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Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

No reports to date that this weekend’s solar storms disrupted drilling operations

Posted in Canada, drilling, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on May 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Last year, there were reports that a level 3 geomagnetic solar storm rendered GPS signals unreliable and caused the brief suspension of at least one drilling operation in Canada (tweet below).

This weekend’s solar storms were level 5, the highest category (see chart below), but there have been no public reports to date of suspended drilling operations.

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Safety Alert? 😀

Posted in Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, Uncategorized, tagged , , on May 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

BSEE has a very good Safety Alert program that merits close attention. However, this amusing entry doesn’t qualify. Perhaps this alert was issued in response to a government-wide anti-scamming directive.

Safety Alert No. 483 (plus a few comments in parentheses):

Scam Alert: Suspicious Requests for Payment
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is issuing this Safety Alert to inform users about possible scams requesting payment of fines for violations. Be aware the documents you receive may appear to be printed on official government letterhead and could be used to justify requests for payments or loans. BSEE does require payment of fines for certain violations, but BSEE will never:

  • Request payment via phone or through any social media platforms.
  • Require a payment from an individual to exit an offshore facility. (Huh? How would this work? Would a BSEE inspector stand at the helideck and require payment before a worker boarded the helicopter? Seriously?)
  • Request any payment using a gift card. (“You violated an OCS safety regulation. Please make payment with a Target gift card.” 😀)
  • Demand any payment without prior notification.
  • Send letters containing spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. (Yes, all regulations, notices, and other correspondence are in “plain English” and perfectly understandable. 😀 😀 😀)
  • Should BSEE require a payment for a civil penalty or a fine, the fine will be paid by the operator, not by an individual. BSEE will always send an initial notice to the operator and provide them the opportunity to engage with the BSEE Civil Penalty team.

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Offshore art and history courtesy of JL Daeschler

Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Norway, Offshore Energy - General, UK, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on April 16, 2024| Leave a Comment »

JL Daeschler is a pioneering subsea engineer and artist extraordinaire who is a native of France (Brittany) and lives in Scotland. He has shared 2 more of his exceptional drawings. (Click on the images to enlarge.)

This is a drawing of the Ocean Viking (Odeco) in the Norwegian North Sea in 1968. The rig was built in Oslo as a sister ship to the Ocean Traveler, which was already working at the same location. The Ekofisk field was discovered later in 1969.
The mast-type derrick could be lowered for long ocean tow or bridge clearance. It would have been difficult to evacuate a 100 + personnel to the standby vessel, a decommissioned trawler. Things have changed so much in 56 years!
Inclined jack up legs with rack and pinion drive ( Marathon Le Tourneau), Gulf of Mexico

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Mayflower II passing under the Sagamore Bridge (Cape Cod) on Thursday

Posted in Uncategorized on April 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

en route to Plymouth

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On Easter weekend, grateful…

Posted in Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged , on March 29, 2024| Leave a Comment »

… to be able to speak openly and candidly about issues that have been an important part of my professional life for more than a half century.

Whether you represent Big Oil, Big Gas, Big Wind, Big Green, Big Stick (regulators 😀), Big Swamp (Washington DC friends 😉), or none of the above, thank you for visiting this modest, independent blog.

Regardless of your faith, nationality, political views, or thoughts about world events and offshore energy, I hope you have the opportunity to spend time with friends and family this weekend.

Feeling Grateful

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We all know this, but somehow the message resonates better in Spanish

Posted in energy policy, Uncategorized, tagged , on March 16, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Perfect scores for Wyoming and California – albeit at opposite ends of the spectrum 😉

Posted in California, Canada, energy policy, Regulation, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on March 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The Fraser Institute’s 2023 Canada-US Energy Sector Survey of senior executives in the upstream oil and gas sector provided data for assessing the competitiveness of US and Canadian jurisdictions. The resulting perception index (below) ranked Wyoming at the top with a score of 100.0 and California at the bottom with a score of 0.0. Perhaps one or more of the respondents have been mired in the California decommissioning quagmire. ☹

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Autry Stephen’s story reinforces our messages about successful companies

Posted in drilling, energy, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on March 4, 2024| Leave a Comment »

A Fortune article about Autry Stephens, Endeavor Energy Resources CEO, pegs him as the world’s richest oilman following the sale of his company to Diamondback Energy. His story reinforces many of the success messages previously discussed on BOE:

  • Humble beginnings: As the son of peanut-and-melon farmers, his work ethic was no doubt established at a young age.
  • Diverse experience starting with entry level positions: He “wore nearly every hat in the oil industry, from trucker to driller to engineer.”
  • Private land: Stephens started buying Texas Permian rights early in his career.
  • Technology leader: His company embraced the horizontal drilling and advanced well stimulation practices critical to Permian success.
  • Contrarian who stuck with his plan: When major oil companies left for more lucrative opportunities overseas, he continued adding Permian leases acquiring a total of 344,000 acres.
  • Low debt: His insistence on using cash to acquire drilling rights helped him survive the 2008 financial crisis, which crushed oil demand and bankrupted some US operators.
  • Lean organization: He focused on maintaining a lean staff and efficient operations, which no doubt facilitated effective communication and instilled common values.
  • Take care of your employees: He insisted that none of Endeavor’s 1200 employees be let go after the merger with Diamondback.
  • Support the community: Served Midland and merged with the company that was located right across the street.
  • Former Federal employee 😉: Not known as a key to success, but I’ll take it 😀. (Stephens once worked for the Army Corps of Engineers.)

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Climate activists vow to protect “Rig at Sunset”😉

Posted in climate, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on February 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »

In light of the surge in art vandalism, admirers of “Rig at Sunset” have expressed concern about this priceless and symbolic masterpiece.😉

“Rig at Sunset”

Rest assured that “Rig at Sunset” is not being targeted. Climate activists believe the painting is disturbingly visionary and is thus socially important. Even those who are less appreciative of great artwork are reluctant to damage “Rig at Sunset,” fearing that their vandalism might actually improve its quality. So friends of this beloved masterpiece have nothing to fear! 😉

If you are unfamiliar with “Rig at Sunset,” here is a brief summary of the history:

“Rig at Sunset” was painted nearly 50 years ago by a US Geological Survey (USGS) employee who chose to remain anonymous. Initially, the masterpiece was presented to USGS (later MMS) engineers and scientists who had made important contributions to the offshore oil and gas program. Understandably, the intended recipients were so humbled by the magnificence of the painting that they could not accept it. As the painting grew in value and international prominence, framed copies were presented to retirees and the original painting was kept at a secure, undisclosed location.

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Putin on the Nord Stream sabotage

Posted in accidents, energy policy, natural gas, pipelines, Russia, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on February 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Here is the entire interview. The Nord Stream sabotage discussion begins just after the 1:11 mark.

Putin suggests that people consider who had an interest in sabotaging the pipelines and who had the capability. He also asks why Germany isn’t allowing gas to flow through the one Nord Stream line that wasn’t damaged. 

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