The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has led the global oil and gas industry for some time, but it is possible that continued dominance has made these countries complacent.

The cost of services and supplies skyrocketed through 2008, but has not dropped significantly since the onset of the global recession. Major suppliers gathered at CERA Week to talk about where the industry has been, where it is today, and where they think it is going.

At a luncheon keynote address on Wednesday of CERA Week, Helge Lund, president and CEO of Statoil ASA, discussed the advantages of investing in gas development and a means of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and securing energy security in the US.

Infrastructure technology and market evolution interact to the status quo.

The reason? That country’s astounding demographic shifts, said numerous speakers at IHS CERAWeek in Houston.

Provides potential for near-term CO2 cuts, but presents long-term challenges, study says.

Though the industry is still recovering from the global recession, there are opportunities for operating companies that have the foresight to invest through the downturn.

Previewing BP's annual strategy presentation to the financial community, Group Chief Executive Tony Hayward said the company had established strong momentum in its core businesses and had made great progress in reducing costs and improving absolute and relative financial performance in the past two years.

The Cascade-Chinook project, which will introduce the first FPSO to the GoM, required cooperation from equipment and service providers from more than 20 countries. The field is on target for production in 2010.

With the introduction of shale gas drilling in the northeastern US, newspapers have a new front-page headline, and politicians have a new subject to debate (mostly with a negative view) — hydraulic fracturing.

The country is host to several plays that could yield trillions of cubic feet of gas.

Sand, water and lots of sunshine make for an idyllic seaside setting. However, in the oilpatch, we can do without the first two.

The world’s major economies appear to have turned the corner after the ‘Great Recession,’ but short-term challenges remain.

Elegant in its simplicity, a new water reclamation service has been introduced, and it begs the question, “Why didn’t we think of this before?”

Dynamic surging, followed immediately by prepacking, enables more effective gravel packing for sand control and, in an example from Malaysia, improved well performance.

Operators, technology companies, and service providers need to work together to meet shale gas production water management challenges.

The inherent lags between changes in drilling and production created natural gas spikes over the last 10 years and will continue to do so after this and every trough.

A new study by UK-based ActionAid, an advocacy group for food for the poor, says that if the EU sticks to its biofuel mandate targets for 2020, millions around the world will starve.

Wireless connectivity provides good examples of progress made and challenges remaining.

Israel is hoping to secure international backing for a plan to apply financial pressure to curb Iranian investment in nuclear weapons.

If legislation being debated today is passed, it could have serious financial repercussions for the oil and gas industry.

Additional inquiries from Congress request more data on frac fluids used in unconventional developments in the US.

As the world’s view of energy evolves, Australia is open to new ideas and new business ventures.

While the US withdrawal from Iraq is being planned, representatives within the country are laying the groundwork for growth.

Data is a key enabler, but sheer volume is an impediment to deriving the greatest value.

Technology and process development are critical components for success.

On Jan. 28, 2010, the Chinese central government officially announced the formation of the National Energy Commission.

Working collaboratively has allowed solutions to be developed more rapidly to maximize productivity and profit.

Environment Canada, a federal regulatory agency, has announced it will award a contract to study whether biofuels are causing worse harm to the environment than the petroleum gasoline or diesel fuels they replace.

Project portfolio management software solutions help E&P companies profit in challenging times.

In an industry where downtime and inefficient field operations can be crippling, a new breed of innovative, easy-to-use technology solutions is helping companies in the oil and gas industry be more efficient, more informed, and more profitable. 

Maintaining gas demand will be ‘an increasingly Sisyphean struggle’ without some help from Mother Nature, report says.

A complete frac additive program reduces costs, lowers HSE risk, and maximizes production.

As water and well depths increase, so do remediation costs, making flow assurance and other production chemicals a critical component of integrated well completion and production planning.

The EPA faces opposition on new GHG proposal.

New data indicates Iraq has huge reserves.

While the last 12 months have been a challenge for companies in the oil and gas sector, there have been substantial opportunities for those with strong balance sheets.

Federal tax credits support energy industry’s efforts to “go green.”

AccuWeather.com reports oil production in the GoM could be affected this weekend by a storm with potential for conditions similar to a minimal tropical storm.

Standoff between Russia and Belarus increases volatility of oil prices in the global market.

Survey says 65% of operating companies will not step up hiring this year.

In 2008, the United States imported more than 10 percent of its oil from Mexico – over 1.3 million barrels per day (Mb/d).

Svelte and sexy, yet efficient and reliable, linear rod pumps offer advantages for rod-pumped wells.

The increased focus on natural gas has been a catalyst for interest in FLNG, a business sector that is expected to see US $23 billion invested between 2010 and 2016.

Design innovations move TLP technology into the deepest application yet.

InterOil Corp.’s giant Papua New Guinea wells are building a new production base for LNG.

Times were, when it was easier, and perhaps cheaper, to drill a new well than to try to improve existing ones — not anymore.

Using a “one-stop” PPE company yields more efficiency and facilitates procurement of specialized products and services globally.

