Elf News

Höegh LNG announced on Monday that its president and CEO Sveinung J. S. Støhle is resigning to purse a career outside of Norway.The Norwegian shipowner said Støhle gave his resignation notice on October 9 and that he will remain in his role until November 1.Thor Jørgen Guttormsen will act as interim president and CEO effective November 1 and until a permanent successor is appointed.An  LNG industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience in shipping and oil and gas, Støhle has worked for Höegh LNG since 2005. He served as director and chairman of the board of directors of Höegh LNG Partners LP since April 2014 but stepped down as a chairman when assuming the position as CEO of Höegh LNG Partners LP since August 2020.

The Norwegian Continental Shelf’s journey from the very first basic marinized subsea trees to today’s complex and sophisticated subsea processing equipment has been a rapid, at times turbulent, but always remarkable.There are many engineers who have seen through that journey, from the first exploration wells using Norwegian rigs in the mid-1970s to today. One has now written the history of subsea technology in Norway and this year’s Underwater Technology Conference (UTC) has been chosen for its launch…

Increased demand for marine lubricants in the Asia-Pacific region has underpinned the growth of Total Lubmarine’s Hong Kong office which this year celebrates 25 years of service to ship operators across the region. Today, Asia represents more than 50% of Total’s lubricants sales across all segments. Total Lubmarine’s Hong Kong office is a key part of the company’s Asian infrastructure. The company’s Hong Kong story began in 1990 when Elf Lubricant Hong Kong Ltd was established as Lubmarine’s head office for the Asia-Pacific region with four staff providing marine lubricants and services to customers in Hong Kong and China. 25 years later the company…

Pentagon Press Secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby, recently held a press briefing where he discussed the specifics of how the Department of Defense is supporting Santa Claus’ yuletide journey as he delivers gifts around the world. The U.S. 6th Fleet is on high alert, focusing maritime assets on protecting the waters within its area of operations to ensure the Jolly Old Elf is able to complete his rounds as he, much like 6th Fleet ships, operates forward. “Our theater of operations extends from the seabed to space, from the North Pole to South Africa. If it flies, we can see it. If it floats, we can find it and if it’s submerged, we will hear it. – Vice Adm. James G. Foggo, III, Commander, U.S. “Oscar Austin reporting from the Indian Ocean, ensuring Maritime Santa Lanes remain open.

First major public appearance of new Total head; he challenges European politicians to fight US ban. The new head of French energy major Total challenged Europe to fight Washington over the U.S. oil export ban, in his first public appearance since his predecessor Christophe de Margerie was killed in a Moscow plane crash last week. Patrick Pouyanne said on Thursday the export ban flouts free-trade agreements and puts European and Asian refiners at a disadvantage, making a bold appeal to European politicians. "We need to fight and put this topic on the table," Pouyanne said during a sometimes emotional appearance at London's annual Oil & Money conference, where de Margerie had been a popular speaker over the years. "I hope the European Commission raises this issue ...

French oil company Total has appointed refining boss Patrick Pouyanne as chief executive to succeed Christophe de Margerie who was killed in a plane crash in Moscow this week. Pouyanne, 51, head of refining, had been considered as possible candidate to succeed de Margerie in the past and has a reputation as a shrewd cost-cutter. The world's fourth largest oil company also named Thierry Desmarest, a former Total CEO, as non-executive chairman. The appointments came less than 48 hours after de Margerie's death.

Flexlife, the subsea flexible pipes specialist, has strengthened its management organization with two senior appointments. Simon Hounsome joins Flexlife’s Aberdeen headquarters as integrity and projects director, responsible for the policy, strategy and technical services delivered globally from the firm’s Aberdeen, Newcastle and Houston offices. Mr. Hounsome brings more than 20 years’ oil and gas experience in construction projects and operations management. Most recently he worked at JP Kenny, where he held the position of business manager – operations support.

