Strike Would Cut Norway's Output 11%/Day
Norway's oil and gas output could be cut by about 440,000 barrels of oil equivalents per day, or about 11% of total production, if workers go on strike from June 4, industry association Norwegian Oil and Gas (NOG) said on Monday.A government-appointed mediator is leading negotiations between oil companies and employees represented by the Lederne union in a bid to avert a strike.Altogether nine fields would have to shut in the event of industrial action, NOG said in statement.Lederne members are planning to strike at Neptune Energy's Gjøa field…
Norway Oil Workers Threaten Strike
Around 200 Norwegian offshore oil and gas workers plan to go on strike on June 4 unless pay negotiations lead to a deal with employers, the Lederne labour union said on Wednesday.A strike would hit seven offshore fields and at least two of those would have to shut production, cutting output by a combined 102,600 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), industry group Norwegian Oil and Gas (NOG) told Reuters.While Neptune Energy's Gjøa and Okea's Draugen fields would shut in the initial phase of a strike, it was not yet clear whether the same would apply to Equinor's Kristin, Oseberg East and Gudrun, or to Aker BP's Ivar Aasen, NOG said.Those six fields produced around 330,000
Johan Sverdrup Phase 2 Plan Approved
Norwegian authorities have formally approved the plan for development and operation (PDO) of the second phase of the Johan Sverdrup field, Equinor announced on Wednesday. The Norwegian energy company said the NOK 41 billion ($4.7 billion) project received broad support in Norway’s parliament at the end of April, and today the partnership received the formal approval by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MPE).“This is a big day for Equinor and the other Johan Sverdrup partners comprising Lundin Norway, Petoro, Aker BP and Total,” said Anders Opedal, executive vice president for Technology, Projects and Drilling in Equinor.
Ivar Aasen Now Operated from Land
Aker BP on Wednesday said it has begun operating the permanently manned North Sea platform Ivar Aasen from an onshore control room in Trondheim, Norway.The Ivar Aasen platform was constructed with two identical control rooms – one on the platform and the other in Trondheim – and the Norwegian company said the plan has always been to move the controls to land. The company received the green light from Norway's Petroleum Safety Authority in November and this week started using its onshore site to monitor facilities, production, equipment and follow up everything that takes place on the field.
Offshore Platforms Controlled from Land
Aker BP said it will become the first oil company in Norway to control operations of a permanently manned offshore platform from land from next year.Operating platforms remotely can be done with fewer staff than doing it offshore and other oil companies are also looking to do so to reduce production costs.Aker BP said Norway's oil safety watchdog on Wednesday approved the company's plans to switch controls at its Ivar Aasen oilfield in the North Sea."It will be the first manned platform in Norway to be controlled from onshore," Aker BP's spokesman…
Lundin Norway Awards EPCI Contract to WorleyParsons
Rosenberg WorleyParsons has been awarded an engineering, procurement, construction and installation contract (EPCI) by Lundin Norway ASO in the Norwegian Continental Shelf.The services include planning, engineering, prefabrication, offshore installation and commissioning support. The objective of the modification is to prepare Lundin’s Edvard Grieg platform to receive and process oil and gas from nearby offshore fields.The project starts immediately and has a duration of two and a half years. The services will be executed from WorleyParsons Rosenberg…
Norwegian Oil, Gas Plants Restart after Ship Collision
An oil tanker and a Norwegian navy frigate collided off Norway's west coast on Thursday, injuring eight people and triggering the temporary shutdown of a North Sea crude export terminal, Norway's top gas processing plant and several offshore fields.The frigate, which recently took part in a major NATO military exercise, was aground and tilting on one side, live television pictures showed. The Norwegian military was attempting to save the ship."We are working on stabilizing the vessel," Norwegian Navy Counter-Admiral Nils Andreas Stensoenes told a news conference, adding that the eight injured were all Navy crew.
Clean Ops Offshore: Johan Sverdrup Powered from Shore
With a flip of the switch, Kjell-Børge Freiberg, Norway's Minister of Petroleum and Energy, opened a new era in offshore oil and gas operations, initiating the "power-from-shore solution" that will provide the Johan Sverdrup field in the North Sea with electricity for more than 50 years. The development is significant because with electric power supplied from shore, Johan Sverdrup operations can be run without the use of fossil fuels, making it one of the most carbon-efficient fields in the world.The Johan Sverdrup field, which is still a year away from operation, houses an estimated 3.2 billion barrels and will have a planned a production horizon of more than 50 years.
