Table of ContentsRegular FeaturesJournally SpeakingTimely pipeline rulesOn Nov. 17, new rules took effect increasing the maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) for natural gas transmission pipelines beyond that allowed by previous regulations.
Services/SuppliersEquip/Software/LitEditor's PerspectiveThe bright side of bankruptcy: a political fantasyIn the rush to make financially troubled companies wards of the US government, a strange misconception seems to be at work: that bankrupt entities cease to exist.
Market JournalOutlooks differ on slack demand, tight suppliesFinancial analysts differ in expectations for a continuing fall in world demand for energy or a tightening of supplies as demand revives in 2009.
General InterestEditorial: A chance to play offenseThe US oil and gas industry will enter 2009 needing to play hard political defense.
Iran’s rationing system working to control gasoline consumptionThe launch in 2007 of an elaborate gasoline rationing system by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s cabinet to help stem that country’s gasoline consumption was initially met with both skepticism and discontent.
Emboldened Somali pirates hijack Saudi Aramco tankerIn a clear sign of their determination to escalate attacks on international oil shipping, Somali pirates operating on the high seas southeast of Mombassa, Kenya, Nov. 15, have hijacked the Liberian-flagged Sirius Star, a very large crude carrier owned by Saudi Aramco and operated by Vela International.
Watching The World: The ‘arc of instability’If the oil and gas industry expected comforting news from the election of Barack Obama as US president, it may need a rethink–especially when it comes to the al-Qaeda terrorist organization.
Turkey pipeline blast rekindles security concernsOil has resumed flowing through one of the twin Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipelines following an explosion on one of the lines near the town of Bozova, in the mainly Kurdish province of Sanliurfa in southeastern Turkey.
Brazil officials clash over financial crisis’ impact on E&PBrazilian officials have issued conflicting statements concerning the potential impact of the current global financial crisis–as well as other issues–on the exploration and development of the country’s subsalt layer.
Bodman: Caspian remains vital to global energy securityUS Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman, recalling the recent conflict between Russia and Georgia, reaffirmed the need for Europe to diversify its sources of energy and stressed the role of the Caspian region in promoting energy security.
BLM finalizes oil shale regulationsThe US Bureau of Land Management published final regulations on Nov. 17 to establish a commercial oil shale development program on public lands in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.
Slump’s varied effects present mixed opportunitiesThe varying effects of economic troubles on exporting countries and national oil companies present a mixed slate of opportunities to international oil companies with cash to invest.
Cazalot: US at risk of losing energy security raceThe US is running the risk of losing the global race for energy, said Marathon Oil Corp. Chief Executive Officer Clarence Cazalot at a recent American Petroleum Institute meeting in Houston.
BTC oil pipeline to boost throughput by yearendThe Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline will resume shipments of 1 million b/d by the yearend, according to Azerbaijan’s Energy Minister Natiq Aliyev.
Japan ‘unlikely’ to buy on LNG spot market this winterJapan is unlikely to purchase further cargoes of LNG on the spot market this winter, according to Akio Nomura, chairman of Osaka Gas Co. Ltd. and the Japan Gas Association.
Nigeria president proposes Lukman as oil ministerNigeria’s Rilwanu Lukman, former president of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, has been nominated to lead Nigeria’s Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
Exploration & DevelopmentWest Texas Overthrust outlook expands with 3DSandRidge Energy Inc., Oklahoma City, expects to be operating 20 rigs in the West Texas Overthrust by the end of 2008, down from 27 rigs in early November and a third quarter average of 34.
Drilling & ProductionPetrolifera, Brownstone drilling in Rio Negro province, ArgentinaCalgary-based Petrolifera Petroleum Ltd. and Toronto’s Brownstone Ventures Inc. are acquiring 1,250 sq km of 3D seismic and drilling 12 wells in an exploration program on the Vaca Mahuida Block, west-central Argentina.
New wireless sensor network monitors water-injection wells off Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi Marine and Operating Co. (ADMA-OPCO) has embarked on a project with vMonitor to deploy a new generation wireless-sensor-network technology for monitoring continuously injection well surface pressure and flow rates.
Processinga New regs require lower bunker fuel sulfur levelsRecently ratified International Marine Organization regulations that call for a decrease in the sulfur level of marine bunker fuels may cause refiners to invest in more desulfurization and conversion capacity.
TransportationSpecial Report: Arctic field test offers method for estimating pipeline heavePipeline heave in cold environments is influenced by the transition zone between permafrost zone (frozen soil) and nonpermafrost zone (unfrozen soil) as well as the heaving behavior of the unfrozen soil in response to an advancing frost front.
Special Report: Crude Export Riser— Conclusion: Pipeline design allows continued use beyond field’s lifeThe export pipeline system includes two modules permitting future connections and another serving as a contingency for the freestanding hybrid riser (FSHR), making the infrastructure flexible enough to be used in its full capacity after the original field is depleted.
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