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6 November 2015
Faroe Petroleum Completes Acquisition of North Sea Fields
Faroe Petroleum, the independent oil and gas company focusing principally on exploration, appraisal and production opportunities in the UK and Norway, has announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Roc Oil (GB Holdings) Limited ("Roc"), which holds a 12.5006% interest in the Blane Unit in the UK…
5 November 2015
Eni Make Gas Discovery Offshore Congo
Eni made a new discovery of gas and condensates offshore Congo, in the exploration prospect of Nkala Marine, located in Marine XII block. The finding, realized through the Nkala Marine 1 well, is expected to have a potential of 250-350 million barrels of oil equivalent in place.Eni made a new…
5 November 2015
Consent for Start-up and Operation of Edvard Grieg
The PSA has given Lundin Norway AS consent for the start-up and operation of Edvard Grieg on the Edvard Grieg field.Edvard Grieg is 35 kilometres south of Grane and Balder. Water depth is around 110 metres. The development consists of a platform with a steel jacket and a separate jack-up…
5 November 2015
Ichthys LNG Project Completes Offshore Pipelay
INPEX have announced the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project safely completed the offshore pipelay for its 890-kilometer, 42-inch diameter gas export pipeline that began in June 2014.It is the longest subsea pipeline in the southern hemisphere and the third longest subsea pipeline in the world. The gas export pipeline will deliver…
4 November 2015
40 Years of Forties
Apache Corporation has announced a significant milestone at its Forties Field in celebration of 40 years since oil was first produced from Forties Alpha and transported via the Forties Pipeline System to the onshore Terminal at Cruden Bay. The Forties Field, which Apache has successfully rehabilitated through its Apache North…
3 November 2015
Rig ‘Graveyard’ Looms as Statoil Cuts North Sea Drillers Loose
The pressure is building on North Sea drillers starved of contracts as Statoil ASA deepens cuts in investment to cope with a collapse in crude prices.In less than 18 months, Norway's biggest oil company has scrapped four years worth of drilling by canceling or suspending rig contracts, according to Bloomberg…
3 November 2015
Charter Sealed for Newbuild Subsea Vessel
Farstad Shipping ASA has been awarded a 3 year contract with further up to 3 years options for CSV Far Sentinel (2015, VARD 3 07, 9.200 DWT) by Subtec S.A. de C.V. for delivery of light construction work, IMR and other subsea related activities in the Gulf of Mexico."This is…
3 November 2015
Gassco Takes on the Operatorship of the New Utsira High Gas Pipe
Gassco has taken over the operatorship of the new Utsira High gas pipe (UHGP), which will transport rich gas to Britain's Scottish Area Gas Evacuation (Sage) system and St Fergus in Scotland.Running for 94 kilometres, this pipeline starts at the Edvard Grieg field about 57 kilometres north of Sleipner in…
3 November 2015
Island Spirit Laid Up for the Winter Season
Island Offshore has decided to lay up the ROV and survey vessel Island Spirit for the winter season. Typical duties performed by Island Spirit are IMR work, survey work and ROV operations but the activity in this segment is expected to decrease in the coming months."We are working on relocating…
3 November 2015
Statoil to Build the World's First Floating Wind Farm
This marks an important step forward for offshore wind technology, and potentially opens attractive new markets for renewable energy production worldwide.The decision triggers investments of around NOK 2 billion, realizing a 60-70 percent cost reduction per MW from the Hywind demo project in Norway.Statoil will install a 30 MW wind…
3 November 2015
GeoSea Sprints to Galloper EPCI Foundations Win in UK
GeoSea as DEME's specialist in complex offshore marine engineering projects, has been awarded a major contract in the UK offshore wind market. The total value of the project boosts GeoSea's turnover by more than 340 million euros and strengthens the company's leading position as an EPCI contractor (Engineering, Procurement, Construction…
2 November 2015
Chevron Announces First Production from the Lianzi Development
Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) announced that its subsidiary, Chevron Overseas (Congo) Limited, has commenced oil and gas production from the Lianzi Field, located in a unitized offshore zone between the Republic of Congo and the Republic of Angola.Located 65 miles (105 km) offshore in approximately 3,000 feet (900 meters) of water,…
2 November 2015
Eni to Make Coral LNG Decision by Year End
Italy's ENI said on Friday that it was still looking to secure debt financing for its Coral LNG project in Mozambique and that it would make a final investment decision on the development by year-end. Global liquefied natural gas prices have plummeted in line with oil, with some expecting them…
