Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Election Day in America
Posted in Uncategorized on November 2, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Happy Halloween!
Posted in Uncategorized on October 31, 2010| 2 Comments »
I’ll be dressing up in my “command and control” regulator costume 🙂
Swordfish Stuck in BOP Stack
Posted in Uncategorized on October 24, 2010| Leave a Comment »
In case you haven’t seen this video from the Atwood Eagle offshore Australia.
BOE will be taking a break
Posted in Uncategorized on October 15, 2010| 2 Comments »
Posting will be suspended (hold the applause :)) while our large international staff attends the IRF Safety Conference and engages in deep thought and meditation. After this period of reflection and renewal, BOE’s revitalized staff will resume posting (on or about 25 October).
Kudos to the overwhelming majority of offshore energy sector employees for their unwavering commitment to safety achievement and pollution prevention.
Chi-chi-chi, le-le-le, viva Chile!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Chile, drilling, rescue on October 13, 2010| Leave a Comment »
It’s nice to have a day of uplifting news for a change, and it’s drilling related!
Chi-chi-chi, le-le-le, viva Chile!
We’re No. 2! – China Surpasses US in Energy Consumption
Posted in Uncategorized on October 13, 2010| Leave a Comment »
China is the world’s largest energy user, moving ahead of the United States, the head of the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday.
Thanksgiving and Columbus Day in North America!
Posted in offshore, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged BOE, Canada, coastline, Columbus Day, EEZ, offshore, Thanksgiving on October 11, 2010| 2 Comments »
In recognition of the earlier fall harvests to our north, Canada celebrates Thanksgiving a month ahead of the US. As a result, Canada’s Thanksgiving coincides with our Columbus Day.  So Happy Holiday to folks on both sides of the border, even if you have to work! 🙂
Canada, which is on our minds this week as we get ready for the big conference in Vancouver,  is especially significant to our offshore scholars because of its long coastline, by far the longest of any nation (see below and this slightly different Wiki ranking).  80% of the world’s nations have coastlines bordering an open sea, and about 1/3 of all nations have an existing or planned offshore oil and gas program.
Carolita Kallaur Awards to be Presented in Vancouver on 18 October
Posted in Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged Carolita Kallaur, IRF, offshore oil, safety, vancouver on October 7, 2010| Leave a Comment »
There is tremendous benefit from collaboration between governments and between industry and governments working together on a global scale. Half of the remaining oil and gas resources are located offshore, and the demand for energy continues to grow. While each country may have unique societal demands that must be addressed, we also share many common technical and environmental challenges as we continue to explore the deep water. Carolita Kallaur, 2001, London
Carolita Kallaur
Carolita Kallaur’s words ring stronger today than ever, and the need for international cooperation on offshore safety issues has never been clearer. Carolita, who directed the US offshore oil and gas program at the end of her outstanding career with the Department of the Interior, was the spirit of offshore safety.  Her highest priorities were improving international standards and working together on safety and pollution prevention matters, and she worked tirelessly to promote these objectives.
Carolita also believed in recognizing outstanding organizations and individuals who demonstrated exceptional commitment to safety achievement.  She was instrumental in establishing an awards program in Houston that honored these outstanding leaders.
Shortly after she retired in 2002, Carolita contracted amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, an incurable nervous system disorder that is commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Â She died just before Christmas in 2003. Carolita’s indomitable spirit lives on with an awards program that honors outstanding offshore safety leaders. These awards were first presented at the International Regulators’ Offshore Safety Conference in London in 2005, and were again presented at the second conference in Miami in 2007. Â The International Regulators’ Forum has completed its latest round of deliberations, and will again be presenting Carolita Kallaur Awards at the Vancouver conference on 18 October.
I look forward to joining international leaders in honoring Carolita’s legacy and recognizing the deserving winners of these prestigious safety awards. Â See you in Vancouver!
Boudreaux and the Gulf Spill
Posted in Uncategorized on October 3, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Boudreaux
Some Cajun humor from a former colleague :):
Boudreaux suddenly quit drinking, took a bath, quit chasing women, quit his poker games and stopped laying around. He started cutting the grass around the church, even painted it and was faithful to be first to attend on Sundays! Father Thibodeaux asked him what about dis wonderful change that had done overtook him. Boudreaux explained, ” I heard “Crisis in the Gulf” and if He’s dat close, I wanna be good to go!
Several interesting items!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged accidents, Australia, blowouts, Canada, macondo, Newfoundland, NOPSA, offshore oil, safety, safety culture, well control on September 30, 2010| Leave a Comment »
- The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board unveiled their new website. Very impressive!
- Jane Cutler, CEO of NOPSA (Australia), made an outstanding (must-view) presentation on Safety Priorities for 2010. My favorite quote:
Safety culture is how the organization behaves when no one is watching.
Also, NOPSA’s September Newsletter has some interesting updates including information on the jackup failure offshore China.
- Joel Achenbach, a very good reporter, wrote an excellent Washington Post article on that addresses some of Macondo’s human and organizational factors. I do disagree with the deepwater emphasis, particularly his BOP comments. Â As we have noted on several occasions, subsea BOPs have a far better performance record than surface BOPs. Also, having the stack right at the surface is a hindrance, not a benefit, if the rig is on fire.
And how does a reporter question the humility of engineers? 🙂
Engineers do amazing things, but they aren’t always as smart as they think, nor their systems as robust as they seem on paper.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 