Blog Archives
NSA spying on Petrobras, if proven, is industrial espionage -Rousseff
By Anthony Boadle
(Reuters) – Reports that the United States spied on Brazilian oil company Petrobras, if proven, would be tantamount to industrial espionage and have no security justification, Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff said on Monday.
Brazil’s Globo television network reported on Sunday that the U.S. National Security Agency hacked into the computer networks of Petrobras and other companies, including Google Inc. , citing documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
The report came as Brazil is preparing to auction rights to tap some of the largest oil finds in the world in recent decades, deposits trapped under a salt layer off its Atlantic coast. State-run Petrobras, Brazil’s largest company and a source of national pride, made the discoveries in recent years and will be a mandatory partner in developing all of the new deep-sea fields.
The Globo report added tension to relations between Washington and Brasilia already strained by previous disclosures of NSA spying on internet communications in Brazil, including email messages and phone calls of Rousseff herself.
An angry Rousseff has repeatedly demanded an explanation. At stake is a state visit by Rousseff to the White House on Oct. 23 to meet President Barack Obama and discuss a possible $4 billion jet fighter deal, cooperation on oil and biofuels technology, as well as other commercial agreements.
“If the facts reported by the press are confirmed, it will be evident that the motive for the spying attempts is not security or the war on terrorism but strategic economic interests,” Rousseff said in a statement.
The U.S. government has said the secret internet surveillance programs disclosed by Snowden in June are aimed at monitoring suspected terrorist activity and do look at the content of private messages or phone calls.
PETROBAS NOT A SECURITY THREAT
“Clearly, Petrobras is not a threat to the security of any country,” Rousseff said, adding that the company is one of the world’s largest oil assets and belongs to the Brazilian people.
Brazil will take steps to protect itself, its government and its companies, Rousseff said, without elaborating. She said such espionage and interception of data were illegal and had no place in the relations between two democratic nations.
On Friday, Obama met with Rousseff during a summit of leaders of the world’s largest economies in St. Petersburg, Russia, and pledged to look into the reports that the NSA had snooped on her personal communications and those of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto when he was still a candidate.
She said Obama had promised her a reply by Wednesday.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Luiz Alberto Figueiredo is scheduled to meet in Washington on the same day with Obama’s national security adviser Susan Rice, Brazilian officials said.
Globo did not say when the alleged spying took place, what data might have been gathered or what exactly the NSA may have been seeking. The television report showed slides from an NSA presentation, dated May 2012, that it said was used to show new agents how to spy on private computer networks.
In addition to Google and Petrobras the presentation suggested the NSA had tapped into systems operated by France’s foreign ministry and the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, an international bank cooperative known as Swift through which many cross-border financial transactions take place.
Brazilian officials said the spying report would not affect the upcoming auction of rights to extract oil from the giant Libra oil field, which will go ahead as scheduled on Oct. 21.
Some Brazilian politicians have suggested that U.S. companies should be excluded from the bidding, but experts said that is legally impossible according to the terms of the auction.
Libra has estimated reserves of between 8 and 12 billion barrels of oil, according to Brazilian oil regulator ANP.
Brazil is counting on the new oil production to consolidate its emergence as a world economic power and take the country’s development to a new level. Rousseff signed a law on Monday that designates the royalties from the new oil production contracts for health and education programs.
Worldwide Field Development News Aug 17 – Aug 23, 2013
| This week the SubseaIQ team added 13 new projects and updated 30 projects. You can see all the updates made over any time period via the Project Update History search. The latest offshore field develoment news and activities are listed below for your convenience. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Aug 22, 2013 – Woodside recommended floating LNG (FLNG) technology to the Browse joint venture partners as the best option for the Browse LNG Development off Western Australia. In April 2013, the decision to not proceed with onshore development was determined after the concept did not meet commercial requirements for a positive final investment decision. If approved, the joint venture will rely on Shell’s FLNG knowledge and Woodside’s offshore development expertise. The project comprises the development of the Brecknock, Calliance and Torosa fields with combined contingent gas volumes of 15.9 Tcf and 436 million barrels of condensate.Worldwide Field Development News May 4 – May 10, 2013
This week the SubseaIQ team added 7 new projects and updated 29 projects. You can see all the updates made over any time period via the Project Update History search. The latest offshore field develoment news and activities are listed below for your convenience.
