Drilling News


Ensuring Riser Readiness

Dec 25, 2019

As drilling costs keep coming down for land-based wells in unconventional plays, offshore drillers face increased pressure to lower their costs. A key focus area: maintenance budgets for marine drilling risers. Instead of the traditional five-year…

Equinor Receives Permit to drill Norwegian Sea

Dec 23, 2019

Equinor has secured approval from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) to begin drilling the well 66046604/5-2 S, which is located in the Norwegian Sea.A press note from NPD said that the well 30/6-31 S will be drilled from the West Hercules…

Wintershall Dea Norge Wins Norway Permit

Dec 23, 2019

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Wintershall Dea Norge, a Norwegian unit of the German oil company Wintershall Dea, a drilling permit for well 66046604/5-2 S, which is located in the Norwegian Sea.According to NPD, the well…

Shell Makes 'Significant' Gas Find Offshore Australia

Dec 23, 2019

Shell announced a 'significant' gas and condensate discovery in the Browse Basin off the northwest coast of Western Australia, unlocking potential to develop a tieback to Shell's mega Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility.Drilling of the Bratwurst -1 exploration well…

Vår Energi Awards Rig Contract to Seadrill

Dec 23, 2019

Vår Energi announced it has awarded a rig contract to Seadrill to secure the West Phoenix drilling rig for work on the Balder Future redevelopment project in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The contract, which is subject to authority approval of the $2…

ExxonMobil Discovers Oil Offshore Guyana

Dec 23, 2019

ExxonMobil made a deepwater oil discovery at the Mako-1 well offshore Guyana, the US supermajor announced on Monday, just days after reporting first oil from the nearby Liza field on Friday.The 15th discovery on the Stabroek Block, the new find…

Odfjell to Drill More Wells for Equinor

Dec 22, 2019

Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor has exercised three new wells for Odfjell Drilling’s semisubmersible Deepsea Atlantic.Furthermore, two additional wells are pending final approval by Equinor and its licensees.The wells have been exercised…

U.S. Drillers Add Most Rigs Since Feb 2018

Dec 20, 2019

U.S. energy firms added the most oil rigs this week since February 2018 - primarily in the Permian shale - even though producers have been reducing spending on new drilling for much of this year.Companies added 18 oil rigs in the week to Dec…

2020 Offshore Exploration Outlook

Dec 19, 2019

Exploration and production (E&P) companies are expected to enter 2020 with measured optimism for offshore exploration prospects, after 2019 delivered a moderate increase in exploration drilling and not-so-moderate rise in licensing activity…

Equinor Gets Another Approval for Australia Drilling

Dec 19, 2019

Norwegian energy company Equinor has received the second of four approvals needed for offshore exploration in the Great Australian Bight.This week, Australia's National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA)…

Aker Extends Deepsea Nordkapp Job

Dec 18, 2019

Aker BP, the oil exploration and development company focusing petroleum resources on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, has exercised the first one-year option for Odfjel Drilling’s Deepsea Nordkapp semi-submersible drilling rig.According to a press note from Odfjell Drilling…

Odfjell Drilling Wins Ekofisk Gig

Dec 18, 2019

Norwegean offshore driller Odfjell Drilling has been awarded the contract for platform drilling and maintenance and minor modifications for ConocoPhillips offshore Norway.The oil drilling, well service, and engineering company said that the…

Shelf Drilling Buys Jack-up Rig Maersk Completer

Dec 18, 2019

Maersk Drilling said it has agreed to sell the jack-up rig Maersk Completer to a subsidiary of Shelf Drilling for $38 million in cash as the Danish-based offshore drilling contractor seeks to concentrate its efforts on harsh environment activities in the North Sea…

Perenco Cancels Contract with Maersk Drilling

Dec 18, 2019

Maersk Drilling said it has been notified by Perenco that the Anglo-French oil and gas company is canceling a three-well contract for the jack-up rig Maersk Resolute in the UK North Sea due to scheduling overruns.According to Perenco, the cancellation…

BP Contracts Maersk Rig for Trinidad Campaign

Dec 17, 2019

Maersk Drilling informs it has secured a three-well contract for the semi-submersible rig Maersk Discoverer with BP for development drilling at the Matapal project offshore Trinidad and Tobago.The contract has an estimated duration of 322 days and is expected to commence in July 2020…

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