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Helix disposals create deep-water operator takeover bait
Wade Youngblood, a production team leader, walks up a set of steps on the Helix Producer 1 in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011(Photo: Rusty Costanza/ The Times-Picayune)
Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. (HLX) is turning into a takeover target after streamlining the company to focus on its expanding operations for offshore oil-well support.
The Houston-based company agreed last month to sell its oil-and-gas unit and earlier exited a pipe-laying business, helping Helix reduce debt and center its operations on deepwater vessels and robotics for well maintenance. The divestments make the $2.2 billion company more appealing to a potential suitor such as Aker Solutions ASA (AKSO) or Technip SA (TEC) that may want to expand in marine contracting, said Capital One Financial Corp.
Helix also may attract other oilfield-services providers, according to Stephens Inc., while Iberia Capital Partners LLC says a rig owner such as Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. (DO) could be interested. Even after Helix’s moves led to a 31 percent gain in 2012 that beat U.S. energy equipment and services stocks, the company trades at a 23 percent discount to its closest competitor Oceaneering International Inc. based on this year’s estimated earnings, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
“It’s a cleaned-up company,” Trey Stolz, an analyst at Iberia Capital in New Orleans, said in a telephone interview. “Helix would be attractive as an add-on for existing offshore service providers to immediately get a head start on the well intervention side. It’s the next step forward in further specialization of the offshore equipment.”
Terrence Jamerson, director of investor relations at Helix, didn’t return phone or e-mail messages seeking comment.
Oilfield Divers
Helix, which traces its roots to a group of oilfield divers in the 1960s, evolved into an offshore energy company with operations spanning deepwater construction, oil-and-gas production and well maintenance and repair.
The company in October said it sold off its pipe-laying vessels and in December announced that it had agreed to sell its oil-and-gas unit as part of a plan to shift its focus toward so- called well-intervention services. This business, which encompasses undersea well maintenance, salvage and repair using floating vessels and robotics, is more profitable than pipe- laying while requiring less capital outlays than are needed for exploration and production, Chief Financial Officer Anthony Tripodo told investors during a presentation in November.
The asset sales spurred gains in Helix shares that contributed to the biggest advance last year among the 11 members in the Standard & Poor’s Midcap Energy Equipment & Services Index. The stock closed yesterday at $20.86.
‘Simpler Package’
By helping to center Helix’s operations on a single, growing business, the disposals also have bolstered the company’s allure as a potential takeover target, said David Streit, an Appleton, Wisconsin-based equity analyst at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. The firm oversees about $76 billion in assets, including Helix shares.
“This focuses the company and provides potential acquirers with a much more focused and simpler package of assets,” Streit said in a phone interview. The sale of the oil-and-gas unit “removed the last major impediment to an acquisition. The balance sheet will be net cash positive after the divestiture of the business is complete. And beyond that it’s a very straightforward and clean business.”
Including its current net debt of $589 million, Helix’s enterprise value as of yesterday was 6.64 times its 2013 estimated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The multiple for its Houston-based rival Oceaneering International (OII) was higher at 8.64 times this year’s estimated Ebitda, the data show.
Deepwater Appeal
“It’s trading at a multiple out of whack with other offshore asset-based service companies,” Iberia Capital’s Stolz said.
In its streamlined form, Helix may appeal to some contractors already operating in deepwater oil fields, Stolz said. The addition would give them a leg up as demand grows for well-intervention services, which use equipment sent down from vessels on the water’s surface to tap into aging wells on the sea floor and boost production.
Well-intervention vessels are in demand because they’re a cheaper alternative to drilling rigs, which have long been the standard and are now able to charge near-record leasing rates due to higher oil prices, Stolz said. The market for well intervention could experience growth similar to the past five years, when the number of aging wells nearly doubled to 3,500, he said.
Aker, Technip
Aker Solutions, a Lysaker, Norway-based oil-services company with well-intervention operations, could be a potential suitor for Helix, said Joseph Gibney, a Houston-based analyst with Capital One. The $5.8 billion company has a fleet of three deepwater well-intervention vessels, according to its website.
