Noble Corp. will retire two offshore drilling units, jackup Noble Charles Copeland and former Shell Arctic drillship, Noble Discoverer, the company announced this week. The retirements bring Noble’s full fleet to 30 units. The Noble Discoverer contract…
Despite a multibillion dollar backlog of projects, put on hold amid US$30-50/bbl oil prices, exploration firms are still eyeing resources in arctic waters. New areas of the Barents Sea were offered to oil firms in Norway’s 23rd licensing round…
Earthjustice, on behalf of eight conservation groups, filed to intervene in a case before the Interior Board of Land Appeals to defend the Department of Interior’s (DOI) decision to deny Shell’s request for an extension of the terms of its oil drilling leases in the Arctic Ocean…
OE reached out to analysts Wood Mackenzie and IHS Energy to find out the view on the next 12-18 months. And the outlook is not so great for exploration spend. Audrey Leon and Elaine Maslin report. Wood Mackenzie Image from iStock…
Lundin Petroleum has completed the drilling and evaluation of exploration well 7130/4-1 on the Ørnen prospect. The well is in PL708, on the eastern parts of the Finnmark Platform in the southern Barents Sea. The well was dry and has been plugged and abandoned…
Shell has terminated the contract for the Polar Pioneer, a harsh environment semisubmersible drilling rig, announced rig owner Transocean on 28 December. The rig was famously used this summer in Shell's Arctic campaign in the Chukchi Sea…
The US is losing its opportunity to lay claim to Arctic exploration, falling behind countries such as Norway and Russia. Now with Shell and Statoil exiting Alaska’s offshore, many in the industry and in politics are wondering how to salvage Alaskan offshore exploration…
The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has announced that 26 companies have bid for acreage in the 23rd licensing round. The round offers nearly 60 frontier exploration blocks with around half in the exciting new Arctic province of the Norwegian Southeast Barents Sea…
Odfjell Drilling’s Deepsea Aberdeen has all the bells and whistles for working west of Shetland. Elaine Maslin takes a look. Deepsea Aberdeen working west of Sheltand. Photo from Odfjell Drilling…
Statoil is saying goodbye to Alaska exploration and has decided to exit its leases in the Chukchi Sea following recent results in nearby leases, in addition to finding the leases no longer competitive. Map of Alaskan leases Statoil is exiting…
International classification society Bureau Veritas announced it will class the series of Arctic-capable LNG carriers that will be built in Korea's DSME yard to service the Yamal LNG project in Russia's high arctic. Exporting LNG from Yamal calls for a type of LNG carrier never built before…
The US Department of the Interior announced it will cancel two planned Arctic offshore lease sales under the US government’s current five-year plan for 2012-2017 due to Shell’s failed Arctic campaign and current market conditions, which left…
The Petroleum Safety Authority of Norway granted an extension to Eni for use of the Flotel Superior accommodation facility at the Goliat field, in the Barents Sea. Image from Eni. The…
Arctic drilling has made headlines since the announcement of Shell’s 2015 summer drilling campaign. Paired with the low oil prices due to a surplus of supply, many people wonder why we even need to drill in the Arctic when there is so much oil right now…
The last pipe in Statoil’s Polarled pipeline has been laid this week in the Norwegian Sea, with the project coming in at 32% under budget. The pipeline was laid by the world's largest pipelaying vessel: Solitaire from Allseas…
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