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Showing posts with label ocean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ocean. Show all posts

Monday, September 12, 2011

BOEMRE Names Senior Managers

- BOEMRE Names Senior Managers

Monday, September 12, 2011
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Director Michael R. Bromwich on Monday announced several key appointments to high-level positions in the two new, independent agencies that will carry out the offshore energy management and enforcement functions currently under the jurisdiction of BOEMRE. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) will begin operating on October 1, 2011.

"I am pleased to announce my selection of a group of exceptionally qualified individuals," said Director Bromwich. "Throughout the recruitment process, we have looked for leaders who are technically skilled and experienced, and who can lead our ongoing efforts to enhance the safety of offshore exploration and production. The new leadership represents a combination of talented people from inside the agency with an exceptionally well-qualified group of people recruited from outside the agency."

BOEM will be responsible for managing development of the nation's offshore resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way. Functions will include: Leasing, Plan Administration, Environmental Studies, National Environmental Policy Act Analysis, Resource Evaluation, Economic Analysis and the Renewable Energy Program.

Some of the key leaders for BOEM will include:
  • Dr. Walter D. Cruickshank, who will serve as the BOEM Deputy Director. Dr. Cruickshank has more than 25 years of experience at the Department of Interior. He most recently served as the BOEMRE Deputy Director. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Geological Sciences from Cornell University and Doctorate in Mineral Economics from the Pennsylvania State University.
  • Renee Orr, who will serve as BOEM's Strategic Resources Chief in BOEM. She has more than 23 years of experience with the Department of the Interior. Ms. Orr has overseen the staff implementation teams that have been at the core of the bureau's reorganization effort, and previously served as Chief of Leasing where she was responsible for the development and completion of several 5-Year Oil and Gas Leasing Programs. She earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and History from Metropolitan State College in Denver.
  • Maureen Bornholdt, who will serve as the BOEM Renewables Chief. Ms. Bornholdt has more than 27 years of experience with the Department of the Interior. She most recently served as the Project Manager for BOEMRE's Offshore Renewable Energy Program. Ms. Bornholdt earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from George Mason University.
  • Ellen G. Aronson, who will serve as the BOEM Pacific Region Director. Ms. Aronson has over 33 years of experience with the Department of the Interior. She most recently served as the BOEMRE Pacific Region Director. Ms. Aronson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from Sara Lawrence College and a Master's of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Southern California.
  • Dr. James Kendall, who will serve as the BOEM Alaska Region Director. Dr. Kendall has over 27 years of experience with the Department of the Interior. He most recently served as the BOEMRE Alaska Region Director. Dr. Kendall earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Old Dominion University, Ph.D. in oceanography from Texas A&M University, and a Post-doctoral Fellowship in Marine Biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. He is also a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute, Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Senior Executive Fellows Program of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
  • John Rodi, who has been the Deputy Regional Director of BOEMRE's Gulf of Mexico Region since November 2007 and will serve as the BOEM Gulf of Mexico Acting Regional Director until a permanent Regional Director is selected. Mr. Rodi has more than 40 years of federal service with five different agencies. Mr. Rodi has both Bachelor and Master Degrees in Economics from Tulane University and the University of New Orleans, respectively.

BSEE will enforce safety and environmental regulations. Functions will include: All field operations including Permitting and Research, Inspections, Offshore Regulatory Programs, Oil Spill Response, and newly formed Training and Environmental Compliance functions.

Some of the key leaders for BSEE will include:
  • Charles Barbee, who will serve as the BSEE Chief of the Environmental Enforcement Division. Mr. Barbee has more than 20 years of experience with the U.S. Coast Guard. Most recently, he was the Coast Guard's program manager for both marine investigations and environmental crime. During his career, Mr. Barbee has specialized in oil spill contingency planning, pollution investigation and response, marine inspections and marine casualty investigations. He graduated and received his commission from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and earned a Master's Degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix.
  • Chris Barry, who will serve as the BSEE Director of the National Offshore Training Center. Mr. Barry currently serves as Chief of National Training and Leadership for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the National Preparedness Directorate. He earned a Bachelor of Arts (dual) degree in Art History and Special Education and a Master of Instructional Systems Design.
  • David Moore, who will serve as the BSEE Oil Spill Response Supervisor. Mr. Moore has more than 14 years of experience with the Department of the Interior. He most recently served as the Coordinator of BOEMRE's Oil Spill Program. He earned a Master of Engineering degree from Tulane University and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from the University of New Orleans.
  • Bob Brown, who will serve as the BSEE Associate Director for Administration. Mr. Brown has more than 30 years of experience at the Department of the Interior, Small Business Administration and U.S. Navy. He most recently served as the BOEMRE Associate Director for Administration and Budget and Chief Information Officer. Mr. Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Seton Hall University and pursued post-graduate studies in History at Georgetown University.
  • Lars Herbst, who will serve as the BSEE Gulf of Mexico Regional Director. Mr. Herbst has over 27 years of experience with the Department of the Interior. He most recently served as the Gulf of Mexico Regional Director for BOEMRE. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Louisiana and earned a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana State University.
  • Jaron E. Ming, who will serve as the BSEE Pacific Region Director. Mr. Ming most recently served as the Pacific Region's Lead Leasing Specialist. He previously served as the Senior Policy Advisor to the Regional Director. He started his career in the federal government as a Presidential Management Fellow. Mr. Ming earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University, a Master of Arts degree in Marine Affairs and Policy from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Miami School of Law.
  • Mark Fesmire, who will serve as the BSEE Alaska Region Director. Mr. Fesmire most recently served in the New Mexico Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department, where he has was the Director of the state oil and gas regulatory agency and Chairman of the Oil and Gas Commission for the past seven years. Prior to attending New Mexico State University where he received bachelor's degrees in Geological and Civil Engineering, Mr. Fesmire worked in the offshore oil fields of the Gulf of Mexico. After 12 years as a petroleum engineer, he completed Law School at the Texas Tech University School of Law. He is a Registered Professional Petroleum Engineer and Licensed Attorney.

