Det norske oljeselskap is to plug and abandon its exploration well on the Langlitinden prospect after getting disappointing results. The well was the first well in Barents Sea production license 659. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) said the well…
The Baker Hughes rig count for the week ending 28 Feb reported that the US is down two rigs from last week to 1769. Both of the rigs were drilling offshore, bringing the total to 55—and a year over year increase of three. Land-based rigs…
Sembcorp Marine's subsidiary PPL Shipyard has signed a turnkey jackup rig contract worth US$214.3 million with Marco Polo Drilling Pte. Ltd., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Marco Polo Marine Ltd., as well as the grant of an option…
Maersk Drilling has taken delivery of its first ultra-deepwater drillship, Maersk Viking (pictured), from the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in Geoje-Si, South Korea. Maersk Viking has started its voyage to the US Gulf of Mexico…
Seadrill Ltd. has finalized contracts for four jackup drilling rigs for use by Mexico's national oil company Pemex Exploracion y Produccion, with a fifth due to be agreed in 2Q. The contracts are for the jackup drilling units West Oberon…
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…
Dubai-based rig builder Lamprell has completed construction on the jackup drilling rig Qarnin (pictured) and its delivery to Abu Dhabi’s National Drilling Company (NDC). The on time and on budget completion was marked at a ceremony held at Lamprell’s Hamriyah facility in the UAE February 13…
Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M), has secured contracts to build three high-specification KFELS B Class jackup rigs worth about US$650 million from Fecon International Corp (Fecon)…
Norway-based offshore marine and engineering consultancy Aqualis Offshore has opened a new office in Bahrain. Aqualis already has offices in Dubai, UAE (regional headquarters), and Dammam, Saudi Arabia, in the Middle East. “The primary…
Norway headquartered DeepOcean Group has moved into the offshore geotechnical services market by acquiring ageotechnical drilling rig and agreeing a strategic alliance with Swiss firm Geoquip Marine. The strategic alliance will see the…
Murphy Oil has started drilling the Bamboo-1 exploration well on the Ntem concessions, offshore Cameroon, using the Ocean Confidence(pictured) fifth generation semisubmersible drilling rig. The well, about 56km off the coast, has an estimated…
Keppel FELS has won a contract from a subsidiary of UMW Oil & Gas Corporation (UMW Oil & Gas) for a KFELS B Class jackup rig worth US$218 million. It will be the third KFELS B Class jackup rig for UMW Oil & Gas and is scheduled for delivery in 3Q 2015…
Ensco plc announced the sale of its two remaining cold-stacked jackup rigs for US$33 million. The net value of the two rigs, ENSCO 69 and Wisconsin, both built in 1976, was approximately $9 million. The pre-tax gain on the sale is approximately $24 million…
The Solberg prospect, operated by Germany's Wintershall (35% equity), is 4km northeast of the Tyrihans field and 8km southeast of UK-based explorer Faroe Petroleum’s Maria discovery (2010). Drilling is being carried out using the…
Wintershall has exercised the first of two six-month options for the jack up rig Energy Endeavour with Northern Offshoresubsidiary Northern Offshore U.K. The start date of the option period will be in direct continuation,following the end of the well in progress on 1 May 2014…