Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, macondo, oil spill, research, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute | Leave a Comment »
From Platts Oilgram News:
The US has given permission for a Cuban delegation to attend a conference sponsored by the International Association of Drilling Contractors in Trinidad next month to discuss Cuba’s deepwater drilling plans, the IADC said April 29.
If the Cuban delegation, which includes a top drilling regulator, attends, it will be the first time the Cubans have discussed their deepwater drilling plans in an international forum.
The IADC had applied to the US Treasury Department for a license to allow Cubans to attend the conference and was told on April 29 the license had been granted, Brian Petty, IADC senior vice president of government affairs, said.
Posted in conferences, cuba | Tagged conference, cuba, drilling, IADC, Trinidad | Leave a Comment »
PTTEPAA, through its responsible and proactive response to the Incident has shown its commitment to responsible environmental management.
Comment: Those who read the Montara submissions and closely followed the official inquiry are likely to question this conclusion. Perhaps PTTEP should have emphasized the lessons learned and their commitment to better performance in the future.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Australia, blowouts, Montara, offshore drilling, PTTEP, safety, well control | Leave a Comment »
Mexico, the third-largest supplier of foreign oil to the United States, could lose the capacity to export crude altogether within a decade without major new investments in exploration and production, warns a research group report released on Friday. New York Times
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged exports, Mexico, oil production | Leave a Comment »
JL Daeschler, subsea engineer and inventor, sent me some preliminary drawings for a new BOP concept.
- JL’s design concept is based on 2 slab gate valves, one above the other, that move in the opposite direction and are beveled for shearing.
- The sealing element is fixed (solid, one-piece) to the main body of the BOP, does not move with the rams, and is fully protected in the drilling mode.
- The hydraulic system would retract the gate rather than close it (fail-safe closed).
- The upper and lower rams (gate valve type) are self-centered with a guiding system to minimize side movement and deflection.
- Well pressure assists in forcing the upper ram against the sealing element.
- JL is considering a similar concept (single shear) for xmas tree workover system.
Posted in drilling, well control incidents | Tagged BOP, design, JL Daeschler | Leave a Comment »
oil-eating bacteria
…scientists led by Terry Hazen, a microbiologist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, discovered that cold-loving microbes were making quick work of the oil (Greenwire, Aug. 24, 2010). These bugs were, in effect, oil-seeking missiles. They were highly mobile, armed with swimming flagella and protein sensors that could guide them to their oily prey, according to additional work so far unpublished by Hazen’s group. New York Times
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, offshore oil, oil spill, weathering, well control | Leave a Comment »
…but the only Atlantic area included in the present 5-year oil and gas leasing program is the cross-hatched wedge in the map below. This area was to have been considered for leasing in Sale 220, but the sale was cancelled following the blowout. The House Natural Resources Committee has passed legislation that would require that sale to be held.
No matter what happens, Sale 220 isn’t much to get excited about, especially if the Department of Defense has its way. In light of world events and the fuel demands of our military, one would assume that DOD would be a leading advocate for offshore energy exploration and development. However, rightly or wrongly, preventing disruptions to military training and operations has always been a higher DOD priority than domestic energy production.
With regard to Sale 220, DOD wants 72% of this already small area (magenta) removed from consideration. So even if this lease sale is held, the maximum offering would likely be the cross-hatched blue micro-sliver. That would be the extent of Atlantic leasing for the foreseeable future.
Oil is where you find it, not where you wish it was, where it is most convenient, or where you legislate it to be. Ditto for natural gas. We need an offshore oil and gas program that identifies the most prospective targets, provides for exploratory drilling to evaluate these targets, facilitates production, and effectively manages the safety and environmental risks. We can’t just explore the small slivers that remain after political and administrative reviews have eliminated the rest.
Like it or not, our Outer Continental Shelf lands belong to the entire nation. We need to manage these lands and the associated resources in a manner that is in the best interest of all Americans.
Posted in offshore, Offshore Energy - General | Tagged Atlantic, offshore, oil and gas leasing | Leave a Comment »
As a former New Orleans resident, I am an admirer of the Lousisiana Cajuns, their joie de vivre, and their sense of humor. I just received this “Boudreaux” story from a BOE contributor, and I must say that it is quite believable. If you have lived in South Louisiana, you’ll know what I mean!
The year is 2016 and the United States has just elected the first woman, a Louisiana State University graduate, as President of the United States, Susan Boudreaux.
A few days after the election the president-elect calls her father and says, ‘So, Dad, I assume you will be coming to my inauguration?’
‘I don’t think so. It’s a 30 hour drive, your mother isn’t as young as she used to be, and my arthritis is acting up again.’
‘Don’t worry about it Dad, I’ll send Air Force One to pick you up and take you home. And a limousine will pick you up at your door.’
‘I don’t know. Everybody will be so fancy. What would your mother wear?’
Oh Dad, replies Susan, ‘I’ll make sure she has a wonderful gown custom-made by the best designer in New York.
‘Honey,’ Dad complains, ‘you know I can’t eat those rich foods you and your friends like to eat.’
The President-to-be responds, ‘Don’t worry Dad. The entire affair is going to be handled by the best caterer in New York, I’ll ensure your meals are salt free Dad, I really want you to come.’
So Dad reluctantly agrees and on January 20, 2017, Susan Boudreaux is being sworn in as President of the United States.
In the front row sits the new president’s Dad and Mom. Dad noticing the senator sitting next to him leans over and whispers, ‘You see that woman over there with her hand on the Bible, becoming President of the United States.’
The Senator whispers back, ‘Yes I do.’
Dad says proudly, ‘Her brother played football at LSU.’
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Boudreaux, Lousiana, LSU | Leave a Comment »
click on image to enlarge
“We hope that in the second quarter of next year we will be able to be in a position where we can go forward and drill a well. We’ve just raised $75 million on the London market last month to apply towards our exploration purposes,” Dr Crevello said during a meeting of the Rotary Club of Nassau yesterday.
It is doubtful that this timeline will be met as Government has said it will not lift its moratorium on drilling any time soon.
“Well it’s nigh impossible for this (the passing of legislation relating to oil drilling) to be accommodated within this Parliament,” Environment Minister Earl Deveaux told The Tribune last month.
Posted in drilling, Offshore Energy - General | Tagged Bahamas, drilling, offshore oil | Leave a Comment »
“One of the goals potentially of the MWCC group is to see how we can work together with the Helix group to try to accommodate solutions for all of the Gulf of Mexico,” Dupree (BP) said.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged blowouts, Helix, MWCC, offshore oil, oil spill, well control | 2 Comments »
