Exploration News


Cairn sees eventful 2017 at SNE, North Sea

Jan 17, 2017

Cairn Energy is moving to further explore Senegal, and working towards first oil in the North Sea this year, in what the company calls an eventful period.   The Kraken FPSO, from Cairn. “The…

56 new licenses offered on NCS

Jan 17, 2017

Offers for 56 new production licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf are being made to 29 companies, 17 of which are operators.  The offers are being made after 33 companies applied in the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's (NPD) the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2016…

Total extends West Phoenix contract

Jan 17, 2017

North Atlantic Drilling has been awarded a one-well contract for the semi-submersible West Phoenix for work in the UK, West of Shetland. The contract is in direct continuation with the West Phoenix' existing contract and the total backlog is estimated to be $17 million…

Statoil mulls Norne tieback for Cape Vulture discovery

Jan 17, 2017

Statoil is considering a subsea tieback to the Norne floating production unit after making a 20-80 MMboe oil and gas recoverable discovery on the nearby Cape Vulture well in the Norwegian Sea. The tieback project consideration comes as…

Hess raises 2017 E&P budget by 18%

Jan 12, 2017

US independent Hess will increase its 2017 exploration and production (E&P) budget, turning its attention to activity offshore Norway, Guyana, and the Gulf of Mexico, the company announced on 12 January. Image from Hess…

Payara pays off for Exxon in Guyana

Jan 12, 2017

ExxonMobil has hit gold offshore Guyana with its new ultra deepwater Payara discovery, in addition to upping its ante at the giant Liza field. The Stena Carron, from Stena Drilling. The…

Ophir to drill off Ivory Coast in May

Jan 12, 2017

UK-listed independent Ophir Energy says preparations for drilling to restart on the deepwater Ayame-1 oil exploration well offshore Ivory Coast, Africa, are at an advanced stage.  The well is expected to spud in late May and is targeting about 240 MMbbl Pmean recoverable resources…

Eni spuds Boné probe

Jan 12, 2017

Eni has started drilling on the Boné (Dazzler) exploration well 7318/12-1 in the Norwegian Barents Sea.  Boné, being drilled using the Scarabeo 8 semisubmersible drilling rig is in a similar structural setting to the Johan Castberg discovery…

Columbus plan targeted for this year

Jan 10, 2017

UK Independent Serica Energy is targeting a development plan for the long-dormant North Sea Columbus field this year, the firm said today. Serica is also firming up plans to drill its Rowallan prospect in North Sea block 22/18c in 2018…

Plexus confident in rise in exploration activity

Jan 09, 2017

Wellhead engineering firm Plexus Holdings says it is confident exploration activity will soon pick up from today's historic lows, after signing a four-year framework agreement with Centrica Norway.   Under the agreement, Aberdeen-based…

Eni snaps up Morocco deep offshore permits

Jan 09, 2017

Eni has completed a deal to take over operatorship of the Rabat Deep Offshore permits I-VI, offshore Morocco, with plans to drill on the acreage in 2018, following approval of a deal by the license partners. The deal, with UK-based independent Chariot Oil & Gas…

Eni spuds offshore Libya well

Jan 06, 2017

Eni has spudded an exploration well in Contract Area D offshore Libya, according to the country's national oil firm. The well, B1-16/3, will be drilled in 518ft (156m) water depth and it is about 140km northwest of Tripoli and 5km north of the Bahr Essalam gas field…

W&T strikes extra pay at Mahogany

Jan 06, 2017

Houston-headquartered W&T Offshore is looking to make its US Gulf of Mexico Mahogany field the cornerstone of its 2017 investment program after hitting oil across five zones in a new appraisal well. The Mahogany field, discovered in 1993…

Cobalt hits at North Platte appraisal

Jan 04, 2017

Houston’s Cobalt International Energy encountered “encouraging” results at its North Platte #4 appraisal well in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, and is preparing for a geologic sidetrack for further analyzation. Image of the Rowan Reliance…

Statoil: 2017 drilling to increase 30%

Jan 04, 2017

Norwegian oil firm Statoil has set out its plans to drill around 30 exploration wells, in up to 11 countries on five continents, as operator and partner, in 2017 - an increase of around 30% compared to 2016. More than half of the wells will be drilled on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS)…

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