On 5 January 2014, Euronav NV announced it would acquire 15 very large crude carriers (VLCC) from Maersk Tankers Singapore Pte Ltd. Today, Euronav said that eight of the VLCCs have been delivered in the first half of 2014. Deliveries…
Maersk Drilling has ordered the offshore oil and gas industry’s first 20,000-psi (20-ksi) rated deepwater blowout preventer (BOP) stack and riser systems. The four BOPs and two risers, ordered from GE Oil and Gas, will be used in the Project 20K agreement with BP…
UK-based downhole video technology specialist EV has completed a £69 million management buyout backed by Dunedin, the UK mid-market buyout house. Headquartered in Norwich, EV provides downhole video applications for the oil and gas industry…
Inpex’s Australian Ichthys LNG project has reached 50% completion less than two-and-a-half years after its final investment decision was made, the Japanese operator announced on 25 June 2014. The company said that the semisubmersible pipelay…
UK-based exploration and production firm Ithaca Energy has agreed to buy non-operated stakes in three producing fields from Sumitomo Corporation. The deal, worth about US$170 million, will see Ithaca take a further 20% interest in the Shell-operated central North Sea Cook field…
Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (Sakhalin Energy) and Sovcomflot Shelf (SCF Shelf) on behalf of Sovcomflot Group have signed a contract for construction and long-term operation of a multifunctional icebreaking supply vessel for the Sakhalin-2 offshore platforms…
BP and the China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) signed a heads of agreement regarding the supply of up to 1.5MTPA of liquefied natural gas (LNG) over 20 years starting in 2019, the supermajor announced on 17 June 2014. The agreement…
Marine science and ocean research programs across the United States are set to benefit from access to more affordable underwater technology thanks to a new discount scheme introduced by Houston-based Sonardyne Inc. Under the terms of the company’s Academic Discount Partnership…
Rosneft's President and Chairman of the Management Board Igor Sechin met with Fu Chengyu, Chairman of China Petroleum and Chemical Corp (Sinopec) in Beijing today, 15 May 2014. Rosneft reported that the parties discussed a wide range…
Ocean Rig UDW Inc., a subsidiary of Athens-based DryShips Inc., announced that it signed a six-year contract with Total E&P Angola for drilling operations in Block 32 offshore Angola, using the ultra-deepwater drillship Ocean Rig Skyros…
Rosneft is to take a 'significant equity stake' in drilling firm North Atlantic Drilling (NADL) as part of an agreement between NADL and its majority owner Seadrill, as the Russian firm looks to ramp up its offshore exploration efforts. The agreement…
Operator Genel Energy's Malta subsidiary Phoenicia Energy Co. announced on 30 May that the Noble Paul Romano deepwater semisubmersible drilling rig is moored on location and has commenced drilling Hagar Qim-1. The well is being drilled in 1476ft of water in Block 7 of Area 4 off Malta…
Drilling continues at Statoil's Martin prospect in Mississippi Canyon Block 718 with the Maersk Developer semisubmersible, in 850m (2789ft) water depth. Statoil plans to run a zero-offset vertical seismic profile (VSP) survey on or before 15 August 2014…
In early April, Rosneft and ExxonMobil began aerial gravity-magnetic surveys over offshore blocks in the Yuzhno-Chukotsky licence area in the eastern Russian Arctic to establish the subsurface structure of the field. As part of a framework agreement…
Petroceltic International's Muridava-1 exploration well on the Muridava (EX-27) license in the Romanian Black Sea has been plugged and abandoned after failling to find commercial hydrocarbons. The well, spudded on April 11 and drilled to 2747m total depth…