Academic literature on the topic 'Tide Water Oil Company'

Tullow Swings and Misses off Guyana Tullow Oil has come away empty with its Beebei-Potaro exploration well, drilled in the Kanuku license, offshore Guyana. According to the company, the well encountered good quality reservoir in the primary and secondary targets but both targets were water-bearing. Noble jackup Regina Allen drilled the well to a total depth of 4325 m in 71 m of water. The well has been plugged and abandoned. Tullow will integrate the well results into its regional subsurface models and work with its joint venture partners before deciding on next steps. Repsol is the operator of the Kanuku license with a 37.5% working interest. Tullow holds 37.5% with TOQAP—a joint venture between TotalEnergies and Qatar Petroleum—holding 25%. Tullow previously said it would limit capital exposure in Guyana. The company holds a 60% interest in the Orinduik block, its other licensed area in Guyana, with partners including TotalEnergies and Eco Atlantic Oil & Gas. Oxy Brings Horn Mountain West Online in GOM Occidental has successfully turned the taps on its Horn Mountain West subsea field in the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The field is in about 5,400 ft of water. The $250-million project comprises a pair of wells tied back to the existing Horn Mountain spar in Block 126 via a 3½-mile dual flowline. According to Oxy, the project came in on budget and 3 months ahead of schedule. It is expected to eventually add approximately 30,000 BOPD. Horn Mountain initially came on stream in late 2002. Hess Strikes Miocene-Aged Oil at Huron in GOM Hess made an oil discovery with a well at its Huron prospect in the Green Canyon area of the deepwater GOM. The well, drilled in Block 69 to a target depth of 28,900 ft by Transocean drillship Deepwater Asgard, struck high-quality, oil-bearing Miocene-aged reservoirs and established the existence of a working petroleum system. An up-dip sidetrack to the initial probe is planned. Gregory Hill, Hess’ chief operating officer, told investors in July that … “as a result of what we’re seeing at Huron we see additional prospectivity in that northern Green Canyon area, and we have a very competitive leasehold position there.” The company had stated previously that its position in the northern Green Canyon area has a high potential for multiple, high-return hub-class Miocene opportunities. Hess operates Huron with a 40% interest. Partners Chevron and Shell each hold 30% stakes. Hess struck a deal with both Chevron and Shell to farm into the prospect in February 2022. The Huron well marks Hess’ return to exploration drilling in the deepwater GOM for the first time in around 2 years. Wintershall Dea Turns the Taps at Nova Wintershall Dea started production from the Nova oil field in the Norwegian North Sea. The field comprises two subsea templates, one with three oil producers and one with three water injectors, tied back to the Gjøa platform. The expected recoverable gross reserves from the field are estimated at 90 million BOE, of which the majority will be oil. The operator said the completion of Nova emphasizes its strength as one of the largest subsea operators on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. “With the startup of the major project Nova, Wintershall Dea is now operating three subsea production fields in Norway,” said Hugo Dijkgraaf, member of the executive board and chief technology officer. The Dvalin field and the partner-operated Njord Future project, in which Wintershall Dea holds a 50% share, are planned to come on stream later this year. The company also operates recent discoveries like Dvalin North, planned for PDO hand-in (Plan for Development and Operations) by the end of 2022, and several other discoveries which could be developed in the future. Wintershall Dea is a partner in the Aker BP-operated Storjo discovery in the Norwegian Sea. Wintershall Dea operates the Nova field with a 45% stake, of which it plans to transfer 6% to OKEA in Q4 this year; Sval Energi holds 45%, Pandion Energy Norge, 10%. Eni Touts Potential 3.5-Tcf Gas Find With First Offshore Abu Dhabi Well Eni believes it has discovered an additional 1.0 to 1.5 Tcf of raw gas in place, in a deeper zone, in its first exploration well drilled in Offshore Block 2 Abu Dhabi. The discovery follows an initial finding in a shallower zone of the same well, aggregating to a total gas in place of up to 3.5 Tcf. The Italian operator said gas-bearing reservoirs were tested with excellent flow rates and fast-track development options are currently under evaluation. Eni, operator, holds a 70% stake in Block 2; PTTEP holds the remaining 30%. Eni has been present in Abu Dhabi since 2018. It operates three exploration concessions and participates with ADNOC in three offshore development and production concessions: Lower Zakum (5%), Umm Shaif and Nasr (10%), and Ghasha (25%). Petrobras Makes Gas Discovery in Colombia Petrobras confirmed the discovery of natural gas accumulation in the Uchuva-1 exploratory well drilled in the deep waters 32 km off the coast of Colombia. The discovery is about 76 km from the city of Santa Marta in a water depth of approximately 830 m. The well was drilled in the Tayrona block, with operator Petrobras (44.44%) in partnership with Ecopetrol, who holds the remaining stake. The consortium will continue its activities in the block to assess the dimensions of the new gas accumulation. CNOOC Successfully Tests Offshore Shale Well China’s CNOOC Ltd. tested commercial flows of oil and gas from an offshore shale exploration well in the South China Sea, marking the first successfully drilled shale oil well offshore China, state media reported in early August. Exploration well Weiye-1, drilled at the southwestern trough of Beibuwan basin, tested daily production of 126 bbl of oil and 1589 m3 of natural gas. CNOOC estimated that the shale oil resources in the entire basin are about 8.8 billion bbl, suggesting good exploration prospects. With the Chinese government stressing added volumes for its domestic energy supply security, national oil companies are making greater efforts to tap shale deposits despite being tougher to drill and more expensive. As of late 2021, China produced only 35,000 B/D of shale oil, mostly in the onshore northern Ordos basin and northwestern Jungar basin. Eni Strikes Oil With Baleine East Well in Côte d’Ivoire Eni has encountered oil with its Baleine East 1X well, the first exploration well in block CI-802 and second discovery on the Baleine structure offshore Côte d’Ivoire. The results have prompted a 25% increase in the oil and gas volumes in place, which are now estimated at 2.5 billion bbl of oil and 3.3 Tcf of associated gas. The well was drilled in the block operated by Eni (90%), together with its partner Petroci Holding (10%), using the drillship Saipem 12000. The final depth reached was 3165 m measured depth, in a water depth of about 1150 m. Baleine East 1X is located about 5 km east of the Baleine 1X discovery well in the adjacent block CI-101 and represents the first commercial discovery in the CI-802 block, confirming the extension of the Baleine field. The well confirmed the presence of a continuous oil column of about 48 m in reservoir rocks with good properties. From the vertical borehole, a horizontal drain of 850 m in length was subsequently drilled into the reservoir to perform a production test that confirmed potential production of at least 12,000 BOPD from the Baleine East 1X well. A third well will be drilled to ensure the accelerated startup of production and confirmation of first oil in the first half of 2023. In addition to blocks CI-101 and CI-802, Eni owns interests in five other blocks in the Ivorian deep water: CI-205, CI-501, CI-504, CI-401, and CI-801, all with the same partner, Petroci Holding. Neptune Energy Kicks Off Ofelia Exploration Well Neptune Energy began drilling operations on the Ofelia exploration well in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The well, 35/6-3 S, is being drilled by the Odfjell Drilling-operated semisubmersible Deepsea Yantai. The prospect is located 13 km north of the Gjøa field within the Neptune-operated PL929 License. If commercial, Ofelia could be tied back to the Neptune-operated Gjøa platform and produce at less than half the average carbon intensity of Norwegian Continental Shelf fields, according to the company. Neptune said it could potentially be developed in parallel with Hamlet (PL153). Ofelia is positioned in one of Neptune’s core areas and close to existing infrastructure. The reservoir target is the Lower Cretaceous Agat Formation and is expected to be reached at a depth of approximately 2570 m. The drilling program comprises a main bore (35/6-3 S) with an optional sidetrack (35/6-3 A) based on the outcome of the exploration well. Neptune Energy operates Ofelia with a 40% working interest. Partners are Wintershall Dea (20%), Aker BP (10%), Pandion Energy (20%), and DNO (10%). Partners Continue Successful Drilling in Algerian Desert Eni and partner Sonatrach revealed a further discovery in the Zemlet el Arbi concession, located in the Berkine North Basin in the Algerian desert. The Rhourde Oulad Djemaa Ouest-1 (RODW-1) exploration well, in the Sif Fatima II research perimeter, is the third well in the exploration drilling campaign. It led to a discovery of oil and associated gas in the Triassic sandstones of the Tagi reservoir. During its production test, the well produced 1,300 BOPD and about 2 MMcf/D of associated gas. The RODW-1 discovery comes after the significant discovery of HDLE-1, announced in March 2022, and the successful second appraisal well HDLS-1 in the adjacent Sif Fatima II. Because of their proximity to existing BRN/ROD facilities, the development of these discoveries will be fast-tracked. The Zemlet el Arbi concession is operated by a joint venture between Eni (49%) and Sonatrach (51%). The discovery is part of the new exploration campaign which will include the drilling of five wells in the Berkine North Basin.

Increasing demands for gas storage capacity encouraged Polish Gas and Oil Company (PGNiG) to make use of salt deposits located in the north-eastern part of Poland, in the area bordering on the Gulf of Gdańsk (South Baltic Sea), and create underground gas stores. A complex of 10 chambers (250x106 m3) was designed to be built at a depth of 800-1600 m. The construction site is located about 4 km away from the sea coast. The drilling of boreholes and diluting of salt rock was proposed as a method of creating the chambers. Owing to ecological reasons, maximum discharge of brine is limited to 300 m3/h with the max. saturation of 250 kg/m3. The Puck Bay is a shallow water body with wind-driven currents and negligible tides. The main difficulty of the investment lay in the effective spreading of brine in the Puck Bay in accordance with all requirements that apply to regions protected by NATURA 2000. The most important restriction was the permitted excess salinity, defined as 0.5 PSU over the natural salinity in the Puck Bay. The location of brine discharge, number and diameters of nozzles, as well as consequences of brine discharge on the Puck Bay water, had been analyzed before the permission to install the system of diffusers was granted by the regional administration. The installation consists of a system of 16 heads spaced every 45 m, each of them equipped with 3 nozzles of 8 mm diameter.

