Attached is a good update on the Walton Morant license offshore Jamaica. Note that the large Exxon deepwater block offshore Trinidad (7765 sq km) is only 1/3 the size of the massive Walton Morant license (22,400 sq km), and that the Walton Morant license is nearly 1000 times the size of a deepwater Gulf of America lease block.
Posted in Jamaica, Offshore Energy - General | Tagged exploration, Jamaica, United Oil and Gas, Walton Morant License | Leave a Comment »
Historically, State and local governments have tended to be aligned, either for or against offshore energy (primarily oil and gas) leasing. However, a new (offshore) world order is emerging with local governments joining the new Administration in opposition to wind projects.
Most recently, and consistent with previous speculation, the Federal govt announced its intent to revoke approval of the Construction and Operations Plan for the US Wind project offshore Maryland and Delaware. (See the attached court filing.) This project is not yet in the construction phase.
Particularly noteworthy, as has been the case for other wind projects offshore Mid-Atlantic and New England states, is the alignment of Federal and local (coastal) govts in opposition to State policies.
Specifically, with regard to the US Wind project, the positions of State and local leaders couldn’t differ more:
Ocean City MD Town Manager Terry McGean:
“This is an extremely positive development in our fight against the irresponsible and costly US Wind project,” McGean said to WBOC on Monday. “We have stated all along that the approval of this project was fast and tracked without adequate public input and that approvals ignored significant risks to our economy, fishing industry, marine mammals, and the horseshoe crab. We are glad that our concerns are finally being taken seriously.”
“For the past eight years, Ocean City has voiced strong opposition to the proposed US Wind project. Unfortunately, we believe this project was fast-tracked and that our serious concerns have been largely ignored throughout the review process.“
Contrast the above comments with this statement from MD Governor Wes Moore:
“Canceling a project set to bring in $1 billion in investment, create thousands of good paying jobs in manufacturing, and generate more Maryland-made electrical supply is utterly shortsighted,” the Governor’s statement reads in part. “The President’s actions will directly lead to utility-rate hikes by taking off most promising ways for Maryland to meet its looming energy generation challenges.”
Such sharply divergent views are also evident in other coastal states. Offshore wind could be a factor in the upcoming gubernatorial race in NJ. The pro-wind energy candidate has the support of large environmental NGOs, while her opponent is supported by grass roots environmental groups that strongly oppose wind projects.
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind | Tagged Federal local alliance, Maryland, Ocean City MD, US Dept. of the Interior, US Wind, wind litigation | Leave a Comment »
A short Quaise video (below) describes how conventional and millimeter wave drilling can be combined to reach superhot geothermal energy sources.
Keep in mind that superhot (300-500 deg. C) energy can be reached with conventional drilling at sites with high geothermal gradients. These “tier 1” sites will be the first targets (second video below).
Posted in drilling, energy | Tagged geothermal gradients, hybrid drilling, millimeter wave drilling, Quaise Energy, super hot geothermal, ultradeep geothermal | Leave a Comment »
JL Daeschler shared a London Sunday Times piece about the Piper Alpha fire that killed 167 workers, the worst tragedy in the history of the offshore industry. We were troubled by the headline, because it seems inconceivable that any UK offshore worker could call July 6, 1988, the best day of their life. However, Punchard helped a number of workers escape the fire, so his mixed message is somewhat understandable.
Lord Cullen’s comprehensive inquiry into the Piper Alpha tragedy challenged traditional thinking about regulation and how safety objectives could best be achieved, and was perhaps the most important report in the history of offshore oil and gas operations. That report and the US regulatory response to the tragedy are discussed in this post.
BSEE’s new downhole commingling rule, which responds to a Congressional mandate, is contrary to Cullen’s Safety Case principles in that it puts the burden of proof on the regulator to conclusively demonstrate that a potentially hazardous operation is unsafe. This is exactly the opposite of the approach recommended by Cullen. It’s also the first time in the history of the OCS program that Congress has dictated approval of complex downhole operations. More on this in a later post.
