Shell sells mining lease for $6million
A major oil firm has sold one if its oil mining leases in Nigeria for $600million.
Shell
Shell eyes further exploration in French Guiana
Wessex Exploration has revealed plans regarding an application for a new drilling permit in French Guiana's deep offshore licence area. The company already owns a share in a drilling permit in Guyane Maritime alongside oil major Shell, which owns a 45% stake, and other partners including Total, Tullow and Northern Petroleum. In a results report Wessex Petroleum said discussions were ongoing between partners regarding application for a new drilling permit in the region.
Another oil major to cut North Sea jobs
US firm ConocoPhillips has become the latest oil major to warn of job losses in the UK North Sea, although it refused to say how many or where exactly the axe is likely to fall. ConocoPhillips, which is poised to take over as the biggest oil producer in the region in terms of production volume by the end of this year, told the Press and Journal it had recently launched a review of its UK business. It added: “Like other operators in the North Sea, we are focused on improving the operating efficiency and production outlook for our business. “We have now started a consultation process with staff relating to organisational restructuring to establish a model to drive our UK business forward in an efficient and sustainable manner. “We do anticipate some redundancies but at this stage the actual number has not yet been defined.” ConocoPhillips is the world’s largest oil and gas exploration and production company. It currently employs about 1,000 people directly and a further 600 contract workers in the UK. A spokeswoman for the firm said the totals included about 700 staff and 400 contractors working out of Aberdeen. The group’s Granite City-based UK business either operates or has stakes in assets including the Britannia field and its satellites, Judy/Joanne, Jade, Jasmine, CMS, Galleon, LOGGS, Saturn Unit, V-Fields, Victor, Viking, Calder, Darwen, Crossens, Asland, Millom, Dalton, Clair, MacCulloch and Nicol. Onshore, the company has interests in the Rivers terminal at Barrow-in-Furness, the Teesside oil terminal at Seal Sands, Middlesbrough, and Theddlethorpe gas plant in Lincolnshire. Its job cutting comes hot on the heels of BP launching a cost reduction exercise in the North Sea in line with rivals such as Shell and Chevron which have axed hundreds of roles as low oil prices and high overheads take their toll. BP has declined to reveal the likely impact of its review on its 4,000-strong North Sea workforce.
India court rules in Shell’s favor in $1.4billion tax dispute
The Bombay High Court yesterday ruled in favor of the Indian unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Europe’s largest oil producer, in a $1.4 billion tax dispute, bolstering sentiment among overseas investors.
Shell acts on industry’s skills crisis
Amid the growing need for skilled workers in the engineering industry, Shell has confirmed its investment in a programme aimed to inspire the next generation. Tomorrow's Engineers, run by Engineering UK, aims to tackle the skills crisis by encouraging and inspiring more students to study, and pursue, a career in science, technology, engineering or maths.
Shell oil accord signals energy shift for ICA
Empresas ICA SAB’s contract to supply engineering services for Royal Dutch Shell Plc in Canada is signaling to investors that the Mexican construction company is seeking energy projects abroad to cut debt and boost profit. Mexico’s largest construction company surged 4.6 percent in the past two sessions, the biggest back-to-back increase in more than five months, after announcing a $264 million contract with partner Fluor Corp. to build well pads for heavy-oil extraction at Shell’s Carmon Creek project in Alberta. The worst performer among Mexico’s industrial and construction stocks this year, ICA has tumbled about 10 percent, while global peers gained about 19 percent. The contract with Shell, Europe’s biggest oil company, will boost ICA’s net income and open the door for increased participation in crude projects domestically and abroad through the joint venture with Fluor, Monex Casa de Bolsa analyst Roberto Solano said. “This type of contract is like a key that can open opportunities to similar projects in the future,” Solano said yesterday in an interview from Mexico City. “Participating in this project generates a favorable scenario for the company when considering new projects in Mexico as the energy sector opens.” Mexico’s landmark 2013 energy law opens the country’s energy industry to private competition for the first time since 1938 to help stem declining crude production.
