Statoil and its partners have increased recoverable resource estimates for the Krafla area in the mature Norwegian northern North Sea basin to 140-250 MMboe after a two-well campaign in the area. According to Statoil, the latest appraisal well on the Krafla Main Tarbert discovery…
The southern North Sea Crosgan appraisal well is to be plugged and abandoned after encountering gas bearing sands. The Crosgan appraisal well 42/15b-3 was drilled in the Greater Breagh Area, in Quad 42. The well has reached a total depth…
Lundin Petroleum has made a gas discovery on the Zulu well, close to the giant Johan Sverdrup discovery, offshore Norway. Wildcat well 26/10-1, which is the first well in production license 74BS, hit an estimated 36m gas column in very good reservoir quality Utsira Formation sands…
Petrobras has made a new heavy oil discovery in concession BM-C-35 (exploratory block C-M-535), in the Campos Basin post-salt layer. The discovery was made while drilling well 1-BRSA-1289-RJS (ANP nomenclature) / 1-RJS-737 (Petrobras nomenclature)…
Sperry Drilling, a Halliburton (HAL) business line, has introduced a 4-3/4 inch slimhole size to its XBAT LWD service. HAL’s portfolio now includes 4-3/4, 6-3/4, 8 and 9-1/2 inch tools, which allows the XBAT tool to service wellbore holes ranging from 5-3/4 to 36 inches…
Development drilling has started on the INPEX-operated Ichthys gas-condensate field, part of the Ichthys LNG Project about 200km offshore Western Australian. The first of about 20 horizontal production wells to be drilled was spudded 3 February…
Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras confirmed a light oil and gas discovery by at the third extension well in the ultra deepwaters of Sergipe basin’s Farfan area, off Brazil. Farfan map. From Petrobras…
Jerry Lee reports on new guidelines for managed pressure drilling operations due out this year from both ABS and API. Pacific Drilling’s Pacific Santa Ana drillship, classed by ABS, has been outfitted…
Golder Associates’ Ken Been explains the best approach to geotechnical engineering and pipeline construction when facing scours and pits in the Arctic ice. Fig. 1: Ice scouring. Over the coming decades…
Orderbooks reflect reined-in spending based on conservative near-term oil price estimates. ABS’ James Graf sets out the detail. MODU new construction projects through 4Q/14. Source: ABS. Weak demand…
Over supply of oil, diminishing returns and an increasing rig fleet will challenge rig operators in 2015. Rystad Energy’s Joachim Bjørni and Oddmund Føre look for a ray of light. Graphs from Rystad. Throughout 2014…
A number of organizations have been looking at ways to reduce energy use and emissions offshore. Sintef has been working on a waste heat recovery project, focusing on gas compressors, with research involving operators and equipment vendors…
Area 4 is the jewel in Italian explorer Eni’s African crown. Meg Chesshyre reports on the company’s plans to get its large gas discoveries off Mozambique to market. Map of Mozambique. From EIA. Mozambique’s…
The latest drilling campaign offshore the Falkland Islands is expected to start next month, partner Falkland Oil and Gas (FOGL) said this morning. Announcing that the rig for the campaign, Ocean Rig's Eirik Raude drilling rig has started mobilization from West Africa…
James Onifade discusses how the first managed pressure drilling operation for an African operator accurately detected and circulated a small influx out of the well, without having to shut it in or threatening the safety of the rig crew. The…