While ultimately good for the industry, the US $41 billion deal has implications for service companies.

The oil giant’s announcement to purchase XTO will put it front and center in the gas shale circus.

New report shows power sector is leading the way in worldwide economic recovery.

In its annual ranking of the world’s 50 largest oil companies, Petroleum Intelligence Weekly published a benchmark survey in early December that shows company rankings were little changed from the previous year.

Exploration is important, drilling is important, reservoir characterization is important, but at the end of the day, it’s production that pays the bills.

There is no end to the great ideas that come from our creative and innovative industry; unfortunately, the uptake of many of these ideas seems to move at geologic speed.

Financial indicators point to an economy in the early stages of recovery.

Capital expenditure of oil and gas companies, after surging from 2007 to 2008, witnessed a significant decrease in 2009. In 2010, capex activity is expected to go up, driven mainly by large national oil companies.

Managers from ExxonMobil and Shell give their views on the energy industry and what will be required in the coming years.

A report issued by IHS CERA says upstream facility construction costs have dropped 4%, while operating costs have gone up 1%.

Booz & Co. partners outline their 2010 oil and gas industry perspective.

Mary Hackett, Woodside Petroleum Ltd.’s onshore project manager for Pluto trains two and three, talks about the company’s vision to be a global LNG leader as well as the key projects and people that will help the company realize this goal.

In case you’re tired of hearing our industry being bashed in the press, by Congress or anyone else with an axe to grind, here’s a holiday present for you.

Analysts at Wood Mackenzie predict North American shale production will reach 30 Bcf/d by 2025.

BG Group announced the signing of a joint venture agreement with Petrobras focused on developing floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) as an additional option to commercialize the material associated natural gas reserves in the Santos Basin presalt offshore Brazil.

Aboveground drivers, not the amount of belowground resources, will be crucial factor to flow of supply in the coming decades.

Pundits bullish in light of recent earnings statements.

As business cycles back up, we will be presented with different talent management challenges than ever experienced in the past.

The Australian oil and gas industry could soon experience a major skill shortage, says a leading recruitment firm.

Many operators, especially those drilling in the shale gas plays, are finding out that there’s a big difference between perforating for production and perforating for stimulation.

Integrateds, independents are poised to take advantage of the end of the recession.

Tried-and-true methods can be used in a new way.

Carbon capture and storage has multiple benefits — but a wary public.

A recent study reports up to three alternative jet fuels – one derived from heavy oil – could be made easily and inexpensively.

As nations and corporations consider their energy strategies for the future, their beliefs about the sources of the current recession will prove critical in strategy formulation.

Today’s debate about the alleged evils of hydraulic fracturing call to mind Chicken Little’s dire predictions.

Expandable technology helps operators get more out of their wells at a time when higher productivity is number one on the priority list.

Karl Rove, former Deputy Chief of Staff and senior advisor to President George W. Bush will address the industry at the Next Generation Oil and Gas Summit in New Orleans Nov. 18-20, 2009.

At the rate it’s going, the UK could miss its 2020 emission reduction targets by 150 million metric tons of CO2/yr.

A recent study examines possible scenarios and the cause and effect of the global economic slowdown.

The EU Court of First Instance has ruled that the European Commission exceeded its powers in imposing a ceiling on carbon allowances for member states.

A recent sector study sheds light on oil and gas upturn priorities for 2010.

Target acquisition technique uses logs to identify the best targets for multistage frac jobs. Production results prove the technique’s value—by far.

Experience from previous downturns and periods of low oil prices implied that oil and gas companies would rein in capital expenditure during 2009. The truth, however, is that many companies are investing today to avoid having to catch up when the upturn materializes.

China is one of the biggest contributors to world energy demand growth, and even though that growth rate has slowed in the wake of the global recession, analysts continue to see China as one of the key figures.

Detecting and reacting to sand in the well and flow stream have never been more crucial.

An aqueous-based consolidation system aids in maintaining production rates in fracture-stimulated wells.

Innovative mooring anchors developed by Petrobras will soon be installed in a new region.

Economical and ecologically benign technology has stimulated production increases from flowing and pump-assisted wells.

A new application of a proven technology opens the door to increased production.

Fiber optics provide leap forward in ability to monitor sand screens and casing shape.

Blending real-time data capture with contract management offers an innovative process for optimizing gas supply with demand in a high-value onshore/offshore gas delivery network.

Hughes invention revolutionized fledgling oil industry.

According to BP Americas Chairman and President Lamar McKay, individuals have a greater influence on guiding US energy policy than big business does.

Europe’s shale-gas potential holds choice promise, but evaluations are in the introductory stage.

Final decision on greenhouse gas reporting will impact 13,000 US facilities.

How to change our paradigms when the uncommon is becoming common.

Copenhagen may be complicated by large governments seeking their own solutions to greenhouse gas emissions.

Speakers at Offshore Europe warn of increased competition in the face of rising costs.

Two recent reports indicate that the US President is well aware of the size of his country’s carbon footprint.

Consumers and employers in the state of California continue to pay the price for stringent state fuel policies.