BSEE is currently accepting applications for the Deputy Director position.

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Oceaneering Sells Ocean Legend

- Oceaneering Sells Ocean Legend

Monday, September 12, 2011
Oceaneering International, Inc.

Oceaneering International, Inc. announced Monday the sale of the Ocean Legend, a mobile offshore production system, to an undisclosed buyer.

Oceaneering's third quarter 2011 earnings will include an estimated pretax gain in the range of $17 million to $19 million on the sale of this asset in its Subsea Projects segment operating results.

Oceaneering's 2011 EPS guidance previously given did not include the anticipated results of this transaction.

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Friday, September 2, 2011

China Ocean Watchdog Orders Operations Halt at Penglai 19-3 Oil Field

- China Ocean Watchdog Orders Operations Halt at Penglai 19-3 Oil Field

Friday, September 02, 2011
Dow Jones Newswires
BEIJING
by Wayne Ma

China's State Oceanic Administration said Friday it is ordering a halt to all drilling and oil and gas production at the Penglai 19-3 oil field at Bohai Bay, which is operated by ConocoPhillips China.

The directive comes amid mounting public criticism against the U.S. oil company that it has been slow to act and provide information about oil spills at the field beginning in early June.

ConocoPhillips submitted a report Wednesday to the SAO and said it believed it had satisfied all the requirements laid out by the SOA for cleaning up and investigating the spill.

A ConocoPhillips spokesman said the company couldn't immediately respond to the statement, which was posted on the SOA's website.

Conoco must submit a marine environmental impact report and won't be able to restart operations until it receives approval, the SOA said.

The U.S. company hasn't satisfied the requirements for cleaning up and investigating the oil spill, it said, adding that Conoco was slow to act on the plan to clean up and investigate the spills though it made some progress in later stages.

The field's platform C hasn't been fully cleaned up and there are still leaks in the surrounding area, while cleanup measures at platform B are insufficient, it said

While operations are halted, Conoco should be willing to be strictly supervised by its joint-venture partner China National Offshore Oil Corp., or Cnooc., to prevent any new oil spills or environmental hazards, it said.

Conoco said last week that while it has sealed off all leaks at the field, residual oil, which is expected to dissipate, continues to seep from two leaks at the rate of one or two liters a day.

ConocoPhillips is responsible for operating the oil field, which has the capacity to produce 160,000 barrels of crude oil a day, in its joint venture with Cnooc.

Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Solstad Offshore Inks Contract with Ocean Installer for CSV

- Solstad Offshore Inks Contract with Ocean Installer for CSV

Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Solstad Offshore ASA

Solstad Offshore ASA (SOFF) has signed a contract with Ocean Installer AS (OI.II) for hire of SOFF's offshore construction vessel (CSV) Normand Clipper.

The duration of the contract is firm for 5 years with further 5 x 1 year option. Commencement is expected to be during second quarter of 2012.

The contract value is confidential between the parties, but gives SOFF an acceptable return on its investment. SOFF and OI.II intend to investigate and develop opportunities for further co-operation with regards to future assets.

Normand Clipper is a CSV built in 2001 and extensively upgraded in 2005. The vessel is very well suited for subsea construction work in both deep and more shallow waters. The vessel has a 250 t subsea crane, a deck area of approximately 1700 m2 and accommodation to approximately 100 people.

Ocean Installer is a newly established subsea construction company based in Stavanger, Norway. O.II is 100% owned by HitecVision.

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Monday, August 8, 2011

ONGC In Talks to Sell Indian Ocean Deepwater Stakes - FT

- ONGC In Talks to Sell Indian Ocean Deepwater Stakes - FT

Monday, August 08, 2011
Dow Jones Newswires

India's Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) is talking to Shell, BG Group and Eni to sell stakes in its Indian Ocean deepwater developments, the Financial Times reported Sunday, citing ONGC's chairman AK Hazarika.

