Norwegian oil firm Statoil will soon start a three-well exploration drilling campaign on the UK continental shelf. In early July, the semi-submersible rig Transocean Spitsbergen will spud the first well in the campaign, the oil company said on Monday. The rig has recently mobilized from Bergen, Norw
After two weeks without a change, the U.S. weekly offshore rig count dropped to 21 units last week, the oilfield services provider Baker Hughes said in a report on Friday. BHI Rig Count: U.S. -1 to 940 rigs U.S. Rig Count is down 1 rig from last week to 940, with oil rigs down 2 […]
Oil firm Statoil has received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) for exploration drilling in block 7435/12 in the Barents Sea with the Songa Enabler drilling rig. The offshore safety regulator reported on Friday that the wells 7435/12-1 and 7435/12-U-1 will be drilled in a prospect na
Norwegian oil company Statoil has released a video of its new Cat J jack-up drilling rig at the Samsung yard in South Korea before it headed to Norway. According to Statoil’s Thursday update on social media channels, the Askeladden rig, which is the first of two Cat J rigs, is now finished and on it
Australian oil and gas company Quadrant Energy is in final stages of looking for a semi-sub rig to drill the Phoenix South-3 well, offshore Western Australia, planned for early next year. According to a Thursday update by Carnarvon Petroleum, Quadrant’s partner, the Phoenix South-3 well is being des
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Lundin Norway a drilling permit for wildcat well 7220/6-3 in the Barents Sea. Earlier this week, the Norwegian offshore safety body, the Petroleum Safety Authority, granted Lundin consent to drill the 7220/6-3 well using the Ocean Rig-owned Leiv
Vantage Drilling’s ultra-deepwater drillship, the Platinum Explorer, has received a letter of award for a three-year contract from India’s Oil and Natural Gas Company (ONGC). The 2010-built Platinum Explorer is planned to mobilize to India in the fourth quarter of 2017, the driller reported on Tuesd
Oil company Lundin has received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) for exploration drilling in the Barents Sea using the Leiv Eiriksson drilling rig. The well 7220/6-3 is located in production license 609 where Lundin is the operator with 40 percent interest. Other licensees are Idemi
Energy Drilling Management Pte. Ltd. has signed a memorandum of understanding with China Merchants Industry Holdings (CMIH), thereby acquiring exclusive marketing and operating rights to two premium newbuild drilling rigs. Energy Drilling, a company from the HitecVision portfolio established to deve
Irish oil and gas company Providence Resources has mobilized the Stena IceMAX drillship to Frontier Exploration Licence (FEL) 2/14, in the southern Porcupine Basin off Ireland, with expected arrival in early July. FEL 2/14 is operated by Providence, with 56% interest, on behalf of its partners Capri
UK-based offshore driller Ensco has reportedly secured a contract for its Ensco 122 jack-up drilling rig in the Dutch sector of the North Sea. According to VesselsValue, Dutch national oil company NAM will take the rig on a five-month drilling contract starting October 1 and ending February 28, 2018
Drilling contractor Seadrill has reportedly been awarded a contract with Malaysian oil giant Petronas for the West Capella ultra-deepwater drillship. According to data from VesselsValue, Petronas hired Seadrill’s drillship for a three-month contract starting October 1 until December 31, 2017. No det
Offshore driller Island Drilling Company has been awarded a drilling contract with the Austrian oil firm OMV in Norway. The contract is for one well at the Wisting license, located in PL 537 in the Barents Sea, with the rig Island Innovator. Start-up is scheduled for the third quarter of this year,
Hyperdynamics Corporation’s subsidiary, SCS Corporation Ltd. (SCS), and South Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETRO) are proceeding with the preparation to spud the Fatala-1 well off Guinea with an estimated spud date by the end of next month. In late May, Pacific Drilling-owned drillship Pacific Scirocco ent
