Baker Hughes Inc. issued its international rig count that showed 1251 rigs operating worldwide in March 2015 outside of the US and Canada. Unsurprisingly, global rig counts have dropped significantly due to an approximate 50% drop in crude oil prices since 2014…
An overboard incident on the Scarabeo 8 semisubmersible drilling unit offshore unit was caused by missing grating on the blowout preventer (BOP) carrier platform grating, a report by Norway's Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) says. The…
Aquamarine Power has appointed Dr Paddy O'Kane as the company's CEO, replacing interim CEO John Malcolm who has stepped down after six months in the role. O'Kane has been Aquamarine Power's chief technical officer since 2010. Prior to…
Hungarian exploration outfit MOL Group has made its first step into the Norwegian offshore sector, purchasing the Norwegian assets of UK-based North Sea exploration and production firm Ithaca Energy. Ithaca will sell its Norwegian assets…
BP agreed to sell its equity in the Central Area Transmission System (CATS) business in the UK North Sea to Antin Infrastructure Partners for US$486million. BP is currently the operator of CATS. The sale of CATS will be as a fully operational business…
Strong performance in its subsea business has helped Technip offset “unsatisfactory” onshore and offshore revenues despite industry headwinds, the firm’s CEO Thierry Pilenko announced today. But, the chairman of France’s Technip, which recently launched a new subsea joint venture…
North Sea exploration minnow Trap Oil has warned that, without urgent additional funding, it is likely to become insolvent. The firm, which has reduced its overheads from £5.1 million 2 years ago to £1.3 million/yr posted a pre-loss of £44…
TGS signed an agreement with Thalassa Holdings/WGP to acquire P-Cable 3D seismic data in the Norwegian Barents Sea. The activity is expected to last for 90 days and will commence in April 2015. Also in the Barents Sea this week, several…
The sudden drop in oil prices is different from cycles in the recent past, said Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive of ExxonMobil, during his Tuesday morning keynote speech and discussion at the recently held CERAWeek. This event has been created due to oversupply…
CGG's GeoConsulting business has acquired Calgary-based Taurus Reservoir Solutions. Taurus offers reservoir and geomechanical simulation and engineering technology along with consulting services to the global petroleum industry, from…
The first well drilled using the new build jackup giant Maersk Interceptor (pictured) have reaped successful results for operator Det norske, the firm said this morning. The new unit, operating in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea…
A consortium of three companies has joined forces to bring enhanced oil spill detection and search and rescue capability to the UK North Sea. Using technology developed in Norway, Aptomar, working with Aberdeen's Briggs Environmental Services…
Statoil’s CEO Eldar Sætre made the case for simplicity, industrialization, and standardization as a way for the industry to get through the current downturn at IHS CERAWeek in Houston Tuesday afternoon. Sætre opened with a joke about the downturn saying…
AziNor Catalyst completed the 100% acquisition of license P1946, covering Block 15/12a in the UK North Sea from Stavanger Petroleum. The terms of the agreement will require AziNor to undertake all technical work commitments on the license…
Statoil, Eni Norge, Lundin Norway, OMV and GDF SUEZ will team up to collaborate on solving operational tasks tied to exploration in the Barents Sea. Image from Statoil. The project…