Sonadrill Lands Contract for Drillship Seadrill confirmed a new contract has been secured by Sonadrill Holding, Seadrill’s 50:50 joint venture with an affiliate of Sonangol for the drillship West Gemini. Sonadrill has secured a 10‑well contract with options for up to eight additional wells in Angola for an unknown operator. Total contract value for the firm portion of the deal is expected to be around $161 million, with further revenue potential from a performance bonus. The rig is expected to begin the work in the fourth quarter of this year with a firm term of about 18 months, in direct continuation of the West Gemini’s existing contract. The West Gemini is the third drillship to be bareboat chartered into Sonadrill, along with two Sonangol‑owned units, the Sonangol Quenguela and Sonangol Libongos. Seadrill will manage and operate the units on behalf of Sonadrill. Together, the three units position the Seadrill joint venture as an active rig operator in Angola, furthering the goal of building an ultradeepwater franchise in the Golden Triangle and driving efficiencies from rig clustering in the region. Petrobras Receives TotalEnergies, Shell Payments for Atapu TotalEnergies and Shell have formalized payments to Petrobras for separate, minority stakes in the pre‑salt Atapu field in the Santos Basin. TotalEnergies paid $4.7 billion reais ($940 million) while Shell paid closer to $1.1 billion. The Atapu block was acquired by the consortium comprising Petrobras (52.5%), Shell (25%), and TotalEnergies (22.5%) in the Second Bidding Round for the Transfer of Rights auction held 17 December 2021. The payments are compensation for monies spent thus far by Petrobras, which was granted contractual rights to produce 550 million BOE from Atapu in 2010. The partners will now work together to produce additional volumes from the field. Production at Atapu started in June 2020 via the P-70 FPSO. The unit is in about 2000 m of water and has the capacity to produce 150,000 BOED. CNOOC Brings New Bohai Sea Discoveries On Stream CNOOC Limited has kicked off production from its Luda 5‑2 oil field North Phase I project and Kenli 6‑1 oil field 4‑1 Block development project. Luda 5‑2 is in the Liaodong Bay of Bohai Sea, with average water depth of about 32 m and utilizes a thermal recovery wellhead platform and production platform tied into the Suizhong 36‑1 oil field. A total of 28 development wells are planned, including 26 production wells and two water‑source wells. The project is expected to reach its peak production of 8,200 B/D of oil in 2024. Kenli 6‑1 is in the south of Bohai Sea, with average water depth of about 17 m. The resource is being developed by a wellhead platform in addition to fully utilizing the existing processing facilities of the Bozhong 34‑9 oil field. A total of 12 development wells are planned, including seven production wells and five water‑injection wells. The field is expected to reach its peak production of 4,000 B/D of oil later this year. CNOOC Limited is operator and sole owner of the Luda 5‑2 oil field North and the Kenli 6‑1 oil field 4‑1 Block. Stabroek Block Bounty Off Guyana Gets Bigger The partners in the prolific Stabroek Block have again increased the gross discovered recoverable resource estimate for the area offshore Guyana. The owners now believe they have discovered reserves of at least 11 billion BOE, up from the previous estimate of more than 10 billion BOE. The updated resource estimate includes three new discoveries on the block at Barreleye, Lukanani, and Patwa in addition to the Fangtooth and Lau Lau discoveries announced earlier this year. The Barreleye‑1 well encountered approximately 70 m of hydrocarbon‑bearing sandstone reservoirs of which 16 m is high‑quality oil‑bearing. The well was drilled in 1170 m of water and is located 32 km southeast of the Liza field. The Lukanani‑1 well encountered 35 m of hydrocarbon‑bearing sandstone reservoirs of which approximately 23 m is high‑quality oil‑ bearing. The well was drilled in water depth of 1240 m and is in the southeastern part of the block, approximately 3 km west of the Pluma discovery. The Patwa‑1 well encountered 33 m of hydrocarbon‑bearing sandstone reservoirs. The well was drilled in 1925 m of water and is located approximately 5 km northwest of the Cataback‑1 discovery. “These new discoveries further demonstrate the extraordinary resource density of the Stabroek Block and will underpin our queue of future development opportunities,” said John Hess, chief executive of Hess and a partner in Stabroek. The co‑venturers have sanctioned four developments to date on Stabroek with both Liza and Liza Phase 2 on stream. The third planned development at Payara is ahead of schedule and is now expected to come on line in late 2023; it will utilize the Prosperity FPSO with a production capacity of 220,000 BOPD. The fourth development, Yellowtail, is expected to come on line in 2025, utilizing the ONE GUYANA FPSO with a production capacity of 250,000 BOPD of oil. At least six FPSOs with a production capacity of more than 1 million gross BOPD are expected to be on line on the Stabroek Block in 2027, with the potential for up to ten FPSOs to develop gross discovered recoverable resources. The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres. ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is operator and holds 45% interest; Hess Guyana Exploration holds 30% interest; and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25%. ConocoPhillips Gets Ekofisk License Extension Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MPE) has extended production licenses in the Greater Ekofisk Area from 2028 to 2048 with ConocoPhillips as operator. The company said the license extension provides long‑term operations and resource management aligned with the company’s long‑term perspective on the Norwegian continental shelf. Fields on the shelf are required to operate with a valid production license where the operator and licensees enter into an agreement with the authorities, including relevant field activities. The authorities may require commitments, leading to increased oil recovery. The existing production licenses 018, 018 B, and 275 in the Greater Ekofisk Area were set to expire on 31 December 2028; however, the MPE approved an extension through 2048. The new terms provide a potential for extending Ekofisk’s lifetime to nearly 80 years. The license partners are ConocoPhillips (operator, 35.11%), TotalEnergies EP Norge (39.896%), Vår Energi (12.388%), Equinor (7.604%), and Petoro (5%). BHP’s Wasabi Disappoints in US GOM Australian operator BHP encountered noncommercial hydrocarbons with its Wasabi‑2 well in the US Gulf of Mexico. BHP said the well in Green Canyon Block 124 was plugged and abandoned following the disappointing results. “This completes the Wasabi exploration program, with results under evaluation to determine next steps,” the company said. The well was targeting oil in an early Miocene reservoir. Transocean drillship Deepwater Invictus spudded the well in 764 m of water in November 2021. The previous Wasabi‑1 well had a mechanical problem and was plugged and abandoned 4 days earlier, prior to reaching its prospective targets. BHP operates Wasabi with a 75% interest. Lukoil Says Titonskaya Holds 150 Million BOE Russia’s Lukoil believes it has discovered around 150 million BOE following analysis of the two wells it drilled at the Titonskaya structure on the Caspian Sea shelf. Work is now underway to refine the seismic models of productive deposits and study deep samples of formation fluids. The results of the assessment will be submitted to the State Reserves Commission of the Russian Federation. The structure is in the central part of the Caspian Sea, not far from the Khazri field. Lukoil drilled the first well at the Titonskaya structure in 2020 and announced the new discovery in April 2021. According to that assessment, the probable geological resources of the Titonskaya are 130.4 million tons. In 2021, drilling of the second prospecting and appraisal well began to identify oil and gas deposits in the terrigenous‑carbonate deposits of the Jurassic‑ Cretaceous age. The well was drilled using the Neptune jackup drilling rig. The new find at Titonskaya will likely be tied into Khazri infrastructure. Petrobras’ Roncador IOR Project Comes On Line Petrobras has successfully started production from the first two wells of the improved oil recovery (IOR) project at the Roncador field in the Campos Basin offshore Brazil. The two wells are the first of a series of IOR wells to reach production. Startup is almost 5 months ahead of schedule and at half of the planned cost, according to partner Equinor. The wells will add a combined 20,000 BOED to Roncador, bringing daily production to around 150,000 bbl and reducing the carbon intensity (emissions per barrel produced) of the field. Through this first IOR project, the partnership will drill 18 wells that are expected to provide additional recoverable resources of 160 million bbl. Improvements in well design and the partners’ combined technological experience are the main drivers behind the 50% cost reduction across the first six wells, including the two in production. Roncador is Brazil’s fifth‑largest producing asset and has been in production since 1999. Petrobras operates the field and holds a 75% stake. In 2018, Equinor entered the project as a strategic partner with the remaining 25% interest. In addition to the planned 18 IOR wells, the partnership believes it can further improve recovery and aims to increase recoverable resources by a total of 1 billion BOE. The field has more than 10 billion BOE in place under a license lasting until 2052. The strategic alliance agreement also includes an energy‑efficiency and CO2‑emissions‑reduction program for Roncador. Gazania-1 To Spud Off South Africa Africa Energy will move ahead with its planned Gazania‑1 wildcat well offshore South Africa after securing partner Eco Atlantic’s $20 million in capital requirements for its portion of the probe. The well will be drilled in Block 2B. Island Drilling semisubmersible Island Innovator has been contracted for the work and is expected to mobilize from its current location in the North Sea for the 45‑day trip to South Africa. The Block 2B joint venture plans to spud the well by October with drilling expected to last 30 days, including a full set of logs if the well is successful. The block has significant contingent and prospective resources in relatively shallow water and contains the A‑J1 discovery that flowed light sweet crude oil to surface. Gazania‑1 will target two large prospects 7 km updip from A‑J1 in the same region as the recent Venus and Graff discoveries. Block 2B is located offshore South Africa in the Orange Basin where both TotalEnergies and Shell recently announced significant oil and gas discoveries offshore Namibia. The block covers 3062 km2 approximately 25 km off the west coast of South Africa near the border with Namibia in water depths ranging from 50 m to 200 m. The Southern Oil Exploration Corp. (Soekor) discovered and tested oil on Block 2B in 1988 with the A‑J1 borehole, which intersected thick reservoir sandstones between 2985 m and 3350 m. The well flowed 191 B/D of 36 °API oil from a 10‑m sandstone interval at around 3250 m. Africa Energy has a 27.5% interest in Block 2B offshore South Africa. The block is operated by a subsidiary of Eco Atlantic which holds a 50% interest. A subsidiary of Panoro Energy holds a 12.5% stake, and Crown Energy AB indirectly holds the remaining 10%. Brazil Grants New Exploration Blocks Brazil’s National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels (ANP) has granted 59 exploratory blocks of oil and natural gas to 13 companies, including Shell, TotalEnergies, and 3R Petroleum. The awards were part of a permanent bid offer round held in Rio de Janiero in April. The auction totaled 422.4 million reais in signature bonuses with leases granted in six Brazilian states: Rio Grande do Norte, Alagoas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Santa Catarina, and Paraná. The awards will result in investments of 406.3 million reais in the exploratory phase of the contracts. Shell Brazil (70%) was granted six blocks in the Santos Basin in a consortium with the Colombian Ecopetrol (30%). The blocks leases were SM‑1599, SM‑1601, SM‑1713, SM‑1817, SM‑1908, and SM‑1910. TotalEnergies won two areas in the same basin while Brazilian company 3R Petroleum received six areas in the Potiguar Basin. Petro‑Victory was also awarded 19 new blocks in Potiguar, increasing its holdings in Brazil to 38 blocks (37 in Potiguar). The new blocks are nearby Petro‑Victory infrastructure at the Andorinha, Alto Alegre, and Trapia oil fields. Eni Finds More Oil in Egypt’s Western Desert Eni struck new oil and gas reserves with a trio of discoveries in the Meleiha concessions of Egypt’s Western Desert. The finds have already been tied into existing infrastructure in the region and have added around 8,500 BOED to overall production from the area. The operator drilled the Nada E Deep 1X well, which encountered 60 m of net hydrocarbon pay in the Cretaceous‑Jurassic Alam El Bueib and Khatatba formations Meleiha SE Deep 1X well, which found 30 m of net hydrocarbon pay in the Cretaceous‑Jurassic sands of the Matruh Khatatba formations, and the Emry Deep 21 well, which encountered 35 m of net hydrocarbon pay in the massive cretaceous sandstones of Alam El Bueib. The results, added to the discoveries of 2021 for a total of eight exploration wells, give Eni a 75% success rate in the region. The company added that additional exploration activities in the concession are ongoing with “promising indications.” With these discoveries, Eni, through AGIBA, a joint venture between Eni and EGPC, continues to pursue its near‑field strategy in the mature basin of the Western Desert, aimed at maximizing production by containing development costs and minimizing time to market. Eni is planning a new high‑resolution 3D seismic survey in the Meleiha concession this year to investigate the gas potential of the area. Eni is currently the leading producer in Egypt with an equity production of around 360,000 BOED.

