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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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)…
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…
Houston-headquartered driller Northern Offshore (NOF) is to be combined with Chinese-controlled Blue Ocean Drilling into a new firm if a deal with Shandong Offshore International Co. worth about US$160 million (NOK 1.3 billion) is agreed…
Kazakh state-owned KazMunayGas (KMG) and Italian giant Eni finalized commercial terms to move 50% of the suboil use rights of the Isatay block in the Caspian Sea to Eni. Image from Eni. Isatay…
Unique Group, formerly known as Unique Maritime Group, has set in place measures to double its size and global infrastructure by 2019 through capital investment, acquisitions and expansion into key markets. With a current turnover in excess of US$100 million…
Drilling to further grow the resources around the Njord field in the Norwegian Sea has started, with more expected this year, helping firm up plans for the greater Njord area, according to partner Faroe Petroleum. Concept selection for…
Suncor Energy Norge's Niobe exploration well has been classified as a dry well, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. The well, 25/10-13 S, in production licence 571, was drilled in 119mm water depth, in the central part of…
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate granted Wintershall Norge a drilling permit for exploration well 10/4-1 in the North Sea. Well 10/4-1. From NPD. 10/4-1 is located in production license 734…
Tullow Oil is plugging and abandoning its Zumba exploration well (6507/11-11) in license area PL 591 in the Norwegian Sea, after failing to encounter hydrocarbons. The primary objective of the well was to prove hydrocarbons in the Upper…
Russian gas producer Gazprom and Shell signed an agreement to expand the Sakhalin-2 LNG project. Sakhalin-2 saw the development of two offshore oil and gas fields: Piltun-Astokhskoye and Lunskoye, off the north-eastern coast of Sakhalin…