Drilling News


Archer inks Talisman work

Oct 14, 2015

Archer (UK) announced the award of a three-year contract with two,  two-year  extension  options,  for  the  provision  of  platform drilling services  for  Talisman  Sinopec  Energy  UK. The contract, which is scheduled to commence on 1 November 2015…

Payday for Lukoil’s Lira

Oct 14, 2015

Russia’s Lukoil discovered natural gas pay at its deepwater Lira field in the Black Sea, offshore Romania. The Transocean Development Driller II. Image from Lukoil. The Lira-1X…

Ocean Rig Athena heading for Senegal

Oct 14, 2015

Cairn Energy is due to start its 1 billion bbl-seeking drilling program on its prospective offshore Senegal blocks in coming weeks. The Ocean Rig Athena is expected to start mobilization to Senegal from its current location in Angola in the next few days…

Primeline gets contract extension

Oct 13, 2015

Primeline Energy Holdings Inc. has announced that China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) has agreed to extend the exploration period under the petroleum contract for Block 33/07 to facilitate Primeline’s exploration drilling program in the East China Sea…

Cairn to begin Senegal drilling

Oct 13, 2015

In this video FAR Ltd’s managing director Catherine Norman, explains the company’s upcoming appraisal/exploration drilling program, as part of the Cairn Energy operated offshore Senegal permits.

 Cairn, with FAR and other joint venture partners in Senegal…

Repsol comes up dry in Barents

Oct 13, 2015

Repsol Norge is plugging its wildcat well 6306/5-2 (Hagar) on production license 642 after the well was found to be dry. The Hagar well was drilled about 65km southwest of the Njord field and 35km southeast of the 6406/12-3 S and A discoveries (Pil and Bue) in the Norwegian Sea…

VAALCO to re-sequence Gabon program

Oct 12, 2015

VAALCO Energy has announced a re-sequencing update to its drilling and workover program offshore Gabon in the Etame Marin block. Previously announced on 16 September 2015, VAALCO planned to mobilize the Transocean Constellation II jackup…

PTTEPI inks EDrill-2 for Zawtika

Oct 09, 2015

PTT Exploration & Production International (PTTEPI) has contracted high specification tender barge rig, EDrill-2, for a firm term of 18 months with an option period of 30 months. Zawtika Development Drilling Campaign (Phase 1B + Infield…

Lundin approved for Barents well

Oct 09, 2015

Lundin Norway, operator for production license 708, has received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority to drill exploration well 7130/4-1 in the Barents Sea. Drilling is scheduled to begin in November 2015 and estimated to last 56 days…

Senators introduce act to ban west coast drilling

Oct 08, 2015

Senators Maria Cantwell, Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, Patty Murray, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley introduced the West Coast Ocean Protection Act, legislation to permanently prohibit offshore drilling on the outer continental shelf of California…

Ocean Rig weighs scrapping two semis

Oct 08, 2015

Due to continued challenging market conditions, Athens, Greece-based rig provider Ocean Rig announced that if no future work is found for two of its fifth generation ultra-deepwater semisubmersible rigs – the Eirik Raude and Leiv Eiriksson – they could be scrapped…

The case for US Arctic exploration

Oct 06, 2015

Arctic drilling has made headlines since the announcement of Shell’s 2015 summer drilling campaign. Paired with the low oil prices due to a surplus of supply, many people wonder why we even need to drill in the Arctic when there is so much oil right now…

Shell starts at Malampaya

Oct 06, 2015

Shell started production from its new offshore platform in the Malampaya natural gas field, off the Philippines. Malampaya. From Shell. The offshore platform known as the depletion…

Lundin spuds Neiden prospect

Oct 05, 2015

Lundin Norway commenced drilling of exploration well 7220/6-2 in PL609, offshore Norway. The planned total depth is approximately 1350m below mean sea level and the well is being drilled using the drilling rig Island Innovator. Drilling is expected to take approximately 40 days…

Fugro Scout completes Middle East project

Oct 05, 2015

Fugro Scout, the new 83m geotechnical drilling vessel, has completed its maiden project in the Middle East. Since its maiden project in the Persian Gulf it has been successfully deployed in the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea, completing several…

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