Commentary, 1/2 2008Feb 11, 2008 As we begin this new year, one thing we can be certain about – or at least as certain about as possible: the time of inexpensive oil is over.
From the Editor: An Expanding MarketFeb 11, 2008 As you begin to leaf through this issue, you’ll find that we’ve included a great deal of input from a number of those who provide decommissioning services to the industry. From dredging to cutting to lifting – and most everything in between – we have received an impressive amount of information that we share with you here.
Decommissioning ... DeferredFeb 11, 2008 New figures say 20 percent of the North Sea platforms to be decommissioned have been removed, the majority of them wellhead platforms seen now as increasingly useful to developers of satellite fields. Reusing platforms to delay decommissioning is the trend.
Adding Flexibility to Rigid PipelinesFeb 11, 2008 Independent companies acquiring maturing assets within the North Sea need to undertake integrity reviews of their infrastructure. Where these assets are showing signs of deterioration, the race is on to upgrade the facilities in order to maximise access to the remaining reserves. Key to achieving these upgrades is the timely supply of high quality, cost effective pipeline solutions as demonstrated by the recent Apache Project.
Efficient Construction and Survey Operations Using the ACV Intervention SystemFeb 11, 2008 Technology for remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) has evolved rapidly over the last 20 years, driven mainly by the requirement to support development of deepwater oil and gas fields. As most intervention operations are now beyond diver depths and therefore require ROV intervention, the performance of the ROV system is a vital factor in the success of the offshore operation.
Media: The iPhone RevolutionFeb 11, 2008 At the end of 2005, Apple CEO Steve Jobs gave a group of around 200 of his company’s best engineers the task of creating a cell phone. With the iPod selling like hot cakes, he was looking for the next logical product – and the iPhone was a natural successor. But after a year of development, the engineers still didn’t have a functioning prototype.
