During the summer navigation of this year the FSUE "Rosmorport" icebreakers were proactively used for supporting a series of research works in the Arctic Basin. Two icebreakers of the enterprise were involved in arrangement of integrated geological and geophysical research to find grounds for the continental nature of the Mendeleev elevation in the Arctic Sea and to set outer border of the continental shelf of the Russian Federation in the central part of the Arctic Basin. The Dikson icebreaker of the Arkhangelsk Branch and the Kapitan Dranitsyn icebreaker of the Murmansk Branch took part in the works from early July till early October, the former as a research vessel, and the latter as a research support vessel. The research itself was conducted in August–September at high latitudes of the East Siberian, Chukchi and Laptev seas in complicated maritime and weather conditions. In the meantime the Kapitan Kosolapov icebreaker of the Arkhangelsk Branch took part in geophysical research conducted by the Western Trident seismic vessel in Kara Sea, as a support vessel. At present major research works have been successfully completed, and the icebreakers are on the way back to their ports of registration. Read more...Offshore SeisNews ©
••• 18.01.21 EMGS receives LOI for large 3D EM survey in Asia.
Reference is made to the updated vessel schedule published on 7 January 2013, where Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA stated that the company is in advanced stages of negotiations regarding contracts totalling approximately six months of work in Asia.
EMGS has received a Letter of Intent for a contract totalling approximately 6 months of 3D EM data acquisition in Asia. Final confirmation and award of the program is dependent on the customer's internal Tender Board approval.
It is expected that the 3D EM survey program will be performed using the vessel BOA Thalassa with start-up in the first quarter of 2013.
"We expect to deploy both the EM Leader and BOA Thalassa in Asia for most of 2013 based on our substantially improved backlog as well as additional demand from both new and existing customers," said Roar Bekker, CEO of EMGS.
Source: EMGS
••• 17.01.21 Oil production resumes in North Sea pipeline closed because of leak.
Work has begun to restore the flow of oil through a major UK pipeline system in the North Sea. Oil company TAQA announced on Wednesday that it has started the process which will resume production levels of crude oil through the Brent pipeline at up to 80,000 barrels per day.
The pipeline system was shut down on Monday and 92 men airlifted from the Cormorant Alpha platform 94 miles from Shetland after a release of hydrocarbons was detected in one leg of the platform. A statement from the Abu Dhabi based company explains the rig pipeline with the leak is separate to the Brent system.
"Investigations have found there is no connection between the Brent pipeline system and the pipeline involved in the release. The process of restarting Brent throughput follows a thorough technical evaluation that shows it is safe to do so without any increased risk to Cormorant Alpha," the company said.
Hydrocarbon levels inside the platform leg have been monitored since the discovery on Monday and measurements show the volume released is small, the oil firm said.
None have been released into the environment, it insisted. An investigation into the source of the hydrocarbons is continuing.
"Work is under way to mitigate the release of hydrocarbons, and preparations are being made to stop it and effect repairs," the company said.
Sir Robert Smith, Liberal Democrat MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, previously said: "This is another reminder of the importance of maintaining our mature assets in the North Sea, especially the key hubs and pipelines that are so crucial to UK production.
"If the UK is to retain its high safety and environmental protection standards and if it is to maximise production in the North Sea, it is vital that it continues to attract investment in its ageing infrastructure."
Oil transported through the Brent pipeline is said to represent between 5% and 6% of the UK's North Sea oil and gas production.
Of the 90,000 barrels normally handled a day by the Cormorant Alpha, 42,600 are produced by Abu Dhabi energy company TAQA, which took over the platform in 2009.
Source: Maritime-connector
••• 16.01.21 TGS Commences 3D Multi-client Seismic Survey Offshore Liberia.
TGS has commenced acquisition of a 3D multi-client survey, Sunfish, which covers up to 7,800 km2 of highly prospective acreage in the Harper Basin, offshore Liberia.
"This survey provides excellent data coverage for the source prone, syn-rift and early post-rift sequences, in this highly prospective area offshore Liberia. TGS has been active in acquiring data over the West Africa Transform margin for the past decade and this survey demonstrates TGS’ ongoing commitment to grow the seismic data library in Africa," commented Stein Ove Isaksen, Senior VP Eastern Hemisphere for TGS.
TGS is chartering the 12 streamer Polarcus Asima for this survey.
