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August 2001

The current shortage of drilling rigs, skilled personnel and drilling prospects serves to focus the spotlight once again on the cyclicity of the E&P business. As usual, however, the oil finders are devising creative solutions to their problems, particularly when it comes to buying and selling high quality drilling prospects.

Members Offered Retirement Plan

Starting on October 1, AAPG members will be able to participate in a new comprehensive, customized retirement savings plan called GeoVest, designed by the Seattle-based actuarial and consulting firm Milliman USA.

Candidate Election Rules Listed

The AAPG Executive Committee has adopted this Election Campaign Policy as a guideline for AAPG officer candidates.

77 Giant Fields Found Over Last Decade

Talk about a big story. In Denver, one giant talking about other giants drew a giant crowd. The speaker at the podium was legendary oil finder Michel T. Halbouty, a giant of the industry who's been a part of the industry for seven decades, talking about "Giant Oil and Gas Fields of the Decade -- 1990-2000."

Emphasis: International

3-D the Key in Congo Basin Play

Chevron attributes its success in the Congo Basin to a breakthrough due to the use of AVO technology.

Many Countries Ready to 'Do a Deal'

There's a world of leasing opportunities awaiting those with a need to explore in international arenas.

Thailand Rewards Ready for Reaping

Development is under way in the Gulf of Thailand on a giant gas field that's a testament to patience, compromise, perseverance and vision; two small countries and one independent oil company are set to reap the rewards of a project that started in the early 1970s.

International Deals a Different World

In the not-too-distant past, independent oil and gas producers who ventured into the international arena to search for hydrocarbons were a rarity. Today? There's nary a raised eyebrow when even the smallest of players announces an overseas project.

West Africa Gamble Paying Off

The handful of major international oil companies that negotiated concessions with the Angolan government in the early to mid-1990s seem like geniuses today.

'Very Far Offset AVO' Indicates Pay Dirt

Deep water off the Congo successes credited to 3D seismic studies.

Rim: It's Crowded Around Here

Recently, as the volcano "Popo" outside of Mexico City began to show some activity, geologist David Howell had a question: "What would happen if there was a major eruption?"

Gas Reserve Numbers Growing

National price spikes. California rolling blackouts. Clearly, the issue of natural gas supply and demand commands serious attention in the United States.

Standing Columns

Business Side of Geology Column

Prospect Should Be Portfolio Fit

Petroleum exploration is a "repeated trials game." Whether you are a career prospector generating a succession of drilling deals, or exploration vice president of an oil and gas company overseeing an annual prospect portfolio, you are engaged in a series of risk ventures whose individual outcomes are each uncertain.

Regions and Sections

Gas Plays Focus of Veracruz Meeting

The splendid ambience of the city and port of Veracruz, located in the center of the Mexican gulf coastal plain, is the site of the fourth joint Asociación Mexicana de Geólogos Petroleros (AMGP)-AAPG international conference, which will be held Nov. 4-7 at the Continental Plaza Hotel's Convention Center.

August 2001

Table of Contents

Emphasis: International

Standing Columns

News & Features

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