Norway’s state oil firm Petoro has said it wants to double the number of wells on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and halve their cost in order to realize the great potential of discoveries and existing fields in the Norwegian State’s Direct Financial Interest (SDFI) portfolio…
Poor weather and high costs have impacted Q1 exploration and appraisal drilling activity on the UK Continental Shelf, according to a report by Deloitte. The report, which details activity across North West Europe during Q1, was compiled by Deloitte’s Petroleum Services Group (PSG)…
Doubt still hangs over Statoil’s Barents Sea Johan Castberg project after the firm made an oil and gas discovery in its fifth and final exploration program around the field. The latest well, 7220/7-3 S, was on the Drivis prospect in production license (PL) 532…
A farm-out agreement between Tangiers Petroleum and Galp Energia has been approved, paving the way for the partnership to spud the TAO-1 offshore Morocco in June. Under the agreement, Galp is due to reimburse Tangiers' US$7.5million for back costs…
The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) has launched the country's 7th North Sea Licensing Round, covering the Central Graben, where the majority of Danish fields have so far been discovered, and areas further to the east, where oil discoveries were made in the 6th Licensing Round…
Tullow Oil's Tapendar-1 exploration well in the C-10 license, offshore Mauritania, has not encountered hydrocarbons and the well is being plugged and abandoned. Tapendar-1 is the second exploration well in Tullow’s Mauritania exploration campaign…
A 6th generation DP semisubmersible, Pemex's Centenario GR is capable of drilling in 3000m water depth. More than 85% of the rigs working offshore Mexico are classed by ABS. image source: Grupo R After 75 years of monopoly…
Marine geophysical company Polarcus completed a 3000sq km 3D sesmic survey in license area EL 0037 in the Walvis basin offshore Namibia for operator Tullow Oil. A second 2D acquisition phase has now started. It will cover approximately 1000km and will take about two weeks to complete…
Statoil and its partners have made a 20-75MM boe gas and oil discovery in the Valemon Nord prospect in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The discovery wells 34/10-54 S and 34/10-54 A, in production license 050, drilled by the semisubmersible drilling rig Transocean Leader…
Wintershall Norge has made a gas and condensate discovery in the Solberg well in the Norwegian Sea. Exploration well 6407/1-7 and the subsequent sidetrack 6407/1-7A, in production license 475, encountered gas and condensate in the main target lower Cretaceous Lange formation…
AGR has been awarded a new well management services contract by OMV (Norge). The contract, which is for three years, with the option of two further years, also covers delivery of other drilling and well engineering services for complete well construction…
GDF SUEZ E&P Norge's wildcat well 7218/8-1 on the Byrkje prospect in the Barents Sea has been classified as dry, with traces of gas. The well, in production licence 607, well was drilled about 65km southwest of the oil and gas discovery…
Partners in the Pil exploration well 6406/12-3 S have carried out “a highly successful production test” (Drill Stem Test/DST) on the well, on the Norwegian Sea’s Halten Terrace. The well flowed at 6710 bo/d of 37° API oil from a 56/64in…
The first exploration well to be drilled on the Ntem Concession, offshore Cameroon, is to be plugged and abandoned after no commercial hydrocarbons were found. Sterling Energy, partner with Murphy Cameroon Ntem Oil Co., said the well…
The Wood Review proposes a new regulator for the North Sea. Elaine Maslin looks at SIr Ian Wood's recommendations and why a regulator is necessary. Nearly 50 years after the first major discoveries in the North Sea, the basin’s UK industry…