Oil Producers Evacuating GoM Workers Ahead of Storm
BP Plc began turning off production at three platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico and evacuating workers because of the threat from Tropical Storm Cristobal, forecast to make landfall in Louisiana over the weekend, the company said.Norwegian state-oil company Equinor ASA began evacuating non-essential workers on Wednesday and plans to shut production on Friday at its Titan oil platform if the storm continues along its projected path, spokesman Hasting Stewart said.Occidental Petroleum Corp also began flying non-essential workers to shore from central Gulf of Mexico operations…
Offshore Week
PanCanadian Petroleum Ltd., Canada's No. 2 oil company, could soon be on track to develop an East Coast offshore gas project to rival the huge Sable Island project, its chief executive said. PanCanadian, the oil and gas arm of conglomerate Canadian Pacific Ltd., plans to drill two appraisal wells this year near its recent Deep Panuke gas discoveries, made at the site of the exhausted Copan oil project off Nova Scotia. The wells will give the company the geological data it needs to decide whether to pursue more drilling or full development, PanCanadian CEO David Tuer said. Two recent wells drilled into the gas formation beneath the old oil reservoir tested at more than 50 million cubic feet a day each.
Central Gulf of Mexico Sale Nets $159.1 Million
The U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) announced the completion of the two-phase bid evaluation process for Lease Sale 172. This sale, held March 17, 1999, received 272 bids on 207 tracts offshore Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Of the 207 high bids received, MMS rejected 16 high bids totaling $12.7 million as insufficient for fair market value. Two of the tracts are located on the shelf and 14 tracts are located in deepwater. As a result, MMS awarded $159.1 million in high bids. Sonat Exploration GOM Inc. Spinnaker Exploration Company, L.L.C. BHP Petroleum (Deepwater) Inc. Elf Exploration, Inc.
SembCorp Completes Rig Job
SembCorp Industries reported that its engineering and shipyard units have jointly completed the fabrication and assembly of an offshore rig for Woodside Energy of Australia. The vessel - Northern Endeavour - is owned by Woodside Energy of Australia, Shell Development (Australia) and BHP Petroleum. The barge type steel hull vessel has an oil storage capacity of 1.4 million barrels and was scheduled to start production in October.
