Oilfield Services Pricing Rises
Oilfield services companies are in bullish mode. They are now able to raise prices for their products and services, after several years of gloom.“Oil and gas investments are on the rise, and so too is the pricing power of service companies. After losing pricing power in 2015 and 2016, oilfield service companies have since regained some of the lost ground…
US Rig Count Climbs
U.S. energy firms increased the number of oil rigs operating for the first time in the past three weeks as U.S. crude futures soared around 10% this week.Big energy price declines over the prior couple of months, however, prompted one analyst to cut rig count forecasts for 2019 and 2020.Companies added one oil rig in the week to June 21…
Pemex Steering Clear of Deepwater
Petroleos Mexicanos will focus on shallow water projects and onshore plays, and avoid investing in its deepwater riches for now, as the ailing Mexican state-run oil company seeks to turn around a 14-year slide in crude production, a top official said on Thursday.Chief Financial Officer Alberto…
Poland Employs New Seismic Tech
The Polish state-controlled oil and gas company PGNiG said that its geophysical services provider Geofizyka Toruń SA became the first company in Europe to employ new seismic data acquisition technologies in searching for hydrocarbon deposits.The Polish oil and gas company said in a press…
Total Cuts 200 Jobs in Denmark
French oil major Total SA said on Thursday it would cut 200 jobs in Denmark as part of the redevelopment of the Tyra gas fields in the North Sea.Total, which bought A.P. Moller-Maersk's oil and gas business in 2017, will shut production at the Tyra gas fields at the end of 2019 as part of a major redevelopment."Unfortunately…
Turkey to Drill Near Cyprus for Three Months
Turkey launched a second drilling ship on Thursday which will conduct natural gas operations off the northeast coast of Cyprus for three months, a move which risks aggravating a conflict with Cyprus over jurisdiction rights for oil and gas exploration.Turkey and the internationally recognised…
Total Launches New Supercomputer
Energy major Total said its new supercomputer - which has propelled it to a world ranking as the most powerful computer in the sector - will enable its geologists to find oil faster, cheaper and with a better success rate.The Pangea III computer build by IBM will help process complex seismic data in the search for hydrocarbons 10 times faster that before…
Further Delay in Barryroe Project Loan
Ireland's offshore Oil and gas company Providence Resources has again pushed back a deadline to receive $9mln of funding from Apec, its farm-in partner in the key Barryroe site off the south west coast.The loan from Barryroe's Chinese backer was due by June 14. It is now due to be received in July 5…
US Leads World Oil Reserves
The United States has a world-leading 293 billion barrels of recoverable oil resources, which is 20Bbbl more than Saudi Arabia and 100Bbbl more than Russia, with the Permian Basin leading that charge.Rystad Energy’s estimate of US recoverable oil is also five times more than officially reported…
Norway Wealth Fund to Drop ConocoPhillips, Hess
Norway's wealth fund will have to divest its holdings in ConocoPhillips and Hess after both U.S. oil companies were added to a list which effectively excludes them from the Nordic country's portfolio.As part of Norway's efforts to shift its $1 trillion "rainy day" fund away from oil, the…
Oxy Enters Four Blocks in Southern Colombia
U.S.-based oil company Occidental Petroleum Corp has partnered with Amerisur Resources Plc on four exploration and production blocks in southern Colombia, near the border with Ecuador, the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) said on Tuesday.The Tacacho, Terecay, PUT-9 and Mecaya blocks are in the jungle region of Putumayo, one of the provinces with the great
Book Review: Getting Down to It; 50 Years of Subsea Success in Norway
The Norwegian Continental Shelf’s journey from the very first basic marinized subsea trees to today’s complex and sophisticated subsea processing equipment has been a rapid, at times turbulent, but always remarkable.There are many engineers who have seen through that journey, from the first exploration wells using Norwegian rigs in the mid-1970s to today.
