Freeport-McMoRan Oil & Gas is to pay Rowan Companies US$215 million under an agreement to cut short a rig contract with immediate effect. Freeport had contracted to use the drillship Rowan Relentless up to June 2017. Rowan may also…
Engie E&P Norge (Engie) has been given the green light to drill the Cara prospect on production license 636 in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The exploration well, 36/7-4, will be the first to be drilled on PL636. The well is…
Faroe Petroleum has started drilling on the Brasse exploration well in the Norwegian North Sea. The well, 31/7-1, is immediately south of the producing Brage oil field (Faroe 14.3%) and, if successful, could be tied-back to the Brage facilities or alternatively to other nearby installations…
Wintershall Norge has drilled one dry well and another with poor reservoir quality in the North Sea near the Vega field. Well 35/8-6 S on the Vikafjell North prospect was dry and sidetrack well 35/8-6 A on the Robbins prospect was of poor reservoir quality…
Statoil has decided to cancel the contract with Seadrill for the West Hercules semisubmersible drilling rig. The rig has been on contract with Statoil since 31 January 2013, performing an exploration campaign offshore Newfoundland in Canada for the past 18 months…
US drilling contractor Noble Corporation is due to cold stack two semisubmersibles and warm stack two drillships. In its latest fleet status report, the firm said it is preparing to cold stack the Noble Jim Day, a Bingo 9000 semisubmersible drillship built in 1999…
Woodside is considering development options on its two discoveries offshore Myanmar, as well as a 4-7 well drilling campaign next year, the firm said this morning. The plans, potentially involving tie-backs or even a standalone development…
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted both Total E&P Norge and Tullow Oil Norge drilling permits in the North Sea. Map of 30/4-3 S, from NPD. Total’s wildcat Total…
Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency (ANP) granted a 27-year extension to Petróleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) for two concession contracts in the Campos basin, offshore Brazil that will lead to the drilling of 10 new wells. Image from Petrobras…
Drilling has commenced at Mubadala Petroleum's Sri Trang-1 exploration well in the Gulf of Thailand, using the Atwood Orca jackup. Sri Trang-1 is in the reservation area of the G1/48 concession, approximately 18km north northeast of the Manora oil development…
Australia's National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) told oil major BP to modify and resubmit its environment plan for exploration drilling in the Great Australian Bight (GAB). NOPSEMA said if BP accepts what it described as 'an opportunity…
Santos began drilling the AAL-4X appraisal well, offshore Indonesia using the PT Apexindo's Raniworo jackup. AAL-4X is located in the West Natuna basin in the Northwest Natuna license and sits in 72m water depth Santos is drilling…
Quadrant Energy is set to begin drilling operations at the Outtrim East-1 well in the North West Shelf of Western Australia in June, using the Noble Tom Prosser jackup, according to partner Carnarvon Petroleum. Carnarvon's CEO Adrian…
In this video, Statoil shows still drilling at its Statfjord area, offshore Norway. Statfjord is one of the oldest producing fields on the Norwegian continental shelf, and the largest oil discovery in the North Sea. The field…
Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) has granted Wintershall Norge consent for exploration drilling at the Orion prospect in the North Sea with the Borgland Dolphin semisubmersible. The 35/11-19S well is located in production license 248…