Equinor's Helleneset Offshore Well Comes Up Dry
Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor has completed drilling of the offshore exploration well Helleneset, formally known as well 30/6-31 S, without finding hydrocarbons.The well was using the West Hercules semi-submersible drilling rig drilled about 7 kilometers southeast of the Oseberg C platform in the North Sea and 140 kilometers west of Bergen.The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (Intra Heather Formation sandstones).According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate…
Pandion Energy Completes Duva Stake Sale
Norwegian oil and gas company Pandion Energy has completed the sale of its 10 percent non-operated interests in PL 636, comprising the Duva oil and gas field, and PL 686B.According to Pandion Energy it was previously announced transaction with Solveig Gas Norway AS.The Duva oil and gas field is located in the northern North Sea and was discovered in the autumn of 2016. The Plan for Development and Operation (PDO) was approved in June 2019 with first production expected in late 2020 / early 2021.Pandion Energy has also sold 10% non-operated interests in the same licenses to PGNiG Upstream Norway AS.
Floatel Gets Martin Linge Extension
Swedish contractor Floatel International has received a new extension from Equinor for its accommodation unit Floatel Superior at the Martin Linge Field Development in Norway’s North Sea.The onshore operational support and supervision company said in a press release that Floatel Superior started its charter at Equinor’s Martin Linge project at the end of July 2018. The contract has now been extended with four months until the end of March 2020.Floatel also said that six monthly options remain in place for the Floatel Superior.Prior to her contract with Equinor…
The Decommissioning, Marine Life Connection
Data sharing and better understanding of how marine life interacts with manmade structures is the target for the next phase of the Insite program.What to do with offshore structures is a sticky problem for oil companies, regulators and policy makers alike, as many structures are starting to cease production in the North Sea, where some fields have been producing oil and gas since the early 1970s.Regulations, which include the OSPAR (Oslo Paris convention) state that a clear seabed should be left behind, once production has ceased, with some exceptions (platforms over a certain age and weight).
Faroe Petroleum Spuds Well off Norway Coast
Aberdeen-headquartered Faroe Petroleum has started drilling the Brasse East exploration well off the coast of Norway.The oil and gas company focusing principally on exploration, appraisal and production opportunities in Norway and the UK announced the commencement of the Faroe-operated well 31/7-3 S in the Northern North Sea, in which Faroe has 50% working interest.The Brasse East well is being drilled immediately east of the Brasse field (discovered by Faroe in 2016 and appraised in 2017) which in turn is located to the south of the Brage field and to the south east of the Oseberg field.At the end of 2017…
Itochu Seeks North Sea Sale
Japanese commodity trading house Itochu is seeking buyers for stakes in two North Sea oilfields, a pipeline and a terminal, a document seen by Reuters shows.The sale, run by Scotiabank, could fetch up to $250 million, according to banking sources.The transaction would mark the latest exit of a long-standing player in the ageing basin as a new generation of companies, many with the backing of private equity, seeks to inject new life into oil and gas fields.Itochu, through its British subsidiary CIECO UK…
Production Floaters Orders Are on the Rebound
Fifteen production floaters were contracted in 2017 – 11 FPSOs, two production semis, a wellhead TLP and an FLNG – and the number of deep water projects in the near-term planning queue indicates production floater orders are set to accelerate. This is a big change from 2016 when orders for new units totally dried up and the deepwater future looked pretty bleak. Here’s a round-up of contracts awarded last year and in January 2018. Tempera FPSO - Keppel in January 2017 received a contract from Dixstone Holdings, an affiliate of Perenco, to convert a tanker to an FPSO for use on the Yombo field offshore the Congo.
Shell Announces Plan for Penguins Filed Redevelopment
Shell announced the final investment decision for the Penguins field redevelopment project in the U.K. sector, which includes the construction of a new-build Sevan Marine designed cylindrical floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. The Penguins field is in 165 metres of water, approximately 150 miles north east of the Shetland Islands. Discovered in 1974, the field was first developed in 2002 and is a joint venture between Shell (50 percent and operator) and ExxonMobil (50 percent).
Statoil Wins Licences Off UK, 'Resets' Exploration Off U.S.
Norway's Statoil was the second top bidder for 13 oil exploration leases in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and won six licences offshore Britain, it said on Thursday, in a sign it may be looking to boost reserves after slashing costs. Statoil bid a total of $44.5 million for 13 licences in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, coming second only to Shell and ahead of Hess Corp, Chevron and Exxon, the latest auction results showed. The company said in a separate statement it had won five new operated licences in the northern North Sea and one in the frontier area west of Scotland, committing to drill at least three wells.
Changes in ExxonMobil’s Top Deck
Tom Walters, president, ExxonMobil Production Company, has announced his intention to retire after more than 38 years of service. Neil Duffin, currently president of ExxonMobil Development Company, has been appointed by the Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) board of directors to be president of ExxonMobil Production Company and elected to be a vice president of the corporation. Liam Mallon, currently executive vice president of ExxonMobil Development Company, has been elected president of ExxonMobil Development Company by its board of directors. All changes are effective Jan.
