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March 2009
World Trends and Technology for Offshore Oil and Gas Operations
Tamar discovery reveals potential gas-rich play offshore Israel

Port Fourchon thrives despite the economy
Seismic vessel survey:

Acquisition technology drives changes in industry practice
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You wont know the dierence, but the sea life will
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Alcoa Oil & Gas high-strength, ultra-lightweight alloys can take you places youve never been before.
We bring advanced aerospace technology down to earth in the search for oil and gas.
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Mooring and foundations installation / Rig and floating production moves / Active heave compensation / Subsea hardware installation / Flexible flowline and umbilical laying and retrieval / Deepwater piling and conductor pre-installation / Subsea well abandonment
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BACK-DECK SERVICES
Acteon companies are at the forefront of the movement to reduce the industrys dependence on specialist marine assets. Driven by the need to reduce costs and improve operational flexibility, we have developed a range of applications that can be performed from the back deck of less-sophisticated monohull vessels. Talk to us when you are looking for someone that is prepared to explore a different approach to your offshore needs. For more information about how back-deck services can improve your project economics, visit
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International Edition
Volume 69, Number 3 March 2009
Celebrating Over 50 Years of Trends, Tools, and Technology CONTENTS
GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS New seismic company, vessel plans highlight survey ........................ 32
The feature of the 2009 Seismic Vessel Survey is the entrance of Polarcus onto the list of companies. That also brings the list of new vessels for 2009 and beyond to eight Polarcus has three scheduled for delivery this year and three for delivery in 2010 while WesternGeco has two scheduled for this year.
Worldwide seismic vessel survey ...................................... 36
32
SUBSEA Subsea boosting, processing sustain momentum .................................................... 46
Looking at the momentum from a number of recent/current subsea processing installations, development programs and project applications continue to provide the industry with new technical advancements, more opportunities, and some challenges, too.
SPECIAL REPORT: MEDITERRANEAN Eastern Mediterranean Tamar discovery reveals potential gas-rich play in Levantine basin........ 42
Test results from a gas discovery in the Levantine basin point to an emerging subsalt play. The deepwater well on the Tamar structure, 90 km (56 mi) offshore Haifa, Israel, encountered three productive reservoirs with thick sands in the Lower Miocene and net pay of more than 460 ft (140 m).
PORT FOURCHON Port Fourchon thrives despite the economy .............................................................. 50 LA 1 coalition, levee district trying to get Washingtons attention........................... 54 No job shortage in Lafourche Parish ......................................................................... 58 Two new offshore facilities proposed for Port Fourchon .......................................... 60 Halo goes high-tech to optimize safety ..................................................................... 62
54
Offshore (ISSN 0030-0608) is published monthly by PennWell, 1421 S. Sheridan Road, Tulsa, OK 74112. Periodicals class postage paid at Tulsa, OK, and additional offices. Copyright 2009 by PennWell. (Registered in U.S. Patent Trademark Office.) All rights reserved. Permission, however, is granted for libraries and others registered with the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, Phone (508) 750-8400, Fax (508) 750-4744 to photocopy articles for a base fee of $1 per copy of the article plus 35 per page. Payment should be sent directly to the CCC. Requests for bulk orders should be addressed to the Editor. Subscription prices: US $101.00 per year, Canada/Mexico $ 132.00 per year, All other countries $167.00 per year (Airmail delivery: $234.00). Worldwide digital subscriptions: $101 per year. Single copy sales: US $10.00 per issue, Canada/Mexico $12.00 per issue, All other countries $14.00 per issue (Airmail delivery: $22.00. Single copy digital sales: $8 worldwide. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: P.O. Box 122, Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6S4. Back issues are available upon request. POSTMASTER send form 3579 to Offshore, P.O. Box 3200, Northbrook, IL 60065-3200. To receive this magazine in digital format, go to www.omeda.com/os. Ride-Along enclosed, version P3.
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Do more
exploring collaborating
project leading technology leading industry leading subsurface subsea subanywhere smiling geosteering globe-trekking horizontal drilling ecothinking biking
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carbon capturing
challenging yourself discovering
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2009 StatoilHydro. An equal opportunity employer.
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International Edition
Volume 69, Number 3 March 2009
COVER: Atwood Oceanics semisubmersible drilling rig Atwood Hunter hit gas on the Noble Energy-operated deepwater Tamar eld offshore Israel. Post-drill analysis and well test data indicate a potential ow rate of over 150 MMcf/d from the 5-tcf structure. Noble Energy and its partners have retained the rig for two more wells offshore Israel, include a step-out on Tamar. Other acreage in the vicinity is expected to hold considerable resource potential as well. Read the full story beginning on page 42. Photo courtesy of Noble Energy.
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Comment ............................................... 8 Data ..................................................... 10 Global E&P .......................................... 12 Offshore Europe .................................. 18 Gulf of Mexico ..................................... 20 Subsea Systems ................................. 22
Vessels, Rigs & Surface Systems ....... 26 Drilling & Production .......................... 28 Geosciences ........................................ 30 Business Briefs ................................... 76 Advertisers Index............................... 79 Beyond the Horizon ............................ 80
6 Offshore March 2009 www.offshore-mag.com

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Do more
exploring collaborating
project leading technology leading industry leading subsurface subsea subanywhere smiling geosteering
creative thinking stress reducing family bonding
globe-trekking horizontal drilling biking ecothinking team building carbon capturing pushing the envelope
groundbreaking digital mapping remote sensing
rock sampling rock climbing relaxing on the weekends
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initiative grabbing challenging yourself
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2009 StatoilHydro. An equal opportunity employer.
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COMMENT
Eldon Ball Houston
PennWell
1455 West Loop South, Suite 400, Houston, TX 77027 U.S.A. Tel: (01) 713 621-9720 Fax: (01) 713 963-6296
VICE PRESIDENT and GROUP PUBLISHER

John Royall johnr@pennwell.com
New company, techniques highlight seismic survey

This years annual Seismic Vessel Survey includes the entrance of a new company -- Polarcus -- and brings the list of new vessels for 2009 and beyond to eight, according to the survey by Gene Kliewer, Technology Editor, Subsea & Seismic. Polarcus has three new vessels scheduled for delivery this year and three for 2010, while WesternGeco has two scheduled for this year. Additions and deletions of vessels to the list bring the total to 173, compared with 169 for 2008. The nature of the surveys undertaken today is changing. New acquisition geometries such as wide-azimuth, multi-azimuth, rich-azimuth, and Coil Kliewer Shooting single-vessel full azimuth acquisition increase illumination of the subsurface from a wider range of angles and azimuths. These techniques enhance the accuracy of the inversion of seismic data for Earth properties. In addition, increasing the frequency bandwidth by lowering the minimum frequency of seismic sources has improved steep-dip imaging and overall resolution. Kliewers full report begins on page 32.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Eldon R. Ball eldonb@pennwell.com
MANAGING EDITOR
David Paganie davidp@pennwell.com
EDITOR-EUROPE
Jeremy Beckman jeremyb@pennwell.com
TECHNOLOGY EDITOR, SUBSEA & SEISMIC

Gene Kliewer genek@pennwell.com
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Priti Ubhayakar pritiu@pennwell.com
TECHNOLOGY EDITOR, DRILLING & PRODUCTION

John Waggoner jwaggoner@pennwell.com
PRESENTATION EDITOR
Josh Troutman josht@pennwell.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Nick Terdre (Norway) David Shields (Mexico) Peter Howard Wertheim (Brazil) Gurdip Singh (Singapore)
Subsea processing alive, well and growing

Operators continue to initiate and to fund studies into subsea boosting, separation, compression, and power delivery and distribution when developing new elds, as our report from Michael Padilla of INTECSEA in this months issue reects. In an attempt to capture the full value of subsea processings technical and economic advantages, operators address these options early in eld development, Padilla reports. An increase in overall condence toward subsea processing packages is the result of ongoing development and the success of current systems. See Padillas indepth report beginning on page 46. And dont miss the bound-in wall-size poster on Subsea Processing.
SALES WORLDWIDE SALES MANAGER HOUSTON AREA SALES

David Davis davidd@pennwell.com Tel: (713) 963-6206 Bailey Simpson baileys@pennwell.com
CUSTOM PUBLISHING
Roy Markum roym@pennwell.com Tel: (713) 963-6220
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Rae Lynn Cooper raec@pennwell.com Tel: (918) 831-9143 Fax: (918) 831-9415

Buoyed by deepwater activity that shows no sign of drying up anytime soon, Port Fourchon is sidestepping the economic malaise gripping most of the nation and is not just coping, but ourishing, as Contributing Editor Jim Redden reports this month. While cash-strapped independents operating on the shelf have pulled back appreciably, the bread and butter for Port Fourchon is the deepwater, where it functions as the primary support base for more than 90% of existing projects, Redden notes. According to a recent Minerals Management Service (MMS) study, that bread and butter is in no danger of going off the shelves in the foreseeable future, he reports. In early 2009, the federal agency listed 59 pending deepwater projects in the Gulf of Mexico, which is in addition to the 33 wells currently being drilled in deep and ultra deepwater. Factoring in the 135 deepwater elds already developed, there are nearly 230 deepwater projects in need of products and services owing from the port. Read his full report on Port Fourchon beginning on page 50.
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Luke R. Corbett, Anadarko David J. Greer, Shell International E&P Jack B. Moore, Cameron Corp. Hugh ODonnell, Saipem Bruce Crager, J. Ray McDermott James K. Wicklund, Spinnerhawk Capital Management
Gas nd off Israel spurs renewed interest

Test results from a gas discovery in the Levantine basin point to an emerging subsalt play offshore Israel. The deepwater well on the Tamar structure, 90 km (56 mi) offshore Haifa, encountered three productive reservoirs with thick sands in the Lower Miocene and net pay of more than 460 ft (140 m). Offshores Jeremy Beckman, Editor-Europe, gives a full report on activity there in this months issue. Gas owed at a constrained rate of 30 MMcf/d over a limited section of Beckman the lowest reservoir, and operator Noble Energy believes a production rate of over 150 MMcf/d could be feasible. Noble and its partners are set to retain the rig, the Atwood Hunter, for two more wells. Beckmans article begins on page 42.
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Build
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Weatherford helped StatoilHydro upgrade subsea communications and increased the number of downhole gauges from the Visund platform. The operator can now monitor performance in wells with more complex reservoir structures and increase the overall speed and reliability of communications.
The open database structure allows the dissemination of data from all subsea devices to real-time operational and historic databases.
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2009 Weatherford International Ltd. All rights reserved. Incorporates proprietary and patented Weatherford technology.
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G L O B A L D ATA
Active rig eet, February 2009

Floaters Jackups
Far East
6 (-3) 22 (+1)
Worldwide day rates

Year/Month
Drillship 2008 Feb 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 Aug 2008 Sept 2008 Oct 2008 Nov 2008 Dec 2009 Jan Jackup 2008 Feb 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 Aug 2008 Sept 2008 Oct 2008 Nov 2008 Dec 2009 Jan Semi 2008 Feb 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 Aug 2008 Sept 2008 Oct 2008 Nov 2008 Dec 2009 Jan
Source: Rigzone.com
Minimum
$43,000 $43,000 $43,000 $43,000 $43,000 $43,000 $43,000 $43,000 $43,000 $43,000 $43,000 $115,000 $41,000 $41,440 $41,440 $41,440 $41,440 $41,440 $40,000 $40,000 $41,440 $35,000 $35,000 $35,000 $65,000 $65,000 $65,000 $80,000 $80,000 $80,000 $80,000 $80,000 $80,000 $80,000 $80,000 $80,000
Average
$273,300 $273,248 $273,099 $277,800 $279,368 $292,031 $304,291 $316,768 $323,260 $327,818 $329,366 $345,318 $134,929 $134,420 $134,686 $135,705 $137,225 $138,033 $140,897 $142,181 $144,165 $145,586 $144,876 $147,131 $280,308 $283,955 $292,031 $298,607 $301,791 $307,116 $299,544 $304,872 $305,023 $313,713 $323,835 $328,177
Maximum
$520,000 $520,000 $520,000 $520,000 $520,000 $520,000 $525,000 $525,000 $556,000 $556,000 $556,000 $558,000 $306,000 $306,000 $330,000 $330,000 $330,000 $330,000 $330,000 $330,000 $330,000 $330,000 $330,000 $330,000 $500,000 $525,000 $525,000 $525,000 $525,000 $525,000 $525,000 $525,000 $525,000 $580,000 $637,000 $637,000
North Sea
40 (0) 35 (+1)
East Atlantic
2 (0) 0 (0)
US GoM
32 (0) 65 (-5)
L. America
49 (+2) 14 (0)
SE Asia
14 (+2) 50 (+2)
Mex GoM
5 (0) 33 (+2)
M. East W. Africa
32 (+1) 25 (+1) 1 (0) 110 (+3)
S. Asia
10 (0) 34 (11)
Source: Rigzone.com
GoM drilling permits issued

100 90 80
Drilling permits
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
70 49 57 43
45
39
25
July
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
Jan.
Source: US Minerals Management Service
Middle East rig utilization

90 89 88 87 Percent
Worldwide rig utilization

92 90 88 86 Percent 84 82 80 78 76 74 Drillship Semisub Jackup
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009 Month
86 85 84 83 82 80 80
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009 Month
Jackup
Source: Rigzone
Source: Rigzone
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GLOBAL E&P
Jeremy Beckman London
Deepwater investment continues to rise, and should exceed $35 billion annually by 2013, according to a report from analysts Douglas-Westwood. The World Deepwater Market Report 2009-2013 also forecasts total spending over the coming five years of $162 billion. Africa, Brazil, and the Gulf of Mexico will account for 75% of the global deepwater spend, with Asia also on the rise. One of the main drivers will be the opening up of reserves farther from the coast and the incorporation of satellite fields into deepwater hubs. These activities, and drilling and completion of subsea development wells, should together account for almost 70% of total expenditure, according to analyst Thom Payne.
Americas
Petrobras has unveiled its latest ve-year business plan, covering the period 2009-13. The $174.4 billion program will include for the rst time development projects in the pre-salt area of the Santos and Espirito Santos basins. Most of the investments will be directed at Brazil, with the remainder ($16.8 billion) focussed on exploration and production mainly in the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, and elsewhere in Latin America. Four developments are planned for the pre-salt layer of the Santos basin: the Tupi Pilot, scheduled to start producing in 2010, followed by Tupi 1 and Guara 1 in 2012, and Iara 1 in 2013. Over the longer term, the company targets oil production from its interests in Brazil of 2.68 MMb/d in 2013, 3.34 MMb/d in 2015, and 3.92 MMb/d in 2020. Gas output should also grow, lifting overall domestic production from 3.31 MMboe/d in 2013 to 5.1 MMboe/d in 2020. Pemex has contracted J. Ray McDermott to transport and install two new drilling platforms to the Bay of Campeche. The Ixtal-B platform comprises a four-leg jacket with 2,205 tons (2,000 metric tons) of piles, supporting a 2,205-ton topsides load. The larger Maloob-C platform will feature an eight-leg jacket xed by 3,307 tons (3,000 metric tons) of piles and 2,646 tons (2,400 metric tons) of conductors, and topsides weighing 2,535 tons (2,299 metric tons). J. Rays construction vessel DB50 will mobilize to the Mexican sector shortly to perform both sets of installations. Ecopetrol is set to increase its interests in the Fuerte Norte and Fuerte Sur blocks in the Caribbean sector offshore Colombia. Subject to approval by Colombias licensing agency ANH, EcoPetrol will become a 50% license partner in both blocks, currently operated by BHP Billiton.
Australia Worldwide Explorations working interests offshore New Zealand.
Australia/New Zealand
Nexus Energy has been offered production license AC/L9 in the Browse basin off Western Australia, encompassing an area including the Crux eld and the Auriga and Caelum structures. It is the nal stage of regulatory approval allowing the Crux liquids project to go forward. Recently, Nexus entered negotiations with SBM concerning the supply and operation of an FPSO for the project. It also has nalized a settlement with Viking Oil and Gas International and Viking Shipping concerning termination of a previous agreement for an FPSO for Crux, signed in 2007.
Australian Worldwide Exploration has secured the semisubmersible Kari Tan IV on behalf of a consortium of Australian companies. The rig has been lined up to drill four exploratory wells off New Zealand likely targets include the large Hoki oil prospect in permit PEP 38401, and two other potentially oil-bearing structures close to the producing Tui eld. Offshore Taranaki, New Zealand Oil & Gas has won a new exploration permit, PEP 51311, covering 3,000 sq km (1,158 sq mi) west and south of the Kupe development. The company hopes to secure the seismic vessel Pacic Titan to acquire 500 km (311 mi) of 2D seismic as part of its work commitment. Regional analysis suggests prospects for oil or wet gas discoveries.
Europe
In the Norwegian North Sea, Talisman Energy Norge has brought onstream its gas-condensate accumulation Rev via two subsea wells connected to a 9-km (5.6-mi) multiphase pipeline to BGs Armada platform in UK waters. Modications to the platform included a new 450-ton (408-metric ton) separation module built by Burntisland Fabrications, and installation of new subsea control and hypochlorite injection systems. A third well should be added later this year.
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GLOBAL E&P
Icelands National Energy Authority has unveiled the countrys rst offshore licensing round, on the Dreki area in the Atlantic Ocean. The region on offer covers more than 42,700 sq km (16,487 sq mi) on the Jan Mayen Ridge, between northeast Iceland and the island of Jan Mayen. Water depths range from 3,280 to 6,562 ft (1,000 to 2,000 m). License applications may cover one or more blocks or part-blocks, up to a maximum of 800 sq km (309 sq mi). Available data includes a speculative survey acquired in 2001, and an Icelandic-Norwegian governmental survey conducted during 1985-88.
West Africa
Petrosen has approved Australian company FAR to assume operatorship of the Rusque, Sangoma, and Sangomar Deep blocks offshore Senegal. The two co-venturers already have acquired over 2,000 sq km (772 sq m) of 3D seismic, and identied several exploration plays. Noble Energy has discovered oil in the Carmen prospect on block O offshore Equatorial Guinea. The well, in 150 ft (46 m) of water, encountered 26 ft (7.9 m) of net oil pay and 13 ft (4 m) of net gas pay while testing a Lower Miocene reservoir. Noble claims the oil sourcing extends from block I to the south, where it has two separate discoveries. It is aiming for rst production in 2012 from a combined development which could also tie in Carmen.
Russia
Gazproms management committee has drawn up a six-point plan designed to progress development of major oil, gas, and condensate elds in the Russian Arctic Sea. It aims to bring onstream the Prirazlomonye eld in 2011, Shtokman in 2013, and Kirinskoye in 2014. The committee also proposed submitting an amended program for Gazproms activities aimed at pursuing hydrocarbon resources development Noble Energys prospects offshore Equatorial Guinea. on the Russian shelf through 2030.
Caspian Sea
The Kazakhstan Authority and its seven co-venturers in the Kashagan project have appointed a new joint
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Setting Benchmarks In Ultra-Deepwater
INTECSEA is now the largest assembly of deepwater expertise in an independent engineering and project management company. We are committed to meeting our clients needs in the growing deepwater engineering sector by offering full service solutions around the world in the subsea, pipeline and oating production arenas.
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GLOBAL E&P
operating company for the North Caspian Sea Production Sharing Agreement. North Caspian Operating Co. (NCOC) assumes all responsibilities previously held by Agip KCO, including project planning and coordination, reservoir modeling, conceptual studies, appraisal and early development planning, and interfaces with the Kazakh government.
India
ONGC has approved the second phase of the Mumbai High North redevelopment project, designed to improve recovery from the eld. Under the program, the company will drill 73 new wells and side track 38 low-performance existing producers. It also will integrate development of the small L-I and L-II reservoirs with the main L-III reservoir to lift overall oil output.
Middle East
BP/RWE Dea have discovered gas with a deepwater well in the West Nile Delta off Egypt. The Ruby-3 well, in 920 m (3,018 ft) of water, penetrated gas-bearing sandstones in the Pliocene interval. Evaluation of the results is continuing, but the partners plan to appraise other gas nds in the area before resuming exploration of this structure. Also in the Nile Delta region, Dana Gas has achieved its second gas discovery in quick succession this year in its West Manzala concession. The West Manzala-2 (Haggag prospect) encountered a possible 20 bcf of dry gas within two zones in the Pliocene Kafr El Shikh formation. The location is a few hundred meters from the pipeline connected to the companys South Manzala gas processing facility. Fabrication of four offshore platforms is under way at the new STAR yard in Dammam. This is Saudi Arabias rst in-kingdom offshore construction facility. It was developed to service a long-term agreement contract awarded to a consortium of Snamprogetti Saudi Arabia, Saipem, and TAQA. The yard covers an area of 300,000 sq m (74 acres), and is capable of fabricating 14,000 metric tons (15,432 tons) per year of structural steel.
Asia-Pacic
CNOOC has earmarked $6.76 billion for upstream capital expenditure this year, an increase of 19%, with $4.38 billion budgeted for development, $1.11 billion for exploration, and $1.12 billion for production. The company expects to have over 20 development projects under construction in 2009, with 10 projects scheduled to come onstream, including eight offshore China. It also plans to drill more than 80 wells and acquire a total of 39,200 sq km (22,196 sq mi) of 2D and 3D seismic off China and elsewhere. American Technologies Inc. Petroleum (ATIP) is back to work on its Yen-Tu 1X well, reportedly North Vietnams rst oil discovery. The well was spudded in 2004, encountering hydrocarbon-bearing formations in Lower Miocene and carbonate basement intervals. It was then plugged and abandoned pending further appraisal. ATIP recently re-opened the well for testing, following another successful program on last summers nearby Ham Rong discovery in the Song Hong basin. Ham Rong 1X was drilled to 3,700 m (12,139 ft) TD after again nding hydrocarbons in carbonate basement. According to ATIP , drillstem testing revealed open ow production at a commercial rate.
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OFFSHORE EUROPE
Jeremy Beckman London
Sevan bid clinches Goliat

Eni Norge has chosen Sevans cylinder-shaped FPSO for its Goliat development in the Barents Sea. Sevan was one of two contractors vying in a front-end engineering design (FEED) competition, the other being Aker Solutions with its concrete-hulled Condeep MonoFloater. Sevan is now working on post-FEED engineering under a separate, NOK150 million ($21.76 million) contract. The proposed concept, the Sevan 1000, will be the largest of the buoy-type oaters designed by the company to date, capable of producing oil at 100,000 b/d, gas at 3.9 MMcm/d (138 MMcf/d), and with oil storage capacity of 1 MMbbl. Goliat, now expected on stream in 2013, will be the rst oileld project in the Barents Sea. Various measures will be adopted to quell environmental concerns, including supply of electrical power direct from the shore in an attempt to limit CO2 emissions; and use of ballast tanks in the sides and bottom area of the steel hull to limit leaks from the oil containment system. The entire process plant will be enclosed to protect both equipment and crew during winter. Aker Solutions remains in the running for the engineering, procurement and construction contract. All previous Sevan FPSOs have been built in the Far East, followed by outtting in Rotterdam.
Investor gloom dents UK activity

Exploration drilling on the UK shelf remained strong last year, according to the latest survey from Oil & Gas UK. The association identied 109 exploratory and appraisal well spuds, including sidetracks, but activity started to dip in the nal quarter. The picture looks gloomier going forward, with operator members revealing plans for only 34 rm E&A wells in UK waters this year, plus another 33 non-rm wells. In 2010, the survey identies only 10 rm E&A wells at present. Investor condence is largely to blame, with capital increasingly hard to come by. Lower oil and gas prices are also impacting development, according to the survey with many planned projects barely economic at even $50/bbl. Cost ination is another issue: in recent years the UK industry has had to spend more to extract fewer barrels. If trends continue, investments in new and existing UK elds could slide from $7.17 billion in 2008 to $3.58 billion in 2010.
Sonsub recently completed its operations on Totals Frigg sea lines decommissioning project in the North Sea. The scope of work included preparation, removal and disposal of all infield pipelines within a designated 500-m (1,640-ft) zone, plus power cables, umbilicals, communication lines, grout and sand bags, and concrete mattresses. The program required the services of two vessels, the Normand Cutter and the multipurpose support vessel Far Sovereign. The latter recovered all infield flexible and small diameter rigid lines using a reverse reeling method, a first for Sonsub.
Hot spots emerge in Moray Firth

Despite the tail-off in exploration, wells in the UK North Sea continue to deliver. In the Moray Firth, Maersk discovered gas and condensate in the Culzean structure in block 22/25a, south of the Atlantic and Cromarty elds. The high-pressure/high-temperature well
encountered a substantial hydrocarbons column in Mid-Triassic to Triassic-age reservoirs. In the same region, Houston-based Endeavour managed a successful up-dip appraisal of the undeveloped Rochelle nd in block 15/27, which the company acquired in 2006. The well intersected 77 ft (23.5 m) of net gas-condensate pay in Lower Cretaceous Kopervik sandstone: recoverable reserves could be over 30 MMboe, better than pre-drill estimates. Endeavours partner, Nexen, made an oil discovery of its own with the Hobby well in central block 20/1N, 1.5 km (0.94 mi) west of its recent Golden Eagle nd. It plans to drill multiple sidetracks to delineate the extent of both structures. High-performance development drilling last year also helped Nexen prove a further 29 MMboe of reserves at its central North Sea Buzzard complex. Later this year, Nexen expects to install the jacket for a fourth platform with production-sweetening facilities to treat high levels of hydrogen sulde.
Noreco in mood to merge

Stavanger-based Norwegian Energy Co. (Noreco) has proposed a merger with Det norske oljeselskap, which would create the largest E&P independent on the Oslo stock exchange. The combined group would have interests in various discoveries and 100 exploration licenses in Norway, Denmark, and the UK, and production totaling 18,000 boe/d. It would also have a market capitalization exceeding NOK4 billion ($580 million), with no need for additional equity funding for its investment programs, according to Noreco. The proposed share exchange ratio would favor shareholders in Det norske, giving them a 52.5% ownership in the new entity. Det norske, however, has its own views on the way forward, having appointed a new board and chairman, Diderik Schnittler, the latter a former managing director of Saga Petroleum. It also has been talking with what it terms a foreign actor concerning a potential strategic and nancial cooperation. Offshore Norway, the company operates 27 licenses, and this year plans to participate in 15 exploration wells. Its targets include the 10-80 MMboe Grevling prospect in production license 038 in the North Sea here it recently increased its acreage position following a swap of license interests with Talisman Energy Norge. If a well here is successful, the company might opt for development through Talismans Varg oater, 20 km (12.5 mi) to the south.
Map locates Maersk Oils Culzean discovery in the Moray Firth.
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GULF OF MEXICO
David Paganie Houston
Minimizing uncertainty key to Lower Tertiary development

Minimizing uncertainty is one of six keys to commercially develop Lower Tertiary elds in the US Gulf of Mexico, suggested Richard DSouza, Granherne Americas/KBR, in his presentation at the Deep Offshore Technology International Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana. DSouza talked about the technical and economic challenges in developing Lower Tertiary elds. Some of the characteristics of the trend are low rock permeabilty, high pressure and temperature, deep reservoirs in deepwater, high viscosity/low GOR uids, large salt canopies (7,000 ft [2,134 m] to >20,000 ft [6,096 m]), all remote from existing infrastructure. Drilling and completion dominate the development cost of a Lower Tertiary well, DSouza said. This is about 50-60% of the overall eld development cost. A typical well could take 200-250 days to drill at $150-$250 million. Lower Tertiary drilling has had a success rate of about 60% since the rst discovery on Great White in 2002, but there is a high level of uncertainty in reservoir performance with no production analogs to date. MMS estimates 3-15 Bboe are recoverable in the trend. The combination of minimizing uncertainty in reservoir performance and well productivity is one of six keys to commercially develop Lower Tertiary reserves, DSouza explained. He pointed to three strategies to reduce uncertainty: Drillstem test (up to 60 days), extended or long-term test (6-24 months), and early production or phase development (more than three years). Ideally, the operator needs to ow a well at least 12 months to increase condence in well rates and recovery, he said. A drillstem test was carried out on Chevrons Jack discovery, an extended well test has not yet been done in the GoM, and Petrobras is using a phase development approach for its Cascade-Chinook project. In the production phase, some form of articial lift is required to enhance recovery from Lower Tertiary wells, DSouza said. Downhole (ESP) or mudline pumps are most effective to maintain reservoir pressure, but water injection and gas lift also are viable. Subsea boosting and processing are possibilities, but a step-change in the technology is needed to meet the technical challenges in the Lower Tertiary, he said. Shell is using subsea processing for its Perdido development, slated for rst production in late 2009/early 2010. The technologies developed for Perdido and Petrobras Cascade-Chinook, scheduled for rst production in 2010, will be enablers for the many Lower Tertiary discoveries in the queue, DSouza said.
Garden Banks 463 Bushwood Green Canyon 859 Heidelberg Walker Ridge 52 Shenandoah
Green Canyon 643 Friesian
Keathley Canyon 872 Buckskin
Success rate continues