2 November 2015
Apache Makes Trio of Discoveries in the North Sea
Apache Corporation announced significant discoveries on two exploration wells in the Beryl area of the U.K. North Sea. The company also drilled two significant development wells in the Beryl area, from which no reserves have been previously booked. Additionally, Apache announced a large discovery at its Seagull prospect, which lies…
2 November 2015
GE Oil & Gas to Acquire Advantec
GE Oil & Gas has agreed to acquire Advantec, a leading provider of subsea intervention equipment and services, to boost the company's capabilities to offer cost-efficient products and services to customers worldwide.The purchase is part of GE Oil & Gas' efforts to address the challenges faced by its customers operating…
2 November 2015
Noreco to Lose Huntington Stake
Norwegian Energy Company ASA (Noreco) announced that its UK subsidiary, Noreco Oil UK, has been served a notice of default (the Notice) under the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) governing the Huntington licence.Post the completed restructuring in April 2015, Noreco retained Stellar Energy Advisors to sell its 20% participating interests in…
2 November 2015
OGA Completes Data Acquisition in £20m UK Seismic Campaign
The OGA announces the successful completion of the data acquisition stage of the UK Government-funded seismic campaign, on time and without incident.The £20 million programme in underexplored areas of the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) will significantly improve the previously sparse seismic coverage in the Rockall Trough and Mid-North Sea…
30 October 2015
Eni Awarded a New Exploration Block Offshore of Mozambique
Eni, together with Statoil, Sasol and ENH, have been awarded, following the 5th Competitive Mozambique Bid Round, the exploration and development rights of the offshore block A5-A, in the area of Mozambique named Angoche, about 1,500 kilometers northeast of the capital city Maputo. The block, which covers a total area…
30 October 2015
Eni Starts New Production from the "Near Field" Discoveries in the Nile Delta
Eni announced the success of the "Nidoco North West 3" well drilling, appraisal of "Nidoco NW 2 Dir' discovery, in the Nooros exploration prospect, located in the Abu Madi West license in the Nile Delta. The field, which is estimated to contain about 15 billion standard cubic meters of gas…
30 October 2015
Boosting Production from York Field
Work has started to unlock new gas reserves and boost production from a field in the North Sea following nearly £80million of investment from Centrica Energy.Twenty miles off the Lincolnshire coast, a new well is being drilled at the York field that will tap into an additional 20 billion cubic…
29 October 2015
Chevron Announces the Successful Appraisal of the Anchor Discovery
Chevron Corporation has announced the successful appraisal of the Anchor discovery in the Lower Tertiary Wilcox Trend."The positive results of our appraisal work at Anchor indicate a significant discovery of potentially hub class scale," said Jay Johnson, executive vice president Upstream, Chevron Corporation.The original Anchor discovery well, located in Green…
29 October 2015
Total to Resume South African Offshore Drilling Next Year
French oil major Total is expected to resume drilling offshore South Africa in the second half of 2016, part of a broader campaign to explore in Africa, a senior official said on Wednesday.Total last year stopped drilling off the southern coast of South Africa after experiencing mechanical problems with its…
29 October 2015
Statoil to Explore Offshore South Africa
Statoil has completed a farm-in transaction with ExxonMobil, acquiring a 35 percent interest in the ER 12/3/154 Tugela South Exploration Right.The remaining interests are held by the operator ExxonMobil (40%) and co-venturer Impact Africa Limited (Impact Africa) (25%). "This opportunity is in line with Statoil's exploration strategy of access at…
29 October 2015
DONG Energy to Build the World's Biggest Offshore Wind Farm
DONG Energy has today decided to construct the 660MW Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm, located in the Irish Sea, approximately 19 km off the west coast of Britain.The final investment decision has been made after securing all necessary consents from authorities, completing site assessments and having signed the majority of…
29 October 2015
McDermott's Ghana Joint Venture Receives Regulatory Approval
McDermott International, Inc., announced it has received regulatory approval for its McDermott Marine Construction Ghana Limited (MMCGL) joint venture to pursue key offshore opportunities in Ghana. McDermott and MMCGL officials made the announcement during the 2015 Africa Oil Week in Cape Town, South Africa.The Petroleum Commission Ghana notified MMCGL that…
29 October 2015
