Saturday, January 10, 2015

The First Few Wells Ever Completed In The Mediterranean Sea- A Project For The "A" Team | Oilpro


The First Few Wells Ever Completed In The Mediterranean Sea- A Project For The "A" Team

I have been a part of several interesting projects of all sizes all over the world. The degree of challenge for each project has fluctuated with the location of the project. Different ways of doing business, personnel security, safety not seen as #1, well requirements, reservoir environment, technology, etc. also lend a hand in giving each project its own amount of difficulty.
Whether the project is simple or difficult, large or small- challenges are, more times than none, affected by peoples' personalities being that we all think differently. (If we could only know what our co-worker is thinking!)
With that said, I am one that has always said every project requires a team with different personalities, open-mindedness, and the right skills. Although all of the projects I have worked have been fascinating in different ways, the most interesting project I have been a part of was the Mari B Wells in Israel. These wells were the first few wells ever completed in the Mediterranean Sea for Israel.
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The first well was completed as a subsea well in the year 2000. Planning continued and 4 more wells were completed thru 2003. At the time, I was working for Schlumberger as the Completions Project Manager, and the operator was Samedan (now Noble Energy). The name of the project was "Mari B."

The "A" Team

The completion designs of these wells were not complicated but that is not to imply that the execution of the drilling and completion was flawless. The difficulty on this project lies with other contributing factors leading me to believe that "Mari B" was one project that required the "A" team in every aspect.
These contributing factors ranged from planning, to creating a temporary infrastructure, logistics, manufacturing, shipping equipment from all over the world, the short schedule, personnel security and their safety, as well as contingencies in the event the political unrest would escalate to a point of forcing the land operation team to move to Cyprus, etc.
Timing on this project was short. Therefore, a completion design to perforate, space-out the sand screens and pump the treatment all in one trip was chosen to be the most efficient means of getting the job done. The operational expertise for both, lower and upper completions also had to be hand-picked as the preparation of equipment onshore Haifa, and the completion operational sequence had to be as close to flawless as possible in order to meet the schedule.
Due to the geographical location and personnel expertise in the area, the team was made of multidisciplinary/multi-national onshore and offshore personnel in order to execute the operation. Security measures during that time of unrest in the country forced us to only allow the minimum amount of personnel necessary into Israel.
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For a project like this to be successful, the team members have to not only be chosen according to high performance and a high skill level, but also the team has to be brought together to understand the seriousness of safety from beginning to end and the effect of deviating from it.
Each team member must be aware of the operational steps to be made by their teammates before and after their part of the process. In order to achieve this understanding by all, the entire team began the planning process by getting together in one room to assemble the process. The what, who, how and contingencies with all possible details were discussed and challenged as a team; finally one procedure from beginning to end was agreed and documented after many meetings.
This gave each team member accountability and the responsibility to report to an operation coordinator on the rig who in-turn would report to the company personnel on land, and finally myself in Houston.
I would then be in contact with the required personnel to report and discuss any problems, procedural changes, and how the entire process would be affected.
By the end of the project the team bonded like no other; and allowed us to learned a lot from each other. The completion of such high-producing wells in Israeli waters was successful and done in a safe manner.
Being part of a team that completed the first few offshore wells in such a historic country makes me proud to say that I am part of history.



Source: http://oilpro.com/post/8596/carlos-pineda

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Gas deal still on, Delek and Noble Energy tell Jordanians | Globes

Gas deal still on, Delek and Noble Energy tell Jordanians

Leviathan

Senior Noble Energy and Delek Group managers flew to Jordan Sunday.

The gas export deal with Jordan is still on the agenda, despite the events of the past few days that's the message that senior managers at Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG) and Noble Energy wish to convey to the Jordanians. On Sunday, Noble Energy's Israel manager Binyamin Zomer, together with Delek Group managers Gideon Tadmor and Yossi Abu, flew to Jordan to reassure the Jordanians that the deal for the export of 45 million BCM (billion cubic meters) of gas was still alive.

In the light of the Israeli antitrust commissioner's decision to rescind the consent decree whereby Delek Group and Noble Energy could have retained the large Leviathan gas reserve in return for selling two small reserves, Karish and Tanin, Jamal Gamouh, president of the Energy Committee of the Jordanian House of Representatives, said that the negotiations on the gas supply deal had been called off. Gamouh said that no deal could take place until the picture in Israel was clarified.
The deal in question was the subject of a letter of intent signed last September for the supply of 3-4 BCM of gas annually from Israel for 15 years to Jordanian power producer Nepco. The deal is estimated to be worth some $15 billion.

The supply of gas to Jordan was to have commenced immediately on completion of the development of the Leviathan field, the target date for which was early 2018, but it is now not clear how long development will be delayed. The final agreement was due to have been signed in Washington at the end of this month.
Bloomberg reported yesterday that the Jordanians would import gas from the Gaza Marine reserve of the coast of the Gaza Strip.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 6, 2015
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2015



Source: http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-gas-deal-still-on-delek-and-noble-energy-tell-jordanians-1000998662

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Turkish vessel to continue work off Cyprus, deepening standoff | Reuters

