People
Tritech Group has appointedJohn Smith as technical director. He is responsible for technical research and development throughout the group.
Cairn Energy has appointedJames Buckee as a non-executive. He will sit on the company’s audit and remuneration committees.
Apache’s founder and chairmanRaymond Plank has retired. G. Steven Farris succeeds Plank as chairman.
Schilling Robotics has appointedDavid Marchetti as regional operations manager, and Giovanni Escobar as regional sales manager for the company’s Houston office.
ARKeX has appointedStuart Gibson as CFO.
The company has also addedJim Sledzik to its board.
BJ Services’ tubular services line has promotedAlan Casson to area manager for the US, Mexico, and Canada. In his new role, Casson is tasked with the continued growth of the company’s tubular services division. The company also has appointed Paul Adams as area manager for the Gulf of Mexico with responsibility for overseeing project management, finance, and operations carried out throughout the region; and Greg Braquet has been appointed as operations manager for the Gulf of Mexico with responsibility for overseeing all tubular services operations in the region.
Gulf Island Fabrication has appointedKirk J. Meche as president and COO.
Swellfix has appointedMalcolm Pitman as VP. He will manage the company’s operations in Europe and Russia. Pitman will be based at Swellfix’s headquarters in Aberdeen.
GEP has appointedJean Ropers as president. He succeeds Dominique Michel.
Roxar has appointedSerena Arif as regional manager, Europe and Africa for its flow measurement division. Arif will lead Roxar’s growth in Europe and Africa in both sales and services.
S & J Diving has appointedGerald Hart as manager of business development and Chad Wilson as project manager and HSE and OQ development coordinator. The company has also appointed John Joly as senior project coordinator. He will assist with project coordination and business development.
Gaffney, Cline & Associates (GCA) has appointedCesar Emilio Guzzetti as manager for its operations in the Southern Cone of Latin America.
Global Industries has appointedEduardo Borja as senior VP, global marketing and strategy, and John Katok as senior VP, worldwide business development. Borja will be responsible for strategic planning, development, and implementation of the company’s growth strategies including marketing of the company’s services for deepwater applications.
Katok will lead Global’s efforts to enhance customer satisfaction by developing processes to improve client sponsorship, project planning, and project execution.
Hess Corp. has appointedGreg Hill as president of worldwide exploration and production. Hill will also become an executive VP of the company. He succeeds John O’Connor, who is retiring.
BP America has appointedLamar McKay as chairman and president. He will serve as BP’s chief representative in the US. He succeeds Robert A. (Bob) Malone who has elected to retire after 34 years with the company.
Aquanos has appointedPetter Nordby as CEO. The company has also appointed Scott Campbell as GM.
Atwood Oceanics has appointedMichael Campbell as VP – controller.
Dresser-Rand has appointedJerry Walker as VP and GM of North America operations. He also assumes responsibility for the company’s Asia-Pacific operations. The company also has appointed Luciano Mozzato as executive VP of product services, Nicoletta Giadrossi as VP and GM for the company’s European operations, and Sammy Antoun as VP and GM of Middle East and North Africa operations.
OHM Rock Solid Images has appointedDr. Arthur Cheng as senior rock physics adviser. He will assist in continuing development of rock physics technology within OHM Rock Solid Images, and will focus on developing algorithms and mentoring and developing the group’s petrophysical staff.
KS Energy Services has appointedWong Soon Yin as CFO. Wong will oversee the company’s accounting and finance matters. She replaces Leong Kok Ho.
Paul Collins, a non-executive director of BG Group, has retired. Baroness Hogg who was appointed as a non-executive director in 2005, will assume the role of the senior independent director.
Siemens Energy Sector’s oil and gas division has appointedThomas Blades as CEO.
Company News
Aker Solutions has entered into an agreement with Total for the additional work on the Frigg decommissioning project. The scope of work has increased beyond the fixed-price contract signed in 2004.
Edison Chouest has secured the assignment of Tampa Bay Shipbuilding and Repair’s long-term lease agreement with the Tampa Bay port and has created Tampa Ship LLC. Chouest has assumed management and operation of the yard.
Baker Hughes Drilling Fluids has entered into a worldwide marketing agreement with Axiom Process. Under the agreement, Baker Hughes Drilling Fluids and Axiom will jointly develop marketing and sales for the Axiom’s shale shaker and screen products globally, while Baker Hughes Drilling Fluids will exclusively rent the AX-1 shaker and stock screens and spares on a worldwide basis.
Edison, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Egyptian General Petroleum Corp. have signed a concession agreement for Abu Qir fields, granting certain exploration, production, and development rights to Edison. Edison will operate the offshore-Egypt concession jointly with EGPC through a new operating company. The concession has a 20-year duration and can be extended for a further 10 years.
BPZ Resources is focusing on an oil development in the offshore block Z-1 in northwest Peru with a goal of doubling production and reserves during 2009. The company plans to commit a majority of its capital expenditures budget to appraise and develop the oil in the Corvina and Albacora fields. BPZ has decided to keep the rig currently drilling at the CX-11 platform in place to drill three additional oil development wells this year.
Pritchard Capital Partners and Global Hunter Securities have signed a letter of intent to form Pritchard Global Hunter Securities, a full-service energy-focused investment bank.
John Wood Group is sponsoring a professorial chair in arctic engineering at the Memorial University of Newfoundland in St John’s, Canada.
CETCO Oilfield Services has signed a deal with the Libyan services agent company, Althuraya Petroleum Services and Supplies, to provide water treatment services to the Libyan oil and gas industry.
