Offers for 56 new production licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf are being made to 29 companies, 17 of which are operators. The offers are being made after 33 companies applied in the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's (NPD) the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2016…
North Atlantic Drilling has been awarded a one-well contract for the semi-submersible West Phoenix for work in the UK, West of Shetland. The contract is in direct continuation with the West Phoenix' existing contract and the total backlog is estimated to be $17 million…
Statoil is considering a subsea tieback to the Norne floating production unit after making a 20-80 MMboe oil and gas recoverable discovery on the nearby Cape Vulture well in the Norwegian Sea. The tieback project consideration comes as…
US independent Hess will increase its 2017 exploration and production (E&P) budget, turning its attention to activity offshore Norway, Guyana, and the Gulf of Mexico, the company announced on 12 January. Image from Hess…
ExxonMobil has hit gold offshore Guyana with its new ultra deepwater Payara discovery, in addition to upping its ante at the giant Liza field. The Stena Carron, from Stena Drilling. The…
UK-listed independent Ophir Energy says preparations for drilling to restart on the deepwater Ayame-1 oil exploration well offshore Ivory Coast, Africa, are at an advanced stage. The well is expected to spud in late May and is targeting about 240 MMbbl Pmean recoverable resources…
Eni has started drilling on the Boné (Dazzler) exploration well 7318/12-1 in the Norwegian Barents Sea. Boné, being drilled using the Scarabeo 8 semisubmersible drilling rig is in a similar structural setting to the Johan Castberg discovery…
UK Independent Serica Energy is targeting a development plan for the long-dormant North Sea Columbus field this year, the firm said today. Serica is also firming up plans to drill its Rowallan prospect in North Sea block 22/18c in 2018…
Wellhead engineering firm Plexus Holdings says it is confident exploration activity will soon pick up from today's historic lows, after signing a four-year framework agreement with Centrica Norway. Under the agreement, Aberdeen-based…
Eni has completed a deal to take over operatorship of the Rabat Deep Offshore permits I-VI, offshore Morocco, with plans to drill on the acreage in 2018, following approval of a deal by the license partners. The deal, with UK-based independent Chariot Oil & Gas…
Eni has spudded an exploration well in Contract Area D offshore Libya, according to the country's national oil firm. The well, B1-16/3, will be drilled in 518ft (156m) water depth and it is about 140km northwest of Tripoli and 5km north of the Bahr Essalam gas field…
Houston-headquartered W&T Offshore is looking to make its US Gulf of Mexico Mahogany field the cornerstone of its 2017 investment program after hitting oil across five zones in a new appraisal well. The Mahogany field, discovered in 1993…
Houston’s Cobalt International Energy encountered “encouraging” results at its North Platte #4 appraisal well in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, and is preparing for a geologic sidetrack for further analyzation. Image of the Rowan Reliance…
Norwegian oil firm Statoil has set out its plans to drill around 30 exploration wells, in up to 11 countries on five continents, as operator and partner, in 2017 - an increase of around 30% compared to 2016. More than half of the wells will be drilled on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS)…
Hyperdynamics Corp. has entered into a US$4.5 million master service agreement (MSA) with oilfield services giant Schlumberger to provide drilling services for the Fatala-1 deepwater exploration well planned for Q2 2017, offshore the Republic of Guinea…