Petrobras said to start asset sale with fields in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES (Bloomberg) -- Petroleo Brasileiro SA, the state-controlled company at the center of Brazil’s biggest corruption scandal, agreed to sell oil and natural gas fields in southern Argentina to billionaire Eduardo Eurnekian’s Corporacion America, two people with knowledge of the deal said. More »

U.S. oil rigs drop for 16th straight week, Baker Hughes says

HOUSTON (Bloomberg) -- U.S. drillers targeting oil idled rigs for the 16th straight week, extending an unprecedented cutback in drilling, and dragging the total rig count down to the lowest level in more than five years. More »

Halliburton, Baker Hughes merger approved by stockholders

Halliburton Company announced Friday that its stockholders approved Halliburton’s proposal to issue shares of Halliburton common stock as contemplated by its merger agreement with Baker Hughes. More »

Halliburton, Baker Hughes stockholders approve merger

Halliburton Company announced Friday that its stockholders approved Halliburton’s proposal to issue shares of Halliburton common stock as contemplated by its merger agreement with Baker Hughes. More »

Schlumberger introduces coiled tubing real-time selective perforating, activation system

Schlumberger has announced the release of the ACTive OptiFIRE coiled tubing (CT) real-time selective perforating and activation system that enables perforating with CT fiber-optic real-time telemetry. More »

Schlumberger, Chevron Energy Technology sign software agreement

Schlumberger has announced the signing of a long-term software contract with Chevron Energy Technology Company (ETC), a division of Chevron U.S.A. More »

Polarled pipe-laying underway, Statoil says

The Solitaire pipe-laying vessel started the first stage of the Polarled installation project on Thursday, Statoil has reported. The 482-km long pipeline will transport gas from Aasta Hansteen field, in the Norwegian Sea, to Nyhamna, in western Norway. More »

Cray to deliver supercomputer to PGS

Cray Inc. has been awarded a contract to provide Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) with a Cray XC40 supercomputer and a Cray Sonexion 2000 storage system. More »

Chevron plans to sell 50% of Caltex Australia for $3.6 billion

Chevron Corp. plans to sell its 50% stake in Caltex Australia Ltd. to institutional investors for about A$4.6 billion ($3.6 billion) as the second-biggest U.S. energy producer accelerates asset sales. More »

CNOOC surprises with 6.6% gain in annual profit as peers slump

CNOOC, China’s biggest offshore explorer, reported a 6.6% percent increase in annual profit even as the plunge in crude prices hit explorers across the world. More »

Chevron pulls out of Australian gas project with Beach Energy

Chevron Corp. withdrew from a natural gas exploration venture in central Australia, as the second-biggest U.S. energy producer curtails spending. More »

Statoil to set world record with Polarled pipe-laying project

On Mar. 26, the Solitaire pipe-laying vessel initiated on the first stage of the Polarled installation project of the 482 km long pipeline that will transport gas from the Aasta Hansteen field in the Norwegian Sea to Nyhamna in western Norway. More »

Helix, Shell in deepwater well intervention semisubmersible contract extension

Helix Energy has entered into a new multi-year contract with Shell to provide well intervention services in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico utilizing Helix’s Q4000. More »

Statoil to drill wildcat well in PL 029B in North Sea

Statoil Petroleum has recieved a drilling permit from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate for wildcat well 15/6-13 in PL 029B, near the Gina Krogh field in the central North Sea. More »

Cray to deliver one of the largest supercomputer in the industry to PGS

Cray Inc. has been awarded a significant contract to provide Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) with a Cray XC40 supercomputer and a Cray Sonexion 2000 storage system. More »

Cray to deliver supercomputer and high-performance storage system to Petroleum Geo-Services

Cray Inc. has been awarded a significant contract to provide Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) with a Cray XC40 supercomputer and a Cray Sonexion 2000 storage system. More »

Total, DNO keep pumping oil and gas in Yemen after airstrikes

Total and DNO said they continue to pump oil and natural gas in Yemen after Saudi Arabia and its allies bombed rebel targets in the nation. More »

SemGroup to build U.S. Gulf Coast pipeline system for Motiva refineries

TULSA -- SemGroup Corporation will construct, own and operate three new pipelines in Louisiana, collectively named the Maurepas Pipelines. More »

Russia sets terms for Schlumberger’s Eurasia Drilling bid amid sanctions

Schlumberger Ltd. must satisfy a list of conditions, in part linked to sanctions, to gain approval for its $1.7 billion bid to buy Russia’s largest oil driller. More »

Schlumberger introduces coiled tubing real-time multiset inflatable packer

Schlumberger has announced the release of the ACTive Straddle coiled tubing (CT) real-time multiset inflatable packer. More »

Norway has no plans to support oil prices by cutting production

Norway has no plans to reduce output to support crude prices after they plunged 50% in the last nine months. More »

Oil rises to 2-week high as Saudi Arabia bombs targets in Yemen

Oil climbed to the highest in more than two weeks in London as Saudi Arabia and its allies bombed rebel targets in Yemen, which is near the center of global energy trade. More »

Shell to cut staff, change working patterns in North Sea

Shell UK plans to reduce the number of staff and agency contractors who support the company’s UK North Sea operations by at least 250 in 2015. Shell will also introduce changes to UK North Sea offshore shift patterns. More »

