Drilling/Production news briefs, Sept. 4

Woodside Energy Ltd. has awarded FMC Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd., Singapore, a contract for supply of subsea production systems for the Echo-Yodel gas-condensate development project off the North West Shelf of Australia. The contract calls for the design, fabrication, and supply of two subsea production systems for high-rate gas wells. Echo-Yodel will consist of two subsea wells located in 140 m of water. Natural gas production from the wells will be transported to Woodside's Goodwyn A platform via pipeline.

GeoSphere Exploration Ltd., operator of the New Zealand field Moturoa, and its partners installed a specially modified beam pump at the reentered old Republic-4 well site on PEP 38464, and pumping began on Aug. 17�135 years after oil was first discovered there. The 30-day test is producing, as anticipated, less than 100 b/d. The oil is flowing from an interval, about 700 m deep in the Matemateaonga. GeoSphere holds a 32% interest in the onshore-offshore permit; Greymouth Energy (NZ) Ltd., 50%; Re-source Exploration Ltd., 16%; and Ngati Te Whiti Hapu Society, 2%.

A consortium led by Chevron Australia Pty. Ltd. plans to terminate its drilling contract on Marine Drilling Cos. Inc.'s Marine 500 semisubmersible vessel after Feb. 1, 2001, said Marine Drilling. The contract provides that the consortium can terminate the contract at any time after Jan. 1, 2001, in exchange for early termination payments through December 31, 2001.

Esso Norge AS awarded a contract to Procon Drilling Services AS, a wholly owned subsidiary of ProSafe ASA, to provide drilling and maintenance work on the Ringhorne platform off Norway. The contract lasts until Dec. 31, 2006, and includes three 2-year option periods. The value of the contract is about 500 million kroner, excluding options.

CanArgo Energy Corp. announced Aug. 31 the initial results of its horizontal well, N98H, on the Ninotsminda field in the Republic of Georgia. Production has more than tripled on this well as a result of the horizontal sidetrack, says CanArgo. Stabilized production rates are now about 220 b/d of oil and 750 Mcfd of gas. This production rate is being achieved through a restricted 8-mm choke with a flowing tubing pressure of 765 psi. CanArgo is also drilling well N97 jointly with AES Corp. unit AES Gardabani.