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…
Petrobras has agreed an early terminatation on its contract for Sevan Drilling's cylindrical drilling rig, the Sevan Driller. The two firms also agreed to reduce rates on a second Sevan drilling rig, the Sevan Brasil, also on contract to Petrobras…
Keppel FELS has delivered two jackup rigs to Mexico's Grupo R. Built to Keppel's proprietary KFELS B Class design, the rigs, CANTARELL I and CANTARELL II, will be chartered to PEMEX for operations in the Cantarell oil field offshore Mexico…
The NG-3500X is the latest design in GustoMSC’s series of self-propelled jack-up designs – the NG series. Based on the NG-2500X and NG-1800X designs, the NG-3500X comes in two distinct versions for accommodation, services and well intervention…
Bourbon has taken delivery of the Bourbon Arctic from the Vard Brattvåg shipyard (Norway) and completed her first anchor handling operation. The vessel was engaged in the disconnection and unmooring operation of the Island Innovator located at the Fosen field in the central North Sea…
Songa Offshore is looking to raise US$150 million in cash to help it deliver the fourth and final Cat D new build rig, the Songa Enabler. The firm has been building the rigs for client Statoil. But, lower than expected utilization rates on the first two delivered units…
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Wintershall a drilling permit for wildcat well 35/8-6 S, in block 35/8 of production license 248. Well 35/8-6 S will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, a semisubmersible…
The Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) Norway has given Statoil consent to use the West Epsilon jackup drilling facility for permanent plugging of wells at Huldra 30/2-A, in production license 051. Statoil has allocated 215 days for the activity…
In this video, Weatherford illustrates that upgrading a rig with the right integrated solution can result in a safer, more efficient wellsite. According to the company,pre-installed rig systems are not always well suited for complications that arise during drilling operations…
Global offshore drilling giant Transocean has set back the delivery date for five new jackup rigs by nearly four years. In an agreement with rig builder Keppel Offshore & Marine's shipyard, Keppel FELS, delivery of the five Super B 400…
Geoquip Marine, a geotechnical engineering and offshore drilling company, will unveil its new GMTR150 rig at Oceanology International in London. The GMTR150 is a twin ram drilling rig that can be used for drilling, coring, sampling and testing in water depths up to 3500m…
The floating rig market is preparing for the most challenging year ahead. Leslie Cook, of Quest Offshore, explains. Noble Corp. announced in Q1 it would retire the Noble Discoverer drillship after…
35 offshore projects and 100 rig years have slipped after the oil price collapse. Oddmund Føre, Analyst, Rystad Energy, explains. The market for oilfield services is hurting and offshore drilling is no exception. The global market for…
Expro secured a new framework agreement with Statoil in the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The agreement, for three years with options to extend for three, two-year periods will see Expro provide subsea services and well control systems…
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…