Prelude FLNG Ships First LNG Cargo
The first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has sailed from Shell’s Prelude floating LNG (FLNG) facility offshore Australia, Shell announced Tuesday alongside its joint venture partners INPEX, KOGAS and OPIC.This shipment from the world’s largest floating producer of LNG, located 475 kilometers northeast of Broome in Western Australia…
Exxon to Proceed with Argentina Development
US based ExxonMobil said on Tuesday it is proceeding with a long-term oil development in Argentina’s Bajo del Choique-La Invernada block.The project is expected to produce up to 55,000 oil-equivalent barrels per day within five years and will include 90 wells, a central production facility…
Fitch Downgrades Pemex Debt to 'Junk'
Fitch on Thursday became the first major ratings agency to downgrade the debt of Mexican oil company Pemex to "junk" status, in a major setback for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's plans to revive the struggling state-run firm.Fitch changed Pemex's credit rating from investment grade to speculative grade, or "junk", with a negative outlook, a day afte
ExxonMobil to Redevelop Angola Block 15
American multinational oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil and its partners said that they will further invest in Block 15 offshore Angola to increase production as part of an agreement with Angola’s recently established National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels.As part of the agreement…
W&T Strikes Oil in US Gulf of Mexico
Oil and natural gas producer W&T Offshore has discovered oil at the Gladden Deep prospect in Mississippi Canyon block 800 in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.W&T is operator of the well, which is one of 14 planned for the drilling program under the Monza JV. The company owns a 17.25% interest in the discovery.Gladden Deep is located in approximately 3…
Luthi Steps Down as NOIA Head
The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) announced that Randall Luthi will leave the organization next month, after serving as the group’s president for nearly 10 years. Luthi will return to his home state of Wyoming to serve as Chief Energy Advisor to Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.The…
BP Sells Egypt Assets to Dragon Oil
BP said on Monday it has agreed to sell its interests in Gulf of Suez oil concessions in Egypt to Dubai-based Dragon Oil, as part of the supermajor’s plan to divest more than $10 billion in global assets over the next two years.Under the terms of the deal, Dragon Oil, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC)…
UKCS Investments On the Rise
North Sea operators and contractors are investing across people, R&D, technology and new markets to support continued growth, said a new report.The 30th Oil and Gas survey, conducted by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Fraser of Allander Institute and KPMG UK…
Danos Wins US Contracts
Danos has recently entered into a contract with an independent land company based out of Dallas, Texas, to transition 50-60 crew members in a variety of positions. The transition will take place over the coming weeks to support water transfer at water treatment facilities in Midland and Orla, Texas.
Asian Renewables Investment on the Rise
Renewable energy investment in the Asia-Pacific region will overtake spending on oil and gas exploration by 2020, consultancy Rystad Energy said on Monday.Total capital expenditure in renewables will rise above $30 billion in the region by 2020, just overtaking investment into exploration and production for oil and natural gas…
Shell Sees Significant Oil Discovery in Albania
Shell Upstream Albania B.V. said on Friday initial tests showed "a flow potential of several thousand barrels of oil per day" from its Shpirag 4 well in central Albania, and it needed more work to determine its commercial volume."We are pleased that these initial tests have confirmed the…
Environmental Activists Block BP London HQ
Greenpeace activists blocked the entrance to BP's London headquarters on Monday, demanding one of the world's biggest energy companies ends all new oil and gas exploration or goes out of business.Greenpeace activists arrived at the building in St James' Square in central London at 0200 GMT…
Eni Extends Algeria Gas Contract
Italian multinational oil and gas company Eni announced that it had signed agreements with Algerian state-owned Sonatrach to extend its gas supply pact.The agreement covers almost 15% of the gas imported into Italy. The agreement extends the 40-year partnership until 2027, with the option…
Argentina Grants Offshore Exploration Permits
Argentina awarded permits to begin hydrocarbon exploration in 18 areas off the coast of the country in the Malvinas West basin to companies including Exxon Mobil Corp, Total SA, YPF SA and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the government said on Friday.The winning companies offered bids totaling $724 million…
DNO Completes $400mln Bond Placement
The Norwegian oil and gas operator focused on the Middle East and the North Sea, DNO ASA said it has completed the private placement of USD 400 million of new, five-year senior unsecured bonds with a coupon rate of 8.375 percent.The bond placement received strong investor demand across international markets and was oversubscribed…
Pemex Requests $8bn Loan Amid Heavy Uncertainty
Petróleos Mexicanos’ (Pemex) US$8 billion bank loan comes amid heavy investor uncertainty over the oil company’s debt load, but lenders wanting to maintain links with Pemex and the left-wing administration overseeing the firm may have little choice but to commit to the financing.The state…
Rovuma LNG Gets Government Green Light
The government of Mozambique has approved development plans for the ExxonMobil-led Rovuma LNG project, which will produce, liquefy and market natural gas from three reservoirs located in the Area 4 block offshore Mozambique, two of which straddle the boundary with neighboring Area 1.“The…
Schlumberger Taps Google as Preferred Cloud Provider
Services company Schlumberger said on Monday it has renewed and expanded its agreement with Google Cloud to develop cloud-native exploration and production (E&P) applications to help its customers derive actionable insights from data and harness the power of Google’s cloud infrastructure…
OPT Wave Power System Reaches Milestone
US-owned renewable energy company Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) announced that the Company's PB3 PowerBuoy deployed in the Adriatic Sea has produced more than one MegaWatt-hour (MWh) cumulative energy to date. The cost-effective ocean energy solutions provider said that the PowerBuoy has been deployed for six months…
Anadarko Signs LNG Supply Deal with JERA, CPC
US hydrocarbon exploration company Anadarko has signed a Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with Japanese power company JERA and Taiwanese oil and gas company CPC.The SPA calls for the delivered ex-ship supply of 1.6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) for a base term of 17 years from the commercial start date.
