Exploration News


Latest SNE well reaches total depth

Feb 23, 2017

Cairn Energy's latest well on the SNE (Shelf North Edge) field offshore Sengal has reached total depth, at 2852m, says partner FAR Ltd.  Wireline logging operations have been completed on the SNE-5 appraisal well, in Senegal's Sangomar Deep block…

Gazprom to start Okhotsk Sea drilling

Feb 22, 2017

Russia's Gazprom Neft is set to drill the first exploration well on the Ayashsky Block in the Sea of Okhotsk after signing a contract for use of a Japanese drilling rig. Gazprom acquired a license for the exploration, development and…

Statoil closer to Verbier spud

Feb 17, 2017

Statoil is preparing to drill the Verbier prospect in the UK North Sea, with a rig anticipated to be in place by this summer, according to partner Jersey Oil & Gas (JOG). Map of Blocks 20/5b and 21/1d…

ExxonMobil sets reservoir computing record

Feb 16, 2017

ExxonMobil, working with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), has achieved a major breakthrough with proprietary software using more than four times the previous number of processors used on complex oil and gas reservoir…

Sri Lanka to open Block M2

Feb 13, 2017

Sri Lanka’s government is offering a tender for Block M2 later this year, giving companies opportunities to undertake appraisal and development of gas discoveries and prospects, according to the country’s Ministry of Petroleum Resources Development…

Lundin Filicudi discovery has upside

Feb 13, 2017

Swedish oil explorer Lundin Petroleum says its 35-100 MMboe gross resource oil and gas discovery in its Filicudi exploration well in the Barents Sea has 'significant upside potential.'  The well, 7219/12-1, is in PL533, which could contain up to 700 MMboe unrisked prospective resource…

Transocean to scrap two, idles three rigs

Feb 10, 2017

Transocean is to scrap two idle rigs and has idled three others as contracts have been dropped, while others have been extended.  The floaters M.G. Hulme, Jr. and GSF Rig 140 were classified as held for sale. Transocean says these rigs will be recycled…

Tullow targets 2H Suriname Araku probe

Feb 08, 2017

Independent explorer Tullow Oil is lining up a string of exploration projects this year, including targeting the 500 MMbo Araku prospect offshore Suriname in 2H this year. Other projects include seismic campaigns in Ghana, Jamaica and Uruguay…

300 MMbbl Lancaster estimate was "conservative"

Feb 07, 2017

Fractured basement reservoir explorer Hurricane Energy says its previous 300 MMbbl estimate for the Lancaster field, west of Shetland is conservative.  The firm has completed technical analysis of the Lancaster, Lincoln and Warwick assets…

Statoil makes Valemon discovery

Feb 03, 2017

Statoil has made a new 20-50 MMboe gas discovery on the Norwegian North Sea Valemon field, at Valemon West. The well was drilled using the jackup rig West Elara, in 133.5m water depth, 160km north-west of Bergen. It is the seventh exploration…

Bearing the weight

Feb 01, 2017

Operating in HPHT conditions have led to thicker, heavier subsea equipment that can hold up to extreme environments. Atul Ganpatye and Kenneth Bhalla, of Stress Engineering, discuss challenges associated with the design of this equipment…

Anadarko eyes further Colombia drilling

Jan 31, 2017

Anadarko has its eyes set on Colombia, announcing further drilling plans in the Purple Angel block, and opportunities it has identified through the Esmeralda 3D seismic survey in the area.   Map of Gorgon…

Exxon to start 5 projects by 2018

Jan 31, 2017

US giant ExxonMobil announced it will start five major offshore projects in 2017-2018, in addition to a Q4 2016 earnings of US$3.7 billion, which took a $2 billion impairment charge from its upstream sector. Image from Exxon…

Eni strikes gas at Merakes 2 off Indonesia

Jan 31, 2017

Italian giant Eni discovered pay at the first appraisal well of its Merakes discovery offshore Indonesia. Image from Eni. The company successfully drilled and tested the Merakes 2 well…

Lundin to drill Edvard Grieg SW well

Jan 30, 2017

Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) has granted Lundin consent to carry out exploration drilling of well 16/1-27 on the Edvard Grieg field in the North Sea. Lundin is the operator of the Edvard Grieg field, around 140km west-southwest of Stavanger…

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