New rig designs integrate the latest marine and well construction technologies to cut costs and improve suitability. Fifth-generation semisubmersibles on the horizon target emerging deepwater markets and offer an array... more

One piece of equipment has remained virtually unchanged since the beginning of the century - the drilling derrick itself. Some developments have taken place - steel has replaced wood, for... more

The growth in the use of drillships for deepwater activity sparked a rash of newbuilds by contractors several years ago, leading to a number of ultra-high spec units arriving on... more

The demand for drilling units able to operate in deeper waters has prompted contractors to not only undertake a number of newbuild rig and drillship projects, but also to carry... more

The cost of drillout trips in the Gulf of Mexico from a deepwater drillship can easily approach $70,000 a day. A new eccentric drillout tool, which employs a field-exchangeable pilot... more

Improvements in polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter technology have contributed immensely to the industry's acceptance of PDC bits as effective drilling tools. These cutters are being engineered to address the... more

First used as a drilling fluid in the 1960s, foam has endured a rather unrefined gestation period. Many of the obstacles facing foam drilling have been conquered through chemistry and... more

A new completion system allows multiple zones to be sequentially perforated and individually stimulated without any tools inside the casing string. The system has been field-tested in several North American... more

As stimulation technology gives life to new reservoirs and old, completion and fracturing are becoming more closely involved with one another. The two can be thought of as a single... more

The pace of change within the computer technology industry will enable software vendors to provide better geoscience knowledge solutions to their clients. Bring costs down and push productivity up. Of late,... more

In one of the most significant moves within the European offshore contracting sector for years, Stolt Comex Seaway ended 1999 in style with the news that it had bought French... more

New tools for secure business transactions and legal contracts over the Internet are making E-commerce more secure than traditional buying and selling. Research studies have shown that one in four small... more

Deepwater oil and gas is thought to have a potential as large as two North Seas over the next 20 years, according to a new report by UK-based Petrodata Research.... more

NORTH AMERICA Lucio A. Noto, chairman and chief executive officer of Mobil Corp., received the Petroleum Executive of the Year Award at the 20th Oil and Money Conference for leadership in... more

Oil- and gas-producing companies operating in much of the world expect increased exploration and production activities as prices remain at levels that support expansion. Opinions of executives of some of the... more

What part does technology play in our business today? This is an essential question for any firm to answer," said J.M. "Mike" Black, executive vice president and general manager of... more

Since Bellevue Resources Ltd. of Alberta drilled its now-famous Temblor well in Kern County, Calif., more than a year ago, the oilpatch has been marshalling forces and waiting for someone... more

With the latest offshore lease sale, some of Canada's biggest companies have extended offshore exploration into the Grand Banks area. Petro-Canada, with partner Norsk Hydro Canada Oil & Gas Inc., submitted... more

In spite of consumer discomfort with fuel prices, US demand will continue to rise and supplies will continue to fall in 2000, a scenario that warns of higher prices. In its... more

A special advisory panel to US Energy Secretary Bill Richardson has asked for a national strategy for the development of competitively priced natural gas. The study was submitted by Texaco Inc.... more

As a result, many fabricators have been staggering from one crisis to another, with very few able to say today that their short-term future is assured. Things may at last... more

South American countries are not using oil income wisely, claims Dr. Guillermo Perry, chief economist for Latin America with the World Bank, speaking at the second annual Latin American Oil,... more

An unexpected improvement in the frosty relations between Bahrain and Qatar could open up an area potentially rich in untapped hydrocarbons to exploration and development. The initiative came after Qatar's emir,... more

Military ruler General Pervez Musharraf knows he must show he has the industrial future of his country at heart if Western oil companies are not to be further scared off... more

Although Russian legislation on production sharing agreements (PSAs) is far from smooth running and hassle-free, the first production from Sakhalin 2 last year made many operators aware that success can... more

US operator Kerr-McGee has struck oil in Bohai Bay offshore northeast China - making the province yet again a happy hunting ground for itself and fellow US operators. The company made... more

BHP Petroleum (BHPP) and its joint venture partner Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. have started production from the Buffalo oil field in the Timor Sea, northwest of Darwin - underlining BHPP's... more

The Agbami field proved better than the major probably expected, and will mean development costs are likely to be around US $4.5 billion. However, its rewards will far outweigh the... more

1. Two California wildcats have been started, and location has been made for a third, reported IHS Energy Group. BTA Oil Producers, Midland, Texas, is drilling the No. 1 9808... more

1. Kerr-McGee Corp. has drilled its fourth discovery in the Gulf of Mexico's East Breaks area. The West Boomvang prospect - the No.1 OCS-G-9183 - encountered about 66ft of pay.... more

1. Statoil managed to come up with the goods in its last well drilled in 1999, the 6407/6-5 Mikkel appraisal offshore Norway. The well was drilled to a TD of... more

1. Phillips Australasia Exploration has signed a farm-in agreement with Norwest Energy and other partners in the ZOCA96-16 Joint Venture. The company has a 66% interest in the venture and... more

1. The Director General of Petroleum Concessions is offering exploration rights to the Yazman Block No.28714, Zone III onshore Punjab province in India. Full information is available from the Director... more

1. Saudi Arabia has discovered two more gas fields in the east of the kingdom, oil minister Ali bin Ibrahim al-Nuaimi said. "According to initial estimates, the two fields contain... more

1. Results from the appraisal of Texaco's Agbami field offshore Nigeria have proven potential recoverable reserves in excess of one billion barrels of crude. Agbami now stands out as the... more

1. US-based Western Atlas and Tecnopetrol of Canada have formed a partnership to explore for oil on 34,000 hectares in the Cesar Department of northern Colombia near the border with... more

Remember the bumper sticker that said, "Please, Lord, give me one more boom. I promise not to screw it up this time"? It might be time to start keeping some... more

Depth imaging is becoming a hot ticket in spec offerings as seismic companies strive to differentiate their products from the pack. As prestack depth migration and other depth imaging procedures become... more

Revolutionary expandable tubulars and connectors will change the basic design and construction of oil and gas wells. With these innovations, operators can reach reservoirs that are economically inaccessible with conventional... more

Drilling and completion problems are at the forefront of oil companies' research and development (R&D) needs. The dilemma is how to fund the work. The folks at Westport Technology Center International... more

1999 saw a lot of well tractors introduced. Now there's a device that has a brain and goes downhole with instructions, recording devices and a payload. It operates on internal... more

There's a saying from the days of England's great war-time leader Sir Winston Churchill in which he describes the United States and his own country as being two nations "divided... more

A new deepwater frontier could be emerging offshore eastern Australia after a fresh geological discovery unexpectedly made by a joint Australian-French survey. The survey hit on promising results in the Fairway... more

E&P technology has only one customer: the well. Whatever the specific purpose of the technology or services required across the industry, it is basically in support of drilling, completing and... more