Exploration News


Otto to bail on the Philippines

Jan 28, 2016

Australia-based Otto Energy may leave the Philippines to focus on its North American assets, leaving joint venture partner Red Emperor Resources with an option to takeover more stake in SC 55. Map of SC 55…

Carnarvon gains West Auz stake

Jan 28, 2016

Carnarvon Petroleum has secured 35% stake in license TR/3 in the Barrow sub-basin offshore Austrailia, joining operator Quadrant Energy. Image of the Noble Tom Prosser, courtesy of Noble. The…

Freeport-McMoRan idle in GoM

Jan 27, 2016

Freeport-McMoRan’s (FCX) net loss of US$4.1 billion in Q4 2015 has led to several cuts across the company, including deferring exploration and development activities in the Gulf of Mexico by idling its three deepwater drillships that are currently under contract…

CNOOC's Kenli 10-4 online

Jan 27, 2016

China’s CNOOC commenced production at the Kenli 10-4 oilfield, offshore China. The Kenli 10-4 oilfield is located in the South of Bohai at about 15m water depth. In addition to fully utilizing the existing facilities of Kenli 10-1 oilfield…

Kosmos in significant Senegal find

Jan 27, 2016

Kosmos Energy announced a “significant” natural gas discovery at its first exploration well offshore Senegal, in addition to memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development of the cross-border Greater Tortue complex. The Atwood Achiever…

Hess cuts E&P budget by 40%

Jan 26, 2016

Hess Corp.’s 2016 exploration and production capital and exploratory budget has been reduced 40% compared to 2015, with the bulk of it going to offshore production, developments, exploration, and appraisals. Tubular Bells in the Gulf of Mexico…

Lundin completes Bambazon well

Jan 25, 2016

Lundin Malaysia completed, and will plug and abandon the Bambazon exploration well in Block SB307/SB308, offshore East Malaysia. The well encountered approximately 15m of net logged reservoir pay with oil shows over three main reservoir…

Lundin spuds Fosen prospect offshore Norway

Jan 25, 2016

Lundin Petroleum has started drilling exploration well 16/4-10 on the Fosen prospect, offshore Norway. The well is about 27km south of the Edvard Grieg field and 11km south of the Luno II discovery. It will explore the Fosen prospect…

Woodside spuds latest Myanmar probe

Jan 22, 2016

Woodside Energy and partner Daewoo International have started drilling their latest exploration well offshore Myanmar just weeks after announcing a gas discovery in the region. The latest well, the Thalin-1 well in Block AD-7, was spudded 20 January…

JX Nippon lines up Loanan drilling

Jan 22, 2016

JX Nippon E&P is gearing up to drill an exploration well on the Loanan prospect west of Shetland.  The Japanese exploration firm has awarded Norway's Odfjell Drilling a contract to use the semisubmersible Deepsea Stavanger for the well…

Exxon, GEPetrol in Equatorial Guinea PSC

Jan 21, 2016

Equatorial Guineas’ Ministry of Mines, Industry and Energy, on behalf of the government of Equatorial Guinea signed a production sharing contract (PSC) with ExxonMobil E&P Equatorial Guinea (Offshore) and GEPetrol for Block EG-06, offshore Bioko Island…

BHP to spend $1.5 billion on GoM, Auz

Jan 20, 2016

Anglo-Australian multinational mining, metals and petroleum company BHP Billiton plans to have a capital expenditure of US$1.5 billion in 2016 for its offshore projects, and to remain focused on high-return infill drilling opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Australia…

Lundin's Lorry prospect lacks fuel

Jan 20, 2016

Swedish exploration firm Lundin Petroleum's latest exploration well 6407/10-4 on the Lorry prospect in the Norwegian Sea has been classified as dry. The well, in PL700B, on the northern part of the Frøya High in the southern Norwegian Sea has been plugged and abandoned…

Statoil breaks its APA award record

Jan 19, 2016

In the awards in predefined areas (APA) round 2015, Statoil has been awarded interest in 24 licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS), 13 of those as operator and 11 as partner, breaking the company’s 2005 record for number of licenses awarded…

Appetite for exploration, despite oil price

Jan 19, 2016

Norway's latest awards in predefined areas (APA) round was announced today, with some 56 licenses offered to oil firms. Duncan John, Partner at consultancy StrategicFit, offers his views. This APA round has shown that appetite for exploration in Norway has been resilient to low oil prices…

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