Drilling success in the Lower Tertiary continues with the Buckskin and Shenandoah discoveries. The Chevron-operated Buckskin oil discovery is in Keathley Canyon block 872 about 44 mi (71 km) west of the companys Jack discovery. The Buckskin No. 1 well, drilled in 6,920 ft (2,109 m) of water to 29,404 ft (8,962 m) deep, encountered more than 300 ft (91 m) of net pay. More tests are being conducted on data gathered from the discovery well, and additional work on the eld is needed to determine the extent and commercial viability of the discovery, Chevron says. The Anadarko-operated Shenandoah discovery is in Walker Ridge block 52. The discovery well, drilled in 5,750 ft (1,753 m) of water to 30,000 ft (9,144 m) deep, encountered more than 300 ft (91 m) of net oil pay. Anadarko and partners are evaluating the well results and the next steps toward future appraisal activity. Initial data indicate the Shenandoah discovery has reservoir properties that appear to be of much higher quality than industry has seen previously in the emerging Lower Tertiary play, says Bob Daniels, Anadarko senior VP of worldwide exploration. Anadarko also made a deepwater oil discovery at the Heidelberg prospect in Green Canyon block 859. The discovery well, drilled in 5,000 ft (1,524 m) of water to 28,500 ft (8,687 m) deep, encountered more than 200 ft (61 m) of net oil pay in several Miocene sands. The Heidelberg discovery further validates our geologic understanding of the subsalt Miocene trend, Daniels says. The well encountered the same age sands and reservoir characteristics similar to the previously announced Caesar/Tonga discoveries. Heidelbergs proximity to Anadarkos 100%-owned Constitution spar enhances the companys exibility to consider a variety of development options after further appraisal, which Anadarko says it intends to conduct in
the second half of this year. Mariner Energy has made a gas discovery at the Bushwood prospect in Garden Banks block 463. The Bushwood No. 1 (formerly Geauxpher No. 3) discovery well, drilled in 2,700 ft (823 m) of water to 25,300 ft (7,711 m) deep, logged more than 260 ft (79 m) TVT of net gas pay in multiple sands, with more than 150 ft (46 m) TVT of net gas pay found in the deeper exploratory section.
Friesian offset draws parallel to Tahiti

Plains Exploration & Production Co. says data from its Friesian No. 2 discovery well show a strong correlation, both geologic and pressure, to the initial Miocene pay sands at Tahiti. The PXP-operated well, in Green Canyon block 643 approximately 3,300 ft (1,006 m) due south of the initial discovery well, was drilled to a TD of 28,989 ft (8,836 m). It encountered approximately 389 ft (119 m) of net oil in Miocene-age sands. These pay sands are the uppermost eld pays at the Tahiti eld approximately eight mi (13 km) to the west across the basin syncline, the company says. PXP and its partner have opted to deepen the Friesian No.2 well by an additional 3,500 ft (1,067 m) to 32,500 ft (9,906 m) true vertical depth to test the main eld equivalent sands such as the M15, M18, M21A, and M21B at Tahiti. Several of these Tahiti pay sands have ow tested in excess of 25,000 b/d of oil, according to PXP . Diamond Offshores semisubmersible drilling rig Ocean Monarch was scheduled to arrive on site in early March to begin deepening the well. First production is targeted in 2012. In other deepwater news, Nexen says it expects rst production from its Sargent discovery to come in 2010. Development plans are for a single-well tieback from the discovery well in Garden Banks block 339 to existing infrastructure in the area. The company also says a feasibility study is under way for development of the Shell-operated Vicksburg discovery in DeSoto Canyon block 353.
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SUBSEA SYSTEMS
Gene Kliewer Houston
Subsea market target of studies
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Two market data research companies recently addressed the condition of the subsea market. Douglas-Westwood examined the worlds deepwater market and Ineld Energy Analysts took a FPSO mooring tether look at the global subsea market. water depth Deepwater: The World Deepwater Market Report 2009290 m Riser base 2013 forecasts oil and gas spending over that time will total Flowline and umbilical riser $162 billion. Trees Overall, despite more moderate levels of expenditure during 2009 and 2010 relative to 2008, the deepwater sector is forecast to Mooring continue its growth trend, with annual expenditure reaching over base Jumpers $35 billion by 2013, says Steve Robertson, Douglas-Westwoods Horizontal wells Oil & Gas manager. The golden triangle of deepwater, namely Africa, the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil, will account for nearly 75% of global expenditure, concludes analyst Thom Payne. For Africa, a large According to Galoc Production Co, operator of Galoc field, repairs to mooring number of world-class developments are under way or planned and risers are under way at the field in SC 14C off the west coast of Palawan in for the forecast period and valued at $60 billion. North America, the Philippines. At the time of the report, all necessary equipment for repairs which in deepwater terms means the US Gulf of Mexico, is set was at the field along with a saturation diving team and two support vessels, the for substantial spend with $29.3 billion forecast for the 2009- AHV Sea Sovereign and the Rubicon Maverick. The work was scheduled to be 2013 period. Latin American activity (also $29 billion) is domi- completed by publication date. nated by Brazil and, given the potential of the countrys presalt reserves, this is likely to remain the case for some time. The emer- in the next ve years. The biggest players are expected to be Petrobras gence of Asia as a signicant region should not be overlooked, with ex- (374), Shell (244), Total (237), Chevron (236), BP (229), ExxonMobil penditure over the 2009-2013 period increasing by 90% when compared (215), and StatoilHydro (194). to 2004-2008 and accounting for 9% of forecast global spend. Now with limited access to nancing and a lower price outlook Global subsea: From 2009 to 2013, total global subsea equipment, there are questions regarding the viability of future projects. It is and drilling and completion spending will exceed $80 billion, estimates smaller single-well tiebacks that can have sanction rates up to $65/ Ineld Energy Analysts. Some 3,222 trees are expected for startup with- bbl whereas larger oating projects can be sanctioned at as little as
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SUBSEA SYSTEMS
$23/bbl. The smaller projects in Europe and in Southeast Asia are most at risk and could see potential delays and cancellations, says the report. Latin America: Petrobras is going all-electric at its Roncador Module III project. It has awarded a $75-million contract to FMC Technologies to engineer and manufacture four subsea manifolds and controls for the project incorporating FMCs all-electric technology. FMCs scope of supply consists of two, six-slot subsea manifolds to distribute gas lift injection to 12 wells. These manifolds also are to contain 12 subsea control modules to provide electro-hydraulic functions to operate the manifolds and subsea trees. The company also will supply two additional manifolds for water injection using All-Electric actuators for the operation of the chokes. The equipment will be engineered and manufactured at FMC Technologies facility in Rio de Janeiro with deliveries expected to start in 2010. Europe: StatoilHydro has contracted Trico Marine Services Inc.s DeepOcean AS to conduct inspections of production platforms in the North Sea using Edda Fonn. StatoilHydro will use the vessel for a scheduled four-months starting in April for survey work. The same vessel is scheduled to conduct surveys for Enagas off Gibraltar. DeepOcean will perform a survey of gas pipelines from Spain to Morroco.
Subsea Boosting & Processing Poster

This issue of Offshore contains the second-ever collection of subsea boosting and processing equipment and projects from around the world. The poster is updated from last year and contains new features along with the new data.
Asia/Pacic: Trident Australia has awarded CTC Marine a contract through August for diving support, installation, trenching, burial, and riser installation services at Longtom. This covers installation and trenching of more than 20 km (12 mi) of umbilicals. Africa: BP has signed an $80-million contract with FMC Technologies for manufacture and supply of subsea equipment for ongoing projects offshore Angola. Under the agreement, FMC would supply six subsea trees, control systems, wellheads, tubing hangars, well jumpers, and ow bases for delivery this year from its facilities in Kongsberg, Norway, and Dunfermline, Scotland. Gulf of Mexico: Knowledge Reservoir has contracted to provide project direction and technical services for a project awarded under the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) Ultra-Deepwater
Program (UDW). The project will report on and establish a characterization database of deepwater and ultra deepwater assets in the Gulf of Mexico focused on incentives, needs assessment analyses, and concepts identication for the application of improved recovery techniques (IOR/ EOR) in deepwater. The project will be directed by Knowledge Reservoir, with primary project participants Louisiana State University and Anadarko Petroleum. The project aims to identify improved recovery opportunities in the early stages of eld development planning so facility and well designs can be optimized to take implement those opportunities. The project will include characterization of deepwater and ultra deepwater reservoir assets, and will compile and categorize key causes of trapped and remaining hydrocarbons in such reservoirs. The prioritization of technology gaps in improved recovery methods will also be addressed as relates to deepwater and ultra deepwater reservoirs, with the aim to identify leading concepts for future research, investment, development, testing, and deployment/application. A thorough and comprehensive review of IOR/EOR techniques, experience and best practices, both on- and offshore, will be conducted.
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VESSELS, RIGS, & SURFACE SYSTEMS
David Paganie Houston
Keppel delivers semi, jackup, FDPSO

Keppel FELS has delivered the semisubmersible Development Driller III to Transocean, the jackup Mrsk Resolve to Mrsk Drilling, and the worlds rst FDPSO Azurite to Prosafe Production. The semisubmersible drilling rig is built to Keppels proprietary DSS 51 design, with Transoceans dual-activity drilling technology. It can drill wells in up to 2,286 m (7,500 ft) of water, upgradable to 3,048 m (10,000 ft), to 11,430 (37,500 ft) deep, upgradable to 12,192 m (40,000 ft). The jackup drilling rig is the third of four to be delivered to Mrsk. It can drill high-pressure/high-temperature wells in up to 350 ft (107 m) of water to 30,000 ft (9,144 m) deep. The FDPSO will be deployed off the Republic of Congo at the Murphy-operated Azurite development in the Mer Profonde Sud block. The vessel is equipped with a modular drilling package that can be removed and reused elsewhere when the production wells have been drilled. It has storage capacity of 1.4 MMbbl of oil and process capacity of 60,000 b/d of uid and 40,000 b/d of oil, and will be spread-moored in Transoceans semi Development Driller III is scheduled to 1,400 m (4,593 ft) of water. work first for BP in the US Gulf of Mexico. Photo courtesy
Construction of its sister rig Deepsea Stavanger is under way, with delivery scheduled for 2Q 2010. In addition, Odfjell Drilling in cooperation with Metrostar has two drillships under construction in South Korea for delivery in 2011.
Sea Dragon, Vantage enter rig management agreement
Sea Dragon Offshore has issued Vantage Drilling Co. a management agreement for one of its two deepwater semisubmersible drilling rigs, with an option to include the second unit. The rigs are designed to drill in up to 10,000 ft (3,048 m) of water to 30,000 ft (9,144 m) deep. Pursuant to the management agreement, Vantage will receive fees during the construction phase of the project plus performance-based completion incentives. During the operations phase, Vantage will receive xed and variable daily fees. Analytics rm Pritchard Capital Partners expects the arrangement could amount to about $5 million/rig/year to Vantage. Mosvold Drilling and Hercules Offshore have entered into a similar arrangement, according to a Raymond James research report. Mosvold has two newbuild jackups and will pay Hercules a marketing fee once it secures contracts, as well as of Transocean and Ken Childress. PETRORIG I set to sail management fees to run the rigs once they Sembcorp Marines Jurong Shipyard has completed turnkey con- have been delivered, the report says. struction of PETRORIG I, the rst of four semisubmersible drilling James projects Hercules could gross at least $4 million in 2010 from rigs for Larsen Oil & Gas. The rig was scheduled to be delivered in these fees. March for a ve-year charter with PetroSuperior Energy bras America in the US Gulf of Mexico. adds to eet The semi is a sixth-generation Friede Superior Energy Services has taken & Goldman Ex-D Millennium Class dedelivery of derrick barge Superior Pride. sign equipped with capacity to drill in The vessel is 400 ft (122 m) long, 100 up to 10,000 ft (3,048 m) of water in DP ft (30 m) wide, and 32 ft (9.8 m) deep, mode to 37,500 ft (11,430 m) total depth. and features an 880-metric ton (970-ton) Larsens PETRORIG II and PETROHuisman crane, full galley, and accomRIG III have secured ve-year charters modations for 360 people. as well, with Petrobras for work offshore The barge was delivered to Superior in Brazil and with Pemex for deployment Xiamen, China, where it was loaded onto offshore Mexico, respectively. the Dockwise submersible ship Trustee Deepsea Atlantic for a 30-day voyage to West Africa where moves to Norway it will be employed under a long-term The semisubmersible drilling rig Deepcontract. sea Atlantic has been handed over to OdMitsubishi, Petrobras fjell Invest. The rig will undergo sea trials to build drillship in Norway before it begins its four-year Mitsubishi and Petrobras have formed contract with StatoilHydro in May. a 50/50 joint venture company that will own a 10,000-ft (3,048-m) rated drillship. The $830-million vessel is scheduled for DSME shipyard in South Korea delivered delivery in June 2010 to an afliate of the semi Deepsea Atlantic to Odfjell following a 20-month construction period. Photo Schahin Engenharia for work in Brazil courtesy of Odfjell. and overseas.
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DRILLING & PRODUCTION
John Waggoner Houston
Brazils OGX launches drilling debut
once the rigs are delivered in September. Brazils largest independent oil and gas company in terms of offUpon completion of the rst two wells operated by OGX, we exshore acreage has launched its initial exploratory campaign. pect to begin drilling two additional prospects in the Campos basin Startup operator OGX raised $4.1 billion in last years initial public which will most likely begin towards the end of 2009 and continue offering despite the fact it has yet to produce any oil. The record- into early 2010. Our sixth well scheduled for 2009 will be in the Sansetting IPO set the stage for the rst serious local contender to com- tos basin and should start in November after we receive our third pete with heavyweights such as national oil company Petrobras. rig, says Landim. During Brazils ninth oil and gas licensing round, OGX acquired concession blocks covering approximately 7,000 sq km (1.7 million acres). Hoping to pursue additional growth opportunities, the company also has a farm-in agreement for a 50% participating interest in an exploration block in the Santos basin, totaling 6,800 square km (1.68 million acres). The acreage includes 21 high-potential exploratory blocks in the Campos, Santos, Esprito Santo, and Par-Maranho basins. Based on an appraisal by DeGolyer & MacNaughton, this acreage contains prospective resources of 20.180 Bboe and natural gas, and net risked prospective resources of 4.835 Bboe. The net risked prospective resources assume a 27% probability of exploratory success. However, the exploration team at OGX believes that the average success rate could be closer to 50%. Enthusiasm over these prospects has been (Above) Campos basin. (Below) Santos basin. buoyed in part by the composition of the companys management team, whose inuence and experience extend through the highest echelons of Brazils corporate and political spheres. Founded by Brazilian mega-investor Eike Batista, OGX has brought together top engineers selectively recruited from Petrobras, a management team with extensive experience in the energy industry, and a board of directors that includes two former energy ministers, one former nance minister, and one former president of Petrobras. We plan to drill 51 wells in the next four years in order to prove our oil and gas reserves while developing our initial discoveries, says CEO Rodolfo Landim. The company expects to begin drilling in Santos with partner Maersk Oil by the end of 2Q 2009. Drilling will begin on two wells in Campos
Milestones at a glance
In the past six months OGX has completed a 3D seismic campaign, hired four semis, chartered six vessels and two helicopters for logistical support, contracted an onshore base, acquired all critical drilling materials and built a state-of-the-art 3D visualization center. While the drilling program was accelerated ahead of its initial schedule, Landim says costs have been contained. Seismic: 3D seismic data shooting in the Campos and Par-Maranho basins was completed in December 2008. Seismic acquisition in the Esprito Santo blocks is seven months ahead of the original timetable. Existing 3D seismic data for Santos basin was enhanced for interpretation, which is scheduled to be complete by mid-2009 for the Campos, Santos, and Par- Maranho basins, while Esprito Santo will be ready by December 2009. Drilling rigs: OGX hired four semisubmersible rigs, three of them from Diamond Offshore and one from Pride Interna28 Offshore March 2009 www.offshore-mag.com
tional. Two rigs are starting in September 2009, another will begin in October, and the last one is scheduled to start in the beginning of 2010, but could start earlier. Logistics: So far OGX has chartered six vessels, five of which are being built in Brazil, and two helicopters to service rigs in Campos and Santos. Suppliers include Edison Chouest, Norskan Offshore, and Aerleo. OGX also secured with Briclog its onshore supply base in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Drilling services and equipment: All materials, services and equipment have been secured, including wellheads from Vetco, casing from V&M do Brasil, and drilling fluid from MI-SWACO. OGX has retained engineering services from Schlumberger and Halliburton, and casing running services from Franks International. 3D visualization: OGX built a state-of-the-art visualization center at their Rio de Janeiro headquarters to further enhance integration between teams of specialists, improve decision-making, and increase productivity.
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GEOSCIENCES
Gene Kliewer Houston
Asia/Pacic: New Zealand Oil & Gas Ltd. has contacted the Pacic Titan about running a 500-km (311-mi), 2D seismic survey over Petroleum Exploration Permit 51311 offshore Taranaki southwest of the Kupe development. The permit offshore New Zealand recently was awarded by Crown Minerals following NZOGs November 2008 Priority in Time application. The vessel is in area waters. The permit is for an initial ve years with evaluation to be done in the rst two years and a decision on drilling an exploration well is to come by the end of the second year. There are a number of separate closures formed by upper Miocene sands, eroded by submarine channels, which were then in-lled by younger mudstones, says CEO David Salisbury of NZOG. These mudstones may have formed an effective lateral seal, trapping oil and/or gas. Similar oil bearing structures are known to exist in the Sacramento Valley in California and in the Gulf of Mexico.
NZOG plans 500 km (311 mi) of 2D seismic data collection offshore New Zealand. Proposed lines are shown on this map.
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Africa: An ocean-bottom seismic program is planned for the Agbami eld offshore Nigeria. Star Deepwater Petroleum Ltd., a Chevron Nigeria Ltd. afliate and operator of Agbami, has agreed with SeaBird Exploration Ltd. and its local partner Sonar Ltd. for survey design and acquisition of seismic data. The Hugin Explorer is scheduled to collect data with Kondor Explorer as the source vessel. A CASE Abyss 4C autonomous seismic recording system will be used on the seaoor. Pre-survey geophysical modeling, nal contract terms, approvals, and survey start are expected to be complete in 2Q 2009. A 940-sq km (363-sq mi) seismic inversion program is under way on Jubilee eld offshore Ghana to integrate log and core data from Hyedua-1, Hyedua-2, Mahogany-2, Mahogany-2, and Mahogany-3 wells. The original seismic inversion we conducted for Kosmos Energy and partners was limited to the West Cape Three Points block and covered 150 sq km (58 sq mi), says Gareth Taylor, Rock Solid Images senior VP . However, with only the Mahogany-1 well as a calibration point, we successfully predicted the presence of pay in the Mahogany-2 and Mahogany-3 wells so we are condent we will be able to contribute substantively to a comprehensive appraisal and delineation of this world-class eld. Fugro Global Environmental & Ocean Sciences Ltd. has won two contracts for metocean work off the east coast of Africa. One contract covers current measurement in 5,577 ft (1,700 m) water depth off Tanzania for Ophir Energy. The second is a joint-industry metocean off Tanzania and Mozambique for StatoilHydro, Dominion Tanzania Ltd., Petrobras, Petronas, and Anadarko Energy. That study is in water depths from 3,609 ft (1,100 m) to 9,843 ft (3,000 m) water depth. Canamens is embarking on a round of exploration offshore Morocco following the award of contracts and agreements with Moroccos Ofce National Hydrocarbures et des Mines. Canamens says it will reprocess and acquire new 2D data in the Essaouira Shallow Offshore in water less than 500 m (1,640 ft) and based upon the results chose whether to convert the license into an exploration permit. In the Essaouira Deep Offshore area with water depths greater than 500 m (1,640 ft), Canamens plans to reprocess and acquire new 2D data with an option to extend into a 3D and drilling commitment. The acreages totals more than 11,000 sq km (4,247 sq mi) and Canamens holds 75% with ONHYM holding the remainder. Latin America: Reliance Industries contracted Waveeld Inseis and Discoverer 2 to conduct a seismic survey on Borojo Norte and
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EMaGS B
Borojo Sur blocks offshore Colombia, which was scheduled to be completed by now. The blocks are west of the country and cover 4,000 sq km (1,544 sq mi) with water depths to 1,500 m (4,921 ft). When it took the lease, Reliance planned to spend as much as $50 million over 18 months including two wells on each block. Borders & Southern has reviewed its 3D survey over 1,492 sq km (576 sq mi) offshore the Falkland Islands. The company says it plans additional interpretation of the data. Work to date highlights three fairways: a Lower Cretaceous, Upper Cretaceous/Lower Tertiary, and Tertiary. The Lower Cretaceous play fairway comprises sandstone reservoirs within tilted fault blocks and submarine fans. The Upper Cretaceous/Lower Tertiary structural play fairway comprises sandstone reservoirs within major structural closures measuring up to 150 sq km (58 sq mi). The Tertiary seismic amplitude supported play fairway comprises Tertiary deepwater distributary sandstone reservoirs partly stratigraphically trapped within structural closures. Borders & Southern says there is evidence of hydrocarbon generation and migration, including a chain of ve anticlines with gas hydrates located above the crests or slightly displaced on the asymmetrical limb of the folds. There also are multiple seismic amplitude anomalies over the area. Petrobras and Schlumberger have signed a technological cooperation agreement for pre-salt reservoir research and development. Included under the agreement are four research projects: Electromagnetic technologies to improve deep reservoir characterization Seismic data analyses technologies, also to improve reservoir characterization Nuclear magnetic resonance technologies, aimed to characterize complex reservoirs H2S electrochemical sensors. Additionally, six other projects are still under negotiation. The agreement will be in effect for three years, and can be renewed for an equal term. Petrobras foresees it will invest some $10 million in the projects. The agreement will also establish the Schlumberger research center on the Fundo Island in Brazil during 2010. Gulf of Mexico: TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co. says it has completed several multi-client projects to evaluate hydrocarbon potential in the central GoM prior to the scheduled March lease sale. The Stanley 3D survey is the rst multi-client reverse time migration project in the Gulf. TGS also completed an anisotropic Kirchhoff depth migration for Deep Resolve and Sophies Link 3D surveys. The anisotrophic work ties into more than 800 well logs, according to the company. CGGVeritas has won a long-term contract for wide-azimuth and 4D reservoir surveys from BP in the GoM. The contract runs into 2010.
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www.offshore-mag.com March 2009 Offshore 31
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GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS
New seismic company, vessel plans highlight survey

Acquisition technology drives changes in industry practice
Gene Kliewer
Technology Editor, Subsea & Seismic
he feature of the 2009 Seismic Vessel Survey is the entrance of Polarcus onto the list of companies. That also brings the list of new vessels for 2009 and beyond to eight Polarcus has three scheduled for delivery this year and three for delivery in 2010 while WesternGeco has two scheduled for this year. Additions and deletions of vessels to the list bring the total number accounted for to 173, compared with 169 on the 2008 tally. This is an increase of four vessels, or slightly less than 2.5%. Launched in 2008, Polarcus is investing in a seismic eet of high-end 3D and multipurpose 3D/source vessels. The company says it expects to operate worldwide providing towed marine contract acquisition services and multi-client projects. The rst 12 streamer 3D vessel is scheduled to be operational in 3Q 2009, with all six vessels fully operational within 2010. Headquarters is in Dubai. We have a pure play strategy focusing on the marine towed streamer seismic acquisition business, coupled with a strong commitment to minimize our environmental impact in the performance of our work, leaving the lowest possible environmental footprint, the company says. WesternGeco will bring its vessel total to 22 with the addition of the Columbus and Magellan scheduled this year. That total puts WesternGeco at the top of the vessel count by company. Second is CGGVeritas with 20 followed by Global Geophysical and PGS Marine both with 16. One merger currently being conducted involves CGGVeritas acquisition of Waveeld Inseis. At this writing, CGGVeritas was in the process of acquiring the last remaining shares of
(Top) Polarcus Nadia and Naila both are Ulstein SX124 design 12-streamer, 3D vessels and will resemble this rendering. (Middle) Western Spirit, a Q-Marine vessel equipped with DSC (Dynamic Spread Control), the automated vessel, source, and streamer steering technology. (Below) Global Geophysical Tiny Tune designed for shallow water surveys.
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When its a question of acquisition services...
... Ask Fugro
Fugro-Geoteam combines the latest in proven technology and state of the art vessels to provide world class solutions.
SAFE - RELIABLE - EFFICIENT

Steerable streamer technology available on all 3D vessels.
Meet us at TUROGE 2009 Ankara, Turkey 11-13 March 2009
For details please contact Fugro-Geoteam.

Oslo +47 22 13 46 00 Houston +1 713 369 5858 Perth +61 8 9481 2043 www.fugro-geoteam.com
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GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS
Waveeld which it did not purchase following a voluntary offer. Upon completion of the merger, the resulting company will have 28 vessels, the largest eet among seismic survey contractors. Some changes in vessel construction plans hinge on timely completion of construction. It also is possible that some construction and renovation could be canceled owing to the world nancial market conditions now as compared to the circumstances at this time last year. As an illustration, Petroleum Geo-Services ASA (PGS) last year responded to speculation regarding vessel construction by discussing termination rights in contracts for newbuilds 532 and 533 at Factorias Vulcano, Spain, and the related contracts governing the charter parties between Arrow and WesternGeco. After amendments made in 2008, the shipbuilding contracts with the yard set delivery of Nov. 30, 2008, and March 31, 2009. If either 532 or 533 were delayed more than 120 days, Arrow would notify WesternGeco that Arrow has a right to terminate the shipbuilding contract with the yard. WesternGeco then could either choose to terminate the charter party with Arrow or instruct Arrow not to terminate the shipbuilding contract. Further, if either or both of the construction contracts were canceled due to late delivery, Arrow would receive repayment from the yard of all investments made to that date. The nature of the surveys undertaken today is changing. According to WesternGeco, recent advances in processing capabilities are allowing sophisticated seismic data migration methods to become standard practice. Dave Nichols, Houston-based research director, says improvements in imaging are taking advantage of the increases in computer capacity that enable imaging techniques that are closer to the ideal wave equation. They also benet from new acquisition geometries that extend the frequency bandwidth and offset and azimuth range of recorded data. New acquisition geometries such as wideazimuth, multi-azimuth, rich-azimuth, and Coil Shooting single-vessel full azimuth acquisition increase illumination of the subsurface from a wider range of angles and azimuths. These techniques enhance the accuracy of the inversion of seismic data for Earth properties. In addition, increasing the frequency bandwidth by lowering the minimum frequency of seismic sources has improved steep-dip imaging and overall resolution. Migration techniques that honor the actual physics of wave propagation are an important factor in improving image quality, Nichols continues. There are two main trends active here: reverse-time migration and anisotropy. Both have been studied for many years, but only now are adequate computer resources available to make use of these tools in an integrated approach of imaging and Earth prop-
erty determination. In the future, the industry will have to go beyond correctly positioned images and deliver estimates of absolute Earth properties. In a traditional compressional-wave, or Pwave, workow, this process has been split into two parts: acoustic-imaging algorithms that yield accurate Earth reectivity and elas-
tic reectivity inversion that provides a model of the Earth properties. We will continue to ride the wave of computer power, Nichols says. When I joined the company almost 15 years ago, we were at 10s of megaops. We have seen a million-fold increase in computer power. I expect to see another thousand times increase before I retire.
Discover the New Fugro Gravity & Magnetic Services.

