The UK's Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has launched the 30th Offshore Licensing Round, with 813 blocks or part blocks on offer in mature areas of the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), covering a total 114,426sq km. Image from iStock…
BP Ventures, Schlumberger Ventures and GE Ventures have agreed a US$6.5 million (£5 million) investment into metal-to-metal downhole sealing solutions firm BiSN. Under the terms of the investment, BiSN and BP Ventures will work together to develop a commercial portfolio of technology…
Shell is buying the deepest floating production unit in the world, the Turritella floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit in a US$1 billion cash deal that will allow the supermajor to assume operatorship of the entire Stones development in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico…
Map of Anchor, from Chevron. Houston’s Cobalt International Energy has entered into a definitive agreement with its co-owners in the Anchor development to unitize and include Cobalt’s…
Royal Dutch Shell encountered hydrocarbons in the initial Whale exploration well in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Noble Globetrotter I. Image from Huisman. The well was safety…
Eni has increased its estimate of resources in place at the Amoca field offshore Mexico to 1 billion boe, following a successful appraisal well that is prompting the Italian giant to accelerate its development plan. Map from Eni…
India's ONGC Videsh has signed definitive binding agreements with Tullow Oil to acquire a 30% stake in a license offshore Namibia, marking its entry into the Namibian offshore. Namibia Petroleum Exploration License 0037 covers Blocks 2112A…
Cantium has taken over US supermajor Chevron’s Bay Marchand and Main Pass assets in the Gulf of Mexico. The takeover includes five fields located on the Gulf of Mexico’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and in Louisiana state waters…
North Energy has decided to divest the last of its Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) assets in order to recover from offshore tax losses amid low activity levels in the area, and the drop in oil prices. Map of PL 805…
Fugro has been awarded a further two-year contract by Petrobras to provide comprehensive inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) and pipeline inspection services in Brazil. The new award follows Fugro’s successful completion of an initial 12-month contract for the oil major…
Engie E&P has resumed production at its Gjøa-platform in the North Sea following extensive inspection and start-up work, due to a gas leak on 21 June. Gjøa. Image from Engie. Gjøa…
Italian contractor Saipem has been awarded a contract by Saudi Aramco for engineering, procurement, construction, installation activities and trunklines and installation works in Saudi Arabia, under a long-term agreement running from 2015 until 2021…
Karen Boman charts Chevron’s success at its large Jack/St. Malo development in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, a project that was sanctioned just prior to the downturn. McDermott’s North Ocean 102 at work…
Norwegian oil major Statoil is preparing to spud the first of a three-well exploration campaign, including the high-impact Verbier prospect, on the UK Continental Shelf. Early this month, the Transocean Spitsbergen semisubmersible drilling rig will spud the first well…
First oil from the US$2.5 billion Kraken floating heavy oil development in the UK North Sea has been announced. The Kraken development, about 125km east of the Shetland Islands, off Scotland, is due to comprise a total 25 wells (14…