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Although offshore disasters are rare, they have resulted in significant loss of human life, environmental damage, and negative impacts on the larger society. We vow to learn from them, and address the technical challenges, but less often explore the role of culture, such as safety culture.

During the design of two parallel gas pipelines from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, major design changes were made to minimize project impacts, resulting in rapid approval by all five affected countries.

Recent accidents in the oil and gas industry have renewed interest in whether behavioral sciences can provide insights that can be translated into safety interventions.

The papers offered this month cover industry's track record in the delivery of meagaprojects, use of polymer for enhanced recovery offshore, and design of a tank overflow program for protection of health and the environment.

Shell’s Parque das Conchas project, an ultradeepwater heavy-oil development in the northern Campos basin offshore Brazil, has won the IPTC Excellence in Project Integration Award. The award recognizes significant and unique achievements in managing and directing a project from discovery to delivery.

To become a better facilities engineer it is important to learn to understand the language of subsurface. Engineers and geoscientists embrace uncertainty in ways facilities engineers do not. Through dialogue with our colleagues we need to become more comfortable with reservoir uncertainty.

Earlier studies showed that the results of oil and gas megaprojects were quite similar to the results from other industries. More investigation shows a poorer track record, largely due to the poor functional integration that characterizes upstream project organizations.

Expenditures for deepwater projects are expected to rise by 90% over the next 5 years. Drilling and completion of subsea wells will dominate deepwater spending. Higher oil prices are supporting the development of deepwater prospects to contribute to world energy supplies.

A recent workshop titled “Bridging the Gap Between Reservoir Engineering and Facilities Design” brought together more than 120 representatives of both disciplines to discuss the topsides/reservoir interface. Reservoir uncertainties and how they affect design was a key topic.

This paper addresses a “conceptual model” for an overfill-protection program, based on a recent industry example. Key portions of the programmatic and overfill-equipment aspects will be addressed.