Wintershall is due to start drilling its latest exploration well on production license 248 in the North Sea, starting in March. The firm has been given consent to drill two wells, 35/8-6S and 35/8-6A, taking around 85 days, depending on whether a discovery is made…
China's CNOOC has laid claim to the the country's first ultra-deepwater gas discovery in the northwestern part of the South China Sea. The Lingshui 18-1-1 exploration was drilled in 1688m (5538ft) water depth and has been certified as a discovery by the Ministry of Land & Resources…
Private equity funded Black Platinum Energy will move ahead with its plans for appraisal and development activities to prove up its shallow gas plays in East Natuna, offshore Indonesia, despite current industry conditions. Plans include drilling one exploration well…
The government of Sri Lanka gas signed a joint study agreement (JSA) with French major Total covering two ultra-deep exploration blocks offshore its east coast. The study's objective is to explore the two offshore blocks (JS5 and JS6) for hydrocarbons…
London-based SOCO International's Baobab Marine-1 commitment well is to be plugged and abandoned after finding no oil or gas. The well was drilled on the Mer Profonde Sud Block, in the Lower Congo Basin, offshore Congo. Drilling…
Italian oil major Eni has completed its first appraisal well on the giant Zohr gas discovery in the deep water Shorouk block offshore Egypt. The firm, which is now preparing for a well test, says the latest well on Zohr confirms the Zohr…
Brazil’s Senate passed a bill that could strip Petrobras of its role as sole operator of the country’s pre-salt fields. Image of José Serra, from Senado Federal Flickr. Yesterday…
A total of 18 blocks are up for bid for exploration in 2016 to international oil and gas companies wanting to partner with operator China National Offshore Oil Co. (CNOOC). Map of blocks up for bid…
Statoil has made a small discovery about 5.5km west of the Oseberg South field in the central part of the Norwegian North Sea. The primary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Lower and Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Tarbert formation and upper part of the Statfjord group)…
Wintershall's Kvalross exploration well in the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea (Faroe 40%) is being abandoned after it was found to be non-commercial. The well, 7224/2-1, was spudded on 11 January, and reached a total vertical depth of 2917m in the Lower Triassic Havert formation…
New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals, the government's petroleum permitting agency, has released its 2016 Petroleum Exploration Data Pack. This year’s data pack adds a number of new projects to the comprehensive compilation of open-file seismic and well data…
Houston's Vantage Drilling has signed an agreement for a two-year extension of the ultra-deepwater drillship Tungsten Explorer contract. The contract, initially signed in 2013, and running from mid-2014 for two years, is now anticipated…
Italian explorer Eni hopes to start production from the giant Zohr gas field offshore Egypt by the end of 2017, after being approved to take over the development lease from Egypt's national Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS). Zohr, described as Egypt's largest gas field to date…
West of Shetland basement fractured reservoir explorer Hurricane Energy has a new non-executive chairman after John Hogan announced his plans to step down from the board on completion of a three-year stint in the role in March of this year…
Next month, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will offer some 45 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas exploration in two lease sales, an increase of 2.2 million acres that was originally announced in September 2015…