Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Noble’

Gulf of Mexico rig count is showing some life

Posted in drilling, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Based on drilling contractor rig activity reports, the table below lists 19 deepwater MODUs under or soon to begin contracts in the GoM. (Further details are pasted at the end of this post.) Per the Valeris report, platform rigs are operating on bp’s Thunder Horse and Mad Dog platforms. Per the BSEE borehole file, Arena and Cantium continue to drill development wells on the GoM shelf.

Rig NameOperator
Deepwater TitanChevron
Deepwater AtlasBeacon
Deepwater PoseidonShell
Deepwater PontusShell
Deepwater ProteusShell
Deepwater Conquerornot disclosed
Deepwater ThalassaShell
Deepwater AsgardMurphy
Deepwater InvictusWoodside
Globetrotter IShell
Globetrotter IIShell
Faye KozackQuarterNorth
LLOG
Kosmos
Stanley LafosseMurphy
Valaris DS-18Chevron
Valaris DS-16Oxy
Ocean BlackHornetbp
Ocean Black Lionbp
Aurigabp
Velabp
Beacon

Excerpts from rig activity reports:

Read Full Post »

BSEE/USCG issue Safety Alert on the Globetrotter II incident during Hurrricane Ida (8/29/2021)

Posted in accidents, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, hurricanes, tagged , , , , , on May 17, 2022| Leave a Comment »

BOE was troubled by this incident and the contractor’s statements that followed.

BSEE has posted a strong safety alert.

The BSEE investigation concluded that the operator and contractor representatives failed to promptly start the Temporary Abandonment (TA) procedures.

BSEE’s investigation report provides complete details on the incident.

Globetrotter II

Read Full Post »

Globetrotter II Statements

Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, hurricanes, tagged , , , on September 7, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Noble’s Aug. 29 statementNoble’s Sept. 2 statement
“Each rig successfully secured its respective well in progress and took evasive actions to avoid the storm’s path.” (No mention of the delay in relocating the Globetrotter II or the rig, riser, and LMRP damage already reported on social media.)“several riser joints and the lower marine riser package separated from the rig during the storm and sank to the seabed.” (Confirms social media reports.)
“All personnel are safe and accounted for.” (No mention of the injuries alluded to in social media reports.)“A small number of crew members were treated for minor injuries.” (The actual number was 9, i.e. not a small number, 4 of whom had to be transported to shore for further evaluation.)
“One of the ship’s cofferdams in the moonpool area sustained damage.” (Update: The storm broke part of the hull, which allowed water into some compartments. Per the ship’s master, the vessel was not in distress and not actively taking on water.)

In a proper safety culture, you don’t downplay serious incidents and you never declare victory. Spin control is for politicians, not safety leaders. The Globetrotter II, with 140 workers aboard, was slammed by a major hurricane, perhaps unnecessarily. After the frightening social media reports, Noble released an “all is well” statement that minimized the significance and potential consequences of the delayed rig relocation. Noble continued to downplay the incident when they update their statement 5 days later.

The Coast Guard and BSEE will be investigating the Globetrotter II relocation, and their findings will be of great interest. Noble has historically been a very good drilling contractor with a strong commitment to safe operations. Hopefully, they and others will learn and apply lessons from this and similar events that have occurred in the Gulf and elsewhere. Companies may also want to assess the compatibility of their messaging practices with their commitment to a robust safety culture and continuous improvement.

Read Full Post »

Noble Comments on Status of Rigs

Posted in drilling, hurricanes, tagged , , , on August 29, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Noble doesn’t address the rumored disconnect and relocation issues, but in a carefully worded statement confirms that the Globetrotter II encountered hurricane conditions.

SUGAR LAND, Texas, Aug. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Noble Corporation (NYSE: NE, “Noble” or the “Company”) today announced that all personnel onboard the Pacific Sharav, Noble Globetrotter I, and Noble Globetrotter II ultra-deepwater drillships in the US Gulf of Mexico are safe and accounted for following Hurricane Ida.  Each rig successfully secured its respective well in progress and took evasive actions to avoid the storm’s path.  Of the three, the Noble Globetrotter II is the only vessel that encountered hurricane-force conditions.  The vessel maintained stability throughout the weather event and is operating on its own power with functional marine and safety systems.  A full assessment of its condition will be completed as soon as the weather clears.

GLOBETROTTER II photo
Globetrotter II

Read Full Post »

More on the Noble Energy deepwater well that was approved yesterday

Posted in drilling, Offshore Energy - General, tagged , , , on March 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »

From Platts Oilgram News:

The well had previously been drilled to a depth of 13,585 feet at the time of the moratorium, Noble said. Drilling is expected to resume in late March, targeting total drilling depth of about 19,000 feet, Noble said. Results are expected by the end of May. Noble said it will use the Ensco 8501 rig for the project.

Ensco 8501

Read Full Post »

Boudreaux leaves Gulf of Mexico

Posted in Offshore Energy - General, tagged , , , , , on January 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Unfortunately, this isn’t a Cajun joke.  According to Upstream, Noble’s Clyde Boudreaux, a deepwater semisubmersible, is being moved to Brazil to work for Shell.

We expect to see additional units leave the Gulf region, which may at some point impact the broader deepwater market. Roger Hunt, Noble

Read Full Post »