SBM Wins ExxonMobil Guyana FPSO Order
Dutch-based floating production and mooring systems (FPSO) provider SBM Offshore has won a contract to deliver an FPSO for ExxonMobil’s second phase of the Liza development offshore Guyana.Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), an affiliate of Exxon Mobil Corporation, has…
Timeline: Occidental's Anadarko Victory
Before Occidental Petroleum Corp clinched a deal on Thursday to buy Anadarko Petroleum Corp for $38 billion, it pursued its U.S. oil and gas exploration and production rival for nearly two years, culminating in the sector's most high-profile public contest since the 1980s.For most of Occidental's pursuit…
Brazil Sets Parameters for Mega Oil Auction
Brazil's national energy council on Thursday published updated parameters for a massive oil auction scheduled for later this year, including minimum levels of profit-sharing with the government, while also urging a shakeup in the refinery sector.The country is set to auction off rights to…
U.S. Shale: World’s 2nd Cheapest Source of Supply in Oil
North American tight oil is emerging as the second cheapest source of new oil volumes globally, just shy of the Middle East onshore market, Rystad Energy said.The U.S. shale oil was the world’s second most expensive oil resource just four years ago, the energy research and business intelligence…
From KPMG: Visions of Cheese
Whilst we are seeing a clear uptick in activity and the UK oil and gas industry is certainly on the way up again, the industry must continue to move forward. However, under current market conditions, how can companies capitalize on change whilst remaining stable and sustainable and, more importantly…
800bln Undiscovered Barrels of Oil and Gas Exist Globally
Total greenfield project sanctioning, summed up to the present day, only accounts for 40% of estimated volumes of offshore projects ever being sanctioned, said Rystad Energy, the energy research and consultancy headquartered in Norway."Likewise, the brownfield market has only begun, with…
Occidental Agrees to Sell Anadarko Assets to Total
Texas-headquartered Occidental Petroleum has reached an agreement to sell Anadarko Petroleum's oil and gas assets in Africa to French oil major Total for $8.8 billion.The binding agreement with Occidental to acquire Anadarko’s assets in Africa (Algeria, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa) is…
Wintershall, DEA Complete Merger
The merger between oil and gas firms Wintershall Holding GmbH and Deutsche Erdoel AG (DEA) has been completed, creating the largest independent exploration and production company in Europe.Wintershall DEA will be headquartered in Hamburg, with activities across Europe, Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East.
ADNOC Launches Bid for Five Blocks
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said that it has launched the second exploration bid round for five new oil and gas blocks.The bidding will be for both conventional and unconventional resources, and the successful bidders will enter into agreements granting them exploration rights…
New Sonatrach CEO: Foreign Partnerships Essential
Algeria's state energy company Sonatrach wants to develop its partnerships with foreign firms to boost output and exports, its new chief executive said on Wednesday, comments that could reassure investors a week after his appointment.Algeria, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and a major gas supplier to Europe…
Repsol, LLOG to Partner on Deepwater US Gulf Developments
The U.S.-based exploration and production company LLOG Exploration Offshore and Spanish oil company Repsol announced the signing of an Asset Exchange and Joint Participation Agreement in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.The agreement provides for the drilling of a delineation well at Repsol’s Leon discovery and covers Keathley Canyon blocks 642…
Repsol's Q1 Net Profit Rises
Spanish oil and gas firm Repsol said on Tuesday first quarter adjusted net profit rose 6 percent from a year earlier, as a fall in oil and gas prices and a halt to production in Libya were offset by lower costs and a stronger U.S.
Anadarko Bidding War Heats Up
American multinational energy corporation Chevron is working on integrating the hydrocarbon exploration company Anadarko Petroleum, even as it faces a higher rival takeover bid for the oil explorer from Occidental Petroleum Corp, said a report in Bloomberg.However, it is becoming increasingly…
Chevron Profit Falls 27%
Chevron Corp's first-quarter profit fell 27 percent from a year earlier due to lower crude oil prices and weaker margins in its refining and chemicals businesses, but topped forecasts and signaled it is committed to buying smaller rival Anadarko Petroleum Corp.The No. 2 U.S. oil and natural gas producer this week found itself in a takeover duel for Anadarko…
Novatek Sell 20% Stake in Arctic LNG 2 to China
Russian gas producer Novatek said on that it had signed agreements with two Chinese companies to sell a combined 20 percent stake in its new liquefied natural gas project, Arctic LNG 2.Under the agreement, the Chinese firms -CNOOC and CNODC - will become shareholders in the Arctic LNG project with 10 percent each.
