ABS Energy News March 2007



	ABS to Class First FSO Newbuild in Vietnam Vinashin and PetroVietnam have signed a contract for the newbuilding of a 150,000 dwt floating storage and offloading vessel (the first FSO to be built in Vietnam) and awarded the classification contract to ABS. ABS has an office in Ho Chi Minh City. Contact ABS at ABSHoChiMinh@eagle.org
	Technical Innovation Unlocks the World’s Subsea Energy Vaults Speaking at the leading Asian oil and gas industry conference, OSEA, in Singapore, ABS Europe President William J. Sember provided a class society perspective on exploration and production saying technical innovation pushes engineers and regulators to keep pace with industry. View presentation slides.
	Aging Rigs Benefit from AIM While more than 60 rigs will be rolled out to the market over the next four years, this number may not be enough to meet the projected demand for jackups unless serious measures are taken to prolong the life of aging rigs through an asset integrity management (AIM) program. Read more.
	Richardson Appointed Vice President Energy Development ABS has named Ken Richardson to the position of Vice President Energy Development. Read more.
	Expansion of the ABS Project Management Approach ABS forms new Project Development Group as it expands this successful program. Read more.
	Meet OED Manager Joe Rousseau ABS has named Joe Rousseau Manager for the ABS Americas Offshore Engineering Department (OED) in Houston. The department has increased its staff 25 percent in response to the busy offshore market. Rousseau will be speaking at the upcoming Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) Texas section luncheon on Tuesday, March 13, on the topic "Regulatory Issues for Drilling in Severe Environments: Canada's East Coast and Northern Frontier". *Visit the SNAME website for details and registration.*
	Local Hiring Boosts ABS Presence in Angola ABS is actively supporting exploration efforts in Angola with 15 drilling units, two drillships, six jackups, seven semisubmersibles, five FPSOs and one FSO to its classification and a proactive program of hiring and training Angolans. *Read more.*


	ABS Classing 2 More BG LNG Carriers UK-based BG Group has awarded ABS classification for two newbuild liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. The new BGMax ships will be 170,000 cbm and are to be delivered in 2010. *Read more.*
	Latest Qatar QMax LNGs Awarded to ABS ABS has been awarded class for five QMax liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels from the Qatar Gas Transport Company (Nakilat). *Read more.*
	Ship Design and Operational Challenges for Arctic Environments Recently presented at Gastech conference, ABS offers guidance for LNG carriers operating in Arctic environments. Read full paper *Winterization Guidelines for LNG Carriers in Arctic Environments*


	Workshop Leader at LNG San Antonio 2007 “The Latest Dynamics in Shipping and Terminal Development” is a pre-conference interactive workshop led by ABS during LNG 2007 San Antonio, March 7-9. The workshop outlines technical developments and includes not only a class society perspective but also comments from ConocoPhillips, Wartsila and Gastransport & Technigaz S.A. *Register for workshop and view full conference details.*
	Technical Program Sponsor for Offshore West Africa ABS is the technical program sponsor for this year’s Offshore West Africa conference in Abuja, Nigeria, March 20-22. *View full conference details.*
	Europe’s Deepwater Development Conference MCE Deepwater Development Conference in London, March 27-29, is recognized as the leading European conference addressing technical issues related to engineering, development, and production of oil and gas in deep and ultra deepwater arenas around the world. ABS is a sponsor and will be exhibiting. Visit ABS at booth #53. View full conference details.
	Richardson Speaks at Second Annual China Offshore Summit ABS Vice President Energy Development Ken Richardson provides a class society overview of deepwater exploration and production worldwide and regionally at the Second Annual China Offshore Summit in Beijing, April 2-3. *Read more.*
	OTC on the Horizon ABS exhibits and presents technical papers at the annual Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, TX, USA, April 30 to May 3. Visit ABS at booth #2816. View full technical program details. Plan to attend the ABS technical paper presentations. *View schedule.*


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