Oil & gas news

EIA STILL BEING IGNORED

Although the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is to be forwarded to the state committee on ecology after being put on public discussion, oil companies keep ignoring the important process, which is envisioned by the legislation, according to a lawyer Samir Isayev.

As reported earlier, it was for this reason that the EIA of "Moncrief Oil" was turned down by the state committee. Now, the same fate is seemingly in store for the ecological documents of "Oguz Operating Company" (operator of the offshore block Oguz), which, together with its consultant "Azerbaijan Environment and Technology Center", has declined to inform the public of their plans.

4 AIOC OIL TANKERS DISPATCHED FROM SUPSA IN JANUARY

486,783 tons of oil were produced from the Chirag field in January, of which 480,398 tons were transported through the western export oil pipeline to Supsa. Then, 4 oil tankers were dispatched to world markets from the Black Sea port.

According to the AIOC press-service, 75,179 tons of SOCAR tons were transported via the northern export pipeline in January.

CASPIAN SHIPYARD COMPANY TO HIRE 1,000 EMPLOYEES

Caspian Shipyard Company is expected to announce recruitment of employees in connection with the construction of a new drilling rig.

According to the company's personnel department, consultations are currently underway over hiring the engineering and labor staff.

Construction of the rig is tentatively scheduled to commence in May-June, while the recruitment is expected to complete in March-April. The company intends to hire around 1,000 engineers and workers, pay them salaries ranging between $100 and 600 per month. Construction of the rig is going to take 3 years to complete.

WELL TRIALS START ON CHILOV

Drilling of the oil well No. 110 recently completed on Chilov island, followed by well trials on the Gala suite which is expected to take a week, SOCAR said Saturday.

The drilling started on September 8, 1999.

FIRST KURDASHI EIA DISCUSSED

"Agip" has prepared the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the area of the future second appraisal well on offshore Kurdashi field. Representatives of ecological NGOs involved in the discussion said the document had been prepared superficially. They suggested that it be further elaborated in order to prevent the damage the well could inflict to the nearby "Gizil Aghaj" preserve.

It was also indicated that no EIA had been prepared on the first well drilled last summer, as the study of the environmental impact was started only after the interference of NGOs.

SOCAR and state committee for ecology specialists didn't voice any objections to the EIA. According to the "Agip" press-service, despite the comments of NGOs, the document does meet the requirements.

GEO-TECHNICAL VESSEL TO BE UPGRADED

The upgrade of geo-technical vessel "Marcao" is expected to start in late February and complete in July. Afterwards, the vessel will be capable of taking ground samples from deep-water sections of the sea. The upgrade will be carried out by Azeri-Dutch Joint Venture "Azeri Fugro".

Till present, "Marcao" has worked on "Azeri" field, while after being modernized it will be sent to "Absheron" and "Inam" prospects.

OMNECESCO SEEKING BUYERS FOR ITS OIL

Azeri-Belgian Joint Venture Omnecesco is having hard time finding buyers for its oil produced as a result of purification of oil-stained territories. The JV, functioning for over 6 months, manufacturers heavy oil faction. 80 cubic meters of oil-stained land is treated in an hour by means of itinerant equipment. At present, Omnecesco intends to embark on talks with local oil refineries.

The JV operates in the Binagadi district of Baku. If a buyer is found, it will undertake purification of another polluted section of Baku.

OLD RIGS MAY COME IN HANDY

Although foreign companies operating in the Azeri sector of the Caspian Sea prefer to use the modern drilling rigs, the available semi-submersible rigs and jack-ups may also be useful, according to the head of SOCAR's foreign investment section Valeh Alasgarov.

He said foreign oil companies have repeatedly raised the issue of reconstruction of Shelf-type SSDRs. The Exxon-announced construction of a new drilling rig is going to seriously alter these plans. However, it is premature to withdraw the issue of reconstruction of a drilling rig from agenda, he said. On the other hand, it is not ruled out that SSDRs and jack-ups can be used in the capacity of interim offshore bases between rigs or platforms.

Azernews

AssA-Irada