Polar Pioneer to drill first Barents exploration well in three years
THE Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has approved Eni's planned wildcat exploration well on block 7120/12 in the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea.
semi-submersible drilling rig
Zidane-1 find for Rwe-Dea
RWE Dea Norge has encountered hydrocarbons with its Zidane-1 exploration well in the Norwegian Sea (licence PL435, block 6507/7), north-west of the Heidrun field.
In wake of Macondo Pemex hesitates
MEXICAN state operator Pemex has called a temporary halt to its ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico wildcat exploration well, Maximino-1.
FOGL spuds first ever East Falkland Basin well
FALKLAND Oil & Gas (FOGL) has started drilling its first exploration well offshore the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic with the spudding of the Toroa F61/5-1 well on licence PL15. FOGL said it began drilling operations on May 31 on the Toroa well with the Diamond Offshore semi-submersible drilling rig, Ocean Guardian.
Shell and Nexen make promising US Gulf oil strike
SHELL, with Nexen, has made a major new oil strike in the deepwater sector of the eastern US Gulf of Mexico.
Falklands’ oil potential generates great expectations
They may be situated around 8,000 miles away from the Square Mile, but the Falkland Islands are generating a fair bit of excitement in the City of London as the start of a drilling campaign nears.
Anadarko scores with big with oil strike in US Gulf of Mexico
ANADARKO has made another major hydrocarbons discovery in the US Gulf of Mexico. A sidetrack appraisal of the Lucius discovery well has revealed almost 183m net (600ft) of high-quality oil pay with additional gas condensate pay.
Koreans win second Dragon rig – predictably
SEMBCORP Marine's Jurong Shipyard has grabbed the predicted second order for a harsh environment semi-submersible drilling rig from SeaDragon Offshore.
PSA clearance
NORWAY'S Petroleum Safety Authority has given Lundin Petroleum clearance to drill in the southern part of the Norwegian North Sea with the semi-submersible drilling rig, Songa Dee.
Diamond Offshore snaps up PetroRig I
DIAMOND Offshore Drilling has completed its purchase of the newly built semi-submersible drilling rig, PetroRig I, from Sembcorp Marine's Jurong Shipyard just two months after the unit was put up for sale.
Noatun prospect success
STATOILHYDRO'S exploration well drilled on the Noatun prospect 16km north of the Njord field in the Norwegian Sea has encountered gas and condensate. A sidetrack is to be drilled in the well to assess whether the find is worth exploiting.
Drilling rig taken on for Celtic Sea
IRISH company Providence Resources has contracted the semi-submersible drilling rig, GSF Arctic II, for its Celtic Sea drilling programme of two firm wells plus an option offshore Ireland this summer. The company said it confirmed the presence of a significant oil accumulation at the Hook Head structure with the drilling last autumn of the 50/11-3 appraisal well. Providence logged a total of 75ft of net hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir in a 484ft gross hydrocarbon-bearing interval.