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SYDNEY — Apache Energy Corp. Friday said that it has ceased production at its Stag and Legendre oil and condensate operations in offshore Western Australia because of bad weather conditions.

All non-essential staff are being evacuated from the Varanus Island gas processing plant, but production is continuing as normal, Apache said.

Staff are in the process of being evacuated from Stag and Legendre.

“A cyclone hasn’t been called, it’s a tropical low, but it’s a matter of standard operating procedure,” a spokesman for Apache said.

Spokesmen for BHP Billiton Ltd. and Woodside Petroleum Ltd. both said the companies hadn’t evacuated any staff but were monitoring the situation.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said the low pressure system may develop into a tropical cyclone Saturday as it moves to the southwest towards the Pilbara coast.  

www.rigzone.com

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration Thursday proposed raising at least $31.5 billion over 10 years from oil and gas companies, reflecting a repeal of tax breaks for domestic production and new charges on oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico.

The plans, outlined as part of a fiscal 2010 budget proposal, revive long-standing Democratic efforts to turn to the oil and gas industry as a source of funding for other priorities. Among other things, the Obama budget plan calls for about $13 billion over 10 years in new charges on oil and gas companies from the repeal of a tax deduction for domestic production. Read the rest of this entry »

BY PATRICIA A. MILLER

Richie Kohler thought he would be prepared for the moment when the Titanic first loomed in front of him, just 3 feet from the Russian Mir submersible he was cocooned in.

He wasn’t.

“When I saw it for the first time, all I could say was this is unbelievable,” the Brick Township resident said. “It took me hours to regain my composure.” Read the rest of this entry »

HOUSTON — Oceaneering International Inc.’s space systems unit has been awarded a contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to develop a new space suit for solar system exploration.

The Houston engineering company, which specializes in deep sea diving suits, and its team bid for the Constellation Space Suit System contract last December after previously winning and losing a NASA space suit contract back in August. Read the rest of this entry »

LAGOS – Nigerian militants warned on Thursday of attacks on any helicopters being used by the oil industry to transport soldiers in the Niger Delta, a day after a helicopter travelling to an oil facility was hit by gunfire. 

The Sikorsky 76 was flying between the Ogbainbiri and Tebidaba oil flow stations operated by Italian energy firm Agip when it was shot at on Wednesday, wounding one passenger. The aircraft later landed safely back at its base. 

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the main militant group in the region, did not claim direct responsibility for the attack but said in an emailed statement that it should act as a warning. Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON — Big Oil once again pushed U.S. lawmakers to open up the Outer Continental Shelf to oil and gas development, arguing Wednesday that resource estimates could be multiplied if the federal government would expand offshore drilling access.

Although a moratorium on offshore drilling expired last year in the face of political pressure fueled by high energy prices, Democratic leaders in Congress and President Barack Obama’s administration are prioritizing alternative, low-carbon energy and have indicated they’ll restore bans in many areas. Read the rest of this entry »

ABUJA  – Nigeria wants more local content in its mainstay oil and gas industry, but a lack of skills training and shambolic infrastructure mean it is struggling to provide the white-collar manpower or materials the sector needs. 

Government officials say Africa’s biggest energy industry has not provided enough domestic job growth in the five decades since oil was first pumped, as foreign firms employ expatriate executives and purchase supplies and materials from overseas. Read the rest of this entry »

Eric Watkins OGJ Oil Diplomacy Editor

LOS ANGELES — The investigation into corruption at Bolivia’s state-run oil company has taken a bizarre turn, with the Bolivian president and other government officials now claiming involvement by the US Central Intelligence Agency.

“Unfortunately there has been a CIA presence in Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos [YPFB], and some of our colleagues have been caught by this foreign infiltration,” said Morales, referring to the arrest of his friend and former YPFB president, Santos Ramirez.

Local media said Morales gave no evidence of the involvement of the CIA, but quoted him as saying he could give details and names. Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two US House members from California presented dramatically different viewpoints as the Natural Resources Committee focused on state perspectives in its second 2009 Outer Continental Shelf hearing on Feb. 24.

Democrat Sam Farr, whose district includes the Monterey Peninsula, said moratoriums should be reinstated while Congress develops a comprehensive ocean resources management strategy. Republican Dana Rohrabacher, whose district farther south includes parts of Long Beach, said domestic offshore energy resources could significantly contribute to a US economic recovery. Read the rest of this entry »