Vietsovpetro, a Russian-Vietnamese joint company for oil and gas exploration, has reportedly hired one of Aban Offshore’s jack-up drilling rigs. According to information provided by VesselsValue, Vietsovpetro, a JV company between Zarubezhneft and PetroVietnam, hired the Deep Driller 8 jack-up drill
Chinese oil explorer CNOOC Limited has reportedly awarded a five-month drilling contract to the Hai Yang Shi You 981 (HYSY 981) drilling rig. According to data from VesselsValue, the sixth generation semi-submersible ultra-deepwater rig will start working for the Chinese oil company on May 1. The en
Spanish oil company Repsol has reportedly hired the Ensco 52 jack-up drilling rig, owned by the UK driller Ensco. According to VesselsValue, the contract fixed on April 18, 2017, is for two months and for an undisclosed fee. Offshore Energy Today has reached out to Repsol, seeking confirmation and m
ASX-listed oil and gas company Nido Petroleum will drill a sidetrack well on the Galoc field, in the Palawan Basin offshore Philippines, following inconclusive results from the appraisal well Galoc-7. On behalf of the Galoc Joint Venture, Nido Petroleum informed on Tuesday that on April 13, 2017, th
The U.S. weekly offshore rig count fell down a notch compared to last week, Baker Hughes, one of the world’s largest oilfield services firms said in its report on Thursday. The report, usually out on Friday, is early this week due to the Easter holiday. The overall rig count is up again, marking a 1
Captain Neil Johnston has shared with Offshore Energy Today this beautiful photo of a semi-submersible drilling rig basking in the sun, offshore Spain. The rig named Alaskan Star, is a veteran in the industry. Built in Japan back in 1976, this forty-year old is counting its final days, as it is now
E&P company Aker BP has received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) to drill an exploration well in the Frigg Gamma Delta prospect, offshore Norway, with the Island Innovator drilling rig. Aker BP is the operator of production license 442 in the North Sea. Aker BP has made a discovery
Romanian offshore drilling contractor GSP Offshore has secured a drilling contract for two offshore wells in the Black Sea. The company, hired by Black Sea Oil & Gas (BSOG), will use the GSP Uranus jack-up rig to drill the two exploration wells in the XV Midia Shallow block, offshore Romania. The dr
Lundin Petroleum has completed the Edvard Grieg Southwest appraisal well 16/1-27, located offshore Norway. The appraisal well 16/1-27 in PL338 on the Edvard Grieg field is located on the southwestern flank of the field targeting additional resources. The well, spud in early March, was drilled 3 km w
North Atlantic Drilling Limited (NADL), a subsidiary of Seadrill, has secured ten-year contract awards for the jack-ups West Elara and West Linus with ConocoPhillips Skandinavia for work in the Greater Ekofisk Area offshore Norway. NADL said on Tuesday that the total additional backlog for the new c
Offshore driller Seadrill Partners LLC has secured a one-well contract with BP for the West Aquarius rig in eastern Canada. According to Seadrill’s statement on Friday, the contract is expected to start in the second quarter of 2018. The backlog for the contract, estimated to be a maximum of 120 day
Norwegian offshore drilling contractor Dolphin Drilling, a subsidiary of Fred. Olsen Energy, has entered into a one-well contract extension with Statoil for use of the Bideford Dolphin rig. According to an Oslo Stock Exchange filing on Friday, the extension includes one optional well and it is for o
The U.S. offshore rig count was unchanged during last week, the oilfield services provider Baker Hughes reported on Friday. BHI Rig Count: U.S. +15 to 839 rigs U.S. Rig Count is up 15 rigs from last week to 839, with oil rigs up 10 to 672, gas rigs up 5 to 165, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged [&hel
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted oil major Statoil a drilling permit for a wildcat well 7121/8-1 southeast of the Snøhvit field in the Barents Sea. The NPD said that the drilling program for wellbore 7121/8-1 relates to the drilling of a well in production license 849, in a pros
