Carlyle Group Acquires EnerMech from Lime Rock Partners
Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group announces that it has agreed to acquire EnerMech Group Ltd, an international services company providing critical asset support to the energy, infrastructure and industrials sectors, from Lime Rock Partners.The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2018…
Eni Wins Offshore Mozambique Block
Italian oil and gas major Eni has signed in Maputo the contract for the exclusive exploration and development rights of the offshore block A5-A, in the deep waters of the Northern Zambezi Basin, approximately 1,500 km to the north east of the capital Maputo.With this acquisition, Eni further strengthens its presence in Mozambique…
Wintershall CEO Meets Norwegian Prime Minister on Growth Plans
Mario Mehren, CEO of Wintershall, Germany's largest crude oil and natural gas producer, has presented Wintershall’s growth plans in Norway during a visit by Norway's Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, to Berlin.Mehren announced a further increase in production during a discussion with the Prime…
India's Petronet LNG says Talks to Invest in Qatar Have Slowed
India's Petronet LNG Ltd said on Monday its talks to invest in Qatar's exploration and production sector had "slowed down," as the company had not been able to reach an agreement on pricing with the Middle Eastern nation."Qatar is still at a very preliminary stage. We were actually looking at getting the molecule (gas) at the well head price.
US Drillers Add Oil Rigs for First Week in Four
The U.S. oil drilling rig count rose this week for the first time in four weeks even as crude prices tumbled to their lowest in almost three weeks.Drillers added eight oil rigs in the week to Oct. 12, bringing the total count to 869, General Electric Co's Baker Hughes energy services firm…
Chevron becomes first oil major to exit Norway
U.S. oil firm Chevron will become the first oil major to formally exit the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) as it transfers its last stake in an exploration license, according to a government letter.Oil majors, including Exxon Mobil, BP and Shell, have scaled down their presence in Norway…
Eni to Acquire Half of BP's Libya Oil and Gas Assets
Italy's Eni has agreed to buy half of BP's 85 percent stake in a Libyan oil and gas licence with the aim of resuming exploration next year, the companies said on Monday.Eni will acquire the 42.5 percent stake and become the operator of the exploration and production sharing agreement (EPSA) in Libya…
Eni to Acquire Half of BP's Libya Oil and Gas Assets
Italy's ENI agreed to buy half of BP's 85 percent stake in a Libyan oil and gas licence with the aim of resuming exploration next year, the companies said on Monday.Eni will acquire the 42.5 percent stake from BP and become the operator of the exploration and production sharing agreement (EPSA) in Libya, in which the Libyan Investment Authority holds the rem
Norway to Spend More Looking for O&G Near Russian Border
Norway plans to step up spending on looking for oil and gas in the northern Barents Sea close to its border with Russia, the country's 2019 budget showed on Monday.The government has proposed to allocate an extra 50 million Norwegian crowns ($6.04 million) to conduct a so-called 3D survey…
Baker Hughes Acquires 5% of ADNOC Drilling for $550 Mln
Baker Hughes, the world's second-largest oil services company, will take a 5 percent stake in Abu Dhabi National Oil Company's (ADNOC) drilling unit for $550 million under a tie-up announced on Monday.Baker Hughes (BHGE) becomes the first foreign company to take a stake in one of state-owned…
Mexico Must Boost Oil Exploration to Halt Output Fall -Pemex
Mexico will need to double to about $4 billion its annual oil exploration investment to reverse a 14-year decline in output, a move that will require more funding by Pemex and private producers, a top official with the state-run firm said Friday.The nation's oil industry needs Petroleos Mexicanos…
Exxon Brazil to Focus on Drilling and Production
Exxon Mobil Corp will focus on drilling and production in Brazil now that it has made extensive acquisitions of oil blocks in the country, the company's chief executive officer in Brazil, Carla Lacerda, said on Thursday.Exxon also sees new opportunities in Brazil's biofuels, bioenergy and gas sectors…
Hibiscus Petroleum to Double Production