For more than 35 years, Advanced Subsea (AS) has been deeply involved in marine technological innovation. Through steady research and partnerships with research institutes in France and Brazil, Advanced Subsea has been developing new tools, procedures and methods for monitoring oceanographic and meteorological parameters. AS is an independent French company specialized in deep water subsea construction support and services with its head office in Paris and support offices in Houston, Luanda and Rio Janeiro. Advanced Subsea’s Modeling & Forecast Services are based on a partnership between Advanced Subsea SAS & LEGOS – CNRS Laboratory for Geophysics & Spatial Oceanography.

Total E&P UK Limited and Elf Exploration UK Limited have signed agreements for hire of the platform supply vessels (PSV) “Normand Aurora”. The duration of the contract is firm for 5 years with further 2 x 1 year options. EDT Offshore Egypt S.A.E has signed for hire of  Stand-By vessel “Normand Draupne ”. The duration of the contract is firm for 1 year with further 1 year option with commencement April 2012. Finally, Statoil Petroleum AS has hired the platform supply vessel (PSV) “Normand Corona”.

The J D Neuhaus company have a long established reputation for the design and manufacture of materials handling products. They also supply purpose designed equipment for specialized applications such as the oil and gas industry where safety and reliability are primary requisites. For this purpose they can supply hoists, with a lift capacity range from 0.25Kg up to 100 tons, to API7K certification. These are high durability products rated explosion proof/spark resistant and powered by compressed air or hydraulics with corrosion resistant options also available.

The Directors to Kvaerner's Board have been elected. From Kvaerner's first day of trading on the Oslo Stock Exchange in July 2011, the Board of Directors will consist of five shareholder-elected members as well as three members elected by Kvaerner's employees. The shareholder-elected members are Kjell Inge Røkke (chairman), Tore Torvund, Bruno Weymuller, Lone Fønss Schrøder and Vibeke Hammer Madsen. The employee-elected members are Rune Rafdal, Ståle Knoff Johansen and Bernt Harald Kilnes. Kjell Inge Røkke is an entrepreneur and industrialist, and has been a driving force in the development of Aker since the 1990s. Mr. Røkke owns 67.8 percent of Aker ASA through The Resource Group TRG AS.

Bardex Corporation, with headquarters in Goleta, California, has signed a major contract with Hyundai Heavy Industries of Korea to design, manufacture and supply a mooring system for use on Total's USAN FPSO destined for operation offshore Nigeria. The USAN field is located 62 miles south east of Bonny Island and the FPSO, which will be moored in 2,460 ft water depth, will be operated by Elf Petroleum Nigeria. The specially designed mooring system includes sixteen BarLatch fairlead stoppers sized to hold the 1,770 tonnes break strength of the system's 147 mm R3 studless chain, four moveable linear chain jacks rated for a stall pull of 382 tonnes, two 255 tonnes pull-in messenger winches and two hydraulic power units each of which can provide up to 480 kW.

Total reportedly launched its second Nigerian deep water drilling project, scheduled to come on stream in 2012 and expected eventually to yield 180,000 barrels a day, according to an AFP report. The new Usan project follows Total's first Nigerian deep water investment, the Akpo field. Deep water fields are further out to sea than offshore fields in shallower waters nearer the coastline. The new field will be operated by Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited, a Total subsidiary. (Source: AFP)

Global Marine today announced it received a letter of commitment from Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of TotalFinaElf, for two-year contracts for both the Glomar Adriatic I and Glomar Baltic I jackup rigs to work on the Amenam/Kpono field offshore Nigeria. Producing Nigeria Unlimited operates this field development project. The contracts for the two units include key rig upgrades, which are anticipated to cost about $23 million in total. The two contracts are expected to generate combined revenues of approximately $121 million to Global Marine. for extension of up to one year. four operating offshore Nigeria," Marion Woolie, president of Global Marine Drilling Company, said. 410 feet of leg.

Hollandsche Beton Group (HBG) reportedly won a $14 million order from Hague-based Elf Petroland BV to design and build an unmanned offshore gas platform.

