INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS

TANKERS

MOBIL CORP. ordered a double hull 280,000 dwt tanker from Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. to be built at Oppama, Japan, and delivered late in 1993. The tanker will be among the first double hull very large crude carriers. Mobil holds an option for a double hull sister ship for delivery in 1994.

EXPLORATION

SAMEDAN OF TUNISIA INC. received an exploration permit covering 1.223 million acres off Tunisia in the Golfe de Hammamet. The Cap Bon Marin permit carries an initial 2-1/2 year term renewable for two more 2 year periods. During the initial period Samedan will acquire about 155 line miles of seismic data and drill one well to test the Cretaceous Abiod at about 10,000 ft.

LASMO OIL (COLOMBIA) LTD.'S 1-ST Purificacion wildcat on the Espinal block in Colombia's Upper Magdalena Valley flowed a combined rate of 2,500 b/d of 32' gravity oil from two zones in Cretaceous Guadalupe. Lasmo said the discovery extends a productive play into new areas of the basin. Another wildcat will be drilled on the block before Purificacion appraisal and development drilling begins. Partner with Lasmo 66.67% is Sun Colombia Oil Co. 33.33%.

HAMILTON OIL (MALAYSIA) CORP.'S 1 Bunga Raya wildcat on Block PM-3 off Malaysia flowed at a combined rate of 41.6 MMcfd of gas and 5,719 b/d of oil and condensate from four sand intervals at 6,200-7,700 ft. One interval flowed at a maximum stabilized rate of 4,932 b/d of 43 gravity oil and 3 MMcfd of gas through a 2 in. choke with 583 psi flowing tubing pressure.

THE GOVERNMENTS of Sudan and Romania signed a petroleum exploration agreement covering the Abu Jabir area of Sudan, which includes drilling two wells. Romania agreed to give 60% of the jobs created to Sudan and will provide 60% of the investment.

A GROUP led by Pluspetrol SA plans a second wildcat on the Chirete block near Palmar Largo oil field in the Northwest basin of Salta Province, Argentina. The well will be drilled to about 4,850 m. The first wildcat on the block was spudded in September 1989 and found shows of oil in two zones (OGJ, July 2, 1990, p. 38), but technical problems prevented completion. Partners with Pluspetrol are BHP Petroleum (Argentina) Inc. and International Finance Corp.

COMPANIES

PHOENIX RESOURCE COS. INC., Oklahoma City, and Samsung Go. Ltd., Seoul, will enter into binding arbitration over a $4 million supplemental payment due Phoenix this month. In 1989 Phoenix sold Samsung a portion of its interest in Egypt's Khalda concession (OGJ, Dec. 11, 1989, p. 36) for a purchase price plus supplemental payments based on five annual independent reserve evaluations. The two disagree about results of the most recent evaluation.

HOME OIL CO. LTD., Calgary, implemented personnel cuts affecting 25% of its head office staff. The move resulted in a one time charge of $8 million (Canadian) and is expected to save the company about $10 million/year.

DRILLING-PRODUCTION

DEN NORSKE STATS OLJESELSKAP AS let a $41.6 million contract to Kvaerner Rosenberg, Stavanger, for mechanical outfitting of the replacement concrete gravity base structure for the Sleipner A gas platform. Kvaerner Rosenberg will complete the work by May 1, 1993, in half the time required for work on the first Sleipner A platform gravity base, which sank off Stavanger last August (OGJ, Sept. 2, p. 30).

NORSK HYDRO AS agreed with authorities in the Soviet Union to conduct a feasibility study of oil and gas production from Tailakov fields in the southeastern part of western Siberia. The agreement gives Hydro an exclusive right to evaluate the fields for 1 year. About 70 wells have been drilled in the area.

SOVIET UNION'S Uralmash machine building complex in Ekaterinburg (formerly Sverdlovsk), producer of the U.S.S.R.'s heavy drilling rigs, will be privatized under a proposal approved by management and workers. The plan ' delivered to the Ekaterinburg regional committee for state property control, calls for part of the plant to be sold to workers and part to remain state property. Moscow News said the use of foreign capital in the privatization effort may be considered.

BRITISH BORNEO PETROLEUM agreed to buy the U.K. North Sea assets of Norsk Hydro AS for $102 million. The acquisition will give British Borneo production of 2,100 b/d of oil, expected to rise to 5,100 b/d by 1997. Norsk Hydro is retreating from U.K. exploration and production to concentrate on its core business in the Norwegian North Sea.

VIETSOVPETRO, a Soviet-Vietnamese joint venture oil production company, installed a floating production storage and offloading system in White Tiger field off Viet Nam late last month. The system was supplied, mobilized, and installed by Sembawang Maritime Ltd., Singapore, under a $9 million contract.

NOMECO PNG OIL CO.'S 2 Southeast Gobe appraisal well in Papua New Guinea flowed 8,907 b/d of 44 gravity oil through 1-1/2 in. and 1% in. chokes during extended production tests of Jurassic Iagifu sand at 7,272-7,434 ft. The well is about 1 mile east of Nomeco's 1 Southeast Gobe discovery, which flowed 4,250 b/d of oil (see map, OGJ, Apr. 8, p. 34). Nomeco plans more appraisal drilling.

ELF AQUITAINE QATAR'S 2 Alkhalij appraisal well on Block 6 off Qatar flowed 2,600 b/d of 28 gravity oil through a 5/8 in. choke from middle Cretaceous Mishrif, surpassing initial production of the discovery well, which flowed 1,650 b/d of oil (OGJ, June 17, p. 30). Elf plans a second appraisal well.

ARGENTINA'S Astra Cia. Argentina de Petroleo SA will receive $68 million in term loans from International Finance Corp. to help it purchase and develop Vizacheras oil field in Mendoza Province and explore and develop other oil properties.

CHINA expects to recover an additional 2.1 billion of oil in Daqing field, based on results of a 1 year polymer flood pilot. Among other things, the flood improved the oil:water ratio to 1:4 from 1:19, Xinhua News Service reported. Daqing, China's biggest oil field, accounts for about half of the country's 2.8 million b/d of production.

MARKETING

TEXACO INC. Poland's Polski Zwiazek Motorwy (PZM), and Belgium's SMG SPRL signed a joint venture agreement to market Texaco brand lubricants, motor fuels, and diversified products in Poland. Texaco Marketing Poland will be held 50% by Texaco, 35% by PZM, and 15% by SMG. PZM is a nationwide public association of Polish motor clubs, and SMG has marketing experience in Poland.