Proven recoverable volumes are 50-80 million barrels of oil equivalent, with the bulk of the resources occupying the Tarbert formation in the upper Brent group. Oil and gas were found in this structure, while gas was also proven in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks belonging to the Heather formation. “We’ve had great success with exploration close to producing fields over the past year,” said Tove Stuhr Sjøblom, head of exploration for the Norwegian continental shelf. “This is another discovery which confirms that it’s still possible to find relatively large volumes of oil and gas in established areas such as Oseberg.” The find will probably be developed and produced through a tie-in to one of the existing subsea installations in this part of the North Sea. “Given that it lies close to an existing field and can quickly be brought on stream, this is a very interesting volume,” said Tom Dreyer, head of North Sea infrastructure-led exploration.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
New Discovery near Existing Infrastructure
Oil and gas have been encountered by StatoilHydro in the Katla prospect, 11 kilometres south-west of the Oseberg South platform operated by the group in the Norwegian North Sea.
Proven recoverable volumes are 50-80 million barrels of oil equivalent, with the bulk of the resources occupying the Tarbert formation in the upper Brent group. Oil and gas were found in this structure, while gas was also proven in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks belonging to the Heather formation. “We’ve had great success with exploration close to producing fields over the past year,” said Tove Stuhr Sjøblom, head of exploration for the Norwegian continental shelf. “This is another discovery which confirms that it’s still possible to find relatively large volumes of oil and gas in established areas such as Oseberg.” The find will probably be developed and produced through a tie-in to one of the existing subsea installations in this part of the North Sea. “Given that it lies close to an existing field and can quickly be brought on stream, this is a very interesting volume,” said Tom Dreyer, head of North Sea infrastructure-led exploration.Read More
Proven recoverable volumes are 50-80 million barrels of oil equivalent, with the bulk of the resources occupying the Tarbert formation in the upper Brent group. Oil and gas were found in this structure, while gas was also proven in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks belonging to the Heather formation. “We’ve had great success with exploration close to producing fields over the past year,” said Tove Stuhr Sjøblom, head of exploration for the Norwegian continental shelf. “This is another discovery which confirms that it’s still possible to find relatively large volumes of oil and gas in established areas such as Oseberg.” The find will probably be developed and produced through a tie-in to one of the existing subsea installations in this part of the North Sea. “Given that it lies close to an existing field and can quickly be brought on stream, this is a very interesting volume,” said Tom Dreyer, head of North Sea infrastructure-led exploration.
Oil tanker strikes sunken jackup in U.S. Gulf
Texas: Norwegian oil tanker SKS Satilla was damaged after striking the sunken hull of Ensco International jackup ENSCO 74 on Mar. 6, 65 miles (104 km) south of Galveston.
The jackup was submerged in 115 feet (35 m) of water. The 900-foot tanker was damaged along the port side of its hull below the water line, taking in water in its ballast tanks. The tanker, which has around 39.9 million gallons of crude oil on board, has been stabilized, and the U.S. Coast Guard has begun lightening operations. The Coast Guard expects the oil to be offloaded by Tuesday. No injuries or oil spills were recorded. An ROV operated by SMIT Salvage retraced the SKS Satilla's course to find what caused the damaged and discovered jackup ENSCO 74. The rig was lost and presumed sunk after Hurricane Ike in September 2008. At the time of storm, the rig had been located in around 230 feet (70 m) of water 92 miles (148 km) from shore in South Marsh Island Block 149. ENSCO conducted aerial and sonar reconnaissance following the storm but failed to locate the rig. The jackup's position has been marked by a buoy to prevent additional accidents and mark it for salvage in the future. Ensco maintains insurance policies for removal of wreckage and debris. Ensco also maintains liability policies which it believes will provide coverage for losses resulting from the incident for which Ensco may have responsibility, including any environmental issues, subject to a US$10 million self-insured retention.Read More
The jackup was submerged in 115 feet (35 m) of water. The 900-foot tanker was damaged along the port side of its hull below the water line, taking in water in its ballast tanks. The tanker, which has around 39.9 million gallons of crude oil on board, has been stabilized, and the U.S. Coast Guard has begun lightening operations. The Coast Guard expects the oil to be offloaded by Tuesday. No injuries or oil spills were recorded. An ROV operated by SMIT Salvage retraced the SKS Satilla's course to find what caused the damaged and discovered jackup ENSCO 74. The rig was lost and presumed sunk after Hurricane Ike in September 2008. At the time of storm, the rig had been located in around 230 feet (70 m) of water 92 miles (148 km) from shore in South Marsh Island Block 149. ENSCO conducted aerial and sonar reconnaissance following the storm but failed to locate the rig. The jackup's position has been marked by a buoy to prevent additional accidents and mark it for salvage in the future. Ensco maintains insurance policies for removal of wreckage and debris. Ensco also maintains liability policies which it believes will provide coverage for losses resulting from the incident for which Ensco may have responsibility, including any environmental issues, subject to a US$10 million self-insured retention.
