GE Oil & Gas announced today a technology collaboration with Mexico Institute of Petroleum (IMP) and Mexico state-owned company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex). Pemex sponsors the agreement, which GE Oil & Gas said would “initially [research]…
Two of the major deepwater developments that have started production so far in the Gulf of Mexico belong to Shell and BP. Sarah Parker Musarra examines the technology behind two mammoth projects: Mars B and Na Kika. In Greek and Polynesian mythology…
Repsol Exploration (Namibia) has started drilling operations on the deepwater Welwitschia-1 prospect in Walvis Bay, offshore Namibia, this week, according to partner Tower Resources, via its Neptune Petroleum (Namibia) subsidiary. The well was spudded on April 24…
Total has made a 'very promising' light oil discovery in 2300m water depth as part of an intensive exploration campaign off Ivory Coast. The Saphir-1XB exploration well, the first exploration well on Block CI-514, is the first discovery in the San Pedro basin…
Netherlands-based Airborne Oil & Gas has secured an order for multiple flexible risers and jumpers from OneSubsea. Applying the Thermoplastic Composite Pipe (TCP) concept, the flexible risers and jumpers will be used for acid stimulation…
Total E&P announced today that its Saphir-1XB exploration well on Block CI-514 tested light oil in deep water off Africa's Ivory Coast. “Drilled in an abrupt margin play, this first well is the first discovery in the San Pedro Basin…
Shell announced a deepwater natural gas discovery off Malaysia. The successful Rosmari-1 well is 135km off the coast of Sarawak, in the South China Sea (Block SK-318). It was drilled to a total depth of 2123m and encountered a gas column of more than 450m…
Maersk Drilling’s second drillship, Maersk Valiant, has started its voyage to the US Gulf of Mexico (GOM) today after being delivered from Samsung Heavy Industries' (SHI) shipyard in Geoje-Si, South-Korea. Maersk Valiant (pictured) will…
Nearly US$8 billion worth of contracts on the Kaombo mega-project offshore Angola have been announced today, following operator Total’s final investment decision on the project on Monday. An alliance between Technip and Heerema Marine Contractors has won an engineering…
Total has selected Aker Solutions to provide a subsea production system for the Kaombo Block 32 development in Angola. The NOK14 billion contract will see Aker Solutions deliver 20 subsea manifolds and 65 vertical subsea wellsets. The…
Total and its partners are to move ahead with the 650MM bbl, deepwater Kaombo project offshore Angola after cutting US$4 billion from the capex costs on the project. Kaombo will develop six of 12 discoveries made in Block 32, covering 800sq km…
Aker Solutions has won a contract worth more than US$300 million from Petrobras to supply eight manifolds that alternately inject water and gas to increase oil recovery from Brazil's deepwater offshore fields. The subsea manifolds, designed for 2500m water depth…
Deepwater drilling is no longer just about exploration. Lars Eirik Nocolaisen looks at market sentiment and potential reality. Reporting season 1Q 2014 saw deepwater drillers’ reporting numbers in-line with expectations, but still stock prices have plummeted…
Infield analyst Edward Richardson examines whether the newbuild rig market is heading for deeper waters. History shows us that when oil prices are high operators seek to expedite the development of existing reserves and prove up additional resources…
Douglas-Westwood (DW) has forecast that the global autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) fleet will increase 42% during 2014-2018, compared to the previous five years. The fleet is forecast to total 825 units in 2018, led by strong demand in the military sector…