Paris-based Technip, with a market value of $13 billion, also could be a logical buyer because of its experience working in deep waters offering construction and engineering services for oil fields, Gibney said.
Ivar Simensen, a spokesman at Aker Solutions, declined to comment on whether the company is interested in Helix. Christophe Belorgeot, a spokesman for Technip, didn’t respond to an e-mailed request for comment.
Other oilfield-services companies may want to buy Helix to augment their businesses and gain technical expertise, said Michael Marino, an analyst at Stephens Inc. in Houston. Rig contractors such as Diamond Offshore may be interested in Helix as a way to recapture some of the work lost to lower-priced well-intervention vessels, Gibney and Stolz said.
Going Alone
Darren Daugherty, a spokesman for Diamond Offshore, declined to comment on whether the company is interested in Helix.
With Helix now focused on well intervention, the company could look to stay independent or even seek out acquisitions itself, said Todd Smurl, president and chief investment officer of Houston-based Ascendant Advisors.
“It might put them in play down the road but now they might actually be strong enough to be an acquirer as opposed to being acquired,” Smurl said in a phone interview. What’s more, after the stock rose 19 percent in the past month alone, “it’s not the screaming bargain it was,” he said.
Still, Stephens’s Marino estimates the company could fetch $25 in a takeover, a 20 percent premium to yesterday’s close.
“A takeout at those levels doesn’t seem crazy,” said Marino, who recommended that investors buy the stock after Helix announced plans to sell its oil-and-gas unit. “It makes a lot of sense for someone who wants to increase their presence internationally and offshore.”
Related articles
- USA: Helix Marks Strong Market Demand for Deepwater Well Intervention Services (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Helix Reports Oil Discovery at Wang Well in U.S. Gulf (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Helix Energy Solutions Group Sells Offshore Production Business for $610 Million (gcaptain.com)
- Helix Updates Well Intervention Fleet Backlog (dailyfinance.com)
- Helix disposals create deep-water operator takeover bait (fuelfix.com)
Anadarko Orders Spar Hull from Technip for Heidelberg Field (USA)
Technip received instructions from Anadarko Petroleum Corporation to begin the engineering, construction and transport of a 23,000-ton Truss Spar hull for their Heidelberg field development. This field is located in the US Gulf of Mexico, at a water depth of 1,620 meters (5,310 feet).
The Letter of Intent allows Technip to begin construction work on the project and other early works including purchase of long-lead items for the hull and start of fabrication, in advance of the expected project sanctioning around mid-2013, after which it will enter into Technip’s backlog.
The Heidelberg Spar will have a capacity of more than 80,000 barrels of oil and 2.3 million cubic meters of natural gas per day.
Technip’s operating center in Houston, Texas will provide the overall project management and engineering. The detailed hull design and fabrication will be carried out by Technip’s construction yard in Pori, Finland where most of Technip’s Spar projects have been manufactured.
David Dickson, Technip’s Senior Vice President, North America Region, has declared: “Technip is really proud to have received this Letter of Intent. Not only does it strengthen our long-lasting relationship with Anadarko but it also confirms its continuous trust in the Group’s extensive know-how and expertise in Spar technology. After Lucius, awarded last year and currently being built in our yard in Pori, Heidelberg will be the 8th Spar delivered by Technip to Anadarko.”
The Heidelberg Spar will be the 17th delivered by Technip (out of 20 worldwide) and thus demonstrates the Group’s leadership for this kind of floating platform and ability to tackle ultra-deepwater developments. It also confirms Pori’s track record expertise and great capabilities to deliver state-of-the-art platforms.
Anadarko Orders Spar Hull from Technip for Heidelberg Field (USA)| Offshore Energy Today.
Worldwide Field Development News Nov 3 – Nov 9, 2012
This week the SubseaIQ team added 0 new projects and updated 14 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.
