Drilling News


Equinor Set to Drill Wildcat Well 30/4-4 in North Sea, Off Norway

Aug 14, 2023

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted a drilling permit to Equinor for an exploration well to be drilled in the North Sea.The drilling permit is for the wildcat well 30/4-4, located in the production license 043 FS.Equinor will…

BP Chooses TWMA for Up To $15M Mediterranean Sea Drilling Waste Management Deal

Aug 14, 2023

UK-based drilling waste management company TWMA said Monday it had secured a contract worth up to $15 million to support a large-scale oil and gas project for BP in Egypt.TWMA will use its RotoMill drill cuttings processing technology to process…

Namibia Grants Global Petroleum, Partners 2-Year Renewal Period for Offshore Block

Aug 14, 2023

Oil and gas company Global Petroleum said Monday that the Namibian Ministry of Mines and Energy had given approval for the company and its partners to proceed to the First Renewal Period ('FRP') of Walvis Basin license PEL 94, with a duration of two years from September 2023 to September 2025…

Equinor Books Semi-submersible Drilling Rig for Canadian Project

Aug 14, 2023

SFL Corporation has signed an offshore drilling contract in Canada with a subsidiary of the Norwegian oil firm Equinor for the harsh environment semi-submersible rig Hercules. The estimated contract value is approximately $100 million.The contract is for one firm well plus one optional well…

Frontera to Evaluate Guyana Offshore Oil Discovery Before Proceeding

Aug 14, 2023

Frontera Energy and its unit CGX Energy expect to complete an analysis in the next two to three months of the Wei-1 oil well in Guyana before deciding whether to upgrade an exploration license to its development phase, Frontera said on Friday…

Amazon Nations Summit Faces Fault Lines on Oil, Deforestation

Aug 08, 2023

Eight Amazon rainforest nations are expected to face divisions over proposals to block new oil drilling and end deforestation when they meet on Tuesday for their first summit in 14 years.The meeting of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) gathers heads of state from Bolivia…

OMV Sets the Drill Bit in Motion for Velocette Well Offshore Norway

Aug 08, 2023

Austrian oil and gas company OMV has started drilling operations on the Velocette exploration well in production license 1016, offshore Norway.The news of the drilling start was shared Tuesday by Longboat Energy, a 20% partner in the offshore block…

APA's Appraisal Well Confirms Extension of Oil Resources Offshore Suriname

Aug 04, 2023

APA Corp. said on Wednesday its most recent appraisal well in Block 58 off Suriname's coast confirmed the extension of oil resources 14 kilometers from the discovery well.APA's exploration in Suriname has been closely watched as it could become Suriname's first commercial deepwater project…

Australian Operations Continue: INPEX Extends Noble Deliverer Rig Contract

Aug 04, 2023

INPEX Operations Australia, an Australian subsidiary of the Japanese firm INPEX, has exercised an option to extend the contract for the ultra-deepwater semi-submersible rig Noble Deliverer for drilling at the Ichthys field in the Browse Basin offshore Western Australia…

Libya: Eni Lifts 2014 Exploration Force Majeure

Aug 03, 2023

Today, Eni formalized with its Libyan counterpart NOC the revocation of force majeure status on exploration areas A and B (onshore), and C (offshore), where Eni is the operator with a 42.5% stake, along with BP, 42.5%, and the Libyan Investment Authority with 15%…

Offshore Sector Dominates Oil & Gas Exploration Spending, But Results Disappointing in 2023

Aug 02, 2023

Spending on conventional oil and gas exploration is on the rise and is set to top $50 billion this year, led by offshore investments, however, discovery volumes are falling to new lows, despite the rising investments. This is according to Rystad Energy…

Shelf Drilling Wins $17M Contract for Offshore Drilling Rig in UK North Sea

Aug 02, 2023

Offshore drilling company Shelf Drilling has won a contract for the Shelf Drilling Fortress jack-up drilling rig with a European subsidiary of the Chinese oil company CNOOC in the UK North Sea.Under the contract, the rig, owned by Shelf Drilling's subsidiary Shelf Drilling North Sea…

Borr Drilling's Backlog Increased by 421 Days with New Jack-up Rig Deals

Aug 01, 2023

Jack-up drilling rig contractor Borr Drilling said Monday it had secured two letters of award ('LOA') for its premium jack-up drilling rigs 'Gerd' and 'Thor.'These awards increase the company's firm backlog by approximately 421 days, excluding optional periods…

Valaris to Reactivate Drillship for $364M West Africa Contract

Jul 31, 2023

Offshore drilling firm Valaris said Monday it had secured a 12-well contract offshore West Africa for drillship VALARIS DS-7. Valaris will reactivate the drillship for this contract. The contract, with an undisclosed client, is expected to start…

Guyana Extends Offshore Oil Block Bids Deadline to Attract New Explorers

Jul 28, 2023

Guyana extended to Sept. 12 a deadline for companies to submit bids for its first competitive auction of oil blocks, the government said in a statement on Wednesday.The South American nation has delayed the offer of 14 offshore blocks four times before…

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