Exploration News


Shell pipe falls to seafloor off Nova Scotia

Mar 08, 2016

Shell Canada’s operations offshore Nova Scotia were brought to a halt over the weekend due to severe weather, which caused a 2km pipe from the Stena IceMAX drillship to fall to the seafloor. The Stena IceMAX…

Transocean delays five newbuilds to 2020

Mar 08, 2016

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…

Encouraging GoM result for Byron Energy

Mar 08, 2016

Byron Energy's SM-6 #2 well in the South Marsh Island Block 6 in the US Gulf of Mexico has intersected a number of hydrocarbon bearing sands which may result in an increase in reserves estimates for the block, says partner Otto Energy.  Otto…

OGA launches exploration competition

Mar 07, 2016

The UK's new regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), has launched a competition linked to future exploration licensing rounds in order to stimulate further offshore oil and gas exploration activity in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS)…

Lundin's Fosen well dry

Mar 07, 2016

Sweden's Lundin Petroleum is to plug and abandon its latest exploration well after it was classified as dry. Exploration well 16/4-10 was on the Fosen prospect in PL544 on the southern flank of the Utsira High in the Norwegian North Sea…

Lundin hits gas offshore Malaysia

Mar 03, 2016

Sweden's Lundin Petroleum has discovered 'significant gas shows' in the Maligan exploration well in Block SB307/SB308, offshore East Malaysia. The Maligan well was drilled with the West Prospero jackup rig to a total depth of approximately 1380m…

Dana starts Manatee-1 off Cameroon

Mar 02, 2016

Dana Petroleum commenced drilling operations at the Manatee-1 exploration well on the Bakassi West block, offshore Cameroon, according to partner SDX Energy. Map of Bakassi West block, from SDX…

JOGMEC gets Seychelles extension

Mar 02, 2016

Japanese exploration outfit Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. (JOGMEC) has been given more time to explore offshore the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean offshore east Africa. The firm has signed an extension to its joint survey…

Statoil outlines Irish awards

Mar 02, 2016

Statoil has outlined its six Licensing Options offered in Ireland’s 2015 Atlantic Margin Licensing Round. Statoil is set to be the operator of four Licensing Options and partner in two Licensing Options, operated by ExxonMobil. The…

Moody's slashes drillers' ratings

Mar 02, 2016

Ratings house Moody's issued a damning report on the health of some of the industry's top offshore drillers following a review. Out of six US offshore drilling companies, it has downgraded two by three notches, three companies' ratings…

Total's Uptonia prospect dry

Mar 02, 2016

Total's Uptonia exploration well 34/6-4 on production license 554 in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea is to be plugged and abandoned as a dry well, says the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.  The well was drilled about 6km northeast…

The downward spiral

Mar 01, 2016

Most of the news in the rig market is bad, but there are bright spots if you look hard enough. Audrey Leon sets out the details. Image from OE Staff. Not much has changed for…

Latin America: Great expectations

Mar 01, 2016

Brazil and Mexico are not the only games in town in Latin America. The deepest water well ever drilled is lined up for offshore Uruguay and Exxon is set to test Liza offshore Guyana. Elaine Maslin reports. The newly minted Maersk Venturer drillship…

Assessing Mexico’s geological potential

Mar 01, 2016

Heather Saucier examines the potential of deepwater plays to be auctioned in Mexico’s next offshore round, including the most prized area in the Perdido Fold Belt. Shell’s deepwater Perdido spar in the US Gulf of Mexico…

Embracing nanotechnology’s potential

Mar 01, 2016

Elaine Maslin examines some of the potential uses for nanoscale manufacturing in the oil and gas industry. Image provided by Repsol. Source: 'Commercial scale production of inorganic nanoparticles…

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