Exploration News


Shell resumes Canada drilling after riser drop

Jun 23, 2016

Shell has been cleared to resume drilling offshore Canada following a review to its procedures after an incident saw a 2km riser section drop to the seafloor.  Shell was drilling the Cheshire L-97 well, in about 2000m water depth, in the Shelburne basin…

Statoil suspends use of Songa Delta

Jun 21, 2016

Norwegian oil major Statoil is suspending its contract for use of the Songa Delta semisubmersible drilling rig after completion of its current drilling operation. The unit is currently drilling the Slemmestad well in the Norwegian North Sea…

Faroe targets Brasse probe

Jun 21, 2016

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Faroe Petroleum a drilling permit for a side track appraisal well on the Brasse discovery in the Norwegian North Sea. Well 31/7-1 A side track will be drilled using the Transocean Arctic drilling facility in production license 740…

Triangle buys into Cliff Head

Jun 20, 2016

Triangle Energy entered into a deal with AWE Ltd. for 57.5% stake in the Cliff Head oil field, in the offshore Perth Basin, Western Australia. The Cliff Head oil field is located 10km off the coast of Western Australia at a water depth of 15-20m…

Quadrant spuds Outtrim East-1

Jun 20, 2016

Quadrant Energy has started drilling at the Outtrim East-1 well in the North West Shelf of Western Australia, according to partner Carnarvon Petroleum.  Using the Noble Tom Prosser jackup, Quadrant will explore additional hydrocarbon…

Det norske to drill Rovarkula

Jun 17, 2016

Norway's Det norske, which is due to become Aker BP, is set to drill an exploration on the Rovarkula prospect in the Norwegian sector of the central North Sea. The 25/10-15 S wildcat well will be drilled from the Maersk Interceptor jackup…

Otto gains Philippines moratorium

Jun 17, 2016

Otto Energy and partner Red Emperor received approval from the Philippines Department of Energy for a two-year moratorium on required work activity under Service Contract 55, offshore the Philippines following failed attempts to find commercial discovery at Hawkeye…

SDX exits Bakassi West

Jun 16, 2016

SDX Energy is dropping its 35% stake in the Dana Petroleum-operated Bakassi West block in the Rio Del Rey basin offshore Cameroon, after failing to make an oil discovery in late-March at the shallow-water Manatee-1X well. SDX’s decision…

Faroe hits at Brasse

Jun 16, 2016

Faroe Petroleum hit an oil discovery at its Brasse exploration well in the Norwegian North Sea, with plans for a sidetrack to follow. The Transocean Arctic, from Transocean. The company encountered oil at the Brasse well 31/7-1…

Lukoil spuds at Vladimir Filanovsky in Caspian Sea

Jun 15, 2016

Lukoil has commenced drilling operations at the Vladimir Filanovsky field in the Caspian Sea. The well is being drilled from an ice-resistant fixed platform, LSP-1, with first production set for 2H 2016. V. Filanovsky is the largest of all fields discovered in Russia in the past 25 years…

WoodMac: US$1 trillion cut from global upstream investment

Jun 15, 2016

Global upstream capital spending from 2015 out to 2020 has been reduced by 22% or US$740 billion, however, when cuts to conventional exploration investment are included, the figure increases to just over $1 trillion, Wood Mackenzie said. Image…

Eni to drill Aurelia wildcat with Scarabeo 8

Jun 13, 2016

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Eni Norge a drilling permit for the Aurelia wildcat well, 7222/1-1, in the Barents Sea. Well 7222/1-1 will be drilled from the Scarabeo 8 drilling facility in production license 226…

Antrim takes over FEL 1/13 offshore Ireland

Jun 13, 2016

Antrim Energy subsidiary Antrim Exploration (Ireland) received formal approval from Ireland’s Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR) of its application for a 100% working interest in frontier exploration license (FEL) 1/13…

Europa gains Kosmos Irish acreage

Jun 13, 2016

The Irish Minister of Energy has granted consent to Europa Oil & Gas for the transfer of interest in and operatorship of, Frontier (FEL) 2/13 and 3/13 from Kosmos Energy Ireland. Europa now has 100% interest in, and is operator of seven licenses in the Atlantic basins offshore Ireland…

Pemex offers deepwater Trion farmout

Jun 13, 2016

Mexican state oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) has chosen its first-ever farmout deal by offering stake in its Trion deepwater field, in the Gulf of Mexico near the US border. Image of Gonzalez Anaya…

Current News

Ocean Winds Hires Seaway7 for Offshore Wind Job in Poland

Oman’s Block 50 Offshore Drilling to Advance After $25M Funding Raise

Vissim to Provide Vessel Collision Avoidance System for Qatari Offshore Field

Brazil’s Petrobras Targets Rapid Start-Up at Sudoeste de Tartaruga Verde

Subscribe for OE Digital E‑News