US Extends Protections for CITGO to March 2025
The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday extended a license protecting Venezuela-owned Citgo Petroleum from bondholders to March 2025, a key decision amid a seven-year-long legal case in which the refiner's parent might be auctioned to pay creditors.Citgo's parent, PDV Holding, was found liable by the court for Venezuela's debts from asset expropriations and debt defaults. The case has opened a route for creditors to fight for a piece of Venezuela's crown jewel - Citgo's 807,000-barrel-per-day refining network in the United States.The Delaware court case has gained complexity as holders of Venezuelan bonds and notes have introduced lawsuits before different U.S.
Schlumberger Posts Loss on $8.5 Bln Charge as Customers Accelerate Cuts
Schlumberger NV, the world's largest oilfield services firm, on Friday reported a first-quarter loss due to $8.5 billion in charges, as customers accelerated spending cuts amid the continuing decline in oil prices.Crude prices plunged 60% in March after Saudi Arabia and Russia vowed to pump full bore and the spread of the novel coronavirus crushed global fuel demand. On Friday, international Brent crude futures were trading around $28 a barrel, well below the cost of production for many big producers.The decline has caused big customers such as Exxon Mobil to cut spending at least 30% and halt some drilling.
US Extends License for Chevron's Operations in Venezuela
The U.S. Treasury Department on Saturday renewed a license allowing Chevron, the last U.S. energy company operating in Venezuela, to continue working in the country until April 22.In January, the United States imposed sanctions on Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA in an effort to oust President Nicolas Maduro, though he remains in power. The Treasury issued Chevron a six-month license to operate, however, which has been renewed in three-month periods.Chevron has been in Venezuela for nearly 100 years and has about 300 direct employees there.
Weatherford CFO Steps Down
Oilfield services company Weatherford International announced on Thursday that Christoph Bausch will step down as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective November 14, 2019 to pursue other opportunities. He will remain with the Company through November 30, 2019 to transition his responsibilities.Stuart Fraser, Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, will serve as the interim Chief Financial Officer from November 14, 2019 until January 6, 2020, when the new Chief Financial Officer will begin. Fraser has served in various senior financial roles since joining Weatherford in 2015.
Weatherford Wins Russia Contracts
Oilfield services firm Weatherford announced it has signed two contracts totaling $67.4 million for drilling services with two major operators in Russia.The first contract spans two-and-a-half years. Operations began in July 2019 and will last through the end of 2022. Weatherford will provide logging-while-drilling (LWD), measurement-while-drilling (MWD), rotary steerable systems (RSS), drilling, and geo-data interpretation services at several oilfields in Western Siberia.The second contract is a three-year drilling services contract. Operations will begin in early 2020 with Weatherford providing LWD…
US Gives Chevron More Time in Venezuela
The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday renewed a license allowing Chevron, the last U.S. operating energy company in Venezuela, to continue drilling in the country for another three months through Jan. 22.The license has been a subject of intense debate within the Trump administration as it pursues a campaign to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro. Its renewal represented a win by some in the administration, such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who see keeping a U.S. company in Venezuela as an asset that could lead to a speedy recovery…
Weatherford Files Bankruptcy Plan
Oilfield services firm Weatherford International on Friday filed a prepackaged restructuring plan with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, according to a regulatory filing.The company, which has struggled under a heavy debt burden and years of losses, warned in May that it expected to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after failing to obtain new financing and after the loss of key employees.Holders of roughly 79% of its outstanding notes have agreed to the restructuring, according to Friday's filing.The proposed restructuring will reduce the firm's funded debt from roughly $8.35 billion to $2.5 billion, according to the disclosure.
Weatherford to File for Bankruptcy
Irish-domiciled multinational oil and natural gas service company Weatherford International has entered into an agreement with its top creditors that will allow the company to file for a "prepackaged" Chapter 11 bankruptcy - after more than four years without making a profit.Weatherford expects to implement the Restructuring Agreement through a "pre-packaged" Chapter 11 process and expects to file U.S. chapter 11 and Irish examinership proceedings. As part of this process, Weatherford intends to continue engaging in discussions with, and begin soliciting votes from…
Expro Promotes Two Execs
Oilfield services company Expro announced Thursday it has promoted two company executives.Current Executive Vice President, Alistair Geddes, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO) with immediate effect, and Keith Palmer has been promoted to Executive Vice President – Product Lines and will be responsible for Expro’s product lines, technology and group engineering.
Weatherford Rolls Out ForeSite Optimization Platform
Irish-domiciled multinational oilfield services company Weatherford said it has made a major enhancement to its ForeSite production optimization platform, which combines physics-based models with advanced data analytics to improve performance across wells, reservoirs, and surface facilities on a single, secure platform.Weatherford, which first introduced the ForeSite platform in May 2017, said the new release expands predictive failure analytics to electric submersible pumping systems (ESPs) and adds complete optimization capabilities for plunger-lifted wells.The platform expands capabilities in reciprocating rod lift by adding predictive failure analytics for ESP systems.
