While at first the oil price seemed to spur a rash of big M&A deals in 2014 and early 2015, analysts at GlobalData and IHS say the market could slow if the oil price doesn’t increase. Jeannie Stell reports. Image from Baker Hughes…
West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) fell below US$50/bbl, to $49.93/bbl, on 20 July for the first time since April, despite reports that Saudi Arabian exports have fallen to their lowest in five months. According to statistics published by the Energy Information Agency (EIA)…
Research from NEL, the flow measurement research and development specialist, reveals that the North Sea oil and gas sector could be misreporting more than £700million per year. This is due to its reliance on the American AGA-8 standard to measure gas composition of North Sea fields…
GDF Suez' Cygnus Alpha compression module (ACM) sailed away from Heerema Fabrication Group's Hartlepool facility on the night of 20 July, marking the completion of last of four main structures built at the facility for the Cygnus development…
UK-based Cluff Natural Resources says it has made 'significant progress' on its plans for exploration drilling in southern North Sea licenses. The company was formed to exploit underground coal gasification (UCG), but it is also exploring for natural gas in the southern North Sea…
Lundin Petroleum has successfully completed the installation of the topside modules on the Edvard Grieg development, offshore Norway. Thialf. From Heerema. The Edvard Grieg topside…
BATS Wireless announced the successful test and delivery of 10 of its stabilized microwave systems, including eight DVM ExP2 ATEX/IECEx Zone 1 systems for the Martin Linge Project – located off the coast of Norway. The systems, when installed…
Wintershall's Zeppelin exploration well offshore Norway has been classified as dry. The well, 10/4-1, in production license 734, was drilled about 35km southeast of the Yme field in the North Sea using the Borgland Dolphin semisubmersible drilling rig in 98m water depth…
Chevron Upstream Europe has installed a new topsides module on to its Brittania bridge linked platform, paving the way for the start-up of the Alder. The Alder high-pressure, high-temperature field was discovered in 1975, in Block 15/29a…
North Atlantic Drilling has been awarded a contract extension for the semisubmersible drilling rig West Phoenix by Total E&P UK. The contract extension starts mid-March 2016, securing work for the unit through the end of August 2016.…
June was a busy month for Statoil’s Gina Krog in the North Sea. In the last weeks of June, the Gina Krog jacket was installed and the top floors of the living quarters were lifted into position at Stord. Statoil provided a timeline of…
UK-based operator Premier Oil says work on its west of Shetland Solan development remains on track for start up in 4Q, while it looks for cheaper options for its Norwegian Vette project. Premier Oil says it is also moving towards pre…
Hungarian exploration outfit MOL Group has completed a deal with UK independent Ithaca Energy, giving it its first step into the Norwegian offshore sector. MOL has bought Ithaca's Norwegian subsidiary, which has stakes in 14 licenses…
Chancellor George Osborne (pictured) has thrown a bone to the North Sea oil industry in his Summer Budget speech today (8 July). Osborne confirmed that the UK Government plans to broaden the types of investment qualifying for the Investment Allowance and cluster area allowances…
Seismic vessels are the lifeblood of global offshore exploration efforts. Jeannie Stell searches for bright spots in the current global market of seismic vessel activity. The Sanco Sword. From Dolphin Geophysical…