Eugene Island News

The U.S. offshore safety regulator BSEE has formed a panel to investigate a fatal incident that happened earlier this month at a Fieldwood Energy-operated oil platform, in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore Louisiana.As previously reported, an offshore worker died on Saturday, May 15, in an incident that, according to Fieldwood, happened during a non-emergency casing pressure test on a shut-in well, at Eugene Island Block 158, Platform #14.The platform sits around 125 miles southwest of New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico.Now…

Inland Salvage Inc. Inland Salvage Inc. recently conducted offshore salvage operations 40 nautical miles southwest of Eugene Island, LA, successfully raising an anchor barge that sank in approximately 100 feet of water. They were called upon by the vessel's owner to develop and execute a safe and expedient salvage plan to recover the anchor barge which went down during high seas in the Gulf of Mexico. SI's Salvage Management Team quickly developed a salvage plan, taking into consideration the casualty's location and giving special attention to weather forecasts calling for offshore conditions to deteriorate within the next 96 hours. Plans were submitted, reviewed and approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Bisso Marine Company, Inc., has successfully completed the salvage of the Superior Challenger. The 200-ft. Class Lift Boat sank in Eugene Island Block 193 after Hurricane Bill passed thru the Gulf Of Mexico on June 29. The vessel’s dimensions are 117 ft. in length by 68 ft. in width with a hull depth of 13 ft. in 92 feet of water. The port bow corner was extended 20 ft. above the water with a 100-ton crane exposed above the water surface. were causing the vessel to oscillate. The 140 ft. port bow leg and pad were attached and extending out below the hull.

Stolt Offshore reported it has successfully completed the Eugene Island 275A platform salvage project for Total E&P USA, INC., in what is described as the first platform salvage using only mechanical cutting devices. The platform was located on OCS-G-0988, some 70 miles off the Louisiana coast in 180 ft. of water. "Because of environmental and safety objectives, Total E&P USA asked Stolt to conduct the salvage operation without an arc being struck under water, using remotely operated tools as much as possible," said Allan Palmer, Stolt's regional manager of regional projects and operations in Houston. Stolt Offshore located heavy duty cutting tools that could be modified or redesigned to be used remotely underwater. Iberia, La..

Bisso Marine Co. Inc. of New Orleans has recently put its new 250-ton revolving crane, the D/B BOAZ, into service. The American R-40 Crane has 175 ft. of boom and three blocks with lift capacities of 250 tons, 80 tons and 20 tons. The barge is 250 ft. x 76 ft. x 17 ft. with an operating draft of 10 ft. The D/B Boaz is ABS classified and has living quarters for 34. The derrick has completed the swap out of a 90-ton compressor at an elevation of 125 ft. on a platform at Grand Isle Block 102 in 225 ft. of water. The D/B Boaz removed two multiple pile platforms in 40 and 60ft. of water in Eugene Island Blocks 128 and 119. The derrick was…

ENSCO International Incorporated and Forest Oil Corporation reported that one of ENSCO's jackup rigs sustained extensive damage while operating in the Gulf of Mexico. ENSCO 51 was on location in Eugene Island Block 273 drilling a development well over a platform (the ``A'' platform) for its customer, Forest, the operator of the block. Eugene Island Block 273 is located approximately 75 miles offshore. Shortly after midnight on Thursday, March 1, approximately fifteen hours after running and cementing a third casing string at approximately 1650 feet, an annular flow was detected. The volume of the gas discharge continued to increase. All personnel were safely evacuated from the rig. Offshore supply vessels equipped with water cannons were dispatched and began to deluge the platform.

Specialty Marine, a woman-owned corporation, has introduced the recently-christened DSV Jean-Elaine. With a length of 180 ft., the fully equipped dive support vessel joined the Gulf fleet in December 2001. Classed by ABS, it is fitted with a 25-ton telescoping Pettibone crane and a 4-point mooring system capable of operating at depths up to 1,000 ft. The Jean-Elaine can accommodate up to 34 people, and it is equipped to make a substantial contribution to the Gulf’s oil exploration resources. Currently working for BP Amoco in the Eugene Island Area, the Jean Elaine is based in Houma, La., and is supplied and equipped for immediate response.