The charter will last for approximately six months. Data processing will be performed by TGS and will be available to clients in Q4 2013, prior to the Liberia 2013 Bid Round.
The survey is supported by industry funding.
Source: TGS
••• 16.01.21 China plans new Arctic expedition.
China will continue its presence in the Arctic and plans to launch its sixth expedition to the region in 2013.
The country also works to build more Antarctic research bases and plans to launch its 30th expedition to the Antarctic this year, the State Oceanic Administration of China announced at a national maritime conference last week.
In a document circulating at the conference, the Oceanic Administration underlined the need for further research efforts for the protection of the country's strategic interests in the Arctic region, Xinhuanet reports.
In 2012 the icebreaker Xue Long (Snow Dragon) became the first Chinese polar expedition to sail all along the Northern Sea Route into the Barents Sea. Upon return the vessel sailed a straight line from Iceland to the Bering Strait via the North Pole, the so-called "future central Arctic shipping route".
In 2004, China set up its first and only Arctic scientific research base, Yellow River Station, on Svalbard Island of Norway.
Source: BarentsObserver
••• 16.01.21 Norway makes License Offers as part of APA 2012.
Norway has sent 40 companies offers for 51 new production licenses on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate announced Tuesday. The NPD said the Norwegian government had evaluated applications from 47 companies for its Awards in Pre-defined Areas (APA) 2012 before making its offers.
Of the 51 production licenses, 34 are located in the North Sea, 14 in the Norwegian Sea and 3 in the Barents Sea. 15 of the production licenses are additional acreage to existing production licenses. Two of the new licenses are divided stratigraphically and only apply to levels below or above a defined stratigraphic boundary.
40 companies will be offered interests in at least one production license. 23 of the companies will be offered operatorships. Norway's state oil and gas company Petoro will hold shares in 17 production licenses as the manager of the State's Direct Financial Interest (SDFI).
"Interest in available acreage in this year's APA was record-high, with the greatest interest in the North Sea and significant competition for some areas. We see that a lot of good work has gone into most of the applications, and some players have submitted very interesting concepts," NPD Exploration Director Sissel Eriksen said in a statement.
The offers are subject to certain obligations. There is a requirement for acquisition of new seismic data in eight areas. For the other production licenses there are 'drill or drop' conditions. This means that the licensees have between one and three years in which to make a decision to drill a well, otherwise the production license lapses.
Source: Rigzone
••• 15.01.21 No Seismic Surveys in World Heritage Area, Australian Gov’t says.
Australian authorities have rejected Apache’s application to undertake a three-dimensional (3D) marine seismic survey in Commonwealth and Western Australian waters, located in Exploration Permit WA-155-P and Petroleum Retention Lease TR/3 with ingress into surrounding areas, including the Muiron Islands Marine Management Area.
A release signed by the The Hon Tony Burke MP, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, says that proposed action will have clearly unacceptable impacts on the Ningaloo World Heritage Area protected by Part 3 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) Act.
The government’s decision was welcomed by Western Australia’s environment and sustainability group the Conservation Council.
"This is a commonsense decision because the Ningaloo World Heritage Area is not the right place for oil development," said CCWA Marine Coordinator Tim Nicol.
The timing of the proposal also coincides with the breeding season for endangered loggerhead turtles.
"We know very little about the impacts of seismic testing on a whole range of marine species, including sea turtles," said Nicol, "Clearly these are risks that do not belong in a World Heritage Area or near our precious Ningaloo Reef."
"The eventual outcome sought by oil companies when they explore for oil is to drill for oil, and oil drilling so close to Ningaloo is also an unacceptable risk."
Source: OffshoreEnergyToday
••• 15.01.21 Chariot completed 3D seismic acquisition programme offshore Mauritania.
Chariot Oil & Gas Limited, the Africa focused oil and gas exploration company has completed its 3500 km2 3D seismic acquisition programme in Block C19 offshore Mauritania.
The survey was contracted to and carried out by Fugro-Geoteam AS and targeted an area in the South Western section of the block. Once the data has been processed, it will be interpreted in-house with the aim of identifying prospects for drilling.
Larry Bottomley, CEO, commented: "The data collected from the survey fulfills Chariot’s initial three year work commitment within the block and the interpretation will commence later this year. The results will inform our forward programme as we continue to seek material opportunities in emerging hydrocarbon provinces."
