Project News – The Bolivian government approves 44 Oil & Gas contracts

April 23, 2007

Today we feature an interesting article in our Project and Oil & Gas News.   It is about the Bolivian Government approving 44 Oil & Gas Contracts for 2007.   All the world’s leading major operators from across the globe all have their fingers stuck in the proverbial pie, including Repsol of Spain, Petrobras of Brazil, Total of France, ExxonMobil of the United States as well as BP and British Gas of the UK.  For the full article please read on:

The Bolivian government approves 44 Oil & Gas contracts

The Bolivian Congress on Thursday unanimously approved 44 contracts that the government signed with 12 foreign oil companies in the framework of the country’s energy nationalization policy, according to reports from La Paz. Bolivian Vice President Alvaro Garcia welcomed the approval of the contracts, saying that the legalization of the contracts supported the progress of the country’s energy nationalization process and would further consolidate the reforms in the nationalization process of its hydrocarbons industry. On May 1, 2006, Bolivian President Evo Morales issued a decree for the nationalization of the country’s oil and gas industry, demanding that foreign companies in the country must sign new contracts with state-owned companies before Oct. 28, 2006, and recognize the country’s total control over its energy resources. Furthermore, foreign companies must pay the government about 50 percent to 82 percent of their revenues generated through productions in the country, otherwise move out of the country, according to the decree. The 44 newly approved contracts were signed last October with companies including Repsol of Spain, Petrobras of Brazil, Total of France, ExxonMobil of the United States as well as BP and British Gas of the UK. After the contracts take effect, the revenues of the Bolivian government is projected to increase by US$300 million, according to official sources. Bolivia has reserves of about 48.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, which is being exploited by about 20 foreign firms. Morales, who took office in January 2006 as Bolivia’s first indigenous president, has repeatedly said his country’s natural resources must be nationalized so that Bolivians can benefit from the profits generated from the industry, which were earlier being

Leave a Comment » | Oil & Gas, Project News | Permalink
Posted by thecabledirectory

Lucy Switchgear News – There´s more to Lucy Switchgear

April 23, 2007

Today we feature a press release from Lucy Switchgear, A UK based company which is rapidly expanding into the Middle East, and with the opening of new facilities in Jebel Ali, UAE, that will take the amount of employees to over 300 in the region. For the full article please read on: 

There’s more to Lucy Switchgear

Lucy Switchgear, one of the leading global suppliers of switching and protection solutions for electrical distribution systems is expanding rapidly in the Middle East.

An increase in business volumes and new product lines are the key drivers behind the growth as business in core market areas including the Middle East, UK and Asia develops.

Further significant investment is underway creating new facilities in Jebel Ali UAE, expanding the well established operations developed during recent years.

The new facility will be open in summer 2006 and will bring the number of employees based in the Gulf region to approximately 300.

Notes to editor

Lucy Switchgear

Lucy Switchgear is at the cutting edge of Ring Main Unit technology, engineering medium and low voltage switchgear and providing retrofit and automation solutions to customers throughout the world.

In association with industrial partners and contractors, Lucy Switchgear has established a global network operating in over 50 countries.

Contact: Linda Whyte, Marketing Manager Telephone: +44 (0)1844 267267 Email: linda.whyte@wlucy.co.uk

Leave a Comment » | Electrical News | Permalink
Posted by thecabledirectory

Prysmian News – Prysmian consolidates its presence in the umbilicals sector with the inauguration of a new industrial facility in Brazil

April 19, 2007

Today we feature a press release from Prysmian, one of the leading if not the best cable manufacturer in the world. They have come on board as one of our Multi Media Partners and we will be featuring them on the web-site very shortly as well as carrying out an on-line interview with their CEO. Today’s news article is about Prysmian consolidates its presence in the umbilical market by setting up a new production plant in Brazil.