Asia – SouthEast
Maleo MOPU Recevies TLC
Nov 8, 2012 – SOV Windermere (subsea operations vessel) has been contracted to provide offshore support services in the Maleo field in East Java’s Madura offshore PSC. Hall Marine, the vessel’s owner, indicated the operation is centered around the Windermere’s integral 15-man saturation diving facility. The crew of the vessel will be engaged in facility inspections as well as repair and maintenance operations. Maleo is produced via a six-wellhead platform and a jackup converted to a Mobile Offshore Production Unit.
Thailand Partners Provide Concession Update
Nov 6, 2012 – Thailand’s Department of Mineral Fuels, Ministry of Energy has formally approved the transfer of 50% participating interest in the G2/48 concession from Pearl Oil to Rayong Offshore Exploration Ltd. The concession lies in proximity to the Jasmine and Manora oil fields and also contains the Rayong Basin which possesses similar characteristics to nearby basins with known oil accumulations. An exploration drilling program is in the advanced stages of planning with the Anchan-1 and Sainampueng-1 wells scheduled to spud 4Q 2012. These wells will satisfy the 5- and 6-year concession commitments respectively.
Project Details: Sainampueng
Black Sea
Sterling Gets Mixed Results From Ioana
Nov 7, 2012 – TD has been reached in the Ioana-1 well in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea. Gas shows were encountered in the Sterling Resources-operated well from 1,640 feet to the total depth of 6,397 feet. The main objective identified by 2D seismic was encountered as prognosed but was found to be made up of thinly bedded sands within low permeability siltstones. Shallower gas bearing sands were intersected but formation details won’t be known until cased-hole logs are thoroughly reviewed. Sterling indicated that it might seek to acquire 3D seismic data over the area to gain a better understanding of the complex formations encountered while drilling Ioana.
Project Details: Ioana
N. America – Mexico
Pemex Awards Akal Contract to Sea Trucks
Nov 9, 2012 – Pemex awarded an EPCI contract to Sea Trucks for work to be done in the Akal field offshore Mexico. The project calls for the extension of topsides of four platforms including processing equipment with associated piping and fire, gas, electrical and control systems. Field infrastructure will also be upgraded by the addition of subsea pipelines, pig launchers/receivers, spools and risers. No definite timeline has been released but the company says the work will take place in the first half of 2013.
Project Details: Cantarell
Asia – Far East
Roc Continues Success in Beibu Gulf
Nov 6, 2012 – Roc Oil, operator of the WZ6-12 development area in the Beibu Gulf, successfully drilled its second exploration well to a total depth of 8,720 feet. Well WZ6-12-A6 intersected almost 200 feet of net oil pay through multiple hydrocarbon bearing zones in the Weizhou formation and will be completed as a producer. Results of the well have confirmed the extent of the WZ6-12 South field. The third well in the three well exploration program, WZ6-12-A7, is underway and will survey the Sliver and Liushagang prospects to the north of the field.
Project Details: Beibu Gulf
N. America – US GOM
Technip Wins Cardamom Contract
Nov 9, 2012 – Shell awarded another Gulf of Mexico development contract to Technip for the development of infrastructure for the Cardamom field in Garden Banks block 427. The project consists of a subsea tieback to the Auger TLP at a water depth of 2,720 feet. Under the contract, Technip will provide project management, engineering, fabrication and installation of 8 miles of pipe-in-pipe flowlines with associated line terminations and steel catenary risers. Offshore installation is planned for the second half of 2013. The company has not disclosed the value of the contract.
Project Details: Auger
MidEast – Persian Gulf
South Pars 17 and 18 Nearing Completion
Nov 6, 2012 – Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company successfully built and installed the 2,320-ton production deck for South Pars A17 platform. From engineering to installation, the entire project took just over 4 years to complete. Production will begin in about 3 months when final commissioning is complete. The unit has the capacity to produce 500 million cubic feet of gas per day. Construction of the production deck for the A18 platform is 90% complete. Completion of the two platforms will be a milestone for phases 17 and 18 in the South Pars development.
