BUSINESS BRIEFS
FMC Technologies has appointedMaryann T. Seaman as VP, treasurer, and deputy CFO of the company, effective April 1. Mark J. Scottwill succeed Seaman as VP of Administration, effective April 20.
UAE offshore fabricator Lamprell has promotedChris Hand to the role of COO. He is replacing Peter Whitebread, who has opted to retire. Hand joined the company in 1996, and since 2006 has been VP of Commercial, managing commercial and contractual aspects of all proposals, projects, and procurement activities.
Subsea cable/connector provider Hydro Group has appointedBenoit D'Alancon as a business partner based in France, which the company sees as a major market in the subsea sector.
Det norske oljeselskap has promotedSvein Ola Syrstad to VP Drilling and Well Operations. Syrstad joined the company in January, having previously been employed by Statoil as a drilling manager and operations manager in Norway, Algeria, and Libya. He has served as an engineer at the Sleipner and Heidrun fields.
MODEC has appointedNorioNagata as director and KiyoshiNakamura and AkiraNishihata as corporate auditors.
PhilOldham, managing director of Nexen Petroleum (UK), has joined the board of industry association Oil & Gas UK.
Aker Qserv has appointedIanPittman as well services manager to lead its operations in the east of England. Pittman brings over 20 years' experience in engineering, operations, and project. In his new role, he will provide operational management support for a range of Aker QServ clients including E.ON Ruhrgas and Scottish and Southern Energy. He will also develop new business opportunities within the well stimulation, coiled tubing, wireline, pipeline, and process services in the North Sea. Pittman will be based in Great Yarmouth.
The Artificial Lift Co. (ALC) has promotedDr. Hassan Mansir to VP of engineering and technology. Mansir joined ALC in 2009 as design manager.
Multi-Chem has promotedDr. Zubin Patel to director of capital expenditure and flow assurance. Based in Houston, Patel will develop and execute strategies for the deepwater flow assurance market for both existing assets and future capex projects. He will continue to manage and maintain current business and customer relationships.
Drillsearch Energy has appointedDavid Evans as CTO, effective in March. He will oversee and manage all technical aspects of the company's exploration, development, and production activities.
Schlumberger has appointedPaal Kibsgaard as COO. Kibsgaard will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the company's worldwide operations as well as its technology organization including engineering, manufacturing, and product development.
StanLuker, former president of Dyna-Drill, a business unit of Smith International, passed away Feb. 27, 2010. Luker joined Smith International in 1975 with the Servco division. In addition to being director of Market Research and the corporate office, Luker served as vice president of Smith Dasing Ltd., a trading company in the People's Republic of China. Stan became president of Dyna-Drill in 1984.
Company newsStatoil has agreed to transfer 35% of its interest in block 2 offshore Tanzania to ExxonMobil and the government of Tanzania has approved the deal. Statoil had held 100% of the 11,099 sq km (4,285 sq mi) tract in deepwater. A 2D seismic survey was completed in 2008 and a 3D survey was done this past February.
Schlumberger has acquired Geoservices, a privately owned French oilfield services company specializing in mud logging, slickline, and production surveillance operations. Founded in 1958, Geoservices employs approximately 5,000 people in more than 50 countries. The mud-logging company has developed new technology for exploration and appraisal well activities, particularly in the deepwater market, Schlumberger says. "The addition of mud logging technology to the Schlumberger portfolio is an important step in the development of higher-performance drilling systems," says Andrew Gould, chairman and CEO, Schlumberger.
Petrobras has awarded Lider Aviacao Holding three incremental five-year contracts for three large helicopters. Lider will use its new S-92 aircraft and lease two S-92 aircraft from Bristow Group Inc.BP has contracted Bristow to provide helicopter services in the southern North Sea using two S-76C++ aircraft. The five-year contract begins in September and includes a five-year optional extension.
EnscoInternational changed its name to Enscoplc, effective March 31. "Ensco has evolved over the years from a US-focused business into a global company with operations in all of the major markets around the world," says Dan Rabun, chairman, president, and CEO of Ensco. "Our name change to ‘Ensco plc' commemorates the recent move to our new headquarters in London – a leading business and financial center – that will facilitate even greater service for our customers and enhance executive management oversight of our worldwide operations." The company says it will continue to conduct the same business operations and trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "ESV."
India has awarded 33 oil and gas blocks for exploration, reports Dow Jones. The tracts came from the eighth NELP auction of 70 available properties.ONGC now has seven new deepwater and 13 new shallow water blocks. A total of 24 deepwater and 28 shallow water blocks were available in the sale. Cairn Energy Plc won one deepwater block. BHP Billiton Petroleum with three and Cairn Energy with one wrap up the shallow water offshore bidding, Dow Jones reports. The remaining blocks were onshore.
Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. (Keppel O&M) is teaming up with Azeri state oil company SOCAR and Azerbaijan Investment Co.(AIC) to develop a new 52-ha (128 acres) shipbuilding and ship-repair facility in Baku. The SOCAR-Keppel Shipyard will be assembled over a two- to three-year period, for an outlay of $386 million. Following signing of the joint venture agreement, Keppel O&M will have a 10% interest in the yard and SOCAR and AIC respectively 65% and 25%. Keppel O&M will be responsible for management and operation of the yard, and will have the option to boost its stake by a further 10% in the next three years. The completed yard will feature a 1,630-m (5,348-ft) waterfront, and will be capable of handling 80-100 repairs and conversions per year, with an estimated average annual steel throughput of 25,000 tons (22,679 metric tons) when operating at full capacity.
