Toxins found in fracking cocktails
As shale gas exploitation proliferates, new research into the contents of the fluids involved in the process raises concerns about several ingredients.
oil
Platform evacuated over cargo fears
Oil workers had to be evacuated from a platform in the North Sea after a cargo vessel carrying radioactive waste began drifting towards it. The Denmark-registered Parida, which was carrying a cargo of radioactive concrete waste from Scrabster to Antwerp, lost engine power after a fire broke out in one of her funnels at about 8pm on Monday.
Oil and gas explorer drills 15th new well in South America
Oil and gas explorer Amerisur Resources has drilled its 15th new well in the Plantillo field in Colombia. The well has confirmed the potential for T sand production, with the South American company placing production at 400 BOPD (barrels of oil per day).
European Commission in U-turn over oil sands
The European Union has abandoned a plan to label oil sands as highly polluting. A directive from the EU’s Fuel Quality Directive had planned to force energy suppliers to reduce the carbon intensity of their products.
FMC Technologies win $280million contract in Norwegian Sea
German oil and gas producer Wintershall has awarded FMC Technologies its first subsea contract for the Maria development in the North Sea. The contract is worth $280 million and will be completed by FMCs subsidiary FMC Kongsberg Subsea AS.
Infographic: Decommissioning in North Sea will cost £10billion in next eight years
The cost for operators to decommission rigs in the North Sea is expected to cost around £10 billion in the next eight years. Acteon company, Claxton, has created an infographic showing all the costs involved with decommissioning in the region.
Cairn Energy makes new oil discovery
Scottish oil firm Cairn Energy has discovered oil and its FAN-1 exploration well in Senegal, the company has announced. The well, which is 100 kilmoetres offshore in the Sangomar Deep block and was targeting multiple stacked deepwater fans.
Midstates Petroleum sells $90million of assets to private buyer
US-based Midstates Petroleum Company has sold assets in the Gulf Coast worth $90 million to a private buyer, the company has announced. It has sold its Dequincy assets, which includes the 20 mile El Grande pipeline which the company constructed and owned.
Dubai-based Dragon Oil proposes £492million offer for Petroceltic
Dubai-based explorer Dragon Oil has proposed a £492 million cash offer to Petroceltic International to add exploration and output in North Africa and Kurdistan. The Board of Petroceltic said it was in discussions with the company, who have proposed a £2.30 offer per share.
Chevron sells shale stake for billion dollar sum
Chevron will sell a 30% stake in one if its ventures to produce oil and natural gas in North America to the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Co for $1.5 billion. The agreement will create a partnership for the appraisal and development of liquids-rich shale resources in an area of 330,000 acres in the Kaybob area of the Duvernay.
Shrimp numbers rise after BP Gulf spill
The numbers of Shrimps in the waters off the Gulf of Mexico was found to have increased after the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to new research. Scientists at George Mason University in Virginia found the numbers of brown and white shrimp actually rose following the disaster.
Atlantic Petroleum spuds wildcat Norwegian well
Exploration and production Company Atlantic Petroleum has announced drilling of its Ivory Well has begun. The Faroese company has a 9% working share in PL 528B which is located in the Norwegian Sea.
Oil shows confirmed at Horse Hill One
UK Oil and Gas have announced operations at the Horse Hill-1 site produced oil shows during mud logging. The discovery, which shows evidence of reservoirs with oil, was found between a measured depth (MD) of between 2,100 to 2,140 feet.
TransAtlantic hopeful of natural gas price rise in Turkey
TransAtlantic Petroleum has announced its natural gas prices could rise, after the Turkish government increased its natural natural gas price by 9%. The company said it expects its natural gas price sale to increase concurrently following the announcement.
LINN Energy sells assets in US for $2.3billion
Oil and gas partnership LINN Energy has sold some of its assets in the US, creating $2.3 billion in sales. The US oil firm sold its assets in the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma to privately held institutional affiliates of EnerVest for $1.95 billion.
Research highlights alarmingly low number of women in engineering workforce
Women account for less than 10% of the engineering workforce in the UK, research has shown. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found 16 was the critical age at which females were lost to a potential career in the sector.
Fire on Alaska natural gas platform
A fire at an offshore natural gas platform which forced four people on board to be evacuated has been extinguished by firefighters. The Baker platform in Alaska is operated by Houston-based Hilcorp Energy and a no-fly zone of two miles was put in place.
Subsea 7 awarded Ivory Coast contract
Subsea 7 has been awarded a contract in West Africa by CNR International (CNRI) to support development of its Baobab Field Phase III development. The contract has already begun for the work in the Ivory Coast with the scope of work covering the installation of spools and umbilical’s.
UAE looks to offer energy companies new contracts
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei said he hopes BP, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Total SA have “a good chance to compete” for concessions in the nation’s biggest onshore deposits of crude oil. The three companies, together with Exxon Mobil Corp and Portugal’s Partex Oil & Gas, were partners with Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s largest emirate, in a joint-venture agreement that expired in January.
Russian oil output hits post-Soviet record
Russian oil output rose to near a post-Soviet record last month, a sign the biggest source of revenue for President Vladimir Putin’s government has yet to be eroded by US and European sanctions.
Energy group boosted by North Sea revenues
An international energy logistics group has been boosted by growth in its North Sea revenues. Peterson Offshore Group BV has announced its consolidated results for the 12 months ending December 31, 2013.
Leni Gas and Oil takes further step in Trinidad
A Caribbean-focused explorer has completed a further step in its 30-well redevelopment of the Goudron Field in Trinidad. Leni Gas and Oil was given the go-ahead to begin drilling 30 new wells at its Gourdon oil field for the first time in 30 years in January.
Ophir Energy announce gas discoveries in Africa
UK-based oil and gas explorer Ophir Energy has announced gas discoveries in its Kamba and Fulusi prospects of 1.03 trillion cubic feet (tcf) in Tanzania. This latest finds, combined with recent volume updates on the earlier discoveries, increases estimates of the total Block 1, 3 and 4 mean (2C) recoverable resources to 17.1tcf.
Subsea firm awarded contract for marine energy industry
Subsea engineering and training firm Jee Ltd has been awarded a contract from Scottish Enterprise to develop electrical array cable solutions for tidal energy installations. The £2.4 million contract is part of a pioneering study for the marine energy industry in Scotland and the company will be involved in developing solutions for locating, securing, protecting and recovering cables.
Norwegian pipeline company acquired by ICR Integrity
ICR Integrity Ltd has acquired Quickflange AS, which specialises in weldless pipeline repair and rehabilitation. It follows the management buyout of ICR in March this year which was backed by Graphite Capital, a leading UK mid-market private equity specialist.