offshore201406 dl

June 2014

Houston London Paris Stavanger Aberdeen Singapore Moscow Baku Perth Rio de Janeiro Lagos Luanda

World Trends and Technology for Offshore Oil and Gas Operations

For continuous news & analysiswww.offshore-mag.com

INSI

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Gulf of Mexico

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Stimulation vessels update Annual fleet survey

Latest stim vessel technology

Gulf of Mexico drilling outlook

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34

46

48

International EditionVolume 74, Number 6

June 2014

C O N T E N T S

Offshore (ISSN 0030-0608) is published 12 times a year, monthly by PennWell, 1421 S. Sheridan Road, Tulsa, OK 74112. Periodicals class postage paid at Tulsa, OK, and additional offices. Copyright 2014 by PennWell. (Registered in U.S. Patent Trademark Office.) All rights reserved. Permission, however, is granted for libraries and others registered with the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, Phone (978) 750-8400, Fax (978) 646-8600 to photocopy articles for a base fee of $1 per copy of the article plus 35 per page. Payment should be sent directly to the CCC. Requests for bulk orders should be addressed to the Editor. Subscription prices: US $112.00 per year, Canada/Mexico $ 145.00 per year, All other countries $184.00 per year (Airmail delivery: $257.00). Worldwide digital subscriptions: $112.00 per year. Single copy sales: US $11.00 per issue, Canada/Mexico $13.00 per issue, All other countries $15.00 per issue (Airmail delivery: $24.00). Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: P.O. Box 122, Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6S4. Back issues are available upon request. POSTMASTER send form 3579 to Offshore, P.O. Box 3264, Northbrook, IL 60065-3264. To receive this magazine in digital format, go to www.offshoresubscribe.com.

Celebrating 60 Years of Trends, Tools, and Technology

GULF OF MEXICO

Drilling in Gulf of Mexico remains robust ............................... 34Gulf of Mexico drilling activity remains robust and has continued to

show a remarkable comeback from the events of 2010, but the market

has seen a decline in activity in recent months as operators scale back

their commitments due to rising costs, and with past spending commit-

ments coming due.

Offine wells reduce value in US deepwater Gulf ................... 40Wood Mackenzie recently studied the number of days of production per

month for more than 1,200 wells in deepwater Gulf of Mexico between

2007 and 2013. Production wells are thought of as fowing more or less

consistently. However, these wells can be shut-in for numerous reasons in-

cluding inclement weather, equipment failure, and on-going maintenance

drilling programs like workovers, side tracks, and recompletions. Based

on the study, producing oil and gas wells in deepwater GoM were online

on average only 79% of the time less than 10 months in any given year.

60 YEARS OF OFFSHORE

From the archives: Plans set for the TLP debut ..................... 44Selected from the March 1980 issue of Offshore, the article describes

the Conoco-led consortiums plans to develop the Hutton feld in the

North Sea with the industrys frst tension leg platform, a technologi-

cal breakthrough in deepwater exploration.

GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS

Quantitative interpretation emerges as major geoscience tool ........................................................ 46The rise of deepwater exploration, together with the onshore shale boom,

has altered many industry geoscience workfows. For interpreters, this

has meant the widespread adoption of a series of advanced workfows

that are commonly defned as Quantitative Interpretation (QI). These

techniques take the interpreter beyond delineating reservoir geometry,

picking horizons and faults, and defning stratigraphy. The focus of QI is

to understand the internals of the reservoir rather than its architecture.

DRILLING & COMPLETION

MPD overcomes narrow drilling window to reach stranded assets ........................................... 48The long-producing US Gulf of Mexico shelf is being revitalized with

new technologies, allowing operators to access untapped reserves in

mature or depleted felds that would otherwise be unattainable. Among

the methods opening new opportunities in mature felds is managed

pressure drilling, which can overcome some of the limits of conven-

tional technology to drill through a tight operating window, manage

the changing annular pressure profle, reduce the likelihood of a well

control event, and manage wellbore stability to mitigate stuck pipe.

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56

22

66


June 2014

C O N T E N T S

4 Offshore June 2014 www.offshore-mag.com

Celebrating 60 Years of Trends, Tools, and Technology

PRODUCTION OPERATIONS

Abandoned but not forgotten: managing wells near end of life ............................................. 52Many producing offshore oil and gas felds include a mixture of operat-

ing, suspended, and abandoned wells. One continuing challenge for

the operators is to distinguish between those wells that have been

suspended (i.e. for workovers) or abandoned safely, and those that are

not correctly treated. Well integrity management systems combine well

operating and production data within a framework for decision-making,

management processes, and organizational structure.

High-accuracy simulator trains offshore oil platform operators ............................................... 56LUKOIL has deployed an offshore training simulator (OTS) at its corpo-

rate training center near Astrakhan, Russia, that enables its employees

to become familiar with the same type of equipment and systems they

will use in the feld. The OTS features a modern control system from

Emerson Process Management and modeling software from Kongsberg

Oil and Gas Technologies, and was developed with the same Emerson

developers who had developed the confguration for LUKOILs North

Caspian Sea platform, located in the Yuri Korchagin oil feld.

PIPELINES & FLOWLINES

Study examines causes of slugging in subsea fowline ........ 60One of Shells subsea tiebacks in the deepwater GoM has experienced

various fow assurance issues related to the produced fuids, and un-

expected unstable oscillating fow (slugging) has also been observed.

The commercial transient multi-phase fow simulation tool OLGA was

used to predict the slugging tendency. Several mechanisms that could

provide reasonable explanation for the observed unstable fow were

proposed and investigated.

STIMULATION VESSELS

Stim vessel feet features latest technologies ....................... 66The global feet of stimulation vessels available to the industry is the

largest in its history. And, the technologies onboard are certainly the

most advanced to date. Deepwater stimulation vessels may be the

technology superstars, but offshore intervention, while perhaps not

as glamorous as big-league pressure pumping operations, also has an

essential role to play and a similar set of diffcult challenges.

2014 World survey of stimulation vessels .............................. 72Get the latest detailed and comprehensive listing of the capabilities and

features of the worldwide stimulation vessel feet.

1406off_4 4 6/3/14 2:14 PM

[ FROM THE HIGH PRESSURE EXPERTS ]

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ing air, for over 65 years. Weve worked for many years to

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for E & P operations. Our systems are designed with onshore

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BAUER understands that reliability and optimal performance

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D E P A R T M E N T S



June 2014

EQUIPMENT & ENGINEERING

Industry unveils new products and technologies at OTC 2014 ................................ 74The 2014 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston gave more than 108,300 attendees the

opportunity to learn about new products, services, and technologies and interact with industry

colleagues and professionals from around the world. This years event featured nine panel ses-

sions, 29 executive keynote presentations at luncheons and breakfasts, and 308 technical papers.

The sold-out exhibition covered 680,025 sq ft (63,176 sq m) and featured 2,568 companies

representing 43 countries.

Online .................................................... 8

Comment ............................................. 10

Data ..................................................... 12

Global E&P .......................................... 14

Offshore Europe .................................. 18

Gulf of Mexico ..................................... 20

Subsea Systems ................................. 22

Vessels, Rigs, & Surface Systems ...... 24

Drilling & Production ........................ 26

Geosciences ........................................ 28

Offshore Automation Solutions .......... 30

Regulatory Perspectives ..................... 32

Business Briefs ................................... 82

Advertisers Index ............................... 87

Beyond the Horizon ............................ 88

COVER: The global feet of stimulation

vessels available to the industry today

is the largest it has been in history, and

the technologies onboard are the most

advanced to date. StimWell Services

Ltd.s Island Patriot is representative of

the vessel technology at work in offshore

well stimulation today. It holds the DNV

Well Stimulation Vessel Class notation

that adds tanks, a pumping and piping

arrangement, as well as equipment and

instrumentation related to the storage

and handling of well stimulation fuids, in

addition to the main class requirements.

