OTC Names 2014 Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients

Winners to Be Honored 4 May at Annual OTC Dinner

Houston, Texas, USA (26  February 2014) – The 2014 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) will launch on Sunday, 4 May in Houston, Texas. The event kicks off with the Annual OTC Dinner to honor the recipients of this year’s Distinguished Achievement Awards. OTC will recognize Carl Arne Carlsen for individual achievement, the BP Clair Ridge project for corporate achievement, and Susan Cunningham with the Heritage Award.

In its 45th year, OTC brings together industry leaders and professionals from around the world. It is the world’s largest gathering for offshore energy resource development. Approximately 100,000 attendees will participate in technical sessions, workshops, and networking events 5-8 May at Reliant Park.

OTC Distinguished Achievement Award for Individuals
Carl Arne Carlsen, senior vice president and member of the Governing Board at DNV, will be honored for his significant advancements in the safety and reliability of mobile offshore structures, and the practical applications of risk management.

Over the course of his career, Carlsen’s focus on safety led to important developments in the industry. Chief among these is his work in establishing rules for dynamic behavior of jack-up platforms, semisubmersible platforms, and for the FPSOs in harsh environments. He was also instrumental in developing the IMO/IACS Enhanced Survey Program for oil tankers and carriers.

OTC Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizations, and Institutions
This award recognizes the deployment of BP’s LoSal® EOR (Reduced Salinity Enhanced Oil Recovery) technology into the Clair Ridge development, located west of Shetland, UK. The effort represents the first sanctioned, full-field, offshore use of the LoSal EOR technology, which was developed by BP to increase oil recovery.

The company’s enhanced recovery technology team observed that reducing the salinity of sea water for waterflooding, instead of using conventional sea water, releases more oil from the rock surfaces. As a result, the Clair Ridge development includes desalination facilities to generate the reduced salinity water which BP predicts will improve oil recovery by an additional 42 million barrels at an additional investment cost of $3/bbl.

OTC Heritage Awards
The Heritage Award is presented to Susan Cunningham in recognition of her exemplary leadership and outstanding technical contributions in the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, and the Eastern Mediterranean regions. Cunningham started her career more than 30 years ago as a geologist with Amoco Canada. Over the years, she has advanced through various technical and leadership roles in the oil and gas industry. Cunningham is currently the senior vice president of Gulf of Mexico, Africa, Frontier Ventures and Business Innovation for Noble Energy. Cunningham was the chairman of OTC in 2010 and 2011 (representing the American Association of Petroleum Geologist), and has served as a board member for Cliffs Natural Resources and the Houston Geological Society.

Annual OTC Dinner
The Annual OTC Dinner is the signature event for the conference. Along with recognizing the recipients and providing an excellent networking opportunity, the dinner also allows the industry to collectively support the communities in which they operate. This year, proceeds from the dinner will be donated to Medical Bridges®, a Houston-based organization that provides medicine and medical supplies to healthcare providers in need worldwide.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact Craig W. Moritz at +1.713.457.6888 or email.  Individual tickets can be purchased for USD 150.

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ABOUT OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE
The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters. Founded in 1969, OTC’s flagship conference is held annually in Houston. OTC has expanded technically and globally with the Arctic Technology Conference, OTC Brasil, and OTC Asia. For more information, visit www.otcnet.org.