Providence Resources is putting a tender for a rig contract for the 2017 Druid drilling program in the southern Porcupine Basin in FEL 2/14, off the south west coast of Ireland. It is expected that the rig contract will be signed during Q4 2016 to facilitate summer 2017 drilling…
Houston’s Vaalco Energy has run into more trouble offshore Gabon, with electrical submersible pumps (ESP) continuing to fail, leaving a well shut-in. Map from Vaalco. Vaalco has experienced several issues with ESPs in recent months…
Mexican national oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) has made six oil discoveries offshore Mexico, with one particular find holding 140-160 MMboe of potential reserves. The company also revealed its plans to drill more than a dozen offshore exploration wells next year…
Italy’s Eni is entering Montenegro’s upstream market by exploring four blocks. Eni signed a concession contract with the government of Montenegro for the exploration of four offshore blocks covering a total area of 1228sq km that were…
Eni’s Nooros field offshore Egypt reached a new record in 13 months of 128,000 boe/d, with plans to drill more wells in the area. Image from Eni. The Italian giant confirmed production at Nooros reached 700 MMcf/d…
CNOOC Ltd. started production at the Weizhou 6-9/6-10 comprehensive adjustment project in the South China Sea. The Weizhou field is in the Beibu Gulf at about 35m water depth. In addition to fully utilizing the existing facilities of Weizhou 6-9/6-10…
SBM Offshore has released a video of the Turritella floating production and storage offloading (FPSO) unit, as the vessel started commercial production at Shell’s Stones development in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico on 6 September. At Stones…
Despite achieving a drilling record, Total Norge's ultra-high-pressure, high-temperature Solaris well has been classified as dry. The well, 1/5-5, was the deepest well drilled on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, according to driller, Maersk Drilling…
The Manora oil joint venture spudded the MNA-17 well offshore Thailand, in hopes of adding contingent resources at the development. The project area is located in the Northern Gulf of Thailand, and is a partnership between Mubadala Petroleum (60%)…
Production at Chevron’s Erskine restarted late last month in the central North Sea, following the completion of maintenance work at Shell’s Lomond platform. Erskine. Image from Chevron. Erskine…
Statoil and Tullow Norge have entered an agreement for Statoil to increase its equity in four licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS), which includes the Wisting discovery in the Barents Sea. The deal includes Tullow transferring…
The latest Australian petroleum exploration spending data is 'an urgent wake-up call for governments and industry,' the country's oil industry body has warned. Dr Malcolm Roberts, CEO of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration…
Det norske oljeselskap is to move ahead with an appraisal well on the Langfjellet discovery in the Norwegian North Sea. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted the firm a drilling permit for well 25/2-18 A using the Maersk Interceptor drilling rig in production license 442…
Anadarko Petroleum spudded the Warrior well in deepwater Gulf of Mexico, according to partner Ecopetrol. Warrior is in Green Canyon Block 563, near two major production fields: the western border of Anadarko’s K2 block and on the eastern border of BHP Billiton’s Shenzi field…
Diamond Offshore Drilling has said it is going to defend a move by Brazil’s Petróleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) to terminate its contract on the Ocean Valor semisubmersible early. The Ocean Valiant…