April 2014, Vol. 241 No. 4

Features

2014 Offshore Technology Conference Highlights

Offshore Technology Conference (OTC 2014) – the world’s foremost event for the development of offshore resources in drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection — will be held May 5-8 in Houston’s Reliant Center.

OTC is the largest gathering for offshore energy resource development with an estimated 100,000 attendees expected to participate in technical sessions, workshops, and networking events.

This year’s conference program is sponsored by 13 industry organizations and societies. Collectively, they have assembled a 300-paper technical program that will be presented by authors from more than 100 countries, along with 29 executive keynote presentations and nine panel sessions, followed by discussions covering recent breakthroughs and advances in technology. The exhibition will include leading industry manufacturers from 40 countries that will man 2,728 exhibits featuring every phase of offshore oil and gas operations.

More coverage on offshore developments from P&GJ:
Prirazlomnoye: Russia’s First Arctic Offshore Field Begins Production
UK Production Starts Rose Through 2013
Convoy Escorts Floating Gas Plant On Dangerous 3,000-Mile Journey
Innovative Subsea Test Manifold Saves Time, Money
Sevan 1000 FPSO Readied For Barents Sea
Offshore Expert Expects Deepwater To Dominate
European Offshore Pipe Industry Set For Recovery
Underwater Vehicle Solves Subsea Monitoring Of Oil And Gas Installations
Shell’s First FLNG Readied For Western Australian Operations
Shell Starts Production From Mars B Development In Gulf
FPSO Decommissioned Off Tunisia

Achievement Awards
On May 4, the evening prior to the kickoff of the conference and exhibition, the annual OTC dinner will be held at Reliant Stadium to honor recipients of this year’s Distinguished Achievement Awards.

Along with recognizing the recipients and providing an excellent networking opportunity, the dinner also allows the industry to collectively support the communities where they operate. Proceeds from the dinner will be donated to Medical Bridges®, a Houston-based organization that provides medicine and medical supplies to healthcare providers in need worldwide.

Award Recipients
The Individual Achievement Award will recognize Carl Arne Carlsen, senior vice president and member of the governing board at DNV, for his advancements in the safety and reliability of mobile offshore structures, and the practical applications of risk management. His focus on safety has led to important developments in the industry such as establishing rules for dynamic behavior of jack-up platforms, semi-submersible platforms and for FPSOs in harsh environments.

The award for companies, organization and institutions recognizes the deployment of BP’s LoSal® EOR (Reduced Salinity Enhanced Oil Recovery) technology into the Clair Ridge development, located west of Shetland, UK. The effort represents the first sanctioned, full-field, offshore use of the LoSal EOR technology.

The company’s enhanced recovery technology team observed that reducing the salinity of sea water for waterflooding, instead of using conventional sea water, releases more oil from the rock surfaces. As a result, the Clair Ridge development includes desalination facilities to generate the reduced salinity water which BP predicts will improve oil recovery by 42 million barrels at a cost of $3/bbl.

The Heritage Award will be presented to Susan Cunningham in recognition of her leadership and technical contributions in the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, and the eastern Mediterranean. She began her career more than 30 years ago as a geologist with Amoco Canada and is senior vice president of Gulf of Mexico, Africa, Frontier Ventures and Business Innovation for Noble Energy. Cunningham was the chairman of OTC in 2010 and 2011 (representing the American Association of Petroleum Geologist), and has served as a board member for Cliffs Natural Resources and the Houston Geological Society.

Tickets can be purchased for $150.

New Technology Awards
OTC recognizes innovative technologies with the Spotlight on New Technology Award. This program, for OTC exhibitors, showcases the latest and most advanced hardware and software technologies that are leading the industry into the future. The ceremony will be held May 5 at 4 p.m. in the Reliant Center Rotunda Lobby.
The following companies will receive the award:
• Baker Hughes – LaunchPRO™ Wireless Top Drive Cement Head
• FMC Technologies – Iso™ Pump
• FMC Technologies – Offshore Loading Arm Footless
• GE Oil & Gas – SeaLytics™
• GE Oil & Gas – Zenith GFI™ Ground Fault Immune ESP Monitoring System
• Geoservices, a Schlumberger Company – FLAG Fluid Loss and Gain Detection Service
• Halliburton Drill Bits and Services – TDReam™ Tool
• SBM Offshore – Very High Pressure Fluid Swivel
• Schlumberger – Seismic Guided Drilling Pore-Pressure Prediction Ahead of the Bit
• Weatherford – CasingLinkTM
• West Production Technology AS (Part of WeST Group) – SwarfPak Technology
• WesternGeco – IsoMetrix Marine Isometric Seismic Technology

Teachers Workshop
On May 8, OTC hosts a Teachers Workshop. OTC invited 100 Houston-area classroom teachers (grades 4-12) to a free, one-day energy education workshop. They will receive comprehensive, objective information about the scientific concepts of energy and its importance while discovering the world of oil and natural gas exploration and production. Teachers will also participate in hands-on energy lessons provided by the National Energy Education Development (NEED) project.

Breakfasts And Luncheons
OTC hosts breakfasts and luncheons each day that showcase presentations from top executives and technical experts. Tickets are $50 and should be purchased early since seating is limited.

Registration
OTC registration fees include admittance to the technical session and exhibits. Special event tickets must be purchased separately. Students with a valid university ID can obtain a complimentary registration. Members in any of the OTC sponsoring, endorsing, supporting or invited organizations can get a four-day registration for $150 while non-member registration is $210. A one-day registration for members is $120 and $160 for non-members. OTC proceedings on a CD are $110 for members and $175 for non-members.