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News in brief Drilling rigs shutting down on North Slope
Drilling rigs continue to be shut down on Alaska’s North Slope due to falling oil prices. With the break-even production and transportation costs on the slope reported to be approximately $7 per barrel, even land rigs tentatively scheduled for winter exploration could be standing idle if oil prices continue to fall.
PNA industry sources said that Nabors Alaska Drilling Inc.’s rig 33-E has already been shut down; Nabors 22-E was shut down Dec. 22. By early January Nabors 2E-S, Doyon Drilling Inc.’s rig 16 and Nabors 18-E will also be shut down. Nabors 4-ES is on a warm shut down which means it’s working two weeks on and two weeks off. Pool Arctic Alaska’s rig 7 was reportedly drilling its last well just before Christmas.
Sources said that Nabors 27-E might be shut down sometime after the first of the year. The fate of Nabors 28-E which is drilling at Badami is unknown, Parker Drilling Co.’s rig 245 is also scheduled to be shut down, which only confirms rumors of a buyout of Parker’s interests in Alaska by Pool. Parker’s Alaska manager Chuck Sullivan has already moved back to corporate headquarters in Oklahoma and no replacement has been named.
By the end of January, sources said Shared Services Drilling will be operating just two rigs on the Central North Slope — Nabors’ new rigs 9ES and 7ES. BP Exploration (Alaska) gets 14001 certification BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.’s environmental management systems have received 14001 certification from the International Organization for Standardization.
BP said Dec. 16 that it was recommended for the certification, one of a series of voluntary environmental protection standards developed by the international organization, following a September audit by Det Norske Veritas, an independent company. The audit, BP said, culminated a year-long initiative by the company to assess, improve and conform its environmental management systems to the international ISO 14001 standard.
“One of the outcomes we expected when we undertook this voluntary certification was to raise our environmental awareness and performance to a new level,” said BP Exploration (Alaska) President Richard Campbell in a prepared statement.
BP is the first major oil and gas company to seek to conform all of its worldwide operations to the ISO 14001 standard and it is the first oil company in Alaska to attain certification. Selby elected chairman of MMS committee The U.S. Minerals Management Service’s Outer Continental Shelf Policy Committee has elected former Kodiak Borough Mayor Jerome Selby to serve as chairman for a two-year term.Crowley launches first hi-tech tugs for Prince William Sound Nanuq, the first of two 153 foot, 10,192 horsepower enhanced tractor tugs was launched from Dakota Creek Shipyard in Anacortes, Wash., on Nov. 21 and is being prepared for sea trials, Crowley Marine Services said in a prepared statement in early December.
Nanuq and her sister vessel Tan’erliq — Alaska Native words for “polar bear” and “black bear” respectively — have been specially designed and developed for Crowley Marine under contract with Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. for tanker escort operations in Valdez Harbor and Prince William Sound.
Crowley said that the Nanuq and Tan’erliq, the highest horsepower Voith Schneider tractor tugs in the world today, represent the latest in tractor tug technology and will be among the most powerful tugs in Crowley’s fleet.
The price tag on the tugs was more than $31 million, Crowley said.
Nanuq is powered by two Caterpillar 3612 engines driving twin Voith Schneider cycloidal propulsion units. Both vessels will be outfitted for tanker escort services, ship handling, fire-fighting, and emergency and spill response in Alaska waters.
More information on Crowley Maritime and its subsidiaries can be found on the internet at www.crowley.com or by calling 1 800 874-6769.
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