This week’s most read story on Energy Voice was the news that the Spanish takeover of Talisman Energy and its 50% stake in a struggling UK joint venture is “on track” to complete during the first half of 2015.
Talisman insisted earlier this week that the £5.3billion deal struck with Spain’s Repsol in December was unaffected by hefty losses in the North Sea as oil prices nose-dived last year.
At Subsea Expo 2015, which took place from February 11 -13 at the AECC (Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre), Forum Energy Technologies launched its latest generation subsea robotic system at Subsea Expo.
The company, which is the world’s largest manufacturer of underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), has created the XLX- C ROV.
It is more compact than the highly successful XLX model, but with similar capabilities.
The ROV has been more than two years in development and is part of a multi-million pound investment by Forum.
Subsea 7 has been revealed as the first company to use the XLX-C after placing an order for six vehicles with the first of the order ready for delivery in March.
Earlier this week, KCA Deutag announced plans to cut up to 230 jobs in Aberdeen as it deals with the slowdown in North Sea drilling.
Overall the drilling contractor said 500 jobs across its business spanning 20 countries were “at risk”, while it would also cut staff wages by 5% across the board. The company employs 10,000 worldwide and 1,200 in its North Sea offshore business.
A new report by PwC warned the North Sea faces a triple-whammy and may need to make “complex and difficult” changes in light of plummeting oil prices.
The sector is in a “painful situation” as a result of low oil prices being “sustained for longer than anticipated”, the report said.
The authors warned that continued falling prices could lead to less investment, culminating in accelerated decommissioning at oil fields.
BW Offshore confirmed five members had been killed, two remained in critical condition and four were still missing after an explosion onboard the Cidade de São Mateus FPSO in Brazil.
The FPSO, which is operated by BW Offshore on behalf of Brazil’s Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras), was producing from postsalt Camarupim and North Camarupim fields about 120km offshore Brazil when the incident unfolded.
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