Recent engineering strategy has embraced the concept of simple, yet highly functional, multilateral completions. In an effort to make multilaterals more acceptable from a risk standpoint, multilateral completion systems that are... more

"I have a dream of someday in the near future doing away with oil-base muds due to the fact that we are damaging our country's environment. Our nation has existed... more

Drilling is a cost-driven business. As operators strive to find new ways to cut costs and minimize downtime, many specialists are developing advanced tools that maximize drilling efficiency. Hart's E&P... more

New logging-while-drilling (LWD) nuclear technology improves neutron log quality. LWD density and neutron tools produce optimum logs when run in an in-gauge borehole with minimal (or no) standoff from the... more

A novel multicomponent induction resistivity tool increased oil-in-place estimates in low-resistivity pay intervals in Oman. Correct evaluation of low-contrast pay scenarios is a major concern in today's frontier exploration markets such... more

A new tool combining multiple-set inflatable straddle packers and a jet pump can control unwanted water production in vertical and horizontal wells. Andrew V. Padilla is senior production engineer at... more

Over the years carbon dioxide (CO2) floods have helped North American producers recover an impressive amount of incremental oil and extend fields' economic lives. Now there may be potential to... more

Electric submersible pump (ESP) and auto gas lift completions have overcome such production engineering challenges in the Stag oil field as high gas fraction, continuous slugs with a short frequency,... more

Pig lift - a pneumatic artificial lift method that uses a mechanical interface, or pig, that travels back and forth in a U-shaped tubing - has been field-proved in Brazil... more

Oil companies can't find oil and gas if they can't find their seismic data. Proper data management can deliver superior business results. Searching for oil and gas is an inherently risky... more

XML was developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to improve interoperability. XML is the acronym for extensible markup language, a system for tagging a document to indicate its structure... more

Pollution caused by oil slicks is controversial and nearly always environmentally catastrophic. The devastation of disasters such as the Sea Empress in 1996 and the Exxon Valdez in 1986 received... more

Western Canadian natural gas operators accelerate activity in some of the most exciting action in the oil and gas industry. Only three areas of the world increased seismic activity last year.... more

A blend of talents of two different kinds of operations should spell value for shareholders. Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Union Pacific Resources Group Inc. (UPR) plan a merger that leaves a... more

A flurry of recently announced projects indicates Canada's heavy oil production potential remains huge. Recovering from project-stunning low oil prices, Canadian producers are accelerating efforts to produce 300 billion bbl of... more

The Norwegian 16th Licensing Round saw a number of international operators come out of the bidding process with some strong rewards, but Statoil managed to once again make sure it... more

BP Amoco's US $375 million to $500 million Valhall field water injection project in the Norwegian North Sea is picking up pace, with the deadline to bid for the platform... more

Brazil's burgeoning oil and gas market is being used to entice international investors to the country. Government officials are taking a close look at opportunities not just in oil and gas,... more

With the launch of India's New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) early last year, the government was keen to promote its E&P sector as open for business under new rules and... more

After almost a year of latent activity, Papua New Guinea is emerging from its slumber with a major drilling program planned for this year that has the potential to offer... more

Iran is set to sign a host of deals with international oil companies for onshore exploration and field development, breaking the industry's 20-year ban on foreign involvement on Iranian soil.... more

With the lag effect of the oil industry's most recent downturn significantly affecting E&P activity in Australia last year, the government is hitting the market in big style this year... more

The issuing by Texaco of tender invitations for the design and fabrication of the floating production system planned to be used by the operator in its giant deepwater Agbami field... more

In the past, there were three things Nigeria was known for: military dictatorships, corruption and oil. With its new democratic government battling sleaze, it is hoped the first two will... more

Flushed with success and additional recovery potential at Hibernia and a huge new gas discovery on the Scotian Shelf, Canadian operators are moving forward quickly on projects off the east... more

NORTH AMERICA Core Laboratories has named two corporate vice presidents, Jim Gresham (right) and Patrick Keenan (below), to lead its business development efforts in the United States and internationally. Gresham was... more

"I'm more like J.R. Ewing than J.R. Ewing," says the man who is building his own Southfork in Houston and who owns more deepwater acreage off the west coast of... more

Gary E. Jones took the helm of Western Geophysical in November 1999, when the seismic industry was in a huge downturn. He has big plans for Western Geophysical leading the... more

1. PYR Energy Corp., Denver, reports Berkley Petroleum Corp. penetrated 2,474ft (755m) of Miocene Temblor objective, with a net sand interval of 1,410ft (430m), while drilling to a total depth of... more

1. Spinnaker Exploration Co., Houston, continues to build on its string of discoveries with a new gas well in High Island Block A-7, just off the Texas Coast and just east... more

1. Statoil has hit paydirt with its 6608/10-6 exploration well on the Norne field offshore northwest Norway. The drilling unit West Navion is logging the Svale prospect at a 6,310ft (1,935m)... more

1. The long-delayed White Opal-1 exploration well in permit EP325 in the Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia, has been plugged and abandoned after failing to encounter any significant hydrocarbon shows. The US... more

1. Malaysian state oil company Petronas has signed a production-sharing contract with Sarawak Shell Bhd (SSB) and Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd for Block SK312 offshore Sarawak, Malaysia. SSB and Petronas will... more

1. Four people were killed when an oil rig sank off the coast of Abu Dhabi. Eight other workers were hospitalized and 54 evacuated unhurt when the derrick on the Al... more

1. Vanco Energy has signed a production-sharing contract with the Republic of Equatorial Guinea for the Corisco Deep Block. The award comes in the wake of Triton Energy's recent Ceiba discovery,... more

1. Basic Resources, a subsidiary of Union Pacific Resources Co., Fort Worth, Texas, will invest US $36 million for exploration and production in Guatemala. Exploration consists of aerogravity surveys with follow-up... more

Shell's Drilling the Limit (DTL) philosophy appears to be working well. Drilling costs within Shell's operations around the globe have dropped dramatically. In the Gulf of Mexico, half-price wells are... more

Not too many people would have forecast just a few years ago that sanctions-bound Iraq would overtake its Middle East neighbours with the speed of its reforms. But the region seems... more

Those watching the international plays for emerging signs of new opportunities cannot help but notice the increasing amount of upstream news coming out of India. With the launch of the country's... more

The heat is on in the E&P sector - at least if judged by the mood surrounding the Offshore Technology Conference last month. Oil prices are high enough to support... more