Explorers for oil and gas often talk about the need for data integration. But do they really mean it? Combining geological and geophysical studies is just the beginning. Full and effective integration -- leading to greater accuracy and success -- includes geochemical evaluations, specifically hydrocarbon microseepage surveys.
In the light of changing political relationships between the world's most powerful and important nations, how will these changes affect the future of global oil and gas exploration?
When the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig caught fire and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, rupturing the riser pipe, it kick-started a chain of failures that highlighted just how susceptible oil drilling equipment can be, and how compromised it can be if companies choose to take short-cuts when drilling in areas with little margin for error.
Tony Heyward, BP's beleaguered CEO, was accused of negligence by the US Senate last week regarding the ineptitude of BP's practices toward the Macondo well that ruptured gas and caused the Deepwater Horizon rig to catch fire and sink.