INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS

TANKERS

FINLAND'S Neste Oy ordered two double hull, double bottom, 91,000 dwt crude and product tankers from Masa-Yards Inc., Helsinki, at a cost of $189.7 million. The vessels are to be built at Masa's Turku shipyard and be completed in 1992-93.

LABOR

PERU'S state owned Petromar lost 26,000 b/d of crude production when about 2,500 oil workers called an indefinite strike Jan. 7. Status of the work stoppage was unclear at presstime last week.

PIPELINES

CIA. ARRENDATARIA DEL Monopolio de Petroleos SA plans to lay a 130 mile, 8 in. oil products line from Almodovar to Merida in eastern Spain. The $54 million project will be completed in late 1992 or early 1993.

EXPLORATION

SCHLUMBERGER LTD. will acquire Germany's state owned Prakla Seismos AG, Hanover. It acquired 51% of the company's shares and management control from Germany's government Jan. 1 and will purchase the remaining 49% on or before Jan. 1, 1993.

VAALCO ENERGY CO., Houston, took a farmout from Pentagon Petroleum Inc., Baton Rouge, La., covering an 80% interest in the 268,000 acre Block V 14 just north of Vaalco's licenses in Belize (see map, OGJ, Dec. 17, 1990, p. 29). Vaalco will conduct an initial 25 line miles of seismic survey on the block in the first quarter in addition to its current 100 line mile program in Blocks 6, 7, and 8.

CNWL OIL ESPANA SA and Teredo Oils Ltd. have jointly applied for two 62,450 acre exploration permits 13 miles southeast of Ayoluengo oil field in Spain's Burgos province.

ELF AQUITAINE ANGOLA and Sonangol 1 Gazela flowed at a combined rate of more than 6,000 b/d of oil on Block 3/85 off Angola. Partners with operator Elf 50% are Agip Angola Ltd. 15%, Ajex-a group led by Mitsubishi Petroleum Development Co. Ltd.-12.5%, Repsol SA 6.25%, Svenska Petroleum Exploration AB 6.25%, Ina Naftaplin 5%, and Naftagas 5%.

SANTOS LTD.'S 1 Bolan discovery flowed 1,350 b/d of 50 gravity oil through a 1/2 in. choke from Jurassic Hutton at 5,672-5,714 ft on the Naccowlah block in ATP 250 permit in Southwest Queensland. Site is near the company's 1 Jarrar strike (OGJ, Dec. 31, 1990, p. 29), 1.9 km north northeast of Natan oil field and 35 km southwest of Jackson oil production facilities.

LNG

PUBLIC GAS CORP. OF GREECE SA let a $76.4 million contract to Germany's Dyckerhoff & Widmann and Greece's Technical Union for design, supply, construction, and commissioning of a 130,000 cu m LNG storage unit on Revithoussa Island in the Bay of Megara about 12 1/2 miles from Athens. Whessoe Projects Ltd. will provide project management and construction assistance in the mechanical, instrumentation, and electrical aspects of the project.

MARKETING

TOTAL CIE. FRANCAISE DES PETROLES plans to build about 100 gas stations in eastern Germany. The first will be opened in Saxony in March with others following in Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, and Magdeburg.

SOC. NATIONALE ELF AQUITAINE formed a joint venture with a unit of French automaker Renault and the Turkish financial company Oyak to market oil products in Turkey under the Elf brand.

SHELL FRANCE and Agip SpA bought a 172 gasoline station chain from the French supermarket group Casino for $130 million.

COGENERATION

TOTAL CFP and French water utility Cie. Lyonnaise des Eaux will cooperate in construction of cogeneration units in a number of European countries. Lyonnaise has built such units in France and the U. S.

DRILLING-PRODUCTION

APACHE INTERNATIONAL INC. is negotiating with Cote d'lvoire to participate as operator in development of offshore Foxtrot gas field. Apache proposes to install a four pile manned platform and drill three wells, which would begin producing 65 MMcfd of gas by late 1992. Foxtrot reserves are estimated at 550 bcf.

CHAUVCO RESOURCES LTD., Calgary, agreed to buy oil and gas leases from Esso Resources Canada Ltd. for $55.8 million (Canadian). The leases, producing 2,200 b/d of oil and 500 Mcfd of gas, hold estimated reserves of 10 million bbl and 1 bcf.

CONOCO (U.K.) LTD.'S 15/30-7 appraisal well flowed 18.7 MMcfd of gas and 1,955 b/ d of condensate through a 48/64 in. choke and 7 MMcfd and 443 b/d of condensate through a 40/64 in. choke from two Lower Cretaceous intervals. Site is 120 miles northeast of Aberdeen. Conoco holds a 66.67% interest and Chevron U.K. Ltd. 33.33% in Block 15/30.

ADOBE RESOURCES CORP. unit Petromer Trend Corp. 2 Klalin flowed 859 b/d of oil, 640 b/d of condensate, and 28 MMcfd of gas from five intervals at 8,2648,600 ft on Arar Block in the Kepala Burung production sharing contract area in Irian Jaya. The 1 Klalin discovery well is a gas/condensate strike producing since 1987. A 1989 seismic survey showed the structure is bigger than first estimated. Petromer spudded 3 Klalin and plans further seismic surveys starting in February.

WESTERN OCEANIC INC. received long term contracts in Venezuela and Nigeria valued at more than $28 million for two jack ups currently working in the Gulf of Mexico. Triton IV will leave this month to start work under a 1 year contract with a unit of state owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA. Apollo II will also leave this month for Nigeria under a 2 year contract with Chevron Corp.

REFINING

TOTAL CFP tentatively plans to install isomerization units at its Provence refinery in southeastern France and its Flanders refinery in northern France. A final decision on the $167 million investment is expected before summer.

PETROCHEMICALS

TITAN PETROCHEMICALS SDN. BHD. will use Stone & Webster Engineering Corp.'s technology in an ethylene plant to be built at Pasir Gudang, Malaysia. The plant owner was incorrectly reported earlier as Total Petrochemicals Sdn. Bhd. (OGJ, Jan. 7, p. 30).

COMPANIES

TOTAL CFP will acquire Fina France's LPG business following parent Petrofina SA's decision to concentrate on core businesses of oil products marketing, lube oils, and petrochemicals. The deal will boost Total's LPG sales by about 60,000 metric tons/year to 570,000 tons/year.

Copyright 1991 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.