Finding critical lessons for both industry and government in the work of J. Howard Marshall II.

US government encourages development of products based on renewables.

Despite some rather inclement weather, a platform is successfully removed from the GoM.

The Haynesville shale play has become the focal point for North American gas production, given the relatively sustained activity when compared to other regions and the Gulf Mexico. As a result, the service sector has focused on developing performance and knowledge of this unconventional shale.

A fresh Cretaceous shale play in South Texas has slipped into the industry’s future.

A new pan-European survey conducted by DNV answers how the European power sector is coping with climate change challenges and opportunities.

Industrialized nations are hardest hit by the global financial crisis.

New technique is expected to cut carbon emissions from heated soil by 10 to 15%.

Underbalanced sidetrack drilling produces flowing-while-drilling conditions that could expedite time to first oil.

Naturally occurring gas hydrates could be part of the solution to US energy security.

We call it trading; they call it market manipulation.

Undecided senators take a pro-US stance on cap-and-trade policy.

The world’s first FDPSO has begun production offshore Republic of Congo.

British government officials discuss plans to achieve energy security through domestic and international means as part of the transition to a low carbon economy.

Someone needs to educate people on the truths of the oil and gas industry.

Politicians have been saying for years that greenhouse gas emissions are the primary culprit of global warming and the reason for melting ice caps. When in fact late last year, a report from NASA said satellites and other monitoring equipment confirmed most of the changes seen in the upper Arctic Ocean are in fact the result of natural ocean circulation patterns and not trends in global warming. 

A crushing fall in profits in 2Q 2009 has pushed Chevron to cut it losses.

Chesapeake Energy and Schlumberger collaborate to solve gas blocking, significantly improve uptime of ESPs in difficult wells.

Artificial lift coaxes oil to the surface, stimulates production, and extends a project’s lifespan by up to 10%.

Integrated systems provide operators with single-source approach to well revival.

International experts presented views today at a Web based gathering addressing climate change and the challenges these changes present to establishing climate policy.

Chevron latest to announce very disappointing results.

Gulf of Mexico deep water exploration is set in motion.

The oil giant endures a 53% decrease in earnings.

The climate change legislation debate under way in the US will have repercussions around the world.

Perception is powerful, particularly when a perception becomes reality regardless of the facts. This is the first of a three-part series.

The findings – if later confirmed by more scientists and then adopted by policy-makers – could have a devastating impact on supposed “climate-friendly” solutions including biofuels combustion and nuclear power, since such schemes cut net CO2 but don’t reduce heat emissions.

Shaper sees short-term challenges, long-term opportunities for US natural gas markets.

Technology said to efficiently solve an age-old oil industry problem.

Shell, Baker Hughes say strain detection allows measurement of multiple deformation modes. To view a video on the real-time compaction imaging system discussed in this story, click here.

Systems emerge that provide structure for ad hoc processes, while retaining needed flexibility.

While many oil and gas company executives continue to think their organizations are sufficiently served by their antiquated SCADA systems, I would argue that to thrive in today’s economic climate and changing industry, companies must look beyond SCADA to enterprise platforms that help them achieve operational excellence and optimize the supply chain.

Coupled with tools for establishing strategic business architecture, solutions bring process rigor in a framework that allows constant change.

Combination of technical, operational, and financial data puts analytical tool set in hands of wide range of expert and business users.

Russia has not been exempt from the effects of the global financial crisis. The oil and gas industry is set for a period of downward pressure in both activity and pricing, but will see an upward trend in the near future.

Much of the successful exploitation of the tight gas reservoirs in the US and Canada is due to the ability to cost-effectively drill, complete, and hydraulically fracture horizontal wells. A big part of cost savings comes from innovations in fracturing. 

A new system saves time and reduces environmental impact.

As the water treatment of oilfield brines by desalination increases, the use of all desalination technique packages continues to grow.

An alliance between Ecopetrol, S.A. and Schlumberger revitalized the mature, complex Casabe field, located in Colombia.

Talk in Washington about energy security has focused on renewable energy resources, but a successful agenda will have to include the entire energy spectrum.

The pursuit of a policy for energy independence in Washington has an admirable goal, but experts caution that the route to energy security cannot bypass oil and gas.

A new concept for developing marginal deepwater fields has arrived in the GoM and is scheduled to begin operations early next year.

More than 20 years after one of the most infamous anthropogenic environmental disasters, ExxonMobil is still feeling the effects of the disaster that many refer to as Exxon Valdez and that the company views as one of the lowest points in its 125 years.

With the “green shoots” of recovery more numerous by the day, dark warnings of a new spike in oil prices are also multiplying.

New approach provides an intuitive framework to monitor production-induced fluid movements with 4-D seismic.

‘Toothbrush standards’ — everyone has one, no one wants to use someone else’s

Combination of technical, operational, and financial data puts analytical tool set in hands of wide range of expert and business users.

How to protect yourself from the coming possibility of cap-and-trade system.

Chesapeake Energy and Schlumberger collaborate to solve gas blocking, significantly improve uptime of electrical submersible pumps in difficult wells.