China Shale-Gas Field Sets Production Record Sinopec recorded China’s highest daily output of shale gas at 20.62 million cubic meters (Mcm) at its Fuling shale-gas field in Chongqing, China, a key gas source for the Sichuan-East gas pipeline. The first major commercial shale-gas project in China, Fuling has continuously broken records for the shortest gasfield drilling cycle while significantly increasing the drilling of high-quality reservoirs covering more than 3 million m, according to Sinopec. Gasfield production construction was also expanded to raise production capacity. The company said the field maintains a daily output of 20 Mcm, producing an estimated 6.7 Bcm per year. Apache and Total Plan Suriname Appraisals Apache filed appraisal plans for its Maka and Sapakara oil discoveries in block 58 offshore Suriname. The company said another submission is expected for Kwaskwasi, the largest find in the block, by the end of the year. Operations continue for Keskesi, the fourth exploration target. There are plans to drill a fifth prospect at Bonboni in the North-Central portion of the concession. Partner company Total is assuming operatorship of the block ahead of next year’s campaigns. BP Emerges as Sole Bid for Offshore Canada Parcels BP was the only operator to place a bid in the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) Call for Bids NL20-CFB01, which offered 17 parcels (4,170,509 hectares) in the eastern Newfoundland region. The successful bid was for Parcel 9 (covering 264,500 hectares) for $27 million in work commitments from BP Canada Energy Group. Subject to BP satisfying specified requirements and receiving government approval, the exploration license will be issued in January 2021. No bids were received for the remaining 16 parcels, which may be reposted in a future Call for Bids. Criteria for selecting a winning bid is the total amount the bidder commits to spend on exploration of the parcel during the first period of a 9-year license, with a minimum acceptable bid of $10 million in work commitments for each parcel. Beach Energy To Drill Otway Basin Well Beach Energy plans to drill at its Artisan-1 well about 32 km offshore Victoria, Australia, in the Otway basin, before the end of 2021. The well, located on Block Vic/P43, was to be spudded in 1H 2020 but was delayed due to COVID-19. The timeframe for drilling was confirmed by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority, which also said Beach is keeping open the option to suspend the well and develop it, pending reservoir analysis. Anchors, mooring chains, and surface buoys have already been laid for the well, which is in a water depth of approximately 71 m. The well is expected to take approximately 35–55 days to drill, depending on the final work program and potential operational delays. Diamond Offshore’s semisubmersible Ocean Onyx was contracted for the drilling program. Artisan is the first of Beach’s planned multiwell campaigns, which also include development wells at the Geographe and Thylacine fields. Hess Completes Sale of Interest in Gulf of Mexico Field Hess completed the sale of its 28% working interest in the Shenzi Field in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) to BHP, the field’s operator, for $505 million. Shenzi is a six-lease development structured as a joint ownership: BHP (operator, 44%), Hess (28%), and Repsol (28%). The acquisition would bring BHP’s working interest to 72%, adding approximately 11,000 BOE/D of production (90% oil). The sale is expected to close by December 2020. Hess CEO John Hess said proceeds from the sale will help fund the company’s investment in Guyana. Greenland Opens New Offshore Areas Greenland opened three new offshore areas for application of oil and gas exploitation licenses off West Greenland. The areas are Baffin Bay, Disko West, and Davis Strait. The country also said it is working on an oil strategy to reduce geological uncertainty by offering an investment package to companies that engage in its Open Door Procedures. The procedures are a first-mover advantage to remove national oil company Nunaoil, as a carried partner, reducing turnover and surplus royalties. It is estimated to reduce the government take by 51.3% to 40.6%. Shell and Impact Oil & Gas Agree to South Africa Farmout Africa Oil announced Impact Oil & Gas entered into two agreements for exploration areas offshore South Africa. The company has a 31.10% share-holding in Impact, a privately owned exploration company. Impact entered into an agreement with BG International, a Shell subsidiary, for the farm-out of a 50% working interest and operatorship in the Transkei and Algoa exploration rights. Shell was also granted the option to acquire an additional 5% working interest should the joint venture (JV) elect to move into the third renewal period, expected in 2024. Algoa is located in the South Outeniqua Basin, east of Block 11B/12B, containing the Brulpadda gas condensate discovery and where Total recently discovered gas condensate. The Transkei block is northeast of Algoa in the Natal Trough Basin where Impact has identified highly material prospectivity associated with several large submarine fan bodies, which the JV will explore with 3D seismic data and then potential exploratory drilling. Impact and Shell plan to acquire over 6,000 km² of 3D seismic data during the first available seismic window following completion of the transaction. This window is expected to be in the Q1 2022. After the closing of the deal, Shell will hold a 50% interest as the operator and Impact will hold 50%. Impact also entered into an agreement with Silver Wave Energy for the farm-in of a 90% working interest and operatorship of Area 2, offshore South Africa. East and adjacent to Impact’s Transkei and Algoa blocks, Area 2 complements Impact’s existing position by extending the entire length of the ultradeepwater part of the Transkei margin. Together, the Transkei and Algoa Blocks and Area 2 cover over 124,000 km2. Area 2 has been opened by the Brulpadda and Luiperd discoveries in the Outeniqua Basin and will be further tested during 2021 by the well on the giant Venus prospect in ultradeepwater Namibia, where Impact is a partner. Impact believes there is good evidence for this Southern African Aptian play to have a common world-class Lower Cretaceous source rock, similar excellent-quality Apto-Albian reservoir sands, and a geological setting suitable for the formation of large stratigraphic traps. Following completion of the farm-in, Impact will hold 90% interest and serve as the operator; Silver Wave will hold 10%. Petronas Awards Sarawak Contract to Seismic Consortium The seismic consortium comprising PGS, TGS, and WesternGeco was awarded a multiyear contract by Petronas to acquire and process up to 105,000 km2 of multisensor, multiclient 3D data in the Sarawak Basin, offshore Malaysia. The contract award follows an ongoing campaign by the consortium in the Sabah offshore region, awarded in 2016, in which over 50,000 km2 of high-quality 3D seismic data have been acquired and licensed to the oil and gas industry to support Malaysia license round and exploration activity. The Sarawak award will allow for a multiphase program to promote exploration efforts in the prolific Sarawak East Natuna Basin (Deepwater North Luconia and West Luconia Province). The consortium is planning the initial phases and is engaging with the oil and gas industry to secure prefunding ahead of planned acquisition, covering both open blocks and areas of existing farm-in opportunities. Total Discovers Second Gas Condensate in South Africa Total made a significant second gas condensate discovery on the Luiperd prospect, located on Block 11B/12B in the Outeniqua Basin, 175 km off the southern coast of South Africa. The discovery follows the adjacent play-opening Brulpadda discovery in 2019. The Luiperd-1X well was drilled to a total depth of about 3,400 m and encountered 73 m of net gas condensate pay in well-developed, good-quality Lower Cretaceous reservoirs. Following a coring and logging program, the well will be tested to assess the dynamic reservoir characteristics and deliverability. The Block 11B/12B covers an area of 19,000 km2, with water depths ranging from 200 to 1800 m. It is operated by Total with a 45% working interest, alongside Qatar Petroleum (25%), CNR International (20%), and Main Street, a South African consortium (10%). The Luiperd prospect is the second to be drilled in a series of five large submarine fan prospects with direct hydrocarbon indicators defined utilizing 2D and 3D seismic data. BP Gas Field Offshore Egypt Begins Production BP started gas production from its Qattameya gasfield development ‎offshore Egypt in the North Damietta offshore concession. Through BP’s joint venture Pharaonic Petroleum Company working with state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co., the field, which is ‎expected to produce up to 50 MMcf/D, was developed through a one-well subsea development and tieback to existing infrastructure.‎ Qattameya, whose discovery was announced in 2017, is located approximately 45 km west ‎of the Ha’py platform, in 108 m of water. It is tied back to the Ha’py and Tuart field ‎development via a new 50-km pipeline and connected to existing subsea ‎utilities via a 50-km umbilical. ‎BP holds 100% equity in the North Damietta offshore concession in the East Nile Delta. ‎Gas production from the field is directed to Egypt’s national grid.

