IC breakthrough could benefit energy industry
Engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas have designed integrated circuits that can survive at temperatures greater than 350C (some 660F).
Dutch company orders fast crew transfer vessel
Dutch company Offshore Wind Services (OWS), a specialist on offshore windfarm personnel logistics has ordered a fast crew transfer vessel from Damen Shipyards.
Subsea pumps market to reach $2bn by 2018
The growing demand of energy with the increasing investments in offshore exploration and production activities is expected to drive the global subsea pumps market, according to new research.
Xikomba FPSO metamorphosing as N’Goma for Eni project
Following a voyage of 7,331 miles (13,577km), a former trading tanker that was converted to a production ship and which is now named N'Goma FPSO safely berthed at Paenal's fitting-out complex, Port Amboim, Angola, last month.
Corporate returns of Big Oil not recovered since 2001
Oil prices have risen substantially, but corporate returns on capital invested have not recovered since 2001 when oil prices were almost a quarter of what they are now; so say analysts at IHS.
Spanish geothermal inquisition shows promise
About 500 power stations around the world use geothermal power to generate electricity. While there are very few in Europe . . . perhaps only one in Italy, one in France and two in Iceland, interest in such power plant is growing.
Fingerprinting Macondo . . . years after the terrible event
Four going on five years after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, oil continues to wash ashore as oil-soaked "sand patties" persist in salt marshes abutting the Gulf of Mexico, and questions remain about how much oil has been deposited on the seafloor.
Drilling sector pressure mounts as oil companies cut costs
Pressure is continuing to mount on rig rates with a clear softening across most segments of the global fleet as more and more oil companies focus on ratcheting down costs.
Breakthrough claimed with whale of a problem
Sercel, a unit of seismc survey major CGG, has launched QuietSea, which is a passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) system designed to detect the presence of marine mammals during seismic operations.
Genesis of the domestic scale fuel cell
It converts chemical energy directly into electrical energy and is, on the face of it, simple.
Canada gives green light to five-year Davis Strait and Baffin survey
Canada's National Energy Board (NEB) has approved a "geophysical operations authorisation" (GOA) application from a consortium of seismic survey interests to carry out 2D seismic work in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait.
US overtakes UK with its CCS big push
While the UK goes on talking about carbon capture and storage, the US has had a live CCS project operating for more than a year at Port Arthur, Texas.
US shale delivering massive economic stimulus, says Yergin
While UK politicians disposed towards the idea of a shale gas industry nurse hopes of economic riches and the Great British Public gets bombarded with horror stories about large-scale drilling and fracturing onshore, the Americans are simply getting on with it.
Total gets clearance to drill for shale gas in Denmark
Denmark is the latest European country to give the green light to exploratory drilling for shale gas.
Maximising the Value Added – Scotland’s oil & gas roadmap
At least one part of the Scottish economy appears to have a solid piece of research backed by recommendations regarding its future whether or not there is a ‘Yes’ vote in a few weeks. Jeremy Cresswell examines the “Maximising the Value Added” report on oil and gas.
Opinion: Meddling in Iraq
There is on the PolicyMic website some marvellous old British Pathe footage of Iraq during the 1950s. It paints a picture of an ancient land once called Mesopotamia and people aware of their heritage.
Landlocked UK firm develops ROV subsea truck
A novel subsea load carrying and deployment system based on a large payload-carrying, remotely operated vehicle has been developed by UK company Deep Blue Engineering of Hereford.
Ratings agency warns of falling rig rates
Offshore drillers are facing a softening market with credit implications linked to asset quality and financial flexibility, according to Fitch Ratings.
Expro’s new generation DST tool passes US GoM muster
International oilfield services company, Expro, has successfully deployed its newly developed ExACT (Expro Annulus-Operated Circulating and Test Tool) in its first live offshore well.
Marubeni now in control of Seajacks
Japanese trading house Marubeni has taken control of offshore construction vessel specialist Seajacks International through buying out a slice of the 50% held by Innovation Network Corporation of Japan.
Seismic sweep designed to test Breagh potential
Working with GeoPartners Ltd, UAE seismic survey company Polarcus has acquired 1,460sq.km of high density broadband multi-client 3D seismic data across the north of Quad 42 in the UK Southern North Sea.
More money rolls into Heriot-Watt oil & gas PhD hothouse
Six of the oil industry's biggest names have confirmed additional funding support for the new Heriot-Watt University-led Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Oil and Gas.
Aubin lift bags grabbing interest
Aubin has opened discussions with Norwegian and UK interests following successful West Coast trials with its LiquiBuoy gel bag-based subsea lifting system. However, subsea business director Serina Alif told Energy that it is too early to determine where the discussions might lead or when and where related trials might take place. The Ellon company is fresh from successful trials with the system at the Underwater Centre, Fort William, where it was deployed handling a 300kg subsea spool piece unit, also a steel clump weight of three tonnes in water depths to 100m.
Wind could provide answer to low cost oil and gas EOR
North Sea operators could harness the wind to enhance oil recovery from depleted reservoirs according to DNV GL. Limited use has been made of small turbines to augment power generation on some platforms, but this proposal is much more radical.
Aberdeen presence pays huge dividends for consultancy
ERM's North Sea business is growing so rapidly that it has relocated to a larger home in Europe's oil capital way ahead of when had been anticipated.