Unique characteristics of “V-cone” meter conserves space in crowded modules.

Aeromagnetic surveys found an important place in the geology toolbox as operators home in on resource plays that depend on faulting detection and natural fracturing for maximum production.

Technology development and knowledge sharing increase innovation and safety. So when the industry is facing challenges, the best way of meeting them is for industry players to join forces through JIPs. The world’s best practices and standards can be developed collectively.

For countries like the US and China, which consume large amounts of energy, establishing energy security is a critical concern. Both countries are actively pursuing energy policies, but a close look at their actions indicates their approaches couldn’t be more different.

NOCs and IOCs have always shared a delicate co-existence due to mutual dependency. As the global dynamic fluctuates, a new form of cooperation might provide the way forward.

A new generation of lightweight, noncorrosive flexible pipes has the potential to enable new field development scenarios in deep and ultra-deepwater fields around the world.

As water depths and reservoir pressures increase, so do riser tensioner requirements.

Removing guesswork and uncertainty from production operations can save millions of dollars by reducing or eliminating interventions, indentifying potentially hazardous leaks, and maximizing production.

Major US oil deposits can be tapped at current prices.

Analysts predict that declining demand matched with rising supplies of natural gas and LNG will affect the market for at least the next four years.

Declines in investment could lead to a re-tightening of oil supply as the economy recovers.

The FPSO was forced to disconnect due to adverse conditions associated with the recent severe tropical storm, Chan-Hom (Emong), which passed to the north of the Galoc field on May 7.

A winner of Hart’s E&P’s Meritorious Awards for Engineering Innovation, Cameron’s all-electric subsea production system sets another industry first.

With the expectation that 150 FPSOs will be in service or on order by 2010, ABS has established requirements for conversions and plans to announce newbuild requirements soon

It is hard to imagine a more traumatic time for the oil and gas industry. The depth and breadth of the economic crisis has significantly decreased hydrocarbon demand. Notwithstanding actions by OPEC and domestic producers, it remains unclear when supply and demand will regain their balance, especially in the natural gas market. The time for investing in strategic growth is now.

Generally, the report notes that uncertainty has increased as announcements of capital expenditure decreases have rippled through supply chains. As with offshore activity, those regions most affected onshore are mature basins, such as in North America and Russia.

The oil and gas sector has been unevenly impacted by the global economic downturn, which has created new risks for the industry. A report issued in mid-May by Ernst & Young identifies the risks that threaten the near-term survival and prospects of a number of oil and gas companies.

Underground sensors send real-time well data to monitoring and control systems integral to a comprehensive digital and telecommunications infrastructure.

The need to preserve and give broad access to important institutional knowledge can be achieved by creating role-based information portals accessible by a wide base of asset team members.

ILS introduces deviceWISE for Siemens S7 PLCs; SMT Kingdom now supports Windows Vista; Iconics releases OPC ToolWorX Version 3.50; EDSA, OSIsoft announce integration of Paladin Power Analytics with PI System; iStore and Infusion launch Digital Oilfield on Microsoft Surface; DONG Energy A/S adopts Paradigm Geolog as corporate standard; PetroVR 7 enhances consistency and flexibility in E&P decision models

A report released by CERA late last month says that Europe’s new energy goals are going to be extremely challenging to realize in the midst of a global economic downturn.

On Tuesday at OTC, subsea solution provider FMC Technologies briefed interested parties on the full panoply of innovative subsea processing and intervention technologies that it has developed for the most challenging deep-water projects.

Accurate, reliable, clamp-on measurement of wet gas flow has been a long-standing challenge for the upstream oil and gas industry. Sonar-based technology could be the answer.

Risk-based integrity management is ensuring flexible pipe technology remains a competitive and safe enabling solution for harsh and deepwater offshore environments.

Emerson’s move also could be seen as part of an ongoing trend that will widely disseminate closed-loop control technologies much used in other industrial sectors — including downstream processing industries — within the upstream

A just-released survey of nearly 400 financial executives from oil and gas companies conducted by KPMG Global Energy Institute says that two-thirds of them don’t believe U.S. energy independence is attainable till 2030 or beyond.

Enbase introduces lease opportunities management on Salesforce.com

ITF is calling for technology proposals to meet industry needs.

As operators seek innovative solutions to manage the cost of developing deepwater subsea fields, the use of TOW installation methods is demonstrating that significant system installation cost reductions can be accomplished.

In the current circumstances of global financial instability and turbulent oil prices it is not surprising that people are questioning what the potential impact on the offshore oil and gas industry will be. This forecast examines the expected impact on the floating production systems market.

Offshore LNG has different process requirements from LPG or traditional on-land, base-load liquefication plants. Three generic technology options are being put forward to satisfy key LNG requirements for remote, offshore environments.

Optimizing production in active fields has become one of the focus areas of oil and gas industry development. In Western Siberia, optimization is being achieved not only through extensive application of new advanced oil recovery technologies, but also through revival of traditional methods.