Now, the full spectrum of potential eld products and services is available from a single source: Fugro Gravity & Magnetic Services. Fugro Gravity & Magnetic Services has more than 50 years of land, marine and airborne oil and gas exploration experience, providing geologic solutions, enhancing seismic data and improving drilling efciency. And, all delivered by 600 professionals around the world. For cost-effective exploration risk reduction, depend on Fugro Gravity & Magnetic Services, a whole new center of gravity and magnetic services.
Gravity Inspired. Magnetically Inclined.
www.fugro-gravmag.com/solutions
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Worldwide Seismic Vessel Survey
BGP, P.O.Box 11, Zhuozhou Hebei, 072751 P.R.China

BGP Atlas BGP Pioneer BGP Researcher BGP Surveyor Caspian Kyra 2007 2006 2007 2007 1970 64.7 83.7 68.5 68.5 36 100 84 90 67 87 97 84 81 58 65 76 98 121 90 93 93 93 93 105 68 81 79 60 50 78 66 77 81.5 81.8 81.8 55 65 76 67 20.75 37 45.7 37 40 52 82 121 75 77 100 100 70 82 92 73 72.5 72.6 70 19.5 13.8 13.8 7 29 19 24 13 18 18 17 18 12 19 14 19 23 15 22 22 22 22 26 16 13.4 13.4 15 12.5 11 16 14.8 14.8 14.8 11 9.75 16.5 13.4 5 9 11.6 9 10 12 15 26 16 17 28 28 17 20 19 11.6 13.8 11.8 12.6 14 x 960 8 x 960 12 x 960 1 x 960 8 x 960 6 x 960 6 x 960 8 x 960 2 x 960 4 x 480 3 x 320 8 x 960 12 x 960 4 x 960 10 x 960 8 x 960 12 x 960 8 x 960 12 x 960 4 x 480 3 x 360 4 x 360 2 x 480 2 x 240 6 streamers 2 x 360 4 x 480 1 x 7,680 4 x 1,440 1 x 960 Radio Tel. Radio Tel. Z-3000 Radio Tel. Radio Tel. 1 x 48 1 x 48, 1 x 96, 2 x 48, 4 x 8, 6 x 6 1 x 48, 1 x 96 1 x 48 1 x 48, 1 x 96 1 x 12,000 10 x 8,000 6 x 4,000 6 x 9,000 14 x 6,000 12 x 8,000 6 x 4,000 8 x 6,000 8 x 6,000 m 1 x 120 1 x 240 1 x 120 1 x 120 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes PGS PGS 1 x 1,200 6 x 648 1 x 1,200 2 x 480 Yes Yes Yes Yes AF, MID E, FAR E AF, MID E, FAR E AF, MID E, FAR E AF, MID E, FAR E Caspian Sea Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide China, Asia, CIS China, Asia, CIS China, Asia, CIS China, Asia, CIS China, Asia, CIS China, Asia, CIS China, Asia, CIS Worldwide Worldwide 2 x 4,840 2 x 4,960 2 x 4,740 1 x 3,000 2 x 4,670 2 x 4,820 2 x 3,930 2 x 4,500 2 x 3,200 2 x 3,840 2 x 3,080 2 x 4,940 2 x 4,740 2 x 3,840 2 x 5,260 2 x 5,260 2 x 5,260 2 x 5,260 2 x 5,260 2 x 5,260 2 x 3,000 2 x 3,000 4,075 2,040 3,660 2 x 3,660 4 x 4,200 6 x 2,920 4 x 2,940 OBS 4,140 4,330 dual 4,140 1,680 90-300 GI Guns 90-300 GI Guns 90-300 GI Guns 90-300 GI Guns 90-300 GI Guns 5,860 single source 4,300 dual source 2,620 dual source 4,300 dual source 4,500 dual source 4,500 dual source 4,300 dual source 3,460 dual source 4,000 dual source 140 140/1,000 140 140 1x12000 4 x 6000 x 100 1 x 7,950 14 x 6,000 x 75 8 x 6,000 x 100 12 x 7,200 x 100 1x 7,200 8 x 6,000 x 75 6 x 6,000 x 100 6 x 6,000 x 100 8 x 6,000 x 100 2 x 5,000 x 100 2 x 6,000 x 100 3 x 4,000 x 100 8 x 6,000 x10 12 x 6,000 x 100 4 x 6,000 x 100 10 x 8,100 x 100 8 x 8,100 x 100 10 x 8,100 x 100 8 x 8,100 x 100 10 x 8,100 x 100 4 x 6,000 x 100 2 x 3,400 1 x 3,000 2 x 3,400 1 x 9000 6 x 8,000 n/a 2 x 6,000
Caspian Geophysical, T. Aliyarbekov St. 9, 370005, Baku, Azerbaijan CGGVeritas, 1 Rue Leon, BP 32, 91301 Massy Cedex, France
Alize 1999 Amadeus 1999 Challenger 2006 Duke 1998 Fohn 1997 Harmattan 1997 Laurentian (leased from PGS) 2005 Orion 1997 Pacific Sword 2000 Pacific Titan 1998 Princess 2001 Search 2002 Symphony 2000 Venturer 2007 Viking 2006 Viking II 1999 Viking Vanquish 2007 Viking Vantage 2002 Viking Vision 2007 Voyager 2006 Bin Hai 511 Bin Hai 512 Bin Hai 517 Bin Hai 518 COSL 718 Nan Hai 502 Orient Pearl Akademik Fersman Orient Explorer Zephyr-I Fairfield Encounter Fairfield Endeavor Fairfield New Venture Fairfield Challenger Fairfield Speculator Geodetic Surveyor Seis Surveyor Universal Surveyor Albuquerque Fugro Enterprise Geo Arctic Geo Atlantic Geo Baltic Geo Barents Geo Caribbean Geo Celtic Geo Natuna Geo Pacific Hawk Explorer Seisquest Fugro Mercator Fugro Meridian Geo Prospector Fugro Discovery 1979 1979 1997 1995 2005 1980 1994 2006-2007 1995 2002 2001 2001 2004 2005 1996 1981 1976/ 1985 1980 1982 May 2007 1988/1997/2005 2000/2006 1998/2002/2006 2007 2008 2007 2006/2008 1998/2003/2006 1991/2001/2007 1979/1996 1982/1997 1970/1997 1997/2007
China Oilfield Services, Ltd., No.6 Dongzhimenwai Xiaojie Beijing 100027 P.R.C
Dalmorneftegeophysica (DMNG), 426, Mira Ave., Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, 693004, Russia
Fairfield Industries, 14100 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land, Texas 77478, USA
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Long-term charter Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes GOM GOM GOM GOM GOM GOM GOM GOM GOM GOM Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide NWECS NWECS EAME NWECS
Fugro GeoServices, 200 Dulles Blvd., Lafayette, Louisiana USA
Fugro-Geoteam AS, Hoffsveien 1 C, P.O. Box 490 Skyen, N-0213, Oslo, Norway
7.20 sq km 3.00 sq km 6.75 sq km 10.4 sq km 8.80 sq km 3.00 sq km 4.5 sq km 4.5 sq km
Fugro Survey Ltd., Denmore Rd, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen AB23 8JW, UK
OUR BUSINESS
SCAN Geophysical is geared to provide you with the industrys best value in 2D, 3D, and 4D marine seismic acquisition. SCAN has grown into a highly efcient, and exible service provider that you can rely on for the right solution at the right time.
HIGH-END 2D. - FULL SPECTRUM 3D & 4D. - LONG OFFSET. MULTI-PURPOSE VESSELS. - RELIABLE RESULTS.
SCAN Geophysical ASA
F
Maximum towable footprint (# cables x length (m) x width (m))

A
Vessel availability (Yes, No, or Exclusive contract)
Source array configuration as rigged (# arrays x capacity)
Total length (m)
Total beam (m)
Primary region
Streamer configuration (# streamers x # channels)
Year rigged or converted
Vessel name
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F
EMaGS B
Technical capability Acquisition capability
Onboard processing Seismic Satellite transmission to shore (company used and transmission speed baud #)
Shallow transition zone
Ocean bottom cable
Vertical cable
High density
Deepwater
Full data
Nav data
QC data
x x x x
x x
x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x
x >10 m >10 m >8 m >6 m >10 m >10 m x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x X X
VSAT 256k VSAT 128k VSAT 256k VSAT 128k VSAT 256k VSAT 128k VSAT 128k VSAT 512k VSAT 128k VSAT 128k VSAT 128k VSAT 512k VSAT 256k VSAT 128k VSAT 128k VSAT 128k VSAT 128k VSAT 128k VSAT 128k VSAT 128k
x x x x X X X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
NorSat NorSat Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes M-Sat 4800 M-Sat 4800 M-Sat 4800 M-Sat 4800 M-Sat 4800
Chartered to PGS Chartered to PGS
x x x x x
x x x x x
x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Norsat Norsat Norsat Norsat Norsat Norsat Norsat Norsat Chartered from Seabird. See Seabird Exploration below Norsat 7 7 7 7
x x x x
ACQUISITION
An expanding eet to match your expanding worldwide requirements.
w w w. s c a n g e o . c o m ______________
Notes
2D
3D
4C
F
A
F
EMaGS B
Fugro Searcher Geo Surveyor Sea Explorer Sea Proflier Sea Surveyor Sea Trident Ocean Seeker LEspoir Tridens 1 DIB 1 DIB 2 Global Longhorn Global Quest Global Vision James H. Scott Lori B Miss Ginger Ms. Cordelia Sea Diamond VIII Seapol One Soha Folk Super Transporter Te Wera Tiny Tune Tuhawiki GSI Admiral GSI Pacific Geofizik Geolog Dmitriy Nalivkin Professor Kurentsov OSS Gulf Supplier OGS Explora Atlantic Explorer Falcon Explorer Geo Atlantic Laurentian Nordic Explorer Ocean Explorer Orient Explorer Pacific Explorer Polar Explorer Ramform Challenger Ramform Explorer Ramform Valiant Ramform Vanguard Ramform Viking Ramform Sovereign Southern Explorer Nadia Naila Samur Selma Asima Alima Beulah Chouest (RXT 1) Bourbon (RXT 1) Caspian Marie (RXT 3)
2010 1981 1993/1994 1992 1998/1999 1984/1991/2006 1970/2000 1971/1996 1984/1991 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2005 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2005 2007 1998 1979/2005 1983 1991 1995
65.2 58 58.8 65.7 64.4 57.9 80.7 67.5 57.9 12.5 12.5 28.5 20 20 21 14.6 54.8 41.5 55 16.75 55 33.5 16.5 11.5 15 89.6 56.3 55.7 71.7 68.9 56.4
14 10.5 11 11 11.4 10.2 13 10.6 10.2 4.25 4.25 8 5.5 6.4 6.7 6 11.5 11.5 12 9 12 8.5 4.9 3.7 4.2 19 12 9.3 12.8 12.4 11.6 12.8 18 16.3 26 17 16.5 18
1 x 240 1 x 120 1 x 120 1 x 120 1 x 480 1 x 120 1 x 120 1 x 120 1 x 120
2010 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Spec Spec Contract Contract Contract Yes
tba Far East, Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide International International GOM, International India, International India, International GOM, International GOM GOM GOM, International India, International India, International India, International GOM India, International USA India, International Americas Americas Arctic, Northern Seas Arctic, Northern Seas Arctic, Northern Seas South America Worlwide inc. Antarctic
140/1,000 1 x 40, 1 x 80, 1 x 160 2 x 160 2 x 160 1 x 160 up to 1,950 2 x 160 1 x 160 1 x 160 1 x 160 OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable OBC Cable 4 x 6,000 x 300 1 x 7,200
Fugro Survey Pte Ltd, 32 Tuas West Road, Singapore 638387 Gardline, Endeavour House, Admiralty Rd., Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR30 3NG UK
Global Geophysical Serevices, 3535 Briarpark Dr., Houston TX, USA
3,000 channels
4 x 750
2 x 750
3,000 channels
1 x 640
GSI 400, 400 5th Ave. SW Calgary, Alberta, T2P 0L6, Canada
4 x 480 1 x 480 2 x 3,930 1 x 4,410
Marine Arctic Geological Expedition (MAGE)

1 x 480 1 x 480 3 x 240 1 x 96 6 x 480 1 x 640 10 x 480 6 x 480 6 x 480 6 x 480 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 1 x 3,410 1 x 6,000 1 x 6,000 3 x 3,000 x 200
Offshore Seismic Surveys, OSS, 13430 NW Freeway, Suite 800, Houston TX 77040
2 x 1,500 2 x 355 2 x 3,090 2 x 3,090 2 x 4,500 2 x 3,090 2 x 3,090 2 x 3,090 3.6 sq km N/A 5.4 sq km 3 sq km 3.6 sq km 3.6 sq km
OGS Italy, Borgo Grotta Gigante 42c, P.O. Box 2011, 34016 Trieste, Italy
1997 1994 1997 2006 2005 1993 1995 71.9 91.5 81.2 121 84 82 82
PGS Marine Geophysical, Strandveien 4, 1326 Lysaker Norway

Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide
1994 2008 1996 1995 1998 1999 1998 2008 2008 2009 2009 2009 2010 2010 2010 1982/1996 2004 1998
91.5 92 86.6 82 86.6 86.6 86.6 102 92 88.8 88.8 84.2 84.2 92 92 60 210
22 17 39.6 39.6 39.6 39.6 39.6 40 17 19 19 17 17 21 21 14 54.4
6 x 528 1 x 640 16 x 480 12 x 480 20 x 480 20 x 480 20 x 480 26 x 480
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 2009 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010
Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide
2 x 3,090 2 x 3,090 2 x 3,090 2 x 3,090 2 x 3,090 2 x 3,090 2 x 3,090 2 x 3,090 2 x 3,090 2 x 4,240 2 x 4,240 2 x 4,240 2 x 4,240 2 x 4,240 2 x 4,240 3 x 1340 cu in.
Polarcus, PO Box 283373, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

12 x 8,000 x 75 12 x 8,000 x 75 6 x 8,000 x 160 6 x 8,000 x 160 12 x 8,000 x 100 12 x 8,000 x 100 6 x 6,000 6 x 6,000 8 6-km VSO cables
RXT Reservoir Exploration Technologies, Lysaker Torg 5 A, PO Box 104, 1325 Lysaker, Norway
980 channels Yes Yes Yes
GEO SEARCHER
F

4.0 sq km N/A 6.6 sq km 6.6 sq km 6.6 sq km 6.6 sq km 6.6 sq km 10.4 sq m N/A
A
Total length (m)
Total beam (m)
Primary region
Vessel name
A
F
EMaGS B
Ocean bottom cable
Vertical cable
High density
Deepwater
Full data
Nav data
QC data
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x >10m >10m >10m >10m >10m >10m >10m x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x
VSAT (256) VSAT (256) VSAT (256) VSAT (128) VSAT (256) VSAT (128) Gardline 64k
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Recording vessel
Recording vessel
x x x x x
V-SAT V-SAT
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
NorSat
x x
V-SAT x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x 64k 56k 56k 56k 56k 56k 56k Chartered from DMNG. See Dalmorneftegeophysica (DMNG) above.
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x
56k 56k 56k 56k 56k 56k 56k
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x
x x x x x x
x x x x x x
VSAT VSAT VSAT VSAT VSAT VSAT
SCAN RESOLUTION
w w w. s c a n g e o . c o m ______________
Notes
2D
3D
4C
F
A
F
EMaGS B
Geofizik-1 (RXT 3) Ocean Pearl (RXT 2) Sanco Star (RXT 5) Sara Maatje II (RXT 3) Sara Maatje IX (RXT 3) Geo Searcher Scan Resolution Scan Stigandi Scan Empress Aquila Explorer Geo Mariner Harrier Explorer Hawk Explorer Hugin Explorer Kondor Explorer Munen Explorer Northern Explorer Osprey Explorer Akademik Lazarev Akademik Nemchinov Akademik Shatskiy Iskatel - 5 Professor Polshkov Professor Rjabinkin Discoverer Teknik Kembara Teknik Putra Bergen Surveyor Discovery 2 Geowave Champion Geowave Commander Geowave Endeavour Geowave Master Geowave Voyager Malene stervold Conti Geco Bluefin Geco Diamond Geco Eagle Geco Emerald Geco Searcher Geco Snapper Geco Tau Geco Topaz Geco Triton Gilavar Ocean Odyssey Western Delta Western Monarch Western Neptune Western Patriot Western Pride Western Regent Western Trident Western Spirit WG Columbus WG Magellan Q refers to Q-Technology
1989 2001 Q2 2008 1977 1994 2005 2006 2008 2009 2007 2001/2004 2007 2006 2007/2008 1984/1997 2007 1987/1998/2004 2006 1987/96 1988/97 1986/91 1989/97 1984/94 1989/95/2007 1980 1993 1995 1997/ 2006 1993 2007 2006 2008 2007 2008 2007 2005 1980 1993 1999 1992 1983 1997 1992 1992 1970 1981 2005 2007 1991 1999 1993 1991 1992 1999 1993 2009 2009
108.6
18 (combined source/cable vessel)
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 3Q 2009 PGS Yes PGS Fugro Geoteam Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 1-year charter Yes Yes Yes
Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide 1x 7,480 2x 4,000 2x 4,000 2 x 4,320 2 x 5,000 2 X 1,700; 3 X 1,995 1 x 4400 2 x 4400 2 X 5000 (client selectable) 2 x 5000 X 5,000 Bolt 2 X 5000 (client selectable) 4 x 4,258 6 x 7,874 6 x 6,444 4 x 3,000 4 x 3,800 2 x 2,280
8 6-km VSO cables 12 x 6,000 8 6-im VSO cables 8 6-km VSO cables N/A - 2D 4 x 6,000 x 100 4 x 6,000 x 100 10 x 8,000 x 1
SCAN Geophysical ASA, Raadhusgaten 23, 0158 Oslo, Norway

69.2 72.7 66.3 80 71 38.2 81 66 86 63.5 60 76 81 81.8 84 83.5 49.2 71.6 49.9 72 56.4 60 67 65.15 106.3 98 106.6 113 92.7 70 65 80 81 95 81 92 67 77 81 79 85 72 61 93 93 78 73 94 92.5 78 88 88 12.8 17 14.2 19.4 17.5 12.8 18.3 14.5 20 13.6 14 14 16 14.8 14.8 14.8 18.2 12.8 10.5 16.4 12.2 11 14.6 17.98 22.4 16.5 26.6 22.5 22 15 17 19 19 37 19 20 18 19 19 21 19 16 12 24 24 17 20 24 23 22 21 21 1 x 960 4 x 1,920 4 x 2,560 10 x 6,400 1 x 960 2 x 320 Source 1 x 960 Source 1 x 960 1 x 648 Source 1 x 696 4 x 408 1 x 640 1 x 324 1 x 480 2 x 480 120 ch 1,500 m GX600 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Asia Pacific Asia Pacific Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide 2 x 160
Sea Bird Exploration Nedre Vollgate 3, P.O. Box 1302, Vika 0112 Oslo, Norway
Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide Worldwide 2 x 3600 x 100
Sevmorneftegeofizika (SMNG), 17, Karl Marx St., 183025 Murmansk, Russia

1 x 8,000 4 x 5,000 x 450 2 x 4,000 x 100 1 x 4,000 1 x 6,000 2 x 6,000
Shanghai Offshore Petroleum Bureau CNSPC, 1225 Shangcheng Road Pu Dong, Shanghai TL Geohydrographics (TL Offshore, operated by SapuraCrest Petroleum), Tingkat 15, Menara 2, Faber Towers, Jalan Desa Bahagia, Taman Desa, Off Jalan Klang Lama, 58100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Wavefield Inseis AS, Damsgardsveien 163 B, N-5162 Laksevag, Norway

2 x 480, 1 x 960 960 12 x 720 6 x 720, 8 x 480 16 x 720 12 x 720 12 x 720 2 x 480, 1 x 960 2 x 3,200 2 x 3,200 8 x 480 12 x 640 8 x 480 8 x 2,560 4,400, 2 x 2 sub-arrays 1 x 4,000 dual 3,500, 2 x 3 sub-arrays dual 3,500, 2 x 3 sub-arrays dual 3,500, 2 x 3 sub-arrays dual 3,500, 2 x 3 sub-arrays dual 3,500 2 x 3 sub-arrays dual 3,500, 2 x 3 sub-arrays 2 x 6,000 x 100 1 x 12,000 12 x 9,000 x 825, 10 x 9,000 x 900 8 x 6,000 x 700 16 x 9,000 x 1,125m 12 x 9,000 x 825, 10 x 9,000 x 900 12 x 9,000 x 825, 10 x 9,000 x 900 2 x 6,000 x 100
WesternGeco, Schlumberger House, Buckingham Way, Gatwick Airport, West Sussex, RH6 0NZ UK
8 x 1,920 10 x 720 6 x 480
12 x 2,560 12 x 2,560 8 x 480 20 x 1,920 12 x 2,650 16 x 315 10 x 1,920 12 x 3,200 12 x 3,200
6 x 1,695 8 x 1,695 6 x 1,695 8 x 1,695 6 x 1,695 6 x 1,695 6 x 1,695 8 x 1,695 6 x 1,695 8 x 1,695 8 x 750 sleeve 8 x 1,695 8 x 1,695 6 x 1,695 sleeve 6 x 1,695 8 x 1,695 sleeve 8 x 750 sleeve 8 x 1,695 sleeve 6 x 1,695 6 x 1,695
8 x 6,000 x 700 12 x 8,000 x 1,100 8 x 6,000 x 700 8 x 8,000 x 700
8 x 6,000 x 700 10 x 9,000 x 900 6 x 6,000 x 500
12 x 8,000 x 1,100 12 x 8,000 x 1,100 8 x 6,000 x 700 10 x 6,000 x 900 12 x 8,000 x 1,100 10 x 7,000 x 1,100 10 x 6,00 x 700 12 x 10,000 x 1,100 12 x 10,000 x 1,100
SCAN STIGANDI
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VSAT VSAT VSAT VSAT Inmarsat C NorSat C Inmarsat C Inmarsat C Inmarsat C KU Band Inmarsat C NorSat C Inmarsat C 64k 64k 64k 64k 9.6k 2D/Source. Charter to PGS. Charter to PGS. Time charter to Fugro-Geoteam. SeaBed Source only. 2D/Source.
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VSAT Telenor 256k VSAT Telenor 256k VSAT Telenor 256k VSAT Telenor 256k VSAT Telenor 256k VSAT Telenor 256k VSAT Telenor 256k VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+ VSAT 128K+
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S P E C I A L R E P O R T: M E D I T E R R A N E A N
Eastern Mediterranean Tamar discovery reveals potential gas-rich play in Levantine basin
Regional analogies also offer prospects for deeper oil
est results from a gas discovery in the Levantine basin point to an emerging subsalt play. The deepwater well on the Tamar structure, 90 km (56 mi) offshore Haifa, Israel, encountered three productive reservoirs with thick sands in the Lower Miocene and net pay of more than 460 ft (140 m). Gas owed at a constrained rate of 30 MMcf/d over a limited section of the lowest reservoir, and operator Noble Energy believes a production rate of over 150 MMcf/d could be feasible. It claimed the nd could be the largest in its history, with a resource potential of around 5 tcf. The water depth of 5,500 ft (1,680 m) was also the deepest by far for any well to date in Israeli waters. Noble and its partners are set to retain the rig, the Atwood Hunter, for two more wells. The rst would be on Dalit, another Tertiary/Lower Miocene subsalt prospect in 4,500 ft (1,372 m) of water in the Michal permit, 28 mi (45 km) offshore, which is already covered by 3D seismic. The second well would be a step-out on Tamar, in the Matan license. Further gas nds would help ease Israels energy concerns. The countrys sole production comes from the Mari-B eld in shallow water off the southern coast. The Gaza Marine discovery has yet to be put into production. Otherwise, the only external source of gas is a pipeline from Egypt, but throughput has been subject to interruptions. In recent years, Houston-based Noble and local company Delek Drilling have been the mainstays of Israeli E&P. Prior to Tamar, there had been no exploration drilling for several years, but
Jeremy Beckman
Editor, Europe
more recently other companies have picked up offshore concessions. These include Israeli junior PetroMed, which last year converted two deepwater exploration permits in the Levantine basin to drilling licenses (Sara and Myra) both a short distance from the Matan license. The company also operates an adjoining exploration permit (Benjamin). PetroMeds interpretive studies of exist-
ing geological and seismic data since 2005 indicated strong potential for thermogenic gas, and for condensate and oil at deeper levels. The companys acreage is close to the Tamar discovery and on trend with the Dalit structure. PetroMed also has found strong indications of deeper lying, light Jurassic oil, based on wells closer to the Israeli coast and via geological analogies with recent ultra deep discoveries in the Nile Delta to the south.
Hibernia look-a-like
The company describes its mission as to discover, drill, develop, and deliver oil and gas to Israel, with a focus on offshore targets. It was formed in 1999, originally as a Nevada-based corporation, by nancial and management consultant Hagai Amir. Four years later in Calgary, he and Russell Koch were introduced to the late Donald Axford, a Canadian geologist credited with nding the Hibernia eld off Newfoundland. Axford believed he had seen another Hibernia on seismic offshore Israel. AJ Amir is chairman and CEO of PetroMed, supported by nance director Koch, who is based in Seattle. Other board members include Arlon Tussing, a former chief energy adviser to the US Senate and now energy consultant for the World Bank and Deutsche Bank. The companys exploration team of experienced geologists and geophysicists, all based in the UK, are headed by exploration manager David Peace. The team is complemented by external consultants RPS, providing assistance with 3D survey design and specialized data reprocessing, and Aberdeen-based contractors to help with early well planning. For much of his exploration career Peace has worked in the greater Mediterranean region. He worked in Milan for Agip and Penn Geophysical, and headed an interpretation team of eight
The Atwood Hunter will shortly drill the Dalit structure, another gas prospect, in shallow water closer to the Israeli coast.
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S P E C I A L R E P O R T: M E D I T E R R A N E A N
geologists and geophysicists for Agip reviewing much of the Italian offshore region and the Po Valley. In the 1990s, he was Texacos exploration manager, based in Rome, and a director of Texaco Italiana Spa. After leaving Texaco in 1998, Peace was an independent exploration consultant and conducted a regional evaluation of the entire Eastern Mediterranean based on Spectrums regional seismic grid of 25,000 line km (15,534 mi). Spectrum had a regional seismic grid around Cyprus and Lebanon, he explains, based on a reprocessed speculative survey originally acquired in 1975. This data was a wide-spaced regional survey from southern Turkey to the eastern Nile Delta, and covered the thrust zone between Anatolia and North Africa one of the major continental margins and it revealed a very attractive new play. The old data had imaged the entire Levantine basin, which had not really been explored by any of the countries in the region. Due to recording limitations, they had only recorded the rst ve to six seconds of data hence also seeing only the top of the basin. However, when Spectrum acquired its 20,000 km (12,427 mi) of new seismic in 2001-2002, it recorded down to 12 seconds, which allowed us to see the deeper part of the basin. The only prior wells in the area were off southern Turkey and had led to some small discoveries in the Iskendrun basin. Spectrums new seismic provided a more detailed 2D grid over offshore southern Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Israel, Gaza, and the outer fringes of Egypt, and was designed to promote licensing rounds in these countries. In 2001, when the surveys were being acquired, the Lebanese government was in talks about a rst offshore round, but this never came about at the time. Cyprus also considered staging a round, although this did not take place until 2007-08. To date, Peace adds, there has been no offshore drilling either in Syria or Cyprus, and only one well offshore Lebanon. Onshore Cyprus, which is the epicenter of the collision zone with Africa, is one of the toughest to interpret geologically in the world, but we see the sedimentary plays on the fringes of the Levantine basin as very interesting. In late 2002, Peace began evaluating Spectrums entire database for the eastern Mediterranean region, concluding the program in fall 2003. The results looked very promising: In the Levantine basin, including the Latakia thrust zone in the north, we identied some very interesting structural patterns which showed a lot of individual
seismic leads, from small closures to much larger simple structural traps.
Southerly analogy
To the south in the Nile Delta, exploratory drilling began in earnest in the late 1990s. British Gas started nding gas in channel sands in the shallow Pliocene section above the deeper Messinian salt layer that covers much of the Mediterranean, says Peace. Later, they followed similar channel features up the eastern Mediterranean coast to make further biogenic gas nds off Gaza and southern Israel. At that time I was with Texaco and to us, the whole area looked rather gas-prone in the early days. Later on, however, the focus of Nile Delta exploration switched to drilling through the Messinian salt zone, and over the last few years companies have found not just biogenic gas of shallow origin, but also deeper thermogenic gas and, more recently, condensate and oil 4.5 km (2.8 mi) down in the high-pressure/high-temperature zone. So the message is clear: biogenic gas in the shallow section, but thermogenic gas, condensate and free oil in the deeper pre-salt section, a situation we believe exists in the Levantine basin as well. From our evaluation of the Spectrum regional data, we can see that the Levantine basin has some characteristics and geological conditions similar to the Nile Delta (although not at all identical) and which extend into PetroMeds licenses. Inshore from our blocks, two older wells have already tested 800 b/d of light Jurassic oil from deeper lying Jurassic strata underlying our permits. These excellent oil shows are almost certainly the result of migration from the deeper parts of the basin to the west, and provide further evidence for an active thermogenic hydrocarbon system in the deeper part of the Levantine basin, in part mirroring what we see off Egypt.
Exploratory leads
Following initial contact and dialogue with the Geophysical Institute of Israel near Tel Aviv, PetroMed submitted its initial technical presentations for its permit areas to the Ministry for National Infrastructure in Jerusalem early in 2006, and these were granted later that year. Initial evaluations continued to conrm the potential of the areas, and last year the company opted to convert the permits to three-year drilling licenses. The Sara and Myra licenses both cover 400 sq km (154 sq mi). Peace and his team so far have identied two large prospective lead areas, one in each license, in water depths of around 1,100 m (3,609 ft). One is a thick four-way dip closure from Tertiary to Jurassic, which is on trend with the Dalit
structure in the adjacent Noble-operated permit. The second prospect is a potential reef growth on top of an older high, which is in turn overlain by potential Cretaceous and Tertiary reservoirs, as conrmed in Tamar. The company has a letter of agreement for a 3D seismic vessel, and aims to start acquiring 3D over the two license areas by midyear, followed by detailed processing and pre-stacked depth migration of the data. We will do the interpretation ourselves, Peace says. Were happy that the structures are there from the 2D data, so the main purpose of the 3D seismic is to conrm internal geological detail within each of the structures to allow us to optimize future drilling locations. We need 3D data primarily to dene these structures in greater detail we can see anomalies within them that cannot be resolved by 2D seismic. Thereafter, we plan to select our best drilling locations and be ready to spud our rst well within two and a half years from now. At the same time, it is also a case of getting partners on board to share the well costs. According to Hagai Amir, PetroMed has been in open dialogue with several major oil companies in this regard. At this time, he says, we are open to offers from potential new nancial partners and strategic partners from the industry. Ideally, the partner we would prefer would be an established international oil and gas company with signicant drilling and operational experience. PetroMed is currently operator of all three licenses and permits for all technical work up to the initial well spud, but we would welcome specialized geophysical technical assistance from suitably experienced new partners as well. As we are only a small company, we would also prefer that a more experienced oil company partner would operate as we enter the actual drilling phase. Water depths in the two drilling permits extend to 1,500 m (4,921 ft). Both carry initial three-year terms, but in the event of a discovery, these can be renewed for a further four years for appraisal drilling, and 25 years for subsequent development and production. The work obligations for the adjoining, 18-month exploration permit include geological studies and 2D seismic. Our long-term ambition, says Amir, is to build a stronger and stronger exploration position, work up opportunities that will attract further industry partners, and see them developed while retaining an interest therein. In time the company may also consider venturing outside Israel to explore other opportunities, but the recent discovery of Tamar has conrmed our belief in the region, and we are very happy with our current acreage.
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SUBSEA
Subsea boosting, processing sustain momentum

