Apr 30, 2012 - ATP Oil & Gas Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiary ATP East Med B.V. have initiated drilling at the Shimshon well in the Levant Basin offshore Israel using the ENSCO 5006 (DW semisub). The Shimshon well resides in a water depth of 3,622 feet (1,104 meters) with a target depth of 14,764 feet (4,500 meters). After spud, several protective casing strings will be set until the well has penetrated the salt layer, said the operator. A full set of electric logs will be run at total depth to assist in evaluation of target reservoirs. ATP expects to announce results during the third quarter of 2012.

Apr 30, 2012 - Technip has received a FEED contract from BP for the Mad Dog phase two project. The contract covers the design of a spar hull and mooring systems for the development, located near Green Canyon Block 825 in the Gulf of Mexico. This first award comes under the framework of the 10-year spar platform master services agreement signed in 2011. The Mad Dog Phase 2 Spar will be located near the first Mad Dog Spar delivered by Technip for BP in 2004, and installed on Green Canyon 782. Detailed engineering for the new spar is scheduled to start during the second half of 2012.

Apr 27, 2012 - BPZ Energy has formed an unincorporated joint venture with Pacific Rubiales to explore and develop Block Z-1 offshore Peru. The agreement calls for Pacific Rubiales to pay $150 million in cash and is subject to a commitment of $185 million for BPZ's share of capital and exploratory expenditures in Z-1, for their assumption of a 49 percent participating interest in Block Z-1. The block spans 555,000 acres and holds two producing fields, Corvina and Albacora, which averaged 3,880 bopd in the first quarter of 2012. BPZ Energy said it also contains several prospects and leads in water depths ranging from 200 to 1,000 feet. Under the terms of the agreement, BPZ will remain as operator, holding a 51% participating interest, while Pacific Rubiales assumes a 49% participating interest.

Apr 26, 2012 - EnQuest has increased its interest in the Kraken oil discovery to 60 percent. It is buying 15 percent of the project from venture partner First Oil, paying between $90 million and $144 million. Kraken is currently estimated to contain 167 million barrels of oil, following an independent assessment in March. EnQuest is now the operator and majority stakeholder in the oil field. Nautical has a 25 percent stake in the venture, while First Oil retains 15%.

Apr 26, 2012 - Noreco has completed the drilling of wildcat well 7228/1-1 on the Eik prospect in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 5,486 feet (1,672 meters) in a water depth of 1,155 feet (352 meters). It was terminated in the Kobbe formation in Middle Triassic. The well's primary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Jurassic and Triassic reservoir rocks (the Realgrunnen subgroup). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in the Snadd and Kobbe formations of Late and Middle Triassic Age. The well encountered reservoir rocks with reservoir quality as expected in both exploration targets and with weak traces of petroleum in the main target. Data acquisition has been carried out, but all levels are water wet. The well is dry.

Apr 26, 2012 - Statoil has farmed into the Deepwater Tano/Cape Three Points license offshore Ghana, which is operated by Hess. Two wells have already been drilled in the DWT/CTP license with a third well, Hickory North-1, underway. Results from this well are expected within the end of second quarter of this year. Hess operates the 518,921 acre (2,100 square kilometer) license with a 90 percent working interest and carries Ghana National Petroleum Corporations (GNPC) costs through the exploration phase. Statoil will assume a 35-percent working interest in the license with Hess retaining a 55 percent working interest and GNPC holding the remaining 10 percent carried interest.

Apr 26, 2012 - Hess is currently drilling the Hickory North-1 well in the DWT/CTP license offshore Ghana. Results from this well are expected within the end of the second quarter of 2012. Hess operates the 518,921 acre (2,100 square kilometer) license with a 35 percent working interest. The Stena DrillMax (UDW drillship) is drilling the well.

Apr 26, 2012 - TPAO, the national oil and gas company of Turkey, awarded GSP Jupiter (ILC jackup) a contract for offshore drilling services. The jackup will drill the Istranca-1 well, plus one optional well, on Block 3920 in the Turkish sector of the Black Sea.

