Smith Bits, a Schlumberger company, has released the AxeBlade ridged diamond element bit, which incorporates new-geometry Axe ridged diamond elements across the bit face. AxeBlade bits are designed to improve rate of penetration (ROP) in…
Opportunity North East (ONE) is working with oil and gas industry leaders to establish Aberdeen as a global center for offshore technology research and development. The funding announced by the UK and Scottish governments through the…
Production well drilling has started on Statoil's major Johan Sverdrup development offshore Norway. The first of 35 wells was spudded by Odfjell drilling's Deepsea Atlantic semisubmersible drilling rig. The US$13.3 billion first phase…
Elaine Maslin reports on Saudi Aramco’s work to improve recovery through “smart” completions, thereby simultaneously reducing intervention. Dr Mohamed Nabil Noui-Mehidi speaking at the Society…
Brazil and Mexico are not the only games in town in Latin America. The deepest water well ever drilled is lined up for offshore Uruguay and Exxon is set to test Liza offshore Guyana. Elaine Maslin reports. The newly minted Maersk Venturer drillship…
Elaine Maslin examines some of the potential uses for nanoscale manufacturing in the oil and gas industry. Image provided by Repsol. Source: 'Commercial scale production of inorganic nanoparticles…
The floating rig market is preparing for the most challenging year ahead. Leslie Cook, of Quest Offshore, explains. Noble Corp. announced in Q1 it would retire the Noble Discoverer drillship after…
35 offshore projects and 100 rig years have slipped after the oil price collapse. Oddmund Føre, Analyst, Rystad Energy, explains. The market for oilfield services is hurting and offshore drilling is no exception. The global market for…
Since its discovery in 2010, the Sea Lion field offshore the Falkland Islands has been subject to a string of development options. Elaine Maslin looks at Premier Oil’s optimized final plan. Ocean Rig’s Ocean Guardian semisubmersible drilling rig…
Harkand, an inspection, repair, maintenance (IRM) and light construction company, has been chosen to deliver installation work to support Apache with its existing drilling campaign in the Nevis South Field in the North Sea. The project…
Wintershall is due to start drilling its latest exploration well on production license 248 in the North Sea, starting in March. The firm has been given consent to drill two wells, 35/8-6S and 35/8-6A, taking around 85 days, depending on whether a discovery is made…
China's CNOOC has laid claim to the the country's first ultra-deepwater gas discovery in the northwestern part of the South China Sea. The Lingshui 18-1-1 exploration was drilled in 1688m (5538ft) water depth and has been certified as a discovery by the Ministry of Land & Resources…
Private equity funded Black Platinum Energy will move ahead with its plans for appraisal and development activities to prove up its shallow gas plays in East Natuna, offshore Indonesia, despite current industry conditions. Plans include drilling one exploration well…
EOG awarded Rowan a contract to utilize the Ralph Coffman jackup, offshore Trinidad. The rig will mobilize from the US Gulf of Mexico and is estimated to commence operations in Q3 2016 for five wells with an estimated duration of one year at a rate of US$135…
London-based SOCO International's Baobab Marine-1 commitment well is to be plugged and abandoned after finding no oil or gas. The well was drilled on the Mer Profonde Sud Block, in the Lower Congo Basin, offshore Congo. Drilling…