By giving reservoir engineers the freedom to experiment with new ideas, one oil company has found 4-D projects to be worth the risk. Eighteen months ago, Shell had few 4-D or... more

New technology and methodologies promise to reduce costs through repeat seismic surveys. Field developments often imply large investments, particularly offshore. Billions of dollars frequently are put into production facilities and pipelines.... more

Advances in streamer technology are reducing uncertainties in repeat seismic surveys. The growing use of time-lapse (4-D) seismic technology to monitor changes due to production within the reservoir has necessitated a... more

Deepwater prospects offer huge reserves, and technology offers the means to reach those reserves at lower costs. Deepwater drilling is proliferating worldwide, spurred by advances in seismic acquisition and analysis. The... more

Effective deepwater development depends on a calculated approach along with innovation and flexibility. In 1947, Kerr-McGee completed the first commercially productive oil well out of sight of land, marking the start... more

Subsea system reliability and uptime are crucial for developing deepwater fields. As subsea developments begin to make substantial bottom-line contributions, life-cycle management becomes key to success. After installation and startup,... more

One of several efforts to develop dual-gradient drilling technology has drilled its first test well in the Gulf of Mexico. The world's first dual-gradient well, Texaco's Green Canyon 136 No. 8,... more

BIT RECORDS Some 256 drill bit world record applications were submitted, a significant amount considering the bit records were updated in June 2001. Pages 72-83 include comprehensive listings of the three... more

A project isn't a good idea until investors feel comfortable funding it. The project economics of gas-to-liquids (GTL) are finally offering competitive value in the marketplace, but it's important for... more

A new study at the University of Houston suggests Arctic gas will come to market through a pipeline "corridor" down the Mackenzie Valley. This outcome is less a function of... more

NORTH AMERICA Earth (Canada) Corp. licensed Singapore-based Oiltools Ltd. to use its low-cost oil recovery technology to meet environmental standards in oil and gas exploration and production. Earth's technology separates oil... more

Is your company as high-tech as the 2002 Winter Olympic Games? I just got back from an awesome press trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, where I had the opportunity to... more

Operators wrestling with the possibility of winning approval for floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels for the Gulf of Mexico recognize the need for expertise when navigating through a... more

EUROPE Enterprise Oil raced into rapid restructuring mode after turning down a takeover bid from Italian major ENI. The first offer was about US $3.9 billion (£2.7 billion), but ENI directors... more

Once the US Minerals Management Service (MMS) said it would consider applications for field developments using ship-based floating production solutions, the contracting community must have started to rub its hands... more

NORTH AMERICA Parker Drilling Co. elected Landmark Graphics President and Chief Executive Officer John W. Gibson to its board of directors. Imperial Oil Ltd.'s board of directors appointed T.J. "Tim" Hearn... more

1. Sublette County, Wyo., field reports credit Shell Oil Co. with testing 3.MMcf/d of gas at the No. B3-33 Pacific Creek Federal in Section 33-27n-103w, according to the Rocky Mountain... more

1. ExxonMobil is drilling the Keltics prospect in Mississippi Canyon blocks 912 and 956 with the Mississippi Canyon Block 912 No. 1 well in 6,695-ft (2,042-m) waters. The company completed... more

1. Genesis Engineering is studying floating and fixed development concepts to tap the Buzzard discovery. Two appraisal wells firmed up the size of the find and led operator PanCanadian to... more

1. Conoco has moved a drilling rig into waters offshore Barbados to drill the first well in the island republics, but Trinidad and Tobago aren't happy about it. It seems... more

1. Pioneer Natural Resources will drill three exploration and appraisal wells off Gabon starting in early March. The first will be an exploration well (Awena Marin) to test a new... more

1. The United Kingdom's Ramco, in partnership with the State Oil Co. of the Azerbaijan Republic, has given up on the onshore Muradkhanly production-sharing area in Azerbaijan after drilling one... more

1. BHP Petroleum has joined the race between TotalFinalElf and Conoco to develop onshore gas fields in eastern Syria's Palmyra area. The Melbourne, Australia-based company has offered to invest about... more

1. The Philippine National Oil Co.'s Energy Development Corp., Vulcan Industrial and Mining, Anglo Philippines, Philodrill, San Jose Oil, Oriental Petroleum and Basic Consolidated have spudded their Victoria-3, the first... more

The industry is enamored with the asset team concept. But is it really being applied? As I worked on the time-lapse seismic overview for this month's issue (see "Is it finally... more

What is the role of the small technology company among operators and integrated service companies? Size matters. It is not for nothing that today's Western military forces have ditched battalions in... more

Prevent, don't attract, lightning, says one US company. Lightning is a problem in the petroleum industry, as elsewhere. Consider one example: independent studies show that in 1995, 16 out of 20... more

We have all lamented the decline in employee numbers and morale in our industry. It may be that those left - some in a state of disenchantment - are on... more

Overwhelmingly, people who run ethical companies believe it is simply the right thing to do. James Burke, Johnson & Johnson chief executive officer, felt strongly that "those businesses who are the... more

Already the world's oil powerhouse, the Middle East is building a gas supply base. Oil - easy to find, easy to transport and easy to sell - has dominated Middle East... more

When was the last time you saw someone in our industry write about conservation? I may not win any industry awards, but I think there is a place in our... more