Project Details: South Pars
Mediterranean
Cosmos Concession Sees Reserve Estimates Rise
Nov 5, 2012 – New Zealand Oil & Gas announced 2P reserve estimates for the Cosmos Concession, offshore Tunisia, have increased from 6.3 to 8.8 million barrels of recoverable hydrocarbons. The 40% increase is attributed to a resource evaluation completed by InSite Petroleum Consultants Ltd. Two other independent assessments have garnered similar results. A final investment decision from the Cosmos partners is expected in early 2013. Storm Ventures International operates the license with a 40% stake. NZOG and state-owned oil company ETAP hold 40% and 20% stakes respectively.
Project Details: Cosmos South
Europe – North Sea
Europa Eyes Irish Atlantic Margin Prospects
Nov 9, 2012 – Europa Oil and Gas has identified two previously unknown prospects, Mullen and Kiernan, in the South Porcupine Basin in the Irish Atlantic Margin. Both prospects are located in the company’s 100% owned Licensing Options 11/7 and 11/8. First pass seismic data has been reprocessed over Mullen while reprocessing is on-going over Kiernan. Resource estimates at Mullen range from 66 mmbo (P90) to 1092 mmbo (P10). Both prospects are characterized by Early Cretaceous turbidite reservoirs which, although proven in the North Porcupine Basin, are untested in the south. Results from the upcoming ExxonMobile Dunquin well may help to de-risk the area. Europa is currently looking for a joint venture partner to assist with maturing the prospects to drillable status.
Subsea 7 Grabs Subsea Compression Gig
Nov 9, 2012 – Subsea 7 is the winner of a subsea compression contract for the Statoil-operated Gullfaks C production facility. At almost $70 million the contract provides for the engineering, installation and commissioning of a 9.5 mile integrated power umbilical, a protection structure, a subsea compressor station, pipeline spools and tie-ins. Work will begin immediately at Subsea 7’s Stavanger office with offshore operations scheduled to begin in 2015.
Project Details: Greater Gullfaks Area
Proserv Awarded Cygnus Controls Contract
Nov 8, 2012 – GDF SUEZ, through its design contractor AMEC, awarded a $1.9 million contract to Proserv to design, engineer and build wellhead control panels for the Alpha and Bravo platforms at the Cygnus project in the UK North Sea. Proserv will also provide an umbilical termination unit that is integral to the control of the isolation valve fitted to the subsea export pipeline. Six of the ten development wells associated with the platforms will be controlled through the initial panel design. Work is already underway on the project and equipment is scheduled for delivery in 2013 and 2014.
Project Details: Cygnus
Chevron Takes The Helm in West of Shetland Probe
Nov 7, 2012 – Chevron has been given consent by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to drill the West of Sheland Cambo-5 well on behalf of Hess Limited, the operator of block 204/5a. Cambo-5 will be drilled by a drillship in 3,576 feet of water but the vessel chosen for the drilling program has yet to be named. As part of the approval process, the DECC has thoroughly reviewed Chevron’s management systems and emergency response plans and inspected the drillship that is to be used for the well.
Northeastern Johan Sverdrup Reservoir Qualtity Confirmed
Nov 7, 2012 – Diamond Offshore’s Ocean Vanguard (mid-water semisub) drilled another successful well in the Johan Sverdrup discovery area. Well 16/2-14 was drilled almost 4 miles northwest of Johan Sverdrup discovery well 16/2-6. The main objective was to collect data from the stratigraphic sequence above the reservoir to serve as the basis for field development decisions. A 98-foot oil column was encountered in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks that exhibited good reservoir quality. The Hegre and Shetland Groups were encountered but reservoir quality was poor in both. The well was drilled to a total depth of 6,430 feet and will be permanently plugged and abandoned.
