Platts Report: China Oil Demand Rises 2.9% in October from Year Ago
Nov 27, 2014
China's apparent oil demand in October rose 2.9% year over year to 42.65 million metric tons (mt), or an average 10.09 million barrels per day (b/d), according to a just-released Platts analysis of Chinese government data. The official data has also showed that China’s year-to-date import and export volumes between January and October are at a net balance.

Petrobras completes drilling of first appraisal well in the Libra Consortium area
Nov 26, 2014
On November 6, Petrobras completed the drilling of the first appraisal well in the Libra Consortium area, the 3-BRSA-1255 (3-RJS-731), known as NW1. Located in the Northwest portion of the Libra block, in the pre-salt layer of the Santos Basin, the well is approximately 4 km southeast of the discovery well, the 2-ANP-2A-RJS.

Subsea 7 S.A. awarded contract in Gulf of Mexico
Nov 25, 2014
Subsea 7 S.A. has been awarded a contract by Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) for installation work in the Gulf of Mexico. The contract value is in the range of $50 million to $100 million. The contract scope of work involves the installation of 27 miles of 8” Flowlines and Steel Catenary Risers (SCRs), with associated

Statoil drops out of Kwanza exploration drilling program
Nov 24, 2014
Statoil has decided to cancel the Stena Carron rig contract after fulfilling the work commitments in the Statoil-operated blocks 38 and 39 in the Kwanza basin offshore Angola. The rig contract will cease with effect from 21 November 2014.Statoil’s first well results from the area have been disappointing and although the company still sees remaining prospectivity in the basin and on the Statoil acreage, more time is needed to

DNV GL win multi service contract from Maersk Oil for Culzean project
Nov 21, 2014
DNV GL has secured a multi-million pound project from Maersk Oil North Sea UK (MOUK) for the Culzean field development project. Elisabeth Tørstad, CEO, Oil & Gas signed the contract on 24th October at the DNV GL office in Esbjerg.The scope includes Independent Competent Person (ICP) Verification, Independent Verification Body (IVB), Pressure Equipment Directive

Technip introduces the Deep Explorer Diving Support Vessel
Nov 20, 2014
Technip has unveiled the name for its latest newbuild Diving Support Vessel (DSV), currently being built by Vard. The state-of-the-art vessel will be known as the ‘Deep Explorer’.The high-specification vessel will be equipped with the latest technology in terms of navigation (Dynamic Positioning class 3) and will feature a 24-man saturated dive system.

Chevron confirms first oil production from Tubular Bells in the Gulf of Mexico
Nov 18, 2014
Chevron Corporation says that the Hess Corporation-operated Tubular Bells deepwater project, located in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, has started crude oil and natural gas production. The field is located 135 miles (217 km) southeast of New Orleans, in approximately 4,300 feet (1,310 m) of water in the Mississippi Canyon area. The discovery well was drilled in 2003, and project construction began in October 2011.

Cathelco receives AMS approval for BWT system
Nov 17, 2014
Cathelco have received Alternate Management Systems (AMS) acceptance from the U.S. Coast Guard for their ballast water treatment system. AMS acceptance is a temporary designation given to ballast water treatment systems approved by a foreign administration. It enables BWT systems to be used on vessels for a period of up to five years, while the treatment system undergoes approval testing to Coast Guard standards.

DNV GL tackles corrosion and integrity of ageing wells with new JIP
Nov 14, 2014
The global oil and gas industry is now facing the reality that many of its on and offshore wells are being used beyond the original lifespan. This presents significant uncertainty around the integrity, safety and productivity of the remaining service life. DNV GL has established a Joint Industry Project (JIP) to develop

Petrobras reaches its highest historical monthly oil production in Brazil
Nov 13, 2014
Petrobras' consolidated oil and gas production, in Brazil and abroad, reached 2 million 795 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) in October, up 0.5% from September's production of 2 million 781 thousand boed. Oil production in Brazil rose 0.4% in relation to September and reaches a new record

Wärtsilä expands its valve range in duplex and super duplex materials
Nov 12, 2014
Wärtsilä Shipham Valves has extended its full range of duplex and super duplex stainless steel valves to cover higher pressure ratings. This portfolio expansion means that Wärtsilä is able to provide customers with all the corrosion resistant valves needed for their entire project from a single source. This will significantly reduce both the costs and complexity of the procurement process.

Coretrax officially launches game-changing product to Market
Nov 11, 2014
Coretrax is launching its award-winning CX-IST (Inflation Support Tool) to the oil and gas market at ADIPEC, following a $3 million development investment.The company will unveil its ground-breaking cement placement technology during ADIPEC, which is one of the top three oil and gas events in the world. The product significantly reduces rig time, offering substantial cost savings.