Posted in accidents, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, UK | Tagged best and worst day, BSEE, downhole commingling, Lord Cullen, Piper Alpha, safety case | Leave a Comment »
Posted in California, Uncategorized | Tagged Babylon Bee, California Coastal Commission | Leave a Comment »
The Revolution Wind shutdown order is attached. The letter cites concerns about national security and interference with other offshore activities.
Excerpt from Ørsted’s response:
“Ørsted is evaluating all options to resolve the matter expeditiously. This includes engagement with relevant permitting agencies for any necessary clarification or resolution as well as through potential legal proceedings, with the aim being to proceed with continued project construction towards COD in the second half of 2026.”
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, Regulation | Tagged BOEM, interference with other uses, national security, Orsted, Revolution Wind, shutdown order | Leave a Comment »
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is halting activity on the Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut. No details on this decision have been provided.
According to Ørsted, all of Revolution Wind’s foundations and almost 70 per cent of the turbines have been installed.
Revolution Wind is a partnership between Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables.
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, Regulation | Tagged activity halted, BOEM, Orsted, Revolution Wind | Leave a Comment »
JL Daeschler, pioneering subsea engineer, artist, resident of Scotland, and BOE contributor, visited The Great Tapestry of Scotland exhibition in Galashiels. He shared this image of a tapestry tribute to North Sea workers.
JL reports that the Great Tapestry is 143 m long, and that more than 1000 people worked 50,000+ hours on the various historical panels!
Beneath the North Sea oil panel is some historical information and the names of those who did the stitching:
Posted in Offshore Energy - General, UK, Uncategorized | Tagged Great Tapestry, history, JL Daeschler, North Sea oil and gas, Scotland | Leave a Comment »
Talos announced successful drilling results at the Daenerys prospect (Katmai West #2) in the Gulf of America (Walker Ridge blocks 106, 107, 150, and 151).
Daenerys is a good example of the evolution of deepwater project ownership, which was once exclusively the domain of major international oil companies. Over the past 20 years, participation by independents increased gradually, followed by smaller independents and informed investment companies.
Impressively, the Daenerys partnership (table below) includes a tribe that has the same % ownership as a super-major, and a highly efficient investment company owned by a single person.
| Talos (operator) | large US independent | 27.0% share |
| Shell | international supermajor | 22.5% |
| Red Willow | private company owned by the Southern Ute Tribe | 22.5% |
| Houston Energy | private independent focused on deepwater energy resources | 10.0% |
| Cathexis | holding company owned by a single individual | 9.0% |
| HEQ | portfolio company focused on deepwater Gulf | 9. |
Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General | Tagged Cathexis, Daenerys, deepwater development, HEQ, Houston Energy, Red Willow, Shell, Southern Ute Tribe, Talos | Leave a Comment »
I never liked the label “slips, trips, and falls” (STFs) because the words “slips and trips” trivialize the most common cause of serious offshore casualties. Perhaps, the name of this category should be simplified to “falls,” because that is the consequence of concern.
Unfortunately, STFs persist at an unacceptably high rate. In the attached Safety Alert, BSEE informs that between May 2024 and April 2025, 22% of all injuries were attributed to STFs. Many of these injuries were classified as major.
BSEE conducted focused inspections of 19 facilities (17 different operators) to better assess the STF problem. They found common deficiencies in training, hazard identification, and other preventive measures. These deficiencies and the associated safety management recommendations are listed in the Safety Alert.
Kudos to BSEE for their excellent Safety Alert program. Unfortunately, unacceptable delays in updating their incident tables and OCS performance measures data make it difficult to assess industry wide safety performance trends. The most recent data are for 2023, and some of those data raise concerns. For example, the number of fires (152) was the highest in the history of the performance measures data set (dates back to 1996) by some margin. What happened in 2024 and the first half of 2025? These data should be readily available and posted in a timely manner. No offshore facility fire is trivial.
Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation | Tagged BSEE Safety Alert, fires, incident tables, performance based inspections, performance data, safety management, slips trips falls | Leave a Comment »
