Calumet buys Specialty Oilfield Solutions
Calumet Specialty Products, based in Indiana, announced that it has bought Houston-based solids control and drilling fluids company Specialty Oilfield Solutions.
The $30 million purchase price includes all assets held by Specialty.
Specialty has operations in the Eagle Ford, Marcellus and Utica shale plays. Specialty will operate as a subsidiary of Oklahoma-based Anchor Drilling Fluids, a subsidiary of Calumet.
Calumet is an independent producer of fuel and specialty hydrocarbon products including solvents, asphalt and hydrocarbon gels.
Oilfield services company is growing
Frank’s International NV, based in Lafayette, La., is growing in the Houston region, as well as its home base.
The oilfield services company, which specializes in casings and equipment manufacturing, is doubling its Westchase presence in Houston, building a new facility in Alvin, Texas, and breaking ground on a huge complex in Lafayette, say company officials.
Aqua Terra expands to Bakken
Aqua Terra Waste Management acquired two saltwater disposal facilities in North Dakota operated by Borejacks Energy Services.
The acquisition of the two facilities is Aqua Terra’s first entry into the U.S. saltwater disposal industry. Aqua Terra was formed in November 2013 as an independent merchant operator of saltwater disposal facilities. Prior to this acquisition, Aqua Terra was only present in Canada.
New pipeline announced by Dakota Plains, Hiland Crude
Dakota Plains Holdings Inc. and Hiland Crude LLC have announced an agreement that will link Dakota Plains’ Pioneer Rail Terminal in New Town, N.D., with Hiland’s Market Center Gathering System crude oil pipeline network.
Hiland’s gathering system has multiple connection points into pipeline outlets and crude-by-rail terminals. The new connection is expected to have a capacity of more than 15,000 barrels per day and would have the ability to expand to supply roughly 60,000 barrels per day.
The connection is expected to be complete by the end of October.
Dakota Gold Transfer plans new crude terminal in Bakken
Dakota Gold Transfer Plaza LLC is developing plans to build a crude oil transload facility in Mountrail County, N.D. The 350-acre site will provide customers access to rail and pipeline to move crude oil to multiple markets across the U.S. and Canada.
Dakota Gold says that storage and high-speed rail loading services will be available during the second half of 2015.
Dakota Gold is a joint venture between Cody Moe and the TrailStone Group. TrailStone is an energy asset investor and manager, majority-owned by Riverstone Holdings LLC.
Petroleum engineers see highest increase in average salary
According to a report from the American Geosciences Institute, petroleum engineers experienced the highest increase in median annual salary since 2011.
In 2013, the median average salary for petroleum engineers was $132,000, and had increased by more than $10,000 since 2011, according to the report.
Petroleum engineers are in demand in the U.S. thanks to the surge in exploration and production at home and worldwide. These workers are in demand not only in the private sector but also at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, to oversee mineral resources, according to the report.
The report also states that petroleum engineers have the highest starting salary of any of the engineering degrees offered, with an average starting pay of $89,000 and a mid-career salary of $159,900.
