Marathon Oil is to reduce its conventional exploration spending to just US$30 million, down from more than $250 million in 2015 and from more than $500 million in 2014. The firm said exploration activity in 2016 would be limited to existing commitments in the Gulf of Mexico and Gabon…
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…
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…
DONG Energy has signed and completed an agreement to divest 50% of the 258 MW UK offshore wind farm project, Burbo Bank Extension, to Danish pension provider PKA and KIRKBI, parent company of the LEGO Group. Each investor will obtain a 25% ownership interest in the project…
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…
China’s CNOOC commenced production at the Kenli 10-4 oilfield, offshore China. The Kenli 10-4 oilfield is located in the South of Bohai at about 15m water depth. In addition to fully utilizing the existing facilities of Kenli 10-1 oilfield…
A series of talks aimed at young oil and gas industry professionals in Aberdeen launches with a look at risk management and collaboration early next month. The SPE Aberdeen Simplified Series is run by the Society of Petroleum Engineer's Young Progessionals section in Aberdeen…
In contrast to 2015, upstream oil and gas deal activity is set to ramp up this year regardless of what happens to the oil price, according to Wood Mackenzie's M&A outlook for 2016. Should oil prices stay low, companies will be forced to sell assets and merge businesses: to free up capital…
Louisiana-based LLOG Exploration’s Delta House floating production system (FPS) achieved its nameplate oil capacity of 80,000 b/d in the Gulf of Mexico during the last days of 2015. Image of Delta House…
Shipping and offshore specialist law firm Wikborg Rein says current low oil prices could mean there are bargains to be had for investors in the offshore sector who follow recommended procedures for assessing and acquiring distressed companies…
Noble Energy revealed a 15,000 boe/d increase in its Q4 2015 sales volumes for both offshore and onshore fields to an estimated 405,000-415,000 boe/d. Map of Noble's Gulf of Mexico assets. Image from Noble…
US-based Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) is cutting two vessels in the Gulf of Mexico in an effort to defer investments in several of the company’s long-term projects due to the oil and gas market slump. Image from FCX…
Even before the drastic drop in oil prices, deepwater extraction costs were under examination, as costs had nearly quadrupled in the past 10 years. The price collapse has created a greater urgency for rethinking how the industry does business…
Norway's Det Norske has bought UK-based independent explorer Premier Oil's Norwegian assets for US$120 million, just a month after agreeing to buy Svenksa Petroleum for $75 million. The Premier Oil assets include the Vette development…
Houston headquartered Apache has unveiled a string of discoveries it has made in the UK North Sea which could increase its total North Sea reserve base by 50% and result in investment in new production facilities. The company says it has made two 'significant' discoveries in the Beryls area…