Advances, new applications create opportunities
his article addresses the progress made through the application of subsea processing, separation, and boosting technologies in the past year. Maintaining the momentum from a number of recent/ current subsea processing installations, development programs and project applications continue to provide the industry with new technical advancements and opportunities, and some challenges, too. Operators continue to initiate and to fund studies into boosting, separation, compression, and power delivery and distribution when developing new elds. In an attempt to capture the full value of subsea processings technical and economic advantages, operators are taking the lead in eld development. An increase in overall condence towards subsea processing packages is the result of ongoing development and the success of current systems. Operators appear more open to investigation and development of project-specic equipment, and now ask more questions about economics and application details rather than voicing previous concerns about risk and reliability. INTECSEA has completed multiple proprietary Gulf of Mexico projects which carried subsea processing solutions through the conceptual and pre-FEED stages. Each project performed detailed studies into the current industry offerings; identifying current hardware while also planning the development of future complementary technologies required for the entire system. For example, identifying the optimal type and size of a subsea pump for an application is only half the battle. If the necessary wet-mate electrical connectors and penetrators are not available, the pumps have to wait.
Michael Padilla
INTECSEA
Reasons for subsea compression, boosting, water injection, separation

COMPRESSION
Increase subsea tieback distance Improve flow assurance issues Eliminate offshore platform(s) ENABLER: The field could not be developed economically and/or technically (i.e. - Gas tieback under ice in Artic regions)
BOOSTING
Reservoir advantages Increase ultimate recovery by lowering abandonment pressure Enable oil recovery from low-pressure reservoirs Enable oil recovery of low-quality fluids Production advantages Increase production rate by reducing flowing wellhead pressure Reduce opex by reducing recovery time (shorten life of field) Offset high-friction pressure losses in flowline due to fluid viscosity Offset elevation head pressure loss Facilities advangages Longer subsea tiebacks
WATER INJECTION
Eliminate topsides water injection equipment Eliminate water injection flowlines
See the 2009 Subsea Processing poster in this issue.

As the primary subsea processing disciplines (separation, boostng and gas compression) are applied to projects ing, projects, evolution of the drivers for each of the disciplines continues. Stated advantages are being complemented with new drivers as necessity breeds development. This is evident in the BP King and StatoilHydro Tordis projects, as both have dealt with unplanned interruptions during the rst few months of operation. Yet these interruptions are viewed as progress towards more efcient solutions; a necessary step in the evolution of the technology. During the Subsea Boosting and Processing Joint Industry Project conducted by INTECSEA in 2007, operators voiced the realization that unforeseen problems were more likely in the rst two years than the following three to ve years. That is, problems are identied and solved in the early part of application life so operations are much more trouble free after that. The same concept applies to technologies in general. As problems are identied and solved, future applications should be much more reliable. Subsea boosting continues to pave the way for the other subsea processing disciplines in its development and experience. While Framo continues to develop its Hybrid and High Boost pump technology to combine the benets of helicon-axial and centrifugal pumps for Pazor, the Camforce joint venture of Cameron, Curtiss-Wright, and Leistritz anticipates results from the pending Marlim twin-screw pump installation. Keeping pace, Aker Solutions continues to develop its new semi-axial pump technology to rival the Framo offerings, while Bornemann and Flowserve continue to advance the technology of twin screw designs, including Flowserves future target offering of a 5-MW pump system.
SEPARATION SEP
Min Minimize topsides water handling Hydrate control by removing liquids from gas stream Hyd Increase hydrocarbon production volume Incr Decrease total boost system power requirements Dec Accelerate and/or increase recovery Improve flow management, flow assurance Reduce capex on topsides processing equipment and pipelines Improve economics of field with low GOR, high viscosity, low permeability
COURTESY OF INTECSEA AND BHP BILLITON
Schlumberger and Baker Hughes Centrilift continue to develop electrical submersible pump (ESP) technology. Centrilift expects successful installations offshore Brazil will continue to push the advancement of ESPs. Pending installations and operations include BC-10, Golnho, and Albacore Leste. Similarly, the Shell Perdido project aims to set the stage in the Gulf of Mexico by using ESP technology in 8,000 ft (2,438 m) of water with ve boosting packages. Looking further into the future, gas developments at Aasgard and Ormen Lange (both slated for 2012) still are on pace to establish new baselines in gas compression and power distribution technology. A project update for Ormen Lange is expected at the 2009 Subsea Tieback Forum in San Antonio, Texas. Effects that the current economic downturn will have on the industry cannot be quantied, but it has not yet prevented operators from investigating, developing, or committing to continued development of subsea processing technology.
To continue this conversation, contact INTECSEA by e-mailing ssp@intecsea.com.
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For critical welds, the right product is crucial.

ESAB Seismic Certied ller metals.
When it comes to structural fabrication, ESAB Seismic Certified products deliver the strength you need to get the job done. + Meet AWS D designator requirements + Excellent welding option for when FEMA 353, D1.1 or D1.8 is utilized + Let our experts determine the best solution for your application + Your satisfaction is guaranteed by ESAB the welding authority Get started today. Visit esabna.com/seismic for a brochure, and well even send you a free do-rag.
Atom Arc + Dual Shield + Coreshield + Spoolarc esabna.com/seismic + 1.800.ESAB.123
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Houston
For continuous news & analysis www.offshore-mag.com
March 2009
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PORT FOURCHON SUPPLEMENT

Deepwater activity stays the course amid pullback
uoyed by deepwater activity that shows no sign of drying up anytime soon, Port Fourchon is sidestepping the economic malaise gripping most of the nation and is not just coping, but ourishing. While cash-strapped independents operating on the continental shelf have pulled back appreciably, the bread and butter for Port Fourchon is the deepwater, where it functions as the primary support base for more than 90% of existing projects. According to a recent Minerals Management Service (MMS) study, that bread and butter is in no danger of going off the shelves in the foreseeable future. In early 2009, the federal agency listed 59 pending deepwater projects in the Gulf of Mexico, which is in addition to the 33 wells currently being drilled in deep and ultra deepwater. Factoring in the 135 deepwater elds already developed, there are nearly 230 deepwater projects in need of products and services owing from the port. The ports daily trafc count appears to conrm that the global recession has not yet made its way into Port Fourchon, the southernmost port in Louisiana, strategically nestled on 1,300 acres at the mouth of Bayou Lafourche in Louisianas southernmost parish of Lafourche. Interestingly enough, our daily trafc count in January (2009) was 13% higher than it was in January 2008. So, as you can see, our activity level certainly hasnt diminished here, says Ted Falgout, executive director of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission (GLPC), who will retire at the end of the year after 30 years at the helm of Port Fourchon. Today, more than 250 operators and service and supply companies, from international conglomerates to home-grown, family-owned enterprises, operate out of Port Fourchon. The ports director of Economic Development, Chett Chiasson, who will succeed Falgout in January, says that number promises to rise considerably as companies stand in line to acquire space being made available through the entitys aggressive northern expansion project. Weve been averaging about one new lease a month and as fast as we can build these new facilities, theyre taken, he says. The latest MMS report follows on the heels of an eye-opening study released in 2008 that examines the regional and national impact of a three-week disruption in oil and gas deliveries from the ports jurisdiction. Considering that the Gulf of Mexico provides
Jim Redden
Contributing Editor
upwards of one-third of the nations domestic oil supply, with 80% expected to ow from the deepwater by 2010 when some new developments come on line, the ramications on US energy security of any supply interruption are momentous, the study concludes. Whats more, some 87% of the nations offshore gas production comes from the Louisiana outer continental shelf. Along with its impact on domestic production, Port Fourchon also is home to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), the only deepwater facility in the US capable of ofoading supertankers carrying imported oil. An estimated 13-15% of the imported oil entering the US market is delivered through LOOP, which also is connected to 50% of the nations rening capacity. The latest gures show LOOP handling more than 1 MMb/d of
Retiring Port Fourchon Executive Director Ted Falgout, right, and his successor, Chett Chiasson, at the ports Galliano headquarters.
imported crude along with 300,000 b/d of domestically produced oil. Taking all this into account, the study entitled Economic Impacts of Port Fourchon on the National and Regional Economies concludes any long-time disruption from a hurricane or other event would remove some 18% of the nations energy supply. Dr. Loren Scott of Loren C. Scott and Associates of Baton Rouge compiled the study, which was funded by the Louisiana Department of Economic Development. Based on an average 2006 oil price of $66/bbl, Scott concluded
Tanks for the fifth M-I Swaco drilling fluid plant in Port Fourchon are staged for installation at the new Gulf Offshore Logistics (GOL) facility.
Rally Point to keep information owing

The next time a hurricane or similar catastrophe strikes South Louisiana, communications for employees and companies operating out of Port Fourchon will continue unabated. By the start of the 2009 hurricane season, Port Fourchon will have its Rally Point network in place. It is designed to give employees and companies operating out of the port an uninterrupted communications system. Port Fourchon IT Director April Danos says the Web-based system will provide continual updates. During storms, people evacuate and we have no contact information for them. What this will do is allow us to communicate with them, advise them of what is happening at the port, and when they can return, she explains. The way it works is each facility and employee will receive access cards and a link where they can provide contact information in case they have to evacuate because of a storm. Danos says to further facilitate uninterrupted communications, the port is looking at establishing an off-site e-mail service that will provide a fail over should electronic communications at the port become inoperable. We also are looking at having a mobile communications trailer so the administrative offices and harbor police can be up and running immediately after a storm, she says.
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a three-week loss of service for any reason would equate to a national economic impact of $9.9 billion in lost sales, a loss of $2.9 billion in household earnings, and a drop of more than 77,000 jobs across the nation. Closer to home, the study estimated the economic impact of a supply disruption on the Houma Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Port Fourchon, to be $1.5 billion in lost business sales and a $350 million drop in household earnings. We have long felt that the impact of this corridor to our region and nation was huge, and now we have well-documented evidence that even our own estimates were understated. Port Fourchons signicance is growing every day, Falgout said when the report was released. The impact of even a comparatively shorter disruption was driven home in August and September of 2008 when hurricanes Gustav and Ike slammed into the southern Louisiana coast, temporarily shutting off production coming out of the port. It is estimated that as a result of Gustav and Ike, over $7 billion worth of oil and gas was made unavailable to the American public, Falgout said at the time. The Port is ramping up very quickly to play its role in recovery of the Gulf of Mexico energy industry.
VIH Cougar joins Port Fourchon helicopter eet

By April, Idaho-based VIH Cougar Helicopters will be flying out of a new hangar and passenger facility at South Lafourche Leonard Miller Jr. Airport. The company has been operating in the Gulf of Mexico since 2005 as part of an alliance with Pacific Helicopter Tours Inc. where it flew passengers for BP Americas. In October 2008, VIH Cougar completed its Part 135 Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) certification, allowing it to An artists rendition of the new VHI Cougar Helicopter fly passengers directly, says Gen- hangar and passenger facility at South Lafourche Leonard Miller Jr. Airport. eral Manager Bill McDonald. We will be conducting passenger flights for Heerema Marine beginning in the March/April timeframe and will also conduct flights for BP on an as-required basis. We also have hopes of securing more passenger contracts with Gulf operators, McDonald says. Additionally, VIH Cougar has a depth of experience in search and rescue and we plan to evolve into that role with the Sikorsky S92 by mid-summer. McDonald says the company plans to move into its new passenger facility by the end of March and into the new hangar by the end of April. Three 20-passenger Sikorsky S61 helicopters will be based at the airport with an additional S92 expected to join the fleet in June. VIH Cougar Helicopters claims it is the only such operator in the Gulf with 100% satellite-based tracking and voice communications. Consequently, it says there is no interruption of service or safety even during inclement weather. VIH Cougar Helicopters also operates from an office in Bellingham, WA.
Port, tenants expanding

Ramping up, indeed. In light of the most recent MMS calculation on the present and future growth of the deepwater oil and gas operations and expectations for 19 newbuild deepwater drilling rigs entering the Gulf of Mexico between 2010-2112, the optimism of port executives and tenants alike is easily justied, and both sides are responding accordingly. The port, which the Louisiana legislature created in 1960, is moving closer to completion of its 4,000-acre northern expansion project, which essentially would double the facilitys operational area. Port ofcials say they are close to completion of Phase 1 north of the E-Slip development that comprises a 700-acre (2.8-sq km) site that includes 180 acres of non-waterfront property and 21,000 linear ft (6,400 m) of water frontage. Construction of 2,314 linear ft (705 m) of steel sheet pile bulkhead along Slip B is well under way, with an additional 1,800 linear ft (549 m) of bulkhead expected to be completed by the end of this year. Chiasson says 84% of the property included in the Phase 1 project already has been leased. Slip B is nearing completion. Right now, 4,100 ft (1,250 m) of bulkhead is under construction and another 1,425 ft (434 m) is in the planning stages. We also are working on permits for Phase 2 that will include the 7,000 ft long x 700 ft (2,134 m x 213 m) wide Slip C. We expect those permits any day now, Chiasson says.
A jackup works off the coast of Port Fourchon in aftermath of Hurricane Gustav.
Furthermore, Port ofcials say that when Lafourche Parish votes abolished the drilling rig ad valorem tax in 2004, it cleared the way for property within the northern expansion to become an attractive venue for the growing rig repair and refurbishment business. The South Lafourche Leonard Miller Jr. Airport, which came under the GLPC umbrella in 2001, likewise, is in the midst of a major expansion. The aireld, which the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) named Louisianas Airport of the Year in 2006, has completed the extension of its runway from 3,800 ft to 6,500 ft (1,158 m to 1,981 m), allowing it to accommodate midsize business jets. Since the (runway) expansion, weve see a big increase in jet trafc. Business jets used to make up about one-fourth of our total
trafc, but now its more like 50-50, says airport manager, Jason Duet, who adds that Edison Chouest Offshore is completing a hangar to house three of its jets. Duet says the airport also is looking at developing an industrial park, which would double available crew quarters and other facilities for offshore workers and those engaged in other local projects like the LA 1 highway construction. The companies operating out of Port Fourchon say the optimism of port executives is clearly justiable. The bottom line is, Port Fourchon provides quick access to the deepwater; so as long as there is an oileld in the Gulf of Mexico, this will continue to be the hub, says Karl Boffanie, manager of John W. Stone Oil Distributors.
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LA 1 coalition, levee district trying to get Washingtons attention

missaries of two prominent alliances in Lafourche Parish are trying to get the ear of Washington, but for entirely different reasons. While the LA 1 Coalition lobbies for a share of the US economic stimulus package to complete construction of the elevated highway, the South Lafourche Levee District is merely trying to convince the federal government that it, indeed, exists. In what threatens to cause nancial hardships to local residents and businesses alike, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says it intends to decertify the nearly 50-mi (80-km) levee that in 40 years has never sustained a breach, despite being slammed by some of the most active and powerful hurricane seasons on record. In the meantime, LA 1 Coalition Executive Director Henri Boulet says his group had been seeking up to $360 million from the near trillion-dollar stimulus package President Barack Obama recently signed into law, but that request has since been pulled off the table. As the coalition looks elsewhere than the federal government, Boulet says the federal stimulus nancing would have gone a long way to help ensure that the main stretch of the nearly $1.6-billion 47-mi (76-km) infrastructure improvement project now under way was completed by 2012 as planned. The federal funds would have been earmarked specically to complete the elevated eight-mile stretch north of Leeville to the Golden Meadow town limits. A major sticking point was the complicated appropriation formula that has states receiving a percentage of the total monies allocated for national transportation improvements. Boulets coalition pushed the Louisiana congressional delegation to encourage the federal government to dedicate the full $80 billion proposed earlier
for nationwide highway projects. That way, he says, the four-phase LA1 project has a better chance of landing its full requested amount than if it was forced to try to get a large share of a smaller pie. However, the nal stimulus package earmarks $27.5 billion nationally in highways funding to be disbursed through the US Department of Transportation (DOT)
Surface Transportation Formula. That translates into $308 million for Louisiana highways and complicating it even further, the package requires $109 million of highway monies be spent on transportation projects in urban areas. Because under state law the Louisiana Department of Transportation must have the full $360 million identied for the LA
(Above) Construction is well under way on the new LA 1 elevated roadway. (Below) The footing of the Leeville Overpass is engineered specially to resist collisions and strong tide flows.
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1 Projects Phase II in order to put the project out to public bid, consequently, the LA 1 Project has been taken out of consideration for this smaller-than-anticipated pot of money. Even if we received the entire state allocation, its simply not enough to do the project, Boulet says. He points out, however, that the coalition has an alternative federal route for the necessary funding. The funding option, he says, is linked directly to the highways federal designation as a High Priority Corridor, because of its strategic importance to the nations energy security. In addition, the US Department of Homeland Security and the Minerals Management Service (MMS) has named LA 1 a Critical Asset and Focal Point for OCS Activity, respectively. Our hope is that in a much smaller stimulus transportation program, another $1.5 billion from the DOT Secretary is available for him to disburse at his discretion under a competitive grant program that provides no state can get more than $300 million and that must be intended for projects of national signicance, which he is supposed to distribute equitably between rural and urban communities. We are in talks with the state Department of Transportation to allow the LA 1 Project to be Louisianas sole application to this program, because we do not think there is
a more signicant project to the countrys economy than the LA 1 Project is at this time, he says. As the only overland access to Port Fourchon, which is directly responsible for some 18% of the nations energy supply, no one disputes the need to replace the time-worn and ood-prone roadway. Owing to the billions of federal funds generated in OCS royalty revenue, the US Congress in 2001 made Louisiana 1 a High Priority Corridor one of only 44 highways in the nation to be so-designated. More recently, a Minerals Management Service (MMS)-authorized study revealed that only 2% of this High Priority Corridor was not in need of improvement. The federal agency also estimated that ever-increasing deepwater activity will spur a 60% increase in trafc along the rapidly deteriorating highway, compared to a national trafc growth rate that averages 5% a year. Its been made pretty clear that if this highway gets washed out because of a storm, it will have a negative economic impact on the entire country, Boulet says. He added the project also has a leg-up in that the full Environmental Impact Statement has been completed and acquisition of remaining right-of-ways is well under way. In addition, not only is LA 1 widely rec-
ognized as Americas Energy Corridor, it provides the only hurricane evacuation route out of Port Fourchon. The existing sea-level highway repeatedly is closed to trafc even during less severe weather. The ramications are magnied during a hurricane, which Gary Ellis, for one, will be the rst to afrm. The general manager of Gulf Offshore Logistics (GOL), the newest company to set up shop in Port Fourchon, says the service and supply facility had just begun operations in August 2008 when Category Two Hurricane Gustov pummeled south Louisiana. Highway One was closed so we all had to stay here. We desperately need that new highway, he says. While the coalition awaits word on federal stimulus funding, construction is well under way, thanks to a combination of local and state funds. The coalition will celebrate a major milestone later this year with completion of the 4.4-mi (7.1-km) overpass toll way over Bayou Lafourche at Leeville. A major component of this phase of the project is replacing the 40-year-old and often inoperative Leeville lift bridge with a xed-level overpass that features a 72-ft (22-m) clearance. Closed often by high tidal ows and collisions, the existing Leeville bridge has long been cited as the weakest line in the LA 1 network. Based on the future trafc estimates
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New LA 1 construction timeline

Phase 1A: Construction of two-lane elevated highway south of Leeville to LA 3090 at Port Fourchon (6.8 mi). Completion target: 2011 Phase 1B & 1C: Construction of a fixed-span, high-level, two-lane overpass over Bayou Lafourche at Leeville, and associated interchanges and toll booths (4.4 mi). Completion target: 2009 Phase 2: Highway widening and upgrades from Port Fourchon to Grand Isle (8 mi) Construction of a two-lane elevated highway from Golden Meadow to Leeville (8.3 mi). Completion target: 2012 Phase 3: Construction of a four-lane, at-grade highway from Larose to US Highway 90 (19.5 mi). Completion target: 2017 Phase 4: Construction of an additional two lanes of elevated highway from Golden Meadow to Port Fourchon, including the Leeville Overpass, and upgrades to LA 1 from Fourchon to Grand Isle. (17 mi) Completion target: 2017
models and probabilities, but theres a lot of leeway in judgment and assumptions when youre doing modeling. What theyve done is take a few observations and default to models, but you need experts to interpret those, Curole says. Curole says the threatened decertication is ironic, considering the levee is the only one south of Intercoastal that has never breached even in the face of the massive storms that have hit the coast in
recent years. He added the importance of both the levee and the new LA 1 to the energy security of the area and nation cannot be understated. This is a working coast. We dont have any condos or beaches and we have some of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. The farmer in Iowa may never visit South Louisiana, but hell denitely feel the effects if fuel from here is cut off, he says.
weve seen, we estimate the tolls will allow us to retire all our (highway construction) bonds within 30 years, Boulet says. He says the phased construction approach allows portions of the project to be constructed as funding is made available. In addition, the roadway is designed to facilitate end-on construction methods to help protect sensitive wetlands and marshes wherever possible. Boulet added that concrete from the soon-to-be-disbanded Leeville bridge also will be crushed and used for wetlands restoration.
FEMA decertication ironic

Meanwhile, Windell Curole, general manager of the South Lafourche Levee District, says he is cautiously optimistic FEMA will rethink its decertication of the levee, which would decree new residents and businesses build as high as 14 ft (4 m) above sea level. Currently, construction in the levee district is authorized at elevations of 2 ft to 4 ft above sea level. The ring levee protects the towns of Golden Meadow, Larose, and Galliano, key support centers for South Louisianas offshore energy production. The problem arose when FEMA adopted new standards that increased the strength of 100-year storms for national ood insurance purposes. Were trying to work with FEMA. Were reviewing the ood elevation
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No job shortage in Lafourche Parish

n stark contrast to much of the US, in Lafourche Parish help wanted signs are as prevalent as the bayou and shrimp boats. While the national economy has slowed and people are losing their jobs, we havent seen the slow down here, says Danos & Curole Vice President of Domestic Operations Paul Danos. Job seekers recognize the need here and consequently weve had a great deal of interest from as far as Detroit, Florida, Oklahoma, and New York. The demand for workers is so strong the 62-year-old family-owned company, which provides supplemental labor and related services, recently constructed a second bunkhouse at its Larose headquarters to accommodate workers from outside the area. Danos says the most pressing needs include specialized disciplines such as offshore and onshore crane operators, I&E technicians, mechanics, logistical personnel, production operators, welders, project managers, and a wide range of maritime positions. He adds that the skill sets of any number of workers displaced from other industries as well as soon-to-be-discharged US military personnel can be transferred with specialized training and development to the offshore and the onshore support environments. Our core competency is in developing people. We can work with people with no experience in the oileld and put them through a comprehensive, hands-on training
It is impossible to drive down a roadway in Lafourche Parish without seeing help wanted signs.
and development program. In addition, every person we send to a customers operation has completed an intensive four-day training program that educates them in our safety culture and provides hands on, practical training for their work. That is a real asset to our customers. Some companies provide labor. We provide a service, adds Manuel Merlos, division manager Labor Services. In addition to providing a supplemental labor force, Danos & Curole provides Construction and Fabrication services and recently established a Coatings Division to paint and blast offshore platforms and onshore industrial structures. The company also created a Professional Safety Services Division offering a suite of enhanced services designed to provide clients a total safety and environmental management plan to reduce losses from employee injuries, property damage, and
environmental incidents. To properly match available personnel with a clients requirements, Danos & Curole also developed a personnel tracking software system. What this involves is matching the specications for the position the company is looking to ll with an individual who has the proper certications or qualications, says Paul Danos. Every employee in our system has a link to all of their training, certications, and skill levels. That way, the customer is assured we have sent the right person for a specic job. Danos & Curole says the key differentiator with its services is the focus on training and safety. According to the company website, Our commitment to training is a reection of our core values. Danos and Curole provides quality training to our employees through a well managed and documented process. Our training is designed to meet or exceed compliance standards set by government agencies, expectations of customer contracts, company best practices, and jobspecic skills. The company offers nearly 300 courses for employee development covering curriculums devoted to training in such areas as core compliance, DEVELOP Production Personnel, core initiatives, and DOT-OQ Leadership. Danos & Curole was recently awarded the Houma District 2009 Minerals Management Service SAFE Award and is a 2009 nominee for the MMS National SAFE award.
Work It! Grooming tomorrows workforce today