Statoil strengthens its position on the UK Continental Shelf
Nov 10, 2014
Statoil was awarded interests in 12 new licences, 9 as Operator, in the 28th licensing round on the UK Continental Shelf, announced by the Department

Statoil to suspend two new rigs due to overcapacity
Nov 7, 2014
Statoil has decided to suspend two new rigs due to overcapacity in the rig portfolio. Transocean Spitsbergen and Songa Trym will be suspended through 2014, a period which might be extended. The exploration programme in the Barents Sea for 2014 is nearing completion. After Transocean Spitsbergen has completed the Saturn well the rig will cut and retrieve a wellhead in the Mercury exploration well. The job is estimated to be finished in mid-November.

Seadrill Limited to sell the ultra-deepwater drillship the West Vela to Seadrill Partners
Nov 6, 2014
Seadrill Limited has entered into an agreement with Seadrill Partners pursuant to which the Company will sell to Seadrill Capricorn Holdings LLC, Seadrill Partners' 51% owned subsidiary (Capricorn Holdings), all of the ownership interests in the entities that own and operate the drillship, the West Vela (the "Vela Acquisition").

Petrobras and PPSA sign PIA for Tartaruga Mestiça field in Campos Basin
Nov 5, 2014
Petrobras and PPSA (Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A.) signed a Production Individualization Agreement (PIA) for the Tartaruga Mestiça field, in the southern part of the Campos Basin. This Agreement sets out the rules for joint production of oil and natural gas and the development of operations in the area, as well as the interest of each party.

Statoil's Johan Sverdrup field generating enormous value
Nov 4, 2014
The gigantic Johan Sverdrup field, one of the most profitable industrial projects in Norway over coming decades, will provide enormous value. Construction of the first phase may lead to 51,000 man-years related to Norwegian deliveries, and the field may produce revenues amounting to NOK 1350 billion. The project will provide new knowledge, new solutions and new opportunities.

InterMoor completes Red Hawk spar decommissioning contract
Nov 3, 2014
InterMoor, an Acteon company, has successfully completed its contract supporting the decommissioning of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation’s Red Hawk spar in the Gulf of Mexico. The Red Hawk spar is the deepest floating production platform to date to be decommissioned in the Gulf of Mexico. It is also the first spar decommissioned in the “Rigs-to-Reefs” programme,

New Environmental Monitoring Solution for Gas Hydrate Exploration and Production to be developed
Oct 31, 2014
Kongsberg Maritime Embient, with KONGSBERG partner company Contros Systems and Solutions, has been selected to develop and deliver innovative technologies and strategies for environmental monitoring during Gas Hydrate exploration and production as part of the EU ‘SUGAR’ (Submarine Gas Hydrate Reservoirs) project.

World’s first subsea wet gas compressor one step closer to Gullfaks
Oct 30, 2014
The world’s first subsea wet gas compressor station is now ready for the final testing at Horsøy outside Bergen before being prepared for installation and hook-up to Gullfaks C in 2015. By adding 22 million extra barrels of oil equivalent from the Gullfaks South Brent reservoir the compressor will help extend the field’s productive life.

Cargo no. 500 leaves Snøhvit
Oct 29, 2014
The special vessel Arctic Voyager is the 500th to visit Melkøya and Hammerfest to carry product from the Snøhvit plant. The vessel will freight a cargo of LNG from Melkøya, Norway to Aliaga, Turkey. With this cargo, the Snøhvit plant has produced and delivered LNG worth NOK 82 billion since start-up in 2007. In addition, considerable value has been added through the export of LPG and condensate from the field.

Fugro offers high resolution subsea laser scanning
Oct 28, 2014
Fugro has expanded its services for the offshore oil and gas sector with the addition of high resolution subsea laser scanning. This specialist technology can be applied to a wide range of subsea services including metrology, field mapping, structure mapping, change detection and integrity management.

Next generation Wärtsilä WST-14 steerable thruster design awarded exceptional classification approval
Oct 27, 2014
The DNV-GL classification society has approved the design of the Wärtsilä WST-14 thruster, thus indicating that the design fully complies with the classification rules. This is an exceptional case since the approval has been granted based on a thruster design that has yet to be introduced into full series production.

Chevron makes oil discovery in deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico
Oct 24, 2014
Chevron Corporation has made a new oil discovery at the Guadalupe prospect in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The Keathley Canyon Block 10 Well No. 1 encountered significant oil pay in the Lower Tertiary Wilcox Sands. The well is located approximately 180 miles off the Louisiana coast in 3,992 feet of water and was drilled to a depth of 30,173 feet.