North Sea News


New West of Shetland hub emerging

Jul 03, 2014

A cost reduction program has meant Total has now decided to move forward with its West of Shetland Edradour subsea development, the French oil major said today.  Edradour, in Block 206/4a, in about 300m water depth, 75km northwest of the Shetlands…

Tullow spuds Lupus

Jul 02, 2014

Exploration drilling started on the Lupus oil prospect in production license 507 in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea yesterday. The well, 31/10-1, is about 35km south of the Oseberg field and is being drilled by the Borgland Dolphin semisubmersible drilling rig (pictured)…

Keppel lands Kraken and Shah Deniz jobs

Jul 01, 2014

Keppel Offshore & Marine subsidiaries Keppel Shipyard and Keppel Singmarine Pte have secured contracts worth a total of S$368 million for North Sea and Caspian Sea projects. Keppel Shipyard has won the contract for the conversion…

MOL Group adds to North Sea assets

Jun 30, 2014

Premier Oil has sold interest in six Central North Sea offshore licenses to Hungary’s MOL Group for US$130 million, the duo announced on 30 June 2014. The sale includes non-operated equity stakes in the Nexen-operated Scott (21.84%), Rochelle (15%) and Telford (1…

Det norske awarded permit

Jun 30, 2014

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Norwegian exploration and development company, Det norske oljeselskap ASA, a drilling permit for well 2/9-5 S. Well 2/9-5 S will be drilled from the Mærsk Giant jackup drilling facility at position 56°24’45…

UK suppliers nab Mariner contracts

Jun 28, 2014

Statoil (UK) has awarded two five-year contracts to two UK firms for the Mariner ultra-heavy oil field, in the East Shetland Platform in part-block 9/11a in the UK North Sea. Aker Solutions' Aberdeen operations will perform maintenance and modification services for the US$7 billion project…

Technip and DeepOcean awarded Statoil contract

Jun 27, 2014

Statoil announced it has awarded a joint venture contract to Technip and DeepOcean for Pipeline Repair System (PRS) Pool services. The contract was sent out on competitive tender by Statoil in December 2013 and will replace the existing one…

Success on fractured basement well

Jun 26, 2014

Fractured basement explorer Hurricane Energy has successfully completed the testing phase of its horizontal appraisal well in the Lancaster fractured basement oil discovery West of Shetland. The well will be suspended as a future producer…

FES inks Western Isles project

Jun 24, 2014

UK oil and gas engineering firm, FES International, has secured a US$2.5million contract to supply its automated Diverless Bend Stiffener Connector (DBSC) to NOV Flexibles, for use by Subsea 7 on the Western Isles Development (WID) project in the northern North Sea area…

West Africa gets some TLP

Jun 24, 2014

Deeper and more difficult reservoirs are demanding different concepts offshore West Africa, including tension leg platforms. Jérôme Iacovella and Pauline Beraud discuss the options.  The Moho Nord TLP design…

Archer's modular Topaz makes its North Sea debut

Jun 23, 2014

The Archer Topaz modular rig, as it will look installed on the Helmdal platform. Photo from Archer.  Archer’s new vertical drilling rig is due to debut in the Norwegian North Sea later this year…

Ithaca spends $170m on assets

Jun 23, 2014

UK-based exploration and production firm Ithaca Energy has agreed to buy non-operated stakes in three producing fields from Sumitomo Corporation.  The deal, worth about US$170 million, will see Ithaca take a further 20% interest in the Shell-operated central North Sea Cook field…

Institute appoints director

Jun 23, 2014

Paul de Leeuw, a visiting Professor at Aberdeen Business School, has been appointed as the first director of Robert Gordon University’s International Institute for Oil and Gas.  With extensive experience in the oil and gas industry Professor de Leeuw will take up his new role in July…

ONS Award nominees announced

Jun 20, 2014

The nominees for the 2014 ONS Innovation Awards have been announced. According to ONS, whose 2014 theme is 'Changes,' the jury has evaluated all of the applications for the ONS Innovation Awards. The award will be presented in two different…

Ramboll inks Culzean jacket project

Jun 20, 2014

Maersk Oil UK has awarded Denmark's Ramboll Oil & Gas the detailed design for the Culzean wellhead jacket. The project will be Ramboll’s first major involvement in the Culzean field, and it also marks the largest substructure design by Ramboll for the North Sea…

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