Jane Arnette makes no attempt to curb her enthusiasm when she discusses a program aimed at molding a new generation of workers for the southernmost parishes of Louisiana. The executive director of the South Central Industrial Association says the groups Work It! The Louisiana initiative has been a hit with students, teachers, and business leaders. Described as a creative marketing and recruitment plan to address current employment needs, the long-term goal is to educate students on job opportunities and salary expectations. The pilot program encompasses seven parishes, including Lafourche, Terrebonne, St. Mary, Assumption, St. John, St. James, and St. Charles. Arnette says Work It! Louisiana is motivated and executed by local businesses, with the total support of educational system. Others have tried somewhat similar approaches, but none of those were ever structured as a team approach generated from the business aspect. In the past they were always generated from the education side of it. We felt like we needed to look at long-term recruitment and the only way to do that is through the children of Louisiana, Arnette says. She explains the program is designed to encourage the student to value and take pride in any chosen career path. The strategy involves an aggressive media campaign includ58 Offshore March 2009 www.offshore-mag.com ing classroom posters, media advertisement, a website, classroom career videos, career link events, speakers bureau, and is driven further by teacher Work It! champions from each participating school. Arnette says the initiative focuses on local students, who do not have the financial means or inclination to attend a college or university. Were trying to expose them to multiple career paths and were doing that through several initiatives, including having champions in every school from grades 6-12. Were not requesting the presidents of companies speak to these kids, but the working class guy. Recently, we had a guy speak on how geometry is used in drilling. It was awesome and so motivating. The kids were excited, the teacher was excited and the speaker was excited. We also brought in a boat captain and when he told the kids he was making $100,000 a year, that got their attention, she says. The work has not gone unnoticed at higher levels. In July 2008, Louisiana legislators approved $370,000 in state funding with the Louisiana Economic Development and the Louisiana Department of Education promising additional monies. Our objective is to bring nobility back to our work force and thats critical because these kids have always been told that if they dont go to college theyre somehow lacking. We want these kids to feel good about their career choices. We want them to take pride in their careers. Thats what were all about.
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Two new offshore facilities proposed for Port Fourchon

f Edison Chouest Offshore and local businessman Jim Moncus have their way, Port Fourchon soon could be home to two new offshore facilities. Chouest Marketing Manager Daniel W. LaFont says the company is looking at constructing a modied version of its C-Port 1 and 2 facilities, designed specically for the timely delivery of supplies and equipment to the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Unlike its two counterparts, the latest version would comprise a straightline uncovered dock with 1,800 ft (549 m) of bulkhead with cranes, he says. In December 2008, Edison Chouest Senior Vice President Roger White told the Greater Lafourche Port Commission that construction of the so-called Chouest Shorebase Services facility would not begin until 2010 at the earliest. The company has been in negotiations to lease a 71-acre track within the ports ongoing northern expansion project. If all goes well, Edison Chouest will be the rst client to commit
to the ports 400-acre expansion around a third channel called Slip C. With more than a mile of bulkhead, the proposed facility will be capable of accommodating heavier crane capacity and offer more space to store greater quantities of water, chemicals, and drilling uids. The project is aimed primarily at servicing the 19 new deepwater rigs slated to enter the Gulf of Mexico over the next three years. In a related development, Chouest is nearing completion of a covered three-slip drydock in Port Fourchon that is designed to handle large anchor-handling vessels. LaFont says the facility is expected to be in operation by early in the second quarter. The new drydock is 420 ft x 400 ft (128 m x 122 m) and rises 150 ft (46 m) above the water level. Since it is under cover, repairs will not be impacted by weather, LaFont says, adding the facility can accommodate anchor handlers as large as the 348-ft (106-m) long Laney Chouest, the largest in the companys eet.
This facility is designed specically for anchor handling vessels. Before when they had an issue that needed addressing they had to go to Houma or Biloxi. These are expensive pieces of equipment so you need to get them repaired and turned around as quickly as possible. Its very costly for a rig to be sitting there waiting for them, LaFont says. We just felt it would be more cost effective to have a facility right here in Port Fourchon. The demand is so strong that the facility will pay for itself in a relatively short time. Meanwhile, Moncus says land is available and all he needs are client commitments to make his Deepwater Storage & Service facility a reality. The founder and former owner of Devin International supply and manufacturing company, describes his concept as the only industrial storage and service facility that allows companies to refurbish and securely store deepwater tools and other equipment.
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Edison Chouest Offshores new anchor-handling drydock rises above the wetlands of Lafourche Parish. The facility is slated to be in operation this spring.
Moncus says the facility is geared toward downhole specialty equipment, such as drill collars, that previously had to be taken to central storage facilities in Houma or Lafayette. In addition to the warehouse storage facility, the proposal also would have provisions for maintenance and wash
areas. These are high-end components that they do not want to leave outside and unsecured, he says. Moncus notes while many companies build facilities to store their own equipment, a need denitely exists for a universal location to be shared. It makes sense
to have a central facility here. Theres a great deal of business in the deepwater so the opportunity is denitely there. Its just a matter of lining up the rst couple of clients and then were up and running. Greenes Energy Group LLC acquired Moncus former company in 2008.
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Halo goes high-tech to optimize safety
alo LLC is using advanced technology as an integral component of its Life First safety initiative. One of the newest companies to locate in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, the provider of wire rope, chains, slings, and related industrial equipment for the offshore has incorporated Radio Frequency Identication (RFID) technology to ensure traceability of all its products. President and owner Ken Ragusa says that unlike the traditional stainless tagging systems popularized in the 1980s, RFID eliminates human error and instantly advises clients when slings and other industrial products are scheduled for safety inspections. This is revolutionary technology and is keeping with what the industry wants and needs, Ragusa says. We listened to our end users and they want total traceability and we want to modernize the industry by using innovative and creative technology to ensure our goal of keeping Life First. While RFID tracking tags can be found in everything from passports to people, it was only a few years ago that they made their way into the oileld. Today, closed-
loop RFID systems provide 100% computerized and transparent record keeping, which helps end users minimize mistakes and speed up the typically tedious tracking process. This technology can be added to any product we fabricate, test or inspect, says Ragusa. It eliminates paperwork, helps clients maintain compliance, and ensures total traceability of our products. More importantly, it strengthens our commitment to keeping Life First as opposed to Safety First. I am very passionate about safety and this is in keeping up with what the industry wants, says Ragusa. Founded in 2007, Halo opened its 11,000-sq ft (1,022-sq m) rigging warehouse and fabrication shop at the 25-acre InterMoor facility in December 2008. The facility is equipped with a 4,000-ton (3,629-metric ton) hydraulic swaging machine able to press up to 6-in. (15cm) wire rope, and seven spooling units capable of handling up to 300,000 lb. In addition, the facility houses a 3-million lb (1,361-metric ton), 220-ft (67-m) load test bed with an 11-ft (3-m) stroke capable of testing all sizes and types of mooring
lines and heavy-lift slings. In addition to slings, wire rope, and related products, the Halo Offshore Equipment Sales and Rental division also offers heave compensation units, ROV handling systems, and abandonment and recovery winches, among other items. Complementing its product offerings are onsite and in-house inspection and training services. As a company, we believe it is our responsibility to educate and train our customers to make sure they know how to handle our products in a safe manner, says Ragusa. We feel our responsibility for that product does not end when it is delivered to the customer. In late 2008, the company went global when it formed a strategic alliance with Gaylin International PTE Ltd. of Singapore. The agreement calls from Halo to market Gaylins heavy-lift cable-laid slings and grommets in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic basin while Gaylin, in turn, will do the same with Halo products in the Pacic Rim. Our goal is to become a full-service deepwater rigging and testing center, Ragusa says.
The Halo LLC facility in Port Fourchon is equipped with a 3-million lb (1,361-metric ton), 220-ft (67-m) load test bed to test all sizes and types of mooring lines and heavy-lift slings.
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Your Source for Energy News, Research, and Insight.
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PennEnergy.com launches with even more valuable energy-centric content and easier, more efcient navigation. The new web site provides the most complete and trusted source of energy-related topics including todays news plus ten years of archived web and magazine content from PennWells ________ award-winning energy publications.
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Held Under the Patronage of H.E. Dr. Abdul-Hussain Bin Ali Mirza - Minister of Oil & Gas Affairs and Chairman of National Oil & Gas Authority, Kingdom of Bahrain
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For further information about participation as a speaker, or for a full list of conference topics, please contact: Frances Webb Event Director T: +44 (0) 1628 810562 F: +44 (0) 1628 810762 E: francesw@pennwell.com For more information about exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities please contact: Jane Bailey - Europe and Middle East T: +44 (0) 1992 656 651 F: +44 (0) 1992 656 700 E: janeb@pennwell.com Michael Yee - Asia/Pacic T: +65 9616 8080 F: +65 6734 0655 E: yfyee@singnet.com.sg Craig W. Moritz - Americas T: +1 713 499 6316 F: +1 713 499 6201 E: craigm@pennwell.com
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Houston
Luanda
www.offshore-mag.com
March 2009
SWEDEN
Prepared by Offshore Magazine March 2009
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Higher capacity, smoother discharge improve supply vessel cargo handling
opper and blow-pump bulk handling ship the longitudinal and transverse bulksystems from MacGregor Selfun- heads for the walls and the underside of the loaders increase storage capacity for main deck for the roof. Only the oor needs offshore supply vessels (OSVs). Cur- to be added. Thus, the hoppers capacity is rently, systems are being installed on signicantly greater than that of pressurized 10 newbuild vessels. circular tanks tted into the same space The company part of Cargotec Corp.s 50-75% greater, according to Thakker. MacGregor Group has derived the design He cites one current delivery to a VS491 for this equipment from its pneumatic con- CD anchor-handler under construction at the veying system to load and unload cement Batamec Shipyard in Indonesia, in which bulk carriers, rst introduced in 1947 and further capacity will be about 500 cu m (654 cu yd). rened over the years. In 2004, with the sud- This is almost 67% higher than the originally den boom in offshore vessel construction, planned conventional bulk tank type system the company decided to transfer its bulk handling expertise into this market. Bulk cargoes carried by OSVs typically include barite and bentonite, as well as cement. The major disadvantage with conventional bulk handling systems in OSVs is that they rely on pressurized storage tanks, says Pankaj Thakker, senior sales manager for MacGregor Selfunloaders in MacGregors Sweden. hopper and blowDuring discharge, it is the prespump bulk handling sure differential between the tank system offers gains and the discharge line which, with in storage capacity compared with the aid of compressed air, conveys pressurized tanks. the bulk material out of the tank. Because the tanks are pressurized, he adds, they have to be circular, which comprising four 75-cu m (98-cu yd) tanks with is not an optimal shape when it comes to using a total capacity of 300 cu m (392 cu yd). the storage space in a vessels hull. To speed discharge, each hopper has two The MacGregor solution instead stores outlets, one in each half. While one pump is cargo in hoppers, which have oors covered lling with cargo, the other is discharging with aeration panels. The oors are tilted at its load. The capacity of the blow-pump is 4 an angle of 12 in the direction of the outlet, cu m (5.2 cu yd). below which is situated a blow-pump. Discharge is achieved by passing air through Less steel There are other advantages. Less steel is the aeration panels. This uidizes the cargo which, under the inuence of gravity, ows needed to form the hopper, as it makes use to the outlet and drops into the blow-pump. of existing bulkheads and deck. In contrast, When the chamber of the blow-pump is full, the pressurized tank has to be built. Moreaeration stops, the outlet valve is closed, and over, because it is pressurized, it needs compressed air conveys the bulk material thicker walls, sometimes up to 20 mm (0.8 in.), which further adds to the required volfrom the pump through the discharge line. Only the blow-pumps are pressurized. ume of steel. In addition, the internal wall of the presSince the hoppers are not pressurized, they are designed for optimal use of available surized tank has to have a special coating of space in the ships hull, meaning a rectangu- epoxy primer to ensure none of the cargo lar shape. Moreover, they normally can be sticks to it. No special treatment of the interformed using the existing structure of the nal wall is required for the hopper.
MacGregor also has developed a two-way valve to replace the buttery valve at the junction where the cargo transfer line splits into the loading line which enters the top of the hopper and the discharge line running from the blow-pumps. When opened, the buttery valve has a blade in the cargo stream, and so tends to wear out. The two-way valve overcomes any clogging in the line it has a disc which ts on the line that needs to be blocked. Since it does not intrude into the cargo stream, it suffers almost no wear and tear, Thakker says. It is tted with an inspection cover for easy maintenance. The MacGregor system avoids clogging the discharge line due to high humidity in the air used for conveying the cargo (which often leads to the air being passed through refrigerant dryers). In the case of the hopper and blowpump system, between each ll and discharge cycle of the blowpump, the whole discharge line is blown clean. To fully realize the benets of the self-unloading system, it should be taken on board at the projects design stage, Thakker says. It should be emphasized that the hopper and blow-pump system is integrated within the structural design of the vessel, and early discussions between ship designer and system designer are crucial for successful implementation. The rst hopper and blow-pump systems for offshore application are now being tted in four offshore vessels under construction at Batamec for Mosvold Supply. Last year the company also received orders for six newbuild vessels from Arabian Gulfs Whitesea Shipping & Supply.
For more information contact Pankaj Thakker, Cargotec Sweden, MacGregor Selfunloaders. Tel +46 171 232 56, fax +46 171 232 99, pankaj.thakker@ macgregor-group.com, www.macgregor-group.com
ON THE COVER: the Deepsea Atlantic semisubmersible. Picture courtesy GVA Consultants
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Syntactic foam wrap helps protect casings against HP/HT damage

Nick Terdre
Contributing Editor
relleborg CRP has introduced CFW+, an upgraded version of its crushable foam wrap for use in high-pressure/hightemperature wells. CFW mitigates casing failure caused by annular pressurebuild-up, or trapped annular pressure, a phenomenon restricted to subsea wells. Fluids such as brine and drilling muds from the drilling phase, and solids such as rock chippings become trapped in the outer casing annuli, also known as the B and C annuli. When the well is brought into production, and the hot wellstream ows to the surface, heat transfers to the outer annuli. This causes an increase in pressure in these annuli, which is not vented to air. The trapped uids are incompressible so they do not mitigate pressure build-up. If the pressure reaches a certain level, something has to give uids may leak or, in the worst case, there may be catastrophic failure of the casing, says Guy Downie, manager of the subsea group at Trelleborg CRP. The well then has to be shut down, and may be lost permanently, leading to a large investment going down the drain these days a deepwater well into an HP/HT reservoir can cost $50100 million. Recovery costs can be even more expensive. There are well-documented cases, such as well A2 on BPs Marlin deepwater development in the Gulf of Mexico. Much effort was put into investigating this incident. To quote from one resulting paper, Pressurization of outer annuli due to the production of thermal effects was identied as one of two possible root causes of the failure (SPE 77473).
Crushable foam wrap from Trelleborg CRP being attached to casing. The wrap is used to combat annular pressure build-up in subsea wells.
Honeycomb structure
Trelleborg rst launched CFW in the early 1990s as a means to combat annular pressure build-up when subsea wells were becoming increasingly popular as a means of production. Over the years, technology enhancement has expanded the operating envelope more than 4,000 psi (25.6 MPa) and 80-100 C (176-212 F). To date this has been sufcient to meet most requirements. Recent deliveries include a 21-well deepwater development off Nigeria. But with downhole operating conditions becoming ever more extreme, the company decided a new grade of CFW with higher capabilities was needed. The result is CFW+, which can operate in temperatures of 175 C (347 F) or more and at much higher pressures. CFW is a polymeric material with a honeycomb microstructure which collapses under pressure. It is made of syntactic foam resin with microscopic glass bubbles, or microspheres, embedded in it. Downie describes it as a mechanical fuse at a pre-determined pressure and temperature, the glass bubbles, which are voided, collapse, causing the material to shrink in size and allowing expansion of the annulus uids and dissipation of potentially hazardous pressure. For the CFW+ development, the resin system was modied to expand the operating envelope. Different grades of microspheres are used, with crush strengths ranging from 250 to beyond 18,000 psi (1.7 to beyond 124 MPa). Each delivery is tailored to the requirements of the individual well
as specied by the operators well design engineers. The amount of CFW is dictated by the collapse volume and crush percentage requirements, Downie says. The collapse volume is dened as the calculated volume increase of the annular uids brought about by thermal expansion between the installation (or ambient) temperature and the operating temperature during production. The crush percentage is dened as the amount of compression under isostatic load allowed by the foam before catastrophic collapse. This value is usually between 30% and 40% depending on the foam formulation. From the collapse value and the crush percentage, the total volume of foam required can be calculated. The crush mechanism is progressive over the pressure envelope, but complete failure is designed to occur well before the casing collapse pressure. CFW typically is supplied in quadrant cylinders around 1 m (3.28 ft) long these are rectangular sections bonded to the outside of the production casing using an acrylic adhesive. They can be located anywhere within the annulus while still allowing the free ow of the liquids. CFW is quick and easy to install on the casings onshore prior to deployment, whether by Trelleborg CRP off-site teams or by those installing the well. There are other methods of mitigating annular pressure buildup, Downie says. For example, the wall casing can be dimensioned to withstand whatever pressure is anticipated in the outer annuli, implying a thick casing. Other options include insulated casing, to limit heat transfer, burst disks, or pumping nitrogen, a compressible uid, into the outer annuli. Currently, CFW is the only solution which operates on both pressure and temperature triggers, rather than pressure alone, according to Downie. Additionally, the feedback we have received from our clients is that it is one of the few systems that works without affecting casing integrity.
For more information, contact Guy Downie, Trelleborg CRP, Tel +44 1695 712 018, fax +44 1695 712 111. Guy.Downie@trelleborg.com, www.trelleborg.com
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Mooring group sees signs of recovery
nchor chain manufacturer Ramns has landed its biggest order ever. The order is to supply chain to Hyundai Heavy Industries for mooring Totals Usan FPSO off Nigeria. The order is valued at more than SEK 120 million ($14.38 million). In a hectic period in January, the company booked two further orders, consolidating a strong start to the year. Weve got roughly one years production on our order book, says Magnus Westher, president of Ramns, but its not all for 2009. We still have some capacity available for this year. The Usan FPSO contract calls for lengths of chain of both 142-mm (5.59-in.) R4 grade and 147-mm (5.79-in.) R3S grade for 17 mooring legs. The total weight of chain will be signicantly greater than the 3,400 metric tons (3,748 tons) which was the maximum the company had previously delivered in a single order. Final shipment is due in May 2010. The company also will supply six 1,100 m (3,609 ft) legs of 103 mm (4.06-in.) R4S chain to Saipem to moor OLT Offshore LNG
Toscanas Livorno oating regasication plant off Italy. Delivery is due next October. A third recent order was for 7,500 m (24,606 ft) of 76-mm (2.99-in.) R4 chain to drilling contractor Odfjell, to be delivered in June. Last year was eventful for Ramns, which was acquired by a Norwegian consortium led by Carl Arnet, CEO of BW Offshore, leaving the previous Swedish owners with a 30% stake. Ramns also installed a new machine to improve its capac-
Under President Magnus Westher, anchor chain manufacturer Ramns has had a busy start to 2009.
ity for proof-loading services, for which there is increasing demand among mooring component suppliers and users. Fall, however, was a nervous period, says Westher, with customers putting their projects on hold. Fortunately some of them have now decided to go ahead. Despite that uncertain period, Ramns expects to post better results for 2008 than the previous year. Meanwhile the company has expanded the range of chain strengths it can offer, having received certication from both DNV and ABS for the R5 grade. With a yield strength of 760 MPa and an ultimate tensile strength of 1,000 MPa, R5 has a proof-load and a breakload both 16% higher than R4.
For further information, contact Magnus Westher, Ramns Bruk. Tel +46 220 220 01, fax +46 220 358 37, magnus.westher@ramnas.com, www.ramnas.com
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Stabilized antenna expected to improve satellite coverage on seismic vessel
aritime communications specialist C2SAT has sold its rst VSAT antenna for use on a seismic ship, Waveeld Inseis Malene Ostervold. The antenna forms part of a TracSAT satellite communications system supplied by the Swedish companys partner in Norway, ID Systems. The VSAT very small aperture terminal antenna delivered to Waveeld is a 1.2-m (3.9-ft) Ku-band unit. Waveeld purchased the TracSAT system after testing to verify satellite coverage and global function. The companys IT manager, Jan Vidar Nordstrand, says the equipment excelled in the tests we performed. The C2SAT antenna, combined with the complete solution provided by Trac ID, is a signicant improvement for us. This sale should be regarded as a reference installation for the oil and gas industry, adds Mats Back, C2SATs director of business development. A lot of companies are interested in seeing how the TracSAT solution works, especially in different parts of the world. The focus of the cooperation is the development of the Radio Link Point-to-Point system which allows the transfer of huge quantities of data 155 megabytes per second by radio. This service requires a vessel to carry four antennas, two at the bow and two at the stern, to ensure uninterrupted contact with the satellite.
Malene Ostervold is the first seismic ship to be fitted with a VSAT stabilized antenna.
Both partners are nalizing tests of a specially developed switch to control which antenna is transmitting at any time. An upgraded radio amplier supplied by Ericsson has made this task easier, as it automatically controls which of each pair of antennas is in transmission mode. The Radio Link Point-to-Point system now is available to the market.
For more information contact Mats Back, C2SAT Communications. Tel +46 8748 0144, fax +46 8748 0143, mats.back@C2SAT.se, www.C2SAT.com
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Supply vessel specialist building expertise in ice operations

