Exploration News


Ecosscope deploys subsea glider in Gulf of Papua

Dec 12, 2016

In conjunction with geophysical and geochemical surveys currently being acquired by sister company Searcher Seismic, Ecosscope is using cutting edge technology to acquire valuable environmental baseline data in the Gulf of Papua. Ecosscope…

AzEire awarded multiple Irish blocks

Dec 08, 2016

AzEire has been awarded licensing options over multiple blocks and part-blocks in the North Celtic Sea and Fastnet Basins offshore Ireland. The combined area of these awards totals around 3163sq km and will be held under a petroleum prospecting license for the duration of the licensing option…

BP's Thunder Horse leaks in GoM

Dec 07, 2016

A joint connecting a hose at BP’s Thunder Horse platform disconnected and released drilling fluid into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) last month, in an incident that the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is investigating…

Hellenic wins blocks offshore Greece

Dec 07, 2016

Hellenic Petroleum has been awarded Block 10 offshore western Greece, in the Kyparissiakos Gulf, as part of the 2nd International Round. Hellenic was already awarded two onshore blocks, and offshore Block 2, west of Corfu, in a joint venture with France's Total (operator) and Italy's Edison…

Video: Statoil starts Mariner drilling

Dec 02, 2016

Norwegian giant Statoil has started drilling at its Mariner field in the UK North Sea using the world’s largest jackup, with a target for first oil set for 2018. Image of the Mariner topsides at DSME…

Renco to spud Indonesian well

Dec 02, 2016

Renco Elang Energy is set to spud the Amanah Timur-1 exploration well in the South Block A PSC, in the North Sumatra basin of Indonesia. Assuming satisfactory rig inspection by government officials, the well is currently scheduled to spud on 5 December…

2016’s Top Finds

Dec 01, 2016

Elaine Maslin reports on the year’s top discoveries to date. The largest discoveries were smaller in 2016, but the average ranged between 396-524 MMboe. Atwood Oceanic’s Atwood Achiever drillship…

Troubling trends

Dec 01, 2016

For the offshore oilfield equipment and services industries, 2016 was a difficult year. Douglas Westwood’s Joel Hancock looks forward to see if there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The Maersk…

Wireless wells 

Dec 01, 2016

For the first time, wireless technology has been used downhole on a subsea well. John Sheehan speaks with FMC Technologies to learn more. Communicating beneath the waves.  Images from FMC Technologies…

Mexico reveals prequalified bidders for deepwater round

Nov 29, 2016

Mexico’s Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH) has revealed a long list of individual international oil and gas companies, in addition to consortia, that have been prequalified for the country’s highly anticipated deepwater round set for next week…

BP acquires Nexen, Statoil exploration stakes

Nov 28, 2016

BP has acquired stakes in the Jock Scott and Craster high-temperature high-pressure, North Sea exploration prospects, operated by Statoil and Nexen respectively, with exploration wells planned on each mid-2017.  The move comes just days…

Cairn contracts Stena DrillMAX for SNE appraisal

Nov 25, 2016

Cairn Energy and its partners have contracted a rig to drill two appraisal wells on the world class SNE oil field offshore Senegal in 2017. The wells - SNE-5 and SNE-5 - will be drilled using the Stena DrillMAX drillship, starting Q1…

Lukoil strikes Caspian Sea pay

Nov 23, 2016

Lukoil has struck more pay at its third well in the Vladimir Filanovsky field in the shallow waters of the Caspian Sea. The LSP-1, from Lukoil. The horizontal section of the well is 1217m long…

Exxon, COPL make Liberia comeback

Nov 23, 2016

After a long awaited return to Liberia, ExxonMobil started drilling at the deepwater Mesurado-1 exploration well earlier this week, according to partner Canadian Overseas Petroleum Ltd. (COPL). Map of Liberia…

Africa Petroleum loses Liberia licenses

Nov 23, 2016

West Africa focused independent African Petroleum is to drop its production sharing contracts for blocks LB-08 and LB-09 after they expired. The PSCs formally expired in June 2016 and since then the firm has been in discussions with Liberian authorities over a possible extension…

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