Drilling News


Noble's Gunflint hits non-commercial pay

Jun 14, 2013

Noble Energy announced a non-commercial hydrocarbon find at its second deepwater Gunflint appraisal well in the US Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi Canyon 992 #1, located one mile west of the original discovery well, encountered 109 ft of net pay and was drilled to a total depth of 32…

Dutch develop dual MPT for new drillships

Jun 13, 2013

European editor Elaine Maslin went to visit Huisman’s yard in Schiedam, Netherlands, as the finishing touches were being carried out on the Noble Globetrotter II.    When offshore lifting, pipelay and drilling firm Huisman decided…

Atwood Beacon jackup to leave Israel for Italy

Jun 10, 2013

On June 5, Houston-based Atwood Oceanics Inc. announced a new drilling services contract with Eni S.p.A. for the Atwood Beacon. The independent leg cantilever jackup rig is currently working offshore Israel but will finish by July 2013. The…

Johan Castberg on hold

Jun 05, 2013

Statoil announced it will delay an investment decision on its Johan Castberg project in the Norwegian Barents Sea due to unease regarding recent move by the Norwegian government to increase taxes on oil and gas producers. In addition to the tax rise…

KrisEnergy spuds Indonesia prospect

Jun 03, 2013

KrisEnergy has spudded the Tayum-1 exploration well in the Kutai PSC, offshore East Kalimantan, Indonesia, its partner Salamander Energy (23.4%) announced on 3 June 2013. The Tayum well is being drilled using the Randolph Yost jackup…

HRT spuds Murombe prospect

Jun 03, 2013

HRT's wholly-owned subsidiary HRT Walvis Petroleum Ltd., has the spud-in of the Murombe-1 (2212/06-1) off Namibia, the second offshore well in its back-to-back exploratory drilling campaign.  The well is targeting the Murombe Prospect…

Tullow plugs Ivory Coast well

May 30, 2013

Tullow Oil plc's Calao-1X exploration well, in the CI-103 licence off the Ivory Coast, encountered thin condensate/gas-bearing reservoirs in an Upper Cretaceous deepwater channel system, the company announced on 30 May 2013. Following completion of logging operations…

Atwood Eagle wins work off Australia

May 30, 2013

Atwood Oceanics, Inc. through one of its subsidiaries, has won a drilling services contract for the semisubmersible rig Atwood Eagle. This contract is for a term of 24 months and will be performed offshore Australia at a day rate of approximately $460…

Reliance confirms Indian gas find

May 28, 2013

Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) and partner BP, have discovered gas and condensate in the KG D6 block in the Krishna-Godavari field off the eastern coast of India. The KGD6-MJ1 well was drilled in a water depth of 1024 m, and a total depth of 4509 m…

New jack-up for North Sea

May 28, 2013

Noble Corporation has ordered a new harsh-environment jack-up rig it is to deploy in the  North Sea from 2015. The new unit, based on the Gusto MSC CJ70 design and meeting an enhanced version of Norwegian oil firm Statoil's 'Cat J' specifications…

String of contracts for KCA Deutag

May 27, 2013

Drilling and engineering contractor KCA Deutag has picked up three drilling operation and maintenance contracts for work in the North Sea with operators Total E&P UK, EnQuest and CNR International (CNRI). The contracts with Total E&P…

Noble preps Aphrodite drilling

May 27, 2013

Noble Energy is to start drilling on Aphrodite 2 offshore Cyprus in the next two weeks, according to partners on the project.  Delek Group, whose subsidiaries Delek Drilling and Avner are partners on Aphrodite in Block 12, said the work…

Statoil increases Tanzanian presence

May 24, 2013

Norwegian oil giant Statoil has increased its holdings off east Africa after acquiring a 12% working interest in a licence offshore Tanzania from Petrobras.   The stake in Block 6 covers 5549sq km in the Mafia basin, with water depths of 1800m…

Sub-commercial Black Sea well for Petroceltic

May 24, 2013

Petroceltic International has said the first of a four-well campaign in the Black Sea is to be plugged and abandoned after finding sub-commercial gas shows.  The Kamchia-1 exploration well, in the Galata concession offshore Bulgaria,…

UK well services sector at record high

May 24, 2013

UK North Sea spending on well services has reached an all time high, according to a survey by industry body Oil & Gas UK.  Its well well services sector report, based on a survey carried out since 1996, showed companies delivering drilling…

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