Chevron Overseas Petroleum News

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.

Atwood Oceanics, Inc. (a Houston based International Offshore Drilling Contractor) said that the VICKSBURG (owned and operated by its wholly owned subsidiary Atwood Oceanics Pacific Limited) has been awarded a two-year contract by Chevron Overseas Petroleum (Thailand) Limited ("Chevron") which will immediately follow Chevron's current eight (8) month drilling commitment offshore Cambodia. The VICKSBURG is presently working in Malaysia under drilling commitments with dayrates of $82,000 to $87,000, which should extend to October 2006. After completion of these commitments, the rig will be moved to Cambodia to commence the eight (8) month drilling commitment with Chevron followed by the two-year contract in Thailand.

Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS) has fabricated and delivered the sophisticated structures of the Maersk DSS-20-CAS-M semi-submersible to its subsidiary, Caspian Shipyard Company Ltd (CSC) in Baku, Azerbaijan two weeks ahead of schedule. CSC, which has already completed about 50 per cent of the overall work, is now entering into the next phase of the construction to join the lower hull sections together and fully consolidate the upper hull on to it. When completed in the third quarter of 2003, the Maersk rig will become the first semi-submersible to be built in the Caspian Sea and will also be technologically, the most advanced unit operating in the region.

Keppel Offshore & Marine Limited (Keppel O&M) will deliver a new generation semi-submersible rig to Maersk Contractors two weeks ahead of schedule in mid August 2003. The rig was named LIDER in a ceremony that was attended by more that 1,000 guests at Caspian Shipyard Company (CSC) in Baku, Azerbaijan. Mr Tage Bundgaard, President of Maersk Contractors, said, "We are proud of this new highly advanced rig. We fully expect LIDER to prove its state-of-the-art capabilities during the upcoming contract with Exxon Azerbaijan and other operators in the Caspain region. LIDER will be contracted to Exxon Azerbaijan Operating Company LLC and Chevron Overseas Petroleum Azerbaijan Limited for a three-year drilling program.

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. has received a $760 m order from Exxon Mobil Corp. to assemble an offshore facility that can extract, refine and store crude oil. Hyundai Heavy is to install the facility in Angola's Kimzomba field by June 2005, and deliver it a month later after test-runs. Hyundai Heavy has also won a $160 million offshore facility construction order from China's ACT-OG, a joint venture of CNOOC Ltd. (CEO), Chevron Overseas Petroleum, Texaco China B.V. and Operators Group.

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. has received a $760 m order from Exxon Mobil Corp. to assemble an offshore facility that can extract, refine and store crude oil. Hyundai Heavy is to install the facility in Angola's Kimzomba field by June 2005, and deliver it a month later after test-runs. Hyundai Heavy has also won a $160 million offshore facility construction order from China's ACT-OG, a joint venture of CNOOC Ltd. (CEO), Chevron Overseas Petroleum, Texaco China B.V. and Operators Group.

Chevron Corp. has announced its intention to buy the second largest oil exporter in Argentina to boost its exploration and production overseas. The companies did not disclose financial details of the deal, but industry sources had valued the privately-held Petrolera Argentina San Jorge at some $1 billion. "This transaction will have an immediate positive impact on earnings and cash flow," Dick Matzke, president of Chevron Overseas Petroleum Inc., said. The venture is Chevron's first exploration and production deal in Argentina. Privately held San Jorge produces about 78,000 bpd of oil and 40 million cubic feet of natural gas, Chevron officials said.