Exploration News


Mexico's bleak Round One ends

Jul 15, 2015

Mexico’s National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH) opened the first public tender process early this morning (15 July) in the country's historic and disappointing Round One that offered Mexico's upstream opportunities to international companies for the first time in decades…

Dry well on Zeppelin

Jul 15, 2015

Wintershall's Zeppelin exploration well offshore Norway has been classified as dry. The well, 10/4-1, in production license 734, was drilled about 35km southeast of the Yme field in the North Sea using the Borgland Dolphin semisubmersible drilling rig in 98m water depth…

PEMEX bows out of Round One

Jul 10, 2015

Mexico’s national oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) is joining a list of international oil and gas companies by opting out of Mexico’s historic Round One. Image from PEMEX. At an event in Mexico City…

Stone’s Cardona on track

Jul 07, 2015

Stone Energy’s Cardona #6 development well, in Mississippi Canyon block 29 of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has been proceeding ahead of schedule and below budget, and drilling has been completed through the targeted zones. The well encountered 288ft of net pay in two intervals…

Four exit Mexico’s Round One

Jul 07, 2015

Mexico’s Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH) revealed that four companies have opted to withdraw from the country’s historic Round One in the southern Gulf of Mexico, according to a Reuters report.  Image from Pemex…

Global seismic vessel roundup

Jul 07, 2015

Seismic vessels are the lifeblood of global offshore exploration efforts. Jeannie Stell searches for bright spots in the current global market of seismic vessel activity.  The Sanco Sword. From Dolphin Geophysical…

Quadrant spuds West Auz well

Jul 06, 2015

Quadrant Energy Australia spudded the high impact Levitt-1 exploration well in WA-482-P Carnarvon basin, offshore Western Australia, according to partner Karoon Gas Australia. Map of Levitt-1. From Karoon…

Statoil adds to Gina Krog area reserves

Jul 01, 2015

Norway's Statoil has made a small discovery near the Gina Krog development project, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate and pratner Det norske. Wildcat well 15/6-13 and appraisal wells 15/6-13 A and 15/6-13 B were drilled…

West African risks and rewards

Jul 01, 2015

The tides are changing in many countries, which are ramping up their political policies to provide international operators the consistency and transparency needed to invest in the region. Heather Saucier reports. Noble Energy has distributed approx…

Realizing CCS’s potential

Jul 01, 2015

Could the North Sea become a CO2 storage site? Elaine Maslin takes a look at two proposed projects and some of the challenges involved. The CCS goal—how the Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage sees carbon capture and storage on and offshore…

Seeing the unseeable

Jul 01, 2015

Improved ways to gather and interpret geophysical data were highlighted at OTC. Bruce Nichols reports. Rocky Roden, consulting geophysicist for Geophysical Insights, showed an OTC session how to…

Eyes on New Zealand

Jun 30, 2015

Oil and gas companies are still testing the waters offshore New Zealand when it comes to production, and little has been done off the islands in the exploration arena.   Māui A platform. Images from NZP&M/ Rob Tucker…

IOG eyes Skipper FPSO options

Jun 30, 2015

Independent Oil and Gas (IOG) has started discussions with potential floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel providers for its UK north Sea Skipper development.  The firm, which recently agreed to acquire 50% of the Skipper license from Alpha Petroleum…

UK drilling activity increases

Jun 30, 2015

Exploration and appraisal activity in the North Sea doubled in the opening three months of the year following the UK Chancellor’s industry tax cut, new figures reveal. Data published by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC)…

Petrobras to cut investment by 41%

Jun 29, 2015

Embattled Brazilian state-owned energy firm Petrobras has approved a new five-year investment plan for 2015-2019, which slashes total investments by 41% from last year’s estimates, the company announced on 29 June. Last year, the company announced it planned a total capex of US$220…

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