Sonangol Plans to Downsize
Angola's state oil company Sonangol plans to divest 52 joint ventures, reduce staff and focus on its core business, part of an ongoing reorganization and package of reforms designed to lure back investors, its chairman said on Friday."We are going to sell, close or put out of our group a lot companies," Carlos Saturnino told an oil conference in Paris.
US Rig Count Dips
U.S. energy firms this week reduced the number of oil rigs operating for the first time in three weeks as production growth forecasts from shale, the country's largest oil fields, continue to shrink.Drillers cut eight oil rigs in the week to April 18, bringing the total count down to 825…
Chrysaor to Buy ConocoPhillips’ UK Assets
Chrysaor has reached a deal to acquire ConocoPhillips’ oil and gas exploration and production assets in the UK for $2.675 billion, the companies announced on Thursday.Full-year 2018 production and year-end 2018 proved reserves associated with the assets being sold were approximately 72,000…
Wintershall Wins Argentina Offshore Bid
Germany's largest crude oil and natural gas producer Wintershall won the bidding process for two blocks in the promising Malvinas Basin off the coast of Tierra del Fuego as part of the “Costa Afuera” licensing round.In addition to the CMA-1 exploitation concession, with this award, the company…
ExxonMobil Wins 3 Blocks Off Argentina
U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil Corp said that its unit and an affiliate of Qatar Petroleum had won three exploration blocks offshore Argentina.ExxonMobil has increased holdings in Argentina after its subsidiary ExxonMobil Argentina Offshore Investments B.V. and an affiliate of Qatar Petroleum…
Santos Finds Gas Off Western Australia
Santos announced Tuesday it has confirmed significant gas resource in the Corvus-2 appraisal in the Carnarvon Basin, offshore Western Australia.Corvus-2 is located in 63 meters water depth, approximately 90 kilometers northwest of Dampier in Commonwealth waters within petroleum permit WA-45-R…
Vermilion to Drill Exploration Wells in Central Europe
Canada's Vermilion Energy will drill its first two exploration wells in Croatia in June, a senior official from the company said on Monday. Vermilion won four licences in 2015 for oil and gas exploration in Croatia's flat northeastern areas and the drilling will take place on one of these."Although…
Woodside Expands LNG Supply
Australian exploration and production company Woodside has opened a liquefied natural gas (LNG) truck loading facility at its Pluto LNG project in Western Australia (WA), as it looks to develop the domestic LNG market for remote power generation and transport fuels.The Pluto LNG project is located 190km north-west of Karratha in WA…
Danos Awarded Major Permian Contract
Danos has been awarded a significant contract across multiple services lines with a Texas-based, independent exploration and production company. The project will leverage Danos’ Amelia Integrated Services Complex to fabricate piping and structural components which will then be shipped to the installation site in Midland…
Chevron to Buy Anadarko for $33 Bln
Chevron Corp on Friday said it will buy oil and gas producer Anadarko Petroleum Corp for $33 billion in cash and stock in a deal that doubles down on its bet on U.S. shale and LNG as U.S. energy production is shattering records.The deal makes Chevron the second-largest major by crude production, behind Exxon Mobil Corp, up from fourth.
Gazprom’s Arctic Offshore Platform Hits Milestone
Russian shipping company Sovcomflot (SCF Group) said that the Arctic shuttle tanker Mikhail Ulyanov loaded the milestone 10-millionth tonne of commercial oil produced at Prirazlomnaya offshore platform in the Pechora Sea.The energy shipping companies, specialising in the transportation of crude oil…
Brazil Government to Pay Petrobras $9 Bln
The Brazilian government reached a landmark deal to pay state-controlled oil company Petróleo Brasileiro SA $9.058 billion for revising a transfer-of-rights oil contract, Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque said on Tuesday.Albuquerque told reporters after a meeting in Brasilia that the agreement…
Genel Energy Names Higgs CEO
Genel Energy Plc named oil veteran and Chief Operating Officer Bill Higgs as its top executive, the oil and gas exploration and production company said on Monday.Higgs' appointment as chief executive officer comes as the company, the largest holder of reserves and resources in Iraq's Kurdistan region…
