Continuous change is main theme of Aberdeen technology show

Visitors to Royal Boskalis Westminster's stand can get information on the WD Fairway, the world's largest trailing suction hopper dredger with a hopper capacity of 23,425 cu meters. The newly built vessel's first job was to place an isolating layer of sand, through a fallpipe, at a depth of 90m over four pipeline bundles for Shell's North Sea Gannet Field. A sister trailer, the WD Seaway, has now been commissioned by Boskalis.

"Continuous change - learning from the 21st century" is the designated theme for the four-day Offshore Europe '97 conference in Aberdeen next month. The concurrent exhibition, no doubt echoing that subject, will feature services and innovative products from 1,800 exhibitors representing 20 countries.

Both events will be staged at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center from September 9-12.

Chairing the conference committee will be Greg Bourne, BP Scotland's director and general manager. His keynote speech will focus on Safety and the Environment. "Safety is an area in which dramatic improvements have been made in the offshore industry since the beginning of the decade," he says. "We must maintain this year on year improvement towards a goal of zero harm to our employees".

Other keynote addresses on the first day will come from Nazim Zouioueche, chairman of Sonatrach, who will outline the future impact of Algerian gas on the European market. Amerada Hess president Sam Laidlaw will present his vision for Europe's oil and gas industry in the next century. And Schlumberger CEO D.Euan Baird will offer his views on information technology and oil industry productivity.

Roundtable discussions have been earmarked for the following sessions:

Performance - hold, buy or sell? will examine likely factors impacting oil prices and OPEC's future direction
Gas - the swing factor looks at the implications of the growing UK - mainland Europe gas pipeline links in terms of prices and deregulation
Health, Safety & Environment- perception vs reality will contrast the industry's view of its own record with negative public perceptions
Organizing to learn will lead with a speech by management thinking guru Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization
Technology - virtual and real, chaired by Schlumberger Geoquest chairman Rex Ross, will look at the practicalities of virtual technology for the oil industry.

Technical sessions over the four days will cover:

Environment and contracts
Reservoir management - the Brent Field
Drilling innovation (focusing on high pressure, high temperature technology)
Managing time to market (generating positive cash flow early on with minimum capex)
Multilateral wells
Exploration-concentrating on the Atlantic Margin frontier regions
Commissioning and decommissioning
Subsea innovations (ranging from autonom ous control systems to high integrity pressure protection systems)
Beyond CRINE
Artificial lift
Engineering time to market (co-operating to reduce project times)
Information and optimization
Reservoir management featuring cases studies from the Oseberg, Dan and Tordis fields.

New products & services

From the exhibitors, there should also be some noteworthy presentations. Among these, in alphabetical order, Balmoral Group will show surface and subsurface flotation products (the Aberdeen-based company recently expanded with a new branch in Houston). Bridon International will launch higher strength cables for deepwater production mooring, and Brisco Engineering unveils modular surface wellhead control systems.

Camco International's Drilling & Service subsidiary launches a new steerable rotary drilling system. Sister company Hycalog is showcasing a new bit range. The Centre for Marine and Petroleum Technology (ex-MTD) will offer DeepNet, its virtual knowledge network on worldwide deepwater initiatives. CRP Marine is exhibiting new water-cooled bending stiffeners for flexible pipes.

Falkland Islands Development Corporation will advise interested visitors of the range of facilities available for Falkland oil exploration. First Point Assessment will demonstrate the database launched by the UK oil and gas industry to improve efficiency in goods procurement throughout the supply chain.

Halliburton's stand includes its new smart well, intelligent completions which cuts well intervention and reservoir management costs. Houghton Vaughan has a new high temperature water-based, thermally-stable subsea production control fluid called Aqualink HT 180SC. Huisman-Itrec is bringing its new drill pipe handling system for semisubmersibles. Hydraudyne Systems & Engineering launches deepwater riser technology known as Long John.

ICI Tracerco will premier oil and gas well flow verification without well intervention. Integrated Drilling Services introduces a 3 1/2-in. directional gamma resistivity MWD service for coiled tubing applications. And Isoterm launches a fire safe pre-insulated piping system. Krebs Petroleum Technologies shows off its new wellhead desander.

Leigh's Paints will show its epoxy intumescent passive fire protection material, Firetex M90. Orcina will demonstrate the latest version of its flexible riser analysis program Visual Orcaflex. Phillips Petroleum will be trying to sell its allegedly reusable Maureen production platform.

Scana Ramnas' highlight will be a 6 1/4-in. diameter studless mooring chain. Schlumberger launches include Anadrill's Vision475, said to be the only 4.5-in. MWD/LDW tool for drilling, surveying and evaluating smaller holes. Dowell's DeepSea Express improves deepwater cementing. Sedco Forex unveils multipurpose vessels that cut workover costs. Soil Machine Dynamics will feature a diverless jet sled for pipeline burial.

Tesco Drilling Technology will present the 150 HMI portable top drive for small rigs. Van Ord ACZ features its flexible fall pipe system. Vector International will show a newly-launched subsea connector. And finally, Weatherford will launch a one-trip whipstock called Trip Saver and the King Kutter section mill.

For more information on Offshore Europe '97 contact the Offshore Europe Partnership, Ocean House, 50 Kingston Road, New Malden, Surrey KT3 3LZ, UK. Tel: (44) 181 949 9222, Fax: (44) 181 949 8168/8193, E-mail: oe97(a)spearhead.co.uk, www:http//www. spearhead.co.uk