Offshore NEWS

Transocean has entered into an agreement with its customer, Equinor, wherein the company will license and install Automated Drilling Control (ADC). ADC will be installed on the four rigs which are currently working in Norway and the fifth rig which is expected to commence its operations soon in the Norweigan sea. CEO commented, "The ADC upgrades advance our automation efforts and further enhance our industry-leading fleet of semi-submersibles".

Qatar-based Nakilat has entered into an agreement with EPC giant, McDermott to form a joint venture, which will provide onshore and offshore fabrication services in Qatar. The formation of the joint venture is in line with Qatar’s recent localisation program, which aims at enhancing the resilience of the energy sector’s supply chain. The strategic partnership will boost productivity levels at Nakilat’s world-class Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard.

Oil supermajor ExxonMobil has awarded a contract extension to Rowan’s Relentless Drillship for further operations. In a company statement, Rowan Companies plc announced that its R-Class ultra-deepwater drillship, Rowan Relentless will continue its operations for another 180 days in the US Gulf of Mexico. The drillship has been under contract by ExxonMobil from September 2018.

Indonesian oil major, Petronas has awarded Rowan Companies a drilling rig contract for its operations, offshore Mexico. The US-based offshore drilling contractor will deploy Rowan Renaissance, an R-Class ultra-deepwater drillship, for the one-well contract in Mexico. The 80-day contract is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2019. The Rowan Renaissance is currently deployed in Gulf of Mexico under a contract with French supermajor Total.

Australia-based Otto Energy has discovered oil and gas in the Lightning prospect on the US Gulf Coast. In an announcement, Otto stated that the Green-1 well was drilled to its final total depth of 4,638 metres by its partner, Hilcorp Energy. Otto Energy entered a farm-in agreement with Hilcorp, last year. The Green-1 Well is second in line of a planned eight-well exploration program.

Vryhof, a partner to Deep Sea Mooring (DSM), has signed a multi-year agreement with the leading offshore drilling company, Diamond Offshore. Under the scope of the agreement, mooring and related equipment will be provided by DSM to various Diamond rigs and will also assist in the development of Diamond’s industry leading Mooring Integrity Management System (MIMS) for offshore operations.

EPC giant, McDermott International has secured a contract for deepwater subsea pipeline tiebacks and structures from the Stonefly development to the Ram Powell platform. The contract awarded by LLOG Exploration includes project management, installation engineering, subsea structure and spoolbase stalk fabrication, and subsea installation of the subsea infrastructure. McDermott will additionally design, fabricate and install a steel catenary riser, a pipeline end manifold and two in-line sleds.

EPC giant, McDermott International has secured an EPC contract from BP Trinidad & Tobago, LLC. McDermott will carry out the engineering, procurement, construction, hook-up and commissioning of the Cassia Compression Platform, offshore Trinidad. Brownfield modifications at Cassia B are also a part of the scope of the contract. McDermott will provide engineering services from its offices in Houston, Chennai and Dubai.

In an attempt to expand its oil and gas transport solutions in Middle East, Netherlands-based Mammoet has joined hands with Dubai-based Astro Offshore. Mammoet, which provides engineered heavy lifting and transport services, is looking to grow its capability to provide onshore and offshore transport solutions for oil and gas construction projects in the Middle East. Astro Offshore provides services throughout Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Australian oil and gas giant, Santos has informed about producing first oil from the Van Gogh infill project, offshore Western Australia. The project, which commenced in September of 2018, involved drilling of two subsea wells and their completion. The wells were, then, connected into existing offshore infrastructure. Santos holds 52.5% stakes and the operatorship of the Van Gogh-Coniston-Novara project.

Supermajor BP has announced an investment of $1.3 billion to expand its Atlantis development in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil major will construct a new subsea production system, which will be used to tie eight new wells into the existing Atlantis platform. BP’s advanced seismic imaging has revealed the existence of an additional 400 million barrels of oil at the Atlantis field.

Italian oil major, Eni has reached an agreement with Caelus Natural Resources Alaska LLC to acquire 70% stakes in Alaska’s Oooguruk oil field. Eni already has 30% stakes in the field, and will now gain complete ownership and operatorship of the field. With the acquisition of Oooguruk, Eni’s production from Alaska will be boosted by approximately 7,000 bopd gross.

Supermajor Total has informed about initiating production from the Egina field, offshore Nigeria. Egina field is estimated to produce 200,000 bopd. The field is being developed using Total’s largest ever Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit. A 30% reduction in the drilling time per well has allowed Total to achieve the startup approximately 10% less than the initial budget.

On Wednesday, OMV announced that it has signed a concession agreement with ADNOC. After this agreement, the Austrian oil and gas group will get 5% stakes in the Ghasha offshore gas and condensate fields which in turn will increase its prominence in the region. The Ghasha project of ADNOC includes three major development plans- Hail, Ghasha and Dalma.

EPC giant, McDermott Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd has signed up Aqualis Offshore for its engineering reviews and marine warranty services. Aqualis will stay associated with McDermott for five years on the contract, supporting McDermott’s offshore operations in the Asia Pacific region. Under the scope of the agreement, Aqualis Offshore will provide engineering reviews and approvals, vessel surveys, towage approvals and marine warranty services for McDermott’s projects.

Mexico-based Sierra Oil & Gas has inked an agreement with German E&P firm, Deutsche Erdoel AG (DEA AG) to integrate its business with DEA AG’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Deutsche Erdoel México. The integration will expand DEA AG’s portfolio in Mexico to ten exploration blocks and one onshore production block. The transaction is estimated to be completed during the first half of 2019.

Apache Corporation has informed about beginning oil production at its Garten well in the UK North Sea. The first successful exploration well was drilled in March 2018. First oil from the Garten well came by the end of November this year. Apache had anticipated oil production from well to kick start in 2019. The well is currently producing 13,700 bpd of oil and 15.7m cubic feet of gas.

Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum has informed that the EPCI contract of the offshore subsea system was granted to EPC giant, TechnipFMC and VanOord. More than 75 Tcf of natural gas resources have been discovered in the Mozambique’s Offshore Area 1. Anadarko’s partners at Mozambique LNG project are ENH, Mitsui E&P, ONGC Videsh, Bharat PetroResources, PTT Exploration & Production and Oil India.