recycling and disposal. BP estimates that around 97% of the material recovered will be recycled. Detailed engineering for removal will begin immediately. Offshore removal is expected to start in 2008 and to be completed by the end of 2009.
Schlumberger Ltd. has completed its US corporate office relocation to Houston from New York. In 1966 the company established its offices in New York, which at the time was home to a number of major oil companies. While Schlumberger will continue to maintain corporate offices in Paris and The Hague, The Netherlands, the move to new offices in Houston is part of a strategic plan to consolidate the company’s presence in the city, a vital business capital in the international oil and gas industry.
The directors ofEnCore Oil Plc have entered into sale and purchase agreements for the acquisition of four oil and gas exploration companies: Virgo Oil & Gas Plc, Virgo Energy Ltd. , Nido Petroleum Ltd., and Grove Energy Plc. These acquisitions add a number of UK licensed blocks and part blocks in the north, central, and southern areas of the North Sea. Completion of these acquisitions is expected to occur before the end of the year.
Aker Kvaerner was awarded contracts to supply three subsea drilling riser systems to Brazilian drilling company Queiroz Galvão Óleo e Gás S.A. Deliveries of the risers will be completed from Aker Kvaerner’s new facility in Rio das Ostras, Brazil, for delivery within the next 17 to 30 months. The drilling risers will be installed on three different rigs. Two of the rigs will operate throughout the Brazilian offshore coast serving long-term contracts between Queiroz Galvão and Brazil’s national oil company Petrobras. The third is expected to be placed either in Brazil or internationally.
Online Electronics Ltd. has moved its headquarters to Aberdeen, UK, as part of its expansion. The pig monitoring and pipeline data communications company has grown to include customers in more than 50 countries.
Sandvik has won a contract to supply Weatherford Completion and Production Systems in Aberdeen with stainless steel pipe for expandable sand screen completions. The contact is for a five-year period during which Sandvik will maintain stocks at its Halesowen warehousing facility in the West Midlands in order to supply pipe on a call-off basis to meet Weatherford’s production schedules.
Beier Radio has signed a contract with Bourbon Offshore to deliver 36 DP-2 systems for their vessels to be built in China. This contract is part of Bourbon’s plan to expand their fleet with high-productivity vessels. It calls for the installation of the Beier IVCS 2000, an integrated vessel control system (ABS DP-2), and the Beier IVMS 2000, an integrated vessel management system, on the 26 AHTSs, each with 80 tons of bollard pull, and on the 10 PSVs of 1600 dwt each.
Ability Group ASA has acquired SeaVation Ltd. SeaVation specializes exclusively in the design, manufacture and operation of underwater soils engineering systems. The deal is the latest in a series of targeted acquisitions that have contributed to AGR’s position as a supplier of exploration, development and production services. SeaVation will continue to operate under its own name from its Aberdeen headquarters.
Wellbore Energy Solutions LLC (WES) has launched its wellbore cleanout tool rental/services company. WES’s rental tool offering will include casing scrapers, brushes, magnets and other tools designed for well cleanout and displacement. WES, which formed its company on Sept. 1, will move into its new facility located in Broussard, La. in late November.
Aker Kvaerner has signed a contract for delivery of process modules to Aker Floating Production’s SMART FPSO vessels. The total contract value for Aker Kvaerner is $54.4 million. The scope, to be performed by the Aker Kvaerner subsidiary, Aker Kvaerner Process Systems, will be engineering, procurement and fabrication services of separation modules, riser balcony modules, and flare systems. The scope is presently for the first two FPSO conversions, involving Aker Smart 1 and Aker Smart 2.
Oceanvision is creating a spares and engineering support hub for their customers centered around the Seaeye range of electric ROVs. The spares operation stocks a range of Seaeye parts and spares and allows Oceanvision to offer a fast and complete support service from Singapore. Oceanvision engineers have qualified at the Seaeye training center in the UK, and are fully trained in ROV repair and maintenance.
Tubing Protection Ltd. is entering the Gulf Coast market. The company offers non-intrusive technology to eliminate salt and scale deposition in production tubular.
HitecVision Private Equity has opened an office in the UK energy capital Aberdeen. HitecVision is currently investing the firm’s $300 million fourth fund, which targets oil and gas investment opportunities in Europe and North America.
Hallin Marine has completed the contract for the subsea construction works for Santos’ Maleo field in the Java Sea, Indonesia. Hallin Marine mobilized a construction barge, saturation diving system, air diving system, and specialist subsea personnel to carry out installation of spool pieces in order to make the subsea pipeline completion in water depths of 80m (262 ft) to assist in achieving first gas production. Hallin Marine subsea construction works assisted Santos in achieving first production from the field within the original budget estimate and on schedule.
UTEC Survey Inc. has delivered five Veripos LD2 integrated demodulators and associated GPS receiver equipment for deployment on an extensive range of operations in the GoM in conjunction with Veripos’ regional GNSS positioning network covering North, South, and Central America. Developed by Veripos to complement its worldwide positioning networks, the modular LD2 systems are fully configurable and available in a number of formats ranging from a basic demodulator to a fully integrated mobile positioning unit with multi-frequency receivers.
On Nov. 26, 2006, the crew of Laredo Construction’s L/BDularge rescued two survivors from an overturned boat in the Gulf of Mexico. The boat capsized several hours before it was spotted by the vessel’s crew. After the survivors were picked up, they were treated for shock and hypothermia. The survivors indicated that they were in the water for 5-6 hours.
Deepwater Specialists Inc. (DSI), a subsidiary of John Wood Group Plc, has been contracted by MODEC International LLC to provide commissioning planning for the hull and topsides of the BHP Billiton-operated Shenzi TLP. The Shenzi field comprises Green Canyon blocks 609, 610, 653, and 654, approximately 193 km (120 mi) off the coast of Louisiana. “Planning and executing cost-effective commissioning operations provides long-term value, including greater production up-time and increased equipment life,” says Chris Abrusley, director of operations for DSI. The TLP will be installed in 1,311 m (4,300 ft) of water for first production in mid-2009.