Malaysian oil and gas exploration and production company Hibiscus Petroleum is aiming to double its oil output in the United Kingdom and Malaysia to 20,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2021, a senior company executive said on Thursday.It needs an additional $50 million by 2020 to boost production from about 10…
EXCEED Developments Reflect Bullish Growth Strategy
Aberdeen-headquartered well management and performance improvement specialist EXCEED Energy has underlined its continued global expansion with a number of significant contract wins, prompting a key appointment and a move into new premises.Recent contract wins totaling over £18 million will…
Total Sees Cash Flow, Output Boost from Deepwater Projects
Oil and gas major Total said on Tuesday it expected deepwater oil and gas operations to make a strong contribution to its output and cash flow thanks to major developments in the West Africa's Gulf of Guinea region, Brazil and U.S. Gulf area.Production from deepwater projects is expected to reach 500…
Smarter Energy Policy Will Broaden Offshore Recovery
For the past few years, depressed commodity prices, stricter regulatory requirements and competition from onshore development at home and from other countries offering attractive offshore lease and royalty terms have had severe impacts on new exploration in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Thankfully…
Total Makes Major Offshore UK Gas Discovery
French oil and energy group Total said on Monday it had made a major gas discovery on the Glendronach prospect, located off the coast of the Shetland islands in the North Sea.Total said preliminary tests on the new gas discovery confirmed good reservoir quality, permeability and well production deliverability…
Tullow Oil abandons First Namibian Well
Africa-focused Tullow Oil will abandon its first well in Namibia, but data gathered in the project indicated it might strike lucky in another attempt, it said on Monday."The Cormorant-1 exploration well in the PEL-37 licence, offshore Namibia, encountered non-commercial hydrocarbons and the well is being plugged and abandoned…
Reliance Shuts Field in Krishna-Godavari Basin
India's Reliance Industries Ltd has shut down an offshore oil and gas field on the eastern coast of India, the company said in a statement on Friday, after seeing a natural decline in output for months.The closure marks the beginning of the end of the company's first foray into oil and gas…
West Hercules to Drill More Exploration Wells
Seadrill Norway Operations Limited has been awarded a contract for drilling two exploration wells for Equinor in the Barents Sea by use of the West Hercules rig. Drilling is scheduled to start in the spring of 2019.The contract includes options for drilling nine additional wells. The rig is primarily assigned for exploration drilling.
Aker Bets on Software Engineers for Its Oil Business
When the owners of Norwegian oil firm Aker BP decided to digitise its assets and operations, they searched high and low for the right software company. But they failed to find a suitable one.So instead they set up their own, Cognite, to create digital maps of Aker BP's oil industry assets…
JIP on Single Phase Flow Meters Enters Phase II
DNV GL is now starting phase II of a Joint Industry Project (JIP) on single phase flow meters in phase-contaminated oil flow. Phase II of this JIP will focus on the influence of the oil fluid properties. This will involve testing different single phase flow metering technologies in oil/water liquid flow (WLR=0-100%) with small fractions of gas (GVF=0-40%…
Total Bought 25% in Orinduik Block Offshore Guyana
Total says has exercised option to buy a 25 pct interest in Orinduik exploration block offshore Guyana.* Orinduik operated by Tullow Oil off Guyana contains an estimated 3 billion barrels of oil and gas, its partner Eco Atlantic said on Tuesday, as the two firms prepare to drill in the Latin American oil basin.* Tullow plans to begin drilling in the block in
African Energy: Senegal Leads Local Content Drive
Senegal is determined to become the new front runner of Africa’s local content development. This is the conclusion of a local content forum held in Dakar on Thursday, organized by Les Conférences du Quotidien and hosted by the African Energy Chamber and Centurion.Presided by Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne…
Petrofac Secures Well Engineering Contracts
