North Sea News


Sizing up for decom

Oct 30, 2017

As decommissioning gathers pace, the debate around how to make the entire process more efficient – safely – at a reduced cost intensifies. Emma Gordon reports. Are we thinking big enough, or is the challenge smaller than we think? Certainly…

Assessing all options

Oct 30, 2017

As the North Sea enters the decommissioning era, should complete removal remain the default option? And what is the impact of the process on North Sea ecosystems? Emma Gordon reports.  The oil and gas industry must address its knowledge…

Drilling starts on Tambar development project

Oct 25, 2017

Drilling operations have started on the Tambar development project in the producing Tambar field offshore Norway, says partner Faroe Petroleum. The Tambar and Tambar East Unit fields are satellite fields, about 16km southeast of the Ula field in the Norwegian North Sea…

IHS Markit: Downturn reduces deepwater M&A opportunity

Oct 24, 2017

Reduced spending for oil and gas exploration is limiting availability of quality deepwater assets for merger and acquisition (M&A) deals, according to a new report by IHS Markit. This lack of deepwater asset inventory is challenging exploration…

Shell to tie Fram back to Shearwater

Oct 24, 2017

Shell has submitted plans to develop the Fram gas and gas condensate field in the UK North Sea as a subsea tieback to the Shearwater platform.  The project, in Blocks 29/3a, 29/4c, 29/8a, 29/9c in the Central North Sea, had been considered as a standalone development…

Warwick becomes Ardyne chairman

Oct 24, 2017

Ardyne, provider of plug and abandonment and slot recovery technology, has appointed Paul Warwick as non-executive chairman.  Warwick has been a non-executive director of Ardyne since shortly after the launch of the company in 2016. He is also executive chairman of Whalsay Energy…

ION to enhance Orca software with Scottish grant support

Oct 23, 2017

A new US$1.32 million (£1 million) research and development project focussed on cost reduction, increased efficiency and value add for the oil and gas sector has received backing from government agency Scottish Enterprise. US firm ION Geophysical subsidiary…

Polymer EOR lessons learned published

Oct 23, 2017

The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has published a 'lessons learned' on the use of polymer technology to enhance oil recovery (EOR) from UK oil fields. “Polymer Enhanced Oil Recovery – Industry Lessons Learned” was produced in collaboration…

Premier's Catcher FPSO hooked up

Oct 23, 2017

Premier Oil's Catcher development is on track for first oil by the end of the year with the project's floating production vessel now moored in field.  The BW Catcher vessel, built at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore, and owned and operated by BW Offshore…

Chevron sanctions Captain EOR project

Oct 20, 2017

US oil major Chevron is moving ahead with plans for an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project using polymer technology on its Captain heavy oil field in the UK North Sea. The Captain field was discovered in 1977, in Block 13/22a on the edge of the outer Moray Firth…

Seanamic Group buys Flexlife

Oct 19, 2017

Seanamic Group has bought Aberdeen based flexible pipelines and umbilicals integrity management firm Flexlife. Seanamic was founded in 2014, and has since added Caley Ocean Systems, Umbilicals International, and most recently IMES Group…

TechnipFMC to buy Plexus jackup business

Oct 19, 2017

TechnipFMC has agreed to acquire Plexus Holding's Wellhead exploration equipment and services business for jackup applications - the Jack-up Business - for up to US$56 million (£42.5 million).  Plexus will initially receive $19.7 million…

RockRose to buy Idemitsu Petroleum

Oct 18, 2017

RockRose Energy has signed deal to acquire Idemitsu Petroleum from Japan's Idemitsu Kosan. The Idemitsu UK's assets comprise a substantial number of producing fields in the North Sea, which include: 30.8% stakes in Repsol's Ross and Blake fields…

Statoil launches world's first floating wind farm

Oct 18, 2017

First power has been achieved from Statoil and partner Masdar's Hywind Scotland project - the world's first floating wind farm.  The 30MW wind farm, operated by Statoil, is 25km offshore Peterhead, Scotland, and comprises five, 6MW turbines…

ODE to support Vulcan Satellites development, from FEED to O&M

Oct 18, 2017

North Sea minnow Independent Oil and Gas has signed a letter of intent with Offshore Design Engineering for work on its Blythe Hub and Vulcan Satellites Hub development. ODE will provide technical and operational support ahead of final…

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