S. America – Brazil
BP to Sell Polvo Interest to HRT
May 9, 2013 – BP announced its intention to sell its 60% operated interest in the Polvo field to HRT Oil & Gas for $135 million in cash. Polvo is located in the southern part of the Campos Basin in block BM-C-8. Oil from the field is produced through a fixed drilling and production platform tied to an FPSO. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, but BP expects the deal to close in the second half of 2013. If approved, HRT will make the transition from a pure exploration company to a small oil producer. Currently, the field is producing at a rate of 13,000 bopd.
Project Details: Polvo
Petronas Gains Brazilian Interests Through OGX Agreement
May 8, 2013 – Brazilian exploration and production company OGX reached an agreement to sell 40% of its interest in Campos Basin blocks BM-C-39 and BM-C-40 to Petronas for a reported $850 million with an effective date of May 1. Based on the agreement, Petronas will acquire an interest in the Tubarao Martelo oil field with its 285 million barrels of recoverable resources along with the Inga and Pero prospects which are all located within the two blocks. Production from Tubarao Martelo is expected to begin by the end of the year. The transaction is subject to approval by Brazil’s National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency and the Brazilian Council for Economic Defense.
Project Details: Tubarao Martelo (Waikiki)
Karoon Discovers Oil in Bilby Prospect
May 7, 2013 – Karoon announced its second oil discovery of the current 3-well exploration program in the Santos Basin. The company announced a 656-foot gross oil pay made up of interbedded sand and shale intervals encountered while drilling the Bilby-1 well in block S-M-1166. Wireline testing of the pay zone is currently underway. Once complete, drilling will continue to the planned depth of 15,003 feet where Karoon hopes to find hydrocarbon-bearing Santonian aged reserovoirs. Completion of the Bilby well will mark the end of the exploration program.
Project Details: Bilby
Asia – SouthEast
Nido and PNOC Prepare for Baragatan Wildcat
May 8, 2013 – Nido Petroleum and its partner, Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC), have approved a work plan and budget to spud a wildcat on the Baragatan prospect in SC 63 offshore Palawan Island. Nido will serve as technical operator while drilling operations are underway. The well will be drilled when a suitable jackup becomes available and all regulatory approvals are secured. Bragatan is estimated to hold mean risked recoverable oil volumes of 115 million barrels with an upside of 166 million barrels.
Project Details: Baragatan
Ensco Jackup to Drill Cua Lo Prospect off Vietnam
May 7, 2013 – The Ensco 107 (400′ ILC) is expected to drill an exploration well targeting the Cua Lo prospect in Block 105 off Vietnam in June 2013. Participants in the block include Eni (50%) serving as operator, Neon Energy (25%) and KrisEnergy (25%). Interpretation of 3D seismic over the area is ongoing and the joint venture is attempting to finalize the drilling location to maximize the exposure of multiple potential pay zones. A Prospective Resource Assessment of the block has confirmed best estimate gross unrisked prospective recoverable resources of 3.9 Tcf.
Project Details: Cua Lo
Bentara Appraisal Continues in Balai Cluster
May 6, 2013 – ROC Oil advised that drilling of the Bentara-3 well in the Balai Cluster RSC has commenced. The well is the fifth and final well in the Balia Cluster pre-development/appraisal drilling program. Once the well is complete the joint venture partners will review the data and determine the economic viability of the fields. If the decision is made to move forward, a formal field development plan will be submitted.