Prysmian Cables & Systems, one of world’s leader in power and telecommunication cables, has brought an industrial plant onstream at Vila Velha (Brazil) for the manufacture of subsea umbilicals, special cables used in offshore oil platform. Umbilicals are multifunctional tubing systems (in thermoplastic or steel) which in conjunction with a specialized line of accessories, enable subsea wellheads and manifolds to be connected to platforms or FPSO’s. This mechanism to transmit power, data and hydraulic fluids (for the opening and closing of valves), is the method of controlling the oil/gas extraction. Prysmian has been operating in this field for 20 years with a significant presence that has grown year over year. The decision to build a new plant is in line with the business objective of the Company to expand its market share in the worldwide market of umbilicals. This new manufacturing site at Vila Velha (on the Vittoria channel in Brazil’s Espirito Santo State) will strengthen Prysmian’s position in a high value-added segment such as the Oil and Gas industry. Because of its higher production capacity, its strategic position and its simplified loading procedure, the new industrial plant will enable Prysmian to meet demand in any part of the world, starting especially with North America, the Gulf of Mexico and the West African coast. The first order for umbilicals to be manufactured in the new plant will be for the Brazilian oil company Petrobas, one of Prysmian’s longest-standing customers. Thanks to the location of the new manufacturing facility, the umbilicals produced at Vila Velha can be loaded directly onto installation or transport vessels. This will enable Prysmian to produce longer length umbilicals, thus meeting the evolving needs of the industry. The location is also strategic because it is close to Brazil’s major extraction area and to Petrobas’ plants. The new plant, which is larger with respect to the old one of Santo Andre (which will still be retained as a backup facility), has an occupancy of more than 6.500 square metres in a total area of 20.000 square metres and it will employ about 110 people. Its production capacity will be between 200 and 400 Km/yr, depending upon the type and length of product. The longer length capability of the plant will result either in reels of up to 300 tons and 9m in diameter being deployed, or a rotating platform capable of loading an umbilical up to 8000 tons directly on to an installation vessel. “Although we have been producing subsea umbilicals for more than 20 years, Vila Velha enables us to deliver our capability and experience to a wider customer base. The commissioning of our new, state of the art, quayside located facility will enable us to conveniently supply a full portfolio of technologically advanced Umbilical solutions to the global market” said Llyr Roberts, director of Prysmian’s global Industrial Market business. In Brazil, Prysmian has four production plants employing a total of 900 people. Among other applications, these plants produce high, medium and low voltage power cables, special cables for the Oil&Gas, maritime and car industries, as well as communications copper and fibre cables. Prysmian The Prysmian group is one of the world’s leaders in the energy and telecommunication cables industry with a strong market position in higher added value market segments. Organised in two business units — Energy Cables & Systems (submarine and terrestrial cables for electricity transmission and distribution) and Telecom Cables & Systems (optical fibres and cables for video, data and voice transmission and copper telecom cables), the Prysmian Group has a global presence with 54 plants and more than 12,000 employees located in 20 countries. Specialising in the development of products and systems designed on the basis of the client’s specific requirements, Prysmian’s main competitive strengths include its focus on research and development, ability to innovate its products and production processes, and the use of its own advanced proprietary technologies. For further information: Communication Department – Press Office Lorenzo Caruso, tel +39 02 6449 51534, mob +39 349 766 8006, email: lorenzo.caruso@prysmian.com Marketing Department Paolo Perazzi, tel, +39 02 6449 5072, email: paolo.perazzi@prysmian.com

Leave a Comment » | Cable & Wire News, Cable Manufacturers, Multi Media Partners, Subsea & Underwater | Permalink
Posted by thecabledirectory

Defence News – UK Navy warship shows off new refit

April 19, 2007

After the last two weeks of embarrisment for the British Royal Navy about the Iran-gate affair, it is good to get back to normal.  Today’s article is about the multi million pound refit for a Royal Navy Destroyer which will be docked at Liverpool Harbour on Sunday for the general public to come down and view.  The only problem is it is twinned with Manchester City Football Club, so lets hope its not firing blanks just like Stuart Pearce’s football team.  For the full article please read on:

