Member Info for adoubleuk

That tweet 'paradise' sent the link to shows the same OGA page I looked at this morning. With 'approved' now showing where at 09:00 it read 'Desicion'. I wonder if the OGA look at this BB? :-)

luckyman,

" Wick, Colter paperwork signed off."

Not entirely. I looked at the OGA / DECC sit this morning. For Wick, the permit has been approved to move the rig in, though the actual drilling permit and also for the seismic log which will be run adter drilling are marked 'decision'. I've personally no doubt approval will be granted asap, but I don't see the rig being mobilised befor everything has the green light.

For Colter, there is acknowledgement that applications for permits have been submitted, but nothing more than that.

This situation causes me no personal worries, because this is government paperwork stuff, never noted for being high speed! Seen it before.

But let's remain factual.

JayKay,

"Also, each of the 2 flowlines are capable of 20K bo/d, therefore it's possible to switch both wells to a single flow line and maintain 20K bo/d production while undertaking pigging runs, if they end up being required..."

That's a very bold statement, which gave me cause to wonder if you're correct. But I suspect you are, simply because it makes good oilfield engineering sense. Built-in redundancy. Having to shut down production, (even partially) just to perform a pig-run (estimated every six weeks or so) wouldn't make any sense at all.

Wellwell,

"You hope."

That was addressed to Biffa, I think, but it also applies to me. And anyway, RB seems to have the Charity side of things taken care of, so that's one less worry for the rest of us. Except regarding the FoiL sweepstake, of course!

Wellwell,

" How about when then EPS is at 6 years and there is a decline on the two EPS wells....I guess you'll just say that's not your concern because you'll have sold out by then?"

Correct. It'll be a miracle if I'm even alive then, and if I am, I, too, will be in serious decline!

Wellwell,

"There are plenty of recent examples of wax in the NS causing issues (Erskine being just one)."

True. But Erskine isn't Lancaster. No comparisons can be drawn. Erskine is HPHT and produces gas and condensate, not oil. And the wax problem occured in the 18.6 km export pipeline to Lomond from the (unmanned) Erskine platform. Exel's ill-advised Bentley field can't be used as an example, neither. Heavy crude.

DH,

"I bet Allonscale are not impressed with the EPS project and the last 12 months work in Dubai - they're going to have to modify the thing now!"

I thought just the same thing! Mind you, that new greenwater protection over the bow really looks the bee's knees! Heck of a 'custom job'. All that's lacking is the go-faster stripes...

tinlode,

"Balder will be retired at end of year and loaded onto heavy lift barge for recycling in Hong Kong."

Oh Lord. More news to make me feel old.

One of her more recent jobs was the dismantling of Murchison, which I worked on from startup in 1981. Reading about that was sobering stuff. But back then when it was being built, the Balder was also involved, virtually new, and the world's biggest crane barge.

And now I learn the Balder's also being scrapped (I consider 'recycled' to be just a euphemism). It'll be my turn soon...

JayKay,

"I didn't overlook it, see my post of 22:27, I made the exacts same point ;o)"

Sorry, missed that! Or rather, I didn't, but you write in a concise way, leaving people to figure it out. Whereas I tend to go into detail, rambling on and on so even the thickest might understand it, and (cont. page 94)

Chris,

"did anyone from the group here add today?"

Not me, but if it can stay at this level for a couple more days will do so as I've got some 'windfall' cash arriving!

Ricfle,

"Apparently the heavy rain has not affected West Brentwood as the road was "high graded". You do not need to be a god to "high grade" the road to Monroe Swell."

No, but it takes money, time, and good weather conditions, which the Monroe Swell area obviously isn't experiencing right now. So it's good to know that there was a 'plan B' and that the rig will be mobilised to W. Brentwood instead. With (as an upside) that may yield a quicker cash return, anyway.

By the way, do you know what the term 'high grade' road means in desert parts of California, and come to that what is meant by a 'graded road' in such places, particularly when it's just made to go to a rigsite? I do. Even though I'm not American, and have never visited California.

You might like to listen to this ('the saddest song ever written') just to get up to speed. 'High grade' is mentioned, if you pay close attention. It doesn't mean the M25.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5RDTK5jZxM

By pure coincidence, I was in the audience attending the concert where the album was recorded. Oxford Polytechnic, 1976. The Island Mobile outside, getting it on tape. A heady evening: memorable.

Wellwell,

"Its time people shone a light on themselves instead of looking CONSTANTLY for negative debate because it doesn't suit their 'short term' agenda."

Yes. And hope you took a 'selfie' while writing that.

One thing appears to have been overlooked in this topic which you've seen fit to unearth yet again. That being that the wells (or at least 7z) will produce under natural flowing conditions without 'help' from an ESP at 6000 bbl / day or so. That in itself is a very respectable oilwell. I haven't done the sums (and have no intention of doing so right now, being dog-tired and with 450 more road-miles chalked up today), but with those natural flowrates, and even if all the ESP's failed for some bad luck reason, the EPS would still be running at profit.

