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Atlas Copco has appointedRon Boyd as project manager for its oil and gas products. Boyd will work in Grand Prairie, Texas. The company has named Gene Mattila as business line manager for rock drilling tools.
Electric submersible pump/artificial lift specialist RMSpumptools has recruitedDoug Harwell as VP of Western Hemisphere Operations. Asia Pacific Manager Eddie Moore has been promoted to VP of Eastern Hemisphere operations, including Middle East activities.
As of July 1 at Beach Energy Ltd.,Neil Gibbins will be COO, Steve Masters will be the commercial officer, and Gordon Moseby will be GM. Hector Gordon, currently Beach CEO, will continue as an executive director of Beach and acting MD of Sopmerton Energy Ltd.
Expro has promotedChris Mawtus to become COO. He will be responsible for the group’s operations in North America, the Middle East and North Africa, Asia, Europe CIS, Latin America, and southern and West Africa.
Houston-based NACE International has namedChris Fowler, global director - corrosion at Exova, president of the association for corrosion.
Engineering consultancy Xodus Group has recruited 12 subsea professionals to support its expanding subsea business.Graeme Rogerson has been appointed subsea director for Europe. Among the other new recruits is Subsea manager Frank Smith. Andrew Wylie has joined as a consultant responsible for developing Xodus’ project delivery capability. Also new is Matt Kirk, who joins as a senior consultant to develop the company’s subsea operational support and integrity management services.
Offshore cargo transportation group Swire Oilfield Services has namedRupert Bray as its COO. Bray was previously director and general manager of the company’s UK division, where he is succeeded by former operations director Roy Burrell.
Offshore engineering consultancy CSL has namedNeil Knowles as MD in succession to Mark Gillespie, who left the company in January.
Classification/certification group DNV has restructured its organization. Among the changes,Antony DSouza will lead DNV’s efforts in the expanded region Middle East and Indian Subcontinent. DSouza, an Austrian national, will work from the groups’ regional office in Dubai, where DNV operates a large maritime and offshore approval support and service center, and maritime and energy operations.
Iran’s petroleum minister has appointedAhmad Qalebani as the new MD of National Iranian Oil Co. (NIOC). He replaces Saifollah Jashnsaz. Qalebani also has been named deputy petroleum minister.
Company News
Qatar Petroleum has signed a 30-year exploration and production sharing agreement for Qatar’s block D with Shell and PetroChina. Under the agreement, the partners will jointly explore for natural gas in the block, which covers an area of 8,089 sq km (3,123 sq mi) offshore and onshore Qatar, close to Ras Laffan.
Saipem has contracted EnerMech to provide health and safety, and competence specialists to support staff working on the company’s construction and pipelaying vessels, and offshore drilling rigs.
Stingray Geophysical Ltd. has agreed for AMGL y Asociados SA de CV to act as its representative in Mexico. AMGL will offer Stingray’s fiber-optic seabed seismic systems.
Total has agreed with ConocoPhillilps to acquire 24.5% interest in two blocks offshore Indonesia. Conoco/Phillilps operates the Arafura Sea and Amboriop VI blocks and will retain 75.5% in the Arafura Sea block and 51% in the Amborip VI block.
Stratic Energy has agreed to sale its Turkish business, which includes interests in the Ayazli/Akcakoca field developments in the Black Sea, operated by TPAO. The company has signed a sales and purchase agreement for Stratic Energy (Turkey), primarily with a group of Turkish investors. Total cash received from the deal will be $3.45 million.
BHP Billiton has awarded Petrofac a new five-year contract to support operations at the Liverpool Bay development in the east Irish Sea. Petrofac has provided assistance at the project since its early days in the 1990s. Under the agreement, Petrofac’s Engineering & Operations division will provide operations and maintenance personnel offshore and onshore. The facilities include the Douglas platform, an offshore storage installation, and the Point of Ayr reception terminal. Petrofac also holds the Duty Holder contract for the offshore support vessel Irish Sea Pioneer.
Subsea 7 has established a new Asia Pacific office in Kuala Lumpur. The office initially accommodates 32 company personnel, including its regional management team. Subsea 7 will maintain its project management and engineering capabilities in Singapore and Perth.
Petrobras International Braspetro has signed an agreement with the Portuguese government to explore for hydrocarbons in deepwater offshore Portugal. Under the agreement, Petrobras will have 50% operated stakes in the Gamba, Lavagante, and Santola blocks in the Alentejo basin. The concessions cover an area of around 9,000 sq km (3,475 sq mi), in water depths ranging from 200-3,000 m (656-9,842 ft).