Murchison Decommissioned after 30 Years of Operation
STATS Group in collaboration with Paradigm Flow Services and Halliburton safely and successfully isolated, de-oiled, plugged and abandoned two 3.5” subsea flowlines as part of the Murchison decommissioning project. After nearly 30 years of operation in the Northern North Sea, the CNR International operated Murchison field had reached the end of its production life. Prior to the removal of the topsides jacket, it became evident that two subsea flowlines were still connected to the platform. These lines were known to still contain hydrocarbons and required to be de-oiled and cut to enable the heavy lift scope.
Petrofac Wins $100 Million North Sea Deal
Petrofac is set to build on its provision of reimbursable services for Total E&P UK following the award of an enhanced three-year contract extension on the Alwyn and Dunbar platforms in the Northern North Sea. The contract, worth in the region of $100 million, comes with two one-year options and has been reconfigured, with Petrofac providing an enhanced range of offshore services. This award builds on a relationship with Total which began in 2005 to support the Alwyn and Dunbar assets, and will secure more than 150 offshore jobs.
Bibby Wins North Sea Decommissioning Contract
Subsea services provider to the oil and gas industry Bibby Offshore (BOUK) has secured a multimillion pound contract with a North Sea Operator, to deliver decommissioning operations in the Northern North Sea East Shetland Basin. The agreement, due to commence in Q2 of 2016 and be completed by the end of 2016, will utilise one of Bibby Offshore’s construction support vessels with adequate deck space and crane capabilities to execute operations approximately 550km North-East of Aberdeen. Bibby Offshore has been appointed to carry out remedial rock placement over the existing 16” oil export pipeline…
Fugro to Provide ROV Drill Support for Dana Petroleum
Fugro is to supply ROV drilling support services on board the Ocean Guardian MODU under a new contract awarded by Dana Petroleum (E&P) Ltd. Operating one of its fleet of FCV 600 ROVs, specifically designed for North Sea drill support activities, Fugro will carry out drilling and completions projects at the Dana-operated Western Isles developments in the northern North Sea. The scope of work covers standard drilling support, which begins this month, and intervention tooling support, with all ROV tooling designed and supplied by Fugro.
Total's Production Starts from Laggan-Tormore Fields
Total has started-up production from the Laggan and Tormore gas and condensate fields, located in 600 meters of water in the West of Shetland area. The fields will produce 90,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day “Laggan-Tormore is a key component of our production growth in 2016 and beyond. The innovative subsea-to-shore development concept, the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, has no offshore surface infrastructure and benefits from both improved safety performance and lower costs,” said Arnaud Breuillac, President Exploration & Production.
Safeway: New Motion Compensated Gangway
The Van Aalst Group has introduced a new motion compensated gangway system under the brand name Safeway. Developed and built in the Netherlands, the Safeway gangway bridge makes it possible for vessels to land at a broad range of offshore constructions, varying from small unmanned installations in the Southern North Sea to large offshore production units in the Northern North Sea. The first Safeway unit is currently under construction under Bureau Veritas class, with the first Safeway unit expected to be available for the rental market by the end of 2015.
Play Fairway Mapping is Key in the North Sea
Regional play fairway mapping is the key to locating remaining prospectivity in the prolific North Sea hydrocarbon province, according to the new Ternan play evaluation report released by global energy services company LR Senergy. The Ternan 2015 Integrated North Sea Report is the latest in a series of regional play fairway evaluations that analyze petroleum systems and provide exploration specialists with a unique insight into the regional risk factors that impact subsurface studies. The reports are designed for evaluation and screening of exploration opportunities.
Lundin Spuds Storm Wildcat
Lundin Petroleum AB, through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS, is pleased to announce that drilling of exploration well 33/2-1 in PL555 has commenced. The well will investigate the hydrocarbon potential of the Storm Prospect in PL555, which is located 200 km west northwest of Florø on the Norwegian west coast and approximately 65 km northwest of the Snorre Field. The main objective of well 33/2-1 is to test the reservoir properties and hydrocarbon potential of the Upper Jurassic Sandstones equivalent to the reservoir in the Magnus field on the UKCS approximately 35 km to the south.
UK Oil Output Threatened by Offshore Power Shortages
More platform power needed to boost recovery from mature fields; producers say sellers offer gas on unhelpful terms. Loss of hubs will toll death knell for dependent fields. Britain's oil industry is facing the threat of a cascade of North Sea rig closures, unless ageing platforms can urgently source more gas to help squeeze out the remaining barrels. The potential threat to oil revenues looms as Scotland prepares to vote in September's independence referendum -- a debate in which oil production forecasts have become a political football.
A Boost for UK Offshore Drilling? DW Monday Muses
Drilling activity offshore UK is now expected to increase over the next few years as government and industry reacts to the recommendations in Sir Ian Wood’s report – the “Wood Review” – to maximise UK offshore oil & gas recovery advises Douglas Westwood's 'DW Monday' study. From a peak of 396 in 1996, numbers of wells drilled offshore UK fell to 164 in 2013, a low not seen since 1979. Development wells were down from 289 in 1998 to 120 in 2013. Exploration & appraisal drilling, on which offshore production ultimately depends, saw numbers fall from 224 in 1990 to 44 last year.
