Decom World

California: Rigs-to-Reefs ready

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:23:57 +0000

Précis:

California's Rigs-to-Reefs law has been live since October 2010. But while operators say it is attractive, high oil prices have given a lease of life to California’s 27 ageing assets, putting decommissioning on the backburner.

By Bob Moser, Americas correspondent

California's Rigs-to-Reefs law has been on the books for nearly a year and a half, but questions remain on the approval process. This is due to the fact that none of the 27 active platforms off the state's coast have been scheduled for decommissioning. The savings to operators through the program are greatest if they disassemble by 2017, but demand for oil could delay decom payoff for the better part of a decade.

Image:

Premium`:

DNS: Global template for decommissioning

Rikki Stancich — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:45:58 +0000

Précis:

DecomNorthSea lays out a vision for a template that could shave years off the decommissioning plan approval process, and facilitate cross-border project bundling.

Interview by Rikki Stancich

Decom North Sea (DNS), a UK-based European offshore oil & gas decommissioning forum, has thrown its weight behind an initiative aimed at developing standard procedures for decommissioning projects.

North Sea's oil and gas decommissioning projects are about to ramp up, but with little track record, operators are feeling their way as they produce detailed decommissioning plans for the first time.

Image:

Premium`:

Offshore Decommissioning Report 2012-2013 Gulf of Mexico

etully — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:31:39 +0000

Teaser / Précis:

Enhance your decommissioning business planning utilizing the latest data on the decommissioning in the Gulf of Mexico and become a leader in your field

External URL:

http://www.decomworld.com/gomreport/index.php?utm_source=Portal&utm_medium=Event...

GOM: Price and regulatory stability crucial for 2012

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:49:51 +0000

Précis:

2012 will see an upswing in decommissioning activity in the Gulf of Mexico. DecomWorld explores how service providers and operators can maximize productivity on multiple project campaigns.

By Dan McCue, US correspondent

After a relatively slow year due mainly to a backlog of permit approvals, the Gulf of Mexico abandonment and decommissioning market should heat up in 2012 – baring the unpredictable impacts of a major hurricane during the prime working months or renewed volatility in the price of oil, industry insiders say.

Image:

Premium`:

Gulf of Mexico: Greater depths, new challenges

etully — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:04:48 +0000

Précis:

DecomWorld speaks to Charles Watson, Offshore Regulatory Compliance at Williams Midstream about challenges associated with decommissioning for the offshore industry.

DecomWorld: Where in the oil and gas industry does your company sit?

Image:

Premium`:

Well integrity: UKCS guidelines issued

Rikki Stancich — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:54:42 +0000

Précis:

DecomWorld contacts Oil & Gas UK to learn more about the latest guidelines for well examinations on the UK Continental Shelf.

At the end of 2011, Oil & Gas UK published the first two in a series of several guidelines to help well operators better understand and achieve the goals set by the Health and Safety Executive’s regulations regarding well operations on the UKCS.

The ‘Guidelines for well-operators on well examination’ and the ‘Guidelines for well-operators on competency of well-examiners’ were produced by the Well Life Cycle Practices Forum (WLCPF), a permanent body co-ordinated by Oil & Gas UK.

Image:

Premium`:

Gravity Base Structures: Storage cell conundrum

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:11:34 +0000

Précis:

Concrete substructures and the NORM laced contents of their storage cells pose one of the biggest challenges in decommissioning. How is Shell handling Brent Delta?

By Sam Phipps in Edinburgh

Gravity based structures (GBSs) with offshore storage capabilities – of which there are about 40 in the North Sea, including Norway – have been going out of fashion for more than a decade.

Image:

Premium`:

Macondo aftershocks: P&A contractors face increased liability in 2012

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:02:20 +0000

Précis:

Relationships between contractors and operators in the Gulf of Mexico may undergo fundamental changes in 2012, and could even make some think twice about work in the region.

By Bob Moser, Americas correspondent

Relationships between contractors and operators in the Gulf of Mexico may undergo fundamental changes in 2012, and could even make some think twice about work in the region, now that US regulators will hold contractors liable for accidents in a way not accounted for in common contracts known as Master Service Agreements (MSAs).

Image:

Premium`:

UK: National Hyperbaric Centre readies for upswing in decommissioning

Rikki Stancich — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:15:07 +0000

Précis:

DecomWorld speaks to the National Hyperbaric Test Centre’s test manager, David Cruikshank, about decommissioning innovations that have crossed the facility’s threshold over the last twelve months.

