The North Caspian Operating Co. BV (NCOC) appointed ExxonMobil secondee Stephane de Mahieu as managing director effective 1 May. De Mahieu succeeds Pierre Offant, who was appointed managing director of NCOC in 2008, after the Republic…
An OptaSense instrument well with a vibroseis unit conducting OptaSense DAS-VSP. Photos from OptaSense. OptaSense is collaborating with Shell to develop a fully-marinizied DAS system. OptaSense's David Hill explains…
As Infield Systems prepares for the annual release of its Deep and Ultra-deepwater Market Report to 2018, we look to global development of the deepwater sector and the emerging trends over the forthcoming five years. Looking back over the previous five-year period…
Ophir Energy announced that partner and operator BG Group made a new gas discovery in Block 1, located in the Mafia Deep basin off Tanzania. The Taachui-1 well’s net pay amounted to 155m, with estimates for the mean recoverable resource placed at 1Tcf…
Following almost two decades of negotiation, Russia and China have agreed a deal to supply 38 billion cubic meters (bcm) per annum of gas from Gazprom's East Siberian fields into China via the Power of Siberia pipeline. Details on pricing…
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…
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…
OAO Yamal LNG closed on a contract to supply China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) 3mtpa LNG annually for 20 years from the Yamal LNG project in the Russian Arctic, according to Yamal LNG majority shareholder OAO Novatek. CNPC bought…
Greenpeace activists who boarded the semisubmersible drilling rig Transocean Spitsbergen (pictured) 300km offshore Norway are now in the hands of Norwegian police, says Statoil. But, Greenpeace's ship, the Esperanza, has moved to the location where Statoil plans to drill…
Hungary’s MOL Group is eyeing North Sea operatorship and has deep enough pockets to do it. Elaine Maslin spoke to exploration director Alex Dodds (pictured). Hungary’s MOL Group is aiming to double its production within at least five years and then double it again after that…
Bids from Russia’s Gazprom and China’s China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) have been included in the latest licensing round offshore Tanzania. The 4th Deep Offshore and North Lake Tanganyika Licensing Round closed on May 15…
GAC Russia is upgrading its supply base at the port of Novorossiysk to support offshore oil & gas exploration and extraction in the Black Sea. GAC Russia has already signed contracts to provide supply base support for operations from Novorossiysk on the northeastern Black Sea coast…
INPEX and Shell are investing in a project to construct a subsea optical fiber cable system incorporating the Ichthys and Prelude projects in Australia's Browse basin. The subsea fiber optic cable system, to be provided and operated by Nextgen Group…
Gazprom Neft has announced the signing of a three-year framework agreement on drilling and well reconstruction with drilling service provider Commonwealth of Independent States Eurasia Drilling Company Limited (EDC). Under the terms of this agreement…
Greenpeace activists this (Tuesday 27 May) morning boarded two oil rigs in an attempt to disrupt their planned deployment to areas within the Arctic Circle. A group of 30 activists in the Dutch port of IJmuiden occupied the GSP Saturn…