Bass Strait News


Will 2021 Breathe Life Back into Asia Pacific Upstream M&A Market?

Dec 16, 2020

2020 has been dismal for upstream dealmakers across Asia Pacific. During a recent conversation with a senior banker in the region, I mentioned that deal activity was so poor this year that as of October, only a sliver over US$400 million and 117 million boe of 2P resources had transacted (vs US$5…

Australia: ExxonMobil Calls Off Sale of Gippsland Basin Fields

Nov 30, 2020

ExxonMobil has called off the potential multibillion-dollar sale of its oil and gas assets in Australia’s Bass Strait, according to the Australian Financial Review.The decision by the U.S. oil major comes just six weeks after the deadline for…

Exxon Considering Global Job Cuts after Lay-Off Plan in Australia Revealed

Sep 02, 2020

Exxon Mobil Corp is assessing possible worldwide job cuts, a spokesman said on Wednesday, after the company announced a voluntary lay-off program in Australia.Exxon is the latest oil major to embark on axing jobs spurred by a historic collapse in fuel demand because of the coronavirus pandemic…

BHP to Sell Stake in Exxon-led Bass Strait Joint Venture

Aug 18, 2020

BHP Group said on Tuesday it plans to sell its 50% stake in the Australian Bass Strait oil and gas venture as it seeks to focus on its higher-value petroleum assets.The Bass Strait joint venture is co-owned and operated by Exxon Mobil Corp, which has also put its 50% stake up for sale…

Watch: Giant Offshore Rig Passing Under Bosphorus Bridges

Apr 16, 2020

Italian oilfield services company Saipem has shared a video of one of its offshore drilling rigs passing the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey, earlier this week.The Scarabeo 9, Saipem's semi-submersible drilling rig, on Monday crossed the Bosporus Strait for the fourth time in its history…

Oil Hits $70 a Barrel

Jan 06, 2020

Oil prices rose a further 2% on Monday, pushing Brent above $70 a barrel, as rhetoric from the United States, Iran and Iraq fanned tensions in the Middle East after a U.S. air strike which killed a top Iranian military commander.Brent crude futures soared to a high of $70…

'Serious Injury' on Offshore Drilling Rig

Oct 21, 2019

An Australian offshore energy regulatory body has issued a prohibition notice to Diamond Offshore following a serious injury to a worker on board one of its mobile offshore drilling units operating in the Bass Strait last month.The National…

Iranian Tanker Hit by Missiles, Oil Rises

Oct 11, 2019

Oil prices jumped more than 2% on Friday, October 11, 2019, after Iranian media said a state-owned oil tanker had been struck by missiles in the Red Sea near Saudi Arabia, raising the prospect of supply disruptions weeks after attacks on Saudi oil plants…

Australia's Explorers Step Up Oil Hunt

Oct 01, 2019

Australia's oil exploration has picked up over the past year following the country's biggest find in more than two decades, and could drive a resurgence in production that has fallen to a near 50-year low.A successful hunt for liquids could eventually beef up fuel security in Australia…

Mitsui Looks to Sell BassGas Stake

Sep 19, 2019

Japan's Mitsui & Co has put its 40% stake in the BassGas project off southeastern Australia up for sale, the company said on Thursday.Mitsui's stake in the BassGas project, which includes the undeveloped Trefoil gas project, could be worth about A$360 million ($244 million)…

ExxonMobil Looks to Sell Australian Assets

Sep 18, 2019

Exxon Mobil Corp said on Wednesday it was looking to sell its 50% stake in the Gippsland Basin oil and gas development in Australia's Bass Strait as part of a broader review of its global portfolio of assets.The sale could fetch up to $3 billion…

Eni Consortium Awarded Block Offshore Indonesia

Aug 26, 2019

Indonesia awarded West Ganal oil and gas exploration block in offshore Makassar strait to a consortium of Eni Indonesia Ltd, PT Pertamina and Neptune Energy West Ganal B.V, Deputy Energy Minister Arcandra Tahar said on Monday.The consortium set a $159…

Oil Price Risks Rise

May 14, 2019

Supply disruptions in the Middle East on top of an already tight crude market could send oil prices violently upward, said the energy research firm Rystad Energy.Two Saudi Arabian oil tankers were reportedly attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates this weekend…

Exxon, BHP to Develop West Barracouta Gas Field

Dec 13, 2018

ExxonMobil Corp and the world's top miner BHP Billiton said on Thursday they approved development of the West Barracouta gas field in the Gippsland Basin in Australia, to bring fresh gas to Australian domestic markets.Exxon said the project…

Indonesia Awards Two Oil and Gas Blocks

Oct 22, 2018

Indonesia awarded two oil and gas blocks of six auctioned by the government, deputy energy minister Arcandra Tahar told reporters on Monday.Indonesia awarded South Jambi B gas block to Hong Kong Jindi Group Ltd and Banyumas exploration block to Indonesia's PT Minarak Brantas Gas…

Current News

BOEM Okays New England Offshore Wind Project

Solstad Offshore Bolsters Ownership Stake in Omega Subsea

DeepOcean Takes Over Equinor’s Pipeline Repairs Contract from TechnipFMC

Petrobras Steps Closer to Developing Hydrogen Plant Powered by Renewables

Subscribe for OE Digital E‑News