Project Details: Balai Cluster
N. America – US GOM
W&T Continues Main Pass 108 Development
May 10, 2013 – Total depth has been reached in the B-1 well in Main Pass 108 block in the US Gulf of Mexico. The well, drilled by the Hercules 202 (200′ MC), was designed to target a potential 1.8 MMboe in the Tex W-6 Sand. It is possible that B-1 will be completed and on production by July. At that point, the Hercules 202 will skid over and spud the B-2 well which is targeting similar reserves. If successful, the B-2 well could be on line by 4Q 2013.
Project Details: Main Pass 108
ExxonMobil and Statoil to Proceed with Julia Deepwater Development
May 8, 2013 – ExxonMobil and its partner, Statoil, have agreed to proceed with development of the Julia oil field in the US Gulf of Mexico. Julia was discovered in 2007 and is estimated to hold almost 6 BBbbls of oil. The $4 billion project is expected to start producing in 2016. Phase 1 of the development will be designed to produce 34,000 bopd from 6 subsea wells tied back to the Jack/St. Malo production facility. A development drilling program is planned to be kicked-off in 2014 in waters ranging from 4,000 to 8,700 feet. ExxonMobil, the field operator, and Statoil each hold a 50% stake in the field.
Project Details: Jack/St. Malo
Shell Makes Stones Investment Decision
May 8, 2013 – Royal Dutch Shell made its final investment decision on the Stones ultra-deepwater oil and gas development project in the US Gulf of Mexico. At 9,500 feet deep, Stones is expected to host the world’s deepest production facility. Announcement of the decision sets in motion the construction of a floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel along with all of the associated subsea infrastructure. Initially, two developments well will be tied back to the FPSO with six additional wells to follow at a later date. Peak production for the first phase is expected to peak at 50,000 boed. The Stones reservoir is estimated to hold more than 2 BBboe.
Project Details: Stones
Marathon Development Continues off Louisiana Coast
May 6, 2013 – A fifth development well has been spud on the Apache-operated Marathon gas and condensate field in the Atchafalaya Bay off the coast of Louisiana. Marathon-4 is being drilled by the Parker 76-B (inland barge) in 8 feet of water and is targeting the Marathon formation at roughly 18,700 feet total depth. It is estimated to take 4-months to drill, complete and tie-in the well to existing production facilities. The Marathon field is operated by Apache who maintains a 48.75% interest. Petsec Energy holds 8% while private investors make up the remaining 43.25%.
N. America – Canadian Atlantic
Tecnhip Wins South White Rose Extension Contracts
May 8, 2013 – Husky Energy, operator of the White Rose field in Canada’s Jeanne d’Arc Basin, awarded a pair of development contracts associated with the South White Rose Extension project to Technip. The first contract is set to be carried out in 2013 and includes the supply and installation of gas injection flowlines, umbilicals and various subsea structures. Execution of the second contract will commence in 2014 and will involve the supply and installation of flowlines and subsea structures to support oil production and water injection. Husky has started a development drilling program and anticipates production start-up in 2014.
Project Details: White Rose
Europe – North Sea
Cairn Farms Into Spanish Point and Burren
May 8, 2013 – Cairn Energy announced it will farm-in to licenses FEL 2/04, FEL 4/08 and six adjacent licensing option blocks in the Porcupine Basin west of Ireland. Included in FEL 2/04 are the Spanish Point gas condensate discovery and the Burren oil discovery. The farm-in is subject to regulatory and partner approval. If approved, Cairn becomes the operator and acquires a 38% working interest by paying a pro-rated share of back costs for a consideration of $4.1 million and 63.33% of exploration and appraisal costs up to two wells, subject to a cap. An appraisal of Spanish Point is expected to be drilled in 2Q 2014.
Project Details: Spanish Point
Additional Production Well to be Drilled at Ettrick
May 7, 2013 – The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) approved an addendum to the Ettrick Field Development Plan (FPD) that was submitted in November 2012. Partners in the field include operator Nexen Petroleum (79.73%), Dana Petroleum (12%) and Atlantic Petroleum (8.27%). Ettrick was discovered in 1981 and began producing in 2009. Approval of the addendum will allow an infill production well to be drilled near the crest of the field. The well should be tied into the Aoka Mizu FPSO near the end of 3Q 2013.
