Mærsk Contractors is building a new breed of semisubmersible designed specifically to operate in the Caspian Sea for ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco. Marine Structure Consultants of the Netherlands and Keppel Far East... more

Shell Exploration and Production stages a successful campaign to lower drilling costs. Drilling, particularly offshore, is a producer's most expensive operation. Shell Exploration & Production Co. watched returns climb dramatically as... more

With 37 units built, the Aker H3 design has been in use for 30 years and is the most successful semisubmersible in the offshore industry. Aker has decided to build upon... more

According to the MMS, about 11,000 of the 14,000 producing wells in the Gulf of Mexico exhibit sustained annular casing pressure. Thus, a significant number of offshore wells may not... more

Faced with high-cost failures using conventional slurries, an operator tests metallic microribbon cement for successful kickoff plugs. An operator used a new, impact-resistant cement system to perform difficult, hard-formation sidetrack... more

Here's the latest in roller cone, polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC), bicenter and expandable bits and related services. Just when you think you have seen everything in the way of drill bits,... more

Several technical advances have resulted in a wireline system that can tackle high-pressure, high-temperature well conditions. New formation evaluation technologies have been put to the test logging some of the world's... more

New treatments can substantially increase leakoff and formation integrity pressures to solve deep high-pressure, high-temperature drilling challenges. Deep wells below 15,000 ft (4,575 m) TVD are uncommon in California. The many... more

NORTH AMERICA PanCanadian Energy plans to maintain drilling activity levels targeting new gas reserves in 2002 but slow the development of new infrastructure to bring these discovered reserves to market. The firm... more

I'm a firm believer in the adage: "Knowledge shared is knowledge squared." So it warms my heart to see that knowledge management (KM) is finally starting to take root in... more

In this age of decommissioning, the stakes have risen with the publication of TotalFinaElf's (TFE's) US $417 million plans for its redundant Frigg field facilities in the UK and Norwegian... more

Dominion Resources completed its US $2.3 billion acquisition of gas-focused Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas Corp. to increase reserves by more than 60% to 4.6 Tcf of gas and raise production... more

With no immediate prospect of ship-based floating production solutions coming forward in the US Gulf, Anadarko Petroleum may have chosen the path of least resistance by opting for another spar... more

NORTH AMERICA Anadarko Petroleum Corp.'s board of directors has elected John N. Seitz chief executive officer. Shell Oil Co. appointed Shell Trading United States President Steve Murray chief executive officer of Shell... more

1. PYR Energy Corp., Denver, Colo., has updated drilling activity pertaining to two wildcats being drilled by Houston, Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp. in Kern County, Calif. PYR owns a 12.12%... more

1. Newfield Exploration Co. has reported two new discoveries. The West Cameron 294 No. 5 wildcat penetrated more than 100 ft (30 m) of pay and will be drilled ahead... more

1. BP confirmed its Assynt well drilled in the west of Shetland region at the end of 2001. The 204/18-1 well, drilled with the West Navion drillship from October to mid-November,... more

1. Conoco has drafted the Transocean Sedco Forex Deepwater Pathfinder to drill the first well to test the offshore waters of Barbados. After drilling, the rig will return to the... more

1. TotalFinaElf has spudded a highly anticipated wildcat in ultradeep water off Gabon. The French operator is using Transocean Sedco Forex's Deepwater Discovery drillship for the Genny-1 well in the... more

1. Brazil's Petrobras is trying to work a deal with the Ukrainian Chernomorneftegaz on a venture to explore deep water in the Prikerchenskaya section of the Tomansky shelf in the... more

1. Qatar has started exploratory drilling ahead of the signing of the final production-sharing agreement for the US $3.5 billion Dolphin gas project with the United Arab Emirates. The drilling... more

1. Shell found the oil it anticipated in the oil rim of the massive Malampaya gas field off the northwest coast of Palawan, the Philippines. The first well in the... more

A seismic trade association hopes to help craft regulations that protect the interests of those afloat on the surface and those that dwell beneath it. There's an offshore battle brewing that... more

A new perforating and fracturing method for multiple pay zones can double production. Phil Snider has been at Marathon Oil 22 years, a mighty long time at a single company in... more

Digital protective relays improve power stability and enhance control and safety. When a natural gas plant loses electric power, the entire production run can go up in flames - literally,... more

They finally put the fires out in the rubble that was the World Trade Center at the end of December. That put some kind of finality to a year that... more

Ideas flourish when a company's culture encourages them to blossom. Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of coming up with a great idea that could make a substantial difference in a... more

The Mediterranean gas play is creating a major production hub. Egypt is planning a road show early this year to promote its current licensing round, including eight offshore blocks that should... more

Electronics are breaching the rigid walls between business and personal life built by corporations and amplified by commuting. Depending on how we leverage the power of modern communications, the "wired... more