Exploration News

 

Statoil returns Greenland licenses

Jan 27, 2015

Norwegian explorer Statoil returned three licenses off the west coast of Greenland this month, the company confirmed. The reduction follows the company’s announcement last February that it would cut back on Arctic exploration efforts to control capital expenditures…

Tubular Bells topsides lift

Jan 27, 2015

Hess shows the carefully staged choreography of 14 cranes as they hoisted the 1000-tonne Tubular Bells main deck 100ft in the air to set it into place atop the production and cellar decks at a Houma, Louisiana fabrication facility. The Tubular…

Eni sanctions Ghana OCTP project

Jan 27, 2015

Italian explorer Eni sanctioned the Offshore Cape Three Point (OCTP) deepwater development project that will provide domestic gas supply to Ghana’s thermal power plants for more than 15 years. Image from Eni…

Hess cuts budget but stays with deepwater

Jan 27, 2015

New York-headquartered Hess says it is cutting its 2015 capital and exploration budget by 16%, compared to 2014, to US$4.7 billion. While the firm said most of the cash (45%/$2.1 billion) would be spent on its unconventional shale resources…

Wintershall gets eight licenses in APA 2014

Jan 26, 2015

Germany’s Wintershall picked up eight new exploration licenses from the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in the current licensing round APA 2014. Image from Wintershall.   Wintershall…

Suncor gets Norwegian Sea nod

Jan 26, 2015

Suncor Energy Norge received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway to drill at exploration well 34/4 in the Norwegian Sea. The well is located in the Suncor-operated production license 375, in Block 34/4. Drilling will begin this month for a period of 154 days…

Statoil using Spitsbergen for wildcat

Jan 23, 2015

Statoil is bringing the Transocean Spitsbergen semisubmersible back to the waters to drill a wildcat well in the Snedrid Nord prospect, after gaining consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA). Transocean Spitsbergen…

Conoco spuds latest Barossa well

Jan 23, 2015

ConocoPhillips has started drilling on the third well in its Barossa area exploration campaign, Barossa-4, in the Bonaparte basin, offshore Australia's Northern Territory.  The latest well follows the Barossa-3 appraisal well…

Analysts: Mexico remains competitive

Jan 22, 2015

With Mexican oil open to private investment for the first time, the country’s initial bidding round is expected to remain competitive despite low oil prices, delays and a number of uncertainties, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData…

Faroe lines up Norwegian drilling

Jan 22, 2015

Faroe Exploration is planning four exploration wells offshore Norway in 2015 - Shango, Pil, Blister and Kvalross. Shango, operated by Total (Faroe 20%), is in the Norwegian North Sea on the northern part of the prolific Utsira High. The…

Santos completes 2D off Bangladesh

Jan 22, 2015

The Binh Minh 2 vessel completed a 3146km 2D seismic acquisition program in the Santos-operated SS-11 block, offshore Bangladesh. Block SS-11 covers an area of 4475sq km in the Bay of Bengal over the Bengal Fan. The majority of the block lies in shallow waters of up to 200m…

Speculant-1 options being assessed

Jan 21, 2015

Origin Energy says the Speculant-1 exploration well in the Otway basin, offshore Victoria, Australia, is to be suspended while development options are assessed.  The well, which encountered 'potentially commercial quanitities of gas' in the primary Waarre formation reservoirs target…

Norway cranks open Barents

Jan 20, 2015

Norway's Ministry of Petroleum and Energy today cranked open the door to Barents Sea exploration by putting some 54 blocks or part blocks in the icy northern region into its 23rd licensing round.  The opening of the Barents Sea to exploration…

Dry hole on GOM Madison prospect

Jan 20, 2015

The US Gulf of Mexico deepwater Madison well has been plugged and abandoned after failing to find commercial hydrocarbons. Operator Noble Energy drilled the well to a total depth of 16,850ft, in 7149ft water depth, on Mississippi Canyon 479…

Madison fails Noble

Jan 20, 2015

Noble Energy’s Madison exploration well has been plugged and abandoned in the Gulf of Mexico after no commercial hydrocarbons were found. The well was drilled to a total depth of 16,859ft in the Mississippi Canyon 479 and reached its targeted Upper and Middle Miocene objectives…

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