Source: Chariot Oil & Gas
••• 14.01.21 New sub bottom profiler installed on survey vessel Triad.
A Kongsberg TOPAS PS 40 - Parametric sub bottom profiler has recently been installed on MMT's survey vessel Triad.
The acceptance tests of the new system were successfully performed in early December outside Nynashamn in the Stockholm archipelago.
The Topas 40 will add the benefit of high spatial resolution in the sediment profiles. The narrow beam results in low received reverberation levels allowing for high penetration of the sediment strata.
Due to the parametric operation of the transmitter, transducer dimensions are very small compared to non-parametric systems which make the system suitable for a relatively small vessel such as the Triad (LOA 26m).
Triad is currently involved in hydrographic survey operations in the Baltic Sea. Topas 40 sediment profiles will be collected through the duration of the project.
Source: MMT
••• 14.01.21 Kulluk hull intact, Unified Command says (Alaska).
The Unified Command, consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, Shell, an other partners, has announced that the Kulluk conical drilling unit remains stable.
After a thorough underwater assessment of the unit’s hull, the Unified Command has also informed that no ruptures in the hull were found.
Assessment of the Kulluk drilling vessel in Kiliuda Bay has been completed and the data collected is now being analyzed.
There are no reports of any oil or fuel release, the Unified Command added.
To remind, the Kulluk misfortunes began on December 29, 2012, when the 29-year-old rig containing an estimated 143,000 gallons of ultra-low sulfur diesel and 12,000 gallons of lubrication oil and hydraulic fluid, broke free from tugboats in heavy seas in the Gulf of Alaska, casting the drilling unit adrift.
The drilling unit then, on December 31, ran aground on the southeast shoreline of nearby Sitkalidak Island. On January 6, Shell managed to refloat the rig and tow it to the Kiliuda Bay for damage assessment.
Source: OffshoreEnergyToday
••• 11.01.21 US submarine hits ship in Persian Gulf.
U.S. Naval forces reported that no one was hurt when the periscope on USS Jacksonville (SSN 699), a U.S. Navy Los Angeles-class submarine, struck a vessel while operating in the Persian Gulf Jan. 10 at approximately 5 a.m. local time.
Jacksonville then surfaced from periscope depth to ascertain if there was any damage to the unidentified vessel. The vessel continued on a consistent course and speed offering no indication of distress or acknowledgement of a collision.
Damage appears to be limited to one of Jacksonville’s two periscopes. The reactor remains in a safe condition, there was no damage to the propulsion plant systems and there is no concern regarding watertight integrity.
A U.S. P-3 Orion aircraft conducted a search of the area and saw no debris in the water or vessels in distress. The airborne search of the area is complete. The incident is under investigation.
Jacksonville is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.
Source: Maritime-connector
••• 10.01.21 New seismic contract to Remoy Shipping.
Remoy Shipping AS announced new contracts with WesternGeco for ships Geco Scorpio and Ocean Odyssey.
Both ships have been in the works for WesternGeco since they were delivered in 2000 and 2005 respectively, and Remoy Shipping is very pleased with the new agreements ensuring the ships work in five solid years to come with an option for another two years. "I am very pleased that our crews are doing such a good job that customers want to keep the ships and thereby extends the contracts with at least five years. These are contracts for market conditions to ensure continued operation and helps to make it possible to develop the company further" says CEO Karsten Savik.
Source: Remoy Shipping
••• 10.01.21 Gas from Norway more attractive than ever, Gassco CEO says.
Gas piped from fields off Norway to receiving terminals in Germany, Belgium, France and the UK totalled 107.6 billion standard cubic metres (scm) in 2012, up by 13.4 billion from 2011.
"This represents a new record for Norway’s annual gas deliveries," says Brian Bjordal, chief executive of transport system operator Gassco. "That reflects high and stable output from the Norwegian continental shelf and strong demand, which confirms in turn that gas from Norway is more attractive than ever."
Figures from Gassco show that 1.4 billion scm of Norwegian gas were delivered to domestic consumers in 2012, compared with 1.6 billion the year before.
The company’s goal is to operate the integrated transport system for Norwegian gas with the highest possible delivery regularity.
An average regularity of 99.69 per cent was achieved for the network last year, compared with 99.17 per cent in 2011.
