TOTAL PREPARES FOR OIL EXPLORATION

Total preparing for Sudan exploration operations
Date: 14/07/2008

Total revealed yesterday that it is preparing to commence a new exploration
effort in southern Sudan almost 30 years since it concluded the licensing
agreement.

Jean Francois Lassalle, vice president at Total for public affairs, said the
company is in the initial stages of exploration, which was halted more than
20 years ago by the Sudanese civil war. He said prospective acreage has been
identified in the area near Bor, capital of Jonglei, and that participants
have been determined for a new consortium for the exploration and production
effort.

Lassalle said Total is still waiting for drilling equipment to arrive at its
base camp in Juba, but that the anticipation is that exploratory drilling
will commence before yearend. "We're going to hunt for elephants in Sudan,
not for mosquitoes," he said.

MUTTON MASALA

Mathur (orange coverall) is an Indian food specialist. On the 11 July 08, he prepares for us mutton masala. Everybody eats more than one plate of rice!!! I heard that he owns a restaurant in India and used to be chief cook for one of India oil company. Thank you very much for your kindness.

UNSUCCESSFUL DAY

Tuan Daing and his little "kerapu". He says the tug positions affect his catches on 11 July, 08. Due to changing in wind and sea current, the tug and barges move to several locations. I can buy his reasoning!!!

THE HEAT IS ON

High concentration!!!! The heat is on...47 C!!!

TOUR PROGRAM AT RED SEA

As usual, this is part of the weekend tour program at the floating hotel.

CATCH OF THE DAY

First catch of the day, 11 July 2008.

THE ARABIAN KINGS

The capati is ready and we had a group photos before proceed with the dinner. It is indeed a wonderful weekend at the floating hotel. We talk about past experiences, cooking, traveling, fishing and many more.

OIL PRICE

Despite rocketing prices, outlook is bleak for oil majors
Date: 07/07/2008

Despite record crude prices, the major oil companies are struggling to
access resources that are being jealously guarded by national companies with
whom they are forced to establish partnerships.As paradoxical as it may seem, high oil prices do not mean a golden age for the likes of ExxonMobil, Chevron, Total or BP. Of course, with a barrel of oil at more than 140 dollars, they are seeing major profits, but the future has never seemed so uncertain.The problem is access to reserves. The oil majors now control less than 10 percent of world resources of gas and oil, against 70 percent in the 1970s, according to figures released by the office of Ernst and Young at the World Petroleum Congress in Madrid. As a result they are being forced to explore in increasingly extreme conditions."Oil in deep water or in regions that are difficult to access (such the Arctic) are what are left for international companies," said Christophe de Margerie, the head of French group Total. The majors are also competing with the national oil companies, which are not content to just enjoy direct access to the resources of their respective countries but are making inroads elsewhere. "National hydrocarbon companies are no longer confined to within their borders," OPEC president Chekib Khelil said, citing the examples of China's Sinoc and CNPC, Malaysia's Petronas or Algeria's Sonatrach. "A lot of international companies were previously national companies, such as BP and Total," said Khelil. "It's more and more difficult now to know which are national companies and which are majors because the majority of the nationals are becoming internationals," said Linda Cook, head of gas and electricity at Anglo-Dutch Shell. Even their superior technology is not enough, as national oil companies can can appeal to service firms such as Schlumberger or Technip. Of course, some like Saudi Aramco, have no problems in that respect. The Saudi company is developing "nanorobots" with a diameter of less than the size of a human hair to look for deep resources in rocks. But the majors still hold some aces, such as their expertise in more
ambitious projects or their financial bases. "The increasingly massive size of oil and gas projects and their complexity ensure that oil companies continue to play a key role," as they have the
advantage over service industries of being the sole representative throughout the project, Ernst and Young said. "In most of the cases, we (Shell) will continue establishing alliances with state companies, in their and our countries, specially with gas, which needs big investments," said Linda Cook. But the majors can longer appear to be preying on the countries where they are operating. "We can do a lot of things more than our regular work, such as education and training," said de Margerie. "It is essential for Total to go beyond its traditional role."
Source : AFP 07 Jul 2008

WHY PEOPLE CALL IT RED SEA ?

I guess this is how the Red Sea get it's name. Whenever there is a sand storm, the visibility is so poor and the sun light that reach the sea and the land become reddish. Subhanallah.

SITI SPECIES

Daing manage to fish this medium size "Siti Nurhaliza" species. All of us enjoy steam fish during yesterday dinner. It's really taste like fish...... I mean fresh fish. Ummhhh!!! The satisfaction increases our desire to fish again this weekend, InsyaAllah.