Exploration News


New drilling outfit takes shape

Jun 29, 2015

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…

Eni, KMG to explore Isatay

Jun 29, 2015

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 plans business expansions

Jun 24, 2015

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…

Greater Njord taking shape at drill bit

Jun 24, 2015

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's Norway probe dry

Jun 24, 2015

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…

Wintershall approved for North Sea well

Jun 23, 2015

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…

Zumba fails Tullow

Jun 22, 2015

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…

Gazprom, Shell agree to Sakhalin expansion

Jun 19, 2015

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…

Premier targets 2016 Bagpuss spud

Jun 19, 2015

Premier Oil is hoping to spud an exploration well on the Baguss prospect in Block 13/24c in the UK North Sea in H1 2016, according to partner North Sea Energy.  The Bagpuss well targets lower cretaceous sands, jurassic sands and a granite wash formation about 1400ft subsurface…

Wintershall North Sea wildcat comes up dry

Jun 18, 2015

Wintershall Norge, operator of production license 378, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 35/12-5 S. The well was drilled about 15km southwest of the Gjøa field in the North Sea and 80km southwest of Florø…

Statoil Mariner deals surpass US$1.5 billion

Jun 17, 2015

Statoil has handed out the largest contracts for the UK North Sea’s Mariner field that are worth more than US$1.57 billion (£1 billion) to the companies established in Aberdeen. Mariner. Image from Statoil…

Lundin spuds Luno II

Jun 17, 2015

Lundin Norway commenced drilling of exploration well 16/4-9 S on the Luno II North prospect in the North Sea.  The main objective of well 16/4-9 S is to test the hydrocarbon potential and reservoir properties in the Luno II North prospect…

MEO, Brooke Dockyard form consortium

Jun 17, 2015

MEO Australia Malaysian-based Brooke Dockyard & Engineering Work Corp. signed an agreement to form a consortium to cooperate to identify and jointly bid on oil and gas exploration and development opportunities within Sarawak and the whole of Malaysia…

Northern adds to Italian seismic program

Jun 16, 2015

Northern Petroleum announced that the environmental impact assessments (EIA) for its three remaining exploration permit applications in the southern Adriatic have been approved. These approvals are in addition to the two EIA approvals for exploration permit applications announced on 10 June 2015…

Sound Oil gets environmental go ahead

Jun 16, 2015

Sound Oil, the European- and Mediterranean-focused upstream oil and gas company, has announced the approval of the environmental impact assessment for the award of the D503-BR-CS permit, covering Sound Oil's Dora and Dalla assets in the Adriatic Sea…

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