Pegasus shines in Halo deal

Spirit Energy is getting a new partner in the Greater Pegasus Area in the southern North Sea after London-listed junior Hague & London Oil (Halo) acquired the entire share capital of Third Energy Offshore (TEO), writes Rob Watts. Under the deal, Halo will take over TEO’s portfolio, which includes a 45% stake in the Greater Pegasus Area operated by Spirit, and the high-impact Andromeda prospect.

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Anamaria Deduleasa

Sonangol in UAE talks

Sonangol, Angola’s state oil company, will consider farming out stakes in offshore acreage to Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Mubadala. In meetings held in Abu Dhabi this week, Diamantino Azevedo, Angola’s Minister of Mineral Resources & Petroleum, outlined his proposals to Adnoc chief executive Sultan Ahmed al Jaber and high-level officials with Mubadala. Azevedo was accompanied to the Unite

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Iain Esau

Ukranians to upgrade gas lines

State-owned Ukrtransgaz is planning a 10-year, 60 billion hryvna ($2.1 billion) upgrade and maintenance programme to help bring Ukraine's gas trunkline network closer to the latest energy efficiency and safety standards, writes Vladimir Afanasiev. The programme, which has to be reviewed by parent company Naftohaz Ukrainy and rubberstamped by the government, also aims to maintain the networks's an

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Vladimir Afanasiev

Walvis basin boost for Global Petroleum

Global Petroleum has signed a deal to secure block 2011A in the northern Walvis basin off Namibia. The junior company will have an 85% operating stake in the 5800-square kilometre block — where water depths range from 400 to 1500 metres — and is partnered by state-owned Namcor on 10% and local player Aloe Investments on 5%. Block 2011A is sited immediately east of Global’s blocks 1910B and 2010A

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Iain Esau

Ophir in drive at Bualuang

UK independent Ophir Energy is busy at its Bualuang oilfield in Thailand where it is drilling new offshore wells and building new facilities for an expansion phase. A jack-up rig recently began a campaign of three replacement production wells as well as the workover of two existing wells. The new facilities being built are part of the US$138 million Bualuang phase four scheme, which was sanction

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Global Mediator

Drillship moves for new well

ExxonMobil is honing in on its next target in the US Gulf of Mexico, this week having moved the drillship Rowan Relentless to the location of its Thunder Horse East prospect in the deep-water US Gulf of Mexico. The US supermajor has the unit onsite at Mississippi Canyon 779, immediately east of the BP-operated Thunder Horse hub in the US Gulf of Mexico, according to records from the US Bureau of

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Global Mediator

Buffalo charge

Australian independent Carnarvon Petroleum has applied to the local regulator to drill one exploration well and possibly two appraisal wells in the Timor Sea. The company said it wants to drill the Buffalo East-1 exploration well in Block WA-523-P, and up to two appraisal wells (Buffalo East-2 and Buffalo East-3) in the same permit. Drilling is planned to take place by the third quarter of 2020.

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Global Mediator

Huge Adnoc survey starts

Chinese specialist BGP has started work on the giant $1.6 billion onshore and offshore seismic survey project for Abu Dhabi state oil company Adnoc that it was awarded this summer. The company has organised a crew made of 404 seismic workers including 24 Chinese and 380 local contractors to perform the onshore survey work, which started last weekend. The work is based on a contract signed in Jul

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Xu Yihe

Quieroz deal

Brazilian drilling contractor Queiroz Galvao Oil & Gas (QGOG) has confirmed it has signed an agreement to supply compatriot Queiroz Galvao E&P (QGEP) with a rig to spud one development well in the Atlanta field. QGEP chartered the drillship Laguna Star for a three-month period, renewable for an additional three months, with operations starting in the first quarter of 2019. QGEP is also expected

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Fabio Palmigiani

BP to add to Azeri presence

UK supermajor BP is expanding in Azerbaijan’s onshore play by acquiring a 61% operating stake in the South West Gobustan licence from a subsidiary of Vitol Group’s Arawak Energy, writes Kama Mustafayeva. The company plans to start exploring next year in the licence, which consists of three separate blocks covering a total of 600 square kilometres, about 50 kilometres from Baku. BP’s main interes

