Offshore assets in the South China Sea are ripe for further development, but territorial challenges are common. Focusing on Vietnam, Jeannie Stell talks to Quynh Anh, partner at Mayer Brown, for an overview of the political conditions, contract…
Japan’s Agency of Natural Resources and Energy has chosen Tokyo-based operator Inpex to drill an exploratory well in the country’s offshore waters in the Sea of Japan. Exploratory drilling will take place from May to August 2016, 80-86mi…
Russia’s Rosneft and US-based ExxonMobil filed joint bids to participate in Mozambique’s fifth licensing round scheduled to close today (30 July). Map of the Angoche, Zambezi basins. From Mozambique National Petroleum Institute…
Petronas subsidiary PSE Seven Heads has started drilling on the Midleton prospect offshore Ireland, according to partner Landsdowne Oil & Gas. PSE Seven Heads, a subsidiary of Petronas' PSE Kinsale Energy is using Diamond Offshore Drilling's…
Houston-based independent Anadarko Petroleum has made an important gas discovery at the Kronos well, offshore northwest Colombia, in the southern Caribbean. The Bolette Dolphin (pictured, right) drilled the Kronos-1 well, which sits in a frontier deepwater basin in the Fuerte Sur block…
More than 40 new exploration licenses have been issued in the UK North Sea by the newly formed industry regulator Oil and Gas Authority (OGA). Image from Dolphin Geophysical. The…
Cue Energy discovered a new play type offshore Western Australia and is requesting an extension from NOPTA in order to allow further time to mature the prospect. Map from Cue. The new play type…
Representatives of Italian explorer Eni and the Egyptian government gathered in Rome to sign updated Head of Agreement terms, following a new offshore discovery made in the Nile Delta earlier this week. The update says the two will jointly…
Shell’s arrival in the Chukchi Sea came with limitations from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) that allows the supermajor to begin drilling, but not into oil-bearing zones just yet. The Noble Discoverer…
Norway's Statoil has made a 15-75 MMboe gas and condensate discovery near the 70-200 MMboe King Lear discovery located just 17km from the Ekofisk facilities. The Julius discovery well 2/4-23S, drilled using the Maersk Gallant jackup in 68m water depth…
UK-listed small-cap exploration firm Xplorer has today signed a memorandum of understanding for the acquisition of a working interest in five shallow offshore exploration permits off the coast of Morocco. Xplorer has negotiated the acquisition from Teredo International of Teredo Morocco…
Italy's Eni has discovered gas at the Nooros exploration prospect in the Abu Madi West license, in the Nile Delta, offshore Egypt. Preliminary estimates of the discovery account for a potential of 15 Bcm of gas in place with upside, plus associated condensates…
Edison Norge's exploration well on the Haribo prospect in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea has been declared dry. Partner Noreco Norway said well will now be plugged and abandoned. The well spudded on 21 June using the semisubmersible drilling rig Transocean Searcher…
UK-based Cluff Natural Resources says it has made 'significant progress' on its plans for exploration drilling in southern North Sea licenses. The company was formed to exploit underground coal gasification (UCG), but it is also exploring for natural gas in the southern North Sea…
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) inspected Shell’s drilling rigs for its US$1 billion Arctic drilling program, the Noble Discoverer, Polar Pioneer and the Fennica icebreaker vessel in Alaska. Pre…