When it comes to annual events dedicated to drilling, exploration, and environmental protection of the world’s offshore oil and gas resources, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is the most well-known and most widely attended geographically. The 44th annual edition of the conference will be held 6–9 May at Reliant Park in Houston, Texas.
Technical Program and Special Events
The program offers the opportunity to gain key insights by leading experts on emerging technology, project updates, best practices, safety and environmental issues, and the changing regulatory environment.
The technical program highlights new applications in subsalt geosciences, safety and environmental management systems, unconventional subsea exploration and mining, deepwater high-pressure/high-temperature well construction, fiber optics, marine geohazards, and pore-pressure prediction. Presentations cover subjects such as continuing advancements in flow assurances, floating liquefied natural gas (LNG), submarine slope stability, next-generation vessels, deepwater metallic risers, ocean mining, composite piping systems, remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles, and subsea processing technology. The schedule also features sessions that highlight new developments in local power generation for offshore facilities, and geotechnical engineering for renewable energy.
Special events include the Annual OTC Dinner, the OTC University R&D Showcase, topical breakfasts and luncheons, an ethics breakfast, industry breakfasts, The Next Wave daylong program for young professionals, and Energy Education Institute sessions for teachers and high school students.
Ethical questions are encountered daily by offshore companies and their employees, and they can be challenging in certain environments. An ethics breakfast on Monday, “Ethics in the Dynamic Offshore Industry,” will be given by Barbara Thompson, senior vice president at Aker Solutions, and Dan Tearpock, chief executive of Subsurface Consultants and Associates.
Awards and Annual OTC Dinner
The 2013 Distinguished Achievement Awards will be presented on 5 May at the Annual OTC Dinner at Reliant Stadium. Ken Arnold, senior technical advisor at Worley Parsons, will receive the award for individual achievement, and Total Exploration and Production will receive the corporate achievement award. The Heritage Award will be presented to E. Dendy Sloan Jr., professor emeritus, Colorado School of Mines, and James Brill, professor emeritus, University of Tulsa.
The dinner provides an opportunity for industry leaders to network with international colleagues, and raises funds for the Offshore Energy Center in Galveston, Texas. The mission of the center is to increase awareness about the oceans’ oil and gas resources; document the technological accomplishment of their safe and environmentally responsible discovery, production, and delivery; and delineate the industry’s heritage. The center works through its Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig Museum and Education Center, the Offshore Pioneers Hall of Fame, and its educational program for students, teachers, and the public.
The University R&D Showcase allows universities to share their current and planned offshore technology research and development projects. Each participating university will showcase its projects on one day of the conference. Participating universities will also receive four complimentary access passes for the day of their showcase.
The Spotlight on New Technology Award program is exclusively for OTC exhibitors and showcases the latest and most advanced technologies. Winners are selected from among all exhibiting companies, including divisions and subdivisions.
Panel Sessions
Nine panel sessions will take place during the conference. The Monday morning panel is “Agile Project Management,” moderated by Dick Westney, founder and director of Westney Consulting Group. The panel will discuss how operators and contractors adapting to the volatile environments of today’s offshore projects can adopt approaches that allow them to quickly react to changing circumstances and economic drivers during project definition and execution. The panel will feature operator and contractor organizations that successfully implemented such agile project-management strategies. Panelists are Stuart Wheaton, group development and operations manager, Tullow Oil; Sandeep Khurana, manager of development, major projects group, Noble Energy; and Erik Namtvedt, president of FloaTEC.
Invited organization DeepStar, an operator-funded global research and development group, will provide perspective about its current program in another Monday panel. The organization’s mission is to facilitate a cooperative, globally aligned effort to identify and develop economically viable deepwater methods to drill, produce, and transport oil and gas. Panelists are Kevin Kennelly, vice president of engineering and technology, Global Projects Organization, BP; Stephen Thurston, vice president of deepwater exploration and projects, Chevron; Ram Shenoy, chief technology officer, ConocoPhillips; Alain Goulois, vice president of research and development, Total E&P; John Gremp, chairman and chief executive, FMC Technologies; and Occo Roelofsen, director of global oil and gas practice, McKinsey and Company. The moderator is Greg Kusinski of Chevron.
A Monday afternoon panel, “State and Federal Coordination on Offshore Regulation Policy,” chaired by Gamal Hassan of ADH International Group, and moderated by David Holt, president of Consumer Energy Alliance, will discuss the appropriate role of US coastal states and the US federal government in making decisions about US offshore development.
A Tuesday morning panel, “Global Energy Outlook: Shaping the Future,” will be chaired by Gamal Hassan of ADH International Group.
A Tuesday afternoon panel, “Active Arena—China: Energy, Technology, and Industry,” will be cochaired by Joseph M. Reilly of ExxonMobil and Doreen Chin of Shell International E&P. The session will present the perspectives of several major Chinese corporations. Topics involve China’s domestic demand and energy source transition, its role as a global explorer and producer and as a major global service and technology supplier. Panelists are Xu Erwen, Chinese consul general in Houston; Dwayne Breaux, president and chief executive, Wison Offshore and Marine USA, and executive vice president, Wison Offshore and Marine; Yan Cunzhang, president, PetroChina CCAD; Yang Yun, executive president, China Offshore Oil Engineering; Wu Qiang, vice president, CSSC; and Muthu Chezhian, chief technical officer, Rongsheng Offshore and Marine.