Interview by Rikki Stancich

As the only UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) approved hyperbaric test laboratory, the National Hyperbaric Centre is playing an increasing role in testing new equipment for offshore oil and gas decommissioning.

Formerly a government-backed entity, the now-independent company provides expertise and services to the subsea industry and pressure-related industries, offering a range of services from commercial diver training, hyperbaric welding and subsea testing and consulting.

Image:

Premium`:

Joint effort to ease North Sea well burden

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Précis:

Multi-operator well campaigns could play a vital role when the UK’s oil and gas decommissioning programme gathers pace. But the challenges are significant.

By Sam Phipps in Edinburgh

With about 4,500 wells to be decommissioned in the North Sea in the next 20 years or so, operators are increasingly looking at the potential savings from collaboration.

These, like the risks and logistical problems, will vary greatly depending on the type of well involved: suspended exploration and appraisal (E&A) subsea wells; subsea development (production and injection) wells; or platform wells.

Image:

Premium`:

North Sea decommissioning and offshore wind on collision course

Rikki Stancich — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:57:15 +0000

Précis:

DecomWorld speaks to Angela MacCormack, lead author of the latest decommissioning report from Douglass-Westwood & Deloitte, to learn more the pending choke points in North Sea decommissioning.

Interview by Rikki Stancich

A £47.5 billion business opportunity is opening up for companies active in the North Sea oil and gas decommissioning market, according to a new report from Deloitte and Douglas-Westwood.

The key beneficiaries include UK, Denmark, The Netherlands, Norway, and Ireland. According to the report, the bulk of decommissioning activity and related spend will occur between 2016 and 2031.

Image:

Premium`:

4th Annual Decommissioning & Abandonment Summit, GOM

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:18:23 +0000

Event Date:

Thu, 2012-03-22 - Fri, 2012-03-23

Event URL:

http://www.decomworld.com/decommissioning/

Event Location:

Houston, Texas, USA

Number of attendees:

800

Programme URL:

http://www.decomworld.com/decommissioning/agenda.shtml

Brochure URL:

http://www.decomworld.com/decommissioning/download-brochure.shtml

Speakers URL:

http://www.decomworld.com/decommissioning/speakers.shtml

Event Organiser:

Dean Murphy

Event Organiser E-mail:

dmurphy@decomworld.com

Précis:

Utilize latest industry experience to reduce costs, improve safety & mitigate risk on all future decommissioning projects

Weekly Intelligence Brief: November 8 - November 22

Rikki Stancich — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:07:55 +0000

Précis:

North Sea oil & gas decommissioning costs could exceed £47.5bThis week’s DecomWorld news brief includes the following companies and organisations: Deloitte, Douglas-Westwood; US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Oil and Gas UK.

North Sea decommissioning costs could exceed £47.5b

New research from Deloitte and Douglas-Westwood has indicated that a £47.5 billion business opportunity is opening up for companies in decommissioning the North Sea’s huge infrastructure of offshore oil and gas fields.

Image:

Premium`:

Old NID:

803

Barclays Corporate: "Cautiously optimistic" about the North Sea's future

Rikki Stancich — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:18:20 +0000

Précis:

Barclays Corporate's head of oil and gas, Walter Cumming, says all eyes are on the 2012 budget as the oil and gas industry hopes to see longer-term certainty and clarity in areas such as decommissioning.

A theme of "cautious optimism" remains as we move towards the end of 2011, says Walter Cumming, head of oil and gas at Barclays Corporate. The North Sea "still presents significant investment opportunities."

"The stable commodity price and the discovery of new plays in the Norwegian and UK sectors have given buyers the confidence to engage in further activity and acquisitions," he adds.

For banks, the appetite to lend continues to grow, particularly for companies with good business propositions and diverse portfolios.

Image:

Premium`:

Old NID:

802

Asset re-use: Planning and clarity needed

Rikki Stancich — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:32:38 +0000

Précis:

The North Sea industry – and the environment – would benefit from greater reuse of infrastructure and equipment, but the market needs co-operation and stimulus if it is to grow, say executives.

By Sam Phipps in Edinburgh

With more than 500 oil and gas installations, 10,000km of pipeline and 5,000 wells to be decommissioned in the North Sea over the next two decades, the case for reusing as much as possible looks strong.

Image:

Premium`:

Old NID:

797