Shell Discovers More Oil Off Namibia Shell announced its oil discovery off Namibia in January and was “very encouraged by the early results” from the Graff-1 exploration well in the country’s Orange Basin, which “established a working petroleum system and the presence of light oil.” Researchers at Wood Mackenzie believe the find could hold upward of 700 million BOE. Shell is currently drilling a second well at La Rona, an aggressive stepout which is likely to be appraising the discovery prior to confirmation of a potential commercial development. Shell operates the Graff find with a 45% interest. Partners in the discovery are QatarEnergy (45%) and NAMCOR (10%). Less than a month after Graff was announced, TotalEnergies reported that it had made a significant discovery of light oil with associated gas on the Venus prospect, in Block 2913B in the Orange Basin. The Venus 1-X well encountered around 84 m of net oil pay in a Lower Cretaceous reservoir. No resource estimates have been officially released. First Oil Achieved at King’s Quay in the GOM Murphy Oil has achieved first oil from the Khaleesi, Mormont, and Samurai field development project in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The field trio is being developed subsea and tied back to the Murphy-operated King’s Quay floating production system (FPS), designed to process 85,000 B/D of oil and 100 MMcf/D of natural gas. The project comprises the Khaleesi/Mormont fields in Green Canyon Blocks 389 and 478, respectively, and the Samurai field, located in Green Canyon Block 432. Completions operations are ongoing for the remaining five wells in the seven-well project. Murphy operates the King’s Quay FPS and associated export lateral pipelines, which are owned 50% by an affiliate of Third Coast Infrastructure and 50% by entities managed by Ridgewood Energy, including ILX Holdings III LLC. Neptune Energy Ramps Up Gas Production From Duva Field Neptune Energy and its partners will be doubling gas production from the Duva field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, supporting increased supplies to the UK and Europe. The partnership has worked closely with the Norwegian authorities to identify measures to help meet gas demand in Europe. Gas production from the field was planned to increase by 6,500 BOE/D from the first half of April. Duva is a subsea installation with three oil producers and one gas producer, tied back to the Neptune Energy-operated Gjøa semisubmersible platform. The gas is transported by pipeline to the UK’s St Fergus gas terminal. Duva’s overall production currently stands at 30,000 BOE/D, of which 6,500 BOE/D is natural gas. Under the newly agreed measures, daily gas production will double to 13,000 BOE/D for an initial 4–8 months. Around 70% of Neptune Energy’s Norwegian production is gas, and the company is investigating opportunities to ramp up gas production from other fields within its portfolio. Duva license partners include operator Neptune Energy (30%), INPEX Idemitsu (30%), PGNiG Upstream Norway (30%), and Sval Energi (10%). New Oil Discovery Near Troll and Fram Area of the North Sea Equinor has once again discovered oil and gas close to the Troll and Fram area—this time with its Kveikje well. The find came on the operator’s 293 B production license. The company estimates the size of the discovery is between 25–50 million bbl of recoverable oil equivalent. Temporarily called Kveikje, this is the sixth discovery in this area since 2019. Up to more than 300 million BOE were proven in the five former discoveries. Equinor is considering the development as a tieback to the Troll B or C platform. There were several drilling targets in the exploration well. After Kveikje was discovered, drilling continued to the next target in the upper part of the Cretaceous stratigraphic sequence. Smaller deposits of petroleum were discovered but are considered noncommercial. The well has been permanently plugged and abandoned. The well was drilled by semisubmersible Deepsea Stavanger. Plans call for Equinor to drill another exploration well in this area this year. The 293 B license owners are Equinor (51%), DNO (29%), Idemitsu (10%), and Longboat Energy (10%). W&T Offshore Completes Bolt-On Acquisition in the GOM W&T Offshore has acquired the remaining working interests in the oil- and gas-producing properties at Ship Shoal 230, South Marsh Island 27/Vermilion 191, and South Marsh Island 73 fields for $17.5 million in cash. The initial interest was purchased earlier this year from an undisclosed private seller. The transaction had an effective date and closing date of 1 April and was paid using cash on hand. The deal adds internally estimated proved reserves of 1.4 million BOE (70% oil) and proved and probable, or 2P, reserves of 2 million BOE (75% oil) as of year-end 2021. The properties carry an estimated net sales rate of about 900 BOE/D (~80% oil). The acquisition also adds an average of 20% working interest in more than 50 gross producing wells currently operated by the company across three shallow-water fields and provides additional opportunities for future drilling. ExxonMobil Comes Up Empty on Cutthroat Prospect in Brazil Prospect partner Murphy Oil said it and operator ExxonMobil came away with disappointing results from their Cutthroat-1 exploration well in Block SEAL-M-428 in the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin offshore Brazil. While the presence of hydrocarbons was not found, the partner group said it will continue to integrate the exploration well data into its regional subsurface interpretation efforts to better understand the exploration potential of its deepwater blocks located in the basin. Cutthroat-1 was located nearly 90 km offshore Brazil and was drilled in 3094 m of water by the Seadrill West Saturn drillship. It is one of multiple prospects that the partner group has mapped in the basin. ExxonMobil is the operator and holds 50% working interest in nine offshore SEAL blocks that span more than 6800 km2. Enauta Energia and Murphy Oil each hold a 30% working interest. Eni Upgrades Ndungu Field Resources Off Angola Eni has boosted its reserves base for the Ndungu field in the West Hub of Block 15/06 following the results of an initial well. The Ndungu 2 appraisal well was drilled 5 km away from Ndungu 1 and encountered 40 m of net oil pay in the Lower Oligocene reservoirs with good petrophysical properties confirming the hydraulic communication with the discovery well. The preliminary data collected on Ndungu 2 allows Eni to boost the field resources to between 800 million and 1 billion BOE in place from the initial estimates of 250–300 million BOE following the discovery well. The upgrade makes Ndungu, together with Agogo, the largest accumulation discovered in Block 15/06 since the block award. The early production phase of Ndungu started in February through one producer well, and a second producer well is expected in the fourth quarter of 2022, maximizing the utilization of existing facilities in the West Hub. Ndungu field development will now be upgraded to reflect the increase of the resource base, following a phased approach to uncap the overall potential initially contributing to extend and increase the plateau of the Ngoma—a 100,000 B/D, zero-discharge and zero-process-flaring FPSO. Block 15/06 is operated by Eni Angola with a 36.84% share. Sonangol Pesquisa e Produção holds 36.84% and SSI Fifteen Ltd., 26.32%. ExxonMobil Strikes Gas Off Cyprus The Cyprus energy ministry confirmed a reservoir of high-quality gas was encountered by the ExxonMobil-led Glaucus-2 appraisal well. The drilling of the well was conducted in the area known as Block 10 in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that has been challenged by Turkey. The ministry said that operations in the EEZ included production testing. “The consortium will proceed with a detailed analysis and evaluation of the data collected to more accurately determine the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the reservoir, as well as potential development and commercialization of the discoveries,” the ministry said in a statement. Cyprus previously estimated gas resources in the reservoir of between 5 and 8 Tcf when the discovery from the Glaucus-1 well was announced in 2019. ExxonMobil and Block 10 partner Qatar Petroleum began drilling the Glaucus-2 well using drillship Stena Forth in December 2021. ExxonMobil is the operator and holds a 60% interest in Block 10. Qatar Petroleum International Upstream OPC holds the remaining 40% stake. Eni, Sonatrach Make Oil Hit in Algerian Desert Eni and Sonatrach made a significant oil and gas discovery in the Zemlet el Arbi concession located in the Berkine North Basin in the Algerian desert. The concession is operated by a joint venture between Eni (49%) and Sonatrach (51%). Preliminary estimates of the size of the discovery are around 140 million bbl of oil in place. The exploratory well that led to the discovery has been drilled on the HDLE exploration prospect, about 15 km from the processing facilities of Bir Rebaa North field. HDLE-1 discovered light oil in the Triassic sandstones of the Tagi formation confirming 26 m of net pay. During a production test, the well delivered 7,000 BOPD and 5 MMcf/D of associated gas. The HDLE-1 well is the first well of the new exploration campaign which will include the drilling of five wells in the Berkine North Basin. The discovery will be appraised by the followup HDLE-2 well to confirm the additional potential of the structure extending in the adjacent Sif Fatima 2 concession operated by an Eni-Sonatrach JV (50–50%). In parallel with the appraisal program, Eni and Sonatrach will perform studies and analyses to accelerate the production phase of the new discovery through a fast-tracked development with startup planned for the third quarter of 2022. Eni has been present in Algeria since 1981 where it operates several concessions. The company produces about 95,000 BOE/D from the country. Neptune Energy Confirms Hydrocarbons at Hamlet Neptune Energy struck hydrocarbons at its Hamlet exploration well in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The find is located within the Gjøa license (PL153). It has yet to be confirmed if commercial volumes of oil and gas are present. A contingent sidetrack may be drilled to further define the extent of the discovery. Located 58 km west of Florø, Norway, at a water depth of 358 m, Hamlet is within one of Neptune’s core areas and close to existing infrastructure. The Hamlet test was drilled by the Odjfell semisubmersible Deepsea Yantai. Partners in the find include operator Neptune Energy (30%), Petoro (30%), Wintershall Dea (28%), and OKEA (12%).

The case featured in this issue depicts a situation enmeshed in several organizational and systems problems with behaviourial manifestations. Mr Basak is addressing the problem of non-receipt of two vital equipments on time due to which drilling operations of an Oil Company in the public sector had to be suspended causing financial and non-financial losses. While familiarizing the readers with the organizational reality where pinpointing of a problem situation is often difficult, the case raises a few important issues: Is it possible for an individual to tide over multiple organizational constraints with innovation, patience and tact and is advancement always through questioning the existing way of doing things? Readers are invited to send their responses on the case to Vikalpa Office.