Shell invests £1million to bridge skills gap
Oil giant Shell has invested £1million in a programme aimed at helping address the UK’s critical shortage of scientists and engineers. The Perkins Review of Engineering Skills, published last year, called for urgent action from employers to address this shortage. Shell’s three-year funding, which has been invested in the Tomorrow’s Engineer’s Programme, will enable the programme to expand into more than 500 new schools across the UK.
Gallery: A look back at Brent Alpha and Bravo
Following the announcement by Shell that production on the Brent Alpha and Bravo platforms will finally cease from November 1, Energy Voice takes a look back on its 40 year history in the North Sea.
Shell beats falling oil prices with profits rise
Shell recorded a third quarter boost thanks to its refining and natural gas assets.
Brent Alpha and Bravo production to end in November
Oil giant Shell is set to bring its production from the Brent Alpha and Bravo platforms in the North Sea to an end. The company, which has more than 35 years of oil and gas productions on the platforms, will call time on it this weekend.
Shells asks for five-year extension in Alaska
A letter obtained by an environmental campaign group from Shell to the US government shows the oil major asked for a five-year extension to its drilling leases in the Arctic waters. The company wrote a letter in July to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to ask for more time to discover oil in waters North of Alaska.
Shell makes major gas find
Shell has made a major gas find offshore Gabon in West Africa.
Shell to explore managed pressure drilling
Shell has contracted offshore technology provider Enhanced Drilling to conduct a survey on its EC-Drill – a managed pressure drilling (MPD) technology system.
Exclusive: Shell cuts contractor rates
Shell has confirmed plans to slash its North Sea contractor rates.
Video: LEGO ends contract with Shell
Danish toy giant Lego has decided not to renew its commercial relationship with oil giant Shell following a targeted campaign by Greenpeace about its Arctic drilling plans.
Shell produces first oil on Malaysian platform
Oil giant Shell has produced its first oil from the Gumusut-Kakap floating platform off the coast of Malaysia. It is the latest in a series of Shell deep-water contracts and the platform is expected to reach an annual production of around 135,000 barrels per day (bpd) once fully ramped up.
Statoil and Shell win Algeria acreage
Statoil and Shell have teamed up to develop an onshore basin in Algeria.
Shell launches sea bed rescue for lost container
A sea bed rescue has been launched by Shell after a large container plunged into the North Sea from its Brent Alpha platform. The container is still to be retrieved, but has been placed on the sea bed at a depth of 140 metres by personnel after the Normand Subsea Dive Support Vessel (DSV) was brought in to retrieve it.
Shell evacuates staff after container plunges off platform and into the North Sea
Staff are being evacuated off the Brent Alpha platform after a mechanical failure saw a large container fall from a crane and plunge into the North Sea.
Scottish Independence: BP and Shell bosses back Sir Ian
BP’s chief executive Bob Dudley has supported Sir Ian Wood’s call for realism in the Scottish Independence debate.
UK’s FTSE 100 Index falls for third day as Shell, BP lead drop
UK stocks declined for a third day, their longest streak of losses in a month, as oil companies led the benchmark FTSE 100 Index lower. Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s Class B shares, which have a UK source for tax purposes, slid 1.6%. BP Plc retreated 1%. Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc gained 2.9% as Citigroup Inc. recommended buying the stock. Quindell Plc gained 5.6% after saying a court ruled in its favour in libel proceedings against short seller Gotham City Research LLC.
Analysts hint at merger of Shell and BP
Falling fortunes at BP and Shell could force the two oil and gas giants into a “mega-merger” within a couple of years, some City analysts believe.
Glasspoint gets $53million financing led by Shell
Glasspoint Solar Inc., a closely held producer of solar equipment used for enhanced oil recovery, received $53million from a group of investors led by Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Oman’s largest sovereign wealth fund.
Shell offloading more assets in £9billion global sell-off
Oil giant Shell is selling more assets as part of plans to offload £9billion worth of assets worldwide.
Brent Bravo gas leak sparks Shell sanctions
The North Sea platform where two workers died following a major gas release is at the centre of a fresh safety scare, the Press and Journal can reveal.