The vessel also complies with statutory

regulations set by the International Mari-

time Organisation and the International

Management Code. See Page 72 for the

2014 Stimulation Vessel Survey results.

(Photo courtesy StimWell Services)

1406off_6 6 6/3/14 2:14 PM

2014 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. 40713 04/2014

F.P.O.

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Achieve more than 99% packing efciency and streamline operations with the TORRENT

openhole gravel-pack solution.

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pack across the entire interval. Specialized ultra-lightweight proppant stays suspended in

non-viscous uid during pumping for added effectiveness in long horizontal applications.

And a reliable gravel-pack tool enables positive positioning throughout the operation while

you monitor job progress in real-time.

Overcome barriers. Improve reliability. Ensure sustainable, protable wells.

Learn more at bakerhughes.com/TORRENT

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PennWell1455 West Loop South, Suite 400, Houston, TX 77027 U.S.A.

Tel: (01) 713 621-9720 Fax: (01) 713 963-6296

SALES

WORLDWIDE SALES MANAGERHOUSTON AREA SALES

David Davis [email protected] Tel: (713) 963-6206 Shelley Cohen [email protected]

CUSTOM PUBLISHINGRoy Markum [email protected]

Tel: (713) 963-6220

PRODUCTION MANAGERKimberlee Smith [email protected]: (918) 832-9252 Fax: (918) 831-9415

REPRINT SALESRhonda Brown [email protected]

Tel: (219) 878-6094 Fax: (219) 561-2023

SUBSCRIBER SERVICE

To start a free subscription, visit www.offshoresubscribe.com. Contact us for subscription questions,

address changes and back issues

Tel: (847) 763-9540 Fax: (847) 763-9607

Email: [email protected]

OFFSHORE EVENTSDavid Paganie (Houston) [email protected]

Gail Killough (Houston) [email protected] Niki Vrettos (London) [email protected]

Jenny Phillips (London) [email protected]

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERSPennWell; 1421 S. Sheridan Rd., Tulsa, OK 74112

MemberAll Rights reserved

Offshore ISSN-0030-0608Printed in the U.S.A. GST No. 126813153

CHAIRMAN:Frank T. Lauinger

PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER:Robert F. Biolchini

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER:Mark C. Wilmoth

Publications Mail Agreement Number 40052420GST No. 126813153

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Dick Ghiselin (Houston)

Doug Gray (Rio de Janeiro) Nick Terdre (London)

Gurdip Singh (Singapore)Wendy Laursen (Australia)

MANAGING EDITORBruce A. Beaubouef

[email protected]

TECHNOLOGY EDITOR,SUBSEA & SEISMIC

Gene [email protected]

EDITOR-EUROPE Jeremy Beckman

[email protected]

ASSISTANT EDITOR Jessica Tippee

[email protected]

POSTER EDITORE. Kurt Albaugh, P.E.

[email protected]

PRESENTATION EDITORJosh Troutman

[email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT and GROUP PUBLISHERMark Peters

[email protected]

CHIEF EDITOR/CONFERENCES EDITORIAL DIRECTORDavid Paganie

[email protected]


Latest newsThe latest news is posted daily for the offshore oil and gas industry covering

technology, companies, personnel moves, and products.

New on demand webcast

Trends in Real-Time Operations: Best Practices for Asset Integrity and Secure Information ManagementReal-time Operating Centers have become standard for day-to-day operations

in the oil and gas industry. These centers are used to address a variety of op-erating disciplines such as monitoring offshore drilling and production, visu-alization and well planning, drilling simulation and training, disaster recovery, and more. With real-time data access and exchange, cyber security becomes paramount for operating centers, and a system must be in place to ensure the integrity and security of this data, no matter where its destination or application, without compromising collaboration and performance.

This webcast, presented by Thinklogical, examines best practices for the de-sign of the underlying system to securely control, manage, and distribute the fow of video, data and other information to, from, and within the Real-Time Operating Center for greater productivity and increased effciencies.

http://www.offshore-mag.com/webcasts/offshore/ 2014/06/trends-in-real-time-operations.html

New maps, posters, surveys 2014 World Survey of Stimulation Vessels 2014 Deepwater Solutions & Records for Concept Selection Poster 2014 Survey of Offshore Non-Chemical Flow Assurance Solutions 2014 Rotary Steerable Systems Survey

Download: http://www.offshore-mag.com/maps-posters.html

Offshore commemorates 60-year anniversaryFirst published in 1954 by Texas native Long John Latham in a small town

north of Houston, Offshore magazine has evolved into an industry leading global must-read for world trends and technology. Scroll through featured anniversary articles and the interactive timeline to experience the changes in the offshore oil and gas industry over the past 60 years.

http://www.offshore-mag.com/offshore60.html

Browse Offshore magazinePeruse the cover issue and archives back to 1995.

www.offshore-mag.com

Submit an article Offshore magazine accepts editorial contributions. To submit an article, please

review the guidelines posted on our website by following the link below.www.offshore-mag.com/index/about-us/article-submission.html

Available at

Offshore-mag.com

1406off_8 8 6/3/14 2:14 PM

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To respond to articles in Offshore, or to offer articles for publication,

contact the editor by email ([email protected]).

COMMENT David Paganie Houston

Technology delivers unconventional resultsThe buzz in the US continues to be centered on tight oil and shale formations onshore

and for good reason. Growth in crude oil production from those resources, spurred by technology and effciency gains (among a host of other reasons), increased from 12% of total US production in 2008 to 35% in 2012. Moreover, estimated growth from unconven-tionals onshore could propel the US as a net exporter of crude oil and petroleum products by 2040, according to one scenario in the US EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2014. A more conservative scenario, the Reference case, estimates that total US crude oil production will reach 9.6 MMb/d in 2019 some 3.1 MMb/d more than in 2012 and near the historic high in 1970. Over the same period (2012-2019), tight oil production is estimated to grow by 2.5 MMb/d, to 4.8 MMb/d or 50% of the US total.

EIA estimates that production from Lower 48 offshore will vary between 1.4 and 2.0 MMb/d through 2040. Most of the production growth from US offshore areas is from a number of deepwater Gulf of Mexico projects that are scheduled to come onstream by the end of 2015.

The point here is to illustrate the impact that technology advances are having on US onshore resource development, and to raise the following: Could technology ad-vances deliver similar results offshore? In other words, are there any unconventional approaches under development for offshore that could deliver a step-change in produc-tion growth?

Advances in HP/HT equipment and services and improvements in subsalt imaging could offer signifcant upside in the production curve. But, the one approach that is con-sidered as having the greatest potential to add meaningful growth to the global reserves base is EOR application to conventional offshore oil resources.

Recently formed alliances are proof of this emerging trend. Baker Hughes and Aker Solutions are teaming to develop technology for production solutions that will boost output, increase recovery rates, and reduce costs for subsea felds. This follows the formation of OneSubsea a Cameron and Schlumberger joint venture also tasked with improving recovery subsea.

A number of major operators are allocating resources for EOR R&D as well. BP, for example, is developing LoSal, or low salinity, which is injection water treated to reduce the total dissolved solids from seawaters typical 35,000 ppm down to a few thousand parts per million. The process also targets a reduction in the total divalent ion concen-tration to a point below that of the connate reservoir water. These two steps combine to help release the formation oil from the reservoir rock surfaces.

BP says its LoSal EOR technology has the potential to improve the outcome of water-fooding by 5 to 10%.

Another approach is microbial EOR (MEOR). Offshore contributing editor Dick Ghis-elin shares an interesting case study in his column on its application on the Statoil-operated Norne feld in the Norwegian Sea. The process aims to stimulate the growth of indigenous or injected bacteria, which can help to improve oil recovery by mobilizing residual oil trapped in the pore space. As a result, recovery at Norne is approaching 55%.

Meanwhile, DNV GL has launched a joint industry project to develop a wind-powered subsea water injection system. The concept is being promoted as an alternative for pro-duction sites where reservoir characteristics and system design allow for raw seawater injection, and there are long distances from the host platform to the satellite injection well.

