Seadrill has been awarded a firm two-well contract, plus a two-well option with Statoil Canada for the West Aquarius, offshore eastern Canada. The contract is expected to start in Q2 2017, following the conclusion of the vessel’s current contract with Hibernia in early April 2017…
Swedish oil explorer Lundin Petroleum says its 35-100 MMboe gross resource oil and gas discovery in its Filicudi exploration well in the Barents Sea has 'significant upside potential.' The well, 7219/12-1, is in PL533, which could contain up to 700 MMboe unrisked prospective resource…
Transocean is to scrap two idle rigs and has idled three others as contracts have been dropped, while others have been extended. The floaters M.G. Hulme, Jr. and GSF Rig 140 were classified as held for sale. Transocean says these rigs will be recycled…
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Lundin Norway a drilling permit for well 16/1-27. Well 16/1-27 will be drilled from the Island Innovator drilling facility, at position 58°50’18.11” north and 2°11’56.83” east, in a southwesterly…
Independent explorer Tullow Oil is lining up a string of exploration projects this year, including targeting the 500 MMbo Araku prospect offshore Suriname in 2H this year. Other projects include seismic campaigns in Ghana, Jamaica and Uruguay…
Halliburton (HAL) released the Dash Large Bore Subsea Safety System, which provides full electrohydraulic control of well safety and intervention functions. The fully customizable system brings new benefits to deepwater operators for completion…
PeruPetro, the responsible government agency, has granted independent oil and gas exploration and production company Baron Oil to drill the Cuy-Z34-13-1X exploration well offshore of northwest Peru in Block Z-34. The well is planned to be drilled in 5764ft of water to a total depth of 12…
Archer Oiltools, a provider of solutions for well integrity and well performance, has released the SPARTAN plug family, designed to help operators deliver safer wells, boost operational efficiency and reduce costs. Driven by customer demand and industry challenges…
Fractured basement reservoir explorer Hurricane Energy says its previous 300 MMbbl estimate for the Lancaster field, west of Shetland is conservative. The firm has completed technical analysis of the Lancaster, Lincoln and Warwick assets…
Statoil has made a new 20-50 MMboe gas discovery on the Norwegian North Sea Valemon field, at Valemon West. The well was drilled using the jackup rig West Elara, in 133.5m water depth, 160km north-west of Bergen. It is the seventh exploration…
Imagine a library where the books are written in a language so old, few alive can speak it; and the pages crumble to dust when turned. In data terms, this is the state of the UK oil industry’s 50+ years of exploration archives. Elaine Maslin reports on one project aiming to fix it…
Operating in HPHT conditions have led to thicker, heavier subsea equipment that can hold up to extreme environments. Atul Ganpatye and Kenneth Bhalla, of Stress Engineering, discuss challenges associated with the design of this equipment…
Scott Weeden drills down with NOV’s Hege Kverneland to find out why she is excited about using Big Data to predict component failures before they occur. Kverneland Just how exciting is Big Data…
Anadarko has its eyes set on Colombia, announcing further drilling plans in the Purple Angel block, and opportunities it has identified through the Esmeralda 3D seismic survey in the area. Map of Gorgon…
US giant ExxonMobil announced it will start five major offshore projects in 2017-2018, in addition to a Q4 2016 earnings of US$3.7 billion, which took a $2 billion impairment charge from its upstream sector. Image from Exxon…