With current demand for hydrocarbons, the undeveloped resources in arctic regions will undoubtedly become an increasingly economic and profitable development opportunity. However, the extreme conditions force risk based management and unified approaches for operation and transport.

Transporting and installing the Shtokman semisubmersibles will break new ground in the arctic.

Each shale play has its own code to crack. The innovative use of new technologies can help.

Reservoir drainage and injection patterns in Norway’s largest oilfield are mapped using high-resolution time-lapse seismic technology.

The selection of proppant to provide highly conductive pathways in hydraulically generated fractures is typically based on the proppant crush strength, conductivity, availability, and cost.

The economic pressures of the current downturn are real and must be addressed, but those who wish to participate in the next “boom” in the energy industry must also realize an unprecedented opportunity exists.

With rigs moth-balled for the downturn’s duration, have the right procedures in place.

Even the pessimists probably haven’t adjusted their figures low enough.

Putting a number on digital benefits is one thing, but how important is the technology in a technology initiative?

“North America onshore is an important part of the business for BP,” he said. “I’m proud of the returns we’re getting.”

As the US works to define its energy policy, ideology is the biggest impediment to success.

Analytics also are increasingly being applied to what still remains very much an art, i.e., increasing production, recovery, and efficiency in upstream oil and gas operations.

Whenever you manage a specific set of tasks with a fixed set of people, you must have a plan to keep all of the tasks and people in sync.

Speakers on a recently broadcast E&P Technology Management Forum Broadcast noted that emerging capabilities are already being exploited in today’s upstream oil and gas environments that overcome these type limitations.

OSIsoft winner of Microsoft business business intelligence contest; Oildex processes US $136 billion in transaction detail; Terraspark and TrueOil sign interpretation software agreement; Energy Navigator brings capital tracking and evaluation solutions to US; Simutech offers free Ansys training during downturn

AspenTech aspenONE V7 engineering software released; IPS Brings immersive virtual reality process to life; Brooks announces universal camera head for dry or wet environments

Being bought brings with it access to innovation, expertise in market-centric product management, and capabilities for supply chain discipline.

Subsea gas-liquid separation coupled with liquid boosting can be an effective means of oil reservoir exploitation. Examples from several recent projects — including Pazflor, BC-10, and Perdido — demonstrate that recovery can be improved considerably more than with just boosting alone, while adding only limited incremental costs.

The world’s most powerful subsea raw water injection system requires subsea pumps capable of daily injecting nearly 90,000 bbl of untreated seawater back into the Tyrihans reservoir.

A dual pressure/temperature trigger APB solution tackles extreme conditions in wells drilled in water depths greater than 1,600 ft.

Deepwater E&P is the focal point for many operators in the global oil and gas industry today, and increased development of deepwater prospects is presenting fresh technology challenges.

When natural disasters strike, they create situations that require immediate attention, and creative thinking becomes a very valuable commodity.

With the global economy in the grip of a potentially lengthy downturn, it is a good time to consider some of the challenges facing deepwater players in the months and years ahead.

Deepwater E&P activity has long been a focal point for the global oil and gas industry. With fewer onshore and shallow-water reserves available, companies have to consider opportunities in ever increasing water depths.

Hydraulically expandable tubular systems are delivering real improvements in well design and integrity, providing more flexibility for North Sea operators. The range of possibilities for new expandable solutions applies to deep, slimhole wells and extended reach horizontal wells in workover or repair stages.

Pundits have started to worry about supply shortages. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

Never mind arguments about peak oil, the theory that global oil supply will decline. Management consultancy Arthur D. Little is questioning the energy industry’s conventional wisdom that oil demand will rise ever higher, driven in particular by the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China).

OTC technology award recipients; analyze offshore flowmeter use at OTC; Colfax’ new global organization; Boots & Coots coming off record year; Monolit uses gas engines to limit flaring in anticipation of Russian regulations.

Zone isolation systems popular in Canada; the latest seismic technology; maintain fluid flow with temperature controlled cable.

In February, NuPhysicia LLC, a provider of telemedicine health services, launched a service called InPlace Medical Solutions that takes remote operations to the next level.

Fragmented efforts have impeded progress and derailed some of national oil company Pemex’s long-range projects. Today, the company is re-focusing to pursue it goals.

The list of E&P Magazine's MEA award winners. 

It is almost 43 years since the first exploration well was drilled on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The well, located in the North Sea, was dry, but it paved the way for the successes to come — proven reserves of over 60 Bboe throughout the NCS.

Focus must be on fit-for-purpose; advances seen in surface-facilities modeling; BP Azeri is one good example.

Oil giants push employees to make greater use of social networking

Oracle Corp. lands key accounts in oil & gas; looks to further participate in industry.

Seismic Ventures selects forward modeling technology; Gazprom selects software for E&P projects; wireless as a key project component; advanced simulation software suite; SCADA system for PEMEX pipeline networks

Low-power remote controller for harsh environments; oil & gas field visualization tool for Microsoft SharePoint; Disk-based tape replacement storage solution; graphic visualization tool for better decision making

A newly formed alliance brings in the big guns of academia to develop technologies to reduce the carbon footprint of drilling in the US.