And given the well placements relative to the underlying aquifer providing the 'drive', and the overall field volume, it strikes me as unlikely that such natural flowrates or reservoir pressures would significantly decrease for a number of years. And by then there should be easily enough money in the piggybank to get in a rig to do workover and change out the ESP's. A relatively quick job if this summers recompletions are anything to go by.

Other than SotB's explanation, I see no reason why the ESP's are again being mentioned. And anyway, they're happily down the wells (have been for months), ready to be plugged in and go to work. Nothing changes that.

The only totally 'critical' engineering milestone now is buoy hookup, which will have been planned to the last detail and should go OK. Unless some Pterodactyl-sized black swan turns up. Despite lots of oilfield technologies being rather space-age, hooking the buoy isn't comparable with docking a Soyuz to the ISS.

Wellwell,

"I’ve been doing some research into the reliability of these critical components having heard some horror stories in relation to their longevity and reliability...

" I expect minimal risk from this in HUR’s wells due to the geology."

So why bring the subject up?

PS Well done, SotB! Admirably expressed. Agree 100%

Wulbert,

I suspect you'll have to buy a second copy! I haven't had much sleep during the last week, and that book hasn't helped! As it continues, one realises how much 'new' one learns about a really remarkable military operation now that the details are no longer 'secret'.

I don't want to spoil it for you, but it was amazing to discover that a number of the 'losses' were directly caused by inaccurate weather-conditions information. Let's hope that doesn't occur regarding our FPSO hookup! But weather information is a bit more sophisticated these days.

" WW2 seemed a dim & distant past to us kids, but had only actually ended about 27 odd years earlier. Equivalent timescale now would by like me remembering the fall of the Berlin wall (1989) or first Gulf War (1991). Doesn't seem that long ago to me, now in my mid 50's."

I remember the first Gulf War very well, because at the time I was working offshore Dubai in the Persian Gulf ! I could tell lots of stories about those interesting times, but someone here has claimed that the entire BB 'isn't interested in various facets of my life', so I guess I won't.

Except O/T at the weekend, just in case anyone actually is interested in some Gulf War oilfield stories... Like how way south offshore Dubai the rig's pristine white derrick was turned black due to soot from the burning oilwells in Kuwait being precipipitated with the early morning dew...

Wellwell,

""We're not interested in various facets of your life "

Oh yeah, just before going to bed (I do that, sometimes, though that's a facet of my personal life of no interest to anyone).

Whence the royal 'we'? Or should everyone contributing to this BB now defer to you as the Sheriff?

Wellwell,

Sometimes you make me laugh.

"We're not interested in various facets of your life yet still we have to endure them"

Understood. But mention of a book I was reading sparked some lively O/T abour WWII aircraft.

By the way, my truckrace knee-s up was great, so was the poker!

"; at least this topic is pertinent."

To what? That ships actually move when at sea?

" It's just that you don't appreciate its nuances and that's why you don't want to discuss them."

See above. I might have 'shipwatched', but there's not much to watch now except the AM until the rig comes in next year. I'm not interested in the AM's yaw, heave, roll, or what the captain had for breakfast.

"Maybe when someone posts that the weather forecast is <2m waves and the AM delays hook up you can explain why the vessels response is not important."

I'm not depending on seeing someone posting a weather forecast on this BB to determine whether the AM hooks up or not. In fact, I don't look at weather forecasts for WoS at all. In fact I love the way you wrote that phrase. Using the word 'delays', after 'someone here' reckons the weather looks good!

Keep up the positivism / activism, Eeyore.

I'm not

Lady Sonia,

"So do HUR start paying Bluewater a day rate for AM only once hooked up to the buoy - or is the meter already running?"

From my understanding, everything up to and including latch-up and ensuring full connection integrity is on Bluewater's tab. And don't ask me to quote my sources.

I would suspect that commissioning is also on their tab as well, because it's their equipment, so why should the client (Hurricane) start paying for it until it's certain it's working right? However, I'm unsure of this, so don't take my word for it.

And from then on (ie FoiL), I don't believe the boat is on a 'dayrate' as such. It's not a drilling rig.

Wellwell,

"AK you scribe here your thoughts with prolixity on topics that most readers are not remotely interested in, and yet the second two people make aligned comments about vessel response amplitude"

And do you think the average PI wanting to take a punt on a pocketful of HUR shares is 'remotely' interested in vessel response amplitude?

I don't.

Sotb,

"ADUK:::: Hurry up and wait...... Is that the same as maybe definite."

Possibly certain of it.

Wellwell,

"These "visually observed" conditions you speak of, are they gut feelings the captain will act upon or perhaps his instruments showing pitch heave yaw roll sway and surge along with the weather forecast?"

All of the above, silly. Also listening to advice from others visually observing those instruments (they don't do it blindfold, you know), and maybe from town.

Who cares, anyway? They'll do it, despite you telling us all how risky it is, the downsides, and that a meteor might strike the Lancaster field halfaw throught the buoy-winching operation.

Eeyore.