Editor's Letter

Oil Pipeline in Israel Suggests a Twist to Georgian, Russian Tiff

Pat Davis Szymczak

I consider myself to be well informed. Yet in August when a British friend greeted me over the phone with the words, “we’re at war” I was a bit perplexed. Georgian troops had attacked South Ossetia and...

OPEC General Secretary, Russian President Hold First-Ever Kremlin Meeting

OPEC’s General Secretary, Abdalla El-Badri met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow Wednesday. In speaking with Oil&Gas Eurasia at a conference preceding his meeting with the Russian president, El-Badri said his Kremlin visit was a first-ever official meeting between an OPEC General Secretary and a Russian President.

Vadim Shumkov’s Tyumen Leverages Oil&Gas Riches to Strengthen Economy

Tyumen region – “It’s not just about oil and gas.” So says the literature that the region’s Department for Investment Policy and State Support of Entrepreneurship hands out to investors in English and in Russian languages.

Kompressorny Complex’s Superchargers Transport Gas from Zapolyarnoe Field

The Kompressorny Komplex engineering company shipped a batch of seven Class 398 superchargers to Prutazovsky compressor station – the main station, which receives gas directly from Zapolyarny oil field.

Cover Story: Bentec to Unveil Tyumen Rig Plant

The men at the helm of the German engineering firm and rig fabricator, Bentec, were waiting patiently in early September for the arrival in Tyumen of the last of the overhead cranes needed to complete fit-out of the company’s West Siberian manufacturing plant.

View from the SPE RO&G’08 Executive Committee

As First Prorector at Moscow’s Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, Viktor Martynov is at the nexus of Russian oil and gas R&D, as well as the training of future generations of Russian oilfield specialists.

Ukraine Reverses Odessa-Brody Pipeline Flow

The Ukranian politics are reflected in economy just as much as the president gets along with the prime-minister and the other way round. Reciprocal curtsies of the sworn friends accompany every serious business transaction.

TNK-BP Offers a New Dimension on 3-D Seismic

“In Orenburg, at another mature field we decided to go straight ahead with 3D and shot around 1,500 sq. kilometers. We paid just under $5 million for the license at auction. We shot 3D – that’s probably another $15 million to $20 million. But we have probably proven a further $150 million of value in field extensions, which are now being drilled,” says Chris Einchcomb, TNK-BP Vice President for Exploration.

ARMEX’ Technologies Ensure Operating Safety in Oil and Gas Industry

ARMEX blasting is often described as a “non-destructive method of paint stripping and cleaning.” While the process can be applied to most surfaces, this article discusses ARMEX blasting as it relates to steel surfaces.

TMK’s Premium Thread Connections Play Safe with the Environment

Russian pipe producer TMK has introduced to the domestic market a new line of extra tight, premium thread connections that prevent leakage of oil and gas tubulars.

The Comfort of Home in Any Weather

Techmach Group is well known for producing pre-fabricated housing, mobile buildings and buildings. The company is also involved in the design, fabrication and installation of site camps.

KUNGUR Showcases Rigs, Motors to Siberian Audience

Group of KUNGUR Companies made a presentation of newly developed mobile MBU-180/250 Drill Rigs and downhole hydraulic motors to the oilmen of Siberia.

Microfiltration for Macroproduction

The term “microfiltration” is referred to a group of fluid and gas cleaning procedures intended for quite a wide range of particles (0.1 micron to 100 microns and over).

Nitrogen Plants and Retardation Systems: Development and Application Experience

Currently, the issue of ensuring fire and explosion safety at oil  and  gas, chemical and petrochemical facilities, as well as at other industrial enterprises has become increasingly topical due to more frequent emergency situations.

Russian Think Tank Chief Weighs Competition and Turmoil

The Fund for National Energy Security (FNES) was created by Konstantin Simonov two years ago.  Its creation logically followed the work of the Center for Political Conjuncture of Russia (CPCR), of which Mr. Simonov is also the president.

Oil Pipeline in Israel Suggests a Twist to Georgian, Russian Tiff

I consider myself to be well informed. Yet in August when a British friend greeted me over the phone with the words, “we’re at war” I was a bit perplexed. Georgian troops had attacked South Ossetia and sacked the capital, Tskhinval. In response, Russian troops moved in. Why? No one seemed to know.

Pat Davis Szymczak

RTS bets on $50 per barrel oil

Equity traders on the RTS (Russian Trading System) seem to be betting that crude oil will fall as low as $50 per barrel, according to an analysis offered this week by Chris Weafer, Chief Strategist at Uralsib Bank.

Spotlight Technology Trends at Russian Oil and Gas

Russia’s leading technical forum for the global oil and gas industry will highlight advances in technology impacting the entire international upstream sector.

Have Russian Markets Bottomed Out?

Year to date the RTS is off 63%; MSCI GEM is down 50%, and the MSCI is down 40%. (close at Oct 9th)
Prime Minister Putin says that Russia will put 175 bln (approx $6.7 bln) rubles into the equity market next week. That is approximately 5% of the current free float of the total market.