Salamander Energy plc announced the spud of an exploration well in Block G4/50, Gulf of Thailand targeting the Ayutthaya prospect. Ayutthaya is located in the Western Central sub-basin, less than one mi northeast of the recent Surin oil discovery…
Ernie Delfoes, managing director of Eni’s Australian division, announced that the company plans to spend up to US$230 million drilling in the Timor Sea over the next 18 months. On April 13, Eni was awarded an exploration production sharing contract in the Timor Sea…
Noble Energy Inc. has hit 50ft of net natural gas pay in a high-quality Miocene reservoir at its Troubadour prospect in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The well was drilled to a total depth of 19,510ft by the ultradeepwater semisubmersible ENSCO 8501…
Houston-based Saratoga Resources Inc. provided an update on its recent Zeke development well in Breton Sound Block 32 field. Saratoga owns and operates 10 fields along transitional coastline in protected, in-bay environments off southeastern Louisiana…
ViChem Specialty Products, LLC, developer of the Multi-Hydroxyl Alcohol (MHA) Drilling Fluid System, announced that it is has increased its production and storage capacity 10 times for MHA base fluid, shale inhibitor, lubricant, and soil stabilizer…
Ensco plc has taken delivery of ENSCO DS-7, an advanced-capability, ultra-deepwater drillship. The vessel will embark from the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea to Angola, where it is contracted to Total for three years beginning…
“Establishing a successful rig consortium is a roller-coaster process”, Geir Kristian Pedersen, managing director of Rig Management Norway (RMG), said at the keynote session Planning for Long Term Drilling yesterday. Key factors in building a consortia are being co-operative…
Recent Gulf of Mexico well control incidents have US regulators calling for better safety in shallow water. By Audrey Leon Representatives from the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), US Bureau of Lands and Minerals Management…
Cubility’s MudCube shale shaker made a name for itself on its first commercial installation on Maersk Drilling’s Maersk Giant in the North Sea. The North Sea has long been a critical area of exploration and production within the oil and gas industry…
The combined application of the ISO-MAX security packer and selective rotation and circulation tool (SRCT) helped a North Sea operator prevent losses during well displacement, thus ensuring well integrity and improving the chances of a successful completion…
Alaska states Arctic needs Alaska’s Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell stated the case for the state’s needs at the Ice-Diminished Arctic Conference in Washington, D.C. He emphasized the need for safety, security, and economic development in the region…
Standard coring methods often yield incomplete reservoir fluid information. Doug Kinsella, managing director of Corpro, describes a new coring system that provides better information while saving rig time. Deepwater finds are now playing a crucial role in replacing global reserves…
Statoil has made a third discovery of crude oil in the Flemish Pass basin, offshore Newfoundland. The discovery was made on the Bay du Nord prospect (EL1112), located approximately 500km northeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador…
The International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) announced the formation of the Well Control Institute (WCI), a new industry body which will provide the drilling industry with a single, universal well control training and assessment standard…
Express Energy Services has created a short film, Left Undone, as part of its contribution to safety in the energy industry. The movie aims to educate and inform oilfield workers on the hazards and safety procedures in the event of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exposure while working on a well site…