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New technologies have been developed in response to the challenge of operating in the deepwater and ultra-deepwater sector. The search for deepwater hydrocarbons requires state-of-the-art drilling and seismic technologies which are challenging the hostile deepwater conditions. The upsurge of interest in deepwater exploration hacaused increasing demand for rigs able to operate in depths greater than 500 mt, with the numbers rising from 67 in 1995 to 82 in 1997.

Subsea technology is essential for the future of the global gas and oil industry and has enabled operators to access previously unreachable reserves in deepwater regions of the world, such as the Atlantic Margin. Norland Consultants forecasts that spending on subsea equipment will reach $8.2 million-plus in 1998 and rise to $8.4 billion in 1999. It is widely acknowledged that future systems must be simpler and more flexible, with increased functionality.

The Expro Group has developed an ultrasonic processor which causes less damage to the seabed and local sea-life. The processor is also quicker than the conventional method of grinding. The processor has been tested by Agip (UK) and the subsea template does not become clogged with cutting debris. This reduces the overall costs as there is no clean-up required afterwards. ABB Vetco Gray modified a GLL tree so it could be used at record depths in Offshore Brazil. AEA Sonamatic developed Non-Destructive Testing which uses ultrasound to inspect subsea pipelines.

The offshore industry's drive to improve mooring and riser technology is driven by the need to operate in increasing water depths while controlling costs. Traditional steel wire/chain mooring systems are being replaced by synthetic fibre materials such as high modular polyesters and aramids. New developments in mooring technology are further discussed.

The offshore oil industry's floating production sector has seen rapid growth during the 1990s and is continuing to expand with the industry's move into deepwater and ultra-deepwater. Analyst Norland Consultants expects a total of 109 floating production units between 1999 and 2002, but this conservative estimate could be revised upwards if Brazil privatizes its offshore sector and West Africa continues to develop.

Drill-cuttings have long been a problem for the offshore oil industry and they have the potential to cause great environmental harm, but some companies are solving the problems with new ultrasonic technology. One example is from Scotland's Ecotec, a subsidiary of the Expro Group, which has designed an ultrasonic processor which reduces the drill cuttings to a disposable sonicated slurry. The equipment is so successful that it has become the preferred method for drill cuttings slurrification on Expro Group's Varg field.

Scotland's Weir Pumps Ltd. has developed a downhole pump for the offshore oil industry. The turbine-driven downhole multiphase pump provides an efficient alternative to electric-motor-driven submersible pumps, which are susceptible to electrical problems from fluids in the wellbore. Texaco has installed the equipment in its Captain field.

Kongsberg FMC's Guidelineless Hinged-Over Subsea Template (GLL HOST) is designed to address some problems associated with oil and gas production in deeper waters. The modularized subsea field development system will be tested in the Girassol field development project offshore Angola, due to come onstream by end-2000. The Norwegian company hopes that its new equipment, designed to cut installation costs, will become a universal system for all water depths and applications.

Norway's offshore specialists are among the world's most innovative contractors and are currently focusing their R&D efforts on emerging deepwater provinces. Subsea pioneer ABB Offshore Systems has launched its '30@3000' initiative, aiming to have subsea technology in place for installing at depths of 3,000 mt by Aug 2001. Among the key areas it is developing are production risers, subsea processing and module replacement.

Offshore oil operators are increasingly considering the use of multiphase technology for their new field developments. A recent example of the use of turbine-driven multiphase pumps and multiflow meters is on BP's Eastern Trough Area Project in the UK Continental Shelf. The installation has been designed to move fluid without the need for a production platform. The equipment, designed in conjunction with Framo Engineering AS, reduces and controls water coning and increases recoverable reserves.

The trend in the offshore oil industry is to invest in new technology that enables deep water fields to become viable. Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) are leading the field in offshore technology and most manufacturers can supply vehicles rated to 3,000 mt. ROV makers agree that designing new models is a case of ensuring that the electronics are safely protected and that the vehicle has adequate buoyancy, cameras and lights. Among ROV manufacturers launching new units are Slingsby Engineering, Racal TTI and Hydrovision.

International oil companies are working together to explore for oil in the Caspian Sea. The sea is only about six meters deep in places and a special drilling barge has had to be developed to cope with pack ice in winter. A normal barge would be crushed. Flat bottomed ice breakers will be needed to reach the platform. Water and drilling muds produced from drilling will have to be disposed of carefully so the caviar industry in the area is not adversely affected. The project is behind schedule and it is unlikely to be ready by Oct as planned.

The Aberdeen Offshore Technology Park's Well Intervention Centre has been opened in Scotland. The first project to be undertaken by the 2.5 million pounds sterling facility is jointly sponsored by Amerada Hess, Agip, Grampian Enterprise, Shell Expro and BP. The project will investigate the design, manufacture and test of three archetype tractors for use in 5.5 inch and 4.5 inch diameter tubing. It is expected that work carried out by the centre will open up marginal fields and make them commercially viable.

Technip Geoproduction took 10 years to develop its TPG 500 platform designed to make marginal offshore fields viable. The platform is being used by BP to develop the Harding field. The company's new project is the development of the TPG 3300, designed to operate in a water depth of 3,300 ft. The deep draft semi-submersible platform has two options: three columns and a 10,000 t deck and four columns with a 25,000 t deck. Potential customers include a consortium of BP, Statoil and Elf, which could use the platform offshore West Africa.

Vertical wall seismic surveys can be improved by using the drillbit to collate data throughout the drilling test. The operator receives the sound via a cable on the seabed and the data is carried ashore where it can be interpreted immediately. This technology was used by Hydro on its 35/4-1 well on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and proved to be useful in predicting where the start of the reservoir was to be found and also about problems such as the build-up of pressure.

Nouvelles Applications Technologiques has licensed a unit which performs the separations of oil, gas and water required in oil and gas processing and which is much smaller and lighter than conventional units. The gas is first separated from the liquids in a cylindrical unit then when the oil and water have drained to the bottom of the cylinder these are separated by coalescence. The unit is only one third of the weight of conventional units and takes up less space so savings can be made in materials used in the vessel wall and in the supporting structure.