Business is good in the oilfield, and as increased production and steady commodity prices contribute an influx of cash, operators are reinvesting in themselves, expanding their share buyback programs. Management usually says that…
West Australian independent Woodside Petroleum Ltd. has farmed-in to the 7200sq km Lake Tanganyika South Block, Tanzania. Beach Petroleum (Tanzania) Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of South Australia's Beach Energy Ltd., will transfer…
High costs and regulatory and fiscal uncertainties could have caused a drop in exploration and deal activity on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), according to business advisory firm Deloitte. The firm’s Petroleum Services Group…
Baker Hughes issued the June 2014 international rotary drilling rig count this week, showing a total of 1344 rigs operating outside the US & Canada in June. International activity was down 6 rigs from the 1350 rigs drilling in May 2014…
UK-based exploration junior Enegi Oil says a self-installing floating tower (SIFT) would be the best development option for the central North Sea Phoenix discovery. Enegi’s preference for a SIFT follows a work program by Azimuth Limited…
First production from an appraisal well has extended the southern limits of the high-pressure/high-temperature (HPHT) Jade gas condensate field in the UK Central North Sea, Houston-headquartered ConocoPhillips announced today. The Maersk…
The humanitarian program, Geoscientists Without Borders (GWB), launched by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) six years ago, will sponsor a new project in Tanzania to prevent an ecological disaster that would impact the fisheries and the population that depends on them…
Raytheon Anschütz, a German-based navigation system supplier, announced it delivered its 15,000th Standard 22 Gyro Compass in June 2014. The jubilee compass will replace a 30 year old Anschütz Standard 4 Gyro Compass onboard the superyacht Esmeralda…
McDermott International has completed Ayatsil-B, one of Pemex’s four drilling platforms for use in the Mexican national’s Ayatsil-Tekel heavy oil field. The Houston-based company provided engineering, procurement, fabrication, pre-commissioning…
Premier Oil has sold interest in six Central North Sea offshore licenses to Hungary’s MOL Group for US$130 million, the duo announced on 30 June 2014. The sale includes non-operated equity stakes in the Nexen-operated Scott (21.84%), Rochelle (15%) and Telford (1…
Rosneft has started field works at five license blocks in the Barents and Pechora Seas ahead of planned drilling in 2016-2017. The five blocks are: West Prinovozemelsky, located in the northeastern part of the Barents sea near the Novaya Zemlya archipelago…
TE Connectivity Ltd. today announced that it has completed the acquisition of the SEACON group, a worldwide provider of underwater connector technology and systems (map of SEACON Group locations at right). The El Cajon, California-based…
Japan's Mitsui Corp. Ltd. is looking toward increasing its investments in Mexico, after the Mexican Congress voted in December to open the oil and gas industry to foreign companies. The Wall St. Journal reported last month that Yasuhiro Uchida…
Exploration activity on the Norwegian shelf 'remains vigorous', with 13 new discoveries made this year, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD). As of 24 June, 33 exploration wells (23 wildcat and 10 appraisal wells) have been spudded and 33 terminated…
Aker Solutions' subsidiary Aker Oilfield Services was notified by Total in Angola of the termination of a US$250 million, two-year contract for the Skandi Aker vessel. Skandi Aker started operations as a well-intervention vessel for the first time in September last year…