Exploration and appraisal wells in the UK North Sea
Westwood Global Energy reports that as of 29 September there were two appraisal wells and two exploration wells active in the UK.
drilling
Indonesia approves ExxonMobil drilling plan at giant Cepu Block
Indonesian upstream regulator SKK Migas has approved ExxonMobil’s plans to restart drilling at its giant Cepu Block in a bid to find new reserves and stem falling output at the country’s largest oil producing block.
Eni eyes more drilling offshore Vietnam
Italy’s Eni is believed to be carrying out studies in Blocks 115 and 116 offshore Vietnam with an eye to planning a single-well drilling campaign during the first-half 2022, Westwood Global Energy said in its latest report. The blocks are a short distance from Eni’s large Ken Bau discovery offshore Vietnam.
Valaris wins drilling deal for Buffalo off East Timor
Valaris will drill the highly-anticipated Buffalo-10 well offshore East Timor that if successful could unlock more than 30 million barrels of oil.
Beijing interferes with Natuna drilling offshore Indonesia in South China Sea
A Chinese ship has been meddling with Harbour Energy’s ongoing drilling campaign at its Tuna block in the Natuna Sea offshore Indonesia. Significantly, the appraisal drilling is funded by Russia’s state-backed Zarubezhneft and the incident underscores the fact that Moscow’s energy interests in the South China Sea are increasingly being threatened by China.
Harbour Energy picks Maersk rig for infill campaign on North Sea field
Harbour Energy has picked a Maersk Drilling rig for a trio of development wells on the Catcher area of the UK North Sea.
Market signals more North Sea drilling work and higher contract values, Awilco says
Rig owner Awilco said today that a number of positive signs pointed to more drilling work and higher contract values in the North Sea.
Borr Drilling wins more work for Gunnlod rig in Malaysia
Norwegian offshore drilling company Borr Drilling has received a letter of award covering a 105-day contract for its Gunnlod jack-up working for an undisclosed operator in Malaysia.
Harbour restarts Natuna drilling after chopper accident in Indonesia
UK-based upstream player Harbour Energy has restarted development well drilling at its Natuna Sea Block A offshore Indonesia after operations were suspended due to a helicopter accident last week.
Fast finish doesn’t bode well for Equinor-BP Tiger Lily exploration well
Westwood Global Energy reports that as of June 28 there were two appraisal wells active in the UK. Completions to date in 2021 are one appraisal well at 22/26d-3 Glengorm South and two exploration wells at 22/6c-B4Z Bacchus South and 16/2a-6 Tiger Lily.
Transocean rig could keep drilling off Myanmar for POSCO
Transocean’s Deepwater Nautilus semi-submersible unit looks set to keep drilling offshore Myanmar for South Korea’s POSCO after the Swiss-based driller announced a contract extension.
Norway activists take fight on Arctic oil drilling to European Court
Climate activists that failed in their attempt to stop oil and gas drilling in Norway’s Arctic are taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights.
Santos starts drilling at East Timor’s Bayu-Undan to keep Darwin LNG running
Santos has started its $235 million Phase 3C infill drilling campaign offshore East Timor in an effort to extend the life of the Bayu-Undan field. If successful, the Santos-led Darwin liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Australia, which is fed by the ageing field, will not need to be shut down while new supplies of gas are developed.
India’s ONGC seeks to buy new build jack-up rigs
India’s Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is seeking to buy newly built jack-up drilling rigs as the national oil company (NOC) looks to secure long-term offshore drilling capacity.
Analyst upgrades Velesto after rig working for ConocoPhillips sinks off Malaysia
The sinking of Velesto Energy’s NAGA (dragon) 7 jack-up rig offshore Malaysia has prompted investment firm CGS-CIMB to upgrade the drilling company as the closed-door investigation into the accident continues.
PTTEP seeks rig for Myanmar drilling campaign
Thailand’s PTT Exploration & Production (PTTEP) is seeking a moored floating drilling rig for an appraisal drilling campaign off Myanmar.
Velesto evaluates recovery options for sunken rig off Malaysia
Malaysia’s Velesto Energy is evaluating potential recovery options for its jack-up drilling rig NAGA (dragon) 7 that sunk off the Malaysian state of Sarawak while working for ConocoPhillips.
Shell hires rig for seven Malaysia wells
Shell is gearing up to drill seven wells off the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak after awarding a $17.68 million contract to Velesto Drilling.
PTTEP makes third oil and gas discovery off Malaysia
Thailand’s PTT Exploration & Production (PTTEP) has struck a significant shallow-water oil and gas discovery in Block SK405B off the Malaysian state of Sarawak.
ConocoPhillips gears up for Malaysian drilling
ConocoPhillips is set to drill up to three wells off the Malaysian state of Sarawak after hiring a jack-up drilling rig from Malaysia’s Velesto Energy.
Australia’s Bass Oil ramps up Indonesia drilling
Australian-listed producer Bass Oil is planning new development drilling at its onshore oilfields in south Sumatra as it seeks to double its output in Indonesia over 2022.
Repsol’s Indonesian wildcat targeting 4 Tcf of gas
Analysts at IHS Market report that Repsol’s highly anticipated Rencong-1X wildcat in the frontier deep waters of Indonesia’s North Sumatra basin is targeting prospective gas resources of 4 trillion cubic feet (cf).
Indonesia eyes biggest drilling campaign since 2014
The Indonesian government forecasts that 616 new development wells will be drilled across the archipelago this year following a strong rebound in global crude prices.
Upstream players eye force majeure in Myanmar
The bloodless military coup in Myanmar has triggered some upstream companies to assess whether they should activate force majeure clauses in their production-sharing contracts (PSCs) with the government.
Seadrill makes double change to senior management team
Seadrill has made a double change to its senior management team with Reid Warriner and Leif Neilson taking up the roles of chief operating officer and chief technology officer respectively.