Transportation news briefs, Nov. 22

Nov. 22, 2000
Allseas Marine Contractors � Halliburton Subsea � Petroleum Authority of Thailand � Japan National Oil � Enbridge Pipeline � TEPPCO Crude Pipeline � Duke Energy Field Services � Bighorn Gas Gathering


Allseas Marine Contractors SA of the Netherlands awarded contracts to Halliburton Subsea, a division of Halliburton Co.'s Brown & Root Energy Services unit, for remotely operated submarine vessel and survey deepwater pipelay support services in the US Gulf of Mexico and Trinidad. Halliburton Subsea will begin contract work later this year with the Exxon-Mobil Mica and BP-Amoco Destin projects. The initial program, scheduled to go through July 2001, also will include work several other projects in waters up to 5,500 ft.

The Thai and Japanese state oil firms signed an accord for a 9-month joint study of the natural gas market in Southeast Asia and potential gas pipeline interconnections. The Petroleum Authority of Thailand and Japan National Oil Corp. will study countries sharing the Greater Gulf of Thailand, which include Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam, and Malaysia. The study will identify potential investment opportunities in development of gas reserves, including interconnecting pipelines under the broader Trans-Asean Pipeline System, power generation, industrial fuels, district cooling and heating, and other applications.

Enbridge Pipeline Inc. applied to the Canadian National Energy Board to construct and operate 76 miles of 36-in. pipeline over three separate construction segments between its Hardisty, Alta., and its Kerrobert, Sask., terminals. This is the second phase of Enbridge's Terrace expansion program. The pipeline would increase existing Enbridge system capacity by 6,900 cu m/day of gas. The company is proposing an in-service date in the first half of 2002.

TEPPCO Crude Pipeline LP, a unit of TEPPCO Partners LP, will acquire $91 million of pipeline assets in Texas from Duke Energy Field Services LP (DEFS). Included are the Panola Pipeline, a 189-mile, 38,000 b/d natural gas liquids pipeline running between Carthage and Mont Belvieu, and the 34-mile, 11,000 b/d San Jacinto Pipeline, between Carthage and Longview. TEPPCO will also assume the lease of a 34-mile condensate pipeline from DEFS running from Carthage to Marshall. All three pipelines originate at DEFS' East Texas Plant Complex in Panola County. TEPPCO expects to close the acquisition by Dec. 31.

Bighorn Gas Gathering LLC placed in service a 56-mile, 20-in. extension of its existing 100-mile gas gathering system in Sheridan County, Wyo. Customers of the Bighorn system, which can carry 250 MMcfd of coal bed methane gas, include CMS Oil & Gas Co., Pennaco Energy Inc., and JM Huber Corp.