African independent oil and gas company Taleveras has agreed to farmout a 65% stake on its Block CI-504 off the Ivory Coast to a subsidiary of Russia's Lukoil. Block CI-504 is close to the producing Baobab field, covering 399 sq km in 800-2100m deep water…
Russia's Rosneft and North American supermajor ExxonMobil signed final agreements establishing a joint Arctic Research Center (ARC) in Russia and an over-arching technology sharing agreement to support the companies’ joint ventures worldwide…
ThoughtStream: Opinion Rosneft is the largest subsoil licenseholder in the Russian offshore. Total estimated recoverable resources under these licenses exceed 275 billion boe. The exploration program includes drilling 96 wells. I hope that the representatives of Halliburton…
Other than economics, logistical planning is the heart of any major project. Weather can have a significant impact on project success or failure, and while it can’t be controlled, it can be managed, even in a relatively remote location. The…
BHP Billiton finalized a sale of its interests in the East and West Browse Joint Ventures off Australia that was previously announced in December. The company will receive US$1.63 billion from PetroChina International Investment (Australia)…
In an important step, Shell has laid the keel for Prelude FLNG, the world’s first floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project. When complete, Prelude is expected to be the largest offshore floating facility ever built. The hull will now be assembled in the dry dock…
Grethe Moen has been appointed as president and CEO of Norwegian government-owned company Petoro. Moen has been vice president of mature fields in Petoro and before that she held a number of managerial positions in Statoil and Shell…
Russian oil giant Rosneft has signed a cooperation agreement with Japan's Inpex Corporation to jointly explore two blocks in Russia's Sea of Okhotsk. The agreement, signed by Igor Sechin, Rosneft president and chairman, and Toshiaki Kitamura…
Shell has contracted FMC Technologies to supply subsea equipment for its 100%-operated Stones field development in the US Gulf of Mexico. The contract’s scope includes the supply of eight subsea trees, a subsea manifold, topside, and subsea controls and associated equipment…
Nine offshore oil concessions are up for grabs in Peru's international bid round, which the country launched on Friday, 31 May 2013. The government estimates that the round could rake in US$450 million with companies investing a minimum of $50 million…
Off the coast of Summerland, California, they didn’t drill the first-ever offshore oil well. They hammered it. “Engineers” used a pile driver to pound a pipe 455ft into the seabed in about 30ft of water. Yield was moderate; the site shut down after several years…
Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell) has announced a final investment decision in the Stones ultra-deepwater project, a Gulf of Mexico oil and gas development expected to host the deepest production facility in the world. This decision sets…
Automation is the ideal way to unite technology with company cultures. Through technology, workers in the offshore environment have the potential to form a myopic view on life. Produce now, don’t worry about tomorrow. It makes sense. From drilling to producing…
GAC Norway AS and Polar Logistics Group APS (POLOG) have partnered to strengthen GAC’s network within the Arctic Circle. The move is the latest stage in the company’s strategy to better serve the Arctic region by bringing together organizations…
Royal Dutch Shell announced it will pause its exploration drilling activity for 2013 in Alaska’s Beaufort and Chukchi Seas to prepare equipment and plans for a resumption of activity at a later stage. “We’ve made progress in Alaska, but…