The theory behind applied fluid jetting is simple: to increase production rates and improve reservoir recovery rates by maximizing the reservoir area contacted by the well bore, both vertically and horizontally.

Lifeboats that work in harsh environments need different capabilities from those that operate in benign climates, but functionality of the craft is not the only concern. The other major component of lifeboat operation is the human factor. The way the lifeboat is designed ultimately affects the people whose lives the craft is intended to save.

A new crew transfer option is on the table as a result of a challenge put forward by the industry for a safe, efficient, low-cost device suitable for broad implementation.

The world financial crisis has impacted the budgets of operating companies, but deep water, which is developing into a long-term growth sector, will not be one of the line items that comes under scrutiny.

Standard definitions of well components; Schlumberger CEO speaks on management challenges; New proppant production plant opens; CrystaTech allies with GTC Technology; Boots & Coots expands services in Africa

Roxar launches third-generation multiphase meter; FMC contract incorporates all-electric technology; Pumping unit offers production cost advantages; Progressing cavity pump sets thermal recovery record

Opportunities include reduced costs, a chance to replace equipment and to bring on new technologies.

RPMs reduce water permeability and flow without significantly impacting petroleum production.

The project lays the foundation for Russia to become a leading exporter to energy markets of the Asia-Pacific region.

PdVSA hopes to stanch its financial losses.

A uniquely engineered vessel deployment system has completed what may be the world’s deepest rigless subsea production well abandonment.

Intervention is necessary to maintain production levels, but when workover rig and vessel day rates are high, the costs can sometimes outweigh the benefits.

Operating companies that have been active in Atlantic Canada have teamed up to speed drilling programs that could lead to additional production offshore Newfoundland and Labrador.

With the drop in oil price and limited access to credit, a lot of companies are re-evaluating their business plans. GE, however, is relying on its vision and its core competencies in the face of international financial uncertainty.

Energy independence is the primary goal; progress on alternatives to oil seems fitful at best.

First conceived as alternatives to costly or technically difficult interventions, intelligent wells that can be monitored and controlled remotely have evolved into a powerful reservoir management tool. As a result, after initially slow industry-wide uptake, their number is projected to increase fivefold in the next five years.

The move to deeper water has required more specialized and technically sophisticated vessels to support complex deepwater field developments. As a result, today’s offshore support vessels are a far cry from their predecessors.

The oil and gas industry has been aware of the constrained offshore rig market for some time, but unbeknownst to many, helicopter service providers are fighting the same battle in the air.

Following recent developments in the offshore industry, the time could now be right for operators to review their emergency transfer options and take a more comprehensive approach.

The world’s largest LNG carrier offers significant economies of scale over its smaller predecessors.

Based around what is literally a mobile pipeline, a new compressed gas liquids transport concept brings the full gas stream from remote wellheads to market in one stroke.

Improving openhole completions with inflow control devices and swellable zonal isolation can be the means to avoiding problems associated with early water and gas breakthrough and resulting reduced oil production.

The trend to nationalize oil and gas assets may be “scaled back or reversed” due to the need of those countries to seek greater foreign investment.

The industry’s place at the forefront of high-performance computing highlights its need for innovative hardware solutions.

Petroleum output from the Norwegian Continental Shelf is expected to decline beginning in 2015. Decisions made today will impact production levels and activity beyond 2020.

From replacing explosive devices to chemical treatments for sand remediation, production environments are a constant stage for efforts aimed at productivity improvement.

Operators, engineering firms, service companies, classification societies, and universities are working together to develop the technologies that will take the offshore industry into deeper water, extreme high-pressure/high-temperature environments, and frigid operating conditions.

On a global playing field, IOCs, NOCs, and independents pushed hard throughout 2008 to meet what seemed at the time to be never-ending demand growth. Now, when that time comes again — and it will — they’ll be ready.

The move to deeper water was one of the primary drivers behind a number of milestones reached in 2008. Noteworthy records were set across the board in the offshore segment of the industry, from deepwater mooring to advances in subsea systems to classification of new production systems.

Big companies like to take ideas that work in one place and seed them into their other businesses to see if they work there as well. Technology transfer takes a similar approach when managements in different industries look to spread the use of innovative solutions as far afield as possible.

Traditional gas lift delivers only limited success in long interval environments. Newer techniques overcome shortcomings, but a single tool does not solve every problem.

Faced with trying to produce 8.6°API crude with viscosity beyond 10,000 cP, PdVSA found innovative solutions to lifting and metering problems.

Two recent projects in Argentina demonstrate how polymer gels can be effective in improving oil recovery in mature waterfloods.

Production optimization must extend across levels and be based on an integrated environment.

A new mixed-integer constrained global optimization algorithm tackles oilfield production system challenges.

Though the UK Continental Shelf has been in production for over 40 years, the area still has considerable potential.

Heavy oil is difficult to mobilize and produce. Improved methodology, however, is making heavy oil production less costly.

The E&P Sound and Marine Life JIP will hold project meeting in Houston later this month, which will serve to better focus its research on the effects and mitigation of sound produced by offshore oil and gas industry.

