Superior Energy Says Hello to VP of Well Control Engineering

- Superior Energy Says Hello to VP of Well Control Engineering

Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Superior Energy Services

Wild Well Control, a Superior Energy Services company, has named Kerry Girlinghouse Vice President of Well Control Engineering.

Girlinghouse has been with Wild Well Control since 2004. In his most recent position he served as a Senior Technical Advisor within the engineering division. Based in Houston, Girlinghouse will lead the engineering division, increasing his role in global well control and prevention and response services.

"Kerry has been an integral part of the success of Wild Well Control and the engineering services division. In his new role, Kerry will continue to build the engineering services we offer and maintain our commitment to fully supporting our client’s needs," said Freddy Gebhardt, President, Wild Well Control.

Girlinghouse graduated from Southeastern Louisiana State University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, International Association of Drilling Contractors and American Association of Drilling Engineers.

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Shell: Gannet Oil Leak Under Control

- Shell: Gannet Oil Leak Under Control

Monday, August 15, 2011
Rigzone Staff
by Karen Boman

The oil leak on a flowline system that serves the Shell-operated Gannet Alpha platform in the North Sea has spilled an estimated 1,300 barrels, or 216 tonnes, a Shell spokesperson said. The spill remains under control, with the well shut in on Wednesday, Aug. 10 and work underway to completely halt any further oil leakage.

"This is a significant spill in the context of annual amounts of oil spilled in the North Sea. We care about the environment and we regret that the spill happened. We have taken it very seriously and responded promptly to it," said Glen Cayley, technical director of Shell's exploration and production activities in Europe, in a statement today.

Cayley estimates that the current rate of leaking is less than five b/d. The sheen, which also changes from day to day, is 0.5 square kilometres in size. The spill is a light crude oil with a low wax content (API-36). There is also some hydraulic fluid in present.

Cayley added, "The high winds and waves over the weekend have led to a substantial reduction in the size of the oil sheen as can be seen from the current levels on the water. We continue to expect that the oil sheen will disperse naturally due to wave action and that it will not reach the shore."

Personnel on the platform are safe and the platform continues to operate. A standby vessel, Grampian Prince, remains on station monitoring the area, with oil spill response equipment and dispersant available if required. Shell's emergency response team remains in place and is working with the relevant authorities (DECC, MCA, Marine Scotland, Scottish Government) to manage the incident and minimize its environmental impact.

"We are also in contact with RSPB and other environmental agencies. We will be sharing our latest estimates with them as well as what we know about the nature of the oil, and the monitoring of wildlife," said Cayley.

The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said its environmental inspectors will continue to monitor the situation and have been working closely with the company and counterparts from the Health and Safety Executive, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Marine Scotland since the spill was reported last week.

"Although small in comparison to the Macondo, Gulf of Mexico, incident, in the context of the UK Continental Shelf the spill is substantial – but it is not anticipated that oil will reach the shore and indeed it is expected that it will be dispersed naturally.

"The UK Continental Shelf oil spill record is strong which is why it is disappointing that this spill has happened. We take any spill very seriously and we will be investigating the causes of the spill and learning any lessons from the response to it."

The Gannet field is in the Central North Sea around 112 miles (180 km) east of Aberdeen. It is operated by Shell U.K. Limited on behalf of itself and Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited.

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ConOps Service Launched to Reduce Integrated Control System Risk

- ConOps Service Launched to Reduce Integrated Control System Risk

Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Rigzone Staff

Houston-based Athens Group, a provider of risk reduction services for control systems software on high-specification offshore assets, today unveiled its new Concept of Operations (ConOps) service.

Output from this service, a ConOps document, helps reduce integrated control system-related risks, such as non-productive time (NPT), health, safety and environmental incidents, from the very beginning of newbuild and refurbishment projects.

A ConOps document, or text document, defines from the owner's perspective performance, quality, health, safety and environmental (PQHSE) expectations; validation and verification requirements by project phase; and contractual requirements for the owner to sign by project phase.

Most offshore assets are now built or refurbished through turnkey, builder furnished equipment contracts. This procurement model makes it challenging for the asset owner to exercise the level of oversight and control needed to hold their vendors accountable for delivering a safe, reliable, and fit-for-purpose asset, the company said.

In Athens Group's recent industry survey, The State of NPT on High-Specification Offshore Assets: Third Annual Benchmarking Report, 89 percent of drilling contractors and operators identified the development of a software-specific risk mitigation plan as an opportunity the reduce NPT. Implementing a ConOps phase is the critical first step in mitigating software risk throughout the offset asset life-cycle, Athens Group said in a statement.

"Many of the project delays and much of the NPT we've seen could have been prevented if risk reduction planning had started earlier in the project life-cycle," said Athens Group CEO Mike Haney, noting that other industries that rely on large, one-of-a-kind systems integration projects have significantly reduced risk by starting each project with a Concept of Operations document.

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Aker to Supply Subsea Production Control Umilicals for Chevron

- Aker to Supply Subsea Production Control Umilicals for Chevron

Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Aker Solutions

Aker Solutions has been selected to supply three subsea production control umbilicals for the Chevron operated Jack & St. Malo field developments in the Gulf of Mexico. Contract value is undisclosed.

The production control umbilicals will provide hydraulic, electrical and fiber optic service to the Jack and St. Malo subsea fields. Scope of work includes three electro-hydraulic steel tube production umbilicals totaling 40 miles (65 kilometers). Engineering, project management, and manufacturing will take place at Aker Solutions' state-of-the-art umbilical facility in Mobile, Alabama. The three umbilicals will be used at Chevron's Jack & St. Malo field, located in the Walker Ridge Area of the Gulf of Mexico in water depths of approximately 7,000 feet (2,100 meters).

"Aker Solutions is excited to see Chevron come back to us with a repeat order and is proud to contribute to this very important project for Chevron and for the Gulf of Mexico region," said Erik Wiik, President - Subsea North America, Aker Solutions.

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