This is just a small sample of recent developments in EOR for offshore application. If the technology is widely accepted, the results could be, well, unconventional.

1406off_10 10 6/3/14 2:14 PM

2014 Aker Solutions and Baker Hughes. All rights reserved. 40086 05/2014

Implementation of the alliance is subject to obtaining any required antitrust or other regulatory approvals.

Subsea

Production

Alliance

The Subsea Production Alliance is designing integrated in-well and seabed production solutions

as well as cost-effective intervention capabilities that will change the paradigm for subsea recovery

of industry-leading completion, production, and intervention products and services from

Aker Solutions and Baker Hughes.

Leave single-digit deepwater subsea recovery rates behind and reimagine deepwater production

at subseaproductionalliance.com

Never settle for single-digit recovery rates

1406off_11 11 6/3/14 2:14 PM

Worldwide offshore rig count & utilization rate

March 2012 April 2014

950

850

750

650

550

450

350

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

No

. o

f ri

gs

Fle

et u

tilizatio

n ra

te %

Mar

ch 1

2

June

12

Sept

12

Dec

12

Mar

ch 1

3

June

13

Sept

13

Dec

13

Mar

ch 1

4

Contracted fleet utilization Total fleet Contracted Working

Sourc

e: IH

S

Capex (%) by water depth in the Gulf of Mexico 2009-2018

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

0-99

1,000-1,499 >1,499

100-499 500-999

2009

Source: Infield Systems

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Op

era

tor

ca

pex

sh

are

(%

)

Worldwide day rates

Year/Month Minimum Average Maximum

Drillship

2013 May $50,000 $460,000 $678,000

2013 June $50,000 $465,023 $678,000

2013 July $151,000 $466,627 $678,000

2013 Aug $151,000 $465,388 $678,000

2013 Sept $151,000 $459,435 $678,000

2013 Oct $151,000 $464,037 $678,000

2013 Nov $151,000 $470,960 $678,000

2013 Dec $151,000 $475,953 $678,000

2014 Jan $151,000 $478,831 $678,000

2014 Feb $151,000 $485,418 $678,000

2014 Mar $151,000 $491,167 $678,000

2014 Apr $151,000 $497,626 $678,000

Jackup

2013 May $30,000 $122,307 $361,000

2013 June $30,000 $122,908 $361,000

2013 July $30,000 $123,764 $361,000

2013 Aug $30,000 $125,274 $361,000

2013 Sept $30,000 $126,255 $361,000

2013 Oct $30,000 $127,951 $361,000

2013 Nov $30,000 $127,414 $361,000

2013 Dec $30,000 $129,406 $361,000

2014 Jan $30,000 $131,037 $361,000

2014 Feb $30,000 $130,352 $361,000

2014 Mar $30,000 $131,153 $361,000

2014 Apr $30,000 $132,535 $361,000

Semi

2013 May $145,000 $381,495 $656,662

2013 June $145,000 $380,282 $656,662

2013 July $145,000 $384,545 $656,662

2013 Aug $145,000 $386,443 $656,662

2013 Sept $145,000 $386,663 $656,662

2013 Oct $145,000 $382,210 $656,662

2013 Nov $145,000 $395,349 $656,662

2013 Dec $145,000 $394,334 $656,662

2014 Jan $145,000 $394,185 $656,662

2014 Feb $145,000 $392,792 $656,662

2014 Mar $145,000 $386,555 $656,662

2014 Apr $145,000 $387,444 $656,662

Source: Rigzone.com

G L O B A L D ATA


This month, Infield Systems examines the dramatic change in market share of capex by water depth in the Gulf of Mexico over the last five years. Capex by water depth of more than 1,499 m (4,917 ft) has changed from 32% in 2009 to 58% in 2014. This is expected to increase to 64% in 2018. Capex in deepwater (500-1,499 m) has decreased from 41% in 2009 to 29% in 2014 and is expected to further decrease to 24% by 2018. This does not tell the whole tale with capex in the 1,000-1,499 m bracket remaining steady at a forecast period average of 19% while capex between 500-999 m decreases to 3%. Shallow water (0-499 m) is expected to stabilize over the forecast after falling from 22% in 2009 to 8% in 2014, but it is expected to rise to 11% by 2018.

Essentially, the Gulf of Mexico area is comprised of two distinct basins. Shallow water (less than 500 m) development in places such as East and West Cameron and Vermillion has been going on for decades. Future

development is expected to mainly focus on small discoveries operating for a few years developed mainly from fixed platforms or subsea tiebacks. Deepwater capex is expected to be focussed on subsea tieback type developments.

In waters deeper than 1,499 m, the Gulf of Mexico is still a developing region. Over the period of analysis, 80 fields are expected to attract capex in ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico with 63 expected to see capex in the forecast period. This includes the Stones FPSO, to be the deepest installed platform globally at a water depth of 2,896 m (9,499 ft) and only the second FPSO type development in the Gulf of Mexico. Floating platforms with large numbers of subsea tiebacks the hub and spoke system, are expected to continue to remain popular as the Lower Tertiary of the Gulf of Mexico becomes increasingly developed.

Kieran OBrien, Energy Researcher, Infield Systems Ltd.

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North America

Statoil and Husky Energy will resume exploration and appraisal drilling this fall in the deepwater Flemish Pass basin off New-foundland & Labrador, using the semisub-mersible West Hercules. The partners have three potentially large oil discoveries in the area, the most recent being last summers Bay du Nord, 500 km (310 mi) northeast of St Johns.

Brazil

Petrobras has completed its fnal manda-tory exploratory well under its presalt Santos basin Rights Transfer Agreement. Entorno de Iara 3, drilled in 2,224 m (7,296 ft) of wa-ter, 241 km (150 mi) offshore Rio de Janeiro state, confrmed good-quality oil in carbonate reservoirs below the presalt layer. Results suggest 5 Bboe of reserves within the En-torno de Iara block.

In the frontier Barreirinhas basin off north-east Brazil, Thailands PTTEP has agreed to farm into 25% of four blocks assigned last year to BG Group. Assuming approval from ANP, the partners will commission a 3D seis-mic survey over the blocks under the initial assessment phase.

West Africa

Total has discovered light oil in an abrupt margin deepwater play offshore Cte dIvoire. The semisub Eirik Raude drilled Saphir-1XB, the frst well on block CI-154, in 2,300 m (7,546 ft) of water. It encountered a 350-m (1,148-ft) series of thick sands containing a 40-m (131-ft) hydrocarbon column with 34 API oil. Total and partner Canadian Natural Resources plan to evaluate a possible extension to the north-east.

Cte dIvoires government has agreed to extend African Petroleums production-shar-ing contracts for deep offshore blocks CI-509 and CI-513. These will give the Austra-lian independent more time to pursue a rig and to bring in partners for the frst-phase commitment wells.

Noble Energy has completed a long-term drillstem test on the Diega oil feld in block 1 offshore Equatorial Guinea. The well fowed at constrained rates of up to 7,300 b/d, and re-sults suggest recoverable volumes above 30 MMbbl. According to partner PA Resources, Noble should submit a development plan be-fore year-end. The partners will also re-eval-uate the Carla South discovery in the same block following a planned 3D seismic survey.

Total and its partners have launched the $16-billion Kaombo development in Angolan block 32, one of West Africas most extensive deepwater projects to date. The offshore complex will receive production from the

Canela, Caril, Gengibre, Hindungo, Louro, and Mostarda felds in water depths ranging from 1,400-1,900 m (4,593-6,233 ft). They are spread out over an 800-sq km (309-sq mi) area in the central and southeastern part of the block, 260 km (161 mi) from Luanda.

Production will head to two converted turret-moored FPSOs which Saipem will supply and later operate and maintain. They will enter service in 2017, and will each pro-vide oil handling capacity of up to 115,000 b/d, water injection and gas compression of respectively 200,000 b/d and 100 MMcf/d, and storage for up to 1.7 MMbbl of oil.