A Wednesday morning panel, “Megaprojects: Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges,” is moderated by Bob Fryklund, vice president of IHS. Multiple operators in megaresource areas result in simultaneous development and massive competition for resources, typically in areas where little infrastructure previously existed. Such large projects create regional economic zones and manpower and materials challenges, and discussion will consider these issues as they relate to operators, host governments, and service companies. Panelists are Clive Vaughn, chief executive for upstream, Foster Wheeler; Liam Mallon, vice president for Africa, ExxonMobil; Rob Kretzers, executive vice president of projects, Shell; Luc Mesier, senior vice president, ConocoPhillips; and Carlos Tadeu da Fraga, executive director, Petrobras.
A panel on Wednesday afternoon, “Integrating Stakeholder Interests in the Global Offshore Industry,” is chaired by Buford Pollett of McDermott Middle East. The panel comprises multinational industry experts and government officials, discussing the opportunities, challenges, and wayfinding for the offshore industry. Panelists are George Nowack, German sector project manager, Nord Stream; Giambattista De Ghetto, senior vice president, safety, environment, and quality, Eni Algeria Production; Francisco Vacas, health, safety, environmental, and quality manager, Eni US Operating; Charlie Williams, executive director, Center for Offshore Safety; Erik Milito, director, American Petroleum Institute; and Douglas Morris, chief of offshore regulatory programs, US Department of the Interior.
A panel Thursday morning, “Value Creation Through Global Technology,” will be chaired by Charles Knobloch of Arnold and Knobloch. It will focus on the changing role of technology development, and the panel will explain what, how, and why global technology migration adds value to the industry. Panelists are Bob Peterson, vice president, CRA Marakon; Mike Bahorich, executive vice president, Apache; Satish Pai, chief technical officer, Shell; Mark Little, vice president, GE; and Gary Rich, vice president of global sales, Baker Hughes.
A Thursday afternoon panel, “Offshore Heavy Lifting Operations: Above and Below the Waterline,” will be co-chaired by Han Tiebout of GustoMSC and Marcus Krekel of Exmar, and moderated by Denby Morrison of Shell. Panelists are Anne Marit Hansen, Statoil; David Ballands, London Offshore Consultants; Graham Mapes, Jumbo Shipping; Joop Roodenburg, Huisman Equipment; Keith Smith, Shell; and Wim van der Velde, Seaway Heavy Lifting.
Topical Breakfasts
There will be eight topical breakfasts during the conference. The following is a list of current speakers and topics:
Monday:
- “Unlocking the Future: BP’s Global Upstream,” Lamar McKay, chairman and president, BP America
- “Energy Challenges and Opportunities in Vietnam and Beyond,” Do Van Hau, president and chief executive, Petrovietnam
Tuesday:
- “Indonesia: Offshore Economic Development”
- “Pluto Greenfield LNG Development: From Exploration Well to LNG Production in 7 Years,” Richard Van Lent, vice president of Pluto, Woodside Energy; and Neil Kavanagh, chief science and technology manager, Woodside Energy
Wednesday:
- “An Improved Risk and Safety Assessment Process,” William Cowardin, assistant vice president, Alion Offshore
- “Mexico: Challenges and Opportunity,” Carlos Morales-Gil, Pemex general director
- “Exciting Mozambique Gas Development Activities,” Cory Weinbel, project manager of Mozambique Facilities, Anadarko
Industry Breakfasts
Organized by the conference and the US Department of Commerce, three industry breakfasts will provide expert views on the business of emerging oil and gas markets. They offer insight about the country’s policy and opportunities for petroleum trade and investment.
Tuesday’s breakfast covers Mozambique, Wednesday’s the United Arab Emirates, and Thursday’s Myanmar.
Topical Luncheons
There are 10 topical luncheons at the conference. The following is a list of speakers and topics:
- “West Africa Development,” Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources
- “Malaysia: The Role of National Oil Companies in the Energy Sector,” Tan Sri Dato’ Shamsul Azhar Abbas, president and chief executive, Petronas Group
- “Development of Next Generation Shipyards: Considerations Towards the Demands of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry,” Weng Sun Wong, president and chief executive, Sembcorp Marine
- “Status and Future Plans of Oman’s Energy Industry,” Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhy, Oman’s Minister of Oil and Gas
- “Safely Pushing the Deepwater Envelope to Create Value,” Gerald Schotman, executive vice president, innovation, research and development, and chief technical officer, Royal Dutch Shell
- “Pre-Salt Brazil Update”
- “Leveraging Our Learnings to Enhance Our Future,” Mike Ustler, president, BP Gulf Coast Restoration Organization
- “Business Innovation: A New Voyage for Independents,” Susan Cunningham, senior vice president, exploration and business innovation, Noble Energy
- “Angola Energy Sector: Plans and Investment,” Jose Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos, Minister of Petroleum, Angola
- “Safety and Environmental Management Systems Policy,” James Watson, director, US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
The Next Wave: Young Professionals Event
On Monday, The Next Wave program will focus on how unconventional and renewable resources are expected to contribute to the energy mix, and the potential impact on conventional energy markets. The keynote speaker is Helge Haldorsen, vice president of strategy, Statoil. Panelists are Scott Tinker, director, Bureau of Economic Geology, and state geologist of Texas; Stephanie Cox, vice president of human resources, Schlumberger; Susan Farrell, managing director, upstream practice, PFC Energy; Amy Jaffe, executive director of energy and sustainability, University of California at Davis; and Darryl Willis, vice president of subsurface, BP.
Teachers’ Workshop and Student Events
Around 100 Houston-area classroom teachers of grades 4–12 will attend a free, daylong energy education workshop on Thursday. The educators will receive comprehensive, objective information about the scientific concepts of energy and its importance, and learn about oil and gas exploration and production.
About 200 high school students will learn about the opportunities offered by the oil and gas industry during a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) event on Thursday.
For more information about the conference, visit www.otcnet.org/.