Wood Group Wins New Global Subsea Contract with BP
Wood Group has secured a new multi-million dollar contract to provide engineering services to BP's existing subsea infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico, UK and Norwegian continental shelves and offshore Azerbaijan.Wood Group Kenny (WGK) will deliver programme, project and integrity management and operational support for subsea projects under the five…
29 October 2015
Kongsberg ROV Launch and Recovery Systems Chosen for New DSV
Kongsberg Evotec, a fully owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime, has entered an agreement with CSSC Huangpu Shipyard in Guangzhou China for the delivery of two Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS) for Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV). The contract includes the first delivery of the recently patented K-LARS port frame solution, in…
29 October 2015
Noble Energy Announces First Production from Big Bend
Noble Energy announced that the Big Bend oil development in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico commenced production on October 26, 2015. The single-well field is ramping as expected and is anticipated to reach a maximum gross production rate of approximately 20 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (MBoe/d) over…
29 October 2015
The Brazil Boom That Never Was
Oil majors had big plans for Brazil, but you can't tell by looking at the country's offshore drilling these days.After crude was first struck in the pre-salt formation in the seas off Rio de Janeiro, producers including BP Plc and Total SA were ready to flock to Brazil with billions…
28 October 2015
Statoil Pushes Back Start Date for $7bn North Sea Mariner Project
Statoil, the Norwegian oil major, has put back the start date for the biggest project in the UK North Sea for more than a decade, saying that its $7bn Mariner field will not come online until the second half of 2018.In a statement accompanying its third-quarter results, Statoil said that…
28 October 2015
Fairfield Energy Sells Assets to INEOS to Focus on Dunlin Decommissioning
Fairfield Energy Limited has announced the sale of its two 100% owned subsidiaries, Fairfield Acer Limited and Fairfield Cedrus Limited to INEOS. The sale includes Fairfield's 25% interest in the producing UK southern North Sea Clipper South Gas Field. Clipper South is a substantial gas field located off the east…
28 October 2015
Q5000 Enters Service in Gulf of Mexico
Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. announced today that the Q5000 entered service last week and is currently on hire for a client in the Gulf of Mexico.Owen Kratz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Helix, stated, "The successful deployment of the Q5000 is the culmination of a three year effort…
28 October 2015
Upstream Costs in Sub-Sahara Africa: Expectation vs. Reality
CAPE TOWN, 27th Oct 2015: Wood Mackenzie has been discussing some of its latest upstream costs analysis at Africa Oil Week this week. As only one third of the continent's pre-sanction projects are economical at less than US$50 per barrel ($/bbl), Wood Mackenzie says greater collaboration with the service sector,…
28 October 2015
EnQuest Produces First Oil in North Sea Field
EnQuest have announced that first oil from the Alma/Galia development was achieved on 27 October 2015 following final commissioning of all the required systems.EnQuest CEO Amjad Bseisu said:"We are pleased to confirm first oil from Alma/Galia. A further summary will be provided in EnQuest's next operations update. We will continue…
28 October 2015
Eni sells 12.5% stake in Saipem
Italian oil contractor Saipem said on Wednesday it will ask investors for up to 3.5 billion euros ($3.86 billion) of fresh capital to help it weather the oil service recession and plot a path to recovery as main investor Eni SpA takes a step back.Saipem, which is 43 percent owned…
27 October 2015
Neptune Secures Shell Crux Contract
Neptune has announced it has been awarded a geophysical and light geotechnical survey services contract by Shell Australia Pty Ltd (Shell).The work will commence in November 2015 and includes a site survey of the Crux gas field and a 160km route survey between the Crux and Prelude gas fields, in…
27 October 2015
Modus Seabed Intervention Secures Major UXO Investigation Contract
Modus Seabed Intervention, one of UK's leading subsea specialist contractors, has secured a major contract on DONG Energy's prestigious Burbo Bank Extension Offshore Wind Farm.Modus Seabed Intervention has been contracted by DONG Energy to conduct pre-installation works on the planned offshore wind farm Burbo Bank Extension which is located west…
27 October 2015
Technip Awarded Contract on the Giant Libra Field
Technip was awarded a substantial(1) contract from Libra Oil & Gas BV, a consortium led by Petrobras Netherland BV (40%) and partners: Shell (20%), Total (20%), CNOOC (10%) and CNPC (10%).The project includes the supply of flexible pipes for the Libra Extended Well Test field, located in the Santos Basin…