A 5,200-tonne, 141m (463 ft) long, Type 42 Royal Navy destroyer is to spend the weekend on the River Mersey. The nearest that HMS Manchester can dock to her affiliated city to show off her multi-million pound improvements is Liverpool’s Huskisson Dock. The warship is twinned with a number of Manchester organisations, including Manchester City Football Club. Launched in 1980, she is the third ship to bear the name. Her crest features a bee from the city’s coat of arms. Other organisations twinned with the ship include Sale Sharks RFC, Manchester and Salford University Royal Naval Unit and The King’s and Cheshire Regiment. Commander and captain of HMS Manchester, David Dominy, said: “Unfortunately, this is as close as we can bring Manchester to our hometown. “But we would love to see as many people as possible join the ship’s 250 crew members from 1330 to 1600 BST on Sunday. “This will give everyone the opportunity to discover more about life at sea onboard an operational warship.” During her three-day visit the ship will welcome patients from the Moss Lea Day Centre in Ormskirk, the Whiteledge Day Centre in Skelmersdale and visitors from the Mersey Naval and Maritime Society. On Sunday sea cadets from Altrincham and Trafalgar units are to tour the ship, and later that day cadets from the Stretford and Urmston units will help the crew when the ship opens her gangway to the public. HMS Manchester returned to sea last October following a multi-million pound refit.

1 Comment | Defence | Permalink
Posted by thecabledirectory

Belden Cable News – Belden’s fibre optic cables offer rugged flexibility

April 18, 2007
Today we feature a new article from one of Multi Media Partners, Belden, who have launched its newly redesigned Brilliance Tactical fibre optic cables.  The cables have been redesigned in order for them to operate in the most harsh of environments. 

Belden’s fibre optic cables offer rugged flexibility

 

Belden has launched its newly redesigned Brilliance Tactical fibre optic cables. The cables have been redesigned to provide for maximum performance in rigorous outdoor applications. Easily transportable in mobile trucks, the small, lightweight tactical fibre optic cables offer a rugged, yet flexible, construction that makes them ideal for use in a variety of mining and industrial applications.

 

Designed to military standards, Belden Tactical fibre optic cables are ruggedly constructed to ensure maximum performance and reliability over a broad range of outdoor temperatures and weather conditions.

The single-mode, tight buffered cables feature an aramid yarn strength member and exceptionally tough, sunlight-resistant polyurethane outer jacket.

 

This makes them highly resistant to environmental conditions, as well as to abrasion, crushing and cut through.

In addition, the cables have a smaller bend radius for improved flexibility and resiliency. For installers, Belden Tactical fibre optic cables’ smaller, lighter and more flexible design means field deployment and retrieval can be accomplished with far less effort and fewer challenges than with traditional tactical cables.

 

In addition to occupying less space and adding less weight in mobile communications vehicles, the new cables are re-usable – they can be deployed repeatedly, while still delivering the quality performance required by the broadcast industry.

 

Belden offers its Brilliance Tactical fibre optic cables in five standard product codes, with up to 12 fibres and a variety of special options to meet an array of application requirements. These options include: fibre count and type, jacket colour and material. The cables are fully compatible with all optical fibre connector options.

Leave a Comment » | Cable & Wire News, Cable Manufacturers, internet & Communications, Multi Media Partners | Permalink
Posted by thecabledirectory

Project News – Australia Releases 34 new offshore exploration fields for 2007

April 17, 2007
Today in Project News we are bringing you project news outwith the Middle East Region.  This time it is about the Australian Government releasing 34 new offshore exploration fields for 2007.  For the full article please read on:

Australia Releases 34 new offshore exploration fields for 2007   

Australian Resources Minister, Ian Macfarlane, announced the release of 34 new offshore petroleum exploration areas in Commonwealth waters. “The Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release program is a key part of the Government’s strategy to encourage investment in petroleum exploration and provide for Australia’s long term energy security,” Mr. Macfarlane said.

 

The 2007 release areas are located across six basins off the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands and Victoria coastlines.

The release also includes six Designated Frontier Areas which are eligible for the frontier exploration tax incentive of 150 percent uplift for exploration expenditure.

“Increasingly, global petroleum explorers are viewing Australia as a ’big gas’ opportunity with low sovereign risk, and Australia has attracted a number of new global explorers over the past two years,” Mr. Macfarlane said.

 

“Government initiatives, such as $135 million in increased funding to Geoscience Australia for pre-competitive data acquisition; tax incentives to encourage exploration in frontier areas; and an improved speculative seismic data acquisition policy; have played their part in boosting Australia’s attractiveness to explorers.

