Cidade de Paraty in production FPSO Cidade de Paraty went on stream, beginning production from the Lula Nordeste field in the Santos Basin presalt play. It is about 300km off Brazil, in the northeast corner of Block BM-S-11. The FPSO can process up to 120…
RWE in Suriname RWE Dea signed a farm-in agreement with Petronas Suriname E&P BV, acquiring 40% interest in Block 52 off Suriname. The block is in the Guyana-Suriname Basin 120km off the northeast coast of South America in 100-1,000m deep water and has potential in Upper Cretaceous strata…
Noble’s Gunflint find Noble Energy announced a non-commercial discovery at its second deepwater Gunflint appraisal well in the US Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi Canyon 992 #1, located one mile west of the original discovery well, was drilled to 32…
Exxon, Rosneft establish ARC Rosneft and ExxonMobil signed agreements establishing a joint Arctic Research Center (ARC) in Russia and technology-sharing to support their joint ventures worldwide. ARC will provide research, development…
Colloquy: Editor’s Column The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) has developed a new African exploration GIS database, as the Edward G. Purdy Memorial Project, honoring the late geologist (b. 4 December 1931, d. 13 October…
US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director James A. Watson will step down from the agency in order to join maritime class society ABS as its president and chief operating officer (COO) of the Americas Division, effective September 2…
IHC Merwede has announced that it has signed two new contracts for the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) delivery of offloading system packages for five FPSO vessels (floating production storage and offloading). The first…
The Starfish-1 exploration well drilled offshore Ghana is to be plugged and abandoned after disappointing drilling results, said operator Ophir. The well, in the Offshore Accra Contract Area, was drilled in 1490m water by the Stena DrillMax drillship in the frontier Keta basin…
Exploration and production firm Northern Petroleum has promoted Keith Bush, 43, to managing director. Bush joined Northern in May 2012 as chief operating officer and was appointed to the board last November. Bush has a degree in physics…
Aker Solutions has won a contract with Caspian Drilling Company (CDC) to provide a complete topside equipment package for a new semi-submersible drilling rig in Baku, Azerbaijan. The equipment will mainly be constructed and assembled…
Vallourec today announces the inauguration of a new Research Center in Rio de Janeiro, in the presence of Philippe Crouzet, chairman of Vallourec's Management Board. Due to be operational by October 2013, the Rio Center will focus on all pre-salt activities of the Group…
Transocean Ltd. today announced that the ultra-deepwater drillship Dhirubhai Deepwater KG1 has set a new world record for the deepest water depth by an offshore drilling rig. The rig recently spudded a well in 10,411ft (3174m) of water…
Dolphin Drilling, part of Fred. Olsen Energy ASA, signed contracts worth US$67 million for use of its Blackford Dolphin semisubmersible rig. The Blackford Dolphin will drill one well a piece for MPX North Sea ltd in the UK sector and Cairn subsidiary Capricorn Ireland Ltd…
FloaTEC has been awarded certification to ISO 9001-2008 for project management and engineering for the offshore industry. DNV Business Assurance, a division of the world-renowned Det Norske Veritas Certification B.V., and an internationally…
NOF Energy, the business support organisation for oil, gas, nuclear and offshore renewables, has celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special Silver Jubilee Celebration Dinner at the Gateshead Hilton. The dinner celebrated the growth of the business development organisation…