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Kama Mustafayeva

Equinor plans Caspian well

Norway’s Equinor is set to spud a well to appraise the Karabakh gas and condensate discovery in the northern part of Azerbaijan’s Caspian Sea late next year, writes Kama Mustafayeva. Equinor and Azeri state-owned player Socar will be equal partners for a development of Karabakh if the probe confirms the discovery is financially viable. “Equinor will start drilling in Karabakh in the second half

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Kama Mustafayeva

Drill plan process in spotlight

A draft agreement has been developed by various Canadian agencies to prepare the groundwork for regional environmental assessments of exploration drilling plans off Newfoundland & Labrador to help improve the existing environmental assessment process, writes Iain Esau. Currently, each offshore operator must submit separate, detailed environmental documents for proposed drilling programmes even th

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Iain Esau

Shell on the move in Qatar

Shell has joined a growing list of international oil companies confirming they are bidding to participate in Qatar's planned liquefied natural gas expansion, which aims to boost the nation's export capacity to as much as 100 million tonnes per annum, writes Nassir Shirkhani. The Anglo-Dutch supermajor's director of integrated gas and new energies, Maarten Wetselaar, said in Barcelona on the sid

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Nassir Shirkhani

Aker nets Campos bundle

Norway’s Aker Solutions has won a major contract to provide maintenance and modification services for nine platforms operating for Brazil’s Petrobras in the Marlim and Voador fields in the Campos basin, writes Fabio Palmigiani. Aker, through its local subsidiary CSE Mecanica & Instrumentacao, has been awarded a three-year contract worth more than 250 million reais ($60.2 million). The contract al

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Fabio Palmigiani

Tortue now online off Gabon

Oslo-listed BW Offshore has produced first oil from its Tortue field in the Dussafu Marine block off Gabon. The operator said first oil flowed on 16 September via the BW Adolo floating production, storage and offloading vessel. BW Offshore’s chief executive Carl Arnet said the project came on stream “within budget and on schedule”. He said that “execution of the project confirms the attractiven

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Iain Esau

Basin trio on radar for ONGC

India’s Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is expected to start production from as many as three new sedimentary basins over the next few years after recent hydrocarbon discoveries in the states of Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, writes Nishant Ugal. ONGC exploration director Ajay Kumar Dwivedi said production from the three new basins, which also include the Kutch basin off the west coast wher

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Nishant Ugal

Sole ahead of target for Cooper

Cooper Energy has moved ahead of schedule on developing its 100%-owned Sole gas project off Victoria in south-east Australia, writes Josh Lewis. Cooper managing director David Maxwell said that 70% of the offshore project had been completed by the end of August, beating the original target of 64%. He said the umbilicals were being loaded out from the UK, while offshore pipelay operations were al

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Global Mediator

Cameroon unrest grows ahead of election

Evidence is emerging of fresh attacks on civilians in the oil-rich Anglophone regions by both Cameroon security forces and by secessionist rebel militias with some 260 incidents recorded this year alone, according to a report this week from Amnesty International, writes Barry Morgan. Incidents are likely to rise further in the run-up to presidential elections on 7 October, the organisation warned

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Barry Morgan

Zanganeh to snub Opec date

Iranian oil minister to stay away from Algeria meeting

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Nassir Shirkhani

West Hercules is signed up

Norway's Equinor has signed on Seadrill's semi-submersible rig West Hercules for more exploration work next year. The rig is scheduled to drill two wells starting in the spring of 2019, possibly followed by up to nine optional wells. The contract is based on a master framework agreement between Equinor and Seadrill. Equinor is about to spud the first of three Barents Sea wildcats scheduled for

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Beate Schjølberg

IOG close to Harvey charter

Independent Oil & Gas is closing in on chartering a rig for an appraisal well on its Harvey gas discovery off the UK, which is set to spud in January. The London-listed player said the award of rig and well services contracts are imminent, while Fraser Well Management has been handed the contract to manage and operate the well. IOG has received Harvey 3D data reprocessed by Schlumberger Western

Weekly  upstreamonline.com 20 Sep 22:00 GMT Eoin O'Cinneide