Deliveries of liquefied natural gas (NGL) and condensate from the processing plants at Karsto and Kollsnes (via Vestprosess) totalled 7 960 847 tonnes, compared with 7 993 309 tonnes in 2011.
Source: OffshoreEnergyToday
••• 09.01.21 Dolphin Geophysical and Searcher Seismic announce the Rodspurv 3D seismic survey Barents Sea, Norway.
Dolphin Geophysical, in partnership with Searcher Seismic announced the 2,880 km2 Rodspurv 3D high resolution non-exclusive seismic survey in the Barents Sea APA area. The survey is scheduled to be acquired in the early 2013 season and will utilize Dolphin's BroadBand SHarp acquisition and processing techniques.
The Rodspurv 3D Seismic Survey covers acreage recently opened for exploration which is located immediately adjacent to proven oil and gas fields.
Interpretation suggests that the survey area is likely to be charged from the North by the Mesozoic rocks located down dip of the Troms-Finnmark fault complex with potential reservoirs being Permian and Carboniferous clastics.
Annual APA rounds combined with increasing infrastructure in the region make this an exciting exploration opportunity with an industry demand for acreage in the Barents Sea at an all-time high.
Source: Dolphin Geophysical
••• 09.01.21 Chinook helicopter ditches in Peruvian jungle.
A helicopter crash in the Amazon jungle of Peru killed all seven people on board while transporting equipment for an oil exploration company, the aircraft's owner said.
Columbia Helicopters, which is based in the US but has offices in Peru and Papua New Guinea, confirmed that one of its Model 234 Chinooks crashed on Monday minutes after takeoff from Pucallpa, about 485 miles (780 kilometres) east of Lima, on a flight to Tarapoto in northern Peru.
The heavy-lift helicopter was doing a "ferry flight" for Canada's Talisman Energy at the time, transporting "various types of rigging equipment" in a cargo skid below the aircraft, Todd Petersen, vice president of marketing for Columbia, told Upstream.
He said the chopper, which has an external lift capacity of 26,000 pounds, was not carrying out a rig move at the time of the crash.
The seven people aboard the helicopter were all employees of Columbia, Petersen said. There were no survivors.
Source: Upstream
••• 09.01.21 First private navy created to take on Somali pirates.
Britain's first private navy in almost two centuries is being created by a group of businessmen to take on the Somali pirates who are terrorising a 2.5m square mile expanse of the Indian Ocean.
Its armed vessels - including a 10,000-ton mother ship and high-speed armoured patrol boats - will be led by a former Royal Navy commodore. He is recruiting 240 former marines and other sailors for the force.
It will escort its first convoy of oil tankers, bulk carriers - and possibly an occasional yacht - along the east coast of Africa in late March or April.
Typhon, the company behind the venture, is chaired by Simon Murray, a millionaire businessman who joined the French Foreign Legion as a teenager and walked unsupported to the South Pole aged 63.
Source: Maritime-connector
••• 09.01.21 Norway is granted parts of the first licenses for exploration and production of hydrocarbons in Icelandic waters.
Petoro Iceland AS, daughter company of Norwegian state oil company Petoro AS, has been granted two licenses in the area between Iceland and Jan Mayen.
This will be the first oil exploration in Icelandic waters.
"The waters between Iceland and Jan Mayen can contain significant reserves of oil and gas", Minister of Petroleum and Energy Ola Borten Moe said after the signing in Reykjavik. "Iceland is now giving its first licenses, and Norway has a part in two of them. Participation in the two development licenses gives us the possibility to take part in exploration of an exciting area which can contain large values", he added, the ministry’s web site reads.
One license was granted to Faroe Petroleum Norge AS as an operator with 67,5 percent share, Islenskt Kolvetni with 7,5 percent share and Petoro Iceland AS with 25 percent share. The other license is to Valiant Petroleum as an operator with 56,25 percent share, Kolvetni with 18,75 percent share og Petoro Iceland AS with 25 percent share, Arctic Portal writes.
Norway and Iceland in 1981 concluded an agreement on the continental shelf between Iceland and Jan Mayen. The agreement delimitates the shelf between the two countries and established a special cooperation within petroleum activities in a defined border area between Norway and Iceland. The agreement states that Noway has the right to have a 25 percent share in petroleum activities in the part of the cooperation area that belongs to Iceland.
