Ensco plc has taken delivery of ENSCO 120, the first in its series of three ultra-premium, harsh-environment jackup rigs. The rig is contracted to work for Nexen in the North Sea beginning in the 4Q 2013 at a day rate of about US$230,000 plus cost adjustments…
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…
SPE Offshore Europe 2013 in Aberdeen has celebrated its 40th birthday by staging its biggest and best conference and exhibition to date. This year’s theme was “The Next 50 Years”, representing the continuing success story of the industry in terms of future production and the strong supply chain…
OMV discovered up to164 million barrels of recoverable oil in the Wisting Central exploration well 7324/8-1, within the Hoop-Maud Basin in the Barents Sea. The company found between 63 million and 164 million barrels of oil in the relatively shallow parts of the Barents Sea…
Wärtsilä, was awarded a contract to supply the design and an integrated solution for a new large platform supply vessel (PSV). The ship will operate primarily on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and is owned by Siem Offshore, Norway-based provider of marine services to the industry…
SeaBird Exploration Plc notified the owner of Hawk Explorer that it will exercise its option under the current charter agreement to purchase the vessel and related equipment for US $6.5 million. The vessel and equipment will be delivered at the end of the lease term August 31…
FAR Ltd. (“FAR”) completed negotiations on joint venture agreements with Ophir Energy PLC (“Ophir”) on highly prospective offshore Kenya exploration permit Block L9. Block L9 is a large permit in the heart of the Lamu basin. A series…
Ocean Installer has been awarded a SURF (subsea structures, umbilicals, risers, flowlines) contract for subsea lines modification work at several Statoil operated fields on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). The total contract value is about US$55million…
More needs to be done to attract new talent into the industry, says Patrick Phelan, managing director of Aquaterra Energy, and a member of the Oil and Gas Industry Council. The council, set up earlier this year, recently helped develop the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy…
Jim House, chairman of today’s (Friday) SPE Offshore Europe keynote session Oil & Gas Skills – Your Future Today, and region VP and MD Apache North Sea, gave us his views on the industry’s skills challenge. Q. What is the biggest skills challenge facing the industry…
Closing remarks by Malcolm Webb, SPE Offshore Europe conference chairman: As we draw towards the conclusion of SPE Offshore Europe 2013 and head home to think about all we have heard, the technology showcase that has been presented to us and the contacts we have made or renewed…
Robert Gordon University (RGU) and Russian oilfield educational and engineering services company OILTEAM yesterday announced a partnership worth more than £1.2 million to train the next generation of Russia’s offshore energy professionals…
BP chief economist Christof Ruehl said the US will become energy independent, due to unconventionals, by 2030, in yesterday’s [Thursday] lunch, Energy Markets – the Short and Long Term. Ruehl said unconventionals (tight oil and shale…
Lakach is PEMEX’s first deepwater project, with gas production due to start in 2016. It will meet dual strategic goals of expanding PEMEX expertise in DW development, and meet internal demand for natural gas. “Lakach is a very good exercise for us…
Ken Robertson, production services manager for Shell UK, stressed the importance of participation among UK workers in order to improve safety conditions, during the Step Change in Safety breakfast briefing yesterday morning. Robertson…