Project Details: Ettrick
Johan Sverdrup Appraisals Continue
May 7, 2013 – Appraisal well 16/2-21 has been spud by the Bredford Dolphin (mid-water semisub) in the Johan Sverdrup discovery on the Norwegian continental shelf. The central part of the discovery is being tested in an effort to establish the depth, quality and thickness of the Jurassic reservoir sequences. Information obtained from this well will aid in developing a drainage and development strategy which is expected to be announced at the end of the year. Well 16/2-21 is the first in a three-well appraisal campaign that will be carried out through 2013.
Project Details: Johan Sverdrup
May 7, 2013 – Lundin Petroleum reports the previously announced production test of the Luno II discovery well is complete. Well 16/4-6S was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin (mid-water semisub) and encountered 131 gross feet of oil pay. A flow rate of more than 2,000 bopd was achieved through a 48/64 inch choke with a gas to oil ration of 1,100 scf/bbl. Lundin estimates the Luno II structure to contain gross contingent resources of 25 to 120 MMboe along with 10 to 40 MMboe of prospective resources for he Luno II North segment.
Project Details: Luno II
S. America – Other & Carib.
Shell Spuds Third Well off French Guiana
May 8, 2013 – Shell’s exploration campaign off the coast of French Guiana continues with the recent spudding of well GM-ES-4 on the Cebus prospect in the Guyane Maritime Permit. Cebus is the third well in the four-well program. The well will test the hydrocarbon potential of a different fan system than that of the two previous wells that failed to find pay.
New Ultra-Deepwater Drillship Laguna Star Arrives in Brazil
The Laguna Star, QGOG Constellation’s new ultra-deepwater drillship, arrived, Nov. 7, in Brazil. Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard, located in South Korea, built the Laguna Star as well as the Amaralina Star drillship, which is currently in operation by QGOG.
The unit will be operated by its subsidiary, Queiroz Galvão Óleo e Gás (QGOG), in water depths of up to 10,000 feet and well depths of up to 40,000 feet. It is equipped to operate in ultra-deepwater including the Brazilian pre-salt area.
The Laguna Star is the second drillship to be operated by QGOG, after Amaralina Star, which arrived in Brazil in August, 2012. The unit contributes to expanding and diversifying QGOG’s portfolio in ultra-deepwater drilling.
“The arrival of Laguna Star is another key milestone for the QGOG Constellation’s ultra-deepwater operations and, together with Amaralina Star, reinforces our operational track record,” said QGOG Constellation CEO Leduvy Gouvea.
These two drillships are chartered to Petrobras under six-year contracts, with options to renew for six additional years. Drilling services will be provided by QGOG.
Shipbuilding Tribune – New Ultra-Deepwater Drillship Laguna Star Arrives in Brazil.
Related articles
- Atwood Oceanics Orders Third Ultra-Deepwater Drillship (gcaptain.com)
- Maersk Newbuild Drillship Snatched Up (gcaptain.com)
- Shell Hires Four Transocean’s Newbuild Drillships (USA) (worldmaritimenews.com)
Wrecking a Nation: Oil, Dependency, and Redistribution
Here’s how the economic and political system of a nation is destroyed.
Every price increase of just a dime per gallon of gasoline at the pump extracts approximately $5 billion from the pockets of U.S. consumers over the course of a year.
On top of killing family budgets, with a dollar per gallon jump at the pumps picking our pockets of $50 billion per year, there is on the macro level an inverse relationship between the price of oil and the overall health of the economy — oil price hikes deliver less job growth, less demand for labor, more unemployment, more poverty, more inequality, more inflation, lower real income increases, and smaller advances in the standard of living.
Additionally, higher oil prices directly cause greater amounts of U.S. capital to be exported, both to pay the higher prices and to pay for the growing levels of imported oil.
In 1985, the U.S. imported 25 percent of its oil usage. Today, it’s 61 percent. And still we are placing restrictions on increases in domestic production, both for oil and other sources of energy.
