The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB) granted Shell Canada the approval to begin its Shelburne Basin Venture Exploration Drilling Project, offshore Nova Scotia. The Stena IceMAX…
UK-based Ophir Energy commenced its two-well drilling campaign in the Gulf of Thailand with the spudding of the G4/50-10 exploration well on the Soy Siam prospect. Image: Offshore Thailand / Ophir…
Following the fate of the global oil industry, the short-term outlook for the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) market is set to be sluggish – but long-term these machines will play a key role in deepwater development and the technology they use is set for a leap forward…
No hydrocarbon show at the ROC Oil-operated block 09/05 in the Bohai Bay basin in China, says joint venture partner AWE Ltd. The well, QK12-3-1D, which is now preparing for abandonment, is the second of the two planned exploration wells in the block…
CGG GeoSoftware has announced new releases to its application suites: Jason 9.0, Hampson-Russell 10.0 and Insight Earth 3.0. Jason 9.0 has a new anisotropic inversion tool for analyzing anisotropy for effective well design and optimum production…
The US Department of the Interior announced it will cancel two planned Arctic offshore lease sales under the US government’s current five-year plan for 2012-2017 due to Shell’s failed Arctic campaign and current market conditions, which left…
MEO Australia’s exploration portfolio will be getting thinner next year, as the company announced it will drop out of three Australian blocks in the next six months due to high risks and minimal potential. Map of Beehive…
Lundin Petroleum has started drilling exploration well 16/1-25 S on the Rolvsnes prospect in PL338C about 6km south of the Edvard Grieg field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. Well 16/1-25 S will explore the Rolvsnes area, between the Edvard Grieg field and the Luno II discovery…
Noble Energy has recorded oil and gas shows in the 53/02-01 Humpback exploration well, according to partner Falklands Oil and Gas (FOGL). The 53/02-01 well was drilled to 4718m with the oil and gas shows in the main target horizon and…
Petrobras announced a further hydrocarbon discovery at the giant pre-salt Libra field in the Santos basin, offshore Brazil. The Brazilian national said that well 3-BRSA-1310-RJS, in the central portion of the block, identified the presence of hydrocarbons in a low-porosity reservoir…
Technavio has published a new report on the global drill bits in oil and gas industry, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 4% from 2015-2019. The company says that the persistent decline in prices during the forecast period…
Archer (UK) announced the award of a three-year contract with two, two-year extension options, for the provision of platform drilling services for Talisman Sinopec Energy UK. The contract, which is scheduled to commence on 1 November 2015…
Russia’s Lukoil discovered natural gas pay at its deepwater Lira field in the Black Sea, offshore Romania. The Transocean Development Driller II. Image from Lukoil. The Lira-1X…
Cairn Energy is due to start its 1 billion bbl-seeking drilling program on its prospective offshore Senegal blocks in coming weeks. The Ocean Rig Athena is expected to start mobilization to Senegal from its current location in Angola in the next few days…
Primeline Energy Holdings Inc. has announced that China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) has agreed to extend the exploration period under the petroleum contract for Block 33/07 to facilitate Primeline’s exploration drilling program in the East China Sea…