Irish independent Circle Oil Plc announced today that its subsidiary, Circle Oil Tunisia Ltd., has increased its stake in the offshore Mahdia license to 100%, after acquiring the remaining 30% working interest from Tethys Oil & Mining Inc…
Shales are very fine-grained, clastic rocks that lose porosity through compaction. Sedimentary basins typically contain about 70% shale, Figure 1. Quantifying shale properties helps with predrill geologic and seismic interpretation, basin modeling…
Salamander Energy plc began its six-well exploration program in block G4/50, Gulf of Thailand. The first well, G4/50-4, was spudded at the end of June. It is being drilled on the Rayong prospect in the northeast section of the block in the central Kra sub-basin…
China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) signed a PSC with PetroBroad Copower Ltd. for block 28/03 in the Pearl River Mouth Basin. Block 28/03 covers 68sq km with 95m water depth. PetroBroad will acquire 3D seismic surveys and drill exploration wells during the exploration period…
Transocean Ltd. announced that the ultra-deepwater drillship Dhirubhai Deepwater KG1 set a new world record for the deepest water depth by an offshore drilling rig. The drillship spudded a well in 10,411ft (3,174m) water depth, while drilling off India’s east coast for ONGC…
Cairn Energy will to drill an appraisal well on its Spanish Point discovery off western Ireland using the semi Blackford Dolphin in 2Q 2014. Spanish Point is a gas and condensate field in license FEL 2/04 developed by Phillips in 1981. It…
The US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) approved Walter Oil & Gas Corp.’s permit application to drill a relief well at South Timbalier 220 in the US Gulf of Mexico, using the Rowan EXL-3 jack-up rig. The well is expected to be drilled on Thursday…
DONG Energy has made a gas discovery north-west of Shetland after a two-well exploration campaign through 2012-13. DONG said the Cragganmore exploration well, in Block 208/17, had been confirmed as a gas discovery. The well was drilled using the West Navigator drillship in 673m water…
BPZ Energy began drilling of the first development well at the Corvina field CX-15 platform, located in offshore Block Z-1 in Peru. Drilling and completion of the CX15-1D well is expected to take up to twelve weeks. Conventional core samples…
Ocean Rig UDW Inc. signed a contract with Total E&P Angola, for its ultra deepwater drillship, Ocean Rig Skyros. The contract is for five wells or a minimum of 275 days for drilling offshore West Africa, with an estimated backlog of about US $190 million…
Houston-based BassDrill Ltd. is changing its name to Atlantica Tender Drilling Ltd. This change is part of a larger rebranding effort designed to reflect the growing strength of the company. “Atlantica is the name given to an ancient…
Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) began drilling of exploration well 16/4-7 in PL544. The well will target the Biotitt prospect, which is located some 35 km south of the Edvard Grieg Field and 46 km southwest of the Johan Sverdrup Field…
Seadrill has signed a contract with Chevron China Energy Company for the newbuild ultra-deepwater drillship West Tellus in support of Chevron's affiliated global exploration program. The contract will start in China immediately on shipyard delivery of the unit…
A partner on the 44/23-1 Dunquin North exploration well being drilled by ExxonMobil offshore Ireland says the reservoir is water bearing. Providence Resources, which holds a 16% interest in frontier exploration license 3/04, containing Dunquin…
Baker Hughes Inc. has introduced the Baker Hughes Well Count, a new index that provides key U.S. onshore well count data. The proprietary count will be available on a quarterly basis. The Baker Hughes Well Count is a natural extension of the Baker Hughes Rig Count…