Denmark’s Maersk Drilling has posted a 52% jump in profits for 2013, at US$528 million, but warned that there will be challenges in 2014 as it sees a drop in deepwater demand and a major overhaul of its fleet. Claus V. Hemmingsen…
Houston-based Cobalt International Energy, Inc. confirmed the existence of light oil and condensate at its Orca (formerly Baleia) deepwater pre-salt exploratory well offshore Angola. The Orca No.1 well, located in block 20 at a water depth of 1880m…
Sembcorp Marine subsidiary Jurong Shipyard has signed two contracts, worth US$540 million each, to build two drillships for a subsidiary of Transocean Ltd (Transocean). The contracts include options for three additional units for the same company…
An inside look at drilling with Maersk's jackup, Inspirer.
Stone Energy Corp. hit oil at its deepwater Cardona (MC 29 #4) well at Mississippi Canyon 29 in the US Gulf of Mexico, the company announced on 24 Feb 2014. Drilling operations are underway using the ENSCO 8502 drilling rig, which Stone Energy contracted last April…
The third phase of the Na Kika field in the Gulf of Mexico recently entered production, BP announced. Phase 3 production started on 19 Feb 2014, with a second well expected to come online 2Q 2014. Sitting in around 6300ft of water…
Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production license 628, is in the process of concluding the drilling of wildcat well 25/9-4. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said the well was dry. The well was drilled about 25km from the Jotun field in the central part of the North Sea…
The TOTAL E&P Norge operated exploration well 25/5-9 on the Trell prospect in production license 102 F/G in the Norwegian North Sea has discovered oil in the Paleocene Heimdal Formation. The well intersected 19m of net pay in excellent quality Heimdal reservoir…
Australia’s AWE reported that the Pateke-4H development well was at a measured depth of 1507m. A 13 3/8-in casing was ran to the planned depth of 1504m. Preparations are being made to cement the casing and prepare for the installation of the subsea wellhead…
UK-based explorer Ophir Energy has started drilling operations on the Padouck Deep-1 well on the Ntsina Block, offshore Gabon, using the Vantage Titanium Explorer drillship. Padouck Deep-1 is the first well targeting the pre-salt play offshore in the North Gabon basin…
The Kan Tan IV semisubmersible drilling rig began drilling the Pateke-4H well in PMP 38158 on 9 February 2014. The rig drilled a 36in. hole to a depth of 234m, and preparations are being made to run and cement a 30in. conductor. The Pateke…
When one thinks of “retro,” a number of things may come to mind – old clothes, vintage furniture, maybe even a classic car – but in the world of subsea well operations, there are three words that best fit: Riserless drilling systems. Riserless…
Results of the first well drilled in the Atlanta post-salt oil field off Brazil were better than operator Queiroz Galvão Exploração e Produção (QGEP) and its partners anticipated, according to an announcement the Brazilian company made Wednesday…
The number of fields which began producing oil and gas in the UK hit its highest level for five years in 2013, as a number of operators focused on development activity. This is according to the latest report into offshore activity from Deloitte…
Update: The Bureau of Safety and Environment Enforcement (BSEE) announced that weighted drilling fluids pumped into well A-7 stopped the uncontrolled gas flow in Vermilion block 356 in the Gulf of Mexico. BSEE approved operator EnVen’s plan to kill the well with mud…