Archive | News
Challenges remain for Indonesian oil industry, but so do opportunities
Posted on 27 August 2008 in News
Indonesia’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources H.E. Purnomo Yusgiantoro opened the 2008 IADC/SPE Asia Pacific Drilling Technology Conference & Exhibition on 25 August in Jakarta. In his remarks during the opening session, the Minister reminded the audience of more than 400 delegates that, despite the country’s 130-year history of oil production, many challenges remain.
“Technology is the key to unlocking our energy reserves,” he remarked, noting that most of the country’s oil production comes from aging fields with declining production. The government’s strategy is aimed at extending the life of existing fields while exploring new frontiers in deepwater areas.
For Saudi Aramco, drilling technology is the way forward
Posted on 27 August 2008 in News
Speaking during the keynote session at the IADC/SPE Asia Pacific Drilling Conference and Exhibition on 25 August 2008 in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saudi Aramco’s Zuhair Al-Hussain discussed the ways his company is deploying new technologies to help boost production, as well as future technologies that will be needed to meet global oil demand.
Increases in world population and economic growth are projected to push the world’s energy demand up by 50% over the next 22 years, and fossil fuels still remain the major energy source for the foreseeable future. This puts tremendous responsibility on the upstream sector to respond to the call, said Mr Al-Hussain, executive director drilling & workover for Saudi Aramco. The key will be in both building up resources and harnessing technology to improve efficiency and enhance productivity, he said.
Pride to build fourth ultra-deepwater drillship for late 2011 delivery
Posted on 27 August 2008 in News
Pride International announced it has placed an order for the construction of a fourth advanced-capability, ultra-deepwater drillship. The latest drillship, like the company’s three previously announced projects, will be constructed at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in Geoje, South Korea, on a fixed-price basis and is expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2011, following construction, commissioning and system-integrated testing.
The yet-to-be-named new drillship is based on an SHI proprietary hull design measuring 750 ft long and 140 ft wide and offering a pay load in excess of 20,000 metric tons. The unit is designed for drilling in water depths of up to 12,000 ft but initially equipped for 10,000 ft, with a total vertical drilling depth of 40,000 ft. It will have off-line tubular stand building capabilities and feature dynamic positioning in compliance with DPS-3 certification.
StatoilHydro aims to add 600,000 bbl/day by 2015
Posted on 27 August 2008 in News
“New field projects and actions to increase oil and gas production are expected to add 600,000 barrels per day to StatoilHydro’s production from the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) by 2015,” said Hege Marie Norheim, the company’s head of reserves and business development on the NCS, during a presentation at ONS 2008, being held this week in Stavanger, Norway.
“Standardised project solutions with a short lead time from discovery to first oil or gas are the key to future success on the NCS,” she said.
Western Gulf of Mexico lease sale attracts more than $487 million in high bids
Posted on 27 August 2008 in News
The Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 207, held 20 August 2008 by the US Interior Department, attracted more than $487 million in high bids, with ExxonMobil being the top bidder – 130 high bids at $127.33 million. A total of 53 companies submitted 423 bids comprising over 1.8 million acres offshore Texas. The sum of all bids received was more than $607 million.
Approximately 17% of the tracts receiving bids are in ultra-deep water (more than 1,600 m). The deepest tract bid on is Alaminos Canyon, Block 783, in 2,977 m of water. The highest bid received on a tract was $61 million, submitted by Statoil Gulf of Mexico for Alaminos Canyon, Block 380. The company submitted a total of $87.35 million for five bids.
Record single BHA run achieved in North Sea
Posted on 27 August 2008 in News
INTEQ, Hughes Christensen and Baker Hughes Drilling Fluids have outperformed the record for a single BHA meterage on a well in the North Sea drilled by StatoilHydro.
AutoTrak, in combination with an HCC HCM607 bit and PERFFLOW Drill-In Fluid, drilled challenging multilateral hole sections to a total of 17,224 ft (5,250 m) to TD. In a single BHA run, 14,121 ft (4,304 m) were drilled
Rig Tech subcommittees developing decision matrix, survey on equipment interfaces
Posted on 20 August 2008 in News
Subcommittees of the IADC Advanced Rig Technology (ART) Committee are forging ahead with developments to help the industry better understand the benefits and pitfalls of mechanized rig systems. The subcommittees met during August.
The ART Guidelines Subcommittee, led by Vice Chairman Logan Puckett, Pride International, is developing a matrix to assist in determining applicability of mechanized equipment for land rigs, floaters and jackups. A series of sheets will be produce, each linked to a selectable data sheet containing various types of equipment. The matrix will take a “decision tree” format, linking to additional sheets, as appropriate for each identified situation or specification. The committee plans to post the matrix on www.iadc.org.
2008 IADC/SPE Asia Pacific Drilling Technology Conference kicks off Monday
Posted on 20 August 2008 in News
“Drilling Technology to Address Future Energy Demand and Environmental Challenges” is the theme of the 2008 IADC/SPE Drilling Technology Conference, kicking off on Monday, 25 August, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia. The conference runs through Wednesday, 27 August.
Noted conference chairman Bagus Sudaryanto, vice president, PT PERTAMINA EP Region Jaway, “To address this theme, the programme committee has assembled a diverse and well-rounded programme to ensure a quality conference highlighting key technologies, and for finding, accessing and completing the reservoir. A keynote session featuring an impressive list of industry leaders will provide a variety of perspectives on the conference theme.”
Technical sessions the heart of IADC/SPE Asia Pacific Conference
Posted on 20 August 2008 in News
While the opening sessions, keynote speakers and topical lunches provide terrific food for cogitation and reflection, it is the actual technical papers that are the heart of the IADC/SPE Asia Pacific Drilling Technology Conference. The event, now in its 7th biannual edition, offers the most diverse array of emerging drilling technology in the region.
Whys & Wherefores of the IADC/SPE partnership: fun facts to know and tell
Posted on 20 August 2008 in News
The partnership between IADC and the Society of Petroleum Engineers has served the industry well as sponsors of the premier events for the drilling/completion industry. But how did it evolve? For those enquiring minds hungry for insight, here is a brief synopsis.
In the beginning, there was the annual IADC Rotary Drilling Conference, launched in 1964 and held each September. In 1977, IADC revamped the format and held the first IADC Spring Driling Technology Conference. Meanwhile, SPE covered drilling technology at its Annual Technical Conference, OTC and, biannually, at the SPE Deep Drilling Symposium.
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