 

“The take-up rate of acreage released each year has risen from just short of 50 percent in 2002-03 to 90 percent for the 2005 release. Borrowings of pre-competitive data from Geoscience Australia, used by explorers to define the best drill locations, have tripled between 2004 and 2006.”

 

Bids for 17 of the new areas close on October 18, 2007, with the remaining 17 areas closing on April 17, 2008. All bids are assessed under the work program bidding system and will be awarded for an initial term of six years.

 

Leave a Comment » | Oil & Gas, Project News | Permalink
Posted by thecabledirectory

Defence News – 600 contractors have been killed in Iraq says retired US army general

April 17, 2007
Today we features a very interesting Defence News article about Retired US Army General talking about how Iraq is ripped in two because of civil war.  He believes that the US and UK need to provide the Iraqi governemnt with more tanks and helicopters in attempt in to increase the force of the army and curb the violence.  He goes onto say that already 600 contractors have been killed in Iraq and a further 4000 have been injured.  We always hear about the soldiers getting killed, we just dont hear about the poor (soon to be rich if they live) contractors getting killed.  For the full article please read on:

600 contractors have been killed in Iraq says retired US army general

 

Calling the situation in Iraq a “national emergency,” retired U.S. Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey said April 16 that the country is ripped by a catastrophic low-grade civil war. Returning from a March visit to Iraq and Kuwait, the retired Gulf War veteran issued a March 26 report detailing problems in the war-torn country and calling for stronger political and economic efforts to defuse the violence.

 

“There is no reason Iraq can’t be a successful nation-state, except that it is in a civil war. The place is too dangerous to work. I don’t see a good outcome until we have more security,” said McCaffrey.

There are roughly 130,000 contractors in Iraq, said McCaffrey; about 4,000 of them have been wounded and 600 have been killed, he said.

 

McCaffrey spent roughly a week touring Iraq, meeting U.S. military personnel, U.S. and Iraqi political leaders, and Iraqi regional leaders. “If they [the U.S. coalition] go after 100 Shia and Sunni leaders with logic, they will moderate their behavior. We must stay engaged with serious levels of economic involvement,” McCaffrey said in an April 16 speech about his report to the Atlantic Council, Washington.

 

McCaffrey said as many as 3,000 Iraqi citizens are murdered per month.

“The population is in despair. Life in many of the urban areas is now desperate. The population is terrorized by rampant criminal gangs involved in kidnapping, extortion, robbery, rape and massive stealing of public property,” McCaffrey writes. U.S. military forces are targeted by as many as 2,900 improvised-explosive-device attacks per month. Tracer fire from insurgent guns can be seen at night while flying above Iraq in helicopters.

 

“No Iraqi government official, coalition soldier, diplomat, reporter, foreign non-government organization nor contractor can walk the streets of Baghdad, nor Mosul, or Kirkuk, nor Basra, nor Tikrit, nor Najaf, nor Ramadi — without heavily armed protection,” McCaffrey writes.

 

McCaffrey said the Bush administration’s temporary tactical increase of 20,000 troops, referred to as the “surge,” is not likely to halt a bitter civil war.

“Reconciliation is the way out. There will be no imposed military solution with the current non-sustainable U.S. force levels. Military power alone cannot defeat insurgency — the political and economic struggle for power is the actual field of battle,” McCaffrey wrote in his report.

 

McCaffrey predicted that National Guard brigades will likely be called for an involuntary second combat tour, and said the U.S. Army and Marine Corps cannot sustain the current levels of deployment.

McCaffrey did say some of the tactics employed by Gen. David Petraeus, Multi-National Force-Iraq commander, were making a difference. For instance, going back into cities with platoon-size forces is helping U.S. soldiers find insurgents and stabilize certain communities, McCaffrey said.

“Some things have changed for the better in Baghdad,” McCaffrey said.

 

Also, there are indications that some of the millions of Iraqi refugees who fled to Syria and Jordan are starting to come back to their houses. McCaffrey also calls for more money and equipment to stand up the Iraqi Security Forces who, he said, have taken horrendous casualties. They need 150 U.S. helicopters, 24 C-130 airlifters and 5,000 light armored vehicles, he said.