Shell to reduce staff in North Sea; changes working patterns

Shell UK plans to reduce the number of staff and agency contractors who support the company’s UK North Sea operations by at least 250 in 2015. Shell will also introduce changes to UK North Sea offshore shift patterns. More »

PetroChina profit falls to lowest in 5 years on crude slump

PetroChina Co., the country’s biggest oil and gas producer, posted the lowest annual profit in five years as falling crude oil prices squeezed earnings. More »

Swiber gains momentum with $405.6 million new contracts

Swiber Holdings has clinched a total of $405.6 million for a series of contracts, including its latest $333 million contract for Engineering, Procurement, Installation and Construction (EPIC) services in India. More »

EMGS inks more 3D EM data sales agreements in Barents Sea

Electromagnetic Geoservices has entered into two new data licensing agreements with two oil companies for the provision of 3D EM data from EMGS's multi-client data library in the Barents Sea. More »

Dolphin Geophysical sets new benchmark for seismic productivity

Dolphin Geophysical has just mobilised the 'world's largest floating object' by deploying a seismic spread of 12 streamers, 7,050 m in length with 150 m streamer separation, off the coast of Myanmar for Ophir Energy. More »

Schlumberger unit to pay $233 million in Iran, Sudan sanctions case

Schlumberger Oilfield Holdings Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Schlumberger Ltd., has agreed to enter a guilty plea and to pay a $232,708,356 penalty to the U.S. for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by willfully facilitating illegal transactions and engaging in trade with Iran and Sudan. More »

Petrobras discovers 200-m hydrocarbon column at Libra C1 extension well

The Libra consortium has finished drilling extension well C1. The drilling results confirmed a hydrocarbon column 200 m deep with good permeability and porosity. More »

API: DOE crude-by-rail report highlights importance of accident prevention

A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) report on crude oil properties and transportation safety highlights the continued need for efforts to prevent more train derailments, said API Director of Midstream Robin Rorick. More »

ION expands West African data library with acquisition of NamibiaSPAN

ION Geophysical has announced the completion of the seismic acquisition stage of the company's NamibiaSPAN program, which extends the full length of Namibia's offshore continental margin. More »

Billionaire Fredriksen sails into rig storm of up to 3 years

More »

Lower 48 oil economics still robust, Wood Mackenzie says

Wood Mackenzie's breakeven analysis of more than 800 individual assets in the Lower 48 reveals dramatic variations in the viability of company asset bases and sub-plays. More »

Norway to investigate fire on-board Knarr field FPSO

Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) Norway has decided to initiate an investigation following a fire involving the generation of fumes on the Petrojarl Knarr FPSO. More »

Chevron inks PSC to explore in Myanmar's Rakhine basin

Chevron's subsidiary, Unocal Myanmar Offshore, has entered into a PSC with Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise to explore for oil and gas in the Rakhine basin. More »

Falling knife slashes shale dealmaking as buyers await bottom

When Whiting Petroleum Corp. put itself up for sale this month, the oil industry appeared on the brink of a deal surge that would dramatically redraw the energy landscape. More »

Lundin spuds appraisal well on Alta discovery in Barents Sea

Lundin Petroleum, through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway, has commenced drilling of appraisal well 7220/11-2 in PL609. More »

Chevron's subsidiary inks PSC contract with MOGE, Myanmar

Chevron's subsidiary, Unocal Myanmar Offshore, has entered into a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), the national oil and gas company, to explore for oil and gas in the Rakhine basin. More »

CandJ Energy and Nabors Industries complete combination transaction

CandJ Energy Services and Nabors Industries have completed the combination of CandJ with Nabors' completion and production services business. More »

NADL receives termination for jackup Energy Endeavor from Rosneft

Northern Offshore has announced that North Atlantic Drilling Company Ltd. (NADL) has received a cancellation notice for use of the Northern Offshore's jackup Energy Endeavor from Rosneft Oil as part of a multi-rig contract to provide drilling services in the Russian Artic commencing in the 2015 summer drilling season. More »

Turkish Petroleum expands its Paradigm software portfolio with Reverse Time Migration

Paradigm has announced that Turkish Petroleum (TP), the national oil company of the Republic of Turkey and a long-time Paradigm customer, has added Paradigm Reverse Time Migration (RTM) to its product portfolio. More »

Core Grouting Services completes pipeline-free span project in Trinidad, Tobago

Core Grouting Services, an Acteon group company, has successfully completed a pipeline-free span rectification project in Trinidad and Tobago. More »

Halliburton introduces CoilComm service

Halliburton’s Production Solutions business line has introduced the CoilComm service to help maximize well production and the success rates of coiled tubing well interventions. More »

Brazil to auction onshore oil fields to bolster ailing industry

RIO DE JANEIRO (Bloomberg) -- Brazil plans to auction onshore fields in the second half of the year to encourage foreign oil companies to remain active in the country, according to two government officials with direct knowledge of the matter. More »

Halliburton introduces EquiFlow OptiSteam flow control device

HOUSTON -- Halliburton’s Completion Tools business line has introduced the EquiFlow OptiSteam flow control device (FCD) for steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) injectors. More »

Fugro takes delivery of survey vