e-Auction NEWS

As the US drilling industry sails through a rough patch, the auction market has once again become active. On Friday, a $500,000-worth Caterpillar oil swabbing rig was being auctioned by Auctioneer Greg Highsmith before a North Dakotan buyer paid $27,500. Auctions are likely to remain on the calendar throughout the year and into 2021.

The Brazilian oil regulators National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) has awarded Equinor exploration rights for the Uirapuru and Dois Irmãos blocks in the pre-salt area offshore Brazil. The Norwegian oil major joined forces with ExxonMobil (combined stake 28%) and Petrogal Brasil (14%) for the Uirapuru block, and with Petrobras and BP for the Dois Irmãos block. The exploration rights have added highly prospective acreage to Equinor’s exploration portfolio.