26 October 2015
Statoil Closer to Making Johan Castberg Proposal to NPD
Norway's Statoil is expected to present proposals for how to develop its 600-million barrel Arctic Johan Castberg oil field relatively soon, the head of the country's Oil Directorate said on Monday.The industry regulator remains worried by delays to several other fields on the Norwegian continental shelf, including Snorre 2040 and…
26 October 2015
DeepOcean Awarded Cable Installation & Trenching Contract
A contract for the provision of cable installation and trenching work for DONG Energy's Race Bank offshore wind farm has been awarded to DeepOcean 1 UK Ltd, a subsidiary of DeepOcean Group Holding BV (DeepOcean).Offshore work will be undertaken in 2016/2017 with DeepOcean's in-house fleet of dedicated cable installation and…
26 October 2015
BP to Begin North Alexandria Gas Output in Early 2017
British oil major BP will begin gas production at its north Alexandria concession in early 2017 rather than mid-2017, Egypt's petroleum minister Tarek El Molla said at a news conference on Saturday.The offshore concession's output will be roughly "450 million cubic feet per day in 2017 and reach 1.2 billion…
26 October 2015
RAK Petroleum Starts of Production from Second Côte d'Ivoire Offshore Platform
RAK Petroleum plc, the Oslo-listed oil and gas investment company, announced today commencement of production by operator Foxtrot International LDC from a second platform on Block CI-27 offshore Côte d'Ivoire. The Marlin-B1ST well, the first well in an initial five-well drilling campaign to develop two previously discovered fields on the…
26 October 2015
Lundin Petroleum Completes Exploration Well Offshore Malaysia
Lundin Petroleum announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Malaysia has made a small gas discovery with the Mengkuang-1 exploration well in license PM307, offshore Malaysia. The well targeted hydrocarbons in Miocene aged sands 75km to the northwest of the Bertam field operated by Lundin Malaysia.Mengkuang-1 was drilled with the…
23 October 2015
Unmanned Wellhead Platforms to be Considered as Alternatives to Subsea Tie-backs
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate wants unmanned wellhead platforms to be considered more often as an alternative to subsea tie-back in connection with development decisions.A new study will look into the benefits and disadvantages of wellhead platforms."The main argument in favour of unmanned wellhead platforms as a concept, is that this…
23 October 2015
Statoil Gets More Gas from Giant Troll A
The two new giant compressors that started up on the Troll A platform this month will help increase gas recovery by 83 billion cubic metres. "Europe is in a transition phase with regard to both competitiveness and climate. Stable and competitive gas deliveries from the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) play…
22 October 2015
Technip Awarded a Flexible Pipe Contract
Technip has been awarded an important subsea contract by JX Nippon Oil and Gas Exploration (Malaysia) Ltd in the Layang field, Block SK10, offshore Sarawak, Malaysia at a water depth of 85 meters.The contract covers the engineering, procurement, fabrication, installation and commissioning of three flexible pipes totaling 9.9 kilometers. The…
21 October 2015
Brazil's Subsalt Oil Profitable at $55
Brazil's giant offshore subsalt oil and gas areas will only break even with oil worth $55 a barrel or more, Oswaldo Pedrosa, chief executive of state-owned oil-asset management company Pre-Sal Petroleo SA, said on Tuesday.The $55 a barrel figure is 14 percent higher than the current benchmark Brent crude oil…
21 October 2015
Butch Development Concept Selected
Operator Centrica Energy Norway and partners have decided that the Butch discovery in the North Sea will be developed as a subsea tie-in to the Ula field.With the selected subsea tie-in concept the Butch well stream will be transported to the BP operated Ula platform where processing will be performed.…
21 October 2015
Norway Oil Industry Standardises Contracts in Bid to Cut Costs
New standard practices in Norway for establishing contracts between oil firms and their suppliers will lower costs and increase competitiveness in a period of low crude prices, the head of the country's oil and gas lobby said.Oil companies and their suppliers signed two deals on Tuesday to standardise contract practices…
20 October 2015
DNV GL Wins In-Service Contract for Ichthys
DNV GL has secured a contract to provide in-service verification and classification services to a range of facilities at the Ichthys LNG project in Australia.The contract marks INPEX's commitment to continue working with DNV GL as it prepares to transition from the project execution phase to the operational phase of…