ransatlantic, the only Swedish shipowner operating offshore supply vessels, is i up to b l i h arctic i gearing be a player in the offshore market, according to business manager for offshore/ice-breaking, Stefan Eliasson. Until late last year the company was involved in a joint venture with Norwegian group Viking Ship Supply, operating four anchor-handling tug/supply vessels, three of them also ice-breakers. When the two parties began to diverge on policy issues, they agreed to discontinue the joint arrangement, each taking two of the vessels. Transatlantic now operates Balder Viking and Tor Viking, both ice-breakers. Under a 15-year agreement with the Swedish Maritime Administration, these are available for ice-breaking duties in the Baltic Sea during the rst quarter of the year. Otherwise, they work mainly in the North Sea spot market, where Transatlantic and Viking continue to cooperate.
In 2010 and 2011, two new anchor-handlers, both under construction at the Astilleros Zak di i will ill j i the h T l makona yard in S Spain, join Transatlantic eet. Both will comply with the SwedishFinnish 1A ice-class. We see a big increase in activities in this market within three to ve years, says Eliasson. In supporting this ambition, the company has established three courses in ice management and associated topics at Kalmar Maritime Academy in southern Sweden to help develop the required crew competency. And last month it was set to announce the formation of the Transatlantic Ice Council, comprising eight ice experts from Russia, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Canada, and the US. They will provide the companys customers with best practice and advice about ice operations. Under its joint venture with Viking, the company undertook various assignments in
Transatlantics anchor-handler Tor Viking on station in the Arctic ice.
arctic areas. In 2004 Vidar Viking, one of the ships now with Viking, was tted with a drilling rig and drilled for cores on the Lomonosov Ridge close to the North Pole on behalf of a Russian scientic expedition. In 2007 Tor Viking worked for Shell for six months off Alaska, performing ice-breaking and anchor-handling duties. Last year Vidar Viking worked as an ice-breaker off Greenland supporting seismic activities for a consortium led by StatoilHydro.
For further information contact Stefan Eliasson, Rederi AB Transatlantic. Tel +46 304 67 47 00, fax +46 304 67 47 70, Stefan.Eliasson@rabt.se, www.rabt.se
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Micro-seismics technique sheds light on fracturing operations
technique to visualize hydraulic fracturing operations has been developed by Guideline Oil Drilling Technology. The company hopes to have a commercial version available by the end of this year, according to CEO Peter Hjorth. Guidelines approach involves the use of micro-seismics, which it devised originally as a means to locate the drill bit in real time. During eld tests in North America, the company noted its potential for fracturing, and is now developing the two applications in parallel. Drill bit localization uses seismic waves generated by the friction between the bit and the rock or sand being drilled. With fracturing, the waves are created by stress relief as the rock fractures under the pressure of the uid and solid material pumped into it under high pressure. In both cases the signals are registered by an array of receivers deployed at the surface above the well. Guideline has formulated data algorithms to indicate the location of the source of the waves. For drill bit location, there is just one source of events, but in the case of fracturing, there are multiple events at multiple locations. A feasibility test on a horizontal well in Canada was encouraging, according to chief technology ofcer Ivo Henriksson. The frac was performed in several zones along the horizontal section of the well at a depth of 5-6,000 ft (1,524-1,829 m), in a hydrocarbon-bearing layer about 30 ft (9 m) thick. Knowing the geology where the test was carried out and the locations where the fracing emanated from, the team concluded that the results were realistic, Henriksson says. The elds operator is working in the dark for almost all fracturing, he adds, so its only way of judging the effectiveness of a frac operation is the resultant well performance. A means to map the operation will make it possible to assess both the extent and the direction of the fracture. This should allow the operator to improve control of the operation and to judge when it has achieved its aims, making the entire operation more cost-effective. Henriksson says the technologys accuracy is sufcient in terms of the deviation on a horizontal plane, although some improvement is required in the vertical plane. A development program which will involve several tests is scheduled for this year in Canada or North America.
Guideline has developed a method to visualize the effects of hydraulic fracturing. Here a fracing operation is prepared at an onshore well.
Tight reservoirs
The company is encouraged by market prospects. According to market analyst Spears & Associates, the downhole pressure pumping services sector, of which fracturing accounts for the largest part, exhibited compound annual growth of 21% in 1999-2007. In 2007 it was evaluated at about $20 billion. This reects the well-known fact that the industry increasingly has to tackle tight reservoirs which restrict hydrocarbon ow. Fracing is widespread in North America, in both vertical and horizontal wells, Henriksson says. The same development is taking place offshore. In the UK southern gas basin, for instance, several operators have implemented fracturing to improve production. In one recent case it was only after conducting successful frac operations on a eld that a leading operator decided that development would be economic.
Taking the Guideline method offshore represents a signicant step which the company will consider once the onshore version is commercial. In principle it could be implemented offshore using an array of receivers on the seabed, although like other novel offshore technologies, a higher level of cost will be involved. Meanwhile the drill bit development is progressing, though at a somewhat slower pace. A number of eld tests have been done and more are planned. However, drilling activities have declined in line with the oil price drop, as have the cost of associated services. So for the time being, the companys business focus will remain on fracturing visualization. More work also needs to be done on the sensor for the drill bit development, Henriksson adds. Drilling for oil and gas usually involves drilling through sedimentary formations consisting of multiple layers in which seismic waves propagate with different velocities. The sensor, therefore, needs to be able to receive signals imparted with a range of different velocities. Its both a sensor and a mathematical problem. When it comes to hydraulic fracturing, we have pretty much resolved this and arrived at solutions for the algorithms, but there is more to do regarding the drill bit application, says Henriksson. Guideline also has become active in a new technology through its acquisition last year of Mal Geoscience, a specialist in ground penetrating radar. This technology also is relevant to the oil and gas industry, Hjorth says. One tool developed and sold by this company is the omnidirectional borehole radar which is deployed downhole to map the surrounding formation.
For more information contact Peter Hjorth, Guideline Oil Drilling Technology. Tel +46 8 655 3641, fax +46 8 655 2610, peter.hjorth@guidelinetechnology.com, __ www. guidelinetechnology.com
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BUSINESS BRIEFS
People
Prospectiuni has appointed Timothy Branch as VP of business development. Branch previously served as country manager for Petroleum GeoServices in Morocco. Yaji MODEC has appointed Nobuhiro Yaji as president and co-CEO. The company has also appointed Shashank Karve as MD and COO as well as chairman and CEO of MODEC International Inc. Kenji Yamada has been named Karve chairman and continues as CEO of MODEC Inc. Wave Imaging Technology has appointed Tom Wood as VP of sales and marketing. CSIP has appointed David Scott-Frame and Julian Yamada Moore as embedded software engineers focusing on the companys underwater manipulator arms. ClerkMaxwell has appointed Guy Cook as subsea and pipelines director. Cook will focus Wood on bringing operations, construction, and detailed design knowledge into the front-end of projects. BP has appointed Robert Dudley as a director, effective April 6, 2009. As a MD of the BP Scott-Frame Group, he will assume responsibility for broad oversight of the companys activities in the Americas and Asia. Thales has appointed Michelangelo Neri as division country director in the United Arab Moore Emirates (UAE). In his new position, Neri will coordinate all marketing and sales activities for Thaless Security Solutions and Services business in the region. Apache Corp. has named Roger B. Plank as president. The company has also appointed John A. Crum as co-COO and president North America, and Rodney J. Eichler as co-COO and presidentInternational. Transocean has appointed Ramon Yi as VP and treasurer. MicroSeismic has appointed Malcolm Macaulay as VP of international sales. Macaulay previously served as the companys international sales manager. ABS has appointed Sean T. Connaughton as corporate VP for government affairs. Connaughton previously served as US maritime administrator.
International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) has nominated Naresh Kumar as a member of the organizations executive committee. Kumar, who serves as MD for Jindal Drilling & Industries and president of Petrotech Society, will serve a three-year term. The Greater Lafourche Port Commission has named Chett Chiasson as successor to executive director Ted Falgout. Chiasson is the current director of economic development and will be the second director in the ports history. Falgout is scheduled to retire on Dec. 31, 2009. Xodus Group has appointed Nick Lodge and Francis Barrett to the companys subsea division as senior consultants. NCS Survey has appointed Andrew McMurtrie as business development manager. McMurtrie has responsibility for further developing business with NCS Surveys existing customer base both in the UK and overseas, as well as developing relationships with new customers. TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co. (TGS) has appointed Rod Starr as GM, Asia Pacic. Tanya Johnstone has been promoted to regional manager Indonesia and Australasia. The company also has appointed Iain Buchan as regional manager South and Southeast Asia and Peter Baillie as chief geologist for an expanded region that now includes Africa and the Middle East in addition to Asia-Pacic. Neweld Exploration has appointed Lee K. Boothby as president, effective immediately. The company expects to name Boothby to the additional role of CEO in May, where he also will stand for election to the board of directors. Boothby will succeed David A. Trice, who plans to retire. Knight has appointed Douglas (Doug) W. Smith to the companys corporate sales team in Houston. BJ Services has appointed Ryan Elder as business development manager Middle East Smith and Russia for the companys tubular and completion assembly service line. The Industrys Technology Facilitator (ITF) has promoted technology manager David Liddle, to operations direcLiddle tor. Liddle will be responsible for the development of the organizations strategy. The organization has also appointed Tony Zaccarini as business development manager. InterMoor do Brasil has named Osvaldo Lorca as project director for its Rio de Janeiro ofce. He will be responsible for project management.
The Minerals Management Service (MMS) has appointed Ron Brinkman as senior staff geophysicist for its resource evaluation ofce. Brinkman will oversee seismic compliance and policy issues for the Alaska, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacic MMS regional ofces. Knight Manufacturing has appointed Phillip Thomas Mitchell as GM. Mitchell will manage Knights manufacturing division and focus on developing its workforce. Mitchell OPITO The Oil & Gas Academy has appointed Mike Duncan as skills director. The organization has also appointed Peter Crowther as technical specialist and Sam Howard as corporate communications Duncan manager. ONGC has appointed Sudhir Vasudeva as director. He succeeds N K Mitra. Severneftegazprom has appointed Alexander Popov as director general. Geomodeling Technology has appointed Kevin Donihoo as VP of sales and services. Pegasus International has appointed Bill Washington as director of business development. He will be responsible for leading the strategic business development activities for the companys offshore division. The company also has appointed Randy Monson to its business development team. Rowan has appointed John J. Quicke, a managing director and operating partner at Steel Partners, to the companys board of directors. Pyry has added Conor Crowley, Neil Smith, and Peter Henderson to the companys board of directors. Baker Hughes has appointed Russell J. Cancilla as VP of HS&E, and security. The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board has appointed Stuart Pinks as CEO. Aker Solutions has appointed Gary Mandel as executive VP of the companys process and construction business area. He replaces executive VP Jarle Tautra who moves to a similar position in the energy development and services business area. PIPC has appointed Ben Tye as the rms global practice lead. He is joined by Helen Ratcliffe. Total has appointed Marc Blaizot to the companys corporate management committee. Eni Norge has appointed Leonardo Stefani as MD. Former MD, Agostino Maccagni, will return to Enis E&P headquarters in Milan. The Kuwaiti government has appointed Sheikh Mohammad Al-Salem Al-Sabah as oil minister; he replaces Mohammad AlOlaim.
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SALES OFFICES
PENNWELL PETROLEUM GROUP 1455 West Loop South, Suite 400, Houston, TX 77027 PHONE +1 713 621 9720 FAX +1 713 963 6228 David Davis (Worldwide Sales Manager) davidd@pennwell.com Bailey Simpson (Regional Sales Manager) baileys@pennwell.com Mona El-Khelaly (Advertising Services) monaek@pennwell.com Glenda Harp (Classied Sales) glendah@pennwell.com GREATER HOUSTON AREA, TX David Davis davidd@pennwell.com USA CANADA Bailey Simpson baileys@pennwell.com SCANDINAVIA THE NETHERLANDS MIDDLE EAST 11 Avenue du Marechal Leclerc 61320 Carrouges, France PHONE +33 2332 82584 FAX +33 2332 74491 David Betham-Rogers davidbr@pennwell.com UNITED KINGDOM PennWell Corporation Warlies Park House, Horseshoe Hill, Upshire Essex, United Kingdom EN9 3SR PHONE +44 (0) 1992 656 665 FAX +44 (0) 1992 656 700 Linda Fransson lindaf@pennwell.com FRANCE BELGIUM PORTUGAL SPAIN SOUTH SWITZERLAND MONACO NORTH AFRICA Prominter 8 alle des Hrons, 78400 Chatou, France PHONE +33 (0) 1 3071 1224 FAX +33 (0) 1 3071 1119 Daniel Bernard danielb@pennwell.com GERMANY NORTH SWITZERLAND AUSTRIA EASTERN EUROPE RUSSIA FORMER SOVIET UNION BALTIC EURASIA Sicking Industrial Marketing, Kurt-Schumacher-Str. 16 59872 Freienohl, Germany PHONE +49 (0) 2903 3385 70 FAX +49 (0) 2903 3385 82 Andreas Sicking wilhelms@pennwell.com ITALY UNIWORLD MARKETING Via Sorio 47 - 35141 Padova, Italy PHONE +39 (04) 972 3548 FAX +39 (04) 985 60792 Vittorio Rossi Prudente vrossiprudente@hotmail.com BRAZIL / SOUTH AMERICA Grupo Expetro/SMARTPETRO, Ave. Erasmo Braga 227, 11th oor Rio de Janeiro RJ 20024-900, BRAZIL PHONE +55 (21) 2533 5703 or +55 (21) 3084 5384 FAX +55 (21) 2533 4593 ogjbrasil@ogjbrasil.com.br, Url www@pennwell.com.br Marcia Fialho marcia.alho@pennwell.com.br JAPAN e. x. press Co., Ltd. Hirakawacho TEC Bldg., 2-11-11,Hirakawa-cho Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 102-0093, Japan PHONE +81 3 3556 1575 FAX +81 3 3556 1576 Manami Konishi manami.konishi@ex-press.jp SINGAPORE 19 Tanglin Road #09-07 Tanglin Shopping Center Singapore 247909 PHONE +65 6 737 2356 FAX +65 6 734 0655 Michael Yee yfyee@singnet.com.sg INDIA Interads Ltd., A-113, Shivalik, New Delhi 110 017 PHONE +91 11 628 3018 FAX +91 11 622 8928 Rajan Sharma rajan@interadsindia.com NIGERIA/WEST AFRICA Flat 8, 3rd oor (Oluwatobi House) 71 Allen Ave, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria PHONE +234 805 687 2630 or +234 802 223 2864 Dele Olaoye q-she@inbox.com
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National Oilwell Varco ..........................27 www.nov.com/xlsystems
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Orion Instruments ................................64 orioninstruments.com ORR Safety Corporation ......................13 www.orrsafety.com/kong
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Baker Hughes Incorporated............... 29 www.bakerhughes.com Bayou Companies ............................... C3 www.bayoucompanies.com Bisso Marine. ........................................ 11 www.bissomarine.com Bupa International. ...............................14 www.bupa-intl.com
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Polarcus.................................................31 www.polarcus.com PennEnergy ...........................................65 www.PennEnergy.com PennWell
Deep Offshore Technology International Conference & Exhibition 2010 .................... 6 www.dotinternational.net MAPSearch................................................. 24 www.MAPSearch.com Offshore Asia 2009 .................................. ..25 www.offshoreasiaevent.com Offshore Middle East ................................. 66 www.offshoremiddleeast.com Offshore Reprints ...................................... 14 www.offshore-mag.com PennWell Books......................................... 22 www.PennWellBooks.com
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Cameron ............................................... C4 www.c-a-m.com/camerondc
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Danos & Curole Marine Contractors....55 www.danos.com Delmar Systems, Inc........ .....................61 www.delmarus.com
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ESAB Welding & Cutting Products......47 esabna.com/seismic EXPRESS WELD, LLC...........................60
PROLINE SYSTEMS, INC. .....................56 www.prolinesystemsinc.com
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Fluor Corporation...... ...........................19 www.our.com/offshore Fugro......................................................35 www.fugro-gravmag.com/solutions Fugro-Geoteam AS................................33 www.fugro-geoteam.com
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Qatar Airways ........................................45 qatarairways.com
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SCAN Geophysical ASA ................. 36-41 www.scangeo.com Schilling Robotics, LLC .......................23 www.schilling.com/schillingstrong Sercel..... ................................................34 www.sercel.com SPE - 2009 Digital Energy Conference and Exhibition .......................................75 www.digitalenergy2009.com SPE - 2009 Offshore Technology Conference.... ........................................48 www.otcnet.org/2009 Statoil Hydro .......................................5, 7 DoMoreHere.com
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Greater LaFourche Port Commission .51 www.portfourchon.com GVA Consultants AB ............................69 www.gvaconsultants.com
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Hagglunds Drives AB ...........................71 www.hagglunds.com
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INTECSEA .............................................15 intecsea.com INTERMOOR..........................................57 www.intermoor.com ION .........................................................43 iongeo.com/IAdata
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US Liquids Of Louisiana.. ....................63 www.uslla.com
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Jet-Lube Inc.......................................... C2 www.jetlube.com VIH Cougar Helicopters .......................59 www.vihcougar.com VOLVO PENTA . .....................................72 www.volvopenta.com
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KOHLSWA GJUTERI AB.. .....................73 www.kohlswagjuteri.se
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Weatherford International ......................9 www.weatherford.com Wood Group ..........................................21 www.woodgroup-esp.com WPT Power Transmission Corporation..... ......................................30 www.WPTpower.com The index of page numbers is provided as a service. The publisher does not assume any liability for error or omission.
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L&M Radiator, Inc..................................16 mesabi.com
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M-I SWACO ............................................53 www.miswaco.com Magnetrol International ........................77 magnetrol.com Multi-Chem ............................................17 www.multichem.com/safespend
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BEYOND THE HORIZON
Going green demands global solutions

Seismic industry is not exempt
It is controversial and urgent. Debate and discussion carry from d f di and d even to ships hi at classrooms to b boardrooms, from TV TVs to radios, sea. This emotional topic, of course, consists of the joint challenges of climate change and sustainable development with the primary question being: How are we going to address this? We believe the answer is that the world needs global solutions. This means nations, NGOs, individuals, and the business world working together as a team. The seismic industry should not be exempt, even though it is a part of the oil and gas business which is perceived so often as being on the dark side of the environmental debate. In reality, fossil fuels will have a place alongside other energy sources for many decades, so our industry has a key stewardship role to play in making every effort to operate in an environmentally responsible manner. There have been some in our industry who maintained a business strategy that allowed them to operate with little concern for environmental responsibility and sustainable development. After all, it was fossil fuels, the dark side, plus they did not sell to the public and did not see a prot in operating green. Polarcus, a marine seismic company launched in 2008, approaches this from the perspective of individual citizens seeking global solutions and recognizes we must be willing to accept economic costs now in order to avoid negative future consequences. We are well aware that we have a signicant opportunity within the maritime sphere of our industry to perform our work cleaner and greener. Our goal is to rise up and meet this challenge head on. In launching Polarcus, we are building an environmentally responsible company that we envision as a model for others. Our beliefs are embedded in our corporate values of respect, innovation, and excellence, and are apparent throughout the corporate lifecycle, from the design of our seismic eet through each vessels operation to their eventual recycling. Our corporate values are the foundation for what we call our pioneering environmental agenda. To be a pioneer, we lead by example. Leading by example means, we know where we start from and how we compare alongside our peers. We are pursuing an Emission Index for COx, NOx, and SOx in our vessel build program. The principal uses an Emission Indexing algorithm to measure our environmental footprint. The goal is to minimize that footprint while simultaneously maximizing vessel efciencies. The Emission Indexing is being conducted on the global i seismic i i eet by b Ulstein Ul i International I i l and d Det D Norske N k Veritas V i marine AS. This will establish benchmarks for existing vessels as well as newbuilds. It is our intention to share this data with the industry as it is only together that a timely, effective, and pragmatic global solution can be found for the pollution and greenhouse gas challenges. The resultant data will provide clients with the ability to objectively evaluate the sector and select an environmentally responsible contractor, further challenging us all to innovate and move towards a cycle of continuous improvement. While building the company, nearly every aspect of our vessel design and technology selection has come under the green focus. In designing the eet, we recognized the importance of reducing atmospheric emissions from our vessels. We investigated Selective Catalytic Reduction and through installation of these units realized an investment in our future. Similarly, by using the latest bilge and ballast water treatment systems we reduce, if not eliminate, the number of contaminants and non-native species released into our oceans, a lesser debated but equally important area of concern. In parallel to the engineering initiatives, we continuously seek other ways to address the green agenda. For instance, we measure the carbon footprint of our ofce, including business seminars held elsewhere. Employees calculate the carbon footprint of primary cars and residences, with the carbon offsets paid for personally by the senior managers and by the company for all other employees. Another idea under consideration is a carbon offset matching plan with our clients and suppliers, to offset the carbon footprint generated during our operations. The offsets would be used to support sustainable development in areas of extreme need, allowing us to give something back to the global community. These may be small initial steps, perhaps. But by increasing participation, promoting awareness, investing in green technologies, and leading by example, we hope to inspire others in our sector to become part of the global solution.
Peter Zickerman
Executive Vice President Polarcus
This page reects viewpoints on the political, economic, cultural, technological, and environmental issues that shape the future of the petroleum industry. Offshore Magazine invites you to share your thoughts. Email your Beyond the Horizon manuscript to Eldon Ball at eldonb@pennwell.com.
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With all our companies at one dock, you can tie up some real savings.
Because The Bayou facilities are together at the Port of Iberia, we can meet your subsea project schedule and deliver real savings. Your needs can run the gamut because our services do. Bayou applies OD corrosion, ID ow efciency and concrete coating. CCSI provides InnerGard, ID FBE, and custom coating of buckle arrestors and girth welds. BFT offers insulation and ow assurance coatings and BWW provides fabrication for all your subsea and topside equipment. Add six-plus decades of experience and the takeaway is clear. When theres no give in your project, give The Bayou Companies the opportunity to save you time and money.
5200 Curtis Lane, New Iberia, La 70560 Tel: 337.369.3761 Fax: 337.365.9747 www.bayoucompanies.com
The Bayou Companies
2008
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Advanced Coiled Tubing Solutions

Supported by Supplement to
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Contents
A s e c re t b e g i n n i n g The basic coiled tubing rig Applications F i t - f o r- p u r p o s e s o l u t i o n s ACTive* services The ACTive portfolio ACTive case histories S p o n s o r p ro f i l e s 1 3 4 6 8 10 11 14
An asterisk (*) is used throughout this document to denote a mark of Schlumberger.
When you know exactly whats happening downhole, you can adjust job parameters
in real time based on downhole measurements. The Schlumberger lineup of ACTive coiled tubing services that is now available applies to a variety of servicesfrom perforating using accurate and dened BHP, to running inatable packers, monitoring downhole temperature and pressure, and increasing zonal coverage for matrix stimulation, and even for formation evaluation. For the rst time, operators can manage downhole treatments with positive feedback and make a difference to the results with complete condence when it matters the mostwhile the operation is still in progress.
Sherif Foda vice president, coiled tubing services
Custom Publishing
VP, PennWell Custom Publishing, Roy Markum roym@pennwell.com Managing Editor, Richard Cunningham richard@rcunninghamstudio.com Prole Editor, Jerry Greenberg jerrygreenberg@earthlink.net Presentation Editor/Designer, Chad Wimmer chadw@pennwell.com
Production Manager, Dorothy Davis dorothyd@pennwell.com 918.831-9537 fax: 918.831.9415 Circulation Manager, Tommie Grigg tommieg@pennwell.com 918.832.9207 fax: 918.831.9722
PennWell Petroleum Group 1455 West Loop South, Suite 400 Houston, TX 77027 U.S.A. 713.621.9720 fax: 713.963.6285 PennWell Corporate Headquarters 1421 S. Sheridan Rd., Tulsa, OK 74112 P.C. Lauinger, 19001988 Chairman, Frank T. Lauinger President/CEO, Robert F. Biolchini
sponsored by:
supplement to:
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A secret beginning
The rst application of coiled tubing (CT) technology was not for oil wells, but for a plan to lay emergency pipelines across the English Channel during World War II. Allied engineers made coiled tubing from 40-foot lengths of 3-inch pipe and spooled it around huge oating drums that could be towed behind ships. In 1944, some of the 23 secret pipelines they laid delivered Allied fuel for the Normandy invasion. The Allies made their coiled tubing by welding joints of pipe end to end. The idea is simple enough, but making coiled tubing that is safe and dependable is much more complicated. The lowgrade steel used in the early days couldnt take the tensile stress of heavy loads, and the many welds required to produce continuous spools of pipe frequently leaked or broke. Steady improvements in manufacturing and metallurgy through the 1970s and 80s greatly improved the reliability of coiled tubing. In 1990, the rst string of 2-inch coiled tubing was milled for a permanent well completion, and suppliers soon began offering coiled tubing up to 4- inches outside diameter. Service companies quickly developed new CT applications. In well workovers, coiled tubing became the tool of choice for removing cement plugs and scale. When customers said they wanted to drill more slimhole wells for exploration and production, coiled tubing was a natural choice.
S ch l u m b e rg e r c o i l e d t u b i n g
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The big advantage of coiled tubing, of course, is that tripping in and out of a well is continuous. That is not only faster than making up joints of tubing, it requires fewer people on the rig oor and makes the whole operation safer. Coiled tubing units can also deploy downhole tools that cannot be run on conventional wirelines. The two main benets, however, are that with coiled tubing, operators can pump uids through the coil, and they can push tools into the well rather than lowering them down on a wireline. Depending on the size of the spool and diameter of the pipe (1 inch to 4.5 inches), coiled tubing is available in lengths in excess of 30,000 feet. Once reserved for niche services only, coiled tubing is now an essential well intervention tool. For drilling and workovers, CT rigs are much smaller and lighter than the rigs that use conventional tubing, and they need less room at the drill
site. Some oil and gas operators now use CT routinely to drill shallow wells. In unconsolidated sands, coiled tubing rigs can drill at rates up to 1,300 fph, compared 400 fph for conventional rigs. Current technology allows CT drilling beyond 7,000 feet, and some heavy-duty units are targeting depths of 10,000 feet. Coiled tubing moved offshore in the mid1980s, where CT engineers had to overcome much greater challenges than they faced on land. Even though CT is lighter than rigid-tubing rigs, the equipment was still too bulky for most offshore platforms, and if the tubing was deployed from a nearby vessel, operators had to deal with the vertical and lateral movement caused by the sea. Today, thanks to CT SEAS* Safer, Efcient, Automated Solutions other advanced Schlumberger technology, coiled tubing offshore is an increasingly valuable option.
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The basic CT rig
The main components, other than the spool of coiled tubing itself, are the injector head, the stripper and the blowout preventers. Of these, the injector head is the driver, because it is the machine that pushes and pulls coiled tubing in and out of the well. The device includes a curved gooseneck beam that guides the coiled tubing from its spool into the top of the injector head.
Pipe passing through the injector head straightens before it enters the wellbore. A stripper, set below the injector head, contains the packing that seals the outside diameter of the tubing and isolates pressure from the well. Blowout preventers, located below the stripper, are emergency devices that can either cut the coiled tubing and seal the wellbore, or if necessary, seal the casing or riser. The tool string at the bottom of the coil is called the bottomhole assembly. One advantage of coiled tubing is that it can run a much wider range of tools and perform many more downhole jobs than can be done with conventional wirelines.
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Applications
Coiled tubing can perform almost any downhole job. In depleted gas wells, CT has even been installed as production tubing and can be run inside a wells conventional tubing string. While many production engineers think of CT as an alternative to wireline serviceand it isthe technology is much broader than that. Well cleanouts: Nearly half of all coiled tubing jobs are done to get a well back in production by circulating uids and debris from the wellbore. Through an innovative mix of hardware, software, uid cleanout systems and monitoring, production engineers worldwide are using Schlumberger coiled tubing applications to reduce the cost and risk of cleanout operations and quickly return their wells to production. The difculty of any cleanout job depends largely on the geometry of the well, properties of the cleanout uid, ow rate, downhole pressures, the nature of the solids that must be removed, and how deep they are in the well. Cleanouts are relatively easy for shallow wells with simple geometries. When deviation angles reach above 40 degrees, however, almost any wellbore can be hard to clean. Often, several techniques are combined to clean one well. Schlumberger began integrating its wellbore cleanout and optimization systems in 2002 and continues to improve this robust lineup. Jet Blaster* jetting scale removal service is a CT-conveyed through-tubing tool that uses a rotating head and high pressure uids to remove
scale, including hard scale (strontium and iron sulde), from wellbores in one trip. It is a fast and cost-effective alternative to nozzle systems, positive-displacement motors, impact hammers and other techniques on the market. PowerCLEAN* engineered ll removal service is a CT service that efciently lifts sand, silt, wax, scale and other debris from the wellbore. The systems innovative software, coupled with engineered nozzle and uids, optimizes the job by evaluating the ow rate, circulating pressure, bottomhole pressure and other variables before taking each bite of ll. Workovers: In recent years, coiled tubing has become an efcient, cost-effective solution for open-hole milling, fracturing and many other workover jobs. CoilTOOLS* is a one-stop source for the latest downhole CT tools. The portfolio includes standard bottom-hole assemblies such as motor heads, connectors, check-valve, disconnect assemblies, knuckle joints, xed and hydraulic centralizers, xed and rotary wash tools, nipple locators, gauge carriers and the entire suite of downhole valves. Discovery MLT* multilateral tool is a costeffective reentry system for maximizing the performance of multilateral wells. The downhole tool sends a pressure signal to conrm that it has reached the correct lateral. The tools orientation adjusts from the surface and provides real-time feedback, which greatly increases the chance of a successful reentry on the rst try to Level 1 and
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2 multilateral wells. The Discovery MLT software displays several essential parameters, such as the tools orientation relative to the lateral window. The application also monitors previous indexes and guides the operator through subsequent indexing cycles to provide accurate, real-time information. Coiled tubing is often used to pump uids to specic sections of a well, and Schlumberger has a suite of CT tools that make the job go easier. CoilFLATE* through-tubing inatable packer designed for extreme conditions. CoilFLATE packer can isolate selected perforation intervals with pump-through capability, without the need for a workover rig. The system also allows operators to permanently abandon zones or temporarily isolate areas of the wellbore for testing. CoilFRAC* stimulation through coiled tubing is a well stimulation service that incorporates unique bottomhole assemblies to selectively isolate zones of interest. CoilFRAC service can treat multiple zones in a single trip and stimulate zones that were bypassed during the original completion. Many operators are using this economical system to stimulate lower-producing zones that were too expensive to treat before. CoilCAT* coiled tubing computer-aided treatment raises informed real-time decision making to a new level of condence. The new CoilCAT well site service makes well interventions more efcient and reliable. CoilCAT service combines the Coiled Tubing Sensor Interface advanced data acquisition system with the Universal Tubing Integrity Monitor and software to efciently merge design, execution and real-time evaluation capabilities in one package. Perforating: Coiled tubing offers many advantages over other conveyance systems, particularly for highly deviated and horizontal wells. First is
the strength and rigidity of the tubing, which can endure more tensile and compressive forces than wireline systems. Schlumberger routinely runs coiled tubing perforating strings in excess of 2,000 feet (600 meters) on Alaskas North Slope.
For live wells, CT perforating can run long gun strings and either drop them off or retrieve them without having to kill the well. The ability to continuously circulate through the tubing also makes it easy to spot-treat with uids. Treating a carbonate interval with acid just before perforating, for example, creates cleaner perforations. In depleted wells where there is not enough difference between the bottomhole pressure and pressure from the reservoir, nitrogen can be circulated to lighten the uid column and increase the drawdown at the target zone.
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Fit-for-purpose solutions
CT EXPRESS* rapid-deployment coiled tubing service is designed for low- to medium-pressure, intermediate-depth land-based wells. The simple, reliable design can handle rough terrain and extreme weather conditions. The unit consists of just two trucks and a crew of three. One truck holds the CT rig itself, and the second vehicle carries a combination nitrogen and liquid pump, plus electrical and hydraulic systems to run the entire unit. Since there are no hydraulic or electrical connections to be made on location, rig-ups are safer and more efcient than with other systems. During eld tests, CT EXPRESS crews performed more than 200 jobs without a lost-time incident. With CT EXPRESS service, rig-up and rig-down times are as short as 30 minutes. Coiled tubing rigs with similar capabilities typically require four trucks and a crew of ve. CT EXPRESS service can be used on wellheads up to 20 feet high; the system can also be deployed onto the rig oor of land rigs if required. CT SEAS* Safer, Efcient, Automated Solutions, is a t-for-purpose offshore CT system that greatly improves the efciency and safety of moving from one well to the next. Designed for harsh offshore conditions, the system incorporates the same proven process control and
distributed architecture of the CT EXPRESS rapid-deployment coiled tubing unit for landbased operations. Speed is a key feature. In some cases, well-towell time is as little as four hours. The systems ergonomic design, smaller footprint and high degree of automation also make it less costly than other alternatives. The CT SEAS system provides one central control point for the entire coiled tubing operation, as well as real-time data acquisition and data transfer to offsite locations. The versatile, spacesaving design combines all the major coiled tubing components into modules that are easy to transport and assemble with zero discharge. Because several key processes have been automated, CT SEAS systems also require fewer operators than conventional CT units, which is a real advantage offshore. CT SEAS systems have a exibility that makes them readily adaptable for many offshore structures, including platforms, oaters and tension leg platforms. But even with a high degree of exibility, they retain all the capabilities of conventional coiled tubing units. This advanced system improves the overall safety of coiled tubing operations; with a proven 15 percent increase in operational efciency, a substantial reduction in boat lifts, and 30 percent
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fewer offshore personnel. The design of the equipment package features fewer mechanical connections, improved control room ergonomics, and faster well-to-well cycle times. Compared to earlier systems, CT SEAS systems can also run heavier coiled tubing at increased speeds. CT TCOMP* advanced coiled tubing motioncompensation system is made specically for deepwater use. It is the result of a two-year eld study to identify the potential safety and efciency that could be gained by improving the design and packaging of compensation equipment. The
result is a total motion-compensation package for deepwater CT operations. CT TCOMP system trims up to 16 hours from the average 87 hours it takes to rig up and rig down a standard deepwater CT system, and it is safer than other CT packages. It protects wellhead integrity during CT operations by limiting wellhead stresses, and by compensating for vertical and horizontal wellhead motion from inside or outside the derrick. And since the equipment rigs up quickly, it can be used on some spars (caisson vessels) and TLPs where conventional coiled tubing systems would be too expensive to use.
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ACTive services a breakthrough in CT technology

In May 2008, Schlumberger introduced the ACTive family of coiled tubing services for onshore and offshore use. This innovative suite of downhole coiled tubing services provides continuous feedback that allows engineerseither at the well or in remote locationsto measure, interpret and act on downhole events in real time. All previous systems relied on surface data and feedback from the well to determine what was happening downhole. Downhole pressure was estimated from pressure readings at the pump, the wellhead or both. Actual tool depth was inferred from the amount of coiled tubing in the hole, which is only accurate to within about 0.3 percent. When jobs required greater accuracy, crews might tag a known bottom or restriction, use tubing tail locators, or run mud-pulse telemetry logging tools. These techniques, however, are inaccurate, expensive and time consuming, and they can complicate the job. The ACTive difference is a rugged, highbandwidth ber optic cable inside its own nickel-chromium-based super-alloy steel carrier that is deployed inside the coiled tubing string. The ber optic cable links bottomhole sensors with surface monitors and controls, allowing specialists to measure, interpret and act on downhole events as they occur. The complete system includes a bottomhole assembly, ber optic carrier, surface electronics and software that delivers internal and external pressure, temperature, casing collar locator depth correlation, and distributed temperature measurements that provide data back to surface in real time. ACTive services can elevate the performance, efciency and results of coiled tubing operations in various types of wells. Operators in western Canada, for example, need cost-effective ways to achieve maximum reservoir contact in their partially depleted carbonate reservoirs. Multilateral completions give them greater reservoir contact and the ability to reach isolated parts of the reservoir without excessive construction cost or complexity. Conventional coiled tubing services are often used to access and treat these multilateral wells, but without accurate depth information, it can be hard to conrm access in all the laterals. Operators not only have to correctly orient the bottomhole assembly to enter the lateral, they must rst determine which lateral they are entering. For them, ACTive services represent a step change in CT capabilities. ACTive services give operators the tools they need to diagnose and respond to changing conditions in real time. To take full advantage, Schlumberger elds a team of CT experts who stand ready to diagnose and respond, based on their knowledge, experience and the information they get from ACTive real-time downhole measurements.
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As Schlumberger experts monitor the well, Decipher* dynamic evaluation software provides the information they need to cross-reference what they see downhole with surface and petrophysical data. For the rst time, adjustments to job parameters are based on immediate feedback from the job in progress. Changes can be made decisively and with greater condence than ever before.
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The ACTive portfolio

There are six services in the ACTive portfolio. Each presents its own unique solution in the market by combining advanced, high data-rate telemetry, ber optics and real-time downhole measurements with state-of-the-art interpretation software.
ACTive Matrix monitors the injection rates, downhole pressures and temperatures of matrix treatments to promote the penetration of uids, enhance diversion and optimize treatment volumes. The service also aids in the design of subsequent treatments.
ACTive Cleanout is a ll-removal service that uses differential pressure readings to avoid formation damage and minimize the number of trips in and out of the well. It also reduces the total operating time by optimizing uid volumes and penetration rates into the ll.
ACTive Isolation provides efcient, on-depth settings of isolation devices in a single run. It allows operators to insure the integrity of the seals by controlling both the ination pressure and the differential pressure across the sealing elements. ACTive Isolation can also be used to accurately place uids for temporary operations or to permanently isolate zones, all in one trip in the hole.
ACTive Lift improves the time and uid efciency of nitrogen lift jobs by continuously monitoring pressure in the wellbore. The result is a faster, more controlled restoration of production, without the risk of producing excessive sand and debris from the reservoir. This service also aids in the characterization of eld performance and the evaluation of articial lift programs.
ACTive Perf achieves accurate depth control in a single run and ensures full coverage of the target zone. Controlling the hydrostatic balance avoids damage to the formation, and prevents the invasion of formation uids and sand into the wellbore. Verication that the perforating guns have been activated improves the safety and reliability of CT perforating jobs.
ACTive Proling enhances all ACTive services with DTS proling to provide a 3D temperature prole of the entire wellbore to monitor the placement of treatment uids and production performance of the well. Temperature proling also gives operators the ability to perform active point measurements and DTS spatial measurements on the same run.
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ACTive case studies

I n c r e a s e d s t i m u l a t i o n c ov e r a g e o f a m u l t i l a t e r a l g a s we l l :
When an operator in Canada needed to increase the productivity of two openhole legs in an existing multilateral gas well, they turned to ACTive Matrix for a solution. The well, which is in a naturally fractured dolomite formation, was producing a high concentration of H2S and some CO2. Coiled tubing was run in the hole to obtain downhole measurements, which were used to stimulate the openhole legs. Acid treatments temporarily diverted and treated the sections of the open hole that would otherwise not have been stimulated. Pre- and post-treatment distributed temperature survey (DTS) data were used to optimize acid placement. Using the more reliable real-time bottomhole pressure measurements, rather than surface pressure measurements, increased the accuracy and effectiveness of the stimulation treatments. The initial acid treatment was conrmed. Injection points and other zones to be opened were identied. Thermal analysis results were used to generate a revised pump schedule that provided details of the appropriate diverter and acid stages, which allowed temporary diversion of the initially stimulated zones and better overall treatment of the multilateral leg. A nal DTS conrmed that the treatment successfully diverted the acid and stimulated all of the targeted zones.
A c c u r a t e p l a c e m e n t f o r a s u c c e s s f u l wa t e r s h u t o f f :
Saudi Aramco chose ACTive Isolation when a 60 percent water cut caused one of its new horizontal wells to stop owing. Most of the water was coming from the toe of the openhole completion. ACTive Isolation* provided a coiled tubing solution by allowing operators to deploy an inatable packer through the production tubing and a cement plug to isolate the water-producing zone. An initial CT run conrmed accessibility and revealed an accurate downhole temperature, which was needed to prepare the cement slurry. On the second run, the through-tubing inatable packer was deployed to the depth of the oil/water interface. After conrming the depth, a ball was dropped in the coiled tubing to set the packer, and real-time measurements conrmed that the packer was properly located and set. A third run spotted cement on top of the inatable packer. Kill uids were displaced with nitrogen, which was conrmed at the surface by monitoring the downhole pressure. With the well back in production, the water cut decreased by 50 percent and oil production increased by 1,000 barrels per day.
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ACTive case studies

Effective sand cleanout:
Talisman Malaysia Ltd. (TML) drilled a water injector well in Malaysian waters of the South China Sea. After perforating the rst zone, produced sand plugged the next perforating intervals. Despite efforts to clean the well using conventional CT methods, the planned intervals could not be reached. Injecting nitrogen to circulate uids and ow the well only produced more sand. The operator chose ACTive Cleanout and ACTive Perf to obtain real-time downhole measurements, which allowed better control of the cleanout and accurate placement of the perforating guns. The existing sand in the wellbore was lifted out by keeping the bottomhole pressure balanced or slightly overbalanced using real-time bottomhole pressure data. The designed pumping schedule was then followed with continuous real-time monitoring of the pressure and temperature. Before continuing with the planned perforation run, an injectivity test ensured that the tunnels in the existing perforation interval were open. Perforating resumed, with the guns successfully conveyed to the target depth and correlated against the base depth log. The real-time bottomhole pressure reading assured operators that they were maintaining the proper balance to keep additional sand from entering the wellbore. Using the real-time CCL correlations, the guns were positioned. The e-Fire* electronic ring head system was activated via nitrogen pulses through the coiled tubing. Both the bottomhole pressure and temperature increased after the guns were red. ACTive services allowed operators to effectively clean sand from the well, accurately place the perforating guns, ne-tune the bottomhole pressure and receive feedback at the surface once the guns were red. As a result, the nal water injectivity rate was 8,900 bbl/d at 700 psi surface pressure, which conrmed that sand was not reintroduced into the wellbore after the perforating operations were complete.
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ACTive case studies

Identifying the causes of lost production:
When production dropped in a well that was completed using an openhole slotted liner in the Bunga Raya eld, the operator, Talisman Malaysia Ltd. (TML), performed a chemical treatment to remove the emulsion and polymers left behind by the drilling uid used to drill the well. Immediately after the treatment, production increased from 500 bbl/d to 2,000 bbl/d, but within ve hours, it dropped dramatically and then stabilized at its pretreatment rate. TML suspected that the emulsions and asphaltenes had formed in the wellbore during the shut-in time while rigging down. However, the operators did not have adequate information about the formation characteristics and the trajectory of the well. Without the data, they could not understand the cause of the production decline after treatment, where and how the emulsions and asphaltenes were forming, and how to dissolve them or prevent them from reforming. TML asked Schlumberger to design a well cleanup plan, to obtain pressurized bottomhole samples, and to run a DTS. ACTive Proling was chosen to provide a single-point temperature reading at the tool and to provide a temperature reading across the ber optic cable used to deliver the DTS measurements. The objectives were to check the conformance of the rst DTS results and interpretation, to use the DTS data to select the location for collecting representative bottomhole hydrocarbon samples and to optimize the treatment interval. The pressure survey and DTS data revealed minimum pressure support from the water injector, which, in turn, caused the gas cap to expand. Temperature dropped across the entire interval, but was lowest at the toe. The cooling effect and subsequent drop in liquid production was caused by gas coming from the heel and toe of the well as the gas cap expanded. The combination of gas rates with oil and water production was also creating a tight, viscous emulsion that further hindered the wells performance. TML concluded that with this well, due to the horizontal openhole slotted-liner completion, the high gas production from the toe and heel could not be selectively shut off or controlled.
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ACTive case studies

Using downhole measurements to boost well perfor mance:
Talisman Malaysia Ltd. operates more than 130 wells in the South China Sea, but many of them do not perform to full potential because of perforation damage at suboptimal reservoir conditions. Initial attempts to solve the damage problem involved CT perforating with the well in an underbalanced condition. The main advantages of CT were the ability to lower the bottomhole pressure using nitrogen and a lower overall cost when compared to tubing-conveyed perforating using a standard rig. Although conventional CT methods were considered effective in this application, concerns included perforating off-depth due to inaccurate depth control, an inability to detect red guns and improper pressure balance in the well. Too much pressure in the wellbore could result in an ineffective cleaning of the perforations and too little pressure could cause the guns to be sanded in after they red. ACTive Perf was selected because the service provides downhole measurements, tools and techniques to perforate in properly balanced conditions. It also allows the accurate placement of the guns, a pressure activated electronic ring head system and the ability to receive real-time conrmation that the guns have red. The ACTive Perf system was used to complete a TML offshore gas well. The perforating gun was positioned on depth using real-time CCL correlation. Prejob calculations showed that the correct underbalance would be reached after the displacement of wellbore uid with nitrogen. However, when real-time pressure data showed that the desired underbalance pressure had not been achieved, operators were able to respond immediately to correct the problem. Nitrogen pulses were sent down through the coiled tubing to re the guns. Downhole measurements quickly showed an increase in bottomhole temperature and pressure, which conrmed a successful ring. By perforating under optimal reservoir conditions, TML achieved a higher-than-expected and sand-free gas production rate of 70 MMcf/d.
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WELL C
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Av a i l a b le n o w, o r c o m in g s oon
Commit ted to Quality... Delivering Value!

ear
ning
ACTive services are already deployed in eleven countries, with nine more coming online in 2009. The addition of ACTive services to the Schlumberger family of services brings the next generation of coiled tubing capability and novel ways to tackle old problems. www.slb.com/active
System 21 e -Learning Web - Based Training Program

e-L
We
ll Control
IADC & API Well Control Training

(Drilling, Workover/Completion, Well Servicing)
Stuck Pipe Prevention Training
Instructor - Led Training Program

IADC & API Well Control Training
(Drilling, Workover/Completion, Well Servicing)
IWCF Preparatory Course and Testing

(Rotary Drilling & Well Intervention)
API
Tel: +1-713-849-7400
Tel: +1-713-849-7400
w ww.wellcontrol.com ________________________
Schlu mbe rger coi l ed tubin g
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Company Profile
Coiled Tubing Units, Nitrogen and Coiled Tubing Support Equipment

NOV Hydra Rig is the recognized world leader in coiled tubing units, nitrogen and coiled tubing support equipment, having supplied more coiled tubing units than all current manufacturers combined. National Oilwell Varcos Hydra Rig Division couples advanced technologies with proven high-quality components, service and technological expertise to provide the single source for all of your well intervention requirements worldwide. NOV Hydra Rig delivers the complete CT equipment advantage with brand names relied upon for more than 30 years and is constantly developing new and innovative solutions for all of your future CT requirements.
Coiled tubing drilling operation utilizing an NOV Hydra Rig coiled tubing unit and nitrogen unit, NOV Texas Oil Tools pressure control equipment, NOV CTES data acquisition system, and an NOV Rolligon twin fluid pumper.
hrisales@nov.com Ft. Worth, Texas 817-985-5000
hrnsales@nov.com Duncan, Oklahoma 580-255-4433
hrcsales@nov.com Calgary, Alberta 403-279-6430
hruksales@nov.com U.K. 44-1493-651801
Elmar-dubai@nov.com Dubai, U.A.E. 971-4-883-5910
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Company Profile
Coiled Tubing (CT) Pressure Control Equipment

NOV Texas Oil Tools Since its founding in 1978, Texas Oil Tools (TOT) has established itself as one of the leading specialty manufacturers and suppliers of pressure control equipment. During this period, TOT has expanded its range of products to meet the dynamic demands of the industry. A proven track record of excellence in design, manufacturing and service has gained NOV Texas Oil Tools worldwide recognition as a leader in pressure control products. We design and manufacture our products to the most stringent standards. We are a licensed API manufacturer and supply our equipment to meet or exceed industry standards. Our product range begins with 1.50 bore and goes up to 9.00. In addition, our spectrum of products exhibit working pressures up to 20,000 psi and temperature ranges from -75F arctic service to 500F geothermal applications. NOV TOT CT Pressure Control Equipment Blowout Preventers Single, Dual, Triple, Quad, Quint, and Combi Ram Designs Stripper Packers Side Door, Sidewinder, Conventional, Tandem Side Door, Over/Under, Two Door Quick Latches Hydraconn, Injector Connector, Quick Disconnect, Hydraulic Releasing Connector (JHS) Additional Equipment Offered: Flanges Safety Valve Flow Cross Transport Lift Frames Hand Unions Tubing Punch Lubricators Tubing Shear
Two Door Stripper Packer NOV Texas Oil Tools has enhanced the Over/Under design to have two easy access doors. The new Two Door Stripper packer provides two packers in one Stripper with easy replacement and extended life packers.
ES BOP 3.06, 4.06, 5.12, and 7.06 This is a lightweight, high pressure coiled tubing BOP package. Features include hydraulic ram change, balanced shear piston and combi shear seal and pipe slip ram capabilities.
totsales@nov.com Conroe, Texas 936-520-5300
totsales@nov.com Broussard, Louisiana 337-839-0024
totsales@nov.com Scotland, U.K. 44-1224-331-200
www.nov.com
S chl umberger coi l ed t u b in g
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Company Profile
Tenaris offers the most diverse line of coiled tubing for downhole applications
Tenaris is th the leading manufacturer of coiled tubing products worldwide. At its two Houston facilities, the company manufactures coiled tubing and coiled line pipe in a range of sizes and corrosion resistant alloys for sour service environments. As a result of Tenaris grades, including inclu capabilities, Schlumberger chose the company to be its exclusive provider of coiled tubing for coiled tubing services organization. their global c has differentiated its product offerings by not only supplying coiled tubing strings used Tenaris h for downhole production-related coiled tubing services, but also through manufacturing of larger coiled tubing that may be utilized for marine pipeline requirements. The company is the worlds rst tube or pipe manufacturing facility to obtain ISO-9001 certication for its quality assurance Tenaris is the worlds only supplier of 4 -in. and 5-in. OD coiled tubing and the sole programs. Te heavy wall coiled tubing with available thickness from 0.224-in. to 0.300-in. provider of h Additionally, Tenaris operates the worlds only dedicated three-layer continuous coating line Addition for coiled line lin pipe, consisting of fusion bonded epoxy, copolymer adhesive and polyethylene polypropylene. The coiled line pipe is delivered on spools to marine vessels where they are or polypropy consolidated to enable the vessel to pay out the tubing signicantly faster compared with constick pipe welded joint by joint and laid by a traditional pipelay vessel. ventional stic line pipe typically is used in water depths of 200-3,000 ft. with one Gulf of Mexico Coiled li installation in i more than 7,000 ft. of water and other projects in locations from Norway to Zealand. Tenaris also pioneered the API 5LCP coiled line pipe certication standards, and New Zealand continues to be the only certied supplier. Continuous setting records Continuously The company compan holds numerous production records for the longest and heaviest coiled tubing serstrings, all of which have been in conjunction with Schlumberger as its global alliance vice work str supplier of coiled co tubing. project Mexico calling for 28,900 ft of 1 -in. high strength (HS) 110 tapered coiled tubing; A pr roject in the Gulf of M A Gulf Gu ulf of Mexico project requiring 32,600 ft of 2-in. tapered coiled tubing, plus a second 33,300 ft tapered string tubing. The strings have seven wall thickness transitions from 0.204-in. to 0.125-in. strin ng of 2-in. HS 110 tu years to develop, including six months of pre-planning and the manufacturing of two The project took two ye mini-strings to test bias welds; min third Gulf of Mexico project for Schlumberger required 30,600 ft of 1 -in. HS 110 coiled tubing; A th project offshore eastern Canada called for 30,200 ft of 2-in. HS 90 coiled tubing with electric line cable for A pr logging equipment. logg
Contact: Dennis Dunlap 8615 East Sam Houston Parkway North Houston, TX 77044 Telephone: 281-458-2883 Fax: 281-458-2886 coiledtubesales@tenaris.com www.tenaris.com/coiledtubes
Optimizin manufacturing process Optimizing Tenaris co coiled tubing plant in Houston went through a debottlenecking and expansion program from late 2005 spring 2007, signicantly improving workow as well as adding the latest technology to increase production through sp efciency. The expansion project also improved service handling and simplied truck trafc ow through the plant. Improvements included increased assembly lines, additional assembly consolidation wheels, which dramatically Improv the amount of time the coiled tubing was in the assembly area, and the addition of digital radiography techreduced th reduce the time for welds and inspection by 50% compared with the older lm processing technology. nology to r overhead crane systems were installed providing for safer and more reliable transportation Two heavy-duty h coiled tubing strings throughout the plant. There are more and larger spooling reels available for long of the coi coiled tubing strings, and additional hydro test bays were built. The expansion program increased output by 75%-80% and signicantly reduced backorder time. There also is additional infrastructure to allow for further expansion, including a third mill and bias welding cells as well as room for onsite master coil slitting. Tenaris continuously works with other innovative companies to develop new applications for coiled tubing and coiled line pipe. The forward thinking company is currently testing the applicability of large diameter coiled line pipe for marine riser applications, unique articial lift products, and tubular products as subcomponents for more advanced production equipment for tertiary and SAG-D production. Tenaris is a leading supplier of tubes and related services for the worlds energy industry and certain other industrial applications. Its mission is to deliver value to its customers through product development, manufacturing excellence and supply chain management. The company minimizes risk for its customers and helps them reduce costs, increase exibility and improve time-to-market. Tenaris employees around the world are committed to continuous improvement by sharing knowledge across a single global organization.
S c hl um be r ger co i l e d t ubing
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EnergyWorkforce
For the industrys career-minded professionals Spring 2009
Energy Workforce Opportunities in the New Economic Climate

Customized and Personalized: Improving Frontline Training Practices
Second Annual
A supplement to PennWell publications w ww.PennEnergyJOBS.com _____________________
Women in Energy Forum

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J O I N A M E R I C A S C H A M P I O N O F
NAT U R A L G A S
CHESAPEAKE IS ONE OF AMERICAS LEADING PRODUCERS OF NATURAL GAS. Were also proud to be listed among the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies To Work For in 2009. Chesapeake offers rewarding opportunities in many career areas:
Drilling Engineers Reservoir Engineers EH&S Production Engineers Facilities Engineers Pipeline Specialists Geologists Petrophysicists
Chesapeake has gained national recognition as a top-paying company with outstanding benets and a generous stock-award plan.
Chesapeake is a dynamic, fast-growing organization of professionals who are committed to our company, our communities and our environment. Join us as we champion natural gas the answer to Americas energy future.
NYSE: CHK
APPLY ONLINE AT CHK.COM ______
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Stacey Schmidt, Web Publisher staceys@pennwell.com Chris Posey, J.B. Avants, Editors cposey@pennwell.com jba@pennwell.com Candice Doctor, Sales Manager candiced@pennwell.com Chad Wimmer, Art Director chadw@pennwell.com Dorothy Davis, Production Manager dorothyd@pennwell.com Tommie Grigg, Audience Development Manager tommieg@pennwell.com Tom Cintorino Sr. Vice President, Digital Media
EnergyWorkforce
Energy Workforce Opportunities in the New Economic Climate 6
Peter Weigand and Michael Abraham, Skipping Stone
Forum: Continued advancement for women in energy is promising 8

Chris Posey, Content Strategist
Customized and Personalized

The Ascent Group, Inc. PennWell Corporation 1421 South Sheridan Road Tulsa, Oklahoma 74112 918 835 3161 PennWell.com Recruitment Advertising Sales: Candice Doctor Sales Manager 918 831 9884 candiced@pennwell.com Stephanie Brown Power & Petroleum Account Executive 918 832 9228 sbrown@pennwell.com
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publishers letter JOBS insight 2 4
ADVERTISERS INDEX
Chesapeake Energy Corporation..............................................................................................Inside Front Cover Shaw Group Inc............................................................................................................................................ 3 Aerotek Energy Services ............................................................................................................................... 5 Epco Inc...................................................................................................................................................... 7 Fluor Corporation ....................................................................................................................................... 11 PennEnergy.com ........................................................................................................................................ 13
Brent Eklund Petroleum Account Executive 720 535 1264 beklund@pennwell.com

Cover illustration Spectral-design Dreamstime.com
PennEnergyJOBS..................................................................................................................Inside Back Cover Alberta Employment Immigration ......................................................................................................Back Cover
w ww.PennEnergyJOBS.com ________________________________
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Dear Reader,
n 2008, PennWell Corporation launched the new PennEnergy.com, the first website of its kind focused on providing the most complete and in-depth coverage of both the petroleum and power industries. In January 2009, PennEnergyJOBS officially became part of the PennEnergy.com family. With the addition of PennEnergyJOBS, PennEnergy.com now provides workforce management solutions and tools for job seekers With easier, more efficient and employers. With content organized by Topic Centers, the navigation and even more new PennEnergy.com provides easy access to valuable, energy-centric content, in-depth and expert original and sourced news, PennEnergy.com serves the comprehensive financial data, extensive research global energy industry with the broadest and most complete tools and product and service information. Topic coverage of petroleum and power industry news, research, Centers focus on specific areas of both the Power and Petroleum industries, including Renewable workforce management solutions and product information. Energy, Smart Grid, Petroleum Exploration, Refining, Processing, and LNG. Since 1910, PennWell has been a leader for coverage of and service to the worldwide petroleum and power industries. With foundation magazines and web sites such as Oil & Gas Journal, Offshore Magazine, Renewable Energy World, Power Engineering, and Utility Automation Engineering T&D, PennWell created PennEnergy.com to serve as a one-stop resource for energy news, research, and insight. In addition to todays energy news and information, the site contains ten years of archived content from PennWells award-winning energy publications. With easier, more efficient navigation and even more valuable, energy-centric content, PennEnergy.com serves the global energy industry with the broadest and most complete coverage of petroleum and power industry news, research, workforce management solutions and product information. I thank you for your support of PennEnergyJOBS, Energy Workforce Magazine and PennEnergy.com, and look forward to serving you in the future. Regards, Stacey Schmidt Web Publisher, Energy Markets
F o r j o b o ppo rtu n i ti es , vi s i t www.Pe nnEne rgyJOB S.c om
E ne rgyWork f orce
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Building Excellence One Career at a Time

At Shaw, Power Group employees lead their business with ingenuity and vision. Shaws collaborative
work environment allows you to reach your full potential as we meet the needs of our global clients. If you are looking for a career with substantial opportunity for growth and challenge, consider building yours with Shaw. Immediate opportunities include:
www.shawgrp.com
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Career Focus In Economic Uncertainty

y the end of January, the unemployment rate rose to 7.6% bringing job losses to a 34 year high. The energy sector has faired better than areas including manufacturing and construction. Moreover, the peaked interest and support in renewable energy has led to a great deal of discourse around the so-called green collar jobs. This could possibly result in fewer lay offs in the energy industry, yet more transitions. The overall reality is the precarious environment in which we currently live is serving as a catalyst to think about our career development. Regardless of your jobs current state of vulnerability, it is the perfect time to think about your next career move. The evolution of your career will either be in your current company or outside of it. The decision may not Maintaining your financial and be yours to make, but you can at least insert career security is priority number yourself into the outcome. one, b but it is ut i ti s also al lso important important to keep in mind your long term Build a road map of your career future by goalturning this tumultuous time into a career upgrade. asking yourself some important questions. What is the current state of my career? How susceptible is it to a lay off? What are my options? The level of lay off susceptibility will help to determine whether or not your path will stay within your current organization or outside your current organization. For those of you who find yourself highly susceptible to a lay off, you should get your resume up to date, reach out to your network and start researching. Find out which companies are hiring, which energy jobs are active and how your skills and experience could translate into a new opportunity. Not everyone will be looking for career options outside of their company. Internally, the short term goal is to make your job less vulnerable by gravitating towards the work, taking on challenging projects, appraising your skills and expertise and working on building areas of weakness. Take the initiative, work hard and you could potentially increase the sustainability of your job. Maintaining your financial and career security is priority number one, but it is also important to keep in mind your long term goalturning this tumultuous time into a career upgrade. Future tides will turn once again providing opportunity for promotion. Finish out your road map with a target promotion in mind and strive towards it every day. Doing so could pay rich dividends. These challenging times should be looked upon as a catalyst for career growth, not just by those laid off, but by everyone. There may be hardships incurred earlier, but effort spent now is the key to a more stable career over time.
Sincerely, Stanna Brazeel, Manager, Staffing and Salary Administration, Human Resources PennWell
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The things that make you unique may also make you uniquely qualified. Thats
why, at Aerotek, we take the time to find the person behind the resume. We dig deeper to discover the very best qualities inside you. Qualities that inspire. Qualities employers look for. Qualities you may not even know you had. Because at Aerotek, we send only one perfect candidate to fill one perfect opportunity. And we want it to be you. People. Fit. Perfectly.
Career Placement
Specialists
SM
Nationwide & International Offices.

