Drilling News


Indonesia’s Mako Gas Project on Track for First Gas in 2027

Apr 30, 2026

Conrad Asia Energy, through its majority-owned subsidiary West Natuna Exploration as operator, is progressing development of the Mako Gas Project offshore Indonesia, with first gas targeted in the fourth quarter of 2027.The project partner, Empyrean Energy…

Noble Lifts Rig Utilization with Over $550M in New Drilling Contracts

Apr 29, 2026

Offshore driller Noble Corporation has secured about $565 million in new contract value since its last fleet update, lifting its backlog to $7.5 billion as fleet utilization improved.Utilization of the company’s 29 marketed rigs rose to 68% in the first quarter from 64% in the previous quarter…

SLB Rolls Out AlphaSight Reservoir Mapping Solution

Apr 28, 2026

Energy technology company SLB has launched AlphaSight, its latest innovation in reservoir mapping and drilling intelligence.AlphaSight leverages industry-first technologies, setting a new benchmark for visibility and control in complex drilling environments to maximize production potential…

Rhino Resources Books Saipem Drillship for Work off Namibia

Apr 27, 2026

Rhino Resources has contracted Saipem’s Saipem 12000 drillship to drill an appraisal well offshore Namibia to test the extension of an oil discovery in the Orange Basin.The Capricornus-1A well, located in Block 2914 under the PEL 85 license…

SLB, Baker Hughes Expect Oil Spending Rise on Supply Disruptions

Apr 27, 2026

Top oilfield services companies SLB and Baker Hughes said on Friday they expect higher spending on oil exploration and production, as tighter global supplies driven by the Middle East conflict highlight the need for investment, particularly in North America…

Well Decommissioning Expanding Horizons for Innovators with Proven Experience

Apr 24, 2026

The changing shape of the oil and gas landscape presents both an opportunity and a challenge for well decommissioning. Well decommissioning, particularly the safe execution of plug and abandonment (P&A) operations, represents a significant opportunity…

Gulf NOCs and MODU Operators Look to Contractual Resilience to Ride Out Disruption

Apr 24, 2026

Continued idling of assets should the conflict persist would see wider MODU market tightening as drillers and NOCs manage capacity.The impact of the war in the Middle East on the offshore energy sector has so far received less attention than…

Deepwater’s Playbook for Delivering Growth

Apr 23, 2026

Deepwater production continues to remain a core part of the long-term energy supply mix. While production from conventional onshore and shallow-water assets is expected to remain broadly flat under our base case, Welligence estimates that global…

EU Weighs Dropping Arctic Drilling Opposition

Apr 23, 2026

The European Union is considering dropping its opposition to new oil and gas drilling in the Arctic, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.The EU has been pushing for an international ban on new oil and gas drilling on environmental grounds since 2021…

Middle East Conflict Jolts Offshore Drilling Market

Apr 22, 2026

Conflict between Iran, the United States, Israel and allies throughout the Gulf region has had an immediate effect on the oil and gas industry, both upstream and downstream. Drone and missile attacks have damaged refineries and as of mid-April 2026…

Seadrill Lands $260M US Gulf Contracts for Drillships

Apr 22, 2026

Offshore drilling contractor Seadrill has secured contract awards in the Gulf of America for two ultra-deepwater drillships, adding about $260 million to its backlog.The West Neptune drillship received a 365-day contract extension, with operations set to begin in September 2026…

Equinor Drills Dry Well in North Sea

Apr 22, 2026

Equinor and its partners have drilled a dry well in the Skoll and Hati prospects, east of the Visund field in the North Sea.Wildcat well 34/8-A-37 H was drilled in production license 120, 140 kilometers west of Florø and four kilometers east of the Visund A platform…

Vaalco Reports Strong Gabon Well Results, Baobab FPSO Restart On Track

Apr 21, 2026

Vaalco Energy has achieved strong initial results from a development well offshore Gabon and remains on track to restart production at its Baobab field in Côte d’Ivoire in the second quarter of 2026.The company said the Etame 14H well has been drilled…

Odfjell Drilling Suspends Rig Ops Following Equipment Incident

Apr 20, 2026

Offshore drilling contractor Odfjell Drilling has reported an equipment handling incident on its Deepsea Atlantic rig, which caused a blowout preventer (BOP) to drop to the seabed and prompted a suspension of operations.The incident occurred on April 18 while running the BOP…

Eni Makes Major Gas Discovery Offshore Indonesia

Apr 20, 2026

Italy’s Eni has made a gas discovery offshore Indonesia with estimated resources of about 5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas and 300 million barrels of condensate.The discovery was made by the Geliga-1 exploration well in the Ganal block in the Kutei Basin…

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