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…
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'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…
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…
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…
Lundin Petroleum has started drilling exploration well 26/10-1 on the Zulu prospect in production license (PL) 674BS, 100km west of Stavanger in the North Sea. Zulu is about 30 km northeast of the Johan Sverdrup discovery. The main objective…
Egypt’s bid to pay off its mountain of debt to international oil companies and improve contract terms could create a rush of activity to make up for lost time. Patrick Werr reports. Former chairman of Egypt’s state-owned gas holding company…
ExxonMobil began production at the Arkutun-Dagi field, off Russia. Image of the Arkutun-Dagi topside. Arkutun-Dagi is part of the multi-billion-dollar Sakhalin-1 project, which also…
Gazprom Neft’s subsidiary, Gazpromneft Sakhalin has been awarded subsoil-use rights to two blocks in the Russian Arctic. Image from Gazprom Neft. The first block, the Severo-Zapadniy (North East) block is located on the Pechora Sea shelf…
Spain’s Repsol is flying the coop on the Sandia exploration well off the Canary Islands after the find proved to be very thin, with non-exploitable layers. The Rowan Renaissance. From Rowan. Sandia is located in the Atlantic Ocean…
Ireland-based exploration firm Petroceltic is focusing its attention on Egypt after two offshore block awards were recently ratified. The firm said during 2014, formal award of the offshore North Thekah block was awarded and, more recently…
Noreco has reduced its ownership in license 9/95 on the Danish continental shelf from 20.1% to 16% by transferring the balance to Nordsøfonden, the Danish State’s oil and gas company. Drilling of the exploration well 9/95 Xana started…
Mubadala Petroleum’s US$300 million Manora oil development is now producing from five wells in the northern Gulf of Thailand. The Atwood Orca jackup. From Atwood. The Manora oil field is located within the G1/48 concession…
Italian giant Eni signed two concession agreements to explore two blocks in the Mediterranean Sea offshore Egypt as part of the 2013 Egyptian General Petroleum Corp. (EGAS) bid round. Image from Eni. Blocks…
Independent oil firm Premier Oil is sticking to an eight-well exploration campaign in 2015, including its four-well campaign in the Falkland Islands, due to start in March, and its first well in the emerging Mandal High play offshore Norway…