Fortune Oil & Gas Inc. said the tanker Purple Star arrived on site at its Camar field on Bawean production-sharing contract area off Java. Production from the field re-commenced Jan. 16. Camar has been shut in since March 1999, primarily because of low oil prices (OGJ Online, May 25, 2000). When shut down, it was producing 2,500 b/d. Fortune acquired GFB Resources (Java) Ltd., which owns the field, last year. The subsidiary's name has been changed to Indo-Pacific Resources (Java) ltd.
Oil sands operator Syncrude Canada Ltd. is rebuilding production at its mining operation near Fort McMurray in northern Alberta. Production was expected to increase to 258,000 b/d in March from 225,000 in February and 215,000 in January. It was 225,000 b/d in December. An explosion at one of the company�s two 110,000-b/d coking units in October shut down the unit for a month and reduced production. The plant also had two major maintenance turnarounds in 2000. Syncrude said it expects overall production in 2001 to increase over 2000.
Esso Production Malaysia Inc. has awarded 3-year contracts for use of the T-2 and T-3 self-erecting tender rigs. The value of the contracts is $50 million for T-2 and $48 million for T-3, plus mobilization fees. The contracts include a right to terminate after 2 years and an option for 1 additional year. Smedvig ASA owns 49% of the tender rigs.