Statoil began drilling of the first production well at the Gina Krog field on 20 July, just eight days after the drilling rig arrived at the North Sea field. The Maersk Integrator rig will drill wells until sometime in 2019. The Maersk Integrator…
Shell’s arrival in the Chukchi Sea came with limitations from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) that allows the supermajor to begin drilling, but not into oil-bearing zones just yet. The Noble Discoverer…
Norway's Statoil has made a 15-75 MMboe gas and condensate discovery near the 70-200 MMboe King Lear discovery located just 17km from the Ekofisk facilities. The Julius discovery well 2/4-23S, drilled using the Maersk Gallant jackup in 68m water depth…
Viper Subsea released the next generation V-LOCK hydraulic stab plate, which was originally launched in 2011. The new model is designed such that all the coupler float requirements are built into the flying half of the stab plate, with…
At the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTeC) in San Antonio, Texas, Weatherford International has released its Revolution rotary-steerable system (RSS). Revolution RSS provides capabilities for diverse directional drilling applications in complex wellbores…
Italy's Eni has discovered gas at the Nooros exploration prospect in the Abu Madi West license, in the Nile Delta, offshore Egypt. Preliminary estimates of the discovery account for a potential of 15 Bcm of gas in place with upside, plus associated condensates…
Edison Norge's exploration well on the Haribo prospect in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea has been declared dry. Partner Noreco Norway said well will now be plugged and abandoned. The well spudded on 21 June using the semisubmersible drilling rig Transocean Searcher…
UK-based Cluff Natural Resources says it has made 'significant progress' on its plans for exploration drilling in southern North Sea licenses. The company was formed to exploit underground coal gasification (UCG), but it is also exploring for natural gas in the southern North Sea…
Image: Heydar Aliyev/Maersk Drilling Maersk Drilling has been awarded a five-year contract extension for the semisubmersible Heydar Aliyev rig with BP Exploration (Shah Deniz) acting as operator of the Shah Deniz field…
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) inspected Shell’s drilling rigs for its US$1 billion Arctic drilling program, the Noble Discoverer, Polar Pioneer and the Fennica icebreaker vessel in Alaska. Pre…
atg UV Technology and Aberdeen-based subsea blowout preventer controls specialists Raisepower have designed a treatment solution that combined UV treatment and filtration to prove the effectiveness of UV disinfection in treating hydraulic fluids used for subsea BOP operation…
Wintershall, operator for production license 248 in block 35/11 in the North Sea, has received consent to drill exploration well 35/11-18 in the North Sea. The formation into which the well will be drilled is designated 'Syrah'. Drilling…
Image: Hummer drilling operations/Petsec Energy Castex Offshore Inc. commenced drilling the Main Pass Block 270 #3 well. The exploratory well is being drilled in federal offshore waters on Petsec’s Hummer prospect…
The shareholders of Norwegian driller Northern Offshore approved a takeover deal by China's Shangdong Offshore. The acquisition will be done by amalgamation according to the law of Bermuda for US$0.96 per share, valuing Northern at $164…
The drilling market is turning out to be worse than in 2008-9 and is expected to continue into 2016 and beyond, says Norway’s Akastor as it feels the brunt of the low-oil price driven down turn. The former Aker Solutions company is planning…