Project Details: Johan Sverdrup
Premier and Partners Come Up Dry at Spaniards East
Nov 6, 2012 – Exploration well 15/21a-60 in the UK North Sea was drilled to a depth of 10,694 feet and plugged and abandoned as a dry hole. The Premier-operated well was designed to test the easterly extent of the Spaniards discovery and encountered 75 feet of Jurassic sands. However, logging revealed the sands to be water wet. A full analysis of the drilling data is required before a final decision on the commerciality of the Spaniards discovery can be made.
Africa – West
Alen Development Remains On Schedule
Nov 7, 2012 – PA Resources announced work on the Alen field development in Blocks O and I, offshore Equatorial Guinea, is progressing on schedule. The goal remains to achieve first production in the second half of 2013. Fabrication of platform facilities is in advanced stages and installation of flowlines and umbilicals is expected in 4Q 2012. The development will be comprised of a wellhead platform connected by a bridge to a central processing platform. Once on-line, Alen should produce 33,000 barrels of oil per day via three production wells.
Project Details: Aseng
S. America – Other & Carib.
Mapale-1 Yields Gas Offshore Columbia
Nov 8, 2012 – Equion Energia and its partners announced the discovery of gas in the Mapale-1 exploration well in block RC-5 offshore Columbia. The well was spud in August using the West Mischief (350′ ILC). Gas shows during drilling confirmed the presence of a hydrocarbon system and fluid tests and logging results confirmed the presence of dry natural gas. The company will now begin the technical evaluation process in order to determine the potential of the discovery. A second well was scheduled to be drilled but was postponed until after the harsh weather season, which lasts from November through April, passed. Equion serves as operator with 40.56% interest followed by Ecopetrol with 32% and Petrobras with the remaining 27.44%.
Related articles
- Sea Trucks Secures Subsea Installation Contract in Mexico (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Worldwide Field Development News Oct 27 – Nov 2, 2012 (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Gulf of Mexico: Quest Offshore Sees Bright Future for Deepwater GoM (USA) (mb50.wordpress.com)
- UK: PEMEX E&P and BP to Share Technology, Expertise for Deepwater Well Cap (mb50.wordpress.com)
- USA: FMC Technologies, Edison Chouest Offshore Team Up (mb50.wordpress.com)
Remote-controlled world record at Åsgard
For the very first time, remote-controlled machines and an underwater welding robot have installed a new tie-in point on a live gas pipeline, without the pipeline being prepared in advance.
Subsea Hot Tap Video Link
These types of operations can save Statoil lots of money in the long run.
The hot tap installation is the first to be carried out in connection with preparations for Åsgard subsea gas compression in the Norwegian Sea, and thus also represents a milestone for the project. The tie-in point was welded on to the Åsgard B production flowline at a water depth of 265 metres.
After ten days on the field, the hot-tap operation team on board the Technip-owned vessel Scandi Arctic could confirm success in the pioneering operation.
Kjell Edvard Apeland, project manager of the remote-controlled hot tap development in Statoil and head of the operation on the Åsgard field. (Photo: Rune Solheim)
“For a subsea engineer, this can be compared with landing on Mars,” says Kjell Edvard Apeland. He is project manager of the remote-controlled hot tap development in Statoil and head of the operation on the Åsgard field.
Simply explained, a remote-controlled hot tap operation consists of a robot welding a T-piece on to the pipe, while gas is flowing through it. When that has been done, a remote-controlled drilling machine will drill holes in the producing pipeline, with no effect on pressure and production.
“When the compressor module and the manifold for Åsgard subsea compression are installed next year, we will connect the pipeline from these to the hot-tap tie-in point,” says Apeland.
The Åsgard subsea compression project will be realised in 2015, as the first of its kind in the world. Compressors will be installed on the seabed, instead of on a platform. This will improve recovery from the Mikkel and Midgard reservoirs by around 280 million barrels of oil equivalents.
Major savings
Hot tap technology is a technological breakthrough, and a door opener for developing marginal fields, as well as extending the lifetime of other fields.