Petrofac has strengthened its global Well Engineering contracts portfolio following a series of award wins worth a combined value of around $20 million.Petrofac secured an exclusive five-year Well Operator Services contract from independent Exploration & Production company, Tailwind Energy Ltd (Tailwind)…
Norway Gets Bids from 38 Oil Firms in Licensing Round
A total of 38 oil companies have submitted bids for exploration acreage offshore Norway in a so-called predefined areas (APA) licensing round, the country's energy ministry said on Friday.Bidders include oil majors Shell, ConocoPhillips and Total, as well as Norway's Equinor and Aker BP, Sweden's Lundin and Italy's Eni.The total number of bidders was almost
Fugro Secures E&P Support Contracts
Fugro has won three contracts with BHP Petroleum (Deepwater) Inc., which see the company delivering a range of specialist services to support exploration and production operations in Trinidad and Tobago and the Gulf of Mexico.Within Trinidad’s Block 3(a) Fugro is providing geophysical and…
Neptune Energy Reports $70 mln H1 Profit
Private equity-backed oil and gas producer Neptune Energy on Thursday reported a profit of $70 million and a cash pile of over $500 million in the first quarterly results it has published, adding that it was on the lookout for more assets.Several private equity-backed players have entered…
Transocean to Buy Ocean Rig in $2.7 Bln Deal
Offshore oil driller Transocean Ltd said on Tuesday it would buy peer Ocean Rig UDW Inc in a $2.7 billion cash-and-stock deal, its second major acquisition this year as the company bets on a recovery in the offshore sector.The acquisition signals new optimism for offshore drillers, which were hit hard by the steep plunge in oil prices from 2014.
Brazil Becomes Core Ares for Equinor
With daily oil production of over 90 000 barrels per day from current fields and with expected investments of more than 15 billion USD until 2030, Brazil has become a core area for Equinor.A press release said that Brazil stands out globally as one of the most promising offshore oil and gas basins with a significant remaining resource base.
In Brazil, Equinor Aims to Repeat Norway's Oil Boom
Norway's Equinor will invest up to $15 billion in Brazil over the next 12 years to develop oil, gas and renewable energy sources, the company said on Wednesday.Coinciding with an expected drop in output from many ageing oilfields off the cost of Norway, Brazil is expected to become a core…
US Energy Companies Fume over Rejected Steel Tariff Exemptions
The U.S. Commerce Department recently granted a tariff exemption to oil major Chevron for its imports of 4.5-inch Japanese steel tubes for oil exploration.But the department rejected a similar request from Borusan Mannesmann Pipe to exclude 4.5-inch steel pipes imported from Turkey for casing used to line new oil wells.The reason: multiple U.S.
Fugro Goes Seep Hunting off Eastern Canada
A geophysical acquisition portion of a 2018 Carson Basin seep hunting program offshore eastern Canada recently completed by Fugro covered an area of 18,875 square kilometers in water depths from 300 to 3,300 meters in this frontier region offshore Newfoundland. From its deepwater survey vessel…
India's Vedanta Wins 41 Blocks in Small Field Auction
India's Vedanta Wins 41 Blocks in Small Field Auction* Billionaire Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Ltd has won 41 of the 55 blocks auctioned under India's first licensing round for small discovered fields-India's upstream regulator* State-run Oil India has won nine blocks- upstream regulator* India's top explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp was awarded 2 blocks* Hindu
Equinor to Boost Drilling to Extend Norwegian Shelf Life
Oil producer Equinor aims to boost the recovery rate from its Norwegian fields to well above the global average to extend production from the mature basin beyond 2030.Equinor announced plans on Tuesday to drill up to 3,000 wells offshore from its native Norway in coming decades - almost as…
Total Pact with Stena Drilling for Laggan Well
Aberdeen-based Stena Drilling has announced that it has signed a deal with French oil giant Total to drill one well at the west of Shetland, Laggan field.A press release from Stena Drilling said: "We have signed a contract with Total E&P UK Ltd. for the Stena Don in 2019 to drill one well…
Siccar Point Energy Confirms Cambo Well Test Success
Siccar Point Energy has successfully concluded well testing operations on the 204/10a-5 appraisal well in the Cambo field, north-west of Shetland.A vertical pilot hole was initially drilled confirming over 100ft of oil column and a higher than anticipated net pay of 58ft. Extensive logging…