A few days back, President Obama, rather than sticking around a couple hours to explain to the American people or to the U.S. Congress why we were going to war in Libya, flew off to Brazil to hand out a permit to allow deep sea oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico to Brazil’s state-run oil company, Petrobras. Capitalist companies in America need not apply.
This particular foreign deal was an especially snug and nostalgic fit for Obama. Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff is somewhat of a Latin form of Obama’s old Weather Underground chum Bernardine Dohrn.
In earlier days, Rousseff, a former Marxist guerrilla, was charged with running with a gang of redistributionists who accumulated revolutionary capital by way of kidnapping foreign diplomats for ransom.
A top priority for Rousseff today mirrors the “spread the wealth around” objective that Obama stated to Joe the plumber.
Dohrn, just home from a trip to Cuba in 1969 where she hoped to pick up some pointers on how to impose a “classless” society on the United States, displayed her true psychopathic colors in a speech she made to the Weathermen’s “War Council.” Speaking elatedly of the murders by the Charlie Manson gang of actress Sharon Tate, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, and three other people, Dohrn proclaimed, “First they killed those pigs, then they ate dinner in the same room with them, then they even shoved a fork into the victims’ stomachs! Wild!”
That’s the fully hateful Bernardine on public display, seeing herself as a new George Washington, a revolutionary fighter for a new nation. It’s the same role, except this founding mother was in serious need of a super-sized bottle of antipsychotic drugs and a super-tight straight-jacket.
Of all the places for candidate Obama to kick off his political career in 1995 in his first run for the Illinois State Senate, he picked the living room of Bernardine Dohrn and husband Bill Ayers, co-founder of the Weather Underground and, more recently, the national vice president for curriculum studies at the American Educational Research Association.
I’d have kept up my guard when Bernardine sashayed out of the kitchen and began circulating around with the hor dourves and metal forks.
In any case, it’s no surprise that things are coming apart, especially on energy. “If somebody wants to build a coal-fired plant, they can,” pronounced Obama during the presidential campaign. “It’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.”
What’s the end game? “Suicide Mission Accomplished”?
Ralph R. Reiland is an associate professor of economics at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh.
Related articles
- Oil Forever! (mb50.wordpress.com)
- The Vetting: Obama, Radical Islam and the Soros Connection, Part I [Video] (johnmalcolm.me)
- New Film “The Unvetted” Exposes Obama’s Communist Cover-up (askmarion.wordpress.com)
- Smoking Gun on Obama’s Association With Karl Marx Himself (moonbattery.com)
- The Most Important Press Conference Ever Held at Any Time in U.S. History: Part I (askmarion.wordpress.com)
- The Vetting: Obama, Radical Islam and the Soros Connection, Part II [Video] (johnmalcolm.me)
- SDS Port Huron 1962 Statement may reveal much of the Obama Agenda (asktheblogster.blogspot.com)
- Judge Napolitano: Nobody Should Be Surprised About Obama’s Redistribution Comments (foxnewsinsider.com)
Huisman Builds New Production Facility in Brazil
Huisman, specialist in lifting, drilling and subsea solutions, has announced its plans to build a new production facility in Brazil and recently initiated the land fill works. The new facility will be located alongside the river Itajai-Açu in the city of Navegantes in Santa Catarina state, a state in the southern part of Brazil bordering the Atlantic Ocean. This facility will be used for the manufacturing of construction equipment for the Brazilian offshore market.
The first investment phase includes over 15,000 square meter of production facilities. The next investment phase will include a 200m long quay side with an artificial bay to protect vessels from the seasonal river’s high currents. With the quayside in place, the Huisman do Brasil facility will be easily accessible for seagoing vessels, allowing for fast installation, commissioning and testing of the Huisman designed and built offshore construction equipment onboard. The new Huisman production facility is planned to be operational in the second half of 2013.
Subsea World News – Huisman Builds New Production Facility in Brazil.