ONGC is already co-operating with Shell, BG and Eni in a number of other blocks, and talks had been under way for some time. ONGC seeks a partner on the technical front to expand the development of its 85 deepwater blocks in the Indian Ocean, Hazarika said in the report available on the FT website, without giving a deadline for the deal.

The company was willing to give away up to 30% of its assets in exchange for technical expertise, Hazarika said, according to the report.

Shell and BG declined comment, while Eni didn't respond, the FT said.


Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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Thursday, July 7, 2011

Rockhopper Adds Additional Appraisal on Semisub

- Rockhopper Adds Additional Appraisal on Semisub

Thursday, July 07, 2011
Rockhopper Exploration plc

Rockhopper has entered into a further assignment agreement to secure an additional well slot on the Ocean Guardian drilling rig. Rockhopper will shortly drill well 14/10-6, its third appraisal well on the Sea Lion feature, followed by an additional three wells in succession.

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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Chevron Spins Bit in GOM

- Chevron Spins Bit in GOM

Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Maersk Oil

Maersk Oil is participating in a new deepwater well in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico after operator Chevron received a drilling permit from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE).

The permit marks the restart of the drilling campaigns Maersk Oil has been a part of in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico after deepwater activities were suspended last year as a consequence of the Deepwater Horizon accident.

"We are very pleased that this permit has been issued as it will allow us to move forward with appraisal activities on the exciting Buckskin prospect," said Bruce Laws, President at Maersk Oil in the U.S.

"The U.S. Gulf of Mexico remains a world class region for exploration and production and we look forward to continuing our work there with our partners."

The Buckskin appraisal well is located in the Keathley Canyon in Block 785, offshore Louisiana, at water depth of 6,540 feet. It is being drilled 8 kilometers from the discovery well that encountered oil in 2008 with drillship Discoverer Deep Seas.

Drilling began on May 16, 2011 and the planned total depth is 29,400 feet. Drilling will last some 136 days.

Chevron is operator of Buckskin, holding a 55% interest with Maersk Oil (20%), Repsol (12.5%) and Samson (12.5%) as co-owners.

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Monday, April 11, 2011

India to Develop Vessels to Explore Ocean Floor for Resources

India to Develop Vessels to Explore Ocean Floor for Resources

Monday, April 11, 2011
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
by Jacob P. Koshy, Mint, New Delhi

India plans to spend '500 crore in developing a series of specialized vessels capable of scouring deep ocean floors for minerals, metals and gas hydrates.

Several South Asian nations, including Sri Lanka, Myanmar and India, have laid claim to large but little explored swathes of the Indian Ocean for exclusive mining rights. A United Nations (UN) body is expected to decide on this later this decade.

Experts say India's limited fossil fuel resources made it necessary for the nation to develop deep-sea technological capabilities within the decade.

"We have to adequately prepare ourselves with such technology for in the future countries are unlikely to share such know-how," said a Planning Commission official, who did not want to be identified. "By the time the UN decides, we should have at least three-to-five indigenous developed vehicles that can explore the sea at different depths."

An official in the science and technology ministry, who also did not want to be identified, confirmed the program.

Key untapped mineral resources in the sea include polymetallic nodules and cobalt-rich manganese crust. The nodules, which resemble coal, contain copper, cobalt, nickel and manganese and are viewed as potential resources to meet increasing global demand for these metals. Gas hydrates are crystalline solids consisting of gas molecules, usually methane, each surrounded by a cage of water molecules, akin to ice.

According to preliminary government estimates, India has access to about 0.5 million sq. km in the Indian Ocean, which could be worth about '5,000 crore in resources.

Currently only Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology has developed a robotic crawler that can plunge to 5,000m and be remote-controlled by ship to scour precious metals and minerals.

Only four other countries-- China, France, the US and Russia--have robotic vehicles that plumb those depths.

Although several private companies--mostly American--have developed robotic vehicles for similar purposes, renting them is enormously expensive.

"Along with the cost of the ship and man-days spent in launching the vehicle, it can work out to several lakhs a day," said Ananda Ramadoss, a senior researcher at the institute and a key scientist associated with developing the robotic vehicle.

Bharath Rajeshwar, a defence analyst who specializes in international mining agreements, said it was high time India embarked on a strategic, technology program to tap the ocean's wealth.

"We can't afford to go at the same pace as India's space program. The race for precious metals is going to get more vicious over the decade with a rise in electronics hardware," said Rajeshwar. "India can't afford to be an importer (of metals) forever."

Friday, April 8, 2011

Murphy Oil climbs after receiving deepwater drilling permit

Murphy Oil climbs after receiving deepwater drilling permit



The Interior Department yesterday granted a deepwater drilling permit to Murphy Oil (MUR) for a sidetrack well, according to a press release issued by the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. A sidetrack well is drilled to a new geologic target or a new location within the original target from the existing wellbore.

The company had a rig on location when drilling preparation activities were halted due to the temporary drilling suspensions imposed following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In early afternoon trading, Murphy gained $2.41, or 3.21%, to $77.48.