Bloomberg News: Transocean and Seadrill in merger talks
Bloomberg News reported Wednesday that offshore drilling provider Transocean was in merger talks with Seadrill Ltd. The report came from people who were familiar with the situation. It said that the companies are currently discussing the possible structure of a merger. Bloomberg reported that a final decision had not yet been made, and the companies may choose to remain independently.
Wave of N. American Oil and Gas Bankruptcies to Continue at $40 Oil
A wave of oil and gas bankruptcies in North America is likely to continue this year as oil prices remain depressed and a new surge of COVID-19 cases threaten to stall any recovery in fuel demand, law firm Haynes and Boone said in a report released this week.Bankruptcies surged in the second quarter, including from major shale independents Chesapeake Energy and Whiting Petroleum…
Diamond Offshore Files for Bankruptcy
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc filed for bankruptcy protection in Texas on Sunday, after the company recently skipped making an interest payment and said it had retained restructuring advisers.The Houston-based contract drilling company's filing, one of 15 of its group companies seeking protection under Chapter 11, said day rates and demand for its…
Ocean Monarch Mobilises to Otway
Australian upstream oil and gas exploration and production company Cooper Energy announced the semi-submersible drilling rig Ocean Monarch, operated by Diamond Offshore, has commenced mobilisation from the Gippsland Basin to the Otway Basin where it is to drill 2 offshore gas exploration wells.According to a press release, the wells, Annie-1 and Elanora-1…
Shelf Drilling Bags Gulf of Thailand Gig
Dubai-headquartered offshore drilling contractor Shelf Drilling has secured a contract for the Shelf Drilling Scepter jack-up rig with Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production for operations in the Gulf of Thailand.The contract for the 2008-built rig is expected to commence in Q1 2020 and run until Q2 2022 and includes a one-year option.David Mullen…
Offshore Drillers Eye Recovery by 2020
Battered oil and gas drilling companies are finally seeing piecemeal signs that the prices they charge for offshore rigs are bottoming out with Brent crude selling for more than $80 a barrel and some are forecasting a full turn in the market by 2020.At the depths of a global slide that took oil below $27 a barrel in early 2016, daily rates for leasing the most sophisticated floating drilling rigs had fallen to just $180…
Diamond Offshore Posts Smaller-than-expected Loss
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc posted a smaller-than-expected loss on Monday, as a fall in revenue was offset by a 15 percent drop in costs.The Houston-based company's total operating expenses fell to $321.2 million from $378.5 million, a year earlier.As oil prices stay above $70 a barrel, oil and gas producers are again showing an interest in expensive…
Maersk Likely to Shelve Plans to List Drilling Division
Shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk is likely to shelve plans to list its struggling offshore drilling division because of weak market conditions, according to five finance sources familiar with the matter.The Danish company is now expected to focus on a trade sale of Maersk Drilling, and extend the timeline to divest the unit beyond its initial target of the end of 2018…
Diamond Offshore Beats Street, Posts Q1 Loss
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss on Monday, helped by new contracts for the company's deep-water rigs. Rig utilization was at 52 percent during the first quarter, from 47 percent last year, even as average day rates, which clients pay to use the company's deep-water rigs fell 4 percent. Deepwater drilling…
Interview: Antony Croston, Trelleborg Offshore
Antony Croston is Business Group Director at Trelleborg’s offshore operation in Houston, responsible for the externally-facing functions of the business covering engineering, business development and project management.MTR caught up with Croston ahead of next week’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston to discuss some of Trelleborg’s latest developments in buoyancy…
Vryhof Bags Anchoring Contract with Cooper Energy
Deep Sea Mooring (DSM) and Vryhof Anchors, both Vryhof businesses, have secured a contract to provide full-scale mooring and anchoring services to Australian energy company Cooper Energy. The announcement also sees Vryhof businesses secure contracts in Cooper’s main target drilling area - offshore Victoria, Australia - for the first time. The contract will result in full-scale engineering…
Diamond Offshore Revenue Beats Estimates
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc's fourth-quarter revenue beat analysts' estimates on Monday, helped by higher demand for its ultra-deepwater rigs. The company's revenue from its ultra-deepwater rigs rose more than 24 percent to $288.28 million in the fourth quarter. Total revenue fell nearly 12 percent to $346.21 million, but beat analysts' estimate of $331.91 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Diamond Offshore Shares Buoyant
As the offshore energy market continues to search for signs of recovery, latest news from Diamond Offshore points to better times ahead. On Monday, October 30, 2017 Diamond Offshore reported better-than-expected quarterly profits, in part driven by additional deals won for its deep-water drilling rigs at better rate, sending its shares up 8.3% at the time of reporting..
New Contracts Drive Diamond Offshore's Profit
Diamond Offshore on Monday reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit after securing more contracts for its deep-water drilling rigs at a higher rate, sending its shares up 13 percent in pre-market trading. The company was able to secure additional work for its fleet, with new contracts for its deep-water drillers Ocean Apex and Ocean Patriot at rates well above cash flow breakeven…
Options Bulls Betting on U.S. Energy Rebound
Some U.S. equity options traders are betting that the recent rebound in the price of crude oil spells good news for the battered energy sector. The S&P energy index is still down about 9.9 percent this year, making it the second worst-performing sector among S&P's tracking indexes. That contrasts against the broad benchmark S&P 500 stock index, which is up 6.9 percent for the year.
Slumping Oilfield Services Sector bets on Offshore Tech
The oil industry's top equipment and services suppliers this week are hawking vastly cheaper ways of designing and equipping subsea wells, aiming to slash the cost of offshore projects to compete with the faster-moving shale industry. At the Offshore Technology Conference, the industry's annual gathering of floating rig and subsea well suppliers,…
ABS Approves Innovative Drillship Design
ABS is working with industry to improve efficiencies in offshore development. “ABS is working on multiple fronts to help the offshore industry find efficiencies and streamline operations,” says ABS Executive Vice President for Global Offshore Ken Richardson. “We are coordinating efforts for standardization and working one-on-one with companies that are changing the way offshore projects are executed,” he added.
Speedcast, Inks Comms Deal with Diamond Offshore
Speedcast International Limited has secured a long-term contract with Diamond Offshore, who will leverage Speedcast’s managed communications services across 10 offshore rigs and one shore-based facility. “Diamond Offshore continues to adapt to the competitive nature of the industry,” said Tim Osburn, CIO, Diamond Offshore. “Through this agreement with Speedcast…
Diamond Offshore Sees Recovery when Oil 'Well over $60'
Rig contractor Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc's Chief Executive Officer Marc Edwards said on Monday oil prices needed to be "well over $60" to spur a recovery in offshore drilling. The company's shares reversed course and were down 2.3 percent at $16.67, with investors shrugging off a beat on quarterly profit and revenue. Global benchmark Brent crude prices have stabilized after a more than two-year slump…
Diamond Offshore Beats the Street on Cost Cuts
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by lower costs. Total operating expenses in the quarter fell 10 pct to $323.36 million. Contract drilling revenue fell 18 percent to $363.56 million from the first quarter. Offshore projects, which take years to develop and are capital intensive, were the hardest hit by the slump in crude prices, as oil and gas producers slashed spending.
