US independent Hess has resumed deep-water exploration drilling in the same block off Western Australia (WA) where it made three discoveries last year.

Singapore listed Otto Marine said its joint venture with GC Rieber has cancelled a newbuild order worth €23.5 million ($33.1 million) with its shipyard.

Australian Worldwide Exploration is set to deepen the Apium North-1 gas exploration well in the onshore North Perth basin after wireline logs found the primary target Dongara sandstone was dry.

Russia has offered Turkey a role in its South Stream gas pipeline to Europe, Russian news agencies reported yesterday, marking another Russian attempt to undermine the European Union's rival Nabucco project.

Sembcorp Marine offshoot Jurong Shipyard has sealed a second order from UK-based SeaDragon unit Oban B to complete and deliver a semi-submersible drilling unit.

Iraq is still negotiating with Japan's Nippon Oil and Italy’s Eni over the huge Nassiriya oilfield, Iraqi oil officials said yesterday.

Construction of a liquefied natural gas processing plant in western Australia looks increasingly unlikely due to escalating costs and discord among joint venture partners.

Repsol subsidiary YPF has won a bid to explore for oil in offshore blocks near the coast of Uruguay, the company said.

UK-based BG Group exercised an option for a gas development block offshore southeast Trinidad, preempting a $142.5 million offer by Centrica.

PDVSA will register its $3 billion bond offering in international markets, making it easier for investors to use the securities to obtain dollars before they mature in 2011.

Savanna Energy Services has entered into a contract with a large US based, multi-service provider to deploy four existing rigs from its Canadian/US fleet into the Chicontepec region in central eastern Mexico.

India's Reliance Industries said today it would appeal to the Supreme Court against a ruling that it should enter into a gas supply agreement with former group firm Reliance Natural Resources.

One of the main unions representing the UK offshore oil and gas industry responded angrily today to plans from oil giant BP and its contractors to reduce wages in order to cut costs.

The Norwegian government has kicked off seismic surveys in the Troms II area near the scenic Lofoten islands, which environmental groups say should be permanently out of bounds to oil and gas drilling.

Nearly thirty people are feared dead after an offshore support vessel capsized and sank off Qatar.

Oklahoma independent SandRidge Energy netted about $58 million from the sale of its drilling rights in East Texas below the depth of the Cotton Valley formation.

Norwegian seismic outfit Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) has named its newest vessel, the Ramform Sterling, at the shipyard where it is being built in Tomrefjord, Norway.

Norwegian group Boa Offshore has established a new offshore contracting unit based in Houston named Boa Marine Services under former Aker Marine Contractors US president Helge Roraas.

Brazilian state-controlled oil company Petrobras expects to sell at least $500 million of 2019 global bonds in a re-opening expected to finish as early today, according to sources.

Turkmen leader Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov today invited Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Turkmenistan for the first meeting since the start of a gas row which has halted Turkmen gas shipments to Russia.

Russian energy giant Gazprom has inadvertently walked into an online racism debate with the announcement of its new joint venture in Nigeria - Nigaz.

Iraq today approved a contract for BP and China National Petroleum Corporation to expand its massive Rumaila oilfield but rejected other bids for deals it had hoped would revive its struggling oil and gas sector.

London-based subsea services company Acergy said today it has won a SURF contract from BHP Billiton for construction support services for a floating production storage offloading project off Western Australia.

ExxonMobil has sold a 20% share in two offshore exploration blocks in Indonesia to Malaysia's state oil company Petronas, an official at the country's energy watchdog said today.

Geophysical services company Arkex said today it has been awarded a contract by Cairn Energy and partner Nunaoil to carry out the first ever marine gravity gradiometry survey off the western coast of Greenland.

China secured access to vast oil deposits in western Kazakhstan today after the energy-rich Central Asian nation said it had completed the expansion of a major oil pipeline to its eastern neighbour.

Aberdeen-based AGR Petroleum Services has scooped up a £1 million ($1.64 million) contract from North Sea operator Premier Oil to provide subsurface management services.

Russia's Gazprom plans to issue a$1.5 billion of Eurobonds and will use part of the proceeds to finance the acquisition by its oil arm, Gazprom Neft, of Sibir Energy, according to reports.

Poland hopes to sign an agreement with Russia's Gazprom by the end of August to increase gas supplies by 2 billion to 3 billion cubic metres from 2010, a PGNiG official said today.

Kazakh oil producer Zhaikmunai said today it was in talks with lenders about possible waivers on its debt covenants after "various events of default" led to a $100 million credit line being cut off.

Norway's Siem Offshore said today it has raised Nkr900 million ($140.9 million) in a private placement at Nkr8.5 per share, providing it with finance for its entire newbuilding programme.

Aker Solutions has expanded its Batam plant by 50% after investing $17 million into the upgrading of the manufacturing facility for subsea trees and wellheads.

First oil has flowed from the Petrofac Energy operated Don Southwest field in Block 211/18a off the UK and two production wells are now on-stream.

Norwegian shipowner GC Reiber said today it has cancelled the order for newbuild 7037 due to ‘significant delays’.

Norway-based Flex LNG is targeting to start up liquefied natural gas production from a gas field in the Timor Sea as early as late 2013.

Equatorial Guinea's state-owned company Sonagas expects to receive a master plan on 7 July that could pave the way for the country’s second liquefied natural gas train.

The Galoc oil field in the Philippines Service Contract 54 remains shut-in after the passing of a bad weather spell, as its operator struggles to reconnect the Rubicon Intrepid floating production, storage and offloading vessel.

India's Reliance Industries said it could not sign a gas supply agreement with Reliance Natural Resources as there was no clarity on government approval for the terms.

A unit of France's Total has signed a deal to supply an Indonesian power plant belonging to a district company in East Kalimantan province, an official at the regional company said today.

Oil prices fell today to settle at $69 after government data showed an increase in US gasoline inventories ahead of the 4 July Independence Day holiday, traditionally the peak of the summer driving season.

Australia’s Victoria Petroleum (VicPet) said wireline logs run in the Snatcher-1 exploration well has confirmed the presence of oil in the wildcat drilled in the PEL 111 permit of the Cooper basin.

The first coalbed methane reserves in the Tilbrook and Paranui pilots of the Queensland’s Bowen basin have been certified to be over 400 petajoules (PJ), according to Australia’s Westside Corporation.

South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries yesterday held a keel-laying ceremony for the Usan floating, production, storage and offloading vessel in the specially designed H-dock.

Indonesia’s Pertamina is exploring a joint bid with two other partners for West Qurna block onshore Iraq.