Drilling News

The seventh generation Atlantic Zonda drillship, managed by Ventura Offshore Midco, has started operations for Petrobras under a three-year drilling contract.The Atlantic Zonda is managed by Ventura Offshore through marketing and operating agreements with the rig owner, Eldorado Drilling, and the company will earn its management fees and reimbursable revenues from these agreements.Following the delivery of the Atlantic Zonda from Samsung shipyards, contract preparations were carried out in Singapore…

The U.S. Interior Department on Friday said it would begin taking public input for a new five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program that could include new zones in the Arctic and elsewhere to maximize energy development.President Donald Trump has ordered government agencies to identify ways to increase already record high U.S. oil and gas production, arguing past administrations had unnecessarily curtailed drilling to combat climate change. He had also repealed former President Joe Biden’s efforts to block oil drilling in the Arctic and along large areas off the U.S.

Saipem has signed a renewal for its framework agreement with Saudi Aramco. The Long-Term Agreement (LTA) now extends until the end of 2027.With the renewal of the LTA, Saipem is reconfirmed in the exclusive list of contractors selected by Saudi Aramco who are eligible to bid for work orders, known as CRPOs (Contract Release Purchase Orders). These contracts may relate to both the construction of new investment projects and any projects aimed at maintaining production capacity from Saudi Arabia’s offshore fields.Should Saipem be awarded contracts for activities within the Kingdom under the LTA…

Hanwha Ocean has held a naming ceremony for its high specification ultra-deepwater drillship Tidal Action, signaling its official entry into the deepwater drilling industry.The Tidal Action is built on Hanwha Ocean’s proprietary design and is capable of drilling at depths of up to 12 kilometers in waters as deep as 3.6 kilometers.The drillship is also equipped with a dynamic positioning system for a stable station keeping and ready to accommodate 20,000 psi blowout preventers for enhanced safety and operational efficiency.In February 2024…

BP is exploring the sale of minority stakes in two of its most valuable Gulf of Mexico oil projects — Kaskida and Tiber — as the energy giant recalibrates its strategy to prioritize oil and gas, according to two sources familiar with the matter.The potential divestments could involve selling up to 50% of each project, which are estimated to be worth billions of dollars, the sources said. Discussions are still in the early stages, and a formal sales process may launch later this year.The move comes as BP retreats from an earlier pivot toward clean energy…

Petrobras is looking at potential opportunities in Argentina while advancing in projects in Colombia and Africa, the firm's exploration and production head Sylvia dos Anjos said on Tuesday.Gas from the Vaca Muerta region would be interesting to Petrobras as a pipeline connecting Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil could be used to transport it, Anjos said on the sidelines of the CERAWeek conference in Houston.She added the firm could also look for oil opportunities in Argentina, as…

The cancellation of a license for Chevron to operate in Venezuela could lead to the negotiation of a fresh agreement between the U.S. producer and state company PDVSA to export crude to destinations other than the United States, sources close to the talks said.U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he was reversing the license, accusing President Nicolas Maduro of not making progress on electoral reforms and migrant returns.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later said…

A Scottish court has invalidated Britain's approvals for two major North Sea oil and gas projects, delivering a significant victory to environmental groups and raising uncertainty over future fossil fuel developments in the UK.The Court of Session in Edinburgh found that the government had unlawfully granted approval for Shell's Jackdaw gas field and Equinor's Rosebank oil and gas field by failing to consider the emissions generated when the extracted fuels are burned—known as downstream emissions.

U.S. energy firms this week cut the number of oil and natural gas rigs operating for a third week in a row to the lowest since December 2021, energy services firm Baker Hughes BKR.O said in its closely followed report on Friday.The oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, fell by four to 576 in the week to Jan. 24. RIG-USA-BHI, RIG-OL-USA-BHI, RIG-GS-USA-BHIBaker Hughes said this week's decline puts the total rig count down 45, or 7% below this time last year.Baker Hughes said oil rigs fell by six to 472 this week…

National Ocean Industries Association President Erik Milito issued the following statement regarding the inauguration of President Donald Trump:"American offshore energy stands as a cornerstone of our nation's greatness. We are committed to working alongside the new administration and Congress to advance all facets of American offshore energy. Our focus is clear: achieving American energy dominance, driving innovation, ensuring market stability, lowering energy costs for future generations…

Oil prices fell back slightly on Thursday, a day after settling at multi-month highs on U.S. President Joe Biden's latest sanctions targeting Russia and a larger than forecast fall in U.S. crude stocks.Brent crude futures were down 12 cents, or 0.15%, to $81.91 per barrel at 1415 GMT, after rising 2.6% in the previous session to their highest since July 26.U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 18 cents, or 0.22%, to $79.86 a barrel, after gaining 3.3% on Wednesday…

BP will cut over 5% of its global workforce, it said on Thursday, as part of CEO Murray Auchincloss' efforts to reduce costs and rebuild investor confidence in the energy giant.Around 4,700 employees and 3,000 contractor positions will be cut this year, BP BP.L told Reuters. The cuts were announced in an internal memo seen by Reuters earlier on Thursday.BP shares were up 1% at 1200 GMT.Auchincloss last year said he would cut the British company's costs by at least $2 billion by…

