People, Companies & Products
Anticipating international growth, Abbot names new CEO
Holger Temmen has been named chief executive officer of Abbot Group and the KCA DEUTAG group of companies. This is a new position created in anticipation of international growth and follows the takeover of Abbot Group by US private equity firm First Reserve in March. Alasdair Locke remains executive chairman of Abbot Group. The company plans to double the size of the business in the next few years through organized growth and acquisition, Mr Locke said.
Mr Temmen joined the DEUTAG group of companies in 1990 as a financial controller. In 2000 he became managing director of DEUTAG Europe. Following the acquisition of DEUTAG by KCA in 2001, he took over responsibility for the business development and commercial function and was appointed to the board of directors in 2005.
Baker Hughes opens Center for Technology Innovation
Baker Hughes has opened Phase I of its new Center for Technology Innovation (CTI) in Houston. The 14-acre facility is capable of testing full-size prototypes of the next generation of downhole completion tools in a test environment with pressures up to 40,000 psi and temperatures up to 700˚F. Approximately 575 scientists, application engineers and laboratory technicians will conduct research, engineering, development and testing at the CTI. Phase II of the campus, with additional office buildings and research facilities, is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.
Halliburton awarded Saudi Aramco, StatoilHydro contracts
Halliburton has been selected to provide a variety of oilfield services in support of the offshore portion of Saudi Aramco’s Manifa mega-project, which has a production target of 900 MBCD (thousand bbl of oil per calendar day), making it Saudi Aramco’s second-largest incremental oil production project.
The three-year contract calls for the provision of directional drilling, logging while drilling, cementing, logging and perforating, coiled tubing and stimulation services for 93 wells offshore northeast Saudi Arabia. The offshore component of this project will utilize 10 jackup rigs.
Additionally, StatoilHydro has awarded Halliburton and WellDynamics nearly $900 million in contracts to provide completion equipment and services, tubing conveyed perforating services and SmartWell completion technology for oil and gas fields on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Schlumberger inaugurates 150-hectare Siberian Training Center
Schlumberger officially inaugurated the Schlumberger Siberian Training Center in Tyumen, West Siberia on 21 March. The center will provide training in the Russian language for Schlumberger field engineers and specialists, as well as offer specialized courses for the Russian oil and gas community. The site covers 150 hectares and is self-sufficient with accommodation for 160 students in custom-designed study-bedroom cottages. Total investment will exceed $100 million.
Transocean appoints new VPs
Transocean Inc has announced two vice president appointments. Terry B Bonno has been named vice president, marketing. She previously served as director, marketing North and South America Unit (AMU). Simon Crowe has been named vice president, planning and strategy. Previously, Mr Crowe served as director, finance, for the company’s Europe and Africa Unit (EAU).
Enventure announces appointment of executive positions
Enventure Global Technology has appointed Joseph Waiter as vice president, general counsel & secretary and Kevin Knight as vice president and chief financial officer.
InterMoor celebrates expansion of Port Fourchon facility
InterMoor, an Acteon company, has completed facility expansions at its Port Fourchon location in Louisiana. The facility was expanded to include about 25 acres and more than 1,200 ft of bulkhead waterfront dock space. The centerpiece of the facility is the Cajun Lifter, an 880-ton ringer crane.
Engineer joins Laser Cladding
Laser Cladding Services has added Eswar Yarrapareddy to its team as a laser cladding development engineer. He will supervise the development laser cladding processes using CO2, diode laser and fiber lasers.
Key Energy buys Western Drilling
Key Energy Services announced it has bought Western Drilling for $51 million to complement its December 2007 acquisition of Kings Oil Tools.
Career Training Center relocates
The Career Training Center, a Superior Energy Services company, relocated its Broussard training center to its expanded location in New Iberia, La. The remodeled facility will provide for staging of equipment to incorporate hands-on simulation of work scenarios and practical drills.
Subsea 7 awarded 3 Petrobras contracts, opens new spoolbase
Subsea 7, through its i-Tech division, announced the award of three new contracts, valued in excess of $30 million, for the provision of ROVs onboard three drilling units, with a combined term of 15 years, for Petrobras. A newbuild QX 125-hp ROV system will be provided onboard one of the three rigs.