“I scare because I care,” says former Shell president.

Presentation at SIS Global Forum shows there is increased demand for innovation in all aspects of the business. 

Schlumberger holds SIS Forum on the subject of technology in the oil and gas industry.

Five petroleum majors committed to next phase of flow assurance development project.

With an increasing percentage of future subsea production expected to occur in ultra-deep water, suppliers to the world’s oil and gas operators continue to push development of technology to make ultra-deepwater production more economic with less risk.

Shipyards are busier than ever, and record order books list deliveries to 2012 and beyond. With yards at capacity, the time is ripe for new ideas and innovative approaches to construction.

A look at the big picture is driving some operators to improve their predictive ability to enhance sand management as a whole.

Unconsolidated sands are among the most difficult type of reservoirs in which to obtain core and to analyze in the laboratory. With the value of a proper core analysis typically exceeding 10 times the cost, it pays to get it right.

An all-metal insulated pipeline can guard against flow assurance problems in harsh subsea environments.

Developing offshore reserves presents many challenges and risks that must be managed during the design and operational phases. Risers are a particular focus due to their complex structural response and are one element of equally critical integrated subsea architecture.

The closing ceremony in Beijing, with the Olympic torch being passed from China to Great Britain, was ironic. In truth, Asia forcefully grabbed the economic initiative some time ago. If global business were a decathlon, it would be the Asian countries that would be tipped to run fastest, jump highest, and throw farthest in the years ahead.

It plays a leading role in the global energy supply chain, as evidenced by the fact the country provided fully 40% of the growth in global oil production between 2001 and 2005 alone.

Fracturing has a major impact on well productivity and ultimate recovery, and the current methods used to determine propped fracture geometry are not providing the information necessary for engineers to substantially improve fracturing results. A new alternative offers a better solution.

The emergence and increasing adoption of Web services, based on standard Internet protocols, is beginning to transform E&P data management, reducing entrenched costs and facilitating faster, tighter integration of disparate systems.

Testing subsea actuators with live condensate fluids from actual field developments may become a new industry standard.

New concepts and designs have pushed class societies to anticipate and develop rules for the next generation of offshore installations. Floating production advances are calling for class design review to be conducted in a truly holistic manner.

The industry faces some interesting challenges as it prepares to move into Arctic areas in the years ahead, and there is no basis for complacency or over-confidence in thinking that tools are in place to contend adequately with the challenges this area poses.

Winds, waves, ice, and sub-freezing temperatures complicate Arctic operations, but forward-thinking designs are paving the way into the frontier.

A common challenge for designers of turret moored FPSOs is ensuring alignment of the FPSO to the predominant environmental loading in extreme conditions. Use of thrusters to assist turret moorings under specific operating conditions to secure this alignment improves FPSO response, increases safety, and expands production windows. It is then necessary to carefully engineer the interaction between the thruster and mooring systems so that, should the thruster system fail, its consequences can be safely managed.

Twenty years of decommissioning offshore oil and gas facilities creates a knowledgeable framework for estimating new projects.

Hurricane Katrina created abandonment challenges in the form of complicated platform and well conditions that, in some cases, required a new way of tackling projects.

During the project, Shell developed a shared HSE vision with Chinese contractors that resulted in open communication and only four minor lost time incidents in the first three years of drilling and development.

Extending the life of mature assets is as important as bringing oil to market rapidly. Products that can facilitate both of these objectives are in short supply.

A new micro-scale, low-cost nitrogen rejection plant can now upgrade low-BTU gas and improve marginal fields.

This deepwater field offshore Nigeria is expected to reach 250,000 b/d production by the end of 2009.

New system uses spare subsea electrical circuitry or co-existent power supplies to convey increased well and reservoir data to topside data acquisition systems for analysis.

Mature fields may lack the sparkle of a new play, but can still yield enormous returns.

All the easy oil has been found. It is more economical to produce an incremental barrel from a known field. Increasing ultimate recovery from existing fields – as well as new discoveries – is a key challenge for operators, and the tools and techniques for doing so are the focus of much research and development.

Integrated decision management (IDM) changes how decisions are made. This final article of the three-part series shows how IDM promotes and contributes to successful implementation of those decisions.

Seldom is heard an encouraging word on operators and environmental stewardship, but on the ground in Pinedale, Wyo., everyone is considered a stakeholder in keeping things pure and natural.

In a world where easy oil is a thing of the past, technology remains key to unleashing difficult resources.

Pumped with a frac deep into the formation, long-life specialty chemicals prevent expensive post-stimulation buildups of scale, paraffin, bacteria, and other troublesome contaminants.

Correct planning can reduce the frequency of squeeze operations needed to place scale inhibitors into the formation.

Human Resources (HR) executives list the talent void as one of the top five business issues facing their companies.

The big challenge of the 21st century is more than simply protecting our environment; it’s about thriving in a future that is environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable.

The Cherokee Basin is emerging as a significant coalbed methane (CBM) play.