Petrofac and LundinPetroleum plan to de-merge their UK North Sea interests, forming a new independent E&P company called "EnQuest." Under the proposal, Petrofac will own 45% of the shares of the new company, the remaining 55% held by Lundin. EnQuest's portfolio will comprise operated interests in the producing northern North Sea fields Heather, Broom, Thistle, Deveron, Don Southwest, and West Don. It will also operate the Peik, South West Heather, Scolty, and Elke discoveries. These will be ceded by the two current owners on a cash-free, debt-free basis.
RBG has opened a new service centre in Lafayette, Louisiana. The new base will increase capacity, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness for clients, while supporting RBG's continued growth in coating and cleaning services to offshore and onshore clients in the Gulf of Mexico region, the company says. The 18,000-sq ft (1,672-sq m) site, which houses indoor storage, training, and administrative facilities, will offer RBG's Fabric Maintenance services including blasting and coatings, specialist cleaning, insulation, and scaffolding. In 2009, the company introduced a new fleet of 55,000-psi ultra high pressure machines for water jetting to the region, which set new standards for productivity and environment-friendly surface preparation, RBG says. Earlier this year, the company also deployed its Real Time Digital Imaging System to detect corrosion under insulation on a platform process piping system for a major deepwater GoM operator. The technology halved the expected project time, from eight to four weeks, and lead to significant cost savings, according to RBG.
San Leon Energy has agreed to acquire Irish independent Oil & Gas. The companies' boards recommend the takeover to their shareholders in the form of a share-for-share arrangement, which values Island's entire issued share capital at £13.74 million ($20.9 million).
Clough and Forge have agreed to jointly target LNG and oil and gas projects in markets including Australasia and West Africa. Under the new strategic alliance, Clough will become a cornerstone shareholder in Forge through an investment of approximately $98 million.
ITT C'treat Offshore has appointed Viet-Tech JSC as its representative in Vietnam.
SchlumbergerLtd. and SmithInternational boards of directors have reached a definitive merger agreement. The closing is expected in the second half of this year following various approvals and waiting period requirements. Schlumberger also has contracted New Tech Engineering to provide wellsite consultants and engineering services for its integrated project management activities worldwide. The agreement gives Schlumberger additional access to New Tech Engineering drilling operations consulting, deepwater environments, high-pressure/high-temperature operations, production, and completion services. New Tech Engineering gains expansion into new markets and geographical areas.
VAM Drilling has acquired Abu Dhabi-based Protools, a supplier of bottomhole assembly products in the Middle East. The company was formerly owned by Hunt Oiltools LLC.
Knowledge Reservoir has divided its reservoir management business into four practices: deepwater, improved recovery and field redevelopment, unconventional resources, and reserves and mergers/acquisitions. The company's business stream will be developed in three areas: the ReservoirKB deepwater knowledge base, Knowledge Base Products, and Knowledge Management Consulting, including Data Management Solutions.
Subsea Services International has established a new subsidiary, PT Subsea Services Indonesia. The company, which will operate from a new facility in Batam, will support customers in Asia, Australia, India, and the Middle East.
Hess has reached agreement with Scottish & Southern Energy to sell its interests in a package of natural gas production and transportation assets in the UK North Sea for $423 million in cash. The sale is expected to close in the third quarter of this year.
On completion of the sale, Scottish & Southern will assume ownership of Hess' interests in the Everest and Lomond natural gas fields and the Central Area Transmission System in the central North Sea, together with the Bacton Corridor and Easington Catchment Area natural gas fields in the Southern North Sea.
A subsidiary ofDiamond Offshore Drilling Inc. has awarded dockside shipyard work on the Ocean Baroness semisubmersible drilling rig toSignal International LLC. The rig is currently docked at Signal's Pascagoula Mississippi East Yard undergoing mooring chain inspection and chain locker repairs, general steel renewals, piping upgrades, and ABS survey work. Ongoing enhancements at the East Yard have enabled Signal to accommodate large semisubmersibles, such as the Baroness, the company says, that draw over 30 ft of water depth. A 60-ft water depth by 300 x 500 ft hole was dredged near the dock. Additional dredging, from 35-ft to 42-ft depth, was also completed along a 1,005 ft stretch at the East Yard's dockside. "By investing in deepening our water frontage, Signal will be more competitive and attract more business to the region," says Dick Marler, Signal's president and CEO. "Together, these physical enhancements render the Signal facility ideally suited to perform work on the deepwater semisubmersible drilling rigs operating in the Gulf of Mexico."
Petrobras has decreased its project portfolio investment for 2011-2014 from $148 billion to $139 billion. The company's board has approved $257 billion worth of projects for after 2014. According to the company, the investments aim to increase oil and natural gas production, taking advantage of success in the post- and pre-salt, and exploratory activities. The E&P project portfolio includes construction of production platforms and drilling rigs, support vessels, and investments in transportation infrastructure.
BakerHughes has launched a new multiphase flowmeter that combines downhole sensor technology with neural network capabilities for real-time flow rate estimates from wells produced via electrical submersible pumping (ESP) systems. The Neuraflow multiphase flowmeter delivers flow rate estimates with a greater than 90% accuracy rate compared to actual flow rates, Baker Hughes says. The Neuraflow device, which is installed in the ESP surface variable speed drive, uses existing standard downhole measurements coupled with additional system measurements and learning algorithms to infer a flow rate based on known reservoir and fluid properties. It measures flow at four separate downhole locations. The measurements are compared and then used to calibrate the model.
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