Since 1993, the safety record of helicopter operations on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) has been first class, but can this good performance be sustained? Since the early 1960s, travelers to... more

BP's Clair project marks a new chapter in the history of oil as it is the first project to establish a fixed platform using conventional North Sea technology to withstand... more

A single-column floater (SCF) concept aimed at the Norsk Hydro-operated deepwater Ormen Lange gas field will break new ground for the Norwegian sector if its design is accepted. Engineers at... more

Unconventional resources hold tremendous potential for the US market. No matter whose forecast you read, the US Energy Information Agency's (EIA), the American Gas Association's or the National Petroleum Council's... more

Heavy-iron pumpjacks are using technologically advanced sensors and software to add value for operators. Like most other oilfield applications, the basic, reliable pumpjack with its familiar bobbing horsehead is getting... more

Enterprise Oil used a probabilistic well-cost estimating system to plan offshore developments in Brazil's Campos Basin. Engineers traditionally have used a deterministic approach when estimating times and costs for well construction... more

Detailed, interdisciplinary planning of each operation based on its ability to deliver the overall aim can facilitate extended-reach wells. The Mittelplate field, being developed by operator RWE Dea in 50% partnership... more

A new well planning service helps operators turn corners instead of cutting them. Most of the near future floating projects focus on West Africa or Brazil, where attention to detail is... more

Planning for successful zonal isolation results in effective mud removal and ramped-up production. In line with plans to systematically increase asset recovery this decade in Norway's mature oil-producing region of Tampen,... more

Optimizing initial production rate, reducing the need to re-enter the well and consideration of the individual well's role in optimizing production are key elements in modern stimulation design. For many years... more

An eight-zone completion, with each interval stimulated individually, resulted in savings of 30% over conventional completion costs. The secret: thinking outside the casing. Anew perforating and stimulation technology jointly developed... more

A unique combination of computer modeling and field testing results in improvements to a basic but critical link in the stimulation equipment chain. Hydraulic fracture stimulation is one of those oilfield... more

Highly engineered cemented liner completions outproduce openhole offsets by a factor of 1.8 to 1, across a range of reservoir quality. Operators have looked to the improved productivity that horizontal wells... more

The key to organizational success will be the human side of portfolio management. The past 20 years have brought profound changes to the oil and gas industry. Mergers and acquisitions... more

NORTH AMERICA ChevronTexaco Corp. and Tenaris have signed a 5-year agreement for Tenaris to supply ChevronTexaco's international requirements for well casing and production tubing, commonly known as oil country tubular... more

Three independents and Unocal are slashing the time and costs associated with invoicing and field ticket processing. Nexen, Anadarko Canada and EnCana (the new company resulting from the merger of... more

West Africa seems to be setting the pace for the most innovative floating production solutions with the pending debut of a new-design tension-leg platform (TLP) and the first of three... more

NORTH AMERICA Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. of Calgary, Alberta, agreed to acquire all of the outstanding stock of Rio Alto Exploration Ltd. after Rio Alto spins off its international activities... more

Despite a familiarity with hostile environments, many in the oil and gas sector reeled following the reversal of UK government policy on North Sea taxation in the 2002 budget. While the... more

NORTH AMERICA RigNet appointed Andreas Elton sales director with responsibility for domestic and international sales and customer consulting activities. New officers of the Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association include: Sheldon R. Erikson,... more

1. Tri-Valley Oil & Gas Co., Bakersfield, Calif., set pipe at 4,010 ft (1,223 m) and is waiting on completion tools at the 5,100-ft (458-m) No. 3-1 Sonata, a wildcat... more

1. ChevronTexaco has put its Tofu prospect on the market, ready to drill and approved by the US Minerals Management Service. The prospect is a salt-flank closure, imaged by 3-D... more

1. EnCana massively revised its reserves estimates for the North Sea Buzzard discovery to 1.1 billion bbl of oil, making it by far the biggest discovery in the UK sector... more

1. Ecopetrol is trying to drum up extra business by inviting oil and gas exploration and production companies to conduct seismic surveys off Colombia's Caribbean and Pacific coasts and keeping... more

1. Anadarko is set to spud its first ever deepwater well off West Africa. The Canadian firm will drill on the newly redefined Marine IX block after taking possession of... more

1. Although the first wells drilled into giant Kashagan field offshore Kazakhstan in the Caspian Sea were drilled with a Parker Drilling Co. drilling barge on artificial islands, the next... more

1. Petroleum Geo-Services, in cooperation with the Oman government and represented by the Ministry of Oil and Gas, will conduct a new multiclient 2-D seismic survey in the Gulf of... more

1. Shell has completed its Malampaya-10 well testing the oil rim on Malampaya field to decide if the prospect is commercial. That analysis and the decision to move forward could... more

The geophysical industry hopes oil companies will start treating them with a little more respect. I spend a lot of time visiting with folks who work for geophysical contracting companies, and... more

A new line of auto-fill float equipment has a filter system that prevents cuttings from clogging valves. When running casing into the wellbore, certain restraints must be observed to prevent damaging... more

Tucked away in the pages of the evolving energy bill is a task for the EPA: determine if hydraulic fracturing is a risk to drinking water. This fall, along with heated... more

Many of you know I grew up in various oil fields. My father worked for Gulf Oil Corp. His career began before World War II and spanned nearly 40 years,... more

Profit and loss (P&L) analysis on each asset creates opportunities for higher profits. The financial performance of many energy companies during 2000 shows they achieved record profits and returns on... more

In the recent Norwegian 17th licensing round, domestic companies and the State's Direct Financial Interest (SDFI) got away with the most promising and sought-after acreage near proven reserves. Statoil won... more

I'm a numbers person. Years ago, when I was just learning to work exploration and development economics, I was transferred onto an exploration team believed to be on track to... more