Analysis: Perspectives Independent oil companies have led the way opening new frontiers in recent years, but this may change as companies of all sizes have locked-up huge swathes of frontier acreage, creating opportunities for exploration-driven deals…
Browse Basin gas discovery Total E&P Australia discovered gas at the Bassett West-1 exploration well in WA-408-P in the Browse Basin off Western Australia state. The well is about 475km north-northeast of Broome and reached 5239m TD in 368m of water…
Australian bid round Australia’s Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) announced a new lease sale off Western Australia state. Six licenses, four onshore and two offshore, are being placed on the auction block. The offshore areas are…
KrisEnergy spuds Tayum-1 well KrisEnergy spudded the Tayum-1 exploration well in the Kutai PSC, offshore East Kalimantan, Indonesia, using the Randolph Yost jackup. The well is targeting multiple stacked deltaic sandstone reservoirs…
Lukoil Farmin African independent Taleveras agreed to farmout a 65% interest and operatorship in Ivory Coast Block CI-504 to Lukoil Overseas, a subsidiary of Russian oil firm Lukoil. Taleveras will retain 25% interest and Petroci, the Ivory Coast’s national oil company…
DNO increases Tunisia acreage DNO International is increasing its acreage offshore Tunisia and plans to drill next year. Its subsidiary DNO Tunisia AS has entered a farm-in agreement with Atlas Petroleum National des Hydrocarbures et…
Euroil, Shell farmin UK-based Ithaca Energy has agreed to farm-out deals with Euroil and Shell for several North Sea blocks. Euroil, a subsidiary of Edison International, will take a 25% interest in Ithaca’s west of Shetland licenses P1631 and P1832…
Gina Krog gets FPSO Statoil will build a floating production storage and offloading vessel for use on the Gina Krog field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The FPSO will be converted from the shuttle tanker, Randgrid, currently 67% owned by Teekay Offshore…
Gryphon Alpha FPSO Maersk Oil’s vessel, stationed about 280km northeast of Aberdeen in the North Sea, has undergone a major dry dock overhaul, while infield subsea infrastructure was removed and replaced. A 4D seismic survey and near-field drilling was also done over the area…
FloaTEC mates P-61 modules FloaTEC Singapore Pte Ltd. mated the topsides and hull of Petrobras P-61, Brazil’s first tension-leg wellhead platform (TLWP) near the BrasFELS yard in Angra dos Reis, southern Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil…
Cidade de Paraty in production FPSO Cidade de Paraty went on stream, beginning production from the Lula Nordeste field in the Santos Basin presalt play. It is about 300km off Brazil, in the northeast corner of Block BM-S-11. The FPSO can process up to 120…
RWE in Suriname RWE Dea signed a farm-in agreement with Petronas Suriname E&P BV, acquiring 40% interest in Block 52 off Suriname. The block is in the Guyana-Suriname Basin 120km off the northeast coast of South America in 100-1,000m deep water and has potential in Upper Cretaceous strata…
CGG awarded Colombia survey CGG has been awarded a contract by a subsidiary of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and partner Ecopetrol to acquire and process a 5500sq km, 3D seismic survey on the Caribbean coast offshore Colombia. The CGG Viking will tow a 10m x 100m x 7050m spread…
Peru launches offshore round Peru’s international bid round will offer offshore blocks Z-56 and Z-57 (Cuenca Salaverry-Trujillo); Z-53, Z-54, and Z-55 (Lima-Pisco Basins); and Z-58, Z-59, and Z-60 (Cuenca Mollendo). The blocks are within seven miles of the coast…
Noble’s Gunflint find Noble Energy announced a non-commercial discovery at its second deepwater Gunflint appraisal well in the US Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi Canyon 992 #1, located one mile west of the original discovery well, was drilled to 32…