Aker Bets on Software Engineers for Its Oil Business
When the owners of Norwegian oil firm Aker BP decided to digitise its assets and operations, they searched high and low for the right software company. But they failed to find a suitable one.So instead they set up their own, Cognite, to create digital maps of Aker BP's oil industry assets, integrating data from equipment such as pumps, heat and pressure sensors, maintenance records and even staff rotas to improve efficiency and safety.Less than two years later, Cognite is selling its software to Aker BP's rivals and one competitor, Sweden's Lundin Petroleum…
Shell Sells $1.3 Billion of Oil and Gas Assets
Royal Dutch Shell announced the sale on Wednesday of oil and gas assets in Norway and Malaysia for over $1.3 billion, bringing it closer to a target of $30 billion in disposals by year-end.The Anglo-Dutch company agreed to sell to OKEA, a Norwegian producer backed by private equity firm Seacrest Capital, its 45 percent interest in the Draugen Norwegian offshore field and a 12 percent in the Gjoa block for a total of $566 million, the two companies said.Earlier, Shell announced the completion of the sale of a 15 percent stake in Malaysia LNG (MLNG) Tiga to the Sarawak State Financial Secretary for $750 million.Shell committed to the ambitious three-year sale plan following the
Efficient Cable Installation Slashes Emissions at Johan Sverdrup
The laying of the cable supplying Johan Sverdrup with power from shore started last week. This helps make the North Sea giant one of the oil and gas fields with the lowest CO2 emissions worldwide.On Wednesday last week the cable-laying vessel NKT Victoria began laying the cables that will supply the Johan Sverdrup field with power from shore.The starting point was the Johan Sverdrup converter station at Haugsneset near Kårstø, and by the end of May the vessel will have laid nearly 200 kilometers of power cables out to the field in the North Sea.Bundled with the power cables…
Lundin Cuts Output From Edvard Grieg Field
Production at the Edvard Grieg field off Norway had to be temporarily reduced following the Forties pipeline shutdown, the field's operator, Lundin Petroleum, said on Tuesday. "Following the Forties pipeline shutdown, Lundin Petroleum has had to temporarily reduce production from Edvard Grieg due to a lack of capability at the St Fergus terminal to process our produced gas," it said in an emailed statement to Reuters. "We are initiating a process at Edvard Grieg to inject the gas which will allow us to resume full production within a few days," it added.
AkerBP Inks Subsea Contract with DeepOcean
Aker BP ASA said it has awarded a contract to DeepOcean for subsea inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) activities. The contract – worth a minimum of NOK 300 million ($36.8 million) during the initial three years, with an option to continue the activities for an additional six years (2+2+2) – includes remotely operated vehicle (ROV) activities related to subsea IMR on Aker BP-operated assets Valhall, Ula, Ivar Aasen, Alvheim and Skarv. “This is an important contract for Aker BP. We invited several companies to tender. DeepOcean won this contract due to a very good offer based on the implementation of new technology and safe…
Aker BP to Drill 6-8 Wells in 2018
Aker BP plans to drill between six and eight exploration wells off Norway next year, including four in the Barents Sea, the Norwegian oil firm's chief executive told Reuters. One of these will target a prospect in the southeast Barents on the maritime border with Russia and could contain significant new resources. "Yes, it can, but it also (has) quite a bit of risk," Chief Executive Karl Johnny Hersvik said in an interview at Aker BP's office near Oslo. Aker BP, which is 40 percent owned by Aker Capital and 30 percent by BP, operates the licence with partners including Russia's Lukoil and Norway's Statoil .
Singapore’s Survivability
Singapore’s shipyards are looking to recent investments in capacity, design and newly acquired technology to combat order declines after a decades-long offshore buildup. Sembcorp and peer Keppel are making the most of partnerships in FLNG and showing signs they’ll be okay through the downturn, helped by their gas-hungry Australasian backyard and renewed ties with old charterer parties and suppliers. With drilling contractors unable to pay for the offshore rigs they’ve ordered, Singapore’s heavyweight yards have had to defer deliveries and become defacto rig owners.
Aker BP Registers Strong Growth
Aker BP ASA increased reserves and maintained 'very good' results in exploration, drilling and wells, projects and production. The company has a view to a continued strong cash flow, and has a robust balance sheet give us freedom. - We are rigged for further growth, says CEO of Aker BP, Karl Johnny Hersvik. Aker BP's production in 2016 was 118,200 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd); 80 percent oil and 20 percent gas. The company expects production in 2017 will increase to between 128,000 and 135,000 boepd, with $ 11 in average production cost per barrel.
Aker BP Fires up Ivar Aasen
The first oil is produced by Ivar Aasen field in the North Sea. The start is in line with the plan, and the development is completed within budget. Aker BP is operator of the field, which started production on 24 December 2016. First oil from Ivar Aasen field comes four years after the plan for development and operation ( PDO ) was submitted. The plan sets a target for production start in fourth quarter 2016. CEO Karl Johnny Hersvik Aker BP is very pleased that the development is carried out accordingly. "The start-up is a major milestone for Aker BP as a company. As operator, we have completed the development in a challenging period for the industry.
Ivar Aasen Ready for Departure
(Singapore, 22 May 2016) The topside of Ivar Aasen field was completed on Sunday at the shipyard in Singapore and sailed to Norway shortly. The tire was delivered on budget and on time, which enables field development is on track to start production on December 1. "Ivar Aasen field is an important development on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and the Norwegian as operator . We are therefore very pleased to finalize the platform deck according to budget and on time. Work performed in Singapore are of high quality, and the project is an example of a successful global supplier collaboration to create value on the Norwegian continental shelf…
Fugro Bags Det Norske IMS Contract
Fugro has been awarded a three-year contract for integrity management support (IMS) and intervention works for Det norske in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The offshore scope covers subsea assets at Alvheim, Vilje, Volund and Bøyla field developments, with the work being conducted in May and June; it will also cover support for the Ivar Aasen development. Various inspection tasks will be carried out by Fugro at the Alvheim FPSO utilising the dynamically positioned IRM vessel Skandi Carla, with inspection class and work class ROV systems. The company will also perform intervention activities and detailed non-destructive testing (NDT) tasks.
Det norske Sees More Norway Assets for Sale
* On Norwegian M&A market: "There are more assets on the market, more buyers looking for possible deals. * Says aims for concept selection for Northern Alvheim area mid-to-early next year, final investment decision a year later. * "The goal...