Aker Solutions will provide the subsea pro-duction system comprising 65 vertical subsea wellsets, 20 manifolds, workover/tie-in and control systems. The Technip/Hereema con-sortium will supply and install 120 km (75 mi) of umbilicals; 300 km (186 mi) of rigid pipe-in-pipe production and single-pipe injection lines; and 18 rigid single top tension risers, associated 40-m (131-ft) tall buoyancy tanks and jumpers. They expect to complete the in-stallations during the frst half of 2018.

Genel Energy and White Rose have agreed to pay China Sonangol and Statoil up to $281 million in total to farm into blocks 38 and 39 in

Angolas offshore Kwanza basin. Water depths in this frontier region, which has yielded nu-merous successes for Cobalt International, range from 1,500-2,500 m (4,921-8,202 ft). Genel says the geology on both blocks is analogous to Brazils Campos and Santos basins. The drill-ship Stena Carron may have started drilling the Dilolo prospect for Statoil in block 39.

Off Namibia to the south, Murphy Oil has agreed to farm in as operator of explora-tion blocks 2613A and 2613B. The company and partners OMV, Cowan, and NAMCOR planned to acquire 3D seismic. In offshore 2913B, on the maritime boundary with South Africa, London-based Impact Oil and Gas is confrmed as the new operator. The acreage is thought to contain oil-prospective sands within anticlinal traps west of the Or-ange River delta.

Mediterranean Sea

Enagas has commissioned French con-tractor Diestwell to overhaul the drilling rig on the Gaviota platform, 8 km (4.97 mi) offshore Spains northeast coast. Since 1994 the former gas production facility has sup-ported gas storage in a subsurface reser-voir. Dietswell will prepare the refurbished rig for a workover program this summer.

Totals Kaombo development offshore Angola. (Image courtesy Total)

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Lebanons Ministry of Energy and Water has extended the dead-line for bid submissions for the countrys frst offshore licensing round until Aug. 14, 2014. This follows delays in decrees related to delineation of the blocks and the model E&P agreement. Five off-shore blocks are currently on offer, but more could be added.

Noble Energy and its partners will seek to expand the deepwater Tamar feld gas production and export facilities. This follows a letter of intent to sell up to 2.5 tcf over 15 years to Union Fenosas natural gas liquefaction facilities in Egypt, subject to regulatory approvals.Delek Group says its subsidiary companies in partnership with

Noble have applied to export gas from Israels deepwater Leviathan feld through a new pipeline to Cyprus. They aim to supply up to 0.95 bcm/yr between early 2016 and the end of 2022, with options to extend deliveries till end-2025. However, a development schedule for Leviathan and agreements with Cyprus government would both need to be in place by Aug. 21.

Black SeaAllseas new construction vessel Pieter Schelte will install the sec-

ond string of the South Stream gas pipeline through deepwaters in the Black Sea. The vessel, equipped with six welding and coating stations, will start work on the 900-km (559-mi) pipelay campaign in summer 2015. Saipem will connect the offshore pipeline to the landfall sections using the above-water tie-ins.

Caspian SeaRWE Dea and SOCAR will jointly evaluate prospectivity south of

the Absheron peninsula in the Azeri sector. The 850-sq km (328-

sq mi) study area, between Hamamdag and Karadagm, is in water depths ranging from 0-30 m (0-98 ft).In the same sector, BP has contracted the Saipem/Bos Shef/

Star Gulf consortium to transport and install new platform jackets, topsides, subsea structures, and subsea production systems for the Shah Deniz Stage 2 project. Additionally, the consortium will install more than 360 km (223 mi) of subsea pipelines and upgrade the Israfl Huseinov laybarge for the program.

Middle EastQatar Petroleum (QP) is to commit more than $11 billion to rede-

velop the Bul Hanine offshore oil feld 120 km (75 mi) east of Qatar. The programs, currently in the pre-front-end engineering design

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phase, will double the felds current produc-tion capacity and extend its productive life.

QP plans to drill new wells from exist-ing/modifed wellhead platforms and from 14 new wellhead platforms, with associated production and injection fowlines. The new offshore central complex will comprise pro-duction, compression, utility and living quar-ter platforms with topside weights ranging from 4,000-14,000 metric tons (4,409-15,432 tons). Produced oil will be sent to Halul Is-land for export, while 90 MMcf/d of sour gas will head through a new 150-km (93-mi) subsea pipeline to a gas treatment facility in Mesaieed. Lean sweet gas will be imported to the new complex for compression/injec-tion.

East Africa

Anadarko says recent appraisal drilling on the Orca feld has increased gas reserves in Mozambiques Offshore Area 1 to 50-75 tcf-plus. The company continues to progress the planned Mozambique LNG project hav-ing added incremental non-binding LNG take-off agreements.

India

ONGC plans further development of its Vasai East feld in the Arabian Sea offshore western India. The company will drill infll wells from the VSEB and VSEC wellhead platforms into the felds northern and southern fanks. It will also modify facilities at the BPA/BCPA-2 process platform. The project, due to be complete by the end of 2018, should add 1.83 million metric tons (2.01 million tons) of incremental oil and 1,971 bcm of gas production by 2030.

Southeast Asia

CNOOC has delivered frst oil from the Kenli 3-2 oil felds project in the southern Bohai Sea. The company developed the Kenli 3-2, Bozhong 34-6/7, southern part of Bozhong 29-4, and the Bozhong 35-2 oil felds in water depths averaging 20 m (65.6 ft). The offshore facilities, designed to produce 35,000 b/d, include seven platforms. Oil is exported to a processing terminal onshore.

Shell has a new gas discovery in block SK318 off Malaysia. The Rosmari-1 well, drilled 135 km (84 mi) offshore, intersected a gas column of more than 450 m (1,476 ft). Shell and partners Petronas plan to drill for more gas in the area.

Petronas has signed a small feld risk service contract with a consortium headed by EnQuest for development of the Tanjong Bram feld offshore Lutong, Sarawak. The approved development plan involves drilling wells and installing platforms and pipelines which will be linked to existing infrastruc-

ture. First oil is slated for 2015, with an esti-mated project cost of $100 million.

Elsewhere off Malaysia, Australian com-pany ROC Oil has farmed into 50% of a Petro-nas-operated PSC covering the shallow-water producing felds D21, D35, and J4. Combined production is currently 10,000 b/d of oil and 17 MMcf/d of gas. The partners will look to raise output through redevelopment and en-hanced oil recovery measures.

Premier Oil has discovered oil and gas in the Kuda Laut structure in the Tuna PSC offshore Indonesia. The Kuda-Laut-1 well encountered 183 ft (56 m) of net oil-bearing reservoir and 327 ft (99.7 m) of net gas-bearing reservoir. The company planned a side track into the Singa Laut prospect in the adjacent fault block.

Australasia

Origin Energy has contracted Seadrills West Telesto to drill two new wells during the next Australian summer on the Yolla gas feld in the Bass Strait. The wells form part of the BassGas joint ventures Yolla mid-life enhancement project Stage 2, designed to maintain production from the feld.

New Zealands Energy and Resources Min-ister Simon Bridges has revealed details of the countrys third annual block offer for pe-troleum exploration permits. Block Offer 2014 covers total acreage of 405,000 sq km (156,371 sq mi). Offshore release areas include the Canterbury, Great South, New Caledonia, Pegasus-East Coast, Reinga-Northland, and Taranaki basins. Bids are due by Sept. 25, with permits due to be issued between December and March 2015.

