Deeper and more difficult reservoirs are demanding different concepts offshore West Africa, including tension leg platforms. Jérôme Iacovella and Pauline Beraud discuss the options. The Moho Nord TLP design…
Genesis Oil & Gas consultants has been awarded an upstream concept select study by BG Group, as operator of Blocks 1, 3, and 4, offshore Tanzania. Genesis' scope of work includes considering the upstream facilities required to develop large discoveries made in the three blocks…
BSEE Director Brian Salerno discusses the importance of SEMS at OTC 2014. Photo by Barchfeld Photography. The 45th annual Offshore Technology Conference in Houston brought together US regulators…
Houston-based ION Geophysical Corp. has agreed to acquire 100% ownership of ocean bottom seismic acquisition company OceanGeo BV. In February 2013, ION acquired 30% of OceanGeo, then increased its ownership to 70% in January 2014…
BG Group has made the first oil discovery off East Africa, according to a partner on the Sunbird-1 exploration well. Pancontinental Oil and Gas said a 14m gross oil column was found beneath a 2936m gross gas column in a reefal limestone…
Total’s CLOV deepwater oil development offshore Angola in Block 17, began production on schedule, the French company announced on 12 June. The development is expected to reach daily production capacity of 160,000bbl in the coming months…
Australian explorer Far Ltd. reported on 10 June that the Cairn-operated FAN-1 exploration well offshore Senegal is delayed for maintenance work and the drilling program was being modified. 'Having set 13-3/8in. casing in the FAN-1 well ahead of drilling into the two main objectives…
Eni has gained operatorship and a 40% interest in exploration right permit 236 (ER236) off the eastern coast of South Africa from Sasol, the Italian company announced today. Under the terms of the agreement, Eni has acquired 82,000sq…
As the deepwater prospects being drilled today address ever more complex conditions, the drilling industry needs to adjust its technology to address the challenges that arise. The use of conventional “open to atmosphere” drilling methods…
Baker Hughes issued the May 2014 international rotary drilling rig count today, showing a total of 1024 rigs operating outside the US & Canada. International activity in May was up 4 rigs from the 1020 rigs drilling in April and up 68…
Bluewater Energy Services has been picked by Saipem to provide engineering, procurement and construction work on the turret systems on Total's two Kaombo converted floating production units, destined for offshore Angola. Bluewater will…
UK-based, Somalia-focused exploration firm Soma Oil & Gas Exploration has completed an offshore seismic acquisition program, which commenced in February 2014. The acquisition program was carried out by SeaBird Exploration and concluded in June 2014…
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…
Repsol restarted drilling on the deepwater Welwitschia-1A well in Walvis Bay, offshore Namibia, on 4 June, according to partner Tower Resources. Repsol is operator of Namibia PEL0010, containing Welwitschia. Drilling on the first Welwitschia well…
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…