The ability to connect anywhere on a pipeline, without stopping production, yields considerable flexibility and significant savings.
Torstein Vinterstø, portfolio manager for subsea compression projects in Statoil. (Photo: Anette Westgård)
“Since we will be connecting a new compressor station on the seabed to an existing pipeline system on Åsgard, it is very beneficial to use the hot tap technology to avoid disrupting production,” says Torstein Vinterstø, portfolio manager for subsea compression projects in Statoil.
“The savings are measured compared with what it would have cost to perform a similar operation, including shutting down production in the pipeline we were working on. This would also have taken much longer than the ten days we spent now – possibly as long as three months,” he says.
Home-grown technology
The method was developed by Statoil, and there is no comparable technology.
The work to develop the technology started in 1999, and was developed in Statoil’s pipe technology environment at Killingøy outside Haugesund. Statoil’s expertise in tie-in and repair of pipelines is gathered there.
Open and constructive cooperation with our key suppliers has been instrumental in achieving this.
Statoil has already thoroughly tested the hot tap technology, with good results. Remote-controlled hot tap has previously been performed on Tampen Link on the Statfjord field in the North Sea and on the Ormen Lange field in the Norwegian Sea, but then the T-piece had already been installed on the gas pipeline in advance.
Related articles
- Statoil delays start of Chukchi drilling until at least 2015 (fuelfix.com)
- Norway: Statoil to Order New FSU Unit from Samsung Heavy (worldmaritimenews.com)
Recap: Worldwide Field Development News (Jun 29 – Jul 5, 2012)
This week the SubseaIQ team added 1 new projects and updated 11 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.
Australia
ShawCor will Provide Services for Ichthys LNG Subsea Equipment
Jun 29, 2012 – ShawCor announced that its pipecoating division, Bredero Shaw, has received a contract to provide pipeline coatings and related products and services for the flowlines and tie-in spools for the Ichthys LNG project. The contract involves coating approximately 148 km of 6-inch to 18-inch diameter pipe that will be protected with three-layer polypropylene anticorrosion coating and Thermotite multi-layer polypropylene insulation. Work will commence during the second quarter of 2013. The company will execute the work at Bredero Shaw’s facilities in Kabil, Indonesia and Kuantan, Malaysia.
Project Details: Ichthys
Technip Wins Prelude Subsea Installation Contract From Shell
Jun 29, 2012 – Shell awarded Technip a subsea installation contract for the Prelude FLNG facility, which is moored in a water depth of 787 feet (240 meters), about 124 miles (200 kilometers) off the northwest coast of Australia. The contract covers the project management, fabrication, transport and installation by reeling of 12 inch flowlines and the fabrication of pipeline end terminals, flowline appurtenances and rigid spools. It also includes the transportation and installation of the subsea equipment including manifolds, umbilical termination assemblies, rigid spooks and flying leads. Shell said it expects the Prelude FLNG project to be ready in 2017. Once operational, the Prelude FLNG facility will produce at least 5.3 million tones per annum (mtpa) of liquids.
Project Details: Prelude
Europe – North Sea
Statoil Awards Subsea Project to FMC
Jul 5, 2012 – FMC has been awarded a contract for subsea production systems (SPS)for the Gullfaks South field, with options to cover Statoil’s subsea tie-back demand in the fast-track portfolio for 2014 and 2015. Estimated contract value is close to $199 million (NOK 1.2 billion), in addition to possible extensions worth $663 million (NOK 4 billion. Equipment to be supplied includes wellheads, x-mas trees, template structures, manifold and control systems.
Project Details: Greater Gullfaks Area
King Lear Not a Tragedy for Statoil
Jul 2, 2012 – Drilling results confirm Statoil’s earlier expectations that its King Lear prospect would be a high-impact well. Exploration well 2/4-21 drilled by the Maersk Gallant (350′ ILC) in production licences 146 and 333, has proven a 48-meter gas/condensate column in the main bore 2/4-21 and an additional 70-meter gas/condensate column in the side-track 2/4-21A. Statoil estimates the total volumes in King Lear to be between 70 and 200 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent.