 

“We must give them the leverage to replace us as our combat formations withdraw in the coming 36 months,” said McCaffrey.

The report credits Petraeus with making progress in this area, indicating that 3,500 armored Humvees, 3,500 rocket-propelled grenades 1,400 heavy machine guns, 900 mortars and more than 80 helicopters are now arriving for the Iraqi Security Forces.

 

Additionally, McCaffrey’s report says there is a groundswell of Sunni opposition to al-Qaida in Iraq. The opposition is in the Anbar province, the report says, and was fostered by the U.S. Marines. “There is now active combat between Sunni tribal leadership and al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists,” the report says.

 

Dean Popps, Director of the U.S. Army’s Iraq Reconstruction and Program Management, said more than $35 billion has been spent on 14,275 reconstruction projects in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. “It is the equivalent of the Marshall Plan without a name, with projects including water, power, public works, security, education, and oil,” said Popps. So far, $10 billion has been spent on the Iraqi Security Forces.

Crediting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division, Popps said in many areas “pipelines have been restored, ports are open, there is lots of commerce and goods on the street”

Leave a Comment » | Defence | Permalink
Posted by thecabledirectory

Wonderful Wire News – Five directors at Wonderful Wire reprimanded for failing to prepare an accurate unaudited financial results

April 16, 2007
The news is not always good, and about how much money everyone is making.  Today we have a very interesting article about the Directors of Wonderful Wire & Cable, including the Managing Director, who have all been fined and reprimanded for accounting irregularities.  Sometime you have to watch how much honey is being taken from the pot.  For the full article please read on:   Five directors at Wonderful Wire reprimanded for failing to prepare an accurate unaudited financial results

 

BURSA Malaysia Bhd yesterday publicly reprimanded Wonderful Wire and Cable Bhd (WWC) and five of its directors for breaching the listing requirements by failing to prepare an accurate unaudited financial results in all quarterly reports for the financial year ended December 31 2005. The five directors received public reprimand and three of them were fined between RM150,000 and RM200,000.

 

WWC deputy executive chairman Datuk Dr Abdul Razak Abdul, who was the company managing director from November 21 2003 to June 30 2005, is publicly reprimanded and fined RM200,000. Former chief executive officer Mohd Mahyudin Zainal and former non-independent executive director Mohd Fairuz Abdul Latiff are publicly reprimanded and fined RM150,000 each. Former non-independent executive director Ong Choong Siang and independent non-executive director Datuk Osman Mohd Yusof are publicly reprimanded.

 

Bursa Malaysia has directed WWC to make amended announcements of its financial results for the first, second and third quarter reports for financial year 2005 and engage its external auditors to undertake limited review on WWC’s next four quarterly reports.

 

Previously, WWC had also been publicly reprimanded by Bursa Malaysia, where on July 30 2006, the company was publicly reprimanded and imposed a fine of RM20,000 for its failure to submit its annual audited accounts for the financial year ended December 31 2005 within the stipulated timeframe.

 

On August 30 2006, Bursa Malaysia publicly reprimanded and imposed a fine of RM6,000 on WWC for failure to issue its quarterly report for the financial period ended March 31 2006 within the stipulated timeframe.

Leave a Comment » | Cable & Wire News, Cable Manufacturers | Permalink
Posted by thecabledirectory

Alcatel-Lucent News – Alcatel-Lucent successfully deployed enhanced 3G network in the Caribbean

April 16, 2007

Today we feature another very interesting article in our Cable & Wire News.  It is from Alcatel-Lucent who are introducing 3G capabilities into the Carribean.   The major advantage to doing this is the increasing the speed of Broadband, improving the mobile voice and wireless capabilities within the region.  For teh full article please read on…. 

Alcatel-Lucent today announced it has completed the deployment of an enhanced third-generation (3G) network based on CDMA2000® 1X and 1xEV-DO technology covering the entire Caribbean island of Aruba.