Engineers Managers Welders/Fitters Multi-craft Mechanics
800.977.6499
Specialty Technicians
www.aerotek.com ______________
Craft Labor Other Related Professionals
Aerotek is an equal opportunity employer. An Allegis Group Company. 2009
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ENERGY WORKFORCE
Energy Workforce Opportunities in the New Economic Climate

Its a mixed message out there. On the one hand the media is claiming the energy sector is the place to be; on the other hand, energy companies are not immune to the current economic woes. With commodity prices down, industrial demand destruction a reality and the inevitable increase in slow or no paying customers, energy companies are definitely experiencing the effects of our current economy.
There are essentially two key issues with hiring from outside the energy industry: 1) lack of training, and, 2) retention risk. Training can be an expensive investment in people, especially given post-training retention risks. This doesnt have to be the case. According to a Skipping Stone survey which was administered to non-energy industry job seekers who were interested in getting into the energy industry, 35 percent of respondents were willing to pay for some amount of industry training out of their own pocket. The number increased to over 50 percent if they knew a job was waiting for them upon successful completion of training. The number jumped to 85 percent if the company hiring them was willing to reimburse their training costs over a period of time. Given the survey results, the current unemployment situation and willingness of non-energy professionals to be retrained, this screams for a low cost strategy that results in a new trained and retained talent pool. For example, offering jobs upon successful training completion with a three-year payback program tied to retention starts to look attractive. If you couple that with a third party student loan program backed by your company and a personal guarantee from the applicant, it gets even better. If you dont want to wait for people to get outside training to get them started, a simple and cost effective retention risk mitigation strategy is a contract to permanent program. Contract to permanent has a myriad of benefits beyond the obvious try before you buy. Advantages such as flexibility, no benefits costs, no HR issues, and little or no insurance impact come with a contract-to-permanent approach. Contract-to-permanent is a viable solution whether your strategy is progressive on workforce development or if you are simply in cost control mode. Using contractors for staff augmentation and project work enables the ability to shed costs quickly and easily as financial conditions warrant.
Just as consumers have become wallet vigilant, so too are energy companies. And given that energy companies cannot control demand destruction, commodity costs, or payment consistency, that leaves projects and labor costs as the target rich environment for cost control. We are already seeing hiring freezes, projects being killed and a number of related signals that indicate many energy companies are following the rest of the economy into a standstill.
Opportunity Knocks Who hasnt heard or read about the workforce crisis facing the energy industry? A couple of telling figures; such as 50 percent or more of utility employees are eligible for retirement within 10 years, or, that Gen-Xers fall 4 to 6 million people short of filling the vacated positions across all industries within the next 3 years, are sobering indeed.
Meanwhile, the energy industry is experiencing a popularity boost like nothing seen before. A recent college senior survey indicated energy as one of the top 5 fields of interest. Until two years ago, energy didnt even make the top 20 list. Its an employers market today. There may not be a better time to capitalize on this opportunity and when the economy starts to recover, this window of opportunity will close.
Answering the Door It would be easy to suggest a simple strategy, such as, go out and hire people from outside the industry in droves, but the odds of that working and the cost of the inevitable large number of mistakes is pretty high.
Implementation Most human resource departments arent equipped to implement these strategies single handedly. Outsourcing in
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ENERGY WORKFORCE
a partnership mode with internal HR is the quickest way to capture what may be a short term opportunity. This eliminates the ramp rate of hiring internal recruiters, contract coordinators, training coordinators and other gaps to timely implementation. To streamline the effort and minimize the number of outsource partners needed, one way to effectively hit the market hard and fast is the use of a firm that can provide a combination of recruiting services, contractors, including payroll and benefits, training coordination and assist in developing strategies and tracking performance and budget.
windfall of activities, any way you look at it, there is a need to invest in a workforce strategy. Doing so should not impact earnings to a significant degree and could position the company for a significant return on that investment in future years. If positioned right, analysts might even reward such a strategy. The competition for talent may never be this low again.
EW
Financial Impact Consider the investment in the aforementioned workforce strategies in terms of a two to three year window. The cost to implement it in 2009 will be much lower than in future years as eventually the labor market will strengthen and in the current environment the competition for talent is at a low point.
Assuming there is a need to either address a retiring work force, renewable mandates or potentially a government backed
About the Authors: Peter Weigand is Chairman of Skipping Stone, a professional resources company focused on providing energy companies with strategic consulting, interim and contract resources and recruiting services. Email: peterw@skippingstone.com, Phone: 714-965-0885
Michael Abraham is a resourcing client manager with Skipping Stone. Email: mabraham@ skippingstone.com, Phone: 714-965-0883
We encourage your feedback on this or any PennEnergyJOBS EnergyWorkforce article. Please send your comments to feedback@PennEnergyJOBS.com
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An Equal Opportunity Employer.
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ENERGY WORKFORCE
Forum: Continued advancement for women in energy is promising

In the Spring 2008 issue of Energy Workforce, we invited three female executives in the energy industry to participate in a forum on women seeking to enter or advance their careers in the energy industry.
Kristine J. Nichols directs engineering for Nicor Gas, one of the nations largest natural gas distribution companies, serving over 2 million customers in the northern third of Illinois (outside of Chicago). Her responsibilities include all aspects In light of this articles notable reception, we are continuing our forum of pipeline integrity and regulatory compliance one year later in the Second Annual Women in Energy Forum. for the utility. Prior to joining Nicor in 2003, she held management positions at Kohler Company Forum Participants: in Brownwood, Texas and Wisconsin Gas Company/WEC in Milwaukee, Betty Shanahan is the executive director and CEO for the Society of Wisconsin (now WeEnergies). She is the Inaugural Chair of Energetic Women, Women Engineers, the first engineer to hold this position. Prior to joining a nationwide organization designed to increase the pool of promotable women SWE, Betty spent 24 years in development, engineering management, and in energy operations and engineering. marketing for the electronics and software industries. She has earned B.S. in electrical engineering, Master of Software Engineering, and M.B.A degrees. Gianna Manes is senior vice president of retail customer services for Duke Energy. With 20 years of industry experience, Manes leads the retail Wanyonyi J. Kendrick is the Chief Information Office at Jacksonville Energy customer services function, which includes call center operations, revenue Authority. Ms. Kendrick joined JEA in February 2000 as Director of Corposervices, marketing, energy efficiency and large business customers providing rate Applications. She is responsible for a $500 million information technology service to Duke Energys approximately 4 million customers in the Midwest portfolio. Ms. Kendrick has spent the last 17 years of her career focusing on and Carolinas. Previously, Manes served as senior vice president of regulated integrating technology solutions with regulatory, legislative, and business portfolio optimization and fuels for Duke Energys U.S. Franchised Electric process requirements, resulting in solutions with measurable results. and Gas organization.
Existing roadblocks and challenges Q: Do you see any challenges or roadblocks that still exist for women in the energy industry whose career management paths include intentions to reach senior levels? If so, what are the challenges you see?
Kendrick: Utilities are facing a workforce crisis with the imminent retirement of baby boomers and the changing demographics of the future smaller workforce talent pools. I have heard statistics expressing as many as 50 percent of some utilitys workforce can retire in the next 5 years. This creates many opportunities, especially for women, in the utility business. Not only as positions become available but additional new skill sets will be needed which do not require the physical strength many utility positions required in the past. The bigger roadblock, in my opinion, are the numbers of girls being attracted to take science, math and technology classes starting in middle school. These courses will be critical to the success of the future utility workforce. Therefore, attracting girls to these classes will be crucial; inspiring them to stay in science classes is essential; and providing the right mentors and positive experiences in the utility business is fundamental to continued recruitment. Shanahan: I believe the challenges and roadblocks for the advancement of technical women in the energy industry
are the result of decades of engineering colleges graduating predominately white men. The few women work in a maledominated environment. Although I believe very few in the industry seek to exclude women from the field or advancing, that is not the same as creating an inclusive environment. The value of diversity to an organization is the better decisions and results from bringing together a diverse set of perspectives, approaches and styles of thought to business problems. But for women to succeed, we often train women to adapt to the predominant (male) culture. Although this makes women more effective in the work environment, the women no longer participate authentically. The business loses the value of diversity and the women have to hide their authentic self. Creating an inclusive environment would increase womens ability to fully contribute at all points in a career path and give the employer stronger business results. Nichols: At the 2008 Energetic Womens inaugural conference, guest speaker Alice Eagly, author of Through the Labyrinth, shared her research-based concept that the glass ceiling no longer exists there is no barrier to the top. There are lots of challenges (a labyrinth to navigate) for women in their quest for the corner office, but there are plenty for men as well. Those challenges may be different then for men, but the bottom line
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Nichols: Although traditionally dominated by men, today there are opportunities galore for women in the energy industry! Todays senior leaders understand the value the bottom line is always about how much value of diversity at every level of you y o can bring to the table for the organization. If woman organization, and often en e n focus on how they can help their organization to be actively seek opportunities successful, rather than focusing on being in a males u dominated environment, it becomes easier to meet d o to grow talent where they the t th h challenges and overcome the perceived barriers. may not feel they are diverse Kristine J. Nichols, Vice President, K enough. My recommendation Engineering, Nicor Gas E n for women is to focus on how they can add the most value to their organization, and ignore that there may be more men Manes: The challenges for women are no different in the enerthen women at the table. Being the only woman can be an gy industry than in other fields. The ability to progress in a caopportunity rather than a barrier to showcase their talents. reer starts with a strong foundation of knowledge (education), curiosity and the willingness and ability to get the job done. Manes: There are tremendous opportunities for women in In addition to the foundation, there are other actions women the energy industry. Energy companies are competing with (and all workers) can take to enhance their advancement poother industries for smart, creative and adept employees. These tential: 1) seek mentors and role models who have your best companies recognize their future viability is dependent on the interest in mind to provide guidance and honest feedback, ability to attract and retain this type of talent. As a result, any even if it is difficult to hear; 2) be honest about and know your bias, however subtle, that may have existed in the past limiting personal strengths and weaknesses; 3) leverage your skills and the success of females or other minorities no longer has a experience and be intentional in career choices and identifying place. As these companies also face significant retirements in experiences you want to gain (rather than focusing on a spethe coming years, I am optimistic about the opportunities that cific job); 4) dont expect others to read your mind make will be presented for women as the next generation of industry your interests known; 5) be willing to take risks. leaders. Lastly, the energy industry is undergoing dramatic change as it expands from traditional technologies that have Prospects for advancement sustained us in the past to include emerging technologies and Q: How would you characterize prospects for career renewable energy. The need for innovators and entrepreneurial advancement for women in general in the energy industry? thinking to support this change is increasing, which makes it an exciting time for everyone one full of growth potential. Shanahan: I have the opportunity to speak to executives in many segments of the energy industry, from huge energy Kendrick: Career advancement in utilities has been perceived producers like ExxonMobil to utilities like Exelon. The as difficult (if not impossible) for women in the past; however, uniform message I hear from executives is their desire to both a combination of the landscape of the industry and a advance women in their organizations and benefit from having changing talent pool provides great hopes for the future. The women in the most senior positions. The challenge becomes prospective talent pool for utilities will definitely be more getting the executive commitment reflected in the day-by-day heterogeneous than in the past and that includes women. As actions throughout the organization that advance or hinder a result of workforce planning pressures, the utility industrys womens career paths. My advice for women in the energy workforce needs and expectations are also changing to meet industry is to understand your employers overall commitment this new talent pool. The utility jobs of the past will not be to diversity. If your employer is committed to diversity but the the utility jobs of the future, with key national initiatives such day-by-day environment you experience is not supportive, as green energy jobs, smart grids, and social responsibility, then work with your employer to find opportunities elsewhere utilities are reengineering their positions to embrace and in your organization. If your employer is not committed
is always about how much value you can bring to the table for the organization. If women focus on how they can help their organization to be successful, rather than focusing on being in a male-dominated environment, it becomes easier to meet the challenges and overcome the perceived barriers.
to diversity, then I suggest you look at the many energy organizations that offer advancement.
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ing leaders. Nicor has a comprehensive succession plan which focuses on growing internal talent. In succession planning, employees have the opportunity to take on different positions and responsibilities which allows them to develop a The utility jobs of the past will not be the utility broad vision of the organization. The fact that Nicor has jobs of the future, with key national initiatives such as a green energy jobs, smart grids, and so many women in leadership roles across the company social responsibility, utilities are reenso with a variety of experiences on their resume demongineering their positions to embrace gin strates their long-term commitment to empowering and an accommodate the new talent pool. women to assume meaningful leadership roles. I believe the future for womens adb vancement in utilities is promising. va Kendrick: Over the past decade JEA has developed Wanyonyi Kendrick, both implicit and explicit strategies that support and Jacksonville Energy Authority Ja promote career advancement for women even into senior management positions of JEA. Change starts at the top and both our present and immediate past CEO Organizational support actively supported these strategies. In fact, JEAs Board of Q: What measures and/or initiatives have you seen implemented Directors closely reflects our community in diversity and for within your own company that support women in their career fiscal year 2008 our Board Chair was an African American management paths, even into the senior levels of your organization? woman. Today we have three relevant initiatives: cultural competence initiative, executive leadership development Manes: Duke Energy has taken steps in a number of areas to program and internships. At JEA cultural competence is actively support women in their career development. One of recognizing, understanding, and valuing peoples differences the biggest successes in recent years is the growth and value and using this knowledge to interact effectively. JEAs vision is created by our employee resource groups. One such group, to be recognized as a leader in achieving excellence by valuing the Business Womens Network (BWN), promotes networking the unique contributions and needs of our employees and and workshops targeted to the specific needs and interests of the communities we serve. We are establishing a multiyear women in the company. This group is supported by an executive initiative focusing on our cultural competency goals with the steering team comprised of women executives who are actively intended outcome of supporting the expected changes in our and visibly engaged with BWM members in various activities workforce to reflect the heterogeneous community we support. and serve as accessible role models and mentors. The company JEAs Executive Leadership Development (ELD) identifies and also promotes a voluntary mentoring program for all employees supports (through training and mentoring) our future utility where they are matched with an executive leader.Additionally, I leaders. The ELD group endeavors to be diverse. The group have seen an increase in the flexibility employees are provided in meets regularly and not only has an opportunity to network terms of work hours and location, which gives them increased with both the JEA board and executive management but also ability to manage both a career and family. We are redefining some of the best and brightest CEOs in North East Florida. the definition of workplace. Increasingly, work is being JEAs Employee Development Program is similar to the ELD but performed where the employee is physically located rather than specifically focused on the unique needs of individuals striving the traditional job where employees go to the work location. to become supervisors and entry level managers, however it While not directed specifically at women, this greatly increases continues to ensure strong mentorship as well as the creation womens ability to better integrate their career and lives over the course of time, increasing their choices and enhancing As A a tactic to support women, I encourtheir overall career opportunities. a g managers at all levels to create foage r u rums for women to network with each Nichols: Nicor Gas has an excellent and wello t other, learn, and feel a sense of communiearned reputation for promoting the people that ty Organizations like the Society of Women ty. add the most value and that certainly includes E n Engineers can serve as such a forum. women. The most impressive aspect of Nicor Betty B Shanahan, executive director and Gas leadership development is the support senior CEO C E for the Society of Women Engineers leaders within the organization provide to emergaccommodate the new talent pool. I believe the future for womens advancement in utilities is promising.
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of sustainable networks to support career advancements. JEAs internship program promotes hiring the best and the brightest college students for internships for up to four years to prepare these students for a career in utilities. Again the initiative attempts to represent the community in its demographics.
Industry improvement Q: How might the energy industry in general improve prospects for women to advance their careers?
Shanahan: The first requirement is commitment from top management. CEOs, facility managers, and others in top management must demonstrate, not just say, their commitment to diversity throughout the organization. From that commitment should spring efforts to have all employees shift their understanding of diversity from tolerance to others to creating an inclusive corporate culture where all employees can contribute. As a tactic to support women, I encourage managers at all levels to create forums for women to network with each other, learn, and feel a sense of community. Organizations like the Society of Women Engineers can serve as such a forum.
Kendrick: I am a strong proponent of a best practice approach to improving the advancement of women in business. There are many industries and many companies in the utility business that have embraced successful strategies that have encouraged better promotion of women into senior management positions. These practices start with defining the business case: clearly understanding the benefits of hiring women and other groups in the customer base serviced. Continue by creating a strategy and an organization structure that can sustain the objectives: including recruitment, retention, development, training, communication and most importantly measurement strategies. Lastly monitoring and celebrating the results. At a more fundamental level many of the criteria that make a great company also make a great company for womens advancement. There are certain programs that can be considered that truly will attract and retain women: strong mentoring programs, access to senior management, career paths and succession planning. But the basics are also important: great benefits, flexible hours, job sharing and various forms of childcare may also help a company to differentiate itself to women.
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Nichols: The opportunities are out there; the industry already provides them! The real question is what women can do to capitalize on those opportunities? First, I would advise women to join Energetic Women and other leadership development and networking groups as a means of broadening their horizons and creating a supportive network outside of the organization to grow their leadership potential. Second, seek out ways to maximize your potential. Objectively evaluate your past experiences, the value you currently add to your organization, and what experiences or skill sets you need to work on in order to be the best candidate for another opportunity. Finally, be brave! Time and time again, women executives most often credit having the courage to try something totally new as the primary reason behind their success. They did not always go seeking their next assignment. Many were just thrust in a new direction. They had to dig deep, have faith in their own abilities to grow and adapt, and have the courage to face their challenges head on. Those experiences are the ones that really make a difference.
resources especially employees. This is the time to focus on the best talent, the best ideas and the best solutions. In order to succeed, we need a multi-dimensional, inclusive workforce. We are being more deliberate in our sourcing and recruiting in all areas with these needs in mind, which will continue to improve opportunities for all, including women. While current economic conditions seem daunting, I believe opportunities are hidden in the news about job d de losses and are providing us los the th chance to rethink how we w manage our business In In order to succeed, we need a multi-dimensional, inclusive workforce. wo Gianna Manes, Duke Power Shanahan: I wouldnt note changes for women that are any different than the changes for men. Some sectors of the industry are facing hiring slowdowns or freezes that impact both men and women.
Concerns about the economy and employment Q: With the recent economic and employment slump, have you noticed any changes in recruitment and sourcing activities aimed at women in the energy industry?
Kendrick: Yes, the transition to a 21st century heterogeneous workforce has definitely slowed down as a result of the economic turndown. Any initiative that is not essential to the next 12 to 18 months has been put on hold, canceled or eliminated, oftentimes diversity initiatives fall into this category. However, the problem still remains with a shrinking talent pool of the future, the pain has just been postponed and I am confident that most of these initiatives will begin again in the coming years in the same form or a more appropriate modified format. Nichols: It is a tighter market for everyone, not just women. Now is a good time to focus on leadership development opportunities. Consider formal education, taking on new assignments in an area you have not worked before, or testing your skill sets as a volunteer outside of the corporate world. Showing your dedication to continually grow and add value will only strengthen you, regardless of the economy. Manes: I believe all challenges present opportunities. While current economic conditions seem daunting, I believe opportunities are hidden in the news about job losses and are providing us the chance to rethink how we manage our business. It is an opportunity to be creative with regard to costs, earnings and
Final thoughts Q: What else do energy companies need to know about women in the industry?
Nichols: Many women learn and grow in ways different than their male counterparts. The opportunity to network with other women in the industry is a great asset to their growth and development. It has become obvious to me now, through my involvement with Energetic Women, that it is really essential to have a safe venue for women to explore their leadership potential with other women and to find solutions to the challenges they experience in their careers. I strongly encourage energy companies to look into Energetic Women as a resource to attract, develop, and retain women to diversify their talent pool and strengthen the organization long term. Shanahan: The energy industry must fully utilize all the talents of a diverse workforce if it is create a long-term strategy to deliver sustainable energy to the world while maintaining and increasing quality of life globally. Kendrick: Women and other diverse workforce groups should not be portrayed as replacing any one demographic but rather complementing the workforce and providing opportunities for better decision-making similar to Abraham Lincolns strong cabinet team of rivals. EW
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Improving Frontline Training Practices
Training and training delivery systems are changing, evolving to take advantage of the power of the Internet, mobile communications, and handheld technologiesthe technologies that are changing society itself. Technological advancement has made it possible and practical to shift from classroom training to individualized learning. In turn, corporations are expecting trainers to become performance consultants, with the goal of developing custom learning content to help individual employees achieve their desired outcome.
As a result, companies are spending more per employee on training and the average number of hours of formal learning per employee is increasing. The use of technology to deliver learning content has increased and companies are also spending more on external services like content design, development and delivery or technology infrastructure. More and more subject matter experts are assuming the training role. More live instruction is being delivered remotely or online and more and more self-paced or computerbased training is being offered to busy employees, making it even more convenient to brush up on skills or learn a new procedure. Training that is portable, self-directed, and available on-demand is becoming popular, through pod casts, PDAs, or even mobile phones. Simulation technology is also being widely implemented, allowing learners to realistically try the job before actually on the job. Companies are expecting more from their training organizationsto maximize results while minimizing resources; to prove that the investment in training is paying off in employee performance; to develop content more quickly; and to deliver learning in such a manner that it is more accessible, even seamless with work duties. More so than ever before, an organizations training function is being run like any other business function with increased attention on operational efficiency, accountability, and connection to organizational strategy.
These challenges are reflected in the top concerns identified by training and development professionals in recent industry research:
Managing training costs and funding Getting the most out of e-learning, learning development systems Linking learning to performance Increasing training comprehension Aligning learning with business needs and individual employee competency needs.
Its no longer acceptable to hope an employee learns something at a training session. The best performing companies are thoughtfully developing and engaging their most important resource: the people they employ. Engaged employees are the key to excellent customer service. Engaged employees are employees that feel as though they are truly valued at work; that their efforts directly contribute towards the mission and success of the company. Engaged employees are more productive and less likely to look outside of the company for employment. However, employee engagement is beginning to deteriorate due to the failing economies of the U.S. and elsewhere around the world. A recent national study by Modern Survey revealed that that 21% of U.S. workers actively disengaged. Poor employee engagement can lead to absenteeism, a lack of teamwork, poor morale, and low productivity, among other concerns. It is becoming more and more difficult to find and engage the right employees. Tight labor markets are making companies think twice about compensation packages, benefits, and incentives. Turnover and competition are pushing companies to focus on ways to keep qualified employees happy and motivated. Customer service managements top priority is attracting and engaging top-performing customer service employees. Learning plays a key role in helping employees to get and stay engaged. Many organizations have begun to rely heavily on the learning function for engagement support. While new-
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hire training can initiate an employees engagement with the company, refresher training and other personal development opportunities can help keep employees engaged. However, training and development alone does not guarantee employee engagement. Additionally a good relationship between employees and immediate supervisors is recognized as a top driver of employee engagement. Yet this is a problem area for many customer service organizationsfrontline supervisors and managers lack the skills to effectively engage employees. A study performed by the Ascent Group found, many customer service organizations do not offer basic supervisory training to frontline supervisors, much less tactics to improve employee engagement. With all this in mind, the Ascent Group conducted research in mid- and late-2008 to better understand training and development programs for front-line customer service employees. This research was conducted in concert with additional research into the recruitment and hiring of frontline employees and performance measurement. The main objective of the study was to identify best practices for front-line customer service training. In particular, focus was given to understanding how best-in-class customer service organizations train and prepare their front-line, customerfacing employees. Secondary objectives included understanding:
Lessons Learned Hire for Attitude, Train for Technical Skills. The best foundation for service excellence is your people. It is easier to teach proficiency than it is to change attitudes. Best-in-Class companies look for motivated and enthusiastic people who demonstrate a propensity to servehire for attitude and train for skill. Consider potential, not necessarily experience. Best-in-Class companies have turned hiring into an art form, not only the process but also the identification of the right type of employee. In a service business, the employees are the company and hiring is critical. Work with your recruiters to find the right candidates.
Communicate Job Expectations Throughout New Hire TrainingDo as much as possible to relay expectations to students during the new hire-training program. The more a new employee understands about the job, the work environment, performance expectations, and culture, the quicker they will be able to achieve standard. Use job shadowing, peer mentoring, or simulation to relay culture and expectations. Revise training content so the appropriate expectations are conveyed. Survey new students to better understand how to continually refine the process and minimize new-hire surprise. Emphasize the Importance of Customer Service in the Training ProcessMake sure that students know up front about your organizational commitment to customer service. Stress the importance of customer service and customer satisfaction throughout the new-hire training program. Do as much as possible to integrate the Customer Experience into Training Programso students understand customer expectations and appreciate the customer perspective. Use simulation, role-playing, and mentoring to convey the correct customer experience. On average, our participants spend about 20 percent of new-hire training hours on soft-skills, usually integrated into the new-hire training program. Engage New Hires with Hands-On Training, Customized to Individual Learning StylesResearch shows a growth in more interactive, hands-on training opportunities for new hiresrole playing, simulation, peer mentoring. Handson experiences help internalize learning, incorporate more learning by doing opportunities into your new-hire program. Hands-on learning can also be used to drive assessment so that trainers can measure both factual knowledge and comprehension. Additionally, training comprehension is increased through individualized trainingtraining tailored
What initial training programs are used? Duration? What on-going training programs are used? Duration? Frequency? Pass/Fail? What job rotation processes are in place? Are they effective in increasing productivity and customer satisfaction? What technologies are improving the training process?
Participants were also asked to share management tactics and strategies, as well as identify any improvement in performance. The study also asked companies to include considerations, successes, and plans moving forward. Study participants ranged from 2 to 6,000 frontline employees and from 1 to 1,900 new hires per year.
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to each students individual learning style. Smaller class sizes, modular training, and self-paced activities help students learn at their own pace. Mentoring & Monitoring Ease the Transition to the Floor Participants use a combination of one-on-one mentoring and frequent call monitoring to help new hires transition to the floor. Many companies also employ nestingpod on the floor dedicated to new hires to facilitate more extensive coaching and one-on-one assistance until the team is up-to-standard. Another approach that has been successful is the creation of an OJT manager to shepherd new-hire and ongoing OJT efforts. Maximize Intranet and Internet Resources and other Technologies to Enhance Training and Job AidsNewer technologies offer the opportunity to customize learning and make it more accessible. Investigate opportunities to deliver online or computer-based training. Self-paced training is inherently customized to individual learning speeds and styles. Training that is portable, self-directed, and available on-demand, through pod casts, PDAs, or mobile phones, will be more convenient and more appealing for many employees. Simulation technologies allow learners to try the job before actually being on the job, creating a more realistic training environment. Research also shows a growth in the use of webbased meeting applications, such as WebEx, GoTo Meeting, and LiveMeeting, to facilitate distance learning and to reduce training costs. Integrate Training with Quality Assurance and Operational Excellence to Facilitate Continual Improvement and Preemptive Targeted Training. To ensure successful continuous improvement, encourage training groups to work closely with quality assurance and operational excellence groups.
Fig. 1. Top new training technologies
This will encourage the link between learning and performancemaking sure the training group is equipping employees to successfully perform as well as making sure any operational changes are reflected in training. At the same time, underperforming employees can receive targeted training.
Provide Supervisors with Training on How to Coach and Engage Employees. Organizations reporting more highly engaged workers actively promoting a culture of engagement by ensuring that organizational leaders, including immediate supervisors, are skilled in the area of engagement improvement. After all, having a good relationship between employees and immediate supervisors is a top driver of employee engagement. Yet, many frontline supervisors are lacking in basic supervisory skills, much less tactics for engaging employees. A study by the Ascent Group found that only 57 percent of participants have a formal supervisory (coach) training program for front-line customer service employees. Evolve Your Training Resources. As technology becomes more specialized and learning becomes more personalized, trainers will assume more of a performance consultant role. Make sure your trainers have the appropriate training and resources to make the transition. Many companies have a difficult time balancing the needs of the business to meet service level goals and the need to train and develop frontline employees. Make the time to adequately train your frontline customer service resources. Make Time for Training. Many companies have a difficult time balancing the day-to-day needs of the business and the need to train and develop frontline employees. Make the time to adequately train and prepare your frontline customer service resources. Make sure they are equipped and trained to handle all situations. Refresh training periodically to keep employees in top performance and up-to-date on customer service and technical skills. EW
About The Ascent Group The Ascent Group, Inc. is a management-consulting firm that specializes in customer service operations and improvement, performance benchmarking, competitive benchmarking, work management, and industry research. www.ascentgroup.com
eLearning & learning management systems Computer-based & video-based training Web meeting software Enhanced training room 24%
29%
29%
18%
Intranet repository 0 5 10
18% 25 20 15 % Participants reporting 30 35
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