Exploration News


Ocean Rig picked for Statoil Tanzania drilling program

Oct 13, 2017

Ocean Rig has signed a contract with Statoil, for a one-well drilling program offshore Tanzania.  The contract is expected to start in Q1 2018, and will use the Ocean Rig Poseidon, a 6th generation deepwater drillship based on the enhanced SAIPEM 10000 design…

Chevron drops Bight exploration - APPEA

Oct 13, 2017

US oil major Chevron has decided to discontinue its exploration program in the Great Australian Bight, according to the country's industry body.  BP dropped its plans for drilling two deepwater wells in the area after a tussle with…

Total hires Maersk Deliverer off Malaysia

Oct 10, 2017

Total E&P Malaysia has signed a 60-day contract for the Maersk Deliverer semisubmersible to drill offshore Southeast Asia, bringing the vessel out of warm stacking. The contract covers the drilling of one exploration well in the Block DW-N Sabah offshore Malaysia…

Total, ONAP ink Guinea E&P pact

Oct 09, 2017

Study area, in red. Map from Total. Total and the National Office of Petroleum of Guinea (ONAP) signed a technical evaluation agreement to study deep and ultra deep offshore areas located off the coast of Guinea Conakry…

Lundin spuds Hufsa probe in southern Barents Sea

Oct 09, 2017

Lundin has started drilling on the Hufsa exploration well in PL533 in the southern Norwegian Barents Sea. The well (7219/12-2) is south of the Filicudi oil discovery and the large Statoil-operated Johan Castberg oil discovery. The…

Statoil hits at Verbier, dry at two other wells

Oct 09, 2017

Statoil's 2017 three-well UK North Sea drilling campaign has resulted in a discovery in the Verbier well, but leaves behind two disappointments, the firm reports today.  On Verbier, after initial disappointing results in the target formation…

W&T to spud South Timbalier well in GoM

Oct 05, 2017

W&T Offshore is set to spud its latest well in the South Timbalier 224 (ST 224) lease in the Gulf of Mexico later this month, according to partner Otto Energy. “The Enterprise 264 jackup drilling rig is expected to be on location within…

MODEC gets Vietnam extension

Oct 04, 2017

Japan Vietnam Petroleum Co. (JVPC), a subsidiary of JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration, has extended its contract with a MODEC Dutch subsidiary Rang Dong MV17 BV (MV17BV), for the time charter of the FSO Rang Dong MV17. FSO Rang Dong MV17…

Aker BP in Frigg Gamma Delta hit, miss

Oct 03, 2017

Aker BP has encountered further oil at the Frigg Gamma Delta discovery offshore Norway, but came up dry at an adjacent wildcat, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD). Frigg Gamma Delta…

Barents under the spotlight

Oct 01, 2017

2017 is set to be a record year for exploration in the Barents Sea, with one prospect in particular getting most of the attention. Edison Investment Research’s Elaine Reynolds explores the scene. Tapping Korpfjell: the Songa Enabler…

Bayerngas to drill first wildcat in PL682

Sep 28, 2017

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Bayerngas Norge a drilling permit for well 35/9-13 in the Northern North Sea. Well 35/9-13. Map from NPD. Well 35/9-13 will be…

CGG TopSeis helps reveal Loppa High, Barents Sea

Sep 28, 2017

CGG has successfully completed acquisition of the first-ever full-scale commercial survey using TopSeis, its latest offshore broadband seismic acquisition and imaging solution. The inaugural TopSeis survey was commissioned by Lundin Norway…

Eni's latest Barents Sea probe dry

Sep 27, 2017

A well drilled 10km southwest of the producing Goliat oilfield in the Norwegian Barents Sea by Italian major Eni was dry, says the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. Well 7122/10-1 S was targeting hydrocarbons in Middle Triassic reservoir rocks (Kobbe formation)…

Eni boosts Mexico Area 1 reserves

Sep 26, 2017

Italian major Eni is pushing forward with its exploration efforts offshore Mexico after drilling its latest successful well and signing three new licenses won during Round 2.1 back in June.  The firm also says its preparing a development…

Mexico signs contracts from Round 2.1

Sep 26, 2017

Mexico has signed 10 exploration and extraction contracts with bid round winners from this June's shallow water Round 2.1. Companies signing contracts on Monday (25 September) included Mexico's state owned firm Pemex and its partners Germany's DEA and Colombian operator Ecopetrol…

Current News

Seatrium Gets Repeat Order from IMI for Arabia 4 Jack-up Rig

Sea Lion Oil Project in Falkland Islands Gets Green Light

ABB’s Streamlined DP2 System Passes Sea Trials on DEME’s Norse Wind WTIV

Bourbon Inks Multi-Year PSV Deal with ExxonMobil in Guyana

Subscribe for OE Digital E‑News