North Sea News


Statoil completes Byrding acquisition

Jan 03, 2017

Statoil has completed a deal to acquire Wintershall's 25% interest in the Byrding project on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), increasing its stake to 70%. Byrding, in PL 090B, is an oil and gas discovery in the northern part of the North Sea…

Statoil to lead spending in North Sea

Jan 02, 2017

A total of 32 crude and natural gas projects are expected to commence operations in the North Sea region by 2025, with the UK claiming the highest number at 22, followed by Norway and Denmark with nine and one respectively, according to GlobalData…

Maersk to shut in Tyra

Jan 02, 2017

Maersk Oil is to shut in its Tyra field offshore Denmark in a move that could impact a string of other fields on the Danish Continental Shelf. Maersk Oil says it was unable to find an economic strategy for full recovery of the remaining resources in the field…

Managing maintenance

Jan 01, 2017

Audrey Leon speaks with Lloyd’s Register about a new cloud-based software aimed at optimizing maintenance programs and reducing operational expenditures by up to 40%. Image from iStock. Managing…

Money for nothing

Jan 01, 2017

Decommissioning offshore structures isn’t going away any time soon and research points to a US$210 billion bill for this activity from 2020-2040 worldwide. John Bradbury looks at the market. Allseas’…

Slim pickings

Jan 01, 2017

There are slim pickings for fabricators in oil and gas sector, but as Steve Hamlen reports offshore wind fabrication has given firms some sustenance. Dudgeon jacket. Photos from Sembmarine SLP…

Delek buys majority stake in Faroe

Dec 28, 2016

Delek Group completed its deal with Dana Petroleum to gain 13.18% of Faroe Petroleum, expanding the Israeli firm’s North Sea footprint, and making it the majority holder in Faroe. Map of Faroe assets…

Shell fails at Knarr FPSO audit

Dec 27, 2016

Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) has unveiled a number of failings, following an audit of Shell's management of the integrity of flexible risers, transfer lines and associated safety equipment on Knarr floating production and storage offloading (FPSO) unit…

Aker BP starts at Ivar Aasen

Dec 27, 2016

Aker BP started first oil at the Ivar Aasen field earlier this week, just four years after the plan for development and operations (PDO) was submitted.  Image of Ivar Aasen, from Aker BP. Production…

Aker BP assessing Langfjellet development options

Dec 23, 2016

Aker BP is considering development options for its Langfjellet discovery in the Norwegian North Sea after completing three appraisal wells on the field, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD). The discovery, initially estimated at 24-74 MMboe…

Aberdeen Harbour primed to expand south

Dec 20, 2016

Aberdeen Harbour's plans to expand its facilities into a bay south of the existing harbour has been sanctioned by the harbour board. The £350 million project, which was recently granted planning consent in the form of Marine Licenses and a Harbour Revision Order by the Scottish Government…

GMC wins two caisson fabrications contracts

Dec 19, 2016

GMC was awarded two further caisson fabrications contracts from North Sea operators, following its recent and first caisson installation in the North Sea earlier this year. Image of the GMC SWL Caisson…

More than 250 MMbbl in Lincoln, Hurricane estimates

Dec 19, 2016

Hurricane Energy has confirmed a 'very significant fractured basement discovery,' potentially containing more than 250 MMbbl recoverable, in its Lincoln field appraisal well offshore west of Shetland, UK, the firm says.   The well has…

SNS gas resources under spotlight

Dec 16, 2016

A new “think tank” has been launched to explore ways of tapping remaining gas supplies in the Southern North Sea. The SNS Rejuvenation Special Interest Group will look at ways of getting energy from reserves previously considered too tricky and expensive to exploit economically…

IOG ups Harvey resources, sees tieback potential

Dec 16, 2016

North Sea explorer Independent Oil and Gas has seen an increase in resource estimates on two southern North Sea prospects, Elgood and Harvey, following 3D seismic reprocessing work.  Harvey, initially thought to be one discovery and a nearby prospect are now thought to be linked…

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