Inpex Corp. reached an agreement to transfer a 25% participating interest in the deepwater Block S offshore East Malaysia to Australia-based Santos. Block S is located in the Sabah basin and covers 574sq km with a water depth ranging from 200m to 1500m…
Seoul, South Korea-headquartered Samsung Heavy Industries will merge with Samsung Engineering Co., Ltd., the companies announced on 1 September 2014. The goal of the merger is to allow the companies a chance to become a global top-tier EPC (engineering…
Jerry Lee discusses new and improved drill bit designs and technologies with several leading companies. Rising energy demand has resulted in the need to reach reserves in more complex formations. The more complex the formation, the more…
Cabotage is trade or navigation in coastal waters and traditionally refers to shipping along coastal routes, transporting passengers or goods from port to port in the same country. Laws governing cabotage serve to protect local industries…
SBM Offshore discusses some of the company’s developing technologies and how it is working toward unlocking reserves in the Gulf of Mexico. Exploration for fields further offshore and in deeper waters is leading to the development of more complex reservoirs…
Alan Thorpe examines the latest pipelaying vessels debuting on the market. The Ceona Amazon leaving Cryst Shipyard in Poland. Photo from Ulstein. Two new pipelayers for…
As its bid licensing round is delayed again, will Lebanon’s offshore industry ever take off? Sarah Parker Musarra analyzes the current situation and explores the history of the troubled country. In April, Lebanon once again delayed its…
China's Shanghai Ocean University (SHOU) has been building the program at its new Hadal Science and Technology Research Centre (HAST). The Hadal Zone is ultra deewater, 6000m-11,000m below the surface and includes deep trenches formed by tectonic subduction…
Pacific Drilling’s ultra deepwater Pacific Sharav began its five-year drilling contract for Chevron on 27 August 2014. The contract is estimated to be worth more than US$1 billion, bringing Pacific Drilling’s total contract backlog as of 22 June 2012…
Shell made a gas discovery at the deepwater Majoram-1 well 180km off the Malaysia coast. The Marjoram-1 well is located in Block SK318, in 800m of water. Shell says the addition of new natural gas resources this year ensures the company is able to continue to provide cost-effective…
McDermott International, Inc. has been awarded a fast-track fabrication contract by PC Ketapang II Ltd., a subsidiary of Petronas. The contract is for the BTJT-A jacket, as part of the Bukit Tua development project in the Ketapang block off east Java…
CNOOC Ltd. began production at its Wenchang 13-6 oilfield, offshore the Western South China Sea. The Wenchang 13-6 oilfield, located in the west of Pearl River Mouth basin has an average water depth of approximately 120m. The main…
On Friday, The US International Trade Commission endorsed anti-dumping duties on steel pipe imports from four Asian countries, Turkey, and Ukraine. The USITC voted on 22 August that imports of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from South Korea…
Singapore-based KrisEnergy completed drilling on the Mancharee-1 well off the Gulf of Thailand with no significant pay zones identified. KrisEnergy says gas shows were encountered at several levels but no significant pay zones were identified…
Stavanger’s ONS 2014 will open its doors today, creating a global oil village stretching out across nearly 1km, with large delegations expected from the Middle East and Mexico. The event covers a larger footprint than in 2012, when the last ONS was held…