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O F F S H O R E E U R O P E Jeremy Beckman London


Basement well pushes drilling boundariesAppraisal drilling resumed last month on Hurricane Energys

basement Lancaster oil discovery west of Shetland. The semisub-mersible Transocean Sedco 712 is drilling the well which will be fow tested. SPD is managing the program which could last 75 days.According to Hurricane CEO Dr. Robert Trice, this is the frst

time a 1-km (0.6-mi) horizontal well section has been attempted in the UKs fractured basement. The well path for the horizontal seg-ment will cross at least nine faults identifed from 3D seismic, com-pared with two seismic scale fault penetrations for the previous well on the feld which tested 2,500 b/d of oil.If the current well meets expectations it will be suspended for a

future tieback to a host production facility. A success, Trice added, will also have a signifcant impact on how the industry values other fractured basement opportunities in the UKThe government-spon-sored Pilot study describes fractured basement reservoirs as the most extensive underexplored play remaining on the UK continental shelf.Off the Faroe Islands the semisub West Hercules has re-entered

the Brugdan II exploration well in license 006, which had been sus-pended since November 2012 when bad weather called a halt to op-erations. Brugdan is a large four-way dip closure at Tertiary level that was frst drilled in 2006, although that well had to be abandoned prior to reaching the sandstone target due to mechanical issues. The waters around the Faroes are among the toughest for operations throughout northern Europe, due to the severe metocean condi-tions and the extensive layers of basalt in the subsurface. But the area is also viewed as highly prospective.

Ormen Lange compression studies suspendedNorske Shell and its partners have opted to postpone offshore

compression for the deepwater Ormen Lange gas feld in the Nor-wegian Sea. This had been one of two concepts under review since 2008 to extend the life of the feld, which currently produces through an extensive network of subsea facilities tied back to the shore. The other option was compression from a new TLP.Committee chairman Odin Estensen said that following an up-

dated analysis of the reservoir the licensees concluded that neither concept was proftable. The latest fndings indicated that offshore compression is not even time-critical for recovery from the feld, he added. More knowledge will be accessible from both the reservoir and technology in the coming years and will form the basis for evalu-ating new compression options.Grethe Moen, chief executive of state-owned Petoro, a partner in

the project, said that the proposed forward plan did not represent a suffciently strong commitment, and that her organization would continue to push for compression in the longer term.Petoro is also a partner in Statoils planned Johan Castberg multi-

feld development in the Barents Sea. The operator recently com-pleted a fve-well campaign to prove more oil in the area. After a series of disappointments, the fnal well delivered apparently com-mercial hydrocarbons from the Drivis structure, 15 km (9.3 mi) from the original Skrugard discovery well in 345 m (1,132 ft) of wa-ter. Recoverable oil volumes could be in the 42-54 MMbbl range.Statoil favors a semisubmersible platform-based solution for Johan

Castberg, exporting oil to northern Norway for storage. However, Moen said Petoro would continue to push for equal focus on the alter-native option of a smaller foating production unit with offshore loading.

Call to cut costs of Norway wellsAside from Drivis, exploration drilling has paid off farther south

with Wintershall fnding gas and condensate with two wells in the lower Cretaceous Solberg prospect in the Norwegian Sea, close to last years Rodriguez discovery. VNGs drillstem test on its Pil fnd in the same sector, southwest of the Njord complex, suggests recover-

able resources of up to 170 MMboe. And Statoils recent Valemon North discovery at the Jurassic level could hold up to 75 MMboe of gas/condensate and oil. The main Valemon feld is due to come onstream later this year via a fxed platform.However, half of the Norwegian felds under consideration for

development are smaller than 27 MMboe, according to Moen. De-veloping these discoveries presents major proftability challenges, she said, with production well drilling accounting for around half the cost of a development. Norwegian operators need to get a grip on capacity, measured by wells per year, she added, and on drilling costs infated by creeping ineffciencies. In the past, she claimed, the industry managed to execute stan-

dard drilling tasks twice as quickly as it does now. However, she suggested that through simplifcation, technology which increases cost effectiveness, and a cultural shift away from seeking fault-free operation to pursuing effciency, we can achieve radical effciency gains compared with the present position.

Platforms converge on North SeaThis has been a busy period for loadouts of structures for new

North Sea projects. Over the past two months Aker has shipped out jackets for the Edvard Grieg and Eldfsk projects from its west coast Norway yards; Nexens Golden Eagle Area production, utilities and quarters deck left Lamprells yard in Sharjah, UAE. Heerema Fabrication Group skidded the 8,500-ton launch jacket for DONG Energys Danish sector Hejre feld platform onto a barge from the quayside in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, and this was due to be fol-lowed by the 900-ton pre-drilling wellhead deck.In the UK, Heeremas Hartlepool yard dispatched the 1,640-met-

ric ton (1,808-ton) topsides for GDF SUEZs Cygnus gas feld, with the 1,146-metric ton (1,263-ton) jacket, built by Burntisland Fabrica-tors, sailing out of eastern Scotland. Both fabricators are building the remaining three platforms for this development. One of the next major construction programs will be for Xcite Energy

Resources phased heavy oil Bentley project in the UK northern North Sea. The company is working with AMEC and Ove Arup & Partners to optimize the design of Arups self-installing steel ACE production plat-form. This would allow the facility to be built and integrated at a wide range of yards, and wet-towed directly to the Bentley feld for installa-tion with minimal offshore support. Teekay Shipping is set to provide a bridge-linked, cylindrical Sevan foating storage and offoading unit.Xcite has also entered a collaboration agreement with Statoil and

Shell to examine potential synergies with Statoils much larger Bres-say heavy oilfeld development. A team from the three companies will examine potential use of common infrastructure, assets and op-erational solutions for the two projects.

Sail away of the Cygnus Alpha topsides from Heerema Hartlepool.

(Courtesy Heerema Fabrication Group)

1406off_18 18 6/3/14 2:14 PM

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G U L F O F M E X I C O Bruce Beaubouef Houston


BP ends active shoreline cleanup operations

BP says that the US Coast Guard has end-ed patrols and operations on the fnal three shoreline miles in Louisiana, bringing to a close the extensive four-year active cleanup of the Gulf Coast following the Deepwater Horizon accident. These operations ended in Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi in June 2013.

BP says that the large-scale cleanup ef-fort, combined with early restoration proj-ects and natural recovery processes, is help-ing the Gulf return to its baseline condition, which is the condition it would be in if the ac-cident had not occurred. The company has spent more than $14 billion and more than 70 million personnel hours on response and cleanup activities, say company offcials.

Although active cleanup has ended, the entire area of response is subject to the National Response Center (NRC) process. Coast Guard personnel are pre-positioned to investigate any further reports of oil-based material.

From the beginning, BP says it has worked under the Coast Guards direction and in co-operation with state agencies and local gov-ernments to limit the accidents impact on the environment, and remove oil from the water and shoreline. Aerial reconnaissance fights were fown across approximately 14,000 miles of shoreline. Nearly 4,400 miles were ground-surveyed, with teams identifying 1,104 miles that experienced some level of oiling and 778 miles that required some mea-sure of cleaning.

McDermott signs agreement for Gulfport spoolbase

McDermott says that one of its subsidiar-ies has signed a lease agreement with the Mississippi Development Authority and the Mississippi State Port Authority for the ex-clusive right to operate a spoolbase and ma-rine operations base in the Port of Gulfport. McDermott expects the facility, designed to serve projects from the GoM, will be avail-able in early 2016.

The new facility in Gulfport, located on the Mississippi coastline, will be used to fab-ricate steel pipe stalklines through advanced welding processes for use in offshore reeled pipelay operations. The new 50-acre facil-ity will feature a state-of-the-art fabrication building and stalk racks, as well as a dedi-cated dock for vessel berthing to accommo-date reeling pipe onto McDermotts feet of specialized vessels for transport and instal-lation offshore.

Fugro expands survey feet Fugro is expanding its survey feet in the

GoM to include a new AUV, Echo Surveyor

VII, and a new vessel, R/V Fugro Americas.Both of these impending launches indi-

cate our strong capabilities and commitment to our clients in the GoM and international-ly, said Melissa Jeansonne, vice president, Fugro GeoServices, Inc. Both the Fugro Americas and Echo Surveyor VII will join the current feet later in the year. We already operate three AUVs in the GoM one Hu-gin (Echo Surveyor II), and two Bluefn (Echo Mapper); and our new multi-purpose Fugro Americas vessel enables us to have three vessels capable of operating AUVs in the Americas.