Additionally, Subsea 7 has opened a North Sea spoolbase at Vigra, Norway. The $30 million investment is seen as key to developing Subsea 7’s pipelay capability in that market. It also provides a platform for new geographic markets such as the Barents Sea as that region opens up, the company said.
The first project to be undertaken by the new base is the fabrication of a 60-km 12-in. gas pipeline for StatoilHydro.
IDM to build QuickSilver drilling system for Union Drilling
IDM Group has been awarded a construction contract from Union Drilling to provide a 1,600-hp AC QuickSilver drilling system. The rig, expected to operate in Pennsylvania targeting the Marcellus Shale formation, should be delivered by June 2008. The QuickSilver is designed to rig down, then rig up on a new location within 100 miles in less than 48 hr. Elevated components are raised with hydraulic cylinders; no cranes are required.
Wärtsilä allows manufacture, sale of its low-speed engines in China
Wärtsilä Corp and Zhenjiang CME have signed a license agreement for the manufacture and sale of Wärtsilä RT-flex low-speed marine diesel engines by CME in China. CME will focus on engines of 50-cm cylinder bore and smaller.
MCS wins riser system contract
MCS has won a contract with Petrofac Energy Development to design and deliver a complete riser system for the Don Southwest and West Don development in the northern North Sea.
•Products•
Capital Safety introduces new lifeline, tie-back lanyard
Capital Safety recently released two new products:
• Protecta Rebel CT Self-Retracting Lifeline has 15 ft of galvanized cable lifeline to maximize mobility and worker productivity. At 6.4 lb, the Rebel CT features one of the industry’s best length-to-weight ratios.
• DBI-SALA EZ Stop II Tie-back Lanyard with Rebar Hooks feature 3,600-lb gates, allowing them to be used in tie-back applications with a floating D-ring, giving the user greater versatility on the job. It is available in a single- or twin-leg tie-back model with a standard snap hook, aluminum rebar hook, flat steel rebar hook or carabiner ends. A floating D-ring provides an adjustable tie-back point so the lanyard can be used around various structures at a job site. The EZ Stop II lanyard uses a controlled tearing action when subjected to fall arrest forces, limiting arresting forces to no more than 900 lbs.
Halliburton’s frac stimulation technologies help reduce costs
Halliburton has developed four complementary fracture stimulation technologies to help reduce operators’ production cost – OmegaFrac fluid, MonoProp proppant, the ADP (advanced dry polymer) blender and the Mimic fluid measuring device. OmegaFrac fluid is the first fracturing fluid to practically and economically blend with field-produced brine water and effectively suspend and deliver proppant into the fracture. MonoProp proppant achieves a partial monolayer of deformable polymer alloy particles to maintain adequate fracture width without creating flow impediments. This allows unrestricted fluid flow of hydrocarbon from the formation through the fracture to the wellbore. Two more innovations enable Halliburton to vary fluid characteristics according to the fracturing plan or in response to changing treatment conditions. On the environmental front, the ADP blender mixes fracturing fluids from a dry-polymer base rather than a hydrocarbon-based concentrate. The Mimic proppant transport measuring device directly measures the ability of the fracturing fluid to transport the propping agent under specific downhole conditions.
Shield Technologies covers suitable for corrosive environments
Shield Technologies has introduced Envelop Protective Covers, suitable for use in harsh and corrosive environments. By virtually eliminating the penetration of moisture and humidity, the Envelop covers have proven to reduce equipment corrosion by as much as 90%. Lasting three to four times as long as vinyl alternatives, the Envelop covers provide a return on investment of 4:1 and as high as 15:1 versus traditional covers and chemicals.
T&T’s Pipe Boss designed for ‘no touch’ handling
T&T Engineering has introduced the Pipe Boss casing stabbing/pipe handling machines, designed for “no touch” delivery/removal/stabbing of tubulars. The Pipe Boss is completely independent of the rig and replaces equipment such as the casing stabbing board, catwalk/V-door ramp or pickup/laydown machine and automatic mouse holes.
