North Sea News


CCS project awarded EU funding

May 12, 2017

A group of private firms and universities from the Netherlands and the UK have been given funding to undertake a feasibility study into permanent CO2 capture and storage (CCS) in empty gas and oil fields in the North Sea. Under the Acorn CCS project…

i3 targets Liberator first oil by 2018

May 10, 2017

UK-independent i3 Energy is planning to list on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange and raise US$50 million to fund the development of its Liberator field. The company acquired a 100% operated interest in License P.1987, Block 13/23d…

Parkmead takes Farne stake to 100%

May 10, 2017

UK independent Parkmead has agreed a deal with Verus Petroleum to acquire 50% interest in North Sea License P.2209 containing the Farne Extension prospect and a further four prospective leads. The moves secures 100% interest in the license for Parkmead…

Gemini wind park online

May 09, 2017

The massive, 600 MW Gemini offshore wind park has been opened offshore the Netherlands ahead of schedule and under budget.   Gemini will produce 2.6 TWh of wind power every year, reducing the Netherlands’ CO2 emissions by 1.25 million tons…

Repsol marks Shaw first oil at Montrose

May 09, 2017

First oil is flowing from Repsol Sinopec Resources UK's Shaw field, part of the firm's Montrose Area Redevelopment (MAR) in the Central North Sea. Shaw has been developed as a subsea tie-back to a new bridge-linked production platform…

500 MMbbl plus recoverable confirmed in Lancaster

May 08, 2017

A new evaluation on Hurricane Energy's Lancaster field, west of Shetland, has said the field contains 2.3 billion bbl in place, a 120% increase compared to the 2013 estimate, and attributed 2P reserves to the field for the first time. According to the Competent Persons Review (CPR)…

Faroe given nod for Brasse appraisal

May 05, 2017

Faroe Petroleum has been given Norwegian Petroleum Directorate approval to drill appraisal well 31/7-2 S on the Brasse discovery. Well 31/7-2 S will be drilled using the Deepsea Bergen semisubmersible drilling rig in production license 740…

Azinor inks rig for two UKCS wells

May 05, 2017

Private equity backed Azinor Catalyst has awarded a rig contract to Diamond Offshore Drilling for use of the Ocean Guardian semisubmersible rig to drill two wells in Q3 2017. The first exploration well will target the Partridge prospect…

VIDEO: Mariner topsides set sail

May 05, 2017

The first modules for Statoil's UK North Sea Mariner heavy oil field topside have set sail from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering's yard in South Korea.  The Mariner field is on the East Shetland Platform, about 95mi (150km) east of Shetland and is being developed via a production…

VIDEO: Brent Delta arriving at Seaton Port

May 04, 2017

Just days after being lifted from the concrete legs it had stood on since 1976, Shell's Brent Delta platform arrived in one piece at Able Seaton Port, Hartlepool, on Tuesday. The journey followed the record-breaking, 24,200-tonne lift by Allseas' megavessel Pioneering Spirit…

Marathon renews Archer Braes contract, tests ComTrac

May 04, 2017

Marathon Oil has renewed a contract for work on its three Brae platforms in the North Sea with Aberdeen-based oilfield equipment firm Archer.   The contract for platform drilling, maintenance and engineering services was first signed in 1993…

DNO re-enters North Sea with Origo acquisition

May 04, 2017

Kurdistan focused operator DNO is to take over North Sea-focused Origo Exploration. DNO, which is Oslo-listed, will pick up stakes in 11 exploration and appraisal licenses in the North Sea, seven of which are on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and four on the UK Continental Shelf…

BP extends Amec, Qedi services agreement

May 04, 2017

Amec Foster Wheeler’s completions and commissioning company, qedi, has signed an extension of its global Master Service Agreement with BP, which it has successfully delivered since 2012. The new contract with BP will run for two years through till December 2019…

Norway opens latest licensing round, APA 2017

May 03, 2017

Norway's Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has announced the Awards in Predefined Areas 2017, comprising predefined areas with blocks in the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea. The application deadline for APA 2017 is mignight on Friday 1 September 2017…

Steam Oil company eyes Pilot technology

May 02, 2017

The Steam Oil Production Company has entered into a cooperation agreement with FluidOil, an independent heavy oil technology company, to explore the potential of integrating FluidOil’s Viscositor Heavy-to-Light (VHTL) oil upgrading technology into an offshore steam flooding project…

Current News

Equinor Renews Subsea Inspection Deal with Subsea 7

Saipem Gets DNV Certification for Offshore Asset Lifecycle Management

Archer to Remain North Sea Drilling and Maintenance Duty for Aker BP

Tekmar Secures Over $9M Offshore Wind Cable Protection Deal

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