Exploration News


Hagar Qim-1 offshore Malta a duster

Jul 03, 2014

The Genel Energy-operated Hagar Qim-1 exploration well in Area 4, offshore Malta, has been plugged and abandoned after finding no hydrocarbons.  The well was drilled to the Eocene using the Noble Paul Romano (pictured), which will…

OMV strikes Barents Sea oil

Jul 03, 2014

OMV (Norge) has made an oil dioscvery on the 7324/7-2 Hanssen well, in production license 537, in the Barents Sea.  The Hanssen discovery was made about 7km northwest of the 7324/8-1 Wisting Central oil discovery and about 315km north of Hammerfest…

Gas Discovery at Toro

Jul 02, 2014

Woodside announced that the Toro-1 exploration well in permit WA-430-P has intersected approximately 150m gross gas and 65m net gas within the Mungaroo Formation target. The Toro-1 well was drilled to a total depth of 3724m, referenced from the rig rotary table…

SPE Russian Oil & Gas Conference announced

Jul 02, 2014

On the 14-16 October, the 5th biennial edition of SPE Russian Oil & Gas, Exploration and Production Technical Conference and Exhibition will be taking place at the All-Russian Exhibition Center in Moscow. The organizers are expecting a total…

Tullow spuds Lupus

Jul 02, 2014

Exploration drilling started on the Lupus oil prospect in production license 507 in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea yesterday. The well, 31/10-1, is about 35km south of the Oseberg field and is being drilled by the Borgland Dolphin semisubmersible drilling rig (pictured)…

Norwegian drilling remains "vigorous"

Jul 01, 2014

Exploration activity on the Norwegian shelf 'remains vigorous', with 13 new discoveries made this year, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD).   As of 24 June, 33 exploration wells (23 wildcat and 10 appraisal wells) have been spudded and 33 terminated…

Faroe well off target

Jun 27, 2014

Statoil’s Brugdan II well offshore the Faroe Islands is being plugged and abandoned after finding no hydrocarbons.  The well, which was a re-entry of the 6104/21-2 well, was drilled to 4542m, 130km offshore the Faroe Islands.  Drilling…

Morocco drilling starts

Jun 27, 2014

Tangiers Petroleum has said the Ralph Coffman jackup rig started drilling at the TAO-1 exploration well, offshore Morocco, yesterday. The TAO-1 well is within a proven petroleum system, adjacent to the Cap Juby heavy oil discovery and has been designed to test up to three stacked objectives…

Eni enters PSC with PetroVietnam

Jun 26, 2014

Eni has entered into a production sharing contract (PSC) with state-owned PetroVietnam for the exploration of Block 122, off eastern Vietnam. The Italian firm’s CEO, Claudio Descalzi, met with PetroVietnam President and CEO, Do Van Hau, in…

Gabon well fails to deliver

Jun 26, 2014

Ophir Energy says its Okala-1 well in the Mbeli Block offshore Gabon found developed sandstones but no significant hydrocarbon shows. The well was drilled by the Vantage Titanium Explorer drillship to a depth of 4229m measure depth targeting Cretaceous sands in the pre-salt section…

Dry well for E.ON E&P Norge

Jun 25, 2014

A wildcat well drilled by E.ON E&P Norge in production licence 558 was dry, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. Well 6507/5-7, which was the first well drilled in PL 558, was drilled about 18km southeast of the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea…

Irish oil implications 'immense'

Jun 25, 2014

One successful oil discovery in Ireland’s offshore Porcupine basin could supply all of Ireland’s oil demand, if not more, according to exploration minnow Petrel Resources.  The Dublin-based firm is hoping to take part in drilling in the…

KrisEnergy contracts jackup for Thai campaign

Jun 24, 2014

KrisEnergy Ltd. an independent upstream oil and gas company, announced it has contracted the Key Gibraltar jack-up rig for development, appraisal and exploration drilling in two licenses in the Gulf of Thailand. The contract with Shelf Drilling (Southeast Asia) Limited…

First steel cut on Caspian vessels

Jun 23, 2014

First steel cut on two supply vessels for Russia's Lukoil has started at Keppel Nantong Shipyard Co.'s yard in Nantong on 18 June. The two Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) class vessels have been designed to supply resources…

Lundin spuds Luno appraisal

Jun 23, 2014

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum), through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (Lundin Norway), is pleased to announce that drilling of appraisal well 16/4- 8 S on the Luno II discovery has started. The Luno II discovery…

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