Jersey Oil and Gas Unearths Wengen Prospect The Greater Buchan Area (GBA) now has four drill-ready prospects to add to discoveries already slated for development. In a new subsurface evaluation, Jersey Oil & Gas, a British-independent North Sea-focused upstream oil and gas company, has uncovered a new prospect, named Wengen, to complement its Verbier Deep, Cortina NE, and Zermatt drill-ready prospects. The four are estimated to host some 222 million bbl of P50 prospective resources, all in the immediate vicinity of Jersey’s planned GBA production facility. The consolidated Greater Buchan venture comprises Buchan field (80 million bbl), Verbier (c25 million bbl), J2 (c20 million), and Glenn (14 million). The new prospect, located in License P2170, is directly west of the Tweedsmuir field and should host some 62 million bbl of potential resources (P50), with the probabilistic range set at 31 million bbl at P90 (higher confidence) and 162 mil-lion for P10 (lower confidence). Probability of geological success is 22% for the prospect. Contractor Rockflow previously estimated the recoverable resources in the GBA at 94.7 million bbl, including the parts within P2170. In late November, Jersey announced it is taking full ownership of License P2170, which hosts most of the Verbier discovery, as part of the GBA. In March, Jersey told investors the project is fully funded and that it intends to take the project to potential industry partners via a farm-out process. An exploratory drilling campaign is being planned for 2022. Jordan Finds “Promising” Gas Reserves Near Iraq Border Jordan’s majority state-owned National Petroleum Company (NPC) has discovered “promising” natural gas in the Risha gas field along its eastern border with Iraq. Risha makes up nearly 5% of the kingdom’s consumption of natural gas of around 350 MMcf/D for power generation, Jordanian officials said. The flow of new gas supplies will raise the productivity of the gas field and help Jordan cut dependence on oil imports to fuel its power sector and industries. The country, which now imports over 93% of its total energy supplies, is burdened by a $3.5-billion annual bill, comprising almost 8% of Jordan’s GDP. Although British supermajor BP abandoned the eastern desert area in 2014 after investing over $240 million, Jordanian exploration has stepped up since 2019, boosting quantities by at least 70%, Mohammad al Khasawneh, head of NPC, said. An ambitious 10-year energy plan unveiled in 2019 aims to secure nearly half of the country’s electricity generation from local energy sources com-pared to a current 15%, according to Iraq Energy Minister Hala Zawati. The plan is meant to diversify local energy sources by expanding investments in renewable and oil shale to reduce costly foreign fuel imports, Zawati added. ExxonMobil Discovers Hydrocarbons Offshore Suriname ExxonMobil and Petronas have discovered several hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone zones with good reservoir qualities in the Campanian section of the Sloanea-1 exploration well on Block 52 offshore Suriname, adding to ExxonMobil’s finds in the Guyana-Suriname basin. The well was drilled by operator Petronas. ExxonMobil said in November that it is prioritizing near-term capital spending on advantaged assets with the highest potential future value. Maersk Drilling reported in early July that it had secured the Maersk Developer from Petronas subsidiary PSEPBV in a $20.4-million one-well exploration con-tract offshore Suriname. The semisubmersible rig drilled the Suriname-Guyana basin well to a total depth of 15,682 ft. “We are pleased with the positive results of the well,” Emeliana Rice-Oxley, Petronas’ vice president of upstream exploration, said. “It will provide the drive for Petronas to continue exploring in Suriname, which is one of our focus basins in the Americas.” Block 52 covers an area of 1.2 million acres and is located approximately 75 miles offshore north of Paramaribo. The water depths on Block 52 range from 160 to 3,600 ft. ExxonMobil E&P Suriname BV, an affiliate of ExxonMobil, holds 50% interest in Block 52. PSEPBV is operator and holds 50% interest. CNOOC Starts Production on Penglai 25-6 Oil Field Area 3 Project China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced on 14 December that its Bohai Sea Project - the Penglai 25-6 oil field area 3 - has started production ahead of schedule. The biggest offshore oil field and the second biggest oil field in China, the Penglai is located in the south central Bohai Sea, with average water depth of about 27 m. In addition to fully utilizing the existing processing facilities of Penglai oil fields, the project has built a new wellhead platform and plans 58 development wells, including 38 production wells and 20 water-injection wells. The project is expected to reach its peak production of approximately 11,511 B/D of crude oil in 2023. Six successful appraisal wells were also drilled, which confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons in reservoirs located with-in Miocene, Lower Minghuazhen, and Guantao sandstones. The Penglai 19-3 oil field is located in Block 11/05 of Bohai Bay, approximately 235 km southeast of Tanggu. The production-sharing contract for block 11/05 was signed between CNOOC and ConocoPhillips China (COPC) in December 1994; the field was discovered jointly by CNOOC and COPC in 1999. The oil field was developed in two phases. Phase I production started in December 2002; production from the wellhead platform C, which is tied back temporarily to the production facilities of Phase I, began in June 2007. Since June 2020, CNOOC has announced five production startups: the Jinzhou 25-1 oilfield 6/11 area project, the Liuhua 16-2 oilfield/ 20-2 oil-field joint development project, the Nan-bao 35-2 oilfield S1 area project, the Luda 21-2/16-3 regional development project, and the Qinhuangdao 33-1S oilfield phase-I project. In Q3 2020, CNOOC achieved a total net production of 131.2 million BOE, which the company said represented an increase of 5.1% year over year. Production from China was said to have increased by 10.4% year over year to 88.6 million BOE. In November, CNOOC revealed that the Liuhua 29-1 gas field had begun production; in September, the company said the Bozhong 19-6 condensate gas field pilot area development project had also begun. Operator CNOOC holds 51% interest while COPC holds 49% interest in the Penglai 25-6 oilfield area 3 project. Equinor’s Snorre Expansion Project Starts Ahead of Schedule, Below Cost Work began in December on the Snorre Expansion Project in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea. This increased-oil-recovery project will add almost 200 million bbl of recoverable oil reserves and help extend the productive life of the Snorre field through 2040. The expansion project is proposed in blocks 34/4 and 34/7 of the Tampen area, approximately 124 miles west of Florø in the Norwegian North Sea. “I am proud that we have managed to achieve safe startup of the Snorre Expansion Project ahead of schedule in such a challenging year as 2020. In addition, the project is set to be delivered more than NOK 1 billion below the cost estimate in the plan for development and operation,” Geir Tungesvik, Equinor’s executive vice president for technology, projects, and drilling, said. Originally scheduled to come onstream in the first quarter of 2021, the project comprises 24 new wells divided into six subsea templates, drilled to recover the new volumes. Bundles connecting the new wells to the platform have been installed, in addition to new risers. The project also includes a new module and modifications on Snorre A. In December 2017, Equinor submitted a modified plan for development and operation of the field. With the expansion, the recovery factor will increase from 46 to 51%, representing significant value for a field with 2 billion bbl of recoverable oil reserves. Wind power will supply about 35% of the power requirement for the Snorre and Gullfaks fields. The Hywind Tampen project, featuring 11 floating wind turbines, should start up in Q3 2022. The investments in the expansion project total NOK 19.5 billion (2020 value). The project has had substantial spin-off effects for the supply industry in Norway, particularly in eastern Norway and in Rogaland. The Snorre field partnership comprises Equinor (operator) 33.27%, Petoro 30%, Vår Energi 18.55%, Idemitsu 9.6%, and Wintershall Dea 8.57%. Petrobras To Sell Entire Stake in Onshore Field of Sergipe Petrobras on 11 December signed a contract with Energizzi Energias do Brasil to sell its entire stake in the onshore field of Rabo Branco, located south of the Carmópolis field in the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, Sergipe state. The Rabo Branco field is part of the BT-SEAL-13 concession. The $1.5-million sale is in line with Petrobras’ strategy to cut costs and improve its capital allocation, to focus its resources increasingly on deep and ultradeep waters. The average oil production of the field, from January to October 2020, was 138 B/D. Energizzi Energias do Brasil will own 50% stake in the Rabo Branco field; operator Produção de Óleo e Gás (Petrom) holds the remaining 50%. On 10 December, Petrobras closed the divestiture of its full ownership in four onshore fields at the Tucano Basin site in the state of Bahia. Petrobras sold its entire interest to Eagle Exploração de Óleo e Gás (Eagle). Petrobras earned $2.571 million from this sale, in addition to the $602,000 that the company received at the time of signing the sale contract, for a total of $3.173 million. BP, Reliance Announce First Gas From Asia’s Deepest Project Oil-to-telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and BP have started production from India’s first ultradeepwater gas project, the first of three such projects in the KG D6 block. The R Cluster gas field is located off the east coast of India, about 60 km from the existing KG D6 control-and-riser platform (CRP), and comprises a subsea production system tied back to the CRP via a subsea pipeline. It is the deepest offshore gas field in Asia at a depth greater than 2000 m. The companies’ next project, the Satellites Cluster, is expected to come on stream this year, followed by the MJ project in 2022. These projects will utilize the existing hub infrastructure in the KG D6 block. “Growing India’s own production of cleaner-burning gas to meet a significant portion of its energy demand, these three new KG D6 projects will support the country’s drive to shape and improve its future energy mix,” BP Chief Executive Bernard Looney said. The R Cluster field is expected to reach plateau gas production of about 12.9 million standard cubic meters per day (MMscm/D) in 2021. Peak gas production from the three fields should be 30 MMscm/D (1 Bcf/D) by 2023, about 25% of India’s domestic production, and will help reduce the country’s dependence on imported gas. RIL is the operator of KG D6 with a 66.67% interest; BP holds a 33.33% participating interest.

The Sail River is the position in the center of Pekanbaru City and is affected because of the tides. Urban pollution is a significant giver to the Sail River of water quality degradation. The study was conducted between June and August to assess estimation pollution load Sail River and pollution levels using the Pollution Index method. Water quality parameters measured are physical (temperature, TSS) and chemical (pH, dissolved oxygen, BOD, COD, Pb, oil and grease, nitrate, as well as phosphate). The results showed that the Sail River was classified as lightly polluted at high tide and low tide. The pollution index value at high tide is higher with a range of 3.65-3.92 than at low tide (2.93-3.39). TSS is the highest pollution load of the Sail River that a value of 1079.83 mg/second at high tide and 1075.29 mg/second at low tide. The lowest pollution load is oil and grease at low tide (0.47 mg/second). Thus, it is necessary to control the level of water pollution in the Sail River.

Abstract Many of the world’s largest cities are near the ocean, and more than 600 million people live within 10 meters of sea level. A lot of hard-to-replace infrastructure—ports, power plants, transmission lines, oil refineries, sewage treatment facilities, telecommunications cables, and highways—have been built close to the water. As glaciers melt and warmed waters expand in volume, that infrastructure will be threatened. In the face of this relentless tide, engineers are looking at what can be done.

Eni Starts Area 1 Production off Mexico via MODEC FPSO MODEC said first oil has flowed through FPSO MIAMTE MV34 operating in the Offshore Area 1 block in the Bay of Campeche off Mexico. The contractor was appointed by Eni Mexico for the supply, charter, and operation of the FPSO in the Eni-operated Offshore Area 1 block in 2018. The charter contract will run for an initial 15 years, with options for extension every year thereafter up to 5 additional years. Moored in a water depth of approximately 32 m some 10 km off Mexico’s coast, the FPSO is capable of handling 90,000 B/D of oil, 75 MMcf/D of gas, and 120,000 B/D of water injection with a storage capacity of 700,000 bbl of oil. The FPSO boasts a disconnectable tower yoke mooring system, a first-of-its-kind design in the industry. The system was developed to moor the FPSO in shallow water, while also allowing the unit to disconnect its mooring and depart the area to avoid winter storms and hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. The mooring system was developed by MODEC subsidiary SOFEC Inc. The mooring jacket was fabricated in Altamira, Mexico. Eni Starts Production from Ndungu EP Development Italy’s Eni has started production from the Ndungu Early Production (EP) development in Block 15/06 of the Angolan deep offshore, via the Ngoma FPSO. With an expected production rate in the range of 20,000 B/D, the project will sustain the plateau of the Ngoma, a 100,000-B/D, zero-discharge, and zero-process-flaring FPSO, upgraded in 2021 to minimize emissions. A further exploration and delineation campaign will be performed in Q2 2022 to assess the full potential of the overall assets of Ndungu. Ndungu EP is the third startup achieved by Eni Angola in Block 15/06 in the past 7 months, after Cuica Early Production and the Cabaca North Development Project. Block 15/06 is operated by Eni Angola with a 36.84% share. Sonangol Pesquisa e Produção (36.84%) and SSI Fifteen Ltd. (26.32%) comprise the rest of the joint venture. Aramco Discovers Natural Gas in Four Regions Saudi Aramco has discovered natural gas fields in four regions of the kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, citing Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. The fields were found in the Empty Quarter desert located in the central area of the kingdom, near its northern border and in the eastern region, he said, according to SPA. Saudi Arabia wants to increase gas production and boost the share of natural gas in its energy mix to meet growing electricity consumption and to make more crude available for export. The minister said an unspecified number of fields were discovered and he mentioned five by name: Shadoon, in the central region; Shehab and Shurfa, in the Empty Quarter in the southeastern region; Umm Khansar, near the northern border with Iraq; and Samna in the eastern region. Two of the gas fields, Samna and Umm Khansar, were said to be “nonconventional” and possibly shale finds. Lukoil Completes Area 4 Deal in Mexico Russian producer Lukoil has completed a deal to become a lead stakeholder in an Area 4 shallow-water asset adjacent to Tabasco and Campeche in Mexico. Under the deal, Lukoil has acquired a 50% stake in the asset from US independent Fieldwood Energy, which filed for US bankruptcy protection in August 2020, for $685 million. The original deal was priced at $435 million; the additional $250 million is related to expenditures Fieldwood incurred since 1 January 2021. Fieldwood committed to invest $477 million to increase oil production from the Ichalkil and Pokoch fields from the current level of 25,000 B/D to a plateau level of 115,000 B/D. Situated in water depths between 35 and 45 m, the fields’ recoverable hydrocarbon reserves amount to 564 million BOE, more than 80% of which is crude oil. Production started in Q4 2021; current average oil production has exceeded 25,000 B/D. The approved work program includes drilling three development wells (two on Ichalkil and one on Pokoch), upgrading three production platforms, and performing seismic reprocessing and petrophysical studies. The remaining 50% stake in Area 4 is held by operator PetroBal, a subsidiary of Mexico’s GrupoBal. Petrobras Sells Polo Norte Capixaba Field Cluster In line with its strategy to concentrate resources on deepwater and ultradeepwater assets, Brazil’s Petrobras has sold 100% of its interest in Norte Capixaba cluster to Seacrest Exploração e Produção de Petróleo Ltda for $544 million, including a $66-million contingent payment. The cluster comprises four producing fields—Cancã, Fazenda Alegre, Fazenda São Rafael, and Fazenda Santa Luzia—and produced 6,470 BOE/D in 2021. The deal also includes the Norte Capixaba Terminal (TNC) and all production facilities. NewMed Targets Morocco Market Entry Israel-based NewMed Energy, formerly Delek Drilling, has identified Morocco as “a country with enormous geological and commercial potential,” in particular the Moroccan coastal areas in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic. The announcement comes a day after the Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, and his Israeli counterpart, Orna Barbivai, signed an MOU aimed at promoting investments and exchanges between the two countries in the digital design, food, automotive, aviation, textile, water technologies and renewable energies, medical equipment, and the pharmaceutical industries. In September 2021, the Israeli oil and gas exploration company obtained from the Moroccan ministry the exploration and study rights of the Dakhla Atlantic Block, which has an area of about 109000 km2. ExxonMobil Sells Nigerian Assets to Seplat ExxonMobil has agreed to sell its shallow-water assets in Nigeria to Seplat Energy for $1.28 billion plus a contingent consideration of $300 million. Seplat said it is acquiring a 40% operating stake in four oil leases to nearly triple its annual net production to 146,000 BOE/D. The deal also includes the Qua Iboe export terminal and a 51% interest in the Bonny River Terminal and natural gas liquids recovery plants at EAP and Oso. It does not include any of ExxonMobil’s deepwater fields in Nigeria. TotalEnergies Discovers Large Oil Field off Namibia TotalEnergies has made a significant discovery of light oil with associated gas on the Venus prospect, located in block 2913B in the Orange Basin, offshore southern Namibia. The Venus 1-X well encountered approximately 84 m of net oil pay in a good-quality Lower Cretaceous reservoir. The find’s potential reserves are estimated at 2 billion bbl of oil. “This discovery offshore Namibia and the very promising initial results prove the potential of this play in the Orange Basin, on which TotalEnergies owns an important position both in Namibia and South Africa,” said Kevin McLachlan, senior vice president exploration at TotalEnergies. “A comprehensive coring and logging program has been completed. This will enable the preparation of appraisal operations designed to assess the commerciality of this discovery.” Block 2913B covers approximately 8215 km2 in deep offshore Namibia. TotalEnergies is the operator with a 40% working interest, alongside QatarEnergy (30%), Impact Oil and Gas (20%), and NAMCOR (10%). CNPC Scoops Ishpingo Drilling Contract The first drilling contract at the Ishpingo oil field near Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park has been awarded to China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), Energy Minister Juan Carlos Bermeo told Reuters. Following the approval of a new hydrocarbon law and legislation, Ecuador plans to move forward with auctions and competitive processes for securing foreign and domestic capital for oil and gas exploration, production, transportation, and refining projects. The first drilling campaign to start after an environmental license was granted for the sensitive area will involve 40 wells over the next 18 months. It will focus on the field’s allowed zone without touching an area protected by a court ruling that has prevented extending drilling. Ishpingo is the latest part of the ITT-43 oil field in Ecuador’s Amazonia region to start drilling after Tambococha and Tiputini. It is expected to produce heavy oil to be added to the nation’s output of flagship Napo crude, Bermeo said. BP Brings Hershel Expansion Project On Line in US GOM BP has successfully started production from the Herschel Expansion project in the Gulf of Mexico—the first of four major projects scheduled to be delivered globally in 2022. Phase 1 comprises development of a new subsea production system and the first of up to three wells tied to the Na Kika platform in the Mississippi Canyon area. At its peak, this first well is expected to increase platform annual gross production by an estimated 10,600 BOE/D. The BP-operated well was drilled to a depth of approximately 19,000 ft and is located southeast of the Na Kika platform, approximately 140 miles off the coast of New Orleans. The project provides infrastructure for future well tie-in opportunities. BP and Shell each hold a 50% working interest in the development. Petrobras Kicks off Gulf of Mexico Asset Sales Petrobras has begun an asset sale program in the Gulf of Mexico, in line with the company’s strategy of debt reduction and pivot toward Brazilian deepwater production. The package for sale includes the company’s 20% stake in MP Gulf of Mexico (MPGoM) which holds ownership stakes in 15 fields in partnership with Murphy Oil. In addition to partnership-operated fields, MPGoM owns nonoperated interests in Occidental’s Lucius, Kosmos’ Kodiak, Shell’s Habanero, and Chevron’s St. Malo fields. During the first half of 2021, Petrobras’ share of production was 11,300 BOE/D. ExxonMobil Liza Phase 2 Underway off Guyana ExxonMobil started production of Liza Phase 2, Guyana’s second offshore oil development on the Stabroek Block; total production capacity is now more than 340,000 B/D in the 7 years since the country’s first discovery. Production at the Liza Unity FPSO is expected to reach its target of 220,000 bbl of oil later this year. The Stabroek Block’s recoverable resource base is estimated at more than 10 billion BOE. The current resource has the potential to support up to 10 projects. ExxonMobil anticipates that four FPSOs with a capacity of more than 800,000 B/D will be in operation on the block by year-end 2025. Payara, the third project in the block, is expected to produce approximately 220,000 BOPD using the Prosperity FPSO vessel, currently under construction. The field development plan and application for environmental authorization for the Yellowtail project, the fourth project in the block, have been submitted for government and regulatory approvals. The Liza Unity arrived in Guyana in October 2021. It is moored in water depth of about 1650 m and will store around 2 million bbl of crude. ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd. is the operator and holds 45% interest. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30% interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Ltd. holds 25%. Dragon Finds Oil in Gulf of Suez UAE’s Dragon Oil has discovered oil in the Gulf of Suez, according to a statement from the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. The field contains potential reserves of around 100 million bbl inside the northeastern region of Ramadan. That estimate makes it one of the largest oil finds in the region over the past 2 decades. Development plans were not reported but reserve numbers could expand, the ministry said. The oil field is the first discovery by Dragon Oil since it acquired 100% of BP’s Gulf of Suez Petroleum assets in 2019. Dragon Oil, wholly owned by Emirates National Oil Co., holds 100% interest in East Zeit Bay off the southern Gulf of Suez region. The 93-km2 block lies in shallow waters of 10 to 40 m.