Project Details: King Lear
Faroe Drills Duster in Clapton Prospect
Jun 29, 2012 – Faroe Petroleum will plug and abandon the Clapton exploratory well 2/8-18S on Production License 440S in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The well found hydrocarbons in chalks of the Shetland Group and also encountered reservoir rocks, but the reservoir properties were poorer than expected. Reaching a vertical depth of 8,593 feet (2,619 meters) by the Maersk Guardian (350??? ILC) jackup, the well is a dry hole.
Project Details: Clapton
N. America – US GOM
Anadarko Enters Capital Carry Deal for Lucius
Jul 2, 2012 – Anadarko Petroleum has signed a definitive agreement with an undisclosed party to enter into a joint-venture capital carry arrangement for Anadarko’s ownership in the Gulf of Mexico Lucius development project. Under the terms of the agreement, Anadarko will be carried for $556 million, which is estimated to represent 100 percent of its expected capital obligation through the anticipated date of first production at Lucius. In exchange, Anadarko will convey a 7.2-percent working interest in the Lucius development and will continue as operator with a 27.8-percent working interest.
Project Details: Lucius
S. America – Other & Carib.
Gas Flaring Permit Extended for Albacora
Jul 3, 2012 – BPZ Energy has announced that an extension to their gas flaring permit has been granted by the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines. The permit will cover flaring operations at the Company’s Albacora field through December 28, 2012. Gas is flared off when sufficient amounts of gas aren’t being reinjected or sold. At this time, the reinjection equipment at Albacore is sitting idle while the environmental permit to allow for reinjection is finalized.
Project Details: Albacora
Asia – Caspian
Total Sumits Notice of Commerciality for Absheron Discovery
Jul 2, 2012 – Total, on behalf of the Socar/Total/GDF Suez partnership, has submitted a notice of commerciality to the Government of Azerbaijan for the Absheron discovery. This step is an important milestone in the frame work of the Agreement on Exploration, Development and Production Sharing for the Absheron offshore block in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea signed in 2009.
Project Details: Absheron
Africa – West
Saipem Signs E&C Contract for Mafumeria Field
Jun 29, 2012 – Saipem has signed a new E&C offshore contract in West Africa for the development of the southern part of the Mafumeira field within Block 0. The contract has been awarded by CABGOC (Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Ltd), wholly owned by Chevron. The Mafumeira Sul EPCI 3 scope of work is for the engineering, procurement and pre-fabrication activities for subsequent offshore modifications and tie-in activities on the existing Mafumeira Norte platform and the future Mafumeira Sul production platforms. Mafumeira Sul EPCI 4 comprises the engineering, procurement, fabrication and installation of an onshore pipeline portion connecting the field to the oil storage and export facilities in the Malongo Terminal. The marine activities will be carried out in different time frames between the fourth quarter of 2013 and the second quarter of 2015.
Project Details: Mafumeira
Allied Energy Preps Drilling Program for Oyo Field
Jun 29, 2012 – Allied Energy reported that it plans to drill a development well on the Oyo field in 4Q 2012. The new well, Oyo No. 7, is being designed to test the prospective resource potential of the deeper Miocene reservoir in the field, but also to increase production in the Pliocene reservoir. With these dual objectives, the No. 7 well is expected to both significantly increase oil production from the currently producing reservoir and de-risk much of the unrisked resource potential in the field.
Project Details: Oyo
Mediterranean
Adira Granted Extension for Samuel License
Jul 3, 2012 – Adira Energy Ltd. announced today that Israel’s Ministry of Energy and Water Resources has granted an extension of the dates for the execution of a drilling contract and the spudding of the first well on the Samuel offshore license. The contract execution date has been extended from July 1 to October 31, 2012 with a requirement that the first well be spud by April 30, 2013. Adira has indicated that the environmental study for Samuel will be submitted by the July 10 deadline.
