Offshore West Africa continues to be one of the most active and most promising exploration and production regions in the world. As we pointed out last month (Offshore, September 2004), it is the largest projected growth area for FPSOs and subsea systems worldwide over the next five years. In this month's West Africa report, International Editor Judy Maksoud looks at some of the latest production developments offshore Nigeria and Angola. Her exclusive interview with Sonangol (page 26) examines some of the initiatives planned by the national oil company of Angola, while her report on Nigeria (page 30) covers ExxonMobil schedules for Erha, which will be developed as a strategic hub for future deepwater developments on OPL 209.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Beckman, Editor Europe, talked to UK independent Dana Petroleum about plans for further development of its deepwater plays offshore Mauritania. Dana also holds acreage on the other side of Africa, offshore Kenya, where the company says it has "identified some very pronounced structuresU" His report begins on page 32.
Finally, a study of new seismic data taken offshore Ghana by Vanco Energy reveals "unexpected and unusual" struc-tural history that suggests new exploration plays. Their analysis begins on page 37.
"Aligning technology with changing reality" is the theme of this year's Deep Offshore Technology Conference, scheduled for Nov. 30-Dec. 2 in New Orleans. The conference, one of the premier offshore industry forums, promises attendees a wide selection of frontier solutions and lessons learned for deepwater operations. This month's preview of the conference begins on page 48.
Using dual electrical submersible pumps to boost production from the longest tieback to a platform in the North Sea, Total has demonstrated the value of marginal field developments and the benefits of using ESP systems as an artificial lift method. Drilling/Production Editor Frank Hartley discusses a dual ESP completion design for Total's Otter field that Paul Kelman, completion engineer with Total, terms "Ua huge success in a marginal subsea field." His report begins on page 72.
Canada's Newfoundland and Labrador offshore fields will soon be producing almost 50% of Canada's conventional light crude. Yet questions remain about the potential for future E&P activity off Eastern Canada. In this month's "Beyond the Horizon," Rob Strong, vice president of Davis Engineering of St. John's, Newfoundland, makes a case for the viability of this harsh-environment arena. "There is no better time than now to set your sights on this virtually untapped exploration frontier," he says. Read his explanation of why Eastern Canada offers unrecognized economic and political advantages that other geographic areas lack (page 132).