The new network will enable SETAR N.V., the leading wireless telecommunications operator in Aruba, to expand its wireless service to offer local customers and tourists high-quality, mobile voice and high-speed broadband data services such as video streaming, access to corporate e-mail and intranets, and many other new applications at speeds of up to 2.4 Megabits per second, as well as CDMA roaming capabilities to tourists.

Under the terms of the agreement, Alcatel-Lucent provided SETAR N.V. with its CDMA Modular Cell 4.0 base stations, as well as comprehensive maintenance services, including network engineering and deployment.

“SETAR’s investment in CDMA will strengthen Aruba’s position in the tourism industry, allowing tourists to stay connected while visiting Aruba,” said Roland Croes, Managing Director, SETAR N.V. “This modern telecommunications infrastructure will make Aruba an even more attractive destination for cruise ships, hotels and timeshare guests, and we will be able to introduce new innovative services with the deployment of CDMA2000 1xEV-DO technology.”

According to Croes the response from Aruba citizens and tourists to the voice roaming service with large North American CDMA operators has been very positive.  

“The deployment of CDMA combined with our GSM offering puts our company in a unique position in the Caribbean, as we are one of the first companies offering both technologies in the region,” he noted.

“SETAR N.V.’s selection of Alcatel-Lucent’s equipment for its network is quite an honor given the innovative approach this service provider has in meeting the needs of its customers,” said Olivier Picard, President of Alcatel–Lucent’s Europe and South activities. “We look forward to continuing working with SETAR as they remain at the forefront of wireless developments in the country.”

           

About SETAR N.V.
Since 2003, SETAR became an incorporated company (with the government as shareholder) with a sharp focus on customer satisfaction. The philosophy of one-stop shopping was introduced by SETAR in order to provide customers with all of their telecommunications services from one company. SETAR services include wireline, wireless and broadband for every home, with one of the highest penetration rates in the Caribbean region. SETAR has been the leading telecom company in Aruba, not only by introducing the latest technologies to facilitate different sectors on the island, but also as a trendsetter of style, quality and innovation in their products and services. SETAR introduced a new way of branding their products and services for customers that included instructions in a fun and dynamic way on how to use the product as a tool. In September 2004, SETAR bought the local television station Telearuba and made investments to renovate the station’s building and buy modern digital equipment. An ultra-modern, state-of-the-art TV station — the new Telearuba — was officially re-opened in March 2005. In February 2005, SETAR acquired the local Cable TV company, giving SETAR the capability to offer “quadruple play” services.  

About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that enable service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. As a leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications, and services, Alcatel-Lucent offers the end-to-end solutions that enable compelling communications services for people at home, at work and on the move. With operations in more than 130 countries, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The company has the most experienced global services team in the industry, and one of the largest research, technology and innovation organizations in the telecommunications industry. Alcatel-Lucent achieved adjusted proforma revenues of Euro 18.3 billion in 2006 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. [All figures exclude impact of activities transferred to Thales]. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

Contact the Alcatel-Lucent Press Office: press@alcatel-lucent.com

1 Comment | Cable & Wire News, internet & Communications, Telecom | Permalink
Posted by thecabledirectory

Batt Cable News – Batt Cables now stock Clingstrap Cable Cleat

April 16, 2007
Today we have featured a press release from a leading international cable distributor called Batt Cables.  The company has registered on the web-site under our marketing starters pack.  The Press Release is about how they now stock Clingstrap Cable Cleats.

For the full article please read on: 

BATT CABLES plc are pleased to announce that they now hold stock of the Clingstrap cable cleat. The clingstrap cable cleat compliments BATT CABLES already vast range of electrical cable and accessories.

 

The Clingstrap cable cleat is a comprehensive range of single fixing cable cleats to provide a simple, but strong means of securing cables. The cleats are suitable for use with cables or pipes up to 50.8mm in diameter and have a high level of UV resistance.

 

Manufactured from low smoke, zero halogen polypropylene, the working temperature of a clingstrap cable cleat is between –35C and +105C.

 

For more information please visit our website where a full technical specification sheet is available, www.batt.co.uk

 

Liane Fearn

Marketing Manager

Tel: 01322 441166

Email: liane.fearn@batt.co.uk

Leave a Comment » | Cable & Wire News | Permalink
Posted by thecabledirectory

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 27 other followers