The Obama administration on Thursday unveiled new oil well control rules to prevent the kind of blowout that happened six years ago on a BP Plc rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement announced the finalized regulations, which include more stringent design requirements and operational procedures for… Continue Reading »
Commercial diving businesses should always push for better safety, but sometimes learning the truth about their safety compliance can be tough. The Association of Diving Contractors International is a key resource for companies hoping to identify problem points, as their official audits can help businesses find ways to improve. However, operators that aren’t familiar with the audit process… Continue Reading »
Israel’s High Court blocked the government’s controversial proposal to regulate the natural gas industry, in a dramatic ruling that complicates plans to develop the country’s largest field and conclude export deals. The court said late Sunday that it objected to the so-called stability clause that would have prevented major regulatory changes for 10 years, inserted… Continue Reading »
Israel’s energy minister said on Tuesday he believes recent turmoil in the country’s natural gas sector will be resolved within a couple of months, before too much damage is done. Israel’s highest court this week barred the government from giving a 10-year guarantee to energy companies interested in developing the Leviathan offshore gas field. The… Continue Reading »
Brazil on Wednesday announced measures to extend the rights of state-run oil company Petrobras to operate some of its oldest fields and resolve a long-standing impasse on how to best share oil reserves that extend across areas owned by different groups. Brazil’s energy minister, Eduardo Braga, said after the measures were announced that they could… Continue Reading »
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has published a revised version of ‘Guidance on wire rope integrity management for vessels in the offshore industry’ (IMCA SEL 022 Rev. 2/IMCA M 194 Rev. 2). This document provides guidance on the necessary elements of an integrity management system required to achieve an acceptable level of ongoing safety… Continue Reading »
Mexico is not making the investment needed to update its legal institutions to ensure successful implementation of energy reform. The nation is making efforts, but legal institution-building takes years of investment to create fair and efficient legal systems, said Steven Zamora, director of the Center for U.S. and Mexican Law at the University of Houston,… Continue Reading »
New guidance for offshore commercial diving operations carried out in Germany’s exclusive economic zone has been released by class society DNV GL after strong demand from stakeholders. Until now, diving operations contracted for offshore work in German waters only had reference to inshore diving regulations, which, although mandatory, spanned significantly different types of working conditions,… Continue Reading »
New guidance for offshore commercial diving operations carried out in Germany’s exclusive economic zone has been released by class society DNV GL after strong demand from stakeholders. Until now, diving operations contracted for offshore work in German waters only had reference to inshore diving regulations, which, although mandatory, spanned significantly different types of working conditions,… Continue Reading »
Brazil’s lack of clear rules for the unitization of oilfields is delaying the development of as many as 10 billion barrels of oil and gas and about $120 billion of investment, Jorge Camargo, head of Brazil’s oil industry association, IBP, said on Monday. Unitization, the process of joining different or competing oil rights in an… Continue Reading »
