ExxonMobil has started oil production at its US$4 billion Julia oil field in the Gulf of Mexico with the first production well currently online, and a second well set to start production in the coming weeks, the supermajor announced. Image…
Offshore drilling firm Paragon Offshore has picked up two contract extensions, having reduced day rates. In the Middle East, a contract with ADMA OPCO for the M1162 jackup has been extended from mid-January 2017 to late January 2019 and…
UK-based independent has now cut US$425 million off its North Sea Kraken heavy oil development budget as it looks to continue reining in costs. After initially shaving $300 million, or about 10%, off the project's original $3.2 billion costs…
US supermajor Chevron is set to shave its budget by as much as 36% by next year, as the company approaches the finish line for global construction projects, and sets its sights on increasing production. Jack/St…
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Wintershall a drilling permit for wildcat well 35/8-6 S, in block 35/8 of production license 248. Well 35/8-6 S will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, a semisubmersible…
Rosneft has made its debut as a drilling operator in international waters, as the Russian giant commenced drilling operations at the PLDD-1X well, offshore Vietnam. The HAKURYU-5 rig, image from Japan Drilling…
Malaysia’s Petronas is pumping the breaks on its Petronas floating LNG 2 (PFLNG 2) project after the company suffered lower revenue and profit last year due to the low oil price environment. Image of the PFLNG 1…
Current oil prices does little to support exploration and expanding developments. However, keeping an eye on the future, sub-saharan African nations show promise. Western African countries, such as Nigeria, have already seen the benefits…
Oil production in the US Gulf of Mexico (GoM) will reach record high levels in 2017, due to some 14 projects starting up during 2015-17, despite low oil prices. Anadarko's Heidelberg. Image from Anadarko…
Romanian gas producer Romgaz and its partners are to drop their EX29 Est Rapsodia Block in the Black Sea, offshore Romania, following exploration results. Romgaz, with partners Lukoil Overseas Atash and PanAtlantic Petroleum, had signed two concession agreements…
In the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) oil market report for February 2016, signs of a demand slowdown surface, with higher OPEC output only partly offsetting non-OPEC decline. Having peaked, at a five-year high of 1.6 MMb/d in 2015…
Offshore trade unions have teamed up to form a co-ordinated 'fightback' against cuts and changes effecting workers in the UK's oil industry. The newly formed Offshore Co-ordinating Group (OCG) has representatives from Units, the RMT, the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) the GMB…
Total may have taken an 18% hit in its net income compared to 2014, but the French company said it was “the best performance among the majors.” Image of Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne. From Total Twitter…
HAWXEYE, developed by Xodus engineers as an alternative to spreadsheets, is a cloud-based web app geared to screen assets for vibration, erosion and corrosion related issues. Complex data from monitors and piping and instrumentation…
Despite a multibillion dollar backlog of projects, put on hold amid US$30-50/bbl oil prices, exploration firms are still eyeing resources in arctic waters. New areas of the Barents Sea were offered to oil firms in Norway’s 23rd licensing round…