The company says that AUVs are becoming the preferred choice of instrument platform for deep sea and remote surveys. In addition to providing improved multibeam swath cover-age, the Echo Surveyor VII will support the ac-quisition of sidescan sonar, sub-bottom profler and CTD profler data, and will carry various environmental sensors to meet a wide range of offshore survey demands.

The Fugro Americas is a state-of-the-art multi-purpose vessel well suited for high resolution geophysical surveys and seafoor mapping. We are extremely proud of the Fugro Americas and look forward to her ar-rival in service, said Jim Grady, Asset Man-ager, Fugro GeoServices, Inc. At 193 ft she is bigger and faster than our current vessels in the GoM, has more berths as part of our purpose-built design, and is both quiet and fuel effcient. SOLAS classed, she is capable of undertaking seismic, conventional, AUV and geotechnical surveys thus providing the advantage of just one mobilization that can meet every clients needs.

EMAS gets LOA for Gunfint project

EMAS reports that it has received a letter of agreement (LOA) from Noble Energy for the Gunfint project in the GoM.

Under the terms of the agreement, EMASs subsea services division EMAS AMC has been nominated to perform the offshore in-stallation of pipelines, umbilicals, and ancil-lary equipment for the Gunfint project in the Mississippi Canyon area of the US GoM, in water depths in excess of 2,000 m (6,561 ft).

The pipelines will be installed with EMAS AMCs fagship vessel the Lewek Constella-tion while the EMAS marine base in Ingle-side, Texas, will be used to perform the pipe stalking and fabrication of various subsea structures. Project preparation activities have already commenced and offshore works are scheduled to be carried out during 2015.

W&T Offshore acquires Woodside assets

W&T Offshore, Inc. says that its wholly owned subsidiary, W & T Energy VI, LLC, has completed the acquisition of exploration and production properties in the deepwater GoM from Woodside Energy (USA) Inc. The transaction includes a 20% non-operated working interest in the producing Neptune feld (Atwater Valley blocks 574, 575, and 618 along with an interest in the associated tension leg platform). In addition, Energy VI is acquiring all of Woodsides interest in 24 deepwater exploration blocks.

The purchase price is $51 million (sub-ject to customary post-effective date adjust-ments) and the assumption of any related as-set retirement obligations. The acquisition was funded from available cash on hand and the revolving credit facility.

Total net proved reserves acquired are 1.9 MMboe (100% classifed as proved devel-oped) with a PV-10 of $53 million and prob-able net reserves of 1.1 MMboe. During January 2014, average daily net production from the Neptune feld was approximately 1,660 boe (net of royalties), of which 87% was oil.

Rig utilization update Total mobile rig utilization in the GoM decreased in the first full week of May, ac-

cording to RigDatas weekly report of offshore drilling plans, well permits, and rig locations dated May 5, 2014.

Current fleet utilization is 64.8%, with 70 of 108 rigs under contract or committed for work. Utilization of the marketed rig fleet, which excludes cold stacked and other rigs that are here but not marketed in the US Gulf, decreased to 84.3% from the past week, with 70 of 83 units under contract.

Utilization of the jackup fleet remained unchanged at 58.2% over the previous week, with 32 of 55 units under contract. Marketed rig utilization remained at 84.2%, with 32 of 38 units under contract.

Floating rig utilization decreased over the previous week to 71.7%, with 38 of 53 units under contract. Marketed utilization decreased to 84.4%, with 38 of 45 units under contract or committed for work.

Total platform rig fleet utilization increased from the previous week to 68.3%, with 28 of 41 units under contract. Marketed utilization increased to 84.8%, with 28 of 33 units under contract or committed for work.

For more information about the status of drilling activities in the GoM, please see our Gulf of Mexico mid-year report starting on page 34.

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S U B S E A S Y S T E M S Gene Kliewer Houston


New lift/deployment ROV in developmentA new type of lift and deployment ROV dubbed Shuttle Sub by

Deep Blue Engineering UK Ltd. is being introduced. The buoyant-controlled Shuttle Sub can foat, dive, surface, and

maintain neutral buoyancy with a 100-metric ton (110-ton) payload, says Deep Blue.

The Shuttle Sub is essentially an ROV in its own right, but it com-bines this with a transport function, said David Webster, managing di-rector of Deep Blue Engineering. And it offers an alternative to cranes for installing generating equipment, cables, exploration, or recovery work and does not require an additional ROV to serve as a monitor.

Deep Blue Engineering says it will submit the frst Shuttle Sub to rigorous testing over the coming months.

Plans are to make the Shuttle Sub, which will be available in two siz-es, have a payload capacity of 50 metric tons as well as the 100-metric ton version. The vehicle weighs slightly less than its payload capacity, and uses a cartridge-based carrying system similar to the container method used in the shipping industry.

A crane mounted on the support vessel lifts the empty Shuttle Sub

into the water, then lowers the payload cartridge into the Shuttle Sub. Different cartridges are designed for different applications. For ex-

ample, cartridge variants currently include a reel for laying cable, a drum for deploying long steel tube fying leads, and lifting equipment for salvage operations.

Future plans include the intervention and capping capability, and a cartridge with a subsea drilling capability.

The current design can be deployed in water depths to 1,500 m (4,920 ft). Deep Blue plans to develop a Shuttle Sub capable of work-ing at 3,000 m (9,840 ft), followed by greater depths in the future.

Baker Hughes Inc. and Aker Solutions ASA have agreed to form an alliance to develop technology for subsea production solutions.

The non-incorporated alliance will combine Aker Solu-tions subsea production and processing systems with Baker Hughes well completions and artificial-lift technology to deliver integrated in-well and subsea production solutions.

The alliance also will focus on advancing the industrys well-intervention capabilities to further optimize efficiency and reduce risks in subsea developments.

The structure of the alliance allows each company to offer any products and services to design the best solution for cus-tomers production challenges.

Deepwater subsea fields have so far been characterized by low recovery rates, and new discoveries in deeper and more hostile environments are making these fields even more costly

to develop, said Martin Craighead, Baker Hughes chairman and CEO. The single-digit recovery rates currently being achieved at many of these fields dont support a sustainable business model. By joining forces, Baker Hughes and Aker Solutions will identify and integrate the most effective combinations of in-well and subsea technologies, enabling greater production ratesef-ficiently and economicallyfrom subsea fields.

Our joint commitment will strengthen the business of each company and help our customers unlock the vast values that come from subsea production, said Oyvind Eriksen, Aker Solutions executive chairman. Subsea factory development is a key focus for Aker Solutions and the partnership with Baker Hughes will provide critical capabilities that will help us develop technologies to create a fully-functioning subsea production system which will improve recovery rates and lower costs for oil producers.

(Above) Meridian Ocean Services has added two Saab Seaeye Lynx ROVs

to its Falcon fleet to undertake a wider range of deeper inspection tasks at

short notice. The company has created a suite of rapidly deployable ROV

packages comprising Saab Seaeye Lynx and Falcons set in small-footprint

containerized systems ready for speedy deployment from a 150-ft vessel.

Meridian says the Lynx, with its TMS and enhanced operating features, will

expand the companys range of inspection roles in deeper platform work,

around buoys, artificial reefs, and for cleaning and diver support.

Baker Hughes, Aker Solutions form subsea production alliance

1406off_22 22 6/3/14 2:15 PM

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V E S S E L S , R I G S , & S U R FA C E S Y S T E M S


Bruce Beaubouef Houston

Ceona delivers Polar Onyx and Normand Pacifc

Ceona says it has completed fnal outftting of the Polar Onyx and the Normand Pacifc to begin client projects offshore Brazil and in the Gulf of Mexico, respectively. The successful delivery of the two fexlay and subsea construc-tion vessels marks the conclusion of the frst phase of Ceonas feet development program.

