It’s a smaller, more focused exploration world as we start 2018. Elaine Maslin discusses the main themes for 2018 with Wood Mackenzie’s Andrew Latham (First published in the January 2018 OE, access full issue here). Deepwater is very…
Saipem has signed a contract with Eni Angola in relation to the West Hub Development project in Angola, which incorporates the work orders previously assigned and communicated in 2016 and 2017 and adds the scope of work for the development of the Vandumbu field in Block 15/06…
Italy's Eni says a production test on the Tecoalli-2 well, in shallow water Campeche Bay, Mexico, showed 'excellent production capabilities,' and increased estimates of oil in place in Area 1 to 2 billion boe, with about 90% oil. The well is in Contractual Area 1…
Statoil awarded Transocean a 22-well contract in the Norwegian North Sea for the harsh environment semisubmersible Transocean Spitsbergen with an estimated duration of 33 months; plus two one-well options. The estimated firm backlog associated…
A total of 30 oil and gas discoveries were made in Q3 2017. Of these, 18 were conventional oil, one was heavy oil, one was unconventional gas, and the remaining 10 were conventional gas, according to analytics firm GlobalData. Among countries…
Global high-impact* exploration in 2017 is expected to match 2016 in both activity and success rates, and with a marked improvement in commercial oil volumes discovered and lower finding costs. High impact drilling commercial success…
Quadrant Energy is lining up drilling the Phoenix South-3 well in the Roebuck Basin offshore Western Australia, using Transocean's Development Driller-1 semisubmersible rig. The rig is about to start its voyage to Western Australia…
Halliburton has released the Geometrix 4D shaped cutters, a line of four distinct geometric profiles to help improve cutting efficiency and increase control to reduce drilling costs. “The launch of Geometrix cutters demonstrates our…
Australia's Santos has agreed to partly fund and lead a new 3D seismic survey over the beehive prospect in Australia's Bonaparte Basin in return for an up to 80% farm-in option in the permit. Santos calls Beehive, which sits on the WA-488-P permit…
Kosmos Energy's Lamantin-1 exploration well on Block C-12 offshore Mauritania has disappointed. The well, drilled in 2200m water depth and to a total depth of 5150m, hit a water bearing reservoir with residual hydrocarbons. It is thought…
Erin Energy has spud the Oyo Northwest (NW) well offshore Nigeria, the company announced today 6 December. Oyo-NW is a high-impact exploration well being drilled with the Pacific Bora, a sixth-generation drilling rig at offshore Nigeria block 120…
The US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has reported a fatality onboard the Petrobras 10,000 drillship, in Walker Ridge 469, 172 mi south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana. Petrobras 10…
West Africa focused African Petroleum has inked an agreement with Sierra Leone's Petroleum Directorate to enter a second extension periods on ultra-deepwater licenses SL-03 and SL-4A-10. The work programs for both licenses, in 3000-3600m water depth and containing the Leo and Vega prospects…
Swedish headquartered Lundin Petroleum has started drilling on the Hurri prospect in the southern Barents Sea, offshore Norway. Exploration well 7219/12-3, in PL533, is about 2 km southwest of the Filicudi oil discovery and south of the Statoil-operated Johan Castberg development…
UK explorer Siccar Point Energy E&P has signed up a rig to drill a well on the Lyon prospect, west of Shetland. Lyon is due to be drilled in 2018, using North Atlantic Drilling's West Hercules semisubmersible, immediately following drilling a Cambo appraisal well…