Brazil: InterMoor Completes Conductors for Papa Terra Project
InterMoor, an Acteon company, has completed installation of the drilling and production conductors for the Papa Terra project, announced Global President Tom Fulton. Petrobras serves as the operator of the Papa Terra concession with a 62.5 percent interest; Chevron holds the remaining 37.5 percent interest.
InterMoor was responsible for the design, procurement, fabrication and installation of 15 conductors for the project. Fabricated at InterMoor’s 24-acre, Morgan City, La., facility, the conductors are 36 inches (91 centimeters) in diameter and 187 feet (57 meters) long.
InterMoor chartered the Skandi Skolten, DOF Subsea’s Construction Anchor Handling Vessel, and the installation barge with a customized conductor launch system. For conductor driving, InterMoor used MENCK’s MHU-270T DWS which included a deepwater hydraulic hammer capable of providing a driving energy of 270 kilojoules at a water depth of 3,281 feet (1000 meters) combined with MENCK’s girdle-type electro-hydraulic power pack and umbilical support system. Generating hydraulic power at depth, rather than at the surface, means no hydraulic hose, therefore minimalizing environmental impact and energy loss.
The conductors were installed in water depths of 3,937 feet (1,200 meters) in the southern Campos Basin off the coast of Brazil. The installation took place in April 2012. InterMoor’s conductor services optimize conductor design to meet project-specific load and fatigue requirements, and the unique patented installation method allows installation without the need of a construction vessel. A standard Anchor Handling Vessel is sufficient, leading to a more economical installation off the rig’s critical path.
“We are proud to have successfully completed this important installation for Petrobras and to be part of the first offshore tension-leg, wellhead platform in Brazil,” said Fulton. “Our collaboration with sister company MENCK proved to be an effective partnership, and InterMoor remains the only company worldwide to offer a full conductor installation service in deep water.”
“InterMoor has been developing its strength in the Brazil market through our office in Rio de Janeiro, and this project completion confirms the breadth of our capabilities in the region,” added John Riggs, Managing Director for InterMoor do Brasil.
Subsea World News – InterMoor Completes Conductors for Papa Terra Project (Brazil).
- Papa Terra Project Faces Delay (Brazil) (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Brazil: Petrobras Finishes Deck Mating Operation for P-55 Platform (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Petrobras Hurt by Transocean Rig Loss in Brazilian Court – Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)
- Aker Solutions to Deliver Drilling Packages (Brazil) (worldmaritimenews.com)
Amaralina Star Drillship Arrives in Brazil
QGOG Constellation announces the arrival to Brazil of the ultra-deepwater drillship Amaralina Star on August 25, to be operated by its subsidiary, Queiroz Galvão Óleo e Gás (QGOG).
The unit was built to operate in ultra-deepwaters to water depths of up to 10,000 feet and to drill wells depths of up to 40,000 feet. It will be able to operate in the Brazilian pre-salt area.
The Amaralina Star incorporates the highest technological standards and will contribute to expanding and diversifying QGOG’s expertise in ultra-deepwater drilling. QGOG differentiates itself through deploying cutting-edge technology and a specialized and well-trained workforce.
“Operating the Amaralina Star, a state of the art ultra-deepwater rig, is a key milestone for the Company, as it will be the first drillship we will operate, expanding our know-how in the area of offshore operations”, said QGOG President Leduvy Gouvea.
The Amaralina Star was built by the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard, located in South Korea. The shipyard is also currently building the Laguna Star drillship, which belongs to QGOG Constellation and will be operated by QGOG.
The two units have been chartered to Petrobras under a six-year contract, with options to renew for six additional years. Drilling services will be provided by QGOG.
Amaralina Star Drillship Arrives in Brazil| Offshore Energy Today.
Related articles
- QGOG Announces Naming of Two New Drillships (South Korea) (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Sembcorp Secures Drillships Order from Sete Brasil (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Petrobras to Charter and Operate Nine Drillships (Brazil) (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Rolls Royce Thrusters Chosen For New Deep Water Drillships (gcaptain.com)
Continents of the World
Mb50's "Liquid Mud" Rant 