North Sea News


Exova opens new Aberdeen facility

Nov 06, 2014

Testing, calibration and advisory services provider Exova Group has opened a new, purpose-built facility in Aberdeen in response to increasing demand for mission-critical testing in the oil and gas sector. Officially launched by Malcolm Webb…

Odfjell gets hands on Deepsea Aberdeen

Nov 06, 2014

Odfjell Drilling has taken delivery of Deepsea Aberdeen semisubmersible drilling rig from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in Korea.  Deepsea Aberdeen, pictured, is a sixth generation ultra deepwater and harsh environment semisubmersible of enhanced GVA 7500 design…

RWE Dea moves on Atlas

Nov 05, 2014

RWE Dea Norge has started drilling the Atlas exploration well in production license 420 after approval from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD).   Atlas, also known as well 35/9-12 S, is located in the North Sea approximately 45km off Norway…

Talisman suffers UK downtime

Nov 05, 2014

Calgary-based Talisman Energy has said it may suffer writedowns on its UK North Sea assets in Q4 due to battling production efficiency and cost issues on its assets in the basin. In its third-quarter report, Talisman said its UK North…

Addressing the challenges of obsolescence

Nov 04, 2014

Obsolescence is not a new issue for the offshore energy industry, however, it remains an insidious creeping plague, which hides in the wake of new and changing technologies to take everyone by surprise around 10 years into the system life cycle…

Aging infrastructure under wraps

Nov 03, 2014

Simon Frost explains the role of engineered composite repairs in late life asset management. A tubular brace, having suffered wall loss through external corrosion, was reinstated to its original…

Close collaboration: drilling with liner

Nov 03, 2014

Weatherford discusses how a collaborative approach helped in the planning and execution of a North Sea drilling with liner operation. Fig. 1: Pore, frac, overburden and mud-pressures in the well…

DSME names four semisubs

Nov 03, 2014

The naming ceremony for four DSME semisubmersibles was held in H quay on 24 October. The rigs, hull numbers 3031, 3032, 3034, and 3035, were ordered by Norway’s Songa Offshore Company to be operated by Statoil. Around 290 guests attended the naming ceremony…

Statoil plugging Gullfaks Sør with Songa Dee

Nov 03, 2014

Statoil received consent to use the Songa Dee mobile drilling facility to permanently plug exploration well 34/10-52 A/B, according to the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway. Well 34/10-52 A/B is located at the Statoil-operated Gullfaks Sør…

Johan Sverdrup consultation starts

Nov 03, 2014

A consultation period over the environmental impact assessment for the giant Johan Sverdrup development and its power supply proposal has started, Statoil announced today (November 3). Johan Sverdrup is one of the biggest discoveries…

CAN secures North Sea contract

Nov 03, 2014

CAN Group, has been awarded a £4 million contract to provide asset integrity services in the North Sea as the firm also announces international growth. The Aberdeen-headquartered company has secured work with Fairfield Energy aboard the Dunlin platform…

Golden Eagle starts production

Nov 03, 2014

China's CNOOC has announced first oil on the US$3.3 billion UK North Sea Golden Eagle Area Development (GEAD).  The development, comprising separate production and wellhead platforms and two subsea production systems, is producing about 18…

Total adds to Garantiana resources

Nov 03, 2014

Total E&P Norge encountered oil after drilling an appraisal well on the Garantiana prospect in production license 554 in the Norwegian North Sea. Appraisal well 34/6-3 S was drilled on Garantiana and exploration well 34/6-3 A, a sidetrack well…

North Sea mooring systems: How reliable are they?

Nov 01, 2014

Mooring failure rates are still higher than industry targets. Assessing past failures could help industry understanding, say Will Brindley and Andrew Cornley. The Blackford Dolphin semisubmersible mobile offshore drilling unit Images from DNV GL…

Faces of the Industry: Alasdair Buchanan

Nov 01, 2014

November’s Faces of the Industry takes us to the North Sea market with Alasdair Buchanan, COO of LR Senergy. With a career spanning more than 30 years, including leadership roles at BJ Services and Halliburton, Alasdair has earned an impressive track record in international operations…

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