There's more to resolve than hydrocarbon traps in the world's oceans as governments get serious about protecting marine mammals. Ironic, isn't it, that the growth of the oil industry ultimately put... more

From its beginnings as a low-budget niche solution, ocean bottom seismic is evolving into an important multicomponent and time-lapse tool. Anyone who has traveled through the Gulf of Mexico at night... more

A novel concept utilizes field case histories to match solutions to well conditions. The new lightweight cementing solutions (LCS) concept takes advantage of lessons learned from case histories. Rather than being... more

Zonal isolation in high-loss wells can be extremely problematic. A new lightweight fibered cement system helps solve severe lost circulation problems. An extended cement slurry system used in conjunction with specialized... more

A new acidizing process focuses treatment on the hydrocarbon-bearing zones, yielding substantially improved results in sandstone reservoirs. An interview with John L. Gidley, PhD. A new technique for acidizing sandstones involves... more

Deepwater exploration drives advances in subsurface hanger technology, as operators seek to lighten the load on production floaters. Subsurface tubing hangers were developed during the 1960s to support the increase in... more

Integrated services by Weatherford and Schlumberger implement a practical solution to a complex gas production stabilization problem in the Dutch North Sea. This story tells how a thorough understanding of production... more

Offshore logistics is the lifeblood for offshore installations bringing supplies, providing standby services for emergencies, and ferrying freight and personnel to and from platforms. It's a multi-million dollar market requiring... more

Currently BP is evaluating results from a trial of sharing SAR aircraft between North Sea platforms with a decision expected by summer 2004. In May 2000 BP announced Project Jigsaw to... more

Shell and its partner NAM formed ONEgas to save on logistics operations in the Southern North Sea just over a year ago. Anthony Charnley, Asset Leader, ONEgas, Shell Exploration &... more

A concept first used by Shell in the North Sea Brent field 2 years ago to accommodate an additional tie-in is being considered for two new projects in the same... more

VectorSeisOcean is the first retrievable full wave seismic imaging ocean-bottom acquisition system (OBC) incorporating micro-electrical mechanical (MEMS) accelerometers. Digital MEMS accelerometers contain unique micro-machined silicon sensors with high dynamic range,... more

The MRILab is a downhole fluid analysis module designed to determine the viscosity, gas/oil ratio (GOR), hydrogen index and capacitance of reservoir fluids as well as the fraction of oil... more

Kerr-McGee North Sea (UK) Ltd. has set isolation plugs in two water injector wells in its Janice field reservoir to divert water and to recover an additional 2 million bbl... more

NORTH AMERICA Private-equity providers Warburg Pincus and Blackstone Capital Partners have funded a new exploration company, Dallas, Texas-based Kosmos Energy LLC, which plans to explore West Africa. The Kosmos team... more

Unveiled in December, 2000, the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights aim to ensure companies interact with their security providers. The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human were drawn... more

1. Venoco Inc., Carpinteria, Calif., in a program with the US Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy, used new seismic analysis tools, modern logging and reservoir modeling to increase... more

1. In March, a record 12 rigs were drilling wells in more than 5,000 ft (1,524 m) in the Gulf of Mexico, according to US Minerals Management Service Director Johnnie... more

1. Hydrocarbon exploration in the Faeroes islands was reorganized following a general election and abolition of the Ministry of Petroleum. Petroleum responsibilities were divided between the Faeroes Trade and Industry... more

1. US independent Heyco has taken two blocks in Morocco. The firm has signed up for the Moulay Bousselham and Mamora permits, which have only been lightly explored in the... more

1. Colombia's Ecopetrol has completed its 3-D seismic survey off the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean and has contracted out the interpretation work. Ecopetrol now can act as... more

1. Amity Oil said operator Turkiye Petrolleri A.O. has reached total depth at 2,330 ft (710 m) at its Cayirde-3 well about 75 miles (120 km) west of Istanbul, Turkey.... more

1. Foster Wheeler Energy (FWE) of the UK has won a US $6.8 million contract from the US Department of Defense to provide support to Iraq's oil sector program management... more

1. Shell said it has made a significant deepwater oil discovery offshore Sabah, Malaysian territory on the island of Borneo. Shell and its partners, state-owned Petronas and US-based ConocoPhillips, gave... more

A new acquisition system places sensors on the seabed without the need for ocean-bottom cables. The ocean is such an inhospitable place. Ever since oil companies have been looking for hydrocarbons... more

Over the past 5 years, it has been easy to observe progress in rotary steerables. Only keener observers, however, will have noted advances in underreamers. With more than seven suppliers... more

With almost 250% growth in the last decade, and very aggressive forecasts for future growth, floating production systems and associated technology are quickly becoming the choice of operators worldwide. Prior to... more

Development and field use of the Blue Whale Inflatable Service Packer for deepwater drilling applications solves big problems offshore. Inflatable service tools have been widely used in oil and gas drilling... more

Some of these columns come harder than others. This is an easy one. Some 7 months ago, investment company VS&A Communication Partners in New York announced they were selling Hart... more

Companies that weave the adoption of useful technology into corporate strategies can generate a competitive advantage. The collapse of the '70s oil boom provided the impetus for large and significant changes... more

Sustainable development, an increasingly necessary corporate commitment, requires a collaborative effort. As oil and gas companies struggle to meet increasing social, economic and environmental responsibilities, they need the full cooperation... more

Giant oil and gas fields approach the production stage. The official sanction of the US $10-billion, 9-billion-bbl-plus Kashagan field complex offshore Kazakhstan has been in the public eye lately, but oil... more

As worldwide demand for oil and gas climbs over the next decade, most industry experts anticipate an overall decline in jobs. Some sectors expect an employment drop of more than... more