BUSINESS BRIEFS
People
Petroleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) changed nine of its 11 board members. Two of the new board members includeIvan Orellana, Venezuela’s governor to OPEC, and Bernard Mommer, a managing director at PDVSA’s London office and a close adviser to the minister.
Hardman Resources Ltd. has appointedSimonPotter CEO and managing director. Potter joins Hardman Resources from the joint venture operation between BP and Alfa Group in Russia.
Doris Inc. has appointedJeffrey Moore president. Moore comes to Doris Inc. after more than 15 years at ChevronTexaco, where he served in various positions of engineering and capital project management.
The board of directors of Agilent Technologies Inc. has electedWilliam P. (Bill) Sullivan as the company’s president and CEO. Sullivan succeeds Edward W. (Ned) Barnholt, who retired.
Ian Bill, recently retired chairman and CEO of Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd. UK, has accepted an appointed as Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in HM The Queen’s New Year’s Honors List for services to British business interests in the oil and gas sector.
Denbury Resources Inc. announced the appointment ofRandy Stein to its board of directors to fill a prior vacancy until the May 2005 annual meeting.
ABB Automation Technologies, Low-Voltage Drives in North America has namedLuc Claisse vice president, operational excellence. Claisse will oversee all manufacturing operations, supply chain, and customer delivery processes for ABB’s drives factory operations in New Berlin, Wisconsin, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
INTEC Engineering has namedLanny Waguespack vice president of LNG Engineering Services. He is responsible for expanding the company’s offshore LNG activities in the North America region. Waguespack was formerly vice president of Midstream Projects with Randall & Dewey of Houston.
Robert N. Cowen, senior vice president, COO, secretary, and director for Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. retired to pursue other interests. Cowen was with the company for over 25 years, serving as a member of the board of directors and senior vice president for 11 years and as COO since 1999.
Jaime Stein has joined Geotrace as chief geophysicist. He will be responsible for the application and content of technologies applied by Geotrace’s Reservoir Services division.
McDermott International Inc. has appointedLouis J. Sannino to executive vice president, Human Resources.
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O’Rourke Petroleum added two staff members to its energy professional team.Terryn Warton will serve as purchasing and planning manager for the Lubricants division while Debbie Bakerwill serve in the Specialty Fuels division as a customer service representative.
The board of directors of Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation Ltd. appointedWee Sin Tho as independent director. Wee was formerly CEO of HLG Capital Bhd.
McDermott International Inc. promotedLouis J. Sannino executive vice president, Human Resources. Sannino previously was senior vice president, Human Resources.
Companies
Freeport LNG Development has awardedTechnip, Zachry Construction Corp., and Saipem an EPC contract for a new LNG receiving terminal on Quintana Island near Freeport, Texas. The lump sum turnkey contract includes engineering, procurement, construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning, and start up and will be completed in 2008. Technip, jointly with the National Petroleum Construction Co., will be in charge of the EPC contract for the offshore facilities of the Qatargas II LNG plant expansion project awarded by Qatar Liquefied Gas Co. Ltd. (II). The $500 million contract will be undertaken by its engineering center in Abu Dhabi (UAE). The project consists of three unmanned offshore platforms, refurbishment and tie in work to the existing NFB platform, two pipelines, 34 in. and 38 in., to shore and several new power and/or communications umbilicals, which will support the two new Qatargas II LNG Trains 4 and 5 at Ras Laffan City. The offshore facilities to support the onshore facilities of Train 4 will be completed by December 2007 and those for Train 5 by October 2008.
ChevronTexaco Upstream Europe has won an exploration license for five blocks under the 2nd Faroes Offshore Licensing Round. The company will operate with 40% equity in blocks 6103/16, 6103/21, 6103/26, 6104/25, and 6104/30.
Paladin Oil and Gas (Australia) Pty Ltd. completed the acquisition of BHP Billiton’s interests in the Laminaria field, Corallina field, and the Northern Endeavour FPSO, in the Timor Sea, offshore northwestern Australia for $150 million.
Petro Summit Investment UK Ltd. signed a sale and purchase agreement with Paladin Expro Ltd. to acquire Paladin’s 30.82% fixed unitized interest in the Ross field and its 2.4% fixed unitized interest in the Blake field, both in the North Sea, together with its interests in a number of exploration blocks in the vicinity of these two fields for $75 million in cash.
Flotation Technologies Inc. and RD Instruments announced that they have entered into a new strategic alliance. Both companies will align sales, marketing, and product development resources to better serve the oceanographic community through turnkey products and services.
BJ Tubular Services has been awarded a contract by a major operator to provide hydraulic hammer conductor-driving services for wells in Bohia Bay offshore Tanggu, China. Phase II will require BJ to drive conductors on an additional 21 wells in Bohia Bay.
Clough Ltd. has signed a confirmation letter for a $25 million offshore installation contract with ConocoPhillips Indonesia Inc. Ltd. Clough in an equal joint venture with its Indonesian subsidiary Petrosea (Clough 82%) will be responsible for the installation of 50 km of flowlines, wellhead frames, and subsea structures for the Kerisi development project in the Natuna Sea, 540 km northeast of Singapore. The pipelines tie in to a recently installed FPSO vessel in 90 m water depth.
DNV has acquired two companies, Jardine and Associates and Cortest Columbus Technologies. Jardine will be integrated as part of DNV’s consulting business offering asset risk management services. CCT specializes in corrosion control, pipeline and plant integrity analysis, material evaluation and design, and instrumentation and software for the pipeline industry.
Petrofac will take over responsibility for the management of the North Sea Thistle and Heather platforms for Lundin Britain Ltd. The $250 million contract is for the life of field and will start in 2Q 2005.
Petrofac acquired Rubicon Response Ltd., a specialist in emergency response, training, and consultancy services. Rubicon becomes part of Petrofac Training.
Saipem has been awarded two contracts for jackups Perro Negro 2 and Perro Negro 4. The first contract extends the Perro Negro 2 charter with Saudi Aramco for three years and begins the second half 2005. The second contract is a two-year renewal of the Perro Negro 4 contract with Petrobel.
Rolls-Royce won a third contract, valued at over $75 million, to supply RB211 gas turbines for the Azeri oil project in the Caspian Sea.
AMEC plc has acquired Paragon Engineering Services Inc. for $38 million in cash.