This thesis expands my work done during my period of internship at Rosetti Marino spa. This work is focused on the environmental management system of the company and in particular on a revision of the planning phase of the EMS and on the creation of some environmental indicators that permit the company to have record of its environmental impact. The thesis is divided in three parts the first one that analyzes the standard that is the basis of the EMS (ISO 14001:2015), the second that analyze the environmental management system itself at the company and the third where the indices I created based on the GRI standards are shown.

As easy oil in many fields is dwindling, there is increasing stress worldwide on innovative enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques. One forward-looking EOR approach is the workover method. It tries to convert currently weak horizontal wells to maximum reservoir contact (MRC) wells, or abandoned vertical wells to horizontal ones or power water injectors. Where conventional techniques fail, swelling elastomer seals and packers provide effective water shutoff and zonal isolation in even very complex environments, resulting in significant savings in rig time and development cost. One major issue of interest is the service life of elastomer seals and packers. It can be attempted to predict the probable working life based on the theory of accelerated testing. However, this forecast will not be very dependable for swelling elastomers as the material performance is substantially different from other rubber-type polymers. A full-scale test rig (one of its kind in the world) was therefore designed and fabricated at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), in collaboration with a regional petroleum development company, for long-term service life assessment of actual full-size water-swelling and oil-swelling packers.

With the end of the war came a partial reversal of the devastating decline associated with the cocoa collapse, paralleled by a profound reconfiguration of class relations. The pre-war bipartisan political structure (Liberals and Conservatives) was replaced by a myriad of new political parties, expressing the divisions within the ruling elites, the rise of Left political parties as a result of growing proletarianization (Maiguashca 1992: 200–1) and, most importantly, the emergence and spectacular growth of populist movements. New forms of class struggle would emerge out of this maelstrom of change, each expressing itself through a mixture of new and old languages, symbols, and activities. It is not surprising, for example, to hear ‘San Lenín’ called upon for assistance alongside saints of the more traditional variety (Maiguashca and North 1991: 99–100). The ferment of this rich mix of class relations through which daily life was organized at the time the world was on fire wrought the conditions from which the post-war intensified water conquest would emerge. Indeed, the turbulent but lean years of the 1940s were followed by the banana bonanza decade of the 1950s. The United States’ fruit corporations, their plantations struck by Panama disease, moved their centre of operations from marginal Central American and Caribbean exporters to Ecuador. It was not only a cheap location, but the Panama disease had not yet moved that far south. In addition, President Galo Plaza Lasso used his excellent relationships with the US United Fruit Company to promote banana production in Ecuador (Nurse 1989). The spiralling demand for bananas from the US fruit companies converted the coastal area of the country (La Costa) into large banana planta tions with their associated socio-ecological relations (Armstrong and McGee 1985: 114; Larrea-Maldonado 1982: 28–34; see also Schodt 1987). While in 1948, banana export receipts amounted to only US$2.8 million, this figure reached US$21.4 million in 1952 and US$88.9 million in 1960, accounting for 62.2% of Ecuador’s total exports (Hurtado 1981: 190; Grijalva 1990; Cortez 1992). By the mid-1950s, the country had become the world’s leading banana exporter. This manufactured ‘banana bonanza’ was organized through a new political economic and ecological transformation.

This chapter discusses how the arrival of Croton water in 1842 not only gave the city potable water, it supplied the firemen with a reliable source to fight the flames. It was hoped that an accessible water supply would make the city safer. Even so, blazes still flared up. Sadly, the Bowery Theatre caught fire for the fourth time in April 1845, two and a half years after the Croton celebration. And then three months later, the new aqueduct system received a serious test when a fire broke out at J.L. Vandoren's sperm-oil store on New Street. While what became known as the Great Fire of 1845 destroyed 345 buildings, wiped out firms like Philip Hone’s American Mutual Insurance company, and brought physical, personal, and financial damage to many, the Croton water supply proved its worth. At the same time, the chapter explores how the volunteer fire department had become a problem for the city. While the men had zealously committed themselves to their jobs, their fire houses had developed into entrenched and troubling centers of entitlement, and would give future Tammany boss William Tweed his springboard to power.

In terms of emissions from combustion, natural gas, composed mainly of methane (CH4), is the least polluting of the fossil fuels. Per unit of energy produced, CO2 emissions from natural gas are 45.7% lower than those from coal (lignite), 27.5% lower than from diesel, and 25.6% lower than from gasoline. As discussed by Olah et al. (2006), humans have long been aware of the properties of natural gas. Gas leaking out of the ground would frequently catch fire, ignited, for example, by lightning. A leak and a subsequent fire on Mount Parnassus in Greece more than 3,000 years ago prompted the Ancient Greeks to attach mystical properties to the phenomenon— a flame than could burn for a long time without need for an external supply of fuel. They identified the location of this gas leak with the center of the Earth and Universe and built a temple to Apollo to celebrate its unique properties. The temple subsequently became the home for the Oracle of Delphi, celebrated for the prophecies inspired by the temple’s perpetual flame. The first recorded productive use of natural gas was in China, dated at approximately 500 BC. A primitive pipeline constructed using stems of bamboo was deployed to trans¬port gas from its source to a site where it could be used to boil brine to produce both economically valuable salt and potable water. Almost 2,000 years would elapse before natural gas would be tapped for productive use in the West. Gas from a well drilled near Fredonia, New York, was used to provide an energy source for street lighting in 1821. The Fredonia Gas Light Company, formed in 1858, was the first commercial entity established specifically to market natural gas. Joseph Newton Pew, founder of the Sun Oil Company (now Sunoco), established a company in 1883 to deliver natural gas to Pittsburgh, where it was used as a substitute for manufactured coal gas (known also as town gas). Pew later sold his interests in natural gas to J. D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil. The early application of natural gas was primarily for lighting, not only for streets but also for factories and homes.