The company says that the Polar Onyx is designed for operations in harsh conditions and deepwaters (Ulstein X-bow), and is built to the highest standard in dynamic position-ing, DP-3 (Operations +) with a 250-ton AHC offshore crane. Final outftting has taken place in Schiedam, the Netherlands, where Huisman has installed a 275-ton vertical lay system (VLS) and a deck-mounted carousel with capacity for 2,000 tons of fexible products. Two permanent work-class ROVs delivered by Ceonas partner ROVOP, which can operate in 3,000 m (9,842 ft) water depth, were also mobilized in Schiedam.

Following her on-schedule completion, the Polar Onyx has sailed for Brazil (Vitoria) where she will mobilize and enter service as a pipelay support vessel (PLSV) for Petrobras. Ceona will manage the PLSV, the vessels maiden contract, in partnership with Odebrecht Oil & Gas (OOG). The Polar Onyx is under charter to Ceona from GC Rieber Shipping for a fxed period of fve years, with options for up to fve additional years.

Meanwhile, the Normand Pacifc has been fnalized in Galveston, Texas, with the installa-tion of a new high-specifcation 75-ton VLS, a reel drive system of 400-ton reels and two work-class ROVOP ROVs. It has sailed to Freeport to mobilize for its frst contract as part of the Ceo-na feet, working on the Clipper Contingency Umbilical Installation Project for Bennu Oil and Gas in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel will work on installation of a dynamic umbilical and elec-trical quad cables in water depths of over 900 m (2,952 ft). The Normand Pacifc is chartered from Solstad Offshore for one year, starting in April 2014, with an option of extension.

Ceona says that with work under way in

both Brazil and the Gulf of Mexico, it will con-tinue to build its subsea capabilities with the ongoing construction of the Ceona Amazon, its multipurpose pipelay and construction vessel. The Ceona Amazon is on track for delivery in early 2015.

Boskalis initiates study into ultra large Dockwise vessel

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) announced at the recent Offshore Technology Conference in Houston that it has started a study into a new ultra large V-class Heavy Ma-rine Transport Vessel (HTV).

The Dockwise Vanguard, which came into service in early 2013, is already the worlds largest V-class HTV with a carrying capacity of 117,000 metric tons and a deck space of 270 m x 70 m (885 ft x 229 ft).

The study addresses both the market op-portunities and the technical requirements for the new vessel. Boskalis says it will en-gage with clients to understand how this ves-sel can accommodate the expected growth in the FPSO and FLNG markets in addition to the ocean-going transport of outsized heavy marine structures.

Compared to the Dockwise Vanguard, the new vessel will be larger in terms of length, breadth and carrying capacity, but will also have a bowless design and asymmetric ac-commodation.

Boskalis says that the addition of another V-class vessel to its current feet of semisub-mersible HTVs will enable the company to further expand its leading market position in the offshore energy industry.

Ensco orders two ENSCO 140 Series jackups

Ensco plc says it has ordered two high-spec-ifcation jackups, ENSCO 140 and ENSCO 141, to fulfll customer demand for the companys differentiated rig technology and contract drilling services in the Middle East. Both rigs, which will incorporate Enscos patented Canti-Leverage Advantage technology, are signif-

cantly enhanced versions of the LeTourneau Super 116E jackup design.

The new jackups will include design specif-cations necessary to fully comply with the vast majority of regulatory and customer require-ments in the Middle East, the primary target market for ENSCO 140 and ENSCO 141. The rigs are scheduled for delivery in mid-2016 from Lamprells newest shipyard located in the United Arab Emirates. Ensco says that the rigs are also suitable for most of the markets around the world outside of the Middle East.

The two jackups will be constructed under a fxed-price contract. Including commission-ing, systems integration testing and project management, the total construction cost is es-timated to be $430 million, or $215 million per rig. The contract with Lamprell includes op-tions for two additional rigs of similar design.

The company says that ENSCO 140 and ENSCO 141 will offer enhanced crane capac-ity and liquid mud storage; and that living quarters with 140 beds will translate into signifcant logistical effciencies and cost sav-ings for customers.

Other key features of the rig design include a dual-drilling fuid system, a 1.5 million-pound derrick, TDS-8 top drive and a 15k BOP. The rigs will initially be outftted to work in wa-ter depths up to 340 ft (103 m) and may be upgraded to operate in up to 400 ft (122 m) of water. They will be capable of drilling to a maximum total depth of 30,000 ft (9,144 m).

With this new order, Ensco says it now has eight newbuild rigs under construction: fve premium jackups and three ultra-deepwater drillships. Since the beginning of 2010, Ensco has taken delivery of 12 high-performance rigs, including two ENSCO 120 Series ultra-premium harsh environment jackups, fve Samsung DP-3 ultra-deepwater drillships and fve ENSCO 8500 Series ultra-deepwater semi-submersibles. During this same period, Ensco has divested 13 less capable rigs as part of its continuous high-grading strategy. Proceeds from these sales have been used to fund new-build orders.

(Left) The Polar Onyx has sailed for Brazil (Vitoria) where she will mobilize and enter service as a pipelay support vessel (PLSV) for Petrobras.

(Right) The Normand Pacific has sailed to Freeport, Texas, to work on the Clipper Contingency Umbilical Installation Project for Bennu Oil and Gas

in the Gulf of Mexico. (Photos courtesy Ceona)

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D R I L L I N G & P R O D U C T I O N Dick Ghiselin Houston


This months column is all about produc-tion. While drilling is of critical importance, no operator makes any money until the well produces. As has been noted many times be-fore, it is a shame that many producers are content to leave as much as 65% of crude oil in the ground. It is a shame because there is a proven solution.About a year ago, I did research on en-

hanced oil recovery (EOR), the technique that purports to make a signifcant improve-ment in recovery factorgoing after that 65% of residual oil. One question I asked the producers I interviewed had to do with the relative percentage of techniques employed to coax more crude out of the ground. The favored technique, by a long shot, was ther-mal, at almost 90%, followed by chemical at 9%. Lastly was biological, almost a nonentity.It is a shame that my research was con-

fned to North America. If I had looked overseas, I would have found a much more

encouraging picture. The successful use of biological EOR has been experienced for the past 20 years by a leading national oil compa-ny, and several scientifc institutes abroad. Spectacular results have been recorded by Statoil at its Norne feld in the Norwegian North Sea. Following 25 years of research and development (R&D) and deployment, the recovery factor at Norne is approaching 55%. More than 30 MMbbl of additional pro-duced oil has been attributed to the applied microbial EOR (AMEOR) program there.In Russia, the Winogradsky Institute of

Biotechnology has done decades of work with the objective of harnessing the power of microbes to improve production. Biotopics in Argentina has had 20 years of experience in the area. And the Energy Resource Institute (TERI) in India is a derivative of the huge TATA Corp. All are energized by the aspect of recovering a signifcant fraction of crude oil left behind by initial production methods.A North American company has beneft-

ed from all this R&D by mining the above sources for the most successful techniques and applying them to felds it has purchased. Glori Energy of Houston is a relative new-comer, but behaves like a seasoned veteran benefting from 20 years of learning to avoid false starts. The potential of AMEOR is huge, espe-

cially in this era of high crude oil prices. The good news is that offshore appears to be the

biggest opportunity, because volumes are very high and initial recovery factors are low. In addition, many offshore felds are developed using a single centrally-located production facility to tap gathering lines. This layout typically favors EOR techniques, no matter which type is used. But the rela-tively small footprint of AMEOR production equipment poses an additional advantage for facilities where deck space is at a premium.

