Termites may hold key to green fuels manufacture, say scientists
If any of you are fans of David Attenborough's wildlife programmes on the BBC then you might have seen his visit to a termite mound in Africa.
Oil & Gas
Windfarms and birds can co-exist, says British NGO
WINDFARMS pose less of a threat to farmland birds than previously feared, new research has found. A British Ecological Society study blows a hole in claims that birds and windfarms don't mix. Indeed, it may be that windfarms could help reverse dramatic declines in biodiversity on European farmland by offering havens to wildlife.
Smart, cheap, green energy
FOR many in Britain, central heating is part and parcel of normal life, but it is expensive to run and is a major drain on the Bank of Mum and Dad.
Listen here – if you can
It's a sobering fact that if you lose your hearing it's gone for good - time and quiet won't bring it back. Regardless of your age, if your working environment has dangerous levels of noise, you are in danger of permanently damaging your hearing.
$550,000-a-day C Kirk Rhein contract cancelled because Burgundy can’t pay
Transocean has cancelled a $550,000-a-day rig lease to Burgundy Global Exploration of the Philippines, the company having failed to lodge the required escrow.
2008 pretty good despite price seesaw
During a record year in which the oil price averaged around $100 a barrel overall, the UK sector saw the highest level of exploration and appraisal drilling for a decade.
West Aquarius and Maersk Resolve latest deliveries to Europe
SEADRILL has taken delivery of its seventh consecutive deepwater drilling unit in just 10 months. West Aquarius is a product of the DSME shipyard in South Korea.
Appraisal success for Lundin
LUNDIN Petroleum has successfully completed the first Luno appraisal well on production licence PL338 in the Norwegian North Sea, block 16/1.
Island declines Celtic Sea option
ISLAND Oil & Gas has declined its option with Lansdowne Celtic Sea to farm into its SEL4/07 encompassing part blocks, 49/11(p), 49/12(p), 49/13(p), 49/17(p) and 49/18(p), in the Celtic Sea offshore Ireland.
Statoil planning Arctic attack
STATOILHYDRO is preparing for fresh operations in the Arctic and is planning a new drillship tailored to Arctic conditions which can be employed for exploration and development drilling in the northern Barents Sea.
US comes to town for Durango party
AUS-BASED oil&gas operator took time out to party in Aberdeen to celebrate bringing its first North Sea field onstream.
Spiderman Phil at masked ball
STAFF of Petrotechnics in Aberdeen enjoyed a masked ball at the city's Marcliffe Hotel - and no one enjoyed the role of Spiderman more than managing director Phil Murray.
Aberdeen software firm wins contracts
ABERDEEN firm Motion Software has won two contracts worth more than £100,000 with energy-sector firms.
Subsea conference on course to be bigger than last year
Oil and gas industry leaders, more than 100 exhibitors and 2,000-plus visitors from around the globe will descend on Aberdeen next week for Europe's largest subsea exhibition and conference.
Orphan exploration abandoned
CHEVRON Canada has for now abandoned its plan to drill a deepwater exploration well that it had planned offshore Labrador in Orphan Basin.
Wins for Fugro
FUGRO GEOS has been awarded two significant metocean contracts offshore East Africa. The first piece of work involves one year of ocean current measurement which will involve moorings in up to 1,700m (5,577ft) water depth off the Tanzanian coast.
Authorities paving the way to US east coast offshore exploration
THE Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) is planning to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for geological and geophysical studies offshore the US Atlantic seaboard.
Solar power plant a world first
TORRESOL Energy, the strategic alliance between Spanish engineering group SENER and Masdar, Abu Dhabi's multi-faceted renewable energy initiative, has secured a £170million (171million euros) financing deal which will allow construction to commence on the Gemsolar project in Spain.
Solid Jubilee job for OHM unit
Rock Solid Images, a unit of troubled Aberdeen group OHM, has started a 940sq km (274sq mile) rock physics-driven seismic inversion that encompasses the Jubilee field offshore Ghana in which UK-listed Irish independent Tullow has a large stake.
Signal to make key components for Noble
SIGNAL International has been chosen to manufacture key components for use in a drillship reliability upgrade programme being implemented by Noble Corporation. Houston-headquartered Signal said the $50million agreement covered three Noble drillships - Noble Leo Segerius, Noble Muravlenko and Noble Roger Eason - and that it would fabricate the components at its shipyards in Mississippi and Texas.
Offshore Awards deadline extended
The deadline for companies planning to enter the Scottish Offshore Achievement Awards has been extended to Friday, February 6.
Exxon China Sea field plan rejected
EXXONMOBIL'S proposed development plan for the South China Sea Natuna D-Alpha gas field in the Indonesian sector has been thrown out.
TGS-Nopec pulls the work
NORWAY'S TGS-Nopec Geophysical has started two major multi-client offshore surveys - a 8,600km (5,375-mile) long offset 2D seismic, gravity and magnetic survey off West Africa and a 6,900sq km (2,664sq mile) 3D survey in the Eastern US Gulf of Mexico.
Double contract win for Cameron
CAMERON has secured two subsea systems contracts totalling more than $180milion in value - one of $83million with Chevron, the other of $100million as part of a frame agreement with BP.
Newfoundland seismic campaign completed
NWEST Energy reports that Geophysical Service Inc (GSI) has concluded a 3D seismic acquisition campaign offshore western Newfoundland and that data processing is now under way.