ADES Acquires 12 Rigs From Weatherford In Kuwait
Drilling company Ades International Holding has bought 12 onshore rigs from Weatherford in Kuwait for $ 123 million.The oil & gas drilling and production services provider in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) said in a press release that the transaction forms part of the previously signed definitive agreement with a subsidiary of Weatherford to acquire thirty-one onshore drilling rigs for a total consideration of $287.5 million across Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Southern Iraq."Twelve rigs acquired for a total consideration of US$ 123 million…
Precision Drilling Trumps Ensign Bid for Peer Trinidad
North American drilling contractor Precision Drilling Corp on Friday said it would buy Trinidad Drilling Ltd in a deal valued at C$1.03 billion ($796 million), trumping a hostile bid from rival Ensign Energy Services.The acquisition, which has an enterprise value of about C$4 billion, makes Precision the third-largest driller in the United States with more than 200 active rigs and 322 rigs in total, said the companies, both based in the Canadian province of Alberta."We'll have strong coverage in other U.S. shale plays and in the Permian," said Precision Chief Financial Officer Carey Ford on a call with analysts.Precision expects the deal…
Weatherford CEO's Rebound Plan Relies on Getting Smaller
Four years ago, oilfield company Weatherford International Plc pledged to sell non-core businesses and make paying down debt its top priority after years of borrowing and over spending.It almost worked. Asset sales provided some $1.8 billion to pare debt, and Weatherford's stock nearly doubled that year. But when oil prices plummeted in mid-2014 and customer spending on new wells followed, Weatherford failed to cut costs fast enough and payments on its debt jumped, killing its stock price rally.Mark McCollum, the company's third chief executive officer in two years…
Weatherford Launches Two New Divestiture Processes
Weatherford International on Tuesday said a divestiture of its land drilling rigs was 'taking longer than expected'The company said the delay was due to increased interest in a geographic subset of the business, which has made the divestiture process more complex.Weatherford said it has also initiated two divestitures in addition to the land drilling rigs. Those divestitures are expected to generate $500 million by year end.Weatherford's chief executive, Mark McCollum, on Tuesday said short-cycle investments would drive oil and gas activity in 2018.Reporting by Liz Hampton
Baker Hughes Explores Sale of Gas Metering Unit
Baker Hughes, the oilfield services company controlled by General Electric Co, is exploring a sale of its gas detection and metering business that could be worth around $900 million, people familiar with the matter said on Monday. Oilfield services firms are seeking to tighten their focus to their core operations, as oil prices continue their recovery from their January 2016 lows. Baker Hughes' unit for sale, which makes sensors and monitors for industrial clients such as petrochemical makers and power generators, is expected to attract interest from other manufacturers of such devices, according to one of the sources.
Weatherford Reports Larger-than-expected Loss
Weatherford International Plc on Friday reported a larger-than-expected fourth-quarter loss on $1.6 billion in charges, casting doubt among Wall Street analysts that the oilfield firm is turning around after years of losses. The quarterly loss widened from a year earlier, despite a general upturn in demand for oilfield services that has benefited rivals. The weaker results could accelerate planned asset sales to pare its $7.5 billion debt pile. Weatherford reported a fourth-quarter loss of 33 cents per share, excluding items, exceeding analysts' expectations for a 21 cents per share loss, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Weatherford scraps JV, Sells Biz to Schlumberger
U.S. oilfield services company Weatherford International Plc on Friday sold a U.S. oil-well business to rival Schlumberger NV for $430 million, abandoning a planned joint venture. Weatherford has struggled with losses and has been looking to sell units and raise cash to reduce about $7.9 billion in debt. It suffered a $875 million loss on $4.21 billion in revenue for the first nine months of this year. In March, the company agreed to put its North American pressure pumping and well completions operations into a venture with Schlumberger in exchange for $535 million in cash and a 30 percent stake in the resulting business, called OneStim.
TWMA Appoints Garrick as CEO, President
TWMA, provider of specialized Drilling Waste Management services, is expecting its growth strategy to accelerate, with a target turnover of £200 million ($263 million) and headcount to reach 1,500 following investment from Buckthorn Partners earlier this year. To support the strategy implementation, Tony Branch will expand his current Director role within TWMA, taking over from Ronnie Garrick as CEO. Mr Garrick expands his remit as President of the Company, focusing and leading on three key growth development areas: merger and acquisitions activity; new geographic expansion; and new product and technology development.
U.S. Oil Service Firms Hit by PDVSA Woes
U.S. oil service companies face hard decisions in the coming weeks on whether to continue working for Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA, and the prospect of hundreds of millions of dollars in write-offs for overdue bills. The companies' services are critical for Venezuela, which is struggling with a deep economic crisis marked by shortages of food and medicine. Oil accounts for over 90 percent of the nation's export revenues. Socialist President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday said the country plans to potentially restructure some $60 billion in bonds, widely seen as signaling a possible default that could affect other debt.
New MD Set to Scale Up Operations for ClearWELL
Flow assurance and production optimization specialist, ClearWELL Oilfield Solutions, has appointed a managing director as the company looks to increase its international footprint. Alasdair Fergusson brings more than 25 years of oilfield management and marketing experience to ClearWELL, having worked for major service companies in Europe and the Middle East. Most recently he held the Paris-based position of Business Manager Europe and Africa, Production Technologies at Schlumberger’s M-I SWACO, where he led and grew business capability in new markets.