ChallengesThere is a major difference between

AMEOR and thermal or chemical EORtiming. The best time to deploy AMEOR is from the outset. Why wait until the feld experiences problems such as loss of pres-sure, or severe water encroachment? The application of microbes can enhance produc-tion from the moment they are introduced. As a result, experience shows that the best time to deploy AMEOR is at the frst detec-

tion of water in the fow stream. The treat-ment can slow the increase in water cut and ultimately enable more oil production. If an operator has produced 20% of the oil from the reservoir, 80% is still in place. If the pro-ducer can reduce the amount of water be-ing produced, the fngering of water that is breaking through into production will stop and more oil will be produced. Glori Energy has experienced greatly-improved recovery factors on the felds it has treated.In a water-wet reservoir, which most are,

there is irreducible water that will never pro-duce. It is held to the sand grains by surface tension. The greater the surface area of the sand grains, the more irreducible water will adhere. The trick is to shut off the mobile water by boosting the relative permeability to oil. You do not have to shut off all the wa-ter, just the mobile portion.Timing is everything. Many operators

wait too long to decide about using mi-crobes. As a result, the challenges can be insurmountable. Many prefer to trial the technique on felds that are old and tired, justifying their decision under the philoso-phy of do no harm, rather than investigat-ing the real potential. Too little, too late, and the challenges of performing a well-confg-ured and appropriate test can be signifcant. Results are sometimes diffcult to quantify because there is limited or low quality non-granular baseline data.

Additionally, many engineers believe that bacteria are bad, that they contribute to corro-sion or souring. Experience at Norne shows that souring is not an issue and the potential to corrode downhole tubulars can be elimi-nated by anti-corrosion coatings or the use of stainless metals. Actually the chemicals in-jected suppress souring. As far as corrosion is concerned, the only element involved is oxygen. In actual practice, only the injection zone is affected, the rest of the well tubulars are unaffected. None of the producing wells have been monitored producing any of the bacteria. It is consumed close to the injector. While inhibition steps cost money, the im-provement in production completely justifes the techniques from a fnancial perspective. Glori Energy is a Clean-Tech 100 company, so there is no downside risk. The process does not increase souring potential. Addressing the technique from the f-

nancial point of view, leads to another issue.

Some operators who have trialed AMEOR have chosen very low quality project oppor-tunitiesthose deemed of lowest risk. Even though experience shows that risks are insig-nifcant, they are reluctant to commit a well making 1,000 b/d or more, even though a sig-nifcant production uplift could be attained. If stripper wells are offered, even if production is doubled, they are still stripper wells.

How does it work?There is no need to inject cultured

bacteria into the wells. In fact, most bacte-ria that is grown under surface conditions cannot withstand bottomhole temperatures. Glori Energy takes advantage of bacteria that is already in the reservoir, so it fully ac-climatized to the environment. The bacteria are activated by injection of nutrients and a few parts per million of oxygen. Within six months a change of productivity should be observed. Over longer periods production rate increases up to 30% have been experi-enced along with a decrease in decline rate.The project is easily controlled. To stop it,

stop feeding the bacteria called a soft kill, or oxygenate the water by adding about 4 ppm O2. The idea that double-digit improve-ments in recovery factor are attainable from reservoirs that have already been discov-ered and developed should attract operators everywhere, but especially in North Ameri-ca offshore.

Applied microbial EOR offers potential, opportunity for operators

Timing is everything. Many operators wait

too long to decide about using microbes.

1406off_26 26 6/3/14 2:15 PM

1406off_27 27 6/3/14 2:15 PM

G E O S C I E N C E S Gene Kliewer Houston


PEMEX awards seismic survey contractION Geophysical Corp.s GX Technology group has won a multi-

year contract with Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), the national oil company of Mexico, to provide a range of seismic data processing for multiple offshore and onshore surveys over the next three years. The work will be done at GXTs Villahermosa, Mexico, and Houston offces, and through its Houston high performance computing center.GXT will apply proprietary imaging technologies to process the

data that will include deepwaters of the Gulf of Mexico in complex subsalt areas. The scope of services includes GXTs WiBand broad-band processing, velocity model building, and pre-stack depth mi-gration (PreSDM) using both beam migration and high frequency reverse time migration (RTM) techniques. PEMEX will continue to invest heavily in hydrocarbon explora-

tion and development in the years ahead, said Jose Antonio Escal-era, sub-director of Exploration at PEMEX. Much of this investment will be directed at E&P projects in which the targets are located in complex geologic regimes, including in fractured carbonate and deepwater subsalt reservoirs. This comes as Mexico moves to open its energy sector for outside

investments. The moves include plans to release previously conf-dential seismic data. PEMEX will release its seismic data after the completion of follow-

up legislation and rule-making as soon as April 20. Shortly thereaf-ter, he said, the data will become public.New permits for seismic assessment are expected following im-

plementation of the April legislation, moving toward a frst round of open bidding around June of next year.

Husky-CNOOC contract Indonesian seismic workNordic Maritime, in collaboration with ELNUSA, has contracted

a 3D seismic data acquisition and processing job offshore Indonesia for Husky-CNOOC Madura Ltd. Nordic Maritimes seismic vessel S/V Nordic Bahari, which re-

cently completed a 2,500-line km (1,553-mi) 2D marine seismic data acquisition and processing project on data from East Malaysias Sar-awak T3 block, for Pexco Sarawak N.V., will start the acquisition of approximately 420 sq km (162 sq mi) by the end of May with sup-port from chase vessel M/V Viking Vanguard. The project is expected to be completed by July.

PGS to expand offshore eastern Canada dataPGS is expanding its multi-client library offshore eastern Canada

with an added 30,000 km (18,641 mi) of 2D seismic data in the Lab-rador Sea and Newfoundland Flemish Pass. The M/V Sanco Spirit, using the PGS GeoStreamer multi-sensor

technology, will start seismic and gravity data acquisition in the Lab-rador Sea and northeast Newfoundland-Flemish Pass areas. The data should be relevant to areas of interest (AOIs) that Canadas New-foundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) is expected to announce soon following last Decembers new land ten-ure system.This new data will complement PGS existing 47,600 km (29,577 mi) of 2D regional data acquired from 2011 to 2013. The survey is in cooperation with TGS which will perform the

data processing. Final data is expected to be available to clients in 3Q 2015.Also this July the M/V Atlantic Explorer is scheduled to start ac-

quisition of seismic and gravity data in the Tail of the Bank area of Southeast Grand Banks. The Southeast Grand Banks 2D covers an initial 15,000 km (9,321 mi), where it is expected the C-NLOPB will announce future AOIs. Once again processing of the GeoStreamer data will be performed by TGS and fnal data will be available to clients in 3Q 2015.

3D seismic survey completed offshore NamibiaPancontinental Oil & Gas NL has completed a 3D seismic survey

of its prospective offshore acreage in license area EL 0037 offshore Namibia.The 3D acquisition, over approximately 3,000 sq km (1,158 sq mi)

covers a number of leads noted on existing 2D seismic data. A second 2D acquisition phase will cover approximately 1,000 km (621 mi).EL 0037 covers 17,295 sq km (6,678 sq mi) in the Walvis basin.

The 3D survey was managed by the EL0037 Joint Venture operator Tullow Oil, using the seismic acquisition vessel Polarcus Asima.

Moroccan survey done for ChariotChariot Oil & Gas Ltd. has completed a 1,700-sq km (656-sq mi)

3D seismic survey across its areas of interest offshore Morocco. The survey, encompassing ~1,075 sq km (415 sq mi) in Rabat Deep,

~250 sq km (96 sq mi) in Loukos Offshore, and ~375 sq km (145 sq mi) in Mohammedia Reconnaissance, is intended to enable the com-pany to mature drillable prospects in the Mio-Pliocene and Jurassic plays identifed within this region on reprocessed legacy 2D data. Following processing, Chariot will interpret this new data which

is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.

Survey off Iran anticipates embargo liftGlobal Geo Services has made available its Persian Carpet 2000

multi-client 2D seismic survey over 106,000 km (65,865 mi) of the Iranian part of the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea.CEO Bjorn Ursin-Holm said: With the ongoing international ne-

gotiations to lift the US/EU embargo on Iran, there is a big push to

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