In the first chapter we described several clusters of childhood cancers discovered by concerned residents of Woburn, Massachusetts, of Toms River, New Jersey, and of the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx, New York City. The residents in Pelham Bay blamed the cluster on a landfill nearby, in which hundreds of thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals, including waste oil sludges, metal plating wastes, lacquer, cyanides, ethyl benzene, toluene, and other organic solvents had been illegally dumped. This had been reported by an employee of the chemical company responsible, in testimony before a Congressional investigation of crime, and was never directly confirmed. Residents of the community had obtained a court order that stopped dumping in 1978, before the testimony about toxic wastes had been given. The story of this cancer cluster—both how it was discovered and what conclusions were reached about its causes—is typical of thousands of clusters reported each year to health authorities throughout the United States. After the alarm in Pelham Bay was sounded by the mother of a child with leukemia, ten years after dumping ceased, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) made measurements of hazardous chemicals in the air around the landfill, but found no significant amounts. The drinking water of the community came from the general New York City water supply system, so seepage from the landfill into the groundwater was not a possible route of exposure. It was concluded that by the time the measurements were made the landfill was no longer a threat to health. What the situation may have been in the past, during the time of dumping and just after, could no longer be known. After dumping had been stopped in 1978, the NYCDEP had covered the 150-foot-high mound of garbage, refuse, street sweepings, construction debris, and household and commercial waste, along with whatever may have been illegally dumped there, with a thin layer of soil. It was a hasty job, and it did not last. The soil cover cracked and eroded, washing away all the faster because of the steep slopes of the mound.

This chapter assesses agriculture and economy in Yemen. Yemen was a latecomer to the Arabian oil market, as significant reserves were discovered only in 1986 by the Hunt Oil Company. Contracts between Yemen and foreign oil companies began as a production-sharing agreement that gradually allotted the government a greater share of oil revenue as initial investment was recouped. The discovery of oil was one of the main factors that facilitated the union between North and South Yemen in 1990. Aside from oil, Yemen's main exports include coffee and qat. The chapter then looks at the water crisis in Yemen; the typical Yemeni cuisine; and the main ports, markets, and banking systems in Yemen.

ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY PROJECTS TARGET THE RESOURCES NOT CAPABLE OF BEING PRODUCED WITH CONVENTIONAL PRODUCTION APPROACHES. THEY ARE USED TO EXTEND THE LIFE AND IMPROVE THE RECOVERY OF MATURE OIL FIELDS AND ENCOMPASS VARIOUS TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODS, SUCH AS WATER FLOODING (WITH OR WITHOUT CHEMICAL PRODUCTS) AND GAS, CO2, OR STEAM INJECTION. THE DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND MONITORING OF EOR PROJECTS IS A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TASK INVOLVING PRACTICALLY ALL THE DOMAIN EXPERTISE IN ANY OIL COMPANY, FROM GEOPHYSICS TO WELL CONSTRUCTION. THEREFORE, VARIOUS DOMAINS' DATA, INFORMATION, AND EFFORTS MUST BE INTEGRATED AND FOCUSED ON DEFINING THE BEST EOR APPROACH TO INCREASE OIL PRODUCTION RATES. IN THIS CONTEXT, PETROPHYSICS PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN CHARACTERIZING THE RESERVOIRS AND SELECTING THOSE INTERVALS WITH ADEQUATE ROCK PROPERTIES AND REMAINING OIL TO DEVELOP AN ECONOMICALLY ATTRACTIVE EOR PROJECT. IN THE PARTICULAR CASE OF WATER FLOODING PROJECTS (BY FAR, THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE EOR TECHNIQUE), IT IS NECESSARY TO START WITH THE CHARACTERIZATION AND SELECTION OF THE RESERVOIR INTERVALS FOR THE INJECTION. THEN, ADDITIONAL ROCK AND FLUID MUST BE ANALYZED TO ASSESS THE INTERACTION AMONG INJECTED WATER, RESERVOIR ROCK, AND RESERVOIR WATER. IF NOT ACCURATELY DIAGNOSED, SUCH INTERACTIONS CAN RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT PERMEABILITY REDUCTION, AFFECTING THE INJECTION RATES AND OIL RECOVERIES FORECASTS. IN THIS PRESENTATION, WE WILL SHOW THE ROLE OF PETROPHYSICS AND ITS INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER DISCIPLINES INVOLVED IN DESIGNING, EVALUATING, AND IMPLEMENTING A WATERFLOODING PROJECT, HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE CRITICAL POINTS THAT CAN MAKE OUR PROJECT SUCCEED OR NOT.

One of the major problems faced by the oil industry is the problem of unwanted water production. High rates of unwanted water production in a well can make the well uneconomical and reduces the good lifespan. The paper studies the problems faced by a field experiencing a large amount of unwanted water production in the majority of its wells. The data gathered from one of the Indian Western Offshore Oil Fields have been analyzed to identify the problems faced in several wells. Also, the initiatives taken by the company to control high water cut has been discussed. Understanding the water shut-off methods used for mitigating the problem of high water cut and their efficiency, the availability of various Inflow Control Systems for well completion to prevent unwanted water production is studied. Studying the performance of these systems from numerous case studies and literature surveys for mitigating unwanted water production, the paper provides a complete strategy for water control in horizontal wells for different reservoir properties and for future redevelopment plan of the Indian Western Offshore Field followed by the conclusion.

This chapter reviews the author's studies of the floating baths, where she learned that the processes she had to go through would be long, complicated, and buffeted by outside forces. It cites the Hoboken press conference and Joyce Wadler's article that gave the author's pool project new impetus, but the action still depended on city officials, which made it occur at a slow pace. It also talks about the appointment of the Swimming Pool Advisory Committee, which represented a variety of interests that helped bring the community on board for the floating pool. The chapter mentions the company Stolt Offshore Inc., which made concrete floating docks for open-sea oil and gas rigs. It details the author's decision to place a pool on one of Stolt Offshore's structures, requiring only minimal water depth.

THE ACTIVITIES OF THE OIL SECTOR IN BRAZIL BEGAN MORE INTENSIVELY IN THE 1940S AND MANY OIL FIELDS CONTINUE WITH THEIR OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION SINCE THEN. SEVERAL DEPOSITS DISTRIBUTED ALONG THE BRAZILIAN SEDIMENTARY BASINS ARE DEPLETED WITH A GOOD PART OF THEIR ORIGINAL OIL VOLUME ALREADY EXPLOITED. ACCORDING TO THE ANP, MATURE FIELDS ARE FIELDS THAT HAVE BEEN PRODUCING FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS OR THAT HAVE ACCUMULATED PRODUCTION OF MORE THAN 70% OF THE EXPECTED VOLUME TO BE PRODUCED. GIVEN THIS SCENARIO, THE DEVELOPMENT OF MATURE FIELDS REQUIRES DEEPEN STUDIES OF THE HYDROCARBON RESERVOIR, AS WELL AS A RECURRENT MONITORING OF THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THE DEPOSIT. A CONSTANT UPDATE OF THE STATIC AND DYNAMIC MODEL IS NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN A FIELD DEVELOPMENT PROJECT WITH THE BEST PRODUCTIVITY INDEX. KNOWLEDGE OF THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THE WELL IS ESSENTIAL TO OPTIMIZE ITS PRODUCTION, IN ADDITION TO SUPPORTING THE STUDIES OF A FIELD AND A RECOVERY PROJECT THAT AIMS TO OBTAIN BETTER RECOVERY RATES FOR THE DEPOSIT. THE PULSE NEUTRON LOG (PNL) IS AN IMPORTANT TOOL THAT HELPS TO IDENTIFY THE CURRENT SATURATION OF FLUIDS. THIS TOOL PRESENTS TWO FORMS OF LOG, SIGMA AND CARBON/OXYGEN, WHICH HELP IN MONITORING THE SATURATIONS OF OIL AND GAS REMAINING IN THE WELL. THIS INFORMATION IS USUALLY ANALYZED TOGETHER WITH THE PRODUCTION HISTORY AND INTERVENTIONS IN THE FIELD IN ORDER TO FOLLOW THE EVOLUTION OF THE RESERVOIR, WHETHER WITH REGARD TO THE DEPLETION OF HYDROCARBONS OR THE MONITORING OF WATER OR GAS INJECTIONS IN PRESSURE MANAGEMENT. THE PRESENT WORK AIMS TO ELUCIDATE THE THEME, AS WELL AS TO POINT OUT TECHNICAL ASPECTS THAT ENABLE OR DISCOURAGE THE USE OF THESE LOGS. THE WORK PRESENTS CASE STUDIES IMPLEMENTED BY THE COMPANY 3R PETROLEUM IN ITS ONSHORE ASSETS OF MATURE FIELDS WHERE THE APPLICATION OF THE TOOL GENERATED RESULTS THAT COULD HELP THE MONITORING OF THE RESERVOIRS, AS WELL AS INDICATE OPERATIONS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE INCREASE IN OIL RECOVERY AND DECREASE IN PRODUCTION OF WATER, RESULTING IN BETTER STRATEGIC PLANNING IN THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THESE MATURE FIELDS.

Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) operates large pipelines system in the State of Kuwait. This pipeline system is comprised of a complex network of high pressure gas, low pressure gas, fuel gas, condensate, crude subsystems as well as water pipelines. A Total Pipeline Integrity Management System (TPIMS) project was initiated in early 2005 to provide KOC with a complete system baseline, integrity management plan and system, and assessments. Periodic re-assessments will be conducted throughout the project life cycle to manage priorities and optimize integrity, repair and maintenance operations. The primary integrity threat of the pipeline system is Internal and External Corrosion, with secondary threats of mechanical damage and Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) to be considered as well. This case study will present the design, implementation and execution of a comprehensive approach to pipeline integrity management. Aspects of data management / analysis, integrity (ILI, DA) and risk analysis will be discussed. Kuwait has undergone significant reconstruction since the liberation from Iraqi invasion in 1991 and with mandates to increase production and throughput, system reliability and up-time is essential. KOC is well advanced in the implementation of a TPIMS, a model for the region and worldwide.

Abstract For mature fields, water injection is one of the widely deployed techniques to ensure continuous oil recovery from the reservoir by maintaining the reservoir pressure, oil rim and pushing the oil from injection to production wells. Thus, it is critical to ensure a continuous and reliable operation of water injection to have consistent and sustainable rate. This paper demonstrates the new approach, utilizing automation and digital technology providing operational improvement and reduction in unplanned production deferment (UPD). One of the methods to effectively manage the water injection operation is via automation of injection process, especially since most of the water injection facilities still rely heavily on manual operation. First, a discussion on typical water injection technique is discussed. Challenges and sub-optimal operation of water injection processes within the company and industry are analysed. Then, the designing of a fully automated water injection system, such as equipment availability and constraints in matching and responding to well injection requirement are demonstrated. While an immediate adoption of process automation to mature assets may be faced with challenges such as system readiness, hardware availability, capital investment and mindset change, a step-by-step approach such as guided operation and semi-auto operation is explored as preparation prior to a full automation roll-out. With the shift from manual operation reliance to automation, the response time to process changes is improved leading to reduction in near-miss and trip cases, and minimum unplanned deferment.

