Norwegian Continental Shelf News


Vår Energi Starts Up Another North Sea Project

Dec 17, 2025

Norwegian oil and gas firm Vår Energi has put the Balder Phase V project into production, while also completing of Åsgard Low Pressure Production Phase 3 (LPP3) scheme, bolstering its North Sea production.With the Åsgard LPP3 project start-up scheduled for December…

Serica Boosts North Sea Portfolio with Spirit Energy Assets Purchase

Dec 16, 2025

Britain’s Serica Energy has agreed to acquire a portfolio of Southern North Sea gas assets from Spirit Energy and affiliates for $74 million, expanding its U.K. upstream footprint and lifting reserves and production.The deal, signed through…

Deepsea Bollsta Rig Gets New Name as Odfjell Drilling Takes Ownership

Dec 15, 2025

Odfjell Drilling has completed the acquisition of the harsh-environment drilling rig Deepsea Bollsta, including the novation of the rig’s drilling contract with Equinor for a firm period running until early 2028 and with five one-year extension options…

BOEM Initiates Process for Potential Mineral Lease Sale Offshore Virginia

Dec 12, 2025

To advance President Trump’s national strategy for securing America’s critical mineral supply, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has initiated the process for a potential mineral lease sale in federal waters off the coast of Virginia. This…

DeepOcean Extends IMR Services Deal with Equinor

Dec 11, 2025

Ocean services provider DeepOcean has secured an extension to its existing frame agreement with Equinor for the provision of subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) services.As a part of the renewal, DeepOcean will deploy specialized IMR vessels…

Equinor, Partners Okay $395M Johan Castberg Tie-Back Scheme

Dec 11, 2025

Equinor, Vår Energi and Petoro will invest around $395 million (NOK 4 billion) in the first discovery tied back to the Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea.The decision comes eight months after Johan Castberg came on stream. Recoverable oil…

Equinor Secures Permit for North Sea Drilling Operation

Dec 09, 2025

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor a drilling permit for a wildcat well in the North Sea.The permit is for wellbore 35/11-32 S in production license 090 HS, operated by Equinor with 60% working interest.The other partners in license are Inpex Idemitsu Norge and Vår Energi…

NEO NEXT+ Rises as UK’s Largest Independent O&G Producer Under New Merger

Dec 08, 2025

TotalEnergies has agreed to merge its U.K. upstream operations with NEO NEXT Energy in a transaction that will create NEO NEXT+, expected to become the largest independent oil and gas producer in the United Kingdom.Under the deal, TotalEnergies will hold a 47…

Oil Firms in Norway to Drill 18% Less Exploration Wells by 2026, Survey Finds

Dec 04, 2025

A survey on Thursday showed that oil firms in Norway are planning to drill 18% less exploration wells next, as they focus on existing fields. This could undermine the government's aim of maintaining production from Europe's biggest petroleum producer…

Production Start at Verdande Field to Extend Norne FPSO Life Beyond 2030

Dec 04, 2025

Equinor has started production from the Verdande subsea field in the Norwegian Sea, a development that is expected to keep the Norne floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) producing beyond 2030.The field, which holds an estimated 36 million barrels of oil…

Kongsberg Maritime Marks 50 Years of Dynamic Positioning

Dec 03, 2025

Kongsberg Maritime is marking 50 years since the introduction of its first dynamic positioning (DP) system, a Norwegian innovation that transformed offshore operations and set new standards for safety and efficiency at sea.The story began in the mid-1970s…

Semco Maritime to Work on Floatel Endurance Rig Optimization

Dec 02, 2025

Floatel International has selected Semco Maritime’s Hanøytangen facility outside Bergen in Norway, to perform a series of modifications and service works on the Floatel Endurance rig ahead of an upcoming contract on the Norwegian Continental Shelf…

ADES Nets $63M Contract for Compact Driller Jack-Up off Brunei

Dec 01, 2025

ADES Holding has secured a two-year contract through its subsidiary Shelf Drilling for the Compact Driller standard jack-up with Brunei Shell Petroleum, a joint venture between the Brunei government and Shell.The Compact Driller deal mars ADES…

UK North Sea Decommissioning Set for Sharp Rise Through 2034

Nov 26, 2025

Decommissioning activity on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) continues to grow as operators expand campaign-based approaches and rely on advanced planning and supply chain collaboration to manage rising costs and workloads, according to the latest report from Offshore Energies UK (OEUK)…

ADES Completes Acquisition of Shelf Drilling

Nov 26, 2025

Saudi Arabian oil and gas drilling contractor ADES International Holding has completed the acquisition of rival rig firm Shelf Drilling.The merger, concluded on November 2025, has created a global offshore drilling powerhouse, with the combined…

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