Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) has conducted an audit of Eni Norge (Eni) and its follow-up and management of electrical facilities on Goliat FPSO in the Goliat offshore oil field in the Barents Sea. The audit identified regulatory breaches related to managing risk and barriers, and the Italian major has now been given notice of a order.
A Norwegian politician called for marine mammal observer onboard seismic vessels, ahead of the agreement between Russia and Norway regarding mutual rights to seismic acquisition in the Barents Sea. Namely, Green Party’s Arne Liaklev said that acoustic surveys for oil deposits below the seabed should be avoided if there are whales nearby.
Siemens will supply a lithium-ion battery solution for offshore drilling rig. With this, West Mira will become the world’s first drilling rig to operate using a hybrid battery power solution. The battery aspires to reduce fuel consumption by 12% and CO2 emissions by 15%.
More than 130 workers were evacuated from Shell’s ‘Brent Charlie’ oil platform in North Sea, due to power outage, on 27 November. Crew onboard ‘Brent Charlie’, located 185km North East of Lerwick, Shetland, contacted the HM Coastguard in the early morning hours of Tuesday reporting that they had lost power and were running on backup batteries.
In line with the rising interest on blockchain technology for trade industry in recent years, oil and gas companies will be able for the first time to finalising crude oil deals on a live blockchain-based platform. Blockchain has been viewed by many as a solution to transactions inefficiencies, as well as a way to improve transparency and reduce the risk of fraud.
The presidents of six French coastal regions, as well as the industry, have expressed their opposition to France’s offshore wind targets. The country wants to add 2.2GW of offshore capacity by 2030, to the 3GW that is already allocated from the first two tendering rounds.
According to Wood Mackenzie, the deepwater industry seems in a good condition, after a cost reduction through the downturn. However, this positive situation could change because upcoming cyclical cost inflation could increase break-even costs.
Until now, scientists believed the main source of biomass on the seafloor was the organic matter, as dead fish and plankton, that floated down towards the depths. However, now scientists from the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh discovered that bacteria in the deepest parts of the seafloor are absorbing CO2 and could be turning themselves into an additional food source for other deep-sea life.
The total number of wells producing crude oil and natural gas in the US fell to 991,000 in 2017, down from a peak of 1,039,000 wells in 2014, while, in 2017, the daily production rates of individual wells contributed to an increase of US total crude oil and natural gas production, according to EIA. This reflects the advances in technology and drilling techniques, EIA noted.
The French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced a national ports strategy and ports mergers, aiming to face challenges that the creation of shipping alliances cause. Namely, France will redefine the financial relations between the State, the local authorities and the major seaports.
