OTC-'88 20th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL PREVIEW

May 2-5, Houston, Texas This year's Offshore Technology Conference (OTC '88), to be held in the Astrodomain Complex in Houston, Texas, May 2-5, will mark the event's 20th anniversary with an extensive technical program and major exhibition featuring hardware and services from the world's leading suppliers to the offshore industry.

Additionally, OTC is planning to assemble a special museum to display the immense development and range of offshore technology produced during the last 20 years.

OTC primarily serves offshore industry engineers, managers, marinerelated personnel and scientists from around the world. More than 1 million participants from over 90 nations have attended the combined technical programs and exhibitions of OTC since its inception in 1969.

Some 30,000 are expected to attend this year's meeting, making the conference the largest Houston-area convention during 1988.

OTC currently stresses prudent management and economics of offshore operations, including petroleum exploration and production.

The OTC exhibition also emphasizes efficient and cost-effective products, equipment and services for the offshore industry.

Technical Program Over the years, the OTC technical program has earned a reputation of presenting papers that are on the leading edge of technology and cover the world in all areas of ocean resource development.

The 1988 program may well be remembered as one of the most significant ever assembled by the 130- member program committee. Eight special sessions, six topical luncheons, a management session with keynote addresses by high-ranking industry and government officials, and 30 regular sessions constitute one of the most outstanding programs in the conference's 20-year history.

The eight special sessions focus on the latest major industry projects such as the subsidence management project at Ekofisk and the Campos Basin deepwater development project.

Teams of engineers, scientists and managers from Marathon Oil Co., Phillips Petroleum Co., Placid Oil Co., Elf Aquataine, Reading and Bates, Petrobras, and Hamilton Brothers have developed these sessions.

The topical luncheons at OTC will provide registrants with the opportunity to hear industry experts speak informally on a number of issues.

Some of the subjects focused on in the topical luncheons include: "The USS Monitor: Sanctuary, Resource, and Challenge," by James F. Jenkins, U.S. Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory; "Twenty Years—Past and Future," a panel discussion with Dillard S. Hammett, vice president of technical and marketing for Ensco; Dennis E. Gregg, general manager of Conoco Inc.'s international operations; and Benard Andrier, vice president of research and development from E.T.P.M. of France; and "Campos Basin Discoveries," by Wagner Freire Oliveira e Silva, vice president of exploration and production from Petrobras.

Many other sessions stand out, as does the fact that authors and companies from 22 countries have chosen OTC as the conference for the first-ever presentation of their work.

General Session The Canadian offshore, which carries both veteran and frontier status, is the focus of the OTC '88 general session, Wednesday afternoon, May 4. Leading industry spokesmen and government officials will discuss prospects and incentives for developing Canada's east coast, Beaufort Sea, and west coast ref gions. Recent legislative changes and policy amendments will be outlined.

Federal and provincial government overviews will be presented along with industry's views on the technical and economic challenges.

Coupled with the keynote address of Canada's Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, Marcel Masse, on Tuesday, May 3, a dynamic picture of the Canadian offshore will be revealed.

Canada has long played a significant role in developing conventional and innovative offshore technology.

Recent discoveries and developments in Canadian provinces and Canada's offshore frontiers rapidly are becoming key focal points for new developments.

Technical Exhibition The OTC exhibition is the offshore industry's leading international event. More than 1,000 of the world's foremost manufacturers and suppliers of offshore equipment and services will occupy more than 17 acres of exhibit space in the Astrodomain Complex and outdoor exhibition area.

As in the 19 previous OTCs, manufacturers and suppliers of offshore equipment and services create an international marketplace.

This year's technical exhibition features companies from 16 nations, including Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S.

Practical, cost-saving equipment for virtually every offshore application can be found in the OTC exhibition, from exploration, drilling and production equipment to processing, communications and transportation.

In all, some 230 product and service categories ranging from helicopters to submersible pumps will be found at the OTC exhibition.

To accommodate the vast number of visitors, the conference and exhibits will open at 9 a.m., Monday through Thursday. OTC will close at 5 p.m. on May 2-4, and at 3 p.m.

on May 5.

Achievement Awards William H. Silcox and Norwegian Contractors have been named 1988 recipients of the OTC Distinguished Achievement Award for individuals and organizations, respectively.

The awards will be presented at the OTC Awards Luncheon, Tuesday, May 3.

Mr. Silcox, recently retired assistant general manager of Chevron Corporation's engineering department, has been recognized for his technical contributions to subsea and deepwater technology. He is credited with being the leader in the design and installation of the first deepwater subsea well completion offshore California and the first anywhere in 250 feet of water, and the first multiwell subsea template and well completion. He pioneered many other advancements that have been incorporated in 2,500-foot water depths, Arctic seas, and on floating and tension-leg structures.

Norwegian Contractors have been recognized for their pioneering work in the development, fabrication and deployment of concrete platforms for offshore oil and gas drilling and production. The company and its parent organizations constructed the world's first offshore concrete structures, including Ekofisk and Beryl A in the North Sea. Since its beginning in 1973, the company has advanced designs for deepwater, Arctic and marginal field environments to as much as 1,000 meters.

The Offshore Technology Conference represents one of the largest and comprehensive interdisciplinary, cooperative ventures in the engineering and scientific communities.

OTC is one of the leading forums for the development of ocean resources. The conference is sponsored by 11 societies, including: American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers; Society of Mining Engineers; The Metallurgical Society; Society of Petroleum Engineers; American Association of Petroleum Geologists; American Institute of Chemical Engineers; American Society of Civil Engineers; American Society of Mechanical Engineers—Petroleum Division; Marine Technology Society; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers—Oceanic Engineering Society; Society of Exploration Geophysicists; and Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.