Mexico’s Ministry of Energy (SENER) has approved auction terms for the first phase of Round 2, which will auction 15 shallow water areas in the Gulf of Mexico. The round is set to open in late March 2017. Image from CNH…
ENGIE E&P Norge has spudded the Cara exploration well in PL 636 Cara in the Norwegian northern North Sea. The well is 35km offshore and approximately 6km from the Gjøa field in about 350m water depth. The well, being drilled using the Transocean Arctic semisubmersible drilling rig…
EnQuest and Delek Group have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) to farm out 20% interest in the Kraken heavy oil development in the UK North Sea. The area is located in Blocks 9/2b and 9/2c in License P1575, approximately 350km northeast of the city of Aberdeen…
Nigeria-focused Sirius Petroleum received approval from the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Environment on its environmental impact assessment survey (EIA) on the Ororo Field Licence, OML 95, which covers the drilling of three wells and the installation of wellhead platforms…
Sembcorp Marine delivered the world’s largest jackup rig, the Noble Lloyd Noble, to Noble Corp. after uncertainties in the delivery date due to damage the rig endured in February. Illustration of the Noble Lloyd Noble…
UK explorer Independent Oil and Gas (IOG) is due to spud an appraisal well on the Skipper oil discovery next week. The Skipper prospect, 100% owned by IOG, is in Block 9/21a in license P1609 in the northern North Sea. IOG says success of the well would be 'transformational' for the company…
Australia's National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) is giving UK supermajor BP until the end of August to resubmit its modified environmental plan for exploration drilling at the Great Australian Bight that the offshore regulator rejected last year…
UK independent Premier Oil is planning to spud the Bagpuss heavy oil prospect in the Moray Firth in the North Sea this month, later than initially expected. Premier oil will use the Ocean Valiant semisubmersible drilling rig, which is…
Faroe Petroleum has successfully side-tracked its appraisal well on the Brasse discovery in licence PL740 in the Norwegian North Sea. The side-track well (31/7-1A) was appraising the south-eastern part of the Brasse discovery. Results based on extensive coring…
Following a mechanical error, Santos has completed drilling the AAL-4XST1 appraisal well in the Northwest Natuna permit area, offshore Indonesia. Map from AWE. The joint venture…
Noble Energy and its partners in the Tamar project will drill at the Tamar-8 well offshore Israel in Q4 2016. Image of Tamar operations, from Delek. Tamar-8 is located 100km west of Haifa…
Tullow Oil Norge failed to find any hydrocarbons at the Rome prospect in the Central North Sea, and will now plug and abandon exploration well 16/5-6 in production licence PL776. The well was drilled to a total vertical depth of 2319m…
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Wintershall Norge a drilling permit for well 35/11-20 A, to be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, after completing the drilling of wildcat well 16/5-6 for Tullow Oil Norge in production license 776…
Houston-based independent Vaalco has shut-in its South Tchibala 2-H well, offshore Gabon, after the electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) failed late last month. Image from Vaalco. The well…
Grup Servicii Petroliere (GSP) has been awarded an offshore drilling contract in Tunisia by Numhyd. Drilling operations will be carried out with the GSP Jupiter, a cantilever type mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU). The rig is currently under preparation for the contract in Limassol…