Sixteen sailors missing after ships collide off Japan
Tokyo - Seven South Korean and nine Indonesian sailors are missing after two commercial ships collided off Japan, the Japan Coast Guard said.
The South Korean-flagged Orchid Pia and Panamanian-flagged Cygnus Ace, collided at about 2:15 am (1715 GMT Monday) in waters off Izu Oshima Island, roughly 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Tokyo, the coast guard said. The 10,833-tonne Cygnus Ace immediately reported the incident to the coast guard and said its radar was not able to locate the South Korean vessel. The 4,255-tonne-Orchid Pia has not responded to radio signals from the coast guard, which has launched six patrol vessels and two planes to search the freighter. The ship, carrying 16 crew members and 5,051 tons of steel coils, was traveling from the port of Kashima in eastern Japan to South Korea, the coast guard said. ‘It is possible that Orchid Pia sunk,’ a coast guard official said. ‘We found an empty raft in the area waters, but so far we are continuing the search for the missing individuals,’ he said.Read More
The South Korean-flagged Orchid Pia and Panamanian-flagged Cygnus Ace, collided at about 2:15 am (1715 GMT Monday) in waters off Izu Oshima Island, roughly 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Tokyo, the coast guard said. The 10,833-tonne Cygnus Ace immediately reported the incident to the coast guard and said its radar was not able to locate the South Korean vessel. The 4,255-tonne-Orchid Pia has not responded to radio signals from the coast guard, which has launched six patrol vessels and two planes to search the freighter. The ship, carrying 16 crew members and 5,051 tons of steel coils, was traveling from the port of Kashima in eastern Japan to South Korea, the coast guard said. ‘It is possible that Orchid Pia sunk,’ a coast guard official said. ‘We found an empty raft in the area waters, but so far we are continuing the search for the missing individuals,’ he said.
Monday, March 9, 2009
New Fuel Cell Guidelines for Shipping
International classification society Bureau Veritas has developed new guidelines covering the safe application of fuel cells on ships which could have important environmental and commercial advantages for shipowners and operators.
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices which convert the chemical energy of a fuel, for example hydrogen-rich gases, into Direct Current power. Until now, their application in shipping has been limited to a few pilot projects, and BV product manager Gijsbert de Jong said the main obstacle to the wider application of fuel cells in shipping is the lack of a comprehensive framework covering the technology. He explained, “By developing these new guidelines, BV is breaking the vicious circle whereby the lack of a regulatory framework limits the possibilities for building and testing the prototype applications which are essential for determining the safety and performance criteria involved. “BV’s guidelines for the safe application of fuel cells on ships take into account all relevant existing IMO conventions and guidelines, together with a wide range of international non-marine standards. They reflect BV’s extensive in-house knowledge and expertise, and could have important commercial – as well as environmental – implications for shipowners and operators.” There are several different types of fuel cell technology, using different types of fuel.
