INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS

PETROCHEMICALS

POLYETHYLENE MALAYSIA SDN. BHD., a joint venture of Petroleum National Bhd., Idemitsu Petrochemical Co. and BP Chemical Co., let a $55 million contract to John Brown Projects (Malaysia) for construction project management of a 320,000 metric ton/year ethylene plant and a 200,000 ton/year polyethylene plant at Terengganu, Malaysia (OGJ, June 24, p. 30). Petronas Gas Sdn. Bhd. will supply ethane from adjacent gas processing plants in Kerteh.

LNG

INDONESIA'S Pertamina began work on its 12th liquefied natural gas production train at the Bontang complex in East Kalimantan (OGJ, Sept. 23, p. 16). Start-up is expected by 1994.

COMPANIES

HONG KONG INVESTOR Li Ka-shing and associated companies agreed to acquire Nova Corp.'s 43% equity interest in Husky Oil Ltd. for $250 million. Husky will redeem its preferred shares held by Nova for $75 million. Nova said selling its Husky interest is part of a restructuring effort and is based on plans to focus on its gas transmission business. The transaction is to close Nov. 29.

MAXUS ENERGY CORP. assumed Conoco Ecuador Ltd.'s role as operator of the Block 16 heavy oil development project in Ecuador's Oriente region (OGJ, July 29, p. 54). Conoco withdrew from the Block 16 project earlier this month, citing capital needs elsewhere. Maxus now holds 35% interest in the block, with other interests held by Taiwan's Overseas Petroleum & Investment Corp. 31%, Nomeco Ecuador Oil Co. 14%, and Murphy Oil Corp. units Canam Offshore Ltd. and Murphy Ecuador Oil Co. each 10%.

AKER ENGINEERING AS, Oslo, agreed to acquire a 54.1% stake in NPC Holding, parent company of Norwegian Petroleum Consultants, for 129.6 million kroner ($19.6 million).

EXPLORATION

MARATHON OIL CO.'S KRA-1X wildcat on the 496,470 acre Kakap block in the Natuna Sea off Indonesia flowed 6,200 b/d of oil and 4.15 MMcfd of gas through a 60/64 in. choke with 870 psi flowing tubing pressure on drillstem test of Tertiary sands at 7,244-7,526 ft. The discovery is 12 miles southeast of Kakap facilities that produce about 30,000 b/d of oil from KH and KF fields.

MARATHON 1 Bir Drassen wildcat on the Cap Bon permit in Tunisia flowed 23.5 MMcfd from Eocene Bou Dabbous after acidizing. The well earlier flowed about 5 MMcfd on a short test (OGJ, Oct. 7, p. 47). After testing the Bou Dabbous, Marathon drilled to Upper Cretaceous Abiod chalk, which flowed water and noncommercial volumes of gas. The well is suspended for evaluation, and the rig has moved to a site about 5 miles southwest.

SANTOS LTD.'S 1 Keleary wildcat on the East Patchawarra block of PELs 5 and 6 in South Australia flowed 518 b/d of oil through a 1/2 in. choke on drillstem test of Triassic Tinchoo at 7,886-7,925 ft. Total depth is 8,643 ft. The well is 126 km northeast of Moomba facilities and 34 km south of the James oil discovery (OGJ, Mar. 4, p. 24). Santos holds a 28.571% interest in East Patchawarra, Ampolex 37.5%, Delhi 17.143 % , Sagasco 10.536%, and Vamgas 6.25%.

PETROMER TREND CORP.'S 9 Seo wildcat in Irian Jaya, Indonesia, has productive capacity of 3,568 b/d of 32 gravity oil and 141 MMcfd of gas. The discovery is part of a joint venture between Petromer and Indonesia's Pertamina. It is the combine's first wildcat.

TEXACO EXPLORATION PENYU CORP. started a three well drilling program off the east coast of Malaysia on Block PM-14 (OGJ, Apr. 9, 1990, p. 30) and plans to finish drilling before yearend. Texaco holds a 37.5% interest in the block with Petronas 25%, Clyde Expro 22.5%, and Santos Ltd. 15%.

DRILLING-PRODUCTION

AIRBORNE EXPRESS, Seattle, airlifted 45,000 lb of firefighting equipment from Houston to Kuwait for Kuwait Oil Co. Neal Adams Fire Fighters Inc., Houston, provided the equipment for use in a well control campaign in Sabriya oil field. Adams holds a firefighting subcontract from KOC contractor Kuwaiti British Fire Group.

ELF SEREPCA will start production in Itindi field in the Rio del Rey basin off Cameroon. Development of the field cost about 400 million francs. Production of about 10,000 b/d will be blended with Kole Melange crude. Elf holds a 25.5% interest with partners Ste. Nationale des Hydrocarbures (Cameroon) 50% and Pecten 24.5%.

ORYX ENERGY CO. 1 Gacela on Block 7 in Ecuador flowed 1 000 b/d of oil through a 1 in. choke from an 800 ft horizontal lateral in Cretaceous Hollin. Later testing via a downhole jet pump increased production to more than 2,500 b/d. Oryx, 100% interest owner, said the well is the first horizontal hole drilled in Ecuador. A second well is planned during first quarter 1992.

BRAZIL'S Petrobras and Venezuela's Maraven ordered a total of eight Coberra gas turbine systems valued at $80 million from Cooper Rolls, a joint venture of Cooper Industries Inc., Houston, and Rolls-Royce plc, London. Petrobras ordered four systems, two for gas production/injection service and two for power generation at Marlim field in the Campos basin off Rio de Janeiro. Maraven's four systems will be installed in Lake Maracaibo.

ORYX did not sell its North Sea production, as incorrectly reported (OGJ, Oct. 21, p. 28). Production in the area was shut in for field maintenance.

TRANSPORTATION

MOROCCO'S government owned oil company, S.A.M.I.R. Refinery, let a $37.8 million contract to Perini International Corp. to design and construct a crude oil tank farm at Mohammedia. The project includes construction of three 1 00 m diameter steel storage tanks and related facilities. Construction is to begin immediately and be complete in spring 1994.

REFINING

CONOCO LTD. let contract to Badger Co. Inc. to provide engineering and procurement services for a cracked gas plant at its Humber, U.K., refinery. The cracker, to replace an existing gas recovery plant, is to be complete in early 1993.

AN OCT. 17 FIRE shut down Refinaria de Petroleos de Manguinhos SA's 10,000 b/d refinery at Rio de Janiero. A boiler operator was severely burned and a distillation column damaged in the fire. Cause was not determined at presstime. The nearby 229,000 b/d Reduc refinery operated by Petroleos Brasileiro SA will make up the shortfall of products supplies-900,000 I./day of gasoline, 400,000 I./day of fuel oil, and 300,000 I./day of liquefied petroleum gases-until the Manguinhos plant is on stream again.