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 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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Sixteen new licenses for oil and gas exploration in the Danish sector of the North Sea have been granted under Denmark's 7th Licensing Round, pending parliament approval. The move will see several new foreign operators enter the Danish sector…
Wintershall is due to start drilling its latest exploration well on production license 248 in the North Sea, starting in March. The firm has been given consent to drill two wells, 35/8-6S and 35/8-6A, taking around 85 days, depending on whether a discovery is made…
China's CNOOC has laid claim to the the country's first ultra-deepwater gas discovery in the northwestern part of the South China Sea. The Lingshui 18-1-1 exploration was drilled in 1688m (5538ft) water depth and has been certified as a discovery by the Ministry of Land & Resources…
Private equity funded Black Platinum Energy will move ahead with its plans for appraisal and development activities to prove up its shallow gas plays in East Natuna, offshore Indonesia, despite current industry conditions. Plans include drilling one exploration well…
The government of Sri Lanka gas signed a joint study agreement (JSA) with French major Total covering two ultra-deep exploration blocks offshore its east coast. The study's objective is to explore the two offshore blocks (JS5 and JS6) for hydrocarbons…
London-based SOCO International's Baobab Marine-1 commitment well is to be plugged and abandoned after finding no oil or gas. The well was drilled on the Mer Profonde Sud Block, in the Lower Congo Basin, offshore Congo. Drilling…