A proposed method reduces total dissolved solids in produced water.

Dr. Armando Zamora, director general of Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos (ANH), Colombia’s national hydrocarbons agency, outlined the country’s plans for the upcoming bidding round and the efforts being made to differentiate Colombia as a favorable place for international investors.

Hybrid tool combines qualities of conventional gas lift valves and hydraulic jet pump.

Integrated Decision Management (IDM) helps to identify, economically evaluate, and implement superior alternatives — even where it appears that none exist.

Expandable technology enables improved efficiency and economics in well remediation and sidetrack projects.

A new dilute chemical method can recover more than half of the oil left in depleted, fractured, oil-wet carbonate reservoirs at a chemical cost of less than US $1/bbl of oil. The process depends on compressing the gas in depleted reservoirs by injecting dilute (< 0.1 wt%) surfactant alkaline solutions, altering the wettability, and producing the oil by wettability alteration.

The current price regime of crude makes it imperative that CO2 flooding scoping models account for the extra gas processing expense that comes with increased gas handling volumes and the additional revenue that comes from the highly profitable natural gas liquid (NGL) stream.

Optimizing reservoir management, re-building surface facilities, and infill drilling result in a substantial increase in the value of a field producing for almost 60 years.

“The World Deepwater Market Forecast,” published by energy analysts Douglas-Westwood, forecasts continued growth in the deepwater sector with annual expenditures reaching over US $24.6 billion by 2012.

Software tools can help companies to improve compliance in real time, increase operational efficiencies and take advantage of new opportunities such as emissions credits trading markets.

The scarcity of mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) for the Gulf of Mexico is pushing research and development groups to think about drilling in new ways. A new spar design takes a proven production process and adds to it the ability to perform green-field drilling.

With imports expected to account for 80% of China’s oil demand by 2030, China is revisiting its energy policy to meet current and future energy supply challenges.

An alternative decision-making approach provides greater confidence and clarity when making large capital investment decisions.

As output from the North Sea region’s largest producers has slowed in recent years, an erroneous notion has developed that the North Sea is in irreversible decline. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The complex contracting and logistics chain requires careful integration.

An innovative, multipurpose subsea boosting system becomes a powerful tool in the development of subsea tiebacks. The flexible design is adaptable to the operator’s other assets.

Employing an integrated engineering approach will allow the full impact of each solution proposed to be understood and enable optimization of the most feasible solution.

Multiple subsea production records were set with the King field development in the US Gulf of Mexico. Now, the industry has new potential to increase oil production from deepwater fields.

Traditional modes of subsea excavation — sleds, plows or crews of divers — are used to install pipelines or to decommission storm-damaged production facilities. They can be cumbersome and time-consuming. A new method of excavation provides similar results 10 times as fast.

Will FPSOs be useful in the ultra-deep water of the US Gulf of Mexico? One operator intends to answer this question first-hand.

An innovative method of running control lines in deep water can improve safety and reduce NPT.

Worldwide competition for equipment to extract, produce and transport energy is intense. Easily accessible fields are being exhausted, and high energy prices are making developments in remote locations more viable.

Rebuilding service facilities on the US Gulf Coast following hurricanes Rita and Katrina presented enormous challenges and, at the same time, opened the door for improvement.

Fine tuned fluidic oscillation helps increase and extend production in declining wells.coiled tubing (CT) technologies.

While traditional real-time tools tend to use crystal-based sensors to accurately measure pressure and temperature downhole, a new memory-based tool uses improved strain-gauge technology that measures more downhole parameters with high accuracy and more durability.

An innovative tool brings added flexibility to coiled tubing operations, particularly in remote locations or offshore facilities with limited lifting capabilities.

Unique jetting technology is capable of achieving distances far beyond the reach of conventional coiled tubing (CT).

Enormous multiwell fracs maximize exposure to shale reservoirs, achieving more production, sooner.

Pumping schedule gets acid past damaged zones and generates wormholes.

Arctic oil and gas development requires specialized techniques for production and people.

Optimized acid and diversion technology and long operations experience improve Saudi production and injection wells.

PDO and Shell employ high-pressure steam and other aids to raise oil production and extend the life of reservoirs in Oman.

In an exclusive interview, Dr. Armando Zamora, Director of Colombia’s Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos (ANH) talks about exploration opportunities and foreign investment. This is the second in a series of E&P interviews with international industry leaders.

Unconventional reservoirs, multilateral wells, horizontal wells and mature fields pose new challenges for long-established coiled tubing (CT) technologies.

High oil prices don’t simplify oil and gas operations complexity.

Management of partially depleted fields offers opportunities for profit.

Energy generated from waste gas restores marginal fields.

The greatest challenge is to develop stranded gas at a cost low enough to justify the investment in the face of market risk.

New technology expands stranded gas development options.

Energy industry compensation plans outpace overall industry.

Although historically dominated by men, the offshore industry is learning to integrate women into its roster.

With the buzz concerning recruiting experienced workers to replenish an aging workforce, it is important to find ways to keep the ones you have.

Shell employees gear up for careers at the operator’s college.