The first rig in the area is expected in 2017 or 2018, likely to be deployed in the Norwegian side at first.
In March 2011 Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy announced that 180 million NOK will be spent on oil and gas mapping of the Jan Mayen waters in the period 2012-2014. An extensive program of acquisition of 2D seismic around the island was concluded in August 2012.
Source: BarentsObserver
••• 08.01.21 Kulluk reaches Kiliuda Bay.
The Kulluk drilling rig, which grounded onshore Alaska last week, reached its safe harbor location at Kiliuda Bay, Alaska at 10 a.m. Alaska time Monday, according to a statement from Unified Command.
The anchor handling vessel MV Aiviq towed the rig an average speed of 4 miles per hour over 45 nautical miles, which took roughly 12 hours. The Kulluk had refloated from its position in Ocean Bay off Sitkaliadak Island late Jan. 6 after being grounded New Year's Eve.
The Kulluk will remain connected to its support vessels while it undergoes assessment in Kiliuda Bay, approximately 30 miles north of Ocean Bay. The rig's final location for assessment within the bay will be determined by weather and other environmental conditions.
The Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley escorted the rig to Kiliuda Bay along with two oil spill response vessels and other support vessels. A 500-yard radius safety zone around the Kulluk followed the escort and remains in place in Kiliuda Bay.
No signs of oil discharge were seen during the transit, according to a statement from Unified Command.
Source: Rigzone
••• 07.01.21 EMGS: expected vessel schedule.
EMGS has secured backlog for the EM Leader in Asia through to early May following several previously announced contract awards. The company is currently in advanced stages of negotiations regarding additional contracts totalling approximately six months of work with start-up in mid-February.
EMGS has therefore resolved to mobilize the BOA Thalassa from her current operations in the US Gulf of Mexico to the Asia Pacific region.
EMGS expects to deploy both vessels in Asia for most of 2013 as a consequence of substantially increased demand for proprietary contract work from both new and existing customers.
The BOA Galatea has completed data acquisition under the contract extension with Petrobras and has now commenced a two-month multi-client program in the Ceara area in the northern part of Brazil. The 3D EM survey program covers blocks that are expected to be announced in the 11th licensing round in Brazil.
The Atlantic Guardian is, as previously communicated, standby in Bergen at no cost for EMGS. The company is currently pursuing contract and multi-client opportunities in the North Atlantic region and West Africa, and expects to bring the vessel back into operation in early March at the latest.
Source: EMGS
••• 07.01.21 SeaBird chartered 3D vessel Geo Pacific.
SeaBird Exploration Plc has chartered the 3D vessel Geo Pacific from Fugro, through a subsidiary of Ordinat Shipping AS on a 4 month time charter that is intended to be converted into a 3 year bareboat with four one-year options to extend the contract. Ordinat Shipping AS is the largest shareholder in SeaBird.
Furthermore, SeaBird will also have purchase options on the vessel in year three and, to the extent the lease is extended, year four.
The vessel is fully equipped and will be a valuable addition to SeaBird's 3D capacity. The Geo Pacific will be SeaBird's second 3D vessel in addition to the Voyager Explorer.
Source: SeaBird
••• 04.01.21 Polarcus finalizes agreements with TPAO for long-term collaboration arrangement.
Reference is made to the notice published by Polarcus Limited on 10 December 2012 regarding the commencement of negotiations with the Turkish Petroleum Corporation for a long-term collaboration arrangement.
Polarcus announced that the Company has successfully completed the aforementioned negotiations and agreed final agreements for the sale and reflagging of the 8-streamer 3D seismic vessel Polarcus Samur combined with the provision by Polarcus of seismic data acquisition, fast-track data processing, management and crewing services for the vessel over a 3 year period.
The total value of the collaboration arrangement over the 3 year period, including the sale of the vessel, is approximately USD 213 million.
TPAO will take delivery of Polarcus Samur in late January / early February.
Source: Polarcus
••• 02.01.21 TGS signs Letter of Intent for 3D vessel.
TGS announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent with Fugro-Geoteam AS to charter an 8 streamer vessel, for 3D multi-client projects in Europe during the 2013 summer season. The charter will begin in April and last for approximately five months.
The details of the individual projects to be completed under this charter will be announced separately.
Source: TGS
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