Jul 2, 2012 – ATP Oil & Gas has successfully drilled its Shimshon exploration well in the Levant Basin of offshore Israel encountering more than 62 feet (19 meters) of natural gas pay in the Bet Guvrin sands. The Shimshon well is in a water depth of 3,622 feet and was drilled to a subsea depth of 14,445 feet by the Ensco 5006 semisub.
Project Details: Shimshon
Related articles
- Recap: Worldwide Field Development News (Jun 22 – Jun 28, 2012) (mb50.wordpress.com)
- UAE: Drydocks World Initiates Prelude FLNG Project with Turret Steel Cutting (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Statoil Charters Light Well Intervention Vessels to Increase Recovery (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Enhanced recovery through subsea compression at Gullfaks (mb50.wordpress.com)
USA: Technip Wins FEED Contract for Mad Dog Phase 2 Project
Technip was awarded a front end engineering design (FEED) contract by BP Exploration & Production Inc. This contract covers the design of a Spar hull and mooring systems for the Mad Dog Phase 2 Project, located near Green Canyon Block 825 in the Gulf of Mexico.
This first award comes under the framework of the 10-year Spar platform master services agreement signed in 2011.
The Mad Dog Phase 2 Spar will be located near the first Mad Dog Spar delivered by Technip for BP in 2004, and installed on Green Canyon 782. Detailed engineering for the new Spar is scheduled to start during the second half of 2012.
Technip’s operating center in Houston, Texas, will execute the contract with support from the center in Pori, Finland.
Related articles
- Technip Wins Lucius Field Contract from Anadarko (mb50.wordpress.com)
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- Huisman to Build 500mt Yard Crane and 150mt Flexlay System for Technip (France) (mb50.wordpress.com)
- USA: Technip Rings Tubular Bells (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Australia: Technip Wins Wheatstone Platform Design Contract from DSME (mb50.wordpress.com)
Huisman to Build 500mt Yard Crane and 150mt Flexlay System for Technip (France)
Huisman, the worldwide specialist in lifting, drilling and subsea solutions, has secured new contracts with Technip, a world leader in project management, engineering and construction for the energy industry, for a 500mt Yard Crane and a 150mt Flexlay System.
Both the crane and the pipelay system will be designed and constructed by the Huisman facilities in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Previously, Huisman delivered the installation equipment onboard Technip’s flagship deepwater pipelay and subsea construction vessel, “Deep Blue”.
The 500mt Yard Crane is the third crane of this type built by Huisman, however the first to be used for onshore purposes. This state-of-the-art crane derives from Huisman’s many years of experience in the design, fabrication and service of heavy lifting equipment. The full revolving crane combines unique technical features, such as a full electric variable frequency drive system, a low overall construction weight and a small minimum operating radius. Furthermore all the major equipment, such as the hoist winches, is installed inside the enclosed crane house. These technical features result in a low power consumption, lower operational costs and maximum operability. The crane will be installed, commissioned and tested at Technip’s Flexi France facility in Le Trait, France, mid-2013.
The 150mt Flexlay System will be designed and built for the installation of flexible pipelines. The system can be separated into two modules, allowing for easy installation onboard. A definite first for a Flexlay System of this size is the two openable and retractable 75mt tensioners which allow for safe and efficient installation of large subsea infrastructure components such as umbilicals, risers and flowlines. The system’s deepwater lowering function allows for installation in up to 3,000m water depth. Delivery of the 150mt Flexlay system is scheduled for the end of 2013.
Huisman currently has a number of cranes in production, varying from 300mt to 4,000mt, and a 5,000mt Offshore Mast Crane is currently being finalized. Pipelay systems currently under construction include Multi-lay Systems for the Aegir and a new build vessel for Ezra, a Flexlay System for the newest Subsea 7 vessel and the S-lay System for the Seven Borealis.
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