Jun 19, 2013 - A Technical Committee Meeting of the joint-venture partners in the Norfolk prospect was recently hosted by First Oil Expro in Aberdeen. First Oil (35%) serves as the operator of Norfolk and has identified a potential well location after completing a detailed evaluation of 2D seismic data that was acquired in November 2012. Further evaluation will be done in the coming months and each partner will have the chance to consider its level of participation in the well. The joint-venture partners include Premiere Oil (25%), North Sea Energy (20%) and Cairn (20%). Norfolk is located in blocks 12/16b and 12/17b in the Inner Moray Firth off the northeast coast of Scotland. P50 recoverable resources have been estimated at 47 MMbbls.

Jun 19, 2013 - Development drilling is underway on Ithaca Energy's Stella field in the UK North Sea. Ithaca contracted the Ensco 100 (350' ILC) to carry out the campaign. Well 30/6a-A1 is the first of four wells that will be drilled and completed for the initial development. Three of the wells will be drilled horizontally into the oil rim of the field with the fourth being highly deviated to target gas condensate on the crest of the structure. A duration of 80 to 90 days has been scheduled to drill each well. Ithaca's partners in the development consist of Dyas UK (25.34%) and Petrofac (20%).

Jun 19, 2013 - Coastal Energy recently provided an update on its development and exploration efforts in the Gulf of Thailand. The Bua Ban North B-17 well was drilled to 3,800 feet total vertical depth (TVD) and encountered 34 net feet of pay in the M100 Miocene reservoir. Additionally, reservoir quality sands with significant oil shows were encountered in deeper Miocene intervals which could possibly add to the field's resource base. In block G5/50, the Ko Kra A-1 exploration well was drilled to 8,330 feet TVD. Tertiary rock similar to the producing rock in the Songkhla Basin was encountered. Commercial quantities of gas were not seen but gas shows indicate the presence of a working hydrocarbon system in the basin. The A-1 well has been plugged and abandoned.

Jun 18, 2013 - Aker Solutions has delivered to Statoil a steel template that will be installed at the Asgard field in the Norwegian North Sea. The template is the largest ever built by Aker and is designed to house equipment modules for the world's first subsea gas compression facility. It measures 242 feet in length, 148 feet in width and 85 feet in height. Once on-stream in 2015, the system will provide a needed boost to declining reservoir pressures at the Midgard and Mikkel satellite fields. Statoil and its partners estimate that subsea compression technology will enable the recovery of an additional 280 MMboe throughout the life of the Asgard development.

Jun 17, 2013 - Origin Energy announced the start of exploratory drilling operations on the Ca Voi (Whale) prospect in Block 121 offshore Vietnam. Ca Voi-1X is being drilled by the Ocean General (mid-water semisub) in 885 feet of water in the largely untested Phu Khanh Basin. Origin plans to plug and abandon the well upon reaching the proposed total depth of 12,372 feet.

Jun 17, 2013 - Ithaca Energy and Euroil Exploration, a wholly owned subsidiary of Edison International, have entered into a farm-out agreement for licenses P1631 and P1832 in the UK North Sea. Ithaca's Handcross prospect covers portions of each license. Upon completion of the farm-out, the Handcross partners will include Ithaca (45%) as operator, Euroil (25%), RWE (20%) and Sussex Energy (10%). The agreement is subject to normal regulatory and third party approvals before completion. A well is expected to be drilled on the prospect in late 2013 using the Stena Carron (UDW drillship).

Jun 17, 2013 - Development drilling is underway at Lundin Petroleum's Brynhild field in license PL148 on the Norwegian side of the Norway/UK maritime border. Brynhild is being developed with 4 wells tied-back to the Haewene Brim FPSO stationed in the Shell-operated Pierce field in the UK sector of the North Sea. Installation of the subsea template and manifold has taken place and topside modifications are underway onboard the FPSO. The development drilling program is being carried out by the Maersk Guardian (350' ILC) and is expected to continue through 2Q 2014. Initial production is expected in 3Q 2013.