Today, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced a final rule that implements the 2025 inflation adjustments for the maximum daily civil monetary penalties contained in BOEM regulations in accordance with Federal law.The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act (FCPIAA Improvements Act) of 2015 requires Federal agencies to adjust the level of civil monetary penalties for inflation annually. These adjustments are intended to maintain the deterrent…

You just might get it.In the waning days of the Biden administration, the executive orders and such that get announced seemingly on a daily basis signal countless victories for that side of the equation. And, no matter which side of that great divide that you reside on, it is likely that some of those edicts will be quickly reversed by the incoming President. Of course, much of this is likely irreversible. No where is that more apparent than Biden's order to withdraw 625 million acres of ocean from new offshore oil and gas development.U.S.

Shell will write down around $400 million over an oil discovery offshore Namibia that it deemed commercially unviable in a blow to the southern African country's efforts to become a crude producer.Shell told Reuters that discovered oil and gas resources in offshore block PEL39 in Namibia "cannot currently be confirmed for commercial development."Shell and its partners QatarEnergy and Namibia's national oil company first discovered hydrocarbon in block PEL39 in 2022, which together…

The Interior Department has now approved more than 19 gigawatts of offshore wind energy.The Biden-Harris administration today announced the approval of the SouthCoast Wind Project – the nation’s 11th commercial-scale offshore wind energy project approved under President Biden’s leadership. With today’s approval, the Department and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management have approved over 19 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy from offshore wind energy projects – enough to power more than 6 million homes.The SouthCoast Wind Project is expected to generate up to 2.4 GW of offshore wind energy for Massachusetts and Rhode Island, enough to power more than 840,000 homes.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced today that it is issuing a Determination of Competitive Interest in two Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Mexico. The determination comes after an unsolicited request from Hecate Energy Gulf Wind LLC expressing interest in acquiring a commercial wind energy lease for WEA options C and D. On July 29, 2024, BOEM published a Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI) in the Federal Register seeking feedback on Hecate’s unsolicited lease request. Invenergy GOM Offshore Wind LLC expressed interest in WEA options C and D. BOEM has deemed both Hecate and Invenergy to be legally, technically, and financially qualified to hold an OCS renewable energy lease in the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. oil and gas producers are unlikely to radically increase production under president-elect Donald Trump as companies remain focused on capital discipline, a senior executive at Exxon Mobil said."We're not going to see anybody in 'drill, baby, drill' mode," Liam Mallon, head of Exxon's upstream division, told the Energy Intelligence Forum conference in London."A radical change (in production) is unlikely because the vast majority, if not everybody, is focused on the economics of what they're doing," he said.

Donald Trump's transition team is putting together a wide-ranging energy package to roll out within days of his taking office that would approve export permits for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects and increase oil drilling off the U.S. coast and on federal lands, according to two sources familiar with the plans.The energy checklist largely reflects promises Trump made on the campaign trail, but the plan to roll out the list as early as day one ensures that oil and gas…

U.S. crude oil and gasoline inventories last week rose more than forecast, while distillate stockpiles posted a larger-than-expected draw, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday.Crude inventories rose by 545,000 barrels to 430.3 million barrels in the week ended Nov. 15, the EIA said, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 138,000-barrel rise.Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub fell by 140,000 barrels in the week, the EIA said. Net U.S. crude imports rose last week by 237,000 barrels per day to 3.3 million bpd, with imports to the Gulf Coast hitting 2 million bpd, the highest since July 2020, the EIA said."The report is modestly negative, with builds across key petroleum products," said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst with UBS.

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate said that Norway's oil and gas production in October exceeded the official forecast by 5 percent.Norway is Europe's biggest supplier of natural gases and oil. However, output can vary from month to months depending on maintenance and other stops at over 90 offshore fields.The total oil, gas liquids, natural condensate and gas production stood at 0.657 standard cubic metres (SCM) per day. This is equivalent to 4,13 million barrels oil equivalent.The…

Former President Donald Trump's return to the White House could mean tougher enforcement of U.S. oil sanctions against Iran, potentially trimming global supplies, but his administration could struggle to get China, Iran's top crude customer, to cooperate, analysts said.Cracking down on OPEC-member Iran would support global oil prices, but the effect could also be offset by other Trump policies, from measures to expand domestic drilling, the imposition of tariffs on China that could depress economic activity, or an easing of relations with Russia that could unfetter its sanctioned crude shipments.“Trump cuts both ways for oil prices,” said Clay Seigle, board member at the Houston Committee on Foreign Relations and chairman of its Finance Committee.

Petrobras has achieved first oil with the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit Marechal Duque de Caxias, one of the largest ultra-deepwater FPSOs in the world, installed at the Mero field in Santos Basin, offshore Brazil.The FPSO has the capacity to produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil per day and compress up to 12 million cubic meters of gas daily. It will increase Mero’s installed production capacity from 410,000 to 590,000 barrels of oil per day.The unit is part of Mero’s fourth production system and was chartered from MISC.