Apr 26, 2012 - RWE Dea has found additional gas in the Zidane field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The operator said the gas discovery increases the total value of the license with preliminary estimates of the size of the discovery ranging between 4 and 13 Bcm of recoverable gas. The well encountered gas in a 459 feet (140 meter) column in the Fangst group, and hydrocarbon-bearing rocks in the secondary objectives. The well was drilled to a total vertical depth of 14,875 feet (4,534 meters) below the sea surface and terminated in the Early Jurassic Tilje formation. Water depth of the site is 1,309 feet (399 meters). RWE Dea plans to analyze the well results and move into the next phase of field development.

Apr 26, 2012 - OGX has identified the presence of hydrocarbons in carbonate reservoirs in the Albian section of well 1-OGX-79-RJS in Block BM-C-39 in the shallow waters of the Campos Basin. A hydrocarbon column of approximately 492 feet (150 meters) was encountered in carbonate reservoirs of the Albian section with about 210 feet (64 meters) of net pay. The drilling of well OGX-79, known as Itacoatiara, was concluded at a final depth of 6,660 feet (2,030 meters). OGX said the Itacoatiara accumulation (OGX-79) expands the Waikiki Complex, and together with the Tubarao Martelo field and Pero and Inga accumulations. Drill stem tests will be conducted to obtain more information on this accumulation. The proximity of Itacoatiara accumulation to the other Waikiki Complex accumulations, a distance of about 2 miles (4 kilometers), facilitates their integration and development, in addition to accelerating the monetization of the discovered resources. The ENSCO 5004 (mid-water semisub) drilled the well in a water depth of 335 feet (102 meters).

Apr 25, 2012 - Wintershall has received consent to carry out exploratory drilling of well 33/6-4 with the Borgland Dolphin (mid-water semisub). Well 33/6-4 lies in Production License 370 in the northern part of the North Sea in a water depth of 1,076 feet (328 meters). Drilling operations are set to begin in mid-May and last about 46 days.

Apr 25, 2012 - OGX has declared the Waikiki oil field commercial, making it the company's first commercial declaration of an offshore oil discovery. The Waikiki field will be renamed Tubarao Martelo or Hammerhead Shark. The development plan for the oil field is being finalized and will be submitted to ANP soon. OGX estimates the field holds recoverable reserves of 285 million barrels of oil with production expected to start in the second half of 2013.

Apr 25, 2012 - Kiewit-Kvaerner Contractors has been authorized by ExxonMobil Canada Properties to proceed with the Hebron Project gravity based structure (GBS) project in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The authorization follows substantial completion of front-end engineering and design (FEED) services and awards the next phase, which includes detailed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) related services.

Apr 25, 2012 - The Department of Energy and Climate Change has approved Premier's Field Development Plan for the Solan field in the UK sector of the North Sea. The Premier-operated Solan field is expected to produce approximately 40 million barrels of oil with an estimated initial production rate of 24,000 bopd commencing in the fourth quarter of 2014. This is a significant project which will entail the drilling of four subsea wells (two producers and two water injectors) tied-back to a processing deck supported by a jacket. It is planned that the facilities will not be permanently manned after one year of operations. Oil will be stored in a subsea tank prior to being offloaded to shuttle tankers. Premier has entered into an agreement with Awilco Drilling for the provision of the WilPhoenix (mid-water semisub) for Solan. Drilling will commence in the second quarter of 2013. It is expected that the packages for the procurement and fabrication of the topsides and jacket will be awarded shortly to Burntisland Fabricators while the contract for the installation of the jacket, topsides and subsea tank has been awarded to Heerema.

Apr 25, 2012 - The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Centrica Resources a drilling permit for wellbore 6506/11-9 to be drilled by the West Alpha (mid-water semisub). The drilling program for wellbore 6506/11-9 S relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in Production License 477. This is the first well to be drilled in the license. Centrica Resources operates the license with a 40% stake; while Faroe holds 30%; and Suncor Energy holds 30%.