Equinor Looks to Cut More Costs at Giant North Sea Oilfield
Norway's Equinor sees scope to further reduce development costs at the Johan Sverdrup oilfield in the North Sea, as it looks to maximize the potential of what could be the last giant field to be found off the Nordic country.The field, one of the five largest oil finds offshore Norway, is estimated to contain up to 3.1 billion barrels of oil equivalents…
Saipem Wins $700 Mln Worth of Offshore Contracts
Saipem has been awarded contracts for the second phase of the ExxonMobil led Liza development offshore Guyana.These contracts, assigned by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), an affiliate of ExxonMobil, as the project operator, are in addition to those awarded to Saipem…
Circulation Tool Helps Operators Cut Rig Time
With more than 1600 runs and 730 activations, operators across the globe are cutting rig time by deploying the DAV MX CircSub, the flagship tool from specialist oilfield service company, Churchill Drilling Tools. Run in hundreds of wells every year and recognized for its reliability, resilience and versatility…
Signs of Recovery in the US Gulf of Mexico
Today's U.S. auction of Gulf of Mexico exploration leases drew tepid response from oil companies, but marked notable progress for an industry still in a state of recovery.“While not a barn burner, Lease Sale 251 tops the previous Gulf sale in terms of increased participation, increased competition for offerings…
Oil Companies Make Few Bids in US Offshore Lease Auction
Oil companies bid on less than 1 percent of the parcels offered in a sweeping U.S. auction of Gulf of Mexico exploration leases on Wednesday, showing tepid interest in the region for the second time this year.Oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp was awarded 25 blocks, the largest of any company, followed by BP Plc with 19 high bids and Hess Corp and Equinor…
Colombia's Ecopetrol to Invest Up to $3.5 bln in 2018
Colombia's state-run oil company Ecopetrol said on Wednesday it will invest $3 billion to $3.5 billion during 2018, less than it had previously said it would spend.Ecopetrol originally planned to spend $3.5 billion to $4 billion in investment in 2018, mostly in exploration and production.
Mexico's Obrador Pledges More Than $11 Bln for Refineries
Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday his administration will invest more than $11 billion to boost refining capacity in order to curb growing fuel imports.Lopez Obrador, who will take office on Dec. 1, told reporters his government plans to invest $2.6 billion…
Sovcomflot's Pskov Loads First Cargo from Yamal LNG
The liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Pskov completed loading at the Port of Sabetta (YNAD), with the first cargo of LNG produced from the second high-tech production line at the Yamal LNG plant.August 08 marked the launch of the second production train at Yamal LNG, which happened six…
US drillers add most oil rigs since May
U.S. energy companies this week added the most oil rigs since May as drillers follow though on plans to spend more on exploration and production in anticipation of higher crude prices in 2018 than recent years.Drillers added 10 oil rigs in the week to Aug. 10, bringing the total count to 869…
Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale to Test Response to Trump-era Regulations
A federal auction of exploration leases in the Gulf of Mexico next week will test energy companies' appetite for acreage after the Trump administration left royalty rates for deepwater parcels unchanged, bucking an industry call to lower them.The U.S. Gulf of Mexico has faced waning interest…
McDermott Wins Shell Contract for Gulf of Mexico
McDermott International announced a contract from Shell Exploration and Production Company, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) plc, for subsea umbilical and flowline installation at the Perdido development, located 230 miles south of Galveston, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico."This award…
Fred. Olsen Energy edges closer to financial restructuring
Norwegian drillship and rig operator Fred. Olsen Energy, owner of the yard that built the RMS Titanic, is considering a debt and equity restructuring that would almost wipe out the value of its current shares, the company said.With debt and liabilities of more than $840 million at the end of June, Fred.