Specialty Marine, a woman-owned corporation, has recently christened DSV Jean-Elaine. With a length of 180 ft., this fully equipped dive support vessel joined the Gulf fleet in December 2001. Classed by ABS, it is fitted with a 25-ton telescoping Pettebone crane and a 4-point mooring system capable of operating at depths up to 1,000 feet. With accommodations for 36 persons, the Jean-Elaine is equipped to make a substantial contribution to the Gulf’s oil exploration resources. Currently working for BP Amoco in the Eugene Island Area, she is based in Houma, La., and is supplied and equipped for immediate response.

Chieftain International, Inc. has participated in two recent offshore discoveries on West Cameron 300 and South Pass 38 in the US Gulf of Mexico. The No. 3 exploratory well on West Cameron 300 was drilled to a total depth of 11,900 ft. and logged 66 net ft. of natural gas bearing reservoir rock in Miocene sands. The well was completed and tested at 11.5 mmcf of natural gas and 300 barrels of condensate per day. Work is under way to connect the well to existing facilities that handle production from the No. 1 well. Production from the No. 3 well is scheduled to commence during the second quarter of 2001. Additional drilling on the block is planned during 2001 to further delineate the field and to test additional exploratory prospects on the block.

ENSCO International Incorporated and Forest Oil Corporation reported that one of ENSCO’s jackup rigs sustained extensive damage while operating in the Gulf of Mexico. ENSCO 51 was on location in Eugene Island Block 273 drilling a development well over a platform (the “A” platform) for its customer, Forest, the operator of the block. Eugene Island Block 273 is located approximately 75 miles offshore. Shortly after midnight on Thursday, March 1, approximately 15 hours after running and cementing a third casing string at approximately 1,650 ft., an annular flow was detected. The volume of the gas discharge continued to increase. All personnel were safely evacuated from the rig. Offshore supply vessels equipped with water cannons were dispatched and began to deluge the platform.

Bisso Marine was contracted to remove four structures in the Eugene Island area. The 105 ft., 200T jacket structures were designed, built and installed in 1958, each of which had a complete mud mat floor with a five foot retaining mud wall. The original installation of the jackets to the required depth below natural bottom required the use of a jetting system which was built into the jackets. Fast-forward 47 years, Bisso Marine mobilized the D/B Boaz to location and removed the 75T deck sections from each structure and then prepared the structures with explosives to severe the jacket from the piles. The 700T capacity D/B Cappy Bisso was then rigged to each jacket and maintained a constant strain in order to break the mud suction.

Sperry-Sun, a Division of Dresser Industries, Inc., participated in drilling a significant crude oil and natural gas discovery in Anadarko Petroleum Corp.'s subsalt exploration program. This discovery - called Tanzanite - is located in the Gulf of Mexico at Eugene Island South Addition Block 346 in 314 feet of water about 75 miles offshore Louisiana. Anadarko believes the Tanzanite field contains at least 140 million boe. Sperry-Sun provided pressure-while-drilling (PWD) services from 11,000 ft. MD to TVD of 14,350 ft. in drilling the exploration well (the OCS-G 14482 No. 1) and provided full "triple combo" services from 11,800 ft. MD to 13,643 MD. In this latter portion of the well, 450 ft.

More than 2,580 people have been rescued off of rooftops and flooded neighborhoods since rescue operations began Monday, and joint-agency rescue operations are continuing through the day and night. The Coast Guard’s primary focus along the Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana coast will remain search and rescue as long as necessary. Coast Guard assets continue to arrive in the impacted areas. There are 25 cutters off the Gulf Coast, in the rivers, and in the ports and waterways. The Coast Guard cutters Pelican, Cypress and Spencer are currently transiting the Mississippi River to New Orleans to establish a command and control presence and provide a flight deck, fuel and communications to the search and rescue assets in and around New Orleans.