Royal Dutch/Shell Group and Elf Aquitaine are reportedly moving to develop oil fields in Nigeria using radical new funding schemes the elected government has put under review.

French police found a parcel bomb near an Elf motorway service station last week, and a government official said it could have been meant as a protest against the oil spill from the tanker Erika. A spokesman for the government representative in the area said the hitherto unknown Armed Group for the Protection of the Environment claimed responsibility by telephone for the device, which was discovered north of Paris. Police cleared the service station and adjoining restaurant while a bomb squad defused the device. The spokesman said the attack could be linked with last December's oil spill from the tanker Erika, which had been chartered by TotalFina, but added, "at the moment we do not know."

Philippe de Villiers, deputy head of France's RPF dissident Gaullist party, has vowed to sue oil company TotalFina for polluting the French coastline after its chartered tanker Erika sank and split apart. De Villiers, who is also president of the council of one of the areas affected by the spill, argues that the state should sue TotalFina, and said he believes the oil giant is "responsible morally and without a doubt legally" for the pollution. He said a part of the profits from the oil company, formed from the merger of TotalFina and Elf Acquitaine, should be seized.

The last in a series of innovative, next-generation technology drillships left the building ways of Astilleros Españoles' Astano yard recently, heading for a neighboring shipyard for final fitting of its six massive Aquamaster thrusters. Discoverer Deep Seas, at the time of visit to tour the ship in Ferrol, Spain in early May, was dockside in nearby Bazan for the task of placing its six propulsion units, as task made easier by Bazan’ s deeper water facilities. Discoverer Deep Seas, along with its sister ships Discoverer Enterprise and Discoverer Spirit (the former named MR/EN’s Great Ship of 1999), embody not only the latest in drillship technology…

The cyclical nature of the oil business has blossomed into full bloom during the latter part of 2000, as a host of political power plays have sent oil prices on a virtual rollercoaster, albeit mostly up, helping to send it soaring as high as $37/barrel at the time of this writing. The business of accurately predicting the direction in which oil pricing will go has seemingly become less of a science and more of a speculative game. While it was the Asian financial crisis which led prices to the cellar in 1997, it is another crisis — the potential advancement of hostilities in the Middle East — which have helped to send the price back up to near decade (read: Gulf War) heights.

Chevron Corp., the second-largest U.S. oil company, has agreed to buy third-ranked Texaco Inc. in a $35 billion stock deal that will form an energy powerhouse, sources familiar with the situation said. If approved by regulators, the deal will be the latest in a wave of transactions that reshaped the industry by creating behemoths such as Exxon Mobil and BP Amoco. Chevron and Texaco rank as the world's fifth- and seventh-largest oil companies and long have been viewed as ripe to participate in the consolidation sweeping the industry. The new company, to be called Chevron Texaco Corp., will also go head-to-head against other industry leaders like Royal Dutch/Shell and TotalFina Elf.

Four European oil firms are reportedly negotiating with Cuba to carry out deep-water exploration of the island's Gulf of Mexico waters, and at least two are likely to sign contracts early next year, Cuban oil officials were reported as saying. In a separate development, Brazil's state oil firm Petrobras had also started drilling an exploration well in north-central Cuban coastal waters whose results will be announced in January or February. The exploration efforts formed part of a strategic program by Cuba's communist government to boost domestic oil and gas production and so reduce costly oil imports, whose high prices this year have badly strained Havana's stretched finances. Dr.

Two children, Fransisca Ehileme, age six, and her five-year-old brother, Francis, both children of an oil worker, were abducted by gunmen on their way to school around Rumuigbo junction in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. Security sources informed the Nigerian Tribune in Port Harcourt that the father of the children, Mr. Maximus Ehileme, a production superintendent with Elf Petroleum, was taking them to school in his car at about 6:50 a.m. when the armed hoodlums blocked his car near Obi Wali Road junction by Rumu-Echieolu Street. A source from the State Security Service (SSS) told the Nigerian Tribune that no contact had been established with the kidnappers yet, but added that the SSS had already taken up the case and would be handling the negotiations for their release.