Jun 14, 2013 - Total E&P has secured the services of EPC Offshore to support the development of the Edradour gas and condensate discovery in block 206/4 on the UK continental shelf. EPC will provide project management services for the development as part of a 6-month contract worth more than $400,000. Edradour was discovered in 2010 and will be tiebacked to the West of Shetland Laggan-Tormore development project. Total operates Edradour with 75% interest while it partner, DONG, maintains the remaining 25% interest. The partners expect the discovery to begin producing in 2016.

Jun 14, 2013 - The Stena Clyde (mid-water semisub) has spud the second well in its current drilling program in the Gulf of Papua off Papua New Guinea. Hagana-1 is being drilled in PPL 244 in almost 350 feet of water. The rig is expected to be on location for roughly 40 days as it tests the Pleistocene sandstone structure. Oil Search (40%) operates the license with support from its partners Total (40%) and Nippon Oil (20%). Hagana has been estimated to contain up to 1.3 Tcf of mean, unrisked, prospective gas resources.

Jun 14, 2013 - Nido Petroleum, operator of Service Contract 58, secured a 6-month extension to its Election to Drill Date from its joint venture partner PNOC Exploration. The extension gives Nido until January 11, 2014 to make the decision to drill one of the prospects identified in the area. Located adjacent to the Malampaya gas field, SC58 covers almost 3,335,922 acres. Water depth exceeds 3,280 feet over most of the block. Promising prospects located in the license include Balyena, Butanding and Dorado.

Jun 14, 2013 - Noble Energy announced results from the second appraisal well drilled on the Gunflint discovery in Mississippi Canyon block 948 in the US Gulf of Mexico. The well was drilled by the Ensco 8501 (DW semisub) to a depth of 32,800 feet. A net pay of 109 feet was encountered within the primary reservoir targets. Logging results confirmed an estimated gross resource range of 65 to 90 MMboe in the main target. An adjacent three-way structure is a candidate for future exploration. Noble and its partners are likely to develop the discovery as a subsea tieback with project sanction expected later 2013.

Jun 13, 2013 - Otto Energy received a 6-month extension from the Philippines Department of Energy for Exploration Sub-Phase 3 of Service Contract (SC) 69. Sub-Phase 3, which began February 7, 2011, now has an effective expiration date of November 7, 2013. Three potential drilling targets, Lampos, Lampos South and Managau East, were identified with 3D seismic that was acquired in 2011. Otto will use the extension to complete outstanding technical work, begin well planning and start a farm-down process.

Jun 13, 2013 - Ithaca Energy signed a $200 million managed services contract with Wood Group PSN (WGPSN). The life-of-field contract is a continuation of a contract that WGPSN was awarded in 2008. Terms dictate that WGPSN will operate and manage the Beatrice Alpha and Bravo platforms and the Nigg onshore terminal until the end of their operational life. Production started at Beatrice in 1981 with an estimated 30-year lifespan. Several asset life extension programs have been carried out that have greatly increased the life of the field.

Jun 13, 2013 - AMEC has been contracted by Xcite Energy to provide engineering services to support development of the Bentley field in the UK North Sea. Both companies have also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop a wider service agreement for the field relating to development scope and ongoing field operations. The MOU includes project and program management and controls, engineering and design through the FEED stage and beyond, fabrication management, sub-contractor management, hook-up and commissioning, operations and maintenance planning and duty holder services.

Jun 13, 2013 - ConocoPhillips and Karoon Gas Australia, partners in WA-398-P, have been forced to sidetrack an exploration well being drilled on the Proteus prospect being drilled by the Transocean Legend (mid-water semisub) off Western Australia. Proteus-1ST1 was successfully kicked-off and drilled to 14,740 feet where a well control event forced the partners to shut-in the well. Drilling will continue once the well control issues are remedied.