Turkish vessel to continue work off Cyprus, deepening standoff

NICOSIA Tue Jan 6, 2015

Jan 6 (Reuters) - A Turkish research vessel will continue searching for oil and gas off Cyprus, Turkish Cypriot authorities said on Tuesday, extending a simmering standoff between rival sides on the ethnically-split island over offshore gas reserves.
The row has already led to Greek Cypriots suspending participation in peace talks with estranged Turkish Cypriots, and on Monday they said they would not return as long as the vessel remained in the area.
Barbaros, a seismographic research vessel commissioned by Turkey's state petroleum company TPAO, has been carrying out surveys in an area in the east Mediterranean claimed by Cyprus under international conventions.
Turkey, which is not a signatory to the United Nations Law of the Sea, does not recognise Cypriot jurisdiction
The vessel, which had been docked in harbour for the past several days, would resume activities after Greek Cypriots said they would continue "unilateral activities" in exploring for gas, the Turkish Cypriot foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.
"The Turkish Cypriot side will not remain unresponsive to the unilateral activities carried out by the (Greek Cypriots) which disregard the inherent rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriot people," it said.
Cyprus and its U.S. partner Noble Energy discovered natural gas off its southern coast in 2011. A consortium comprised of Italy's ENI and South Korea's Kogas is now drilling in another area for gas.
Their research work is exclusively focussed on Cyprus's southern rim off territory controlled by an internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government, and not north which is administered by an unrecognised Turkish Cypriot state.
The Turkish Cypriot side would continue to take "all necessary steps" to protect its interests. That included drilling in cooperation with Turkey, the foreign ministry said.
It did not specify where.
Greek Cypriots say Turkish Cypriots can reap the benefits of any gas finds as part of a peace deal.
Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. (Reporting By Michele Kambas, editing by William Hardy)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/06/cyprus-turkey-gas-idUSL6N0UL1X420150106

Monday, January 5, 2015

TRU President to seek investor interest in Cyprus in chemical industry operations | Cyprus News Agency

TRU President to seek investor interest in Cyprus in chemical industry operations
CNA - Nicosia 5/1/2015 15:20
 



"Cyprus is a good location for medium scale gas-based chemical production like urea fertilizer," says engineering consultants TRU Group Inc of USA & Canada.

According to a press release, Edward Anderson, TRU President, is visiting Cyprus to seek investor interest in building niche natural gas derived chemical or medium-scale energy-intensive industrial operations.

“The nature of the business we plan to establish will be firmed up over the next few months but could range from the formation of a chemical manufacturing company to only providing the engineering,” the press release noted.

(CNA)

*The full text of the news item is available in the paid version of the CNA web service. Subscription Form

*CNA reserves the copyright to the news stories it files, which is granted to subscribers for specific use only.



Source: http://www.cna.org.cy/webnewsEN.asp?a=130489070b134e95be1d8dbcb984b770

Sunday, January 4, 2015

US special envoy: Gas fields must be developed quickly | Globes

US special envoy: Gas fields must be developed quickly

Amos Hochstein
 


Source: http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-us-energy-envoy-gas-fields-must-be-developed-quickly-1000998337

Jordan Halts Talks on $15 Billion Accord to Import Israeli Gas | Bloomberg

Jordan Halts Talks on $15 Billion Accord to Import Israeli Gas


MarMayJulSepNov201550.0060.0070.0080.00* Price chart for NOBLE ENERGY INC. Click flags for important stories.NBL:US46.88-0.55 -1.16%
Jordan suspended talks to import natural gas from Israel from Noble (NBL) Energy Inc. and will sign an agreement with BG Group Plc to buy Gaza Strip gas.
The kingdom halted negotiations “recently” after Israeli authorities said they may move to prevent a regional “monopoly” for Noble, according to Jamal Qammouh, head of Jordan’s Lower House energy committee. Israel’s antitrust regulator is reconsidering a decision to let a group led by Noble develop the country’s two biggest natural gas fields. Inbar Dovev, a spokeswoman for the company, declined to comment by phone today.
“We were informed that there are differences between Israel and Noble Energy and we cannot proceed with talks until we know which side will develop the gas field in Israel,” Qammouh said in a phone interview from Amman.
Partners in Israel’s Leviathan field, including Houston-based Noble, and units of Delek Group Ltd. (DLEKG) and Ratio Oil Exploration 1992 LP (RATIL) signed a preliminary deal Sept. 3 to sell gas to Jordan’s National Electric Power Co. over 15 years. Noble had signed a $771 million agreement in February to supply Jordan-based Arab Potash Co. with gas starting 2016. Leviathan and neighboring Tamar in the Mediterranean Sea are among the biggest natural gas finds in recent years and have provided Israel with enough fuel for decades of energy self-sufficiency and export.

Pipeline Bombings

Jordan, which imports almost all its energy needs, wants to secure supply after repeated disruptions to gas imports from Egypt as a result of pipeline bombings in Sinai. Jordan, the Middle East’s smallest economy after Bahrain, is one of two Arab countries that have signed a peace agreement with Israel.
Jordan will sign an agreement with BG Group Plc (BG/) in the first quarter to buy gas from fields offshore the Gaza Strip, Mohammad Hamed, Jordan’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, said in an interview in Amman. According to the agreement, National Electric Power will import 150 million to 180 million cubic feet a day starting the end of 2017, he said.
“This is a very important deal as gas imports from Egypt are still halted,” he said.
A call to BG Group for comment wasn’t answered outside of business hours.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammad Tayseer in Amman at mtayseer@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nayla Razzouk at nrazzouk2@bloomberg.netKim McLaughlin, John Deane

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-04/jordan-halts-talks-on-15-billion-accord-to-import-israeli-gas.html