Neptune Marine Services has acquired Subsea Engineering Services, a provider of subsea consultancy and project services to the oil and gas industry.
SLP Engineering has awarded Mech-Tool Engineering a contract to supply stainless steel external fire wall cladding for a new living quarters platform, as part of BP Norge’s Valhall field re-development.
Hallin Marine has formed a robotics division called Hallin Robotics. According to Hallin, the new company will exploit decommissioning opportunities for both the nuclear and offshore industry and build upon the group’s existing contracts using its robotics expertise in design and operation.
The non-operating partners of the Huntington field in the UK have unanimously decided to removeOilexco as operator of the license and accept E.ON Ruhrgas as the new operator. Oilexco will now serve as a non-operating partner in the license.
BJ Services has opened a new pipeline inspection facility in Houston, Texas. The 20,000-sq ft (1,858-sq m) facility will provide strategic operations and data analysis for all of the company’s pipeline inspection operations throughout the US.
NACE International has opened its new international training center. According to NACE, the $2.4 million facility is the nation’s first freestanding training center dedicated exclusively to advancing corrosion education.
ATR Group has sold the business and assets of ATR Hydraulics to Hydrasun.The deal has led to the formation of a strategic alliance between ATR Group and Hydrasun, which will provide customers with more choice and an enhanced range of services and capabilities regarding hydraulics, fluid transfer systems, and tool and equipment rental services, the companies say.
Antrim Energy has submitted a field development plan for Phase I of the Causeway field to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change. The FDP, which plans production through a subsea tieback to the Dunlin platform, is for the eastern area of the Causeway field only, and is the first phase of what is anticipated to be several phases of development of the field.
BPZ Resources and Shell Exploration have mutually agreed to discontinue discussions on the farm-out agreement as conceptualized in a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding. BPZ Energy will maintain its 100% working interest in blocks Z-1, XIX, and XXIII, as well as block XXII which was not part of the proposed transaction, all of which are located offshore Peru.
Boots & Coots International Well Control has renewed its Safeguard contract with the Oil and Natural Gas Corp. of India for an additional five years. The contract is for training, inspection, and blowout control for ONGC’s 28 offshore rigs and 94 land rigs.
Cameron has acquired Precision Downhole Pumps, a US-based manufacturer of artificial lift equipment. Precision, based in Iola, Kansas, will be integrated into the surface systems division of Cameron’s drilling and production systems group based in Houston.
Signa Engineering has acquired Fisk/MEI Inspection Services, an inspection and expediting services company for oilfield equipment and tubulars. Fisk is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Signa Engineering, with Robert G. “Bob” Davis serving as president and CEO.
BRGM and IFP have signed a research partnership agreement for the development of software tools dedicated to the study, dimensioning, and monitoring of geological CO2 storage facilities.
PetroVietnam, the national oil company of Vietnam, has approved the application for two appraisal areas within block 16-1, according to the Hoang Long Joint Operating Co. The company, which is the operator of block 16-1 in the Cuu Long basin offshore Vietnam, will now submit the documentation required for the formal governmental approval.
Centek and a major US oilfield services and products supplier have signed a three year, worldwide agreement for the supply of casing centralizers. The agreement covers the entire Centek centralizer and stop collar range, primarily for use in extended reach, highly deviated, and underreamed wells.
Triton Group has acquired Houston-based Equipment & Technical Services. ETS develops, rents, and sells equipment and software for offshore survey and marine applications.
Halliburton has entered into an agreement with Derrick Equipment to expand Baroid Fluid Services’ offering of solids control equipment and services. Derrick Equipment will serve as the exclusive supplier of its full range of products, including shale shakers, centrifuges, and screens to Baroid.
Mariner Energy has purchased an additional 11.6% working interest in the Bass Lite natural gas field (Atwater Valley block 426) from Energy Resource Technology for approximately $32.6 million.
Oando Exploration and Production has acquired 75% interest in Exile Resources’ 40% working interest in the Akepo field offshore Nigeria.
Oilexco North Sea intends to file petitions for administration in the High Court in the UK.
OceanWorks International has relocated to a new facility in Burnaby, British Columbia. The facility houses an indoor freshwater test tank, pressure test facility, machine shop, ESD safe electrical assembly area, high voltage test laboratory, a large vehicle assembly area, and includes over 5,000 sq ft (465 sq m) of excess warehouse for storage and future expansion.
PTT Exploration and Production Public, through its wholly owned Australian subsidiary, has signed a conditional share sales agreement to acquire a 100% equity interest in Coogee Resources for $170 million.
FMC Technologies has acquired a 45% interest in Schilling Robotics for $116 million. The company is also acquiring the rights to exercise an option over the two-year period beginning in 2012 to acquire the remaining 55% of the company.
Mediterranean Oil & Gas has submitted its application to the Italian Ministry of Economic Development for an offshore production concession over the Ombrina Mare field offshore Italy.
StatoilHydro has exercised the Phase 3 option for modification of the Statfjord B&C topsides with Aker Solutions. The option represents a continuation of the Statfjord Latelife project currently executed by Aker Solutions.
TAQA Bratani has awarded Subsea 7 a one-year inspection, repair, and maintenance services agreement for the provision of project management, engineering, dive support, and remote intervention services to assist with TAQA’s newly acquired northern North Sea assets.
Otto Energy has entered into a conditional heads of agreement with BHP Billiton Petroleum to farm out 60% of its interest in Service Contract (SC) 55. SC55 covers a deepwater block located offshore southwest Palawan Island, in the Philippines.
