UK offshore oil and gas industry optimism continues to decline amid rising operating costs and a decline in exploration activity. But, despite the declining optimism, sentiment in the industry still remains positive, according to Oil & Gas UK’s Q1 2014 Business Sentiment Index…
UK plate and specialty metals supplier Murray Metals (MM) has bought Alphastrut, giving it a foothold in the offshore oil an dgas industry. Alphastrut offers an aluminium support and cable containment system which MM says is more than…
Materials technology and engineering specialists Aubin has completed the first operational trial of its liquid gel lifting technology system LiquiBuoy. The company conducted rigorous testing of its liquid gel technology at The Underwater Centre in Fort William…
Norwegian shipyard Kleven has signed a contract with Olympic Shipping for the building of an IMR vessel of MT 6021 MKII design. The contract value is around NOK450 million, and the vessel will be delivered from Kleven Verft in June 2015. The…
Statoil has exercised a two-year contract extension with Altus Intervention for the provision of mechanical wireline services on Statoil-operated fields and mobile drilling units on the Norwegian continental shelf. The scope of the extended…
Rosneft is to take a 'significant equity stake' in drilling firm North Atlantic Drilling (NADL) as part of an agreement between NADL and its majority owner Seadrill, as the Russian firm looks to ramp up its offshore exploration efforts. The agreement…
The first shipment from the PNG LNG project has left Papua New Guinea carrying a cargo bound for Japan for Tokyo Electric Power Co. Inc. “This announcement is a historic moment for Papua New Guinea (PNG),” ExxonMobil PNG Limited Managing Director Peter Graham said…
UK-based Sterling Resources completed 800sq km of new 3D seismic in the Romanian Black Sea. The company's 1Q result, issued yesterday, discusses three major milestones in derisking its Romanian assets: - In early February, Sterling…
Norway's Vard Holdings Ltd. has secured a new contract with Island Offshore to build an offshore support vessel based on a Rolls-Royce design. The contract value is more than NOK1 billion (US$167.7 million). Delivery is scheduled from Vard Brevik in Norway in 2Q 2016…
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 7324/2-1. It will be the first well to be drilled in Production License (PL) 615 in the Barents Sea. The wildcat well 7324/2-1 (Apollo) will…
Today's Baker Hughes North American offshore rotary rig count listed 60 rigs operating this week, up 3 rigs from a week ago and up 9 rigs from a year ago (18% year-over-year increase). The majority, 58 rigs, are working in the Gulf of Mexico…
Gazprom Neft has announced the signing of a three-year framework agreement on drilling and well reconstruction with drilling service provider Commonwealth of Independent States Eurasia Drilling Company Limited (EDC). Under the terms of this agreement…
OAO Yamal LNG closed on a contract to supply China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) 3mtpa LNG annually for 20 years from the Yamal LNG project in the Russian Arctic, according to Yamal LNG majority shareholder OAO Novatek. CNPC bought…
This week, Technip officially opened its new, state-of-the-art automated vertical helix assembly machine on Walker Riverside, Newcastle. Elaine Maslin went to see why and how it works. Umbilical and flexible pipe manufacture has become…
Hess Corporation is set to complete its transition into a pure-play exploration and prodution company after agreeing a deal to sell its retail business to Marathon Petroleum Corporation for US$2.6 billion. Hess says the business unit…