Abstract ARA Petroleum Exploration and Production Company has successfully installed a hybrid off-grid semi- fixed solar system to power an Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) for a water supply well in Oman's remote area (Oil North Field). The system is designed to provide the power output of a 40 KW water ESP pump. The pump usually runs for 10 hrs/day. The well is used for supplying water for drilling activities and other operational requirements with an actual power of 30 KW. The uniqueness of this system is its ability to power the ESP well directly without an over-headline (OHL) with a synchronizing system and an automated switchover to a diesel generator when required. Moreover, a real-time operation system that can be downloaded on a mobile application. In addition, a CCTV camera, and solar lighting are available in the location to control and monitor the performance of the solar system. Utilizing solar systems in this project provides a cost saving on diesel consumption and reduces its associated CO2/GHG emissions. The system runs in the daytime on solar for 6 hours. The rest of the 4 hours is compensated with diesel. The anticipated cost saving on diesel consumption and CO2 emission reduction is around 60%. The success of this project will allow the technology to be replicated in many locations in remote areas. In order, to support the ICV and develop SME companies, the project was awarded to a local SME company, and the learning from this installation was shared between the vendor and ARA E & P, as this system was the first of its kind implemented in Oman.

Abstract EOR is a key focus area for sustaining long term production and maximizing of recovery in Raudhatain and Sabriyah oil fields of North Kuwait (NK). NK oil fields consist of multiple stacked reservoirs containing both clastic and carbonate with challenging temperature and formation water salinity conditions for Chemical EOR. In addition to these harsh conditions, reservoirs have geological structural complexity, reservoir heterogeneity and aquifer strength settings. Kuwait Oil Company is putting large efforts into Chemical EOR (cEOR) maturation through two ongoing ASP pilots and polymer flooding maturation studies. Ongoing studies and preliminary piloting performance results revealed that different reservoir segments have different cEOR requirements for viable incremental oil opportunities on top of ongoing water flooding. An expansion strategy has been developed that provides a view on how to transition from pilot results to larger scale commercial implementation of cEOR for each reservoir segment. This includes front end elements, beyond conventional cEOR screening studies, injectivity, conformance control, inorganic scaling, facility impact and pattern configurations. For larger scale, many additional aspects such as water source, well location, phasing, logistics and impact of back production are important factors. For commerciality, there needs to be abalance between schedule, maximizing economic recovery, operability,availability of source water and costs. A holistic, structured approach has been established in defining production forecasts and life cycle cost estimates for ASP, SP and polymer development concepts screening for major NK reservoirs. The approach has allowed comparison between recovery methods and reservoirs which helped in defining an EOR expansion plan. The novelty in this EOR expansion strategy is in application of a structured and holistic approach to map viable cEOR technologies to different reservoir segments based on in-depth screening criteria. The methodology allowed generating "standardized" time bound forecasts and cost estimates for screening a range of viable mapped cEOR methods for a range of reservoir segments- facilitating like for like comparison.

Abstract When operators feel comfortable with the performance and safety of a facility producing at its design conditions, it becomes natural for them to push the service company to produce even more. While it might appear safer to increase the capacity beyond the initial design of a crude-oil processing facility than a gas processing facility, many points must be checked using a debottleneck study to guarantee a safe and reliable operation. Schlumberger production facilities engineering, and operations teams collaborated on a debottleneck study to increase the capacity of a Middle East crude-oil processing facility by 40% of its design, which helped to achieve the annual production targets. Debottleneck studies require deep knowledge of the processing train and early identification of equipment presenting significant limitations, which, in a crude-oil processing facility, is the oil train equipment (i.e., heater treater and desalter). Validating these two pieces of equipment was the first step to overcoming challenges to increasing capacity. The original design of the heater treater used a forced-draft burner system, and the study showed severe limitations to safely releasing the necessary heat for the increased throughput. A change to the burner type and configuration was identified as a need; a natural-draft burner system was installed in addition to modifications to the fuel-gas train. This change enabled a greater heat release without compromising the mechanical integrity of the heater; however, because of limitations regarding the heat transfer surface area, total duty to the process fluid remained limited. To overcome this challenge, a mechanical device (turbulator) was designed to increase the convective heat transfer coefficient. The combined effect of these changes resulted in the delivery of the required heat duty to process fluids. For desalting, the challenge was in achieving the required salt specification. Key variables studied were the salinity of the wash water, mixing efficiencies, and the feasible extent of dehydration. Because of the high salinity of the wash water that was being used and limits to the mixing efficiency and ability to achieve deep dehydration, the recommendation was to change the wash-water source to fresh water. Detailed salt balance calculations demonstrated the incremental production increase from using fresh water. In addition, adequacy checks of other process equipment, storage tanks and their venting systems, pumps, pipework, valves, instruments, and utility systems were reviewed and confirmed to be suitable for the increased capacity with only minimal changes. The required modifications were implemented following the approved change management procedures and optimization of the process parameters of the entire processing facility by the operations team. This ensured a smooth and safe operation at a 40% greater flow rate than that provided by the design. Being the technology owner, integrator, and processing facility operator allowed the service company a unique opportunity to conduct a detailed system-wide study, seek real-time performance feedback, and understand the limits, constraints, and opportunities for expansion. These modifications also ensured considerable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by means of enhancements to the efficiencies of the heating systems.

Abstract This technical paper presents the offshore installation execution work of Conductor Supported Platforms (CSP) at ‘X’ field. The knowledge sharing was based on the successful installation of three (3) numbers of CSP for ‘X’ development project. The platforms were installed at approximately of 70m water depth and encountered technical challenges during offshore execution. ‘X’ field is located about approximately 45km North West of Miri, Sarawak. The CSPs were installed by Derrick Barge (DB) via double blocks crane upending method for the substructures and conventional lifting method for the topsides. The CSP was designed for 70 meters water depth with four (4) numbers of vertical legs, four (4) numbers of skirt piles, and one (1) number of pin pile. The weight of the topside was about 600MT, meanwhile the substructure was about 1100MT respectively. These CSPs marked as a pioneer in the installation of its kinds at 70m water depth in COMPANY. The concept required high accuracy of detailed offshore installation engineering. This configuration however had caused some challenges during installation. Among the major challenges were issues on the pin-pile verticality, substructure levelness and upending activities via double blocks crane upending method. The effective strategies were adopted to improve the on-bottom stability by installing pin pile prior to substructure set down. The pin pile was installed by utilizing Subsea Fast Frame (SFF), in order to achieve pin pile's verticality. The crucial part during pin pile installation was to ensure meeting the verticality accuracy and minimum tolerance may high potentially impact the substructure install ability and meeting level requirement. However, due to a big annulus gap at pin pile sleeve of the substructure had caused prolong in levelling operation. In order to improve subsequent platforms levelling operations, a set of centralizers were introduced and installed after confirming the pin pile verticality result, in order to reduce the annulus gap. Despite all the challenges aforementioned, the installation of CSPs were completed successfully and most importantly with Zero Lost Time Injury (LTI).

Decades ago, oil spill has become a global issue. It effects not only environment but also economic life. Oil spills occur due to tanker disasters, wars, operation failures, during transportation, storage, use of oil and other accidents. Soil contaminated with petroleum effects human health, causes organic pollution of groundwater, which limits its use and decreases the agricultural productivity of the soil. Therefore, it is important to clean up oil spills as quickly as possible. Nowadays researchers are looking for new technologies that tackle three most important factors related with the oil spill clean-up: money, efficiency and time. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons in oil-contaminated soil using silica nanocomposite. According to the findings, silica nanocomposite might increase microbial activity during biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in soil because of the ability of nanoparticles to absorb water and keep moisture in soil thus creating a favourable environment for microorganisms. The study of biodegradation with the use of silica nanocomposite was carried out for a period of ten weeks in cooperation with the company Grunto Valymo Technologijos.

Abstract Today's oil and gas industry is a global endeavor. With technological advances in data management and transfer, the ability for experienced engineers to receive, interpret, and make decisions from all over the globe in near real-time is not only achievable, but is becoming more desirable. Provoked by downturns and reduced personnel numbers, methods of increasing efficiency and cost reduction has gradually moved engineers away from the rig site, while still undertaking the same roles and responsibilities. This paper examines one case for an operator in the Caribbean. One major client drilling in the Caribbean was forced to explore reduced staffing options on one of its deep-water drilling rigs after flight cancellations, border closures, and isolation/quarantine procedures were implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This made getting experienced data engineers and sample collection personnel to the rig site impossible. Two data engineers, two mud loggers, and two sample catchers are on the rig during normal operations, but with the above-mentioned challenges, only two mud loggers remained on site. The mudlogging service provider proposed intercompany collaboration with a region experienced in remote operational support, and a remote monitoring station was set up and manned with experienced data engineers to support real-time operations. A focal point between the remote engineers and the rig team was designated, and was responsible for communicating roles and responsibilities, linking the two teams. A robust communication protocol was established between the mudlogging crew, the remote personnel, the drill floor, and the company man which outlined specifics of which events would trigger communication between parties. Two intermediate hole sections were successfully drilled, without any interruption or delay. The remote engineers successfully participated in the rigs well control drills, calling directly to the rig when needed. During drilling, the experienced remote personnel were able to provide topic specific guidance to the less experienced engineers at the rig site, which accelerated their on-the-job training. This guidance encouraged and allowed for decreased reliance on the remote support over the course of drilling. The operator considered the implementation of the remote engineers a success and looked to implement additional remote resources from other service lines and providers. Development of additional remote support opportunities directly reduces risk and cost of personnel at the rig site throughout all aspects of the oil and gas industry. Reduction of personnel on site reduces overall exposure to the hazards associated with the rig site and would decrease the probability of incident. Recent improvements in technology and communication have made it possible for this to be a viable solution to de-manning the rig site in an evolving industry.

Abstract Objectives/Scope The acquisition of mud gas data for well control and gathering of geological information is a common practice in oil and gas drilling. However, these data are scarcely used for reservoir evaluation as they are presumably considered as unreliable and non-representative of the formation content. Recent development in gas extraction from drilling mud and analyzing equipment has greatly improved the data quality. Combined with proper analysis and interpretation, these new datasets give valuable information in real-time lithological changes, hydrocarbons content, water contacts and vertical changes in fluid over a pay interval. Methods, Procedures, Process Post completion, Mud logging data have been compared with PVT results and they have shown excellent correlation on the C1-C5 composition, confirming the consistency between gas readings and reservoir fluid composition. Having such information in real time has given the oil company the opportunity to optimize its operations regarding formation evaluation, e.g downhole sampling, wireline logging or testing programs. Formation fluid is usually obtained during well tests, either by running downhole tools into the well or by collecting the fluid at surface. Therefore, its composition remains unknown until the arrival of the PVT well test results. This case intends to use mud gas information collected while drilling to predict information about the reservoir fluid composition in near real time. To achieve this goal we compared mud gas data collected while drilling with reservoir fluid compositional results. Pressure volume temperature (PVT) analysis is the process of determining the fluid behaviors and properties of oil and gas samples from existing wells. Results, Observations, Conclusions The reason any oil and gas company decides to drill a well is to turn the project into an oil-producing asset. But the value of the oil extracted from a single well is not the same as the value of the oil produced from another. The makeup of the oil, which can be determined from the compositional analysis, is an important piece of the equation that determines how profitable the play will be. The compositional analysis will determine just how much of each type of petroleum product can be produced from a single barrel of oil from that wells. Novel/Additive information Formation samples were obtained from offset wells in the Marrat Formation. These datasets gave valuable indications on fluid properties and phase behavior in the reservoir and provided strong base for reservoir engineering analysis, simulation and surface facilities design. The comparison of the gas data to PVT results gives a good match for reservoir fluid finger print, early acquisition of this data will help for decision enhancement for field development.