Non-availability of rigs halts RIL’s drilling operations

Non-availability of rigs has halted drilling operations in as many as nine deepwater blocks of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), awarded to it under various rounds of the New Exploration and Licensing Policy (NELP).

The nine blocks are located in major offshore basins including the Krishna Godavari, Mahanadi, Gujarat Saurashtra, Kerala-Konkan and Cauvery basins. Fearing that this may affect its exploration commitments leading to relinquishment of blocks, RIL has approached the government for a three-year exploratory holiday in these nine blocks.

In a recent letter to the petroleum ministry, RIL has said that the shortage of deepwater rigs is expected to continue until 2009-10 and non-availability of rigs was severely affecting its drilling operations. RIL is currently operating with two deepwater rigs - S Kirk Rhine and the Deepwater Frontier.

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Two vessels collide in China's Bohai Sea

A Panama-registered cargo vessel "Chang Tong" collided into a Germany-registered container vessel "Hanjin Gothen Burg" in China's Bohai Sea on Saturday.

No casualties have been reported so far, the China Marine Rescue Center said. The accident happened at 41 sea miles north of Chinese city Yantai of Shandong Province, when the bow of the 274-meter-long German vessel cut into the fourth cabin of the larboard of the 182-meter-long "Chang Tong", and water ran into several cabins of the Panama vessel.

The two vessels were kept in such conditions with one inserted into the other to reduce water flowing into the cabins, and all the crew members on board, 26 on "Chang Tong" and 22 on "Hanjin Gothen Burg" were safe, informed the Center. Chinese officials in charge of maritime official have arrived at the scene to investigate the cause of the accident.

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ACP seeks bids for dredging Pacific entrance

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is seeking proposals for the dredging of the canal's Pacific entrance.


This will deepen and widen the canal's entrance, involving the removal of 9.1 million cubic metres of earth, widening the nine-mile channel by 218 metres, and deepening them to 15.5 metres at low water. Bids to dredge the Pacific entrance are due by the end of next January. The ACP will ultimately evaluate proposals that meet the project's needs based on a combination of best value and individual consultations with bidding firms. Ultimately, the expansion work will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal to double its capacity.

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Oil, natural gas finds off Norway

State-controlled oil company Statoil ASA struck oil and Norsk Hydro ASA found natural gas in separate exploration wells off western Norway, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate announced Monday.

Statoil's discovery was near its existing Sleipner field in the North Sea, about 175 kilometers off the western Norway port of Stavanger, but it was too early to estimate the size of the find, the company said. The company plans to drill a second well to assess the size of the find.

The petroleum directorate also announced that Norsk Hydro found natural gas and condensate in an exploration well drilled near its Njord field, in the northern North Sea. It said the preliminary estimate of the discovery's size was one to six billion standard cubic meters of recoverable natural gas, plus condensate, also called natural gas liquids.

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VT Halmatic launches patrol craft designs

VT Halmatic has launched a series of new fast patrol craft designs that are already attracting worldwide interest.

The designs range from 16m to 29m and are versatile, multi-role platforms optimised for homeland security duties such as patrol, anti-terrorist, search and rescue, surveillance, Coastguard and Economic Exclusion Zone operations. The 29m craft is based on a high speed hull form and is a successor to the Hawk Class 30m composite fast patrol boat.

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Gwadar Port to become fully operational

Gwadar Port is expected to become fully operational by the end of this month with all three berths handling the arriving ships.

However, more berths would be needed to handle big ships. Islamabad has asked the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) International, which is investing $550 million in Gwadar port, to expedite their work, especially after having received a 40-year tax holiday. Since the Singaporean company took over the Gwadar port, it has overcome the operational problems it faced earlier, also caused by flooding of the coastal area. After completion of second phase by 2010, Gwadar is likely to become one of the busiest ports in the region, providing warehousing, trans-shipment and industrial facilities for trade with over 20 countries, including Gulf countries, Iran, Central Asian States, India, China and East Africa.

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