North Sea News


Further support for UK industry outlined

Jan 29, 2016

Further detail of support measures for the UK's oil and gas industry were revealed yesterday following a visit by Prime Minister David Cameron to oil city Aberdeen.  Cameron first signed a 'UK City Deal' fund of up to £250 million (US$358…

Aberdeen to get £250 million funding

Jan 28, 2016

UK Prime Minister David Cameron is visiting oil city Aberdeen today to announce an injection of cash to help the ailing city as the industry struggles to deal with low oil prices. Cameron will sign a new 'UK City Deal' fund of up to £250 million (US$358…

Petrofac, GE join up on wind farm

Jan 28, 2016

Petrofac and GE have been awarded a contract worth over £110 million to engineer, construct and install a turnkey power system to efficiently connect up to 336 MW of clean energy from the Galloper offshore wind farm, off Suffolk, UK, to the British grid…

Subsea Expo: Tackling the UKCS' small pools

Jan 27, 2016

According to a recent study by the UK’s Technology Leadership Board, there are 210 “small pools” of hydrocarbons (those containing less than 15 MMboe). While recognized, these pools, containing 1.5 billion boe in total, remain undeveloped…

DONG expects US$2.33 billion write down

Jan 27, 2016

Semi-state owned Danish energy company DONG Energy has decided to keep its exploration and production business ahead of floating on the stock market. But, the firm said its exploration and production business will have to 'adapt to the significant decline in oil and gas prices…

Marathon orders umbilicals for West Brae

Jan 26, 2016

Subsea cables and umbilicals firm JDR has been awarded a contract by Marathon Oil for the design and manufacture of 11.3km of power and static subsea umbilicals with accompanying termination hardware for the West Brae field.   The full…

Lundin spuds Fosen prospect offshore Norway

Jan 25, 2016

Lundin Petroleum has started drilling exploration well 16/4-10 on the Fosen prospect, offshore Norway. The well is about 27km south of the Edvard Grieg field and 11km south of the Luno II discovery. It will explore the Fosen prospect…

Downturn mistakes being repeated

Jan 25, 2016

Despite the already difficult North Sea market and painfully high cost levels, a new research report published today by DNV GL reveals that more short-term cost cuts are expected in 2016. Sixty-five percent of UK respondents think mistakes made in previous downturns are being repeated…

JX Nippon lines up Loanan drilling

Jan 22, 2016

JX Nippon E&P is gearing up to drill an exploration well on the Loanan prospect west of Shetland.  The Japanese exploration firm has awarded Norway's Odfjell Drilling a contract to use the semisubmersible Deepsea Stavanger for the well…

BW Athena to demobilize, seeks work

Jan 22, 2016

The BW Athena floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel is to be demobilized from the Athena field in the UK North Sea next month. The move, which had been expected, will the see BW Athena leave the field Athena and Anglia fields…

Statoil breaks its APA award record

Jan 19, 2016

In the awards in predefined areas (APA) round 2015, Statoil has been awarded interest in 24 licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS), 13 of those as operator and 11 as partner, breaking the company’s 2005 record for number of licenses awarded…

Norwegian license round hailed success

Jan 19, 2016

Norway's latest awards in predefined areas (APA) license round has been hailed a success with some 56 exploration licenses being offered on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.  The APA rounds offer acreage in known areas on the shelf, rather than frontier acreage…

Suncor's latest North Sea well dry

Jan 18, 2016

Suncor Energy's latest exploration well close to to the Balder field has been classified as dry by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. Exploration well 25/10-14 S was drilled on production license 571 near the Balder field offshore Norway…

JX Nippon to drill west of Sheltland

Jan 18, 2016

JX Nippon Exploration and Production has agreed a deal to use Odfjell Drilling's semisubmersible Deepsea Stavanger to drill an exploration well west of Shetland on the UK Continental Shelf. Contract duration is estimated to be between 60 and 75 days and expected commencement is Q2 2016…

Ballard takes IOGP exec role

Jan 15, 2016

The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) has appointed Gordon Ballard to be its new Executive Director.  He starts today, succeeding Michael Engell-Jensen, who is retiring after five years. Gordon comes to IOGP after spending 30 years working with oilfield services company…

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