• Ocean Energy Inc., Houston, plans to sell all of its interests and assets in its Gulf of Mexico East Bay Complex to an unnamed purchaser for $86 million. The divested properties consist of South Pass 24, South Pass 27 and South Pass 39 fields in the Mississippi Delta region of the Gulf of Mexico. "This step represents our continued focus on improving the economics of our asset base," said James T. Hackett, chairman, president and CEO. • Barrett Resources Corp., Denver, will acquire the remaining 6% working interest in gas properties that it operates in western Colorado's Piceance Basin for $10.7 million, giving it a 100% interest in the property. The company estimates the acquired interests include approximately 32 billion cu. ft. of proved gas reserves, of which 46% are proved developed. Including a December 1999 acquisition, Barrett paid $83 million for the final 36% working interest in the properties. • Exco Resources Inc., Dallas, sold its interest in certain Louisiana properties for $18.7 million cash to Venus Exploration Corp., San Antonio. Exco used proceeds to reduce debt. • Fleet Energy has sold its Drunkards Wash Area coalbed methane project in Carbon and Emery counties, Utah, to Marathon Oil Co. of Cody, Wyo. Meagher Oil & Gas Properties Inc., Englewood, Colo., assisted Fleet. • Gresham Resources Inc. sold its 2.3% working interest in an Eland, N.D., property to an undisclosed buyer for C$3 million. The property includes approximately 236 bbl. of oil production per day. The company plans to use proceeds to develop and expand its emerging core property in Rosevear, Alberta, and to establish new core areas in Canada. • McMoRan Exploration Co., New Orleans, has purchased interests in 56 exploratory leases in the Gulf of Mexico from Shell Offshore Inc. The interests, primarily offshore Louisiana, range from 25% to 100% in leases consisting of approximately 260,000 gross acres in water depths up to 1,980 feet. • New Energy West Corp. will acquire acreage in the East Lost Hills Area in the San Joaquin Basin, Calif. The acquired assets consist of two oil and gas leases, including a 145-net-acre lease and a 64-net-acre lease. New Energy will operate these and own a 75% net revenue interest in all petroleum and gas rights. • Tulsa-based Oneok Inc. has canceled its planned merger with Las Vegas-based gas utility Southwest Gas Co., citing anticipation of costly complications with the deal, which had provoked litigation by a rejected bidder. • Peoples Energy Corp., Chicago, acquired a 50% interest in several of the gas producing properties of Koch Industries Inc. and Koch Exploration Inc. for approximately $47 million. The properties, in San Juan County, N.M., are primarily producing from coalbed methane. The deal increases Peoples Energy production to nearly 30 billion Btu per day. "This purchase aligns with our strategy to acquire and invest in properties with proved producing reserves and the potential for enhancement through drilling programs," said Kevin J. O'Connell, head of Peoples Energy's oil and gas production unit. Koch will continue to operate the properties. • Tipperary Corp., Denver, will acquire a 49% working interest in a coalbed methane exploration project from Barrett Resources Corp., Denver, for approximately $850,000, and spend about $1 million during the next year on drilling and well evaluation. The project covers about 38,000 acres in the Hanna Basin of Wyoming. • Quicksilver Resources Inc., Fort Worth, plans to acquire interests in oil and gas exploration and production from CMS Energy Corp. Most of the assets acquired are in Michigan and include all of the stock of Terra Energy Ltd. Additionally, some smaller interests were acquired in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. The transaction includes more than 180,000 net leasehold acres producing approximately 54 million cu. ft. of equivalent net per day from the Antrim Shale, as well as from the Niagaran and Prairie du Chien formations. • Vintage Petroleum Inc., Tulsa, bought certain producing properties and facilities in the Ventura Basin of southern California from Nuevo Energy Co. and its affiliate for $29.6 million in cash. The acquired properties consist of 13 mature onshore fields in which the company has an average working interest of 94% and will operate 90% of the wells. The properties are producing an average 2,190 bbl. of midgravity crude oil and gas liquids and 3 billion cu. ft. of gas per day. • Williams Production Rocky Mountain Co. of Tulsa is selling 13 packages of Rocky Mountain-region operated and nonoperated oil and gas properties to Whiting Petroleum, BWAB Inc., Petroleum Resources Management, Fancher Oil, Thorofare Resources, Pendragon Partners and Intrepid Oil & Gas in separate deals. Meagher Oil & Gas Properties Inc., Englewood, Colo., assisted Williams Production. • Australia's Woodside Petroleum Ltd. is buying an interest in 43 deepwater blocks in the Gulf of Mexico from Marathon Oil Co., Houston, for approximately US$25.6 million, including a cash payment and a precommitted exploration expenditure. The acquired interests range from 12.5% to 33%. "The acreage includes a number of identified prospects and leads, with maturity ranging from prospects ready to drill to immature leads that require further technical evaluation," Woodside reported. • J.P. Morgan is opening an office in Calgary to continue its growth in the Canadian energy marketplace. The office will be led by Jeff van Steenbergen and Tim Hart, two experienced investment bankers in the Canadian and global energy sectors who joined the firm to establish the office. Van Steenbergen and Hart hail from CIBC World Markets. • BlackRock Ventures Inc. has acquired certain conventional producing and shut-in heavy oil properties in the Lloydminister area of Saskatchewan from Calvalley Petroleum Inc., Calgary, for C$5.97 million. Most of the acquired properties are located in the Maidstone Field. The properties are currently producing about 275 bbl. of oil per day and have 1.8 million bbl. of oil in estimated reserves. • Black Tusk Energy Inc., Vancouver, will acquire the remaining outstanding interest in the Kaybob South Area property for C$850,000, from an unnamed major oil and gas company. The acquisition will give it a 100% interest in three sections of land, two suspended wellbores, 2.5 miles of pipelines, surface facilities and a 3-D seismic survey. • Alma Oil & Gas Ltd., Calgary, and Hornet Energy Ltd., Montreal, have merged. 854139 Alberta Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hornet, was amalgamated with Alma, to complete the deal. Each Alma share was converted to 0.1613 Hornet common share. • Canadian Blackhawk Energy Inc., Calgary, will acquire a producing property in west-central Alberta about 110 miles west of Edmonton from an unnamed seller for C$7.5 million. The property comprises an average 80% working interest in 19,360 gross acres of land. The acquired assets include 18 wells and associated production facilities and equipment.