Page 13 - Euroil Week 49 2019

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NEWS IN BRIEF
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The deal has been condemned by Greece asAlpha Adriatic, which was previously named Uljanik Plovidba, reported the disbanding of the Uljanik Plovidba LNG unit in a filing with the Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE) on December 9.
According to the filing, the company ceased to exist when the Pazin Commercial Court took a decision on December 6 to remove Pula-based Uljanik Plovidba LNG from the court register.
The company’s two founders and owners – Alpha Adriatic and ETCA Caspian – requested to disband the venture after failing to fulfil their plan for joint investment in natural gas projects.
Uljanik Plovidba LNG was established in April 2017 as a 50:50 joint venture between Alpha Adriatic and ETCA Caspian, with a focus on sea transport and storage of LNG.
December 10 2019
GTT notified by Hudong- Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) for the tank design of an LNG bunker vessel for Mitsui OSK Line
GTT has received an order from the Chinese shipyard Hudong-Zhonghua for the tank design of an LNG bunker vessel on behalf of the Japanese ship-owner Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. (MOL).
GTT will design the tanks of the vessel, which will be fitted with the Mark III membrane containment system, a technology developed by GTT. The vessel will offer a total cargo tank capacity of 18,600 m3. The unit will be operated by the ship-owner MOL and chartered by Total. Its delivery is planned during the fourth quarter of 2021.
Philippe Berterottière, chairman and CEO of GTT, declared: “We are pleased to receive this order from our long-term partners. This new LNG bunker vessel project demonstrates strengthened interest from ship-owners for the use of GNL as marine fuel and contributes to the development of the associated supply chain.”
GTT, December 10 2019
Greece goes to UN over
Turkey-Libya maritime
boundaries accord
Greece has lodged objections to the United Nations over a maritime boundaries accord between Libya and Turkey that it says is a violation of international law, the Greek
government said on December 10.
Athens expelled the Libyan ambassador in
response to the deal last week. The boundaries do not take into account the presence of the Greek island of Crete and infringe Greece’s continental shelf, it has said.
“This agreement was compiled in bad faith,” government spokesman Stelios Petsas was quoted as saying by Reuters. “It violates the [UN] Law of the Sea. The sea zones of Turkey and Libya do not meet, and nor is there a sea border between the two states,” Petsas added.
Ongoing rows over eastern Mediterranean gas reserves have caused countries, including Cyprus and Egypt, to push their claims.
Greece and Turkey are also in disagreement over mineral rights in the Aegean Sea.
The deal between Ankara and the internationally recognised government of conflict-torn Libya carves out a slanting sea corridor of maritime boundaries at the closest points between Libya and Turkey. It potentially clears the way for oil and gas exploration there.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking to Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber on December 9, said the agreement was in line with international law..
Petsas, the Greek spokesman, said Greece had asked its EU partners to formulate a framework of sanctions to be applied to Turkey and Libya if the agreement was not withdrawn. Turkey also faces possible EU sanctions for drilling around Cyprus which Nicosia says infringes its exclusive economic zone.
bne IntelliNews, December 11 2019
Noble rig preparing to drill in North Sea for RockRose
UK-based oil and gas firm RockRose Energy has announced that the Noble Houston Colbert jack-up drilling rig is preparing
to drill the first of two planned infill development wells on the West Brae in the UK North Sea.
RockRose is the operator of West Brae with a 40% working interest. RockRose bought the Brae interest earlier this year in a deal with Marathon Oil.
RockRose said on December 11 that the designated WPGZ and WPOZ wells were designed to access 2P reserves of over 8mn barrels and to support Brae Complex output by up to 6,000 barrels per day. WPGZ is expected to come onstream before the end of the first quarter of 2020 while the first oil from WPOZ is anticipated in the second quarter of 2020.
According to the company, the drilling of WPGZ marks the start of a significant period of development activity for RockRose, with
the company set to participate in at least seven wells before the end of 2020. These will help drive production growth over the next two years and further investment in growth projects is anticipated in 2021 and 2022.
A four-well drilling campaign is scheduled to start at the Shell-operated Arran gas/ condensate field development in the first quarter of 2020. RockRose has a 30.4% working interest in Arran, which remains on schedule for first gas in early 2021.
In addition, the first of two infill wells planned as part of the Blake life extension project will be drilled in the second half of 2020. RockRose has a 30.8% working interest in Blake.
Commenting, Andrew Austin, RockRose, Executive Chairman, said: “The spudding
of WPGZ will represent just the start
of a sustained period of drilling activity
for RockRose. This will add significant production and value to the Company, as we continue to deliver on our strategy; growing production and generating surplus cash flow that can be reinvested to maximize returns for shareholders.”
The Brae Complex lies approximately 220 km northeast of Aberdeen in a water depth of approximately 110 metres. It consists of three RockRose-operated fixed platforms, three subsea tie-backs, numerous pipelines, and other subsea components.
The Brae Alpha platform was commissioned in 1983, initially producing from South Brae, while Central Brae and West Brae were tied-back subsequently.
December 11 2019
Petrofac wins service deals in North Sea
Oilfield services provider Petrofac has secured two new framework agreements for the provision of engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning (EPCC) services in the North Sea.
The first one, a three-year framework agreement awarded by EnQuest as part of a multi-contractor framework, covers EPCC services across the operator’s North Sea and onshore asset base.
The second one, awarded by an unnamed Southern North Sea operator, is for an initial two-year period with options to extend.
Petrofac has now secured seven such frameworks in the UK in 2019. Future work undertaken through the frameworks will be supported by Petrofac’s Aberdeen office
Nick Shorten, Managing Director for Petrofac’s Engineering and Production Services business in the Western Hemisphere said: “In a mature basin like the UKCS, technical certainty and predictable delivery are critical success factors. The award of these FAs recognizes our ability to combine
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