Exploration News


RWE Dea awarded two blocks in Egypt

Sep 17, 2014

German company RWE Dea has been awarded two offshore blocks in the Gulf of Suez in Egypt’s international bid round. The new RWE Dea licences in the Gulf of Suez Map from Dea RWE will become…

Noble eying 1.6bn bbl Falkland prize

Sep 17, 2014

US-based explorer Noble Energy has lined up a string of prospects in the Falklands with prospective resources totaling up to 1.6 billion barrels of oil.  The firm has been assessing 2D seismic and new 3D datasets in the south and east Falkland basin…

Rockall under new 2D spotlight

Sep 17, 2014

GeoPartners, in partnership with Seabird Exploration Multi-Client and DownUnder GeoSolutions, has announced a new multiclient 2D (MC2D) seismic project in the Frontier UK Rockall Basin offshore the north west coast of Scotland. The Rockall…

Mexico's challenge to explorationists

Sep 15, 2014

Consulting petroleum geologist Colin Stabler spoke to a full house at the Houston Geological Society's General Dinner on 15 September 2014, presenting 'Mexico's Challenge to Explorationists.' Stabler has worked Mexican subsurface geology since 1966…

Greece’s second international licensing round

Sep 15, 2014

An announcement on the second Greek offshore licensing round is expected this month.  The Greek Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change announced the round would be launched upon publication of the Notice of the Call for Tenders in the Official Journal of the European Union…

Lancaster test proves better than expected

Sep 15, 2014

Fractured basement reservoir explorer Hurricane Energy says post-well data analysis of its 1km horizontal appraisal well 205/21a-6 well test in Q2 this year has shown better than expected results. The firm said the well, which tested…

Mitsubishi entering Côte d’Ivoire

Sep 12, 2014

Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. acquired 20% of US-based Anadarko Petroleum’s interest in Block C1-103 off the coast of Côte d’Ivoire, becoming the first Japanese company to enter the oil and gas exploration business in the area. Map of Block C1-103…

Eni CEO investigated for corruption

Sep 11, 2014

Four months after taking to the helm of Italian state-run Eni, CEO Claudio Descalzi is now the subject of a corruption investigation related to the acquisition of the large and lucrative deepwater oil prospecting lease (OPL) 245 offshore Nigeria…

CNOOC opens 33 blocks off China

Sep 11, 2014

State-run China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) issued an exploration tender inviting foreign oil companies to bid for 33 oil and gas blocks. The gas blocks cover an area of 126,108sq km off east and southern China. CNOOC says…

CNOOC begins drilling off China

Sep 11, 2014

CNOOC Ltd. began drilling at the WZ12-10-1 exploration well in the Beibu Gulf Block 22/12, offshore China. Map from Horizon Oil The well is located 4.7km east-northeast from Roc’s existing…

47 apply in latest Norwegian license round

Sep 11, 2014

Nearly 50 companies have made applications for licenses in the Norwegian government's lates licensing round. The deadline for applications ended September 2. Norway's Ministry of Energy and Petroleum said applications had been received…

Barents Sea duster for Statoil

Sep 11, 2014

Statoil Petroleum has drilled a dry wildcat exploration well on the Ensis prospect in production license (PL) 393 B in the Barents Sea.  The well, 7125/4-3, was drilled about 4km south of the 7125/4-1 oil and gas discovery and about 105km northeast of Hammerfest…

Sembcorp buys SSP and builds new facility

Sep 10, 2014

Singapore’s Sembcorp Marine announced they invested millions of dollars in the purchase of an American company and in a new facility in Singapore. The SSP Hub is capable of integrated delivery…

Statoil resumes Pingvin

Sep 10, 2014

Statoil resumed drilling operations on 10 September at the oil-bearing strata in the exploration well 7319/12-1 Pingvin after receiving permission from the Norwegian Environment Agency. The Pingvin prospect is in production license 713 in the Norwegian Barents Sea…

Roc abandons China Block 09/05

Sep 10, 2014

Roc Oil failed to find commercial hydrocarbons at the QK11-1-1 well in Bohai Bay, offshore China, reported joint venture partner AWE Ltd. The well was drilled to a total depth of 4377m measured depth and 3863 true vertical depth on 7…

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