Morocco to invest $10 bln in energy projects
Morocco, the only North African state without oil of its own, plans to invest 90 billion dirhams ($10.29 billion) in projects across the energy spectrum, its energy minister said.
It will build more power plants, expand oil storage capacity and step up exploration for hydrocarbons for the six-year period to 2015, Amina Benkhadra said. “This plan links the government and the private sector to implement a strategy aimed at securing energy supply and diversifying energy sources at the right costs,” he told a gathering of top government officials, bankers and executives. Business leaders were worried Morocco might fail to produce enough power to meet the needs of an economy growing at an average 5.3 percent in the past five years. Morocco’s gross domestic product is expected to expand by 6.7 percent this year, despite global economy downturn, from 5.8 percent last year, according to government forecasts. The government is also under pressure to cap the bill for energy, 97 percent of which is imported. The costs strain its trade balance and test its capacity to avoid a wide budget deficit. The value of energy imports soared to 71 billion dirhams last year from 53 billion in 2007 and 21 billion in 2003, according to official figures which also showed the government allocated 23 billion to subsidise fuel. “This strategy guarantees that Morocco’s economy and population needs in energy are met all the time and throughout the county at the right prices,” Benkhadra said.Read More
It will build more power plants, expand oil storage capacity and step up exploration for hydrocarbons for the six-year period to 2015, Amina Benkhadra said. “This plan links the government and the private sector to implement a strategy aimed at securing energy supply and diversifying energy sources at the right costs,” he told a gathering of top government officials, bankers and executives. Business leaders were worried Morocco might fail to produce enough power to meet the needs of an economy growing at an average 5.3 percent in the past five years. Morocco’s gross domestic product is expected to expand by 6.7 percent this year, despite global economy downturn, from 5.8 percent last year, according to government forecasts. The government is also under pressure to cap the bill for energy, 97 percent of which is imported. The costs strain its trade balance and test its capacity to avoid a wide budget deficit. The value of energy imports soared to 71 billion dirhams last year from 53 billion in 2007 and 21 billion in 2003, according to official figures which also showed the government allocated 23 billion to subsidise fuel. “This strategy guarantees that Morocco’s economy and population needs in energy are met all the time and throughout the county at the right prices,” Benkhadra said.
Boat Manufacturers Eye Middle East Market
Dubai - New Zealand yacht and boat manufacturers are eyeing robust sales in the Middle East, saying the region remains a major market despite the global downturn.
“There is still room for growth for the marine industry in the Middle East and UAE has emerged as leading regional yacht and boat market,” said Trevor Matheson, New Zealand’s ambassador to the Gulf region. New Zealand is one of the biggest participants in the ongoing Dubai International Boat Show 2009. “The boating industry is experiencing a period of transition worldwide as its major markets in the US and Europe is facing less demand for new boats. This has placed a strong emphasis on this region,” said Matheson.Read More
“There is still room for growth for the marine industry in the Middle East and UAE has emerged as leading regional yacht and boat market,” said Trevor Matheson, New Zealand’s ambassador to the Gulf region. New Zealand is one of the biggest participants in the ongoing Dubai International Boat Show 2009. “The boating industry is experiencing a period of transition worldwide as its major markets in the US and Europe is facing less demand for new boats. This has placed a strong emphasis on this region,” said Matheson.
BPA’s Hunchun-Zarubino logistics project kicks off
Seoul: Busan Port Authority has embarked on its Hunchun-Zarubino logistics project which will connect Hunchun in China, Zarubino in Russia and Busan in Korea and is expected to significantly boost cargo volumes.
As part of the project, an inland container terminal will be constructed in Hunchun and Zarubino Port will be transformed into a container port. Upon completion of the project, the cargoes collected in Hunchun will be transported to Zarubino Port by land and than to Busan Port by water. China’s Hunchun government, Russia’s Trans Group and three Korean logistics companies will be working together to manifest the Hunchun-Zarubino logistics project.
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