Kosmos Energy Acquired DGE for $1.23 Bln
Kosmos Energy has agreed to acquire Deep Gulf Energy (DGE) from its private equity owner for $1.23 billion, according to a bourse filing on Monday, expanding the deepwater oil and gas firm's operations into the Gulf of Mexico.Dallas-based Kosmos, which currently operates in Africa and South America, will pay $925 million in cash and $300 million in Kosmos co
Enpro Subsea Supports First Oil for LLOG Exploration in Gulf of Mexico
In June, LLOG Exploration delivered first production from its Crown and Anchor field in the Gulf of Mexico. This milestone also represents a major achievement for Aberdeen based Enpro Subsea as it is the first of multiple deployments by LLOG of its patented Flow Access Module (FAM) technology.The…
US Oil Rig Count Dips for Second Week in Three
U.S. energy companies this week cut oil rigs for a second time in the past three weeks as the rate of growth has slowed over the past couple of months with recent declines in crude prices.Drillers cut two oil rigs in the week to Aug. 3, bringing the total count down to 859, General Electric…
Brazil Calls Oil Auction, Seeks to Export Oil in a Year
Brazil's government will seek to sell 14.4 million barrels of oil cargo this month, while the state company managing the development of the pre-salt oil exploration aims to export its own oil in a year's time, the firm's head said on Thursday.The tender of oil cargo, at an auction set for Aug.
Eni to Invest $1.8 Bln in Offshore Mexican Oil Fields by 2040
Italian oil major expects to invest $1.795 billion in three offshore Mexican oil fields by 2040, according to a development plan approved by Mexico's oil regulator on Tuesday.The plan covering the Amoca, Mizton and Tecoalli shallow water fields is the second one approved by the regulator…
Indonesia's Pertamina to Take Over Chevron's Rokan Block in 2021
Indonesia has decided Pertamina will take over operation of the Rokan oil block, the country's second-biggest crude producing field, once Chevron's operating contract there expires in 2021, Deputy Energy Minister Arcandra Tahar said on Tuesday.Rokan has been a focus area for Chevron, which…
Aker BP Adds More Acreage off Norway
Norway's independent oil firm Aker BP has agreed to buy stakes in 11 production licenses off Norway from French Total for a cash consideration of $205 million, the company said on Tuesday.The portfolio includes four discoveries with net recoverable resources of 83 million barrels oil equivalents based on estimates from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NP
Shell to Make Final Investment Call on Nigeria Oilfield in 2019
Royal Dutch Shell and its partners will decide next year on whether to go ahead with the development of Nigeria's Bonga Southwest offshore oilfield, a senior company official said on Tuesday.The project, one of the country's largest with an expected production of 180,000 barrels per day, will generate profit at below $50 a barrel…
Singapore's Offshore Industry Recovering
A big drag on Singapore's growth in recent years, the embattled offshore and marine industry, has broken a three-year losing streak. Yet industry executives aren't betting on a return to the glory days anytime soon.The industry, along with a top-class finance sector, has been a key pillar…
Total Starts Production at Offshore Angola's Kaombo Project
French energy group Total said on Friday that it had started production at the Kaombo project, which is currently the biggest, deep offshore development in Angola.Kaombo Norte, the first 'Floating Production Storage and Offloading' (FPSO) unit, was successfully brought on stream and will produce an estimated 115…
COSL to Drill Tui Field Wells for Tamarind Resources
Offshore driller COSL Drilling Europe as entered into an agreement with Tamarind Resources for drilling operations with Hai Yang Shi You 982 (HYSY 982) in New Zealand.Tamarind Resources owner of the Tui Field (PMP 38158) announced that it has entered into a contract with COSL Drilling Europe for the semi-submersible rig…
