McDermott International acquired the newly built pipelay and construction vessel Amazon designed for its ultra deepwater and SURF projects. Image of the Amazon, from McDermott. McDermott…
Woodside Energy awarded a subsidiary of Atwood Oceanics a one-well drilling services contract for the ultra deepwater rig Atwood Osprey, offshore Australia. The contract will start between 24 May 2017 and 7 July 2017 and has an estimated duration of approximately 130 days…
Transocean has won a contract for the Transocean Barents harsh environment, ultra deepwater floater with Suncor Energy, offshore Canada. The 15-month contract has been set at a dayrate of US$260,000. The estimated contract backlog, excluding mobilization is $119 million…
Drilling giant Transocean swung back into profit in Q1 2016, despite revenues having hemorrhaged compared to Q1 2015. Rig utilization was 51% in Q1, compared with 60% in the prior quarter, and 79% in the same period last year. Utilization is lowest in the ultra-deepwater floater segment…
This year, the deepwater drilling record could be broken not just once, but twice, breaking the last record, set back in 2013. Elaine Maslin takes a look. Total’s Raya-1 well is due to be drilled offshore Uruguay using Maersk Oil’s ultra…
Frigstad Kristiansand, the second ultra-deepwater semisubmersible drilling rig build by CIMC Raffles for Frigstad, completed mating in Yantai Shipyard, China, yesterday. As one of the deepest operating and drilling semisubmersible rigs…
Transocean has received a notice of early termination from Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited for the ultra-deepwater semisubmersible GSF Development Driller I. The rig's drilling contract is expected to end in May 2016 with the demobilization completed in June 2016…
Houston's Vantage Drilling has signed an agreement for a two-year extension of the ultra-deepwater drillship Tungsten Explorer contract. The contract, initially signed in 2013, and running from mid-2014 for two years, is now anticipated…
Drilling contractor Ocean Rig CEO George Economou has warned that a recovery for the oil and gas industry might not come until 2018, at the earliest. Economou's comments were made as the Greece-based firm announced its second rig cancellation in the space of days…
Transocean has chosen to delay the operating and delivery contracts for two newbuild ultra-deepwater drillships by 12 months, the company announced on 26 October. Transcocean, working with its customer, Shell, and the shipyard, Daewoo…
Norway's Odfjell Drilling and Metro Exploration have put the Deepsea Metro II ultra deepwater drillship up for sale. The two firms, which own the drillship through their shares in Deep Sea Metro, which owns Deepsea Metro II owner Chloe Marine Corp…
Apparently undeterred by low oil prices, oil and gas output from ultra deepwater (>1000m water depth) fields will continue the relentless growth seen in recent years. Image from Shell. In…
BP awarded Technip a lump sum project for the design, engineering, fabrication, installation and pre-commissioning of the new production pipeline systems on the south side of the Thunder Horse production drilling quarters unit in the Gulf of Mexico…
Petrobras encountered the presence of light oil at well 3-BRSA-1296-SES in concession BM-SEAL-10, BlockSEAL-M-499 in the Sergpipe basin’s ultra deepwaters offshore Brazil. According to Petrobras, the higher market value light oil has good reservoir porosity and permeability…
Applus RTD has been awarded a contract from Heerema Marine Contractors as part of the Kaombo development offshore Angola. As part of the largest ultra deepwater subsea, umbilicals, risers, flowlines (SURF) development, Applus RTD will…