Pioneering Subsea Boosting
Apr 15, 2007
With oil prices above $50/bbl, many methods are pursued in the oil and gas industry for increasing production, increasing total recovery and shifting production forward in time. Subsea boosting is one technology area that has gained increased attention in the recent years. By Gunder Homstvedt. [ In 3/4-2007 ]

Norwegian NOx Emissions Excise Duty Hits Shipping and Offshore Industry
Apr 15, 2007
The regulatory framework concerning the new excise duty appears as complex and unfinished, raising more questions than providing answers. The duty will entail a significant expense item for the businesses liable to register and it is therefore important to have an overview of how the regulatory framework should be understood. Errors made since 1 January 2007 may lead to future reassessments of duties, with interest. By Øysten Arff Gulseth and Siri Fjeld-Nielsen. [ In 3/4-2007 ]

Media: World 2.0
Apr 15, 2007
A significant portion of my life is preceded by www. This prefix is the domain of most of my everyday tools – in the workplace, at home, or in my social interactions with other people. I’m not the kind of person who spends most of his leisure time online, and I don’t hang around in chat rooms or post to my blog (much). But, if you’re like me – and I think a lot of my readers are – you have become accustomed to the connected life. And you will only become more connected in the years to come. By Erlend Gram Simonsen. [ In 3/4-2007 ]

Commentary, 1/2 2007
Feb 8, 2007
Interesting Times
They say hindsight is 20-20, and if we look back about a half year ago, we see near-record oil prices. And at that time, it looked like the sky really was the limit. But after peaks in the high $70’s, we saw a price decline that so far this winter sees prices hovering in the low to mid $50s. Last fall, many analysts felt that the $50s would be the “natural” price, but few saw it happening so quickly. [ In 1/2-2007 ]

From the Editor: A New Year
Feb 8, 2007
It feels rather odd to be wishing you a happy new year in mid February. But we’ve had a really busy January, so the time’s just flown by. As the old year faded away and the new year took its place, the oil and gas industry has been much in the popular news. While (as usual) the world marvels over oil prices, we also see headlines in the popular media about national strategies to protect oil interests. Sometimes it’s troubling news from Russia or Venezuela or Iran, but there’s also been some hopeful news from Angola and Nigeria concerning transparency. [ In 1/2-2007 ]

Fearful Takeovers – The Statoil-Hydro Effect
Feb 8, 2007
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Russian president Vladimir Putin might be forgiven their “resource nationalism”, for wanting what Norway has. Little do they know, the Norwegian success story – Hydro and Statoil grow the state; foreign know-how settles in; oilfield taxes reach 78 percent – is being re-written. [ In 1/2-2007 ]

Latest-Generation Hole Enlargement Technology Facilitates Growing Complexity of Well Design
Feb 8, 2007
Planned hole enlargement covers a range of operations that result in an “oversized” hole below a conventional-size borehole or restriction. Driven in part by continuing advances in well design and casing technology, hole enlargement is an expanding market, expected to grow more than 40 percent in 2007 to comprise an estimated 16 percent of total footage drilled worldwide [ In 1/2-2007 ]

Anti Stall Technology 2007 – The Next Generation
Feb 8, 2007
The award winning anti stall technology (AST) is the first ever downhole tool designed to actively regulate drilling torque and stop overload situations. This effect is obtained through a automated-downhole telescopic system that contracts and pulls back the drill bit if the torque increases above a safe level. [ In 1/2-2007 ]

Media: Security Update
Feb 8, 2007
It used to be just computers. They are filled with personal information we want to hide from the prying eyes of strangers. And since there’s always somebody out to gain access to your files, the security business is bigger than ever. Now mobile phones, PDAs and all sorts of portable devices are being targeted by hackers, virus mongers and bad guys everywhere. And the government, of course, who want to know some of your secrets themselves. Here’s a heads up on the latest developments in data security. [ In 1/2-2007 ]