Offshore Oil Wells, Ports Shut as Hurricane Sally Advances on U.S. Gulf
Energy companies, ports and refiners raced on Monday to shut down as Hurricane Sally grew stronger while lumbering toward the central U.S. Gulf Coast, the second significant hurricane to shutter oil and gas activity over the last month.The hurricane is disrupting oil imports and exports as the nation's sole offshore terminal, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP)…
Equinor Axing Jobs in US, Canada and UK
Norwegian oil and gas firm Equinor is set to cut jobs significantly in the United States, Canada and Britain to adjust to a fall in oil prices, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.The group plans to cut employee numbers in those countries by about 20% and contractor numbers by around half to ensure profitability at lower oil prices, the spokesman told Reuters…
Robotics: Autobots Transform in the Offshore Energy Sector
Robots and robotics have slowly been entering our lives, in various shapes and forms (and fictional characters), from self-driving household vacuum cleaners to highly automated manufacturing systems. Now they’re heading for the offshore world – in just as many shapes and forms.There could be a lot to gain from robotics, but platforms and offshore wind turbine structures are also very challenging places to put them on.
China Ramps up US Oil Purchases Ahead of Trade Deal Review
U.S. crude oil shipments to China will rise sharply in coming weeks, U.S. traders and shipbrokers and Chinese importers said, as the world’s top economies gear up to review a January deal after a prolonged trade war.Chinese state-owned oil firms have tentatively booked tankers to carry at least 20 million barrels of U.S. crude for August and September, the people said, moves that may ease U.S.
Equinor's Incoming CEO Wants to Be Best in Offshore Oil, Gas
Anders Opedal, who on Monday was named Equinor's new chief executive, said he wanted the Norwegian oil company to be both best in offshore oil and gas and at the same time have higher climate targets and develop new low-carbon solutions."I want Equinor to be best in offshore oil and gas," Opedal told a news conference at the company's headquarters…
Opedal Tapped for Top Spot at Equinor
The Equinor Board of Directors appointed Anders Opedal as its new president and CEO starting November 2, 2020. Eldar Sætre will retire after six years as CEO and more than 40 years in the company.Opedal ascends to the top spot coming from the position as Executive Vice President Technology, Projects and Drilling. He joined Equinor as a petroleum engineer in 1997…
EU Hydrogen Plan Splits Supporters Down Color-coded Lines
Energy industry lobbyists and advocates of renewable hydrogen are divided over whether the bloc should support low-carbon hydrogen produced by fossil fuels ahead of a new EU strategy next month.The EU's executive Commission plans to publish its hydrogen strategy on July 8, which will form the basis for EU regulation and funding to scale up production…
Norway's May Oil Output Down, But Still Above Forecast
Norway's oil production fell in May from the previous month but still exceeded official forecasts by 0.9%, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said on Friday.The country's crude oil output fell by 2.1% month-on-month from April to 1.74 million barrels per day. The output year-on-year was up by 38.1%, thanks among other things to a ramp-up of Equinor's…
New Report Outlines Big Potential for Offshore Wind
Offshore wind currently represents just a small piece of the world’s energy supply. But that’s changing faster than ever before as new and existing players look to tap the huge resource potential—and market opportunities—being unlocked by shrinking costs and technological advances, as outlined in a recent comprehensive market report.In the coming two decades…
Norway Oil Companies Slash Investment Plans
Norwegian oil and gas investment, a key economic driver, is expected to decline sharply in 2021 after rising less than previously anticipated this year, an industry survey by the national statistics agency (SSB) showed on Thursday.The biggest drop will come in the exploration for new reserves and in spending on development plans, while ongoing oilfield construction work continues largely as expected…
Flurry of US Crude Export Fixtures Offers Slimmer of Hope
A flurry of tentative bookings to export U.S. crude oil from the Gulf Coast suggests demand is edging up after the coronavirus slammed energy consumption worldwide.BP, Trafigura and Equinor have all tentatively fixed vessels this past week to carry U.S. crude to global destinations over the coming month, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and shipping…
Norway: OMV Gets NPD Nod for Hades Drilling
Austrian oil and gas firm OMV has been granted a permit for the drilling of the offshore well 6506/11-12 S in the Norwegian Sea.The company's Norwegian subsidiary OMV Norge will use the Island Innovator semi-submersible to drill the appraisal well at the prospect named Hades in the production license 644.OMV Norge is the operator with an ownership interest of 30 percent.
Equinor Raises $3.9 Bln in the Bond Market
Norwegian oil company Equinor raised $3.4 billion in euro and dollar bonds on Monday, in its latest push to secure long-term funding at a time of weak crude prices."In the current volatile market situation characterised by high uncertainty going forward, we see the value in further increasing our financial flexibility and resilience," Chief Financial…
Lundin Cuts 2020 Oil Output Goal, Raises Long-term Target
Lundin Energy has cut its 2020 oil and gas output target after Norway's decision to reduce production along with OPEC+ producers, the Swedish company said on Monday.The company has a 20% stake in the Equinor-operated Johan Sverdrup field, which reached phase-one plateau output of 470,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) in April. It also operates the Edvard Grieg oilfield.Lundin is now targeting daily volumes of 157…
Equinor CEO Doesn't Believe in Quick Oil Market Rebound
More global oil production curtailments will be needed to reduce the gap between supply and demand and normalize the oil market, the chief executive of Norway's Equinor said on Thursday.Eldar Saetre, who led the company through the previous market downturn in 2014-2016, said he did not believe in a quick market rebound, with some analysts predicting prices recovering to $50 and above already next year."I don't believe in that ...
Equinor Suspends 2020 Production Guidance
Equinor has suspended its 2020 oil and gas output guidance amid government-imposed curtailments and a glut of supply, and could take further action to scale back activity this year, the Norwegian energy firm said on Thursday.With operations from the North Sea to Africa, the Americas and Asia, Equinor had expected 7% output growth this year before Norway…
Aker BP Cuts Dividend by Two-thirds on Oil Price Slump
Aker BP will cut its quarterly dividend payments by two-thirds due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in crude prices, the Norwegian oil firm said on Wednesday after reporting a better-than-expected first-quarter core profit.Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) came in at $666 million, compared with $539 million a year ago…
Chevron Cuts Spending, Says Asset Sales Lift Profits
Chevron Corp on Friday slashed its capital spending plans by another $2 billion as the coronavirus pandemic guts demand for oil and gas, while delivering a year-over-year 38% increase in profits.Global fuel demand has crashed by a third while many people shelter at home for an indefinite period. Major oil companies have largely reported losses as…
Equinor's Helleneset Offshore Well Comes Up Dry
Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor has completed drilling of the offshore exploration well Helleneset, formally known as well 30/6-31 S, without finding hydrocarbons.The well was using the West Hercules semi-submersible drilling rig drilled about 7 kilometers southeast of the Oseberg C platform in the North Sea and 140 kilometers west of Bergen.The…
Shell Cuts Dividend for First Time Since World War Two
Royal Dutch Shell cut its dividend for the first time since World War Two on Thursday as the energy company retrenched in the face of an unprecedented drop in oil demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.Shell also suspended the next tranche of its share buyback program and said it was reducing oil and gas output by nearly a quarter after its net profit…
