North Sea focused independent EnQuest's US$3.2billion plan to develop the Kraken heavy oil field has been given the go ahead. Kraken is in 108-125m water depth, about 135km east of Shetland, and is estimated to contain 137MM bbl gross reserves…
Norwegian private equity group HitecVision AS is to invest US$92.6million in Singapore-based Energy Drilling Pte Ltd. The deal will see Hitecvision take a majority stake in the company and it will ensure delivery of Energy Drilling Pte…
South Korea's STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. launched SCF Melampus, the first of two ice-class LNG carriers ordered by Sovcomflot OJSC. The first vessel is to be delivered in late 2014; the second in early 2015. STX signed the $400million contract to build the two 170…
Allseas Group is to build a second single-lift platform installation and decommissioning vessel that will exceed the lifting capacity of its Pieter Schelte unit by 50%. The new vessel will be able to remove all platform topsides in the North Sea…
Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam, part of Damen Shipyards Group, has agreed a contract to build an additional seismic research support vessel for Rederij Groen. The latest contract follows last month’s order for two new seismic research support vessels (SRSVs)…
Statoil has made an oil discovery on the Snilehorn prospect in Norwegian Sea. Oil was found in discovery well 6407/8-6 and sidetrack 6407/8-6A. Image: The West Navigator drillship, which has started drilling on the Novus prospect…
A group of operators in the North Sea is taking a joint approach to barrel chasing through well intervention. Could other regions do the same? In many cases, total annual production associated with well intervention operations exceeds annual production from new wells drilled in the same year…
Noble Energy Inc. has started a 3D seismic survey over its licence areas to the south and east of the Falkland Islands using the PGS Ramform Titan. The survey, the third to be acquired in the area this year, could take up to four months…
Over recent months, IHC Merwede’s Offshore Division has been successful in securing orders for the design, engineering and construction of a total of 10 pipe-laying vessels. These vessels will be built in the covered hall at the IHC Krimpen facility…
After a decade of R&D spanning the globe, a new class of marine seismic technology has now been commercially deployed. Nina Rach spoke with Chris Cunnell of Schlumberger. In an ideal world, a seismic survey would have a grid of sensors across the full area of interest…
Large structures in deep water Gulf of Mexico are set to challenge established decommissioning methodologies in the basin, while the North Sea still awaits its bow-wave of activity. Elaine Maslin reports. Globally, the offshore decommissioning market has largely been limited to two basins…
FMC wins TEN order FMC Technologies Inc. received an order from Tullow Ghana Ltd. to supply subsea systems for its Tweneboa-Enyenra-Ntomme Development (TEN) offshore Ghana. The order's estimated value is US$340 million. FMC Technologies’ scope of supply includes subsea trees…
Transboundary may head to committee The US Senate bill ratifying the US-Mexico Transboundary Hydrocarbon Agreement, S. 812, is reportedly on its way to a conference committee. The Senate’s version of the bill, passed last month (October)…
Prosafe has agreed a letter of intent (LoI) with COSCO (Qidong) Offshore Co. Ltd. for the engineering, procurement and construction of two semi-submersible accommodation vessels, with options for four further units. The vessels will be…
TGS, in partnership with BGP, has started acquisition of 2D seismic, gravity and magnetic multi-client surveys offshore Madagascar using the M/V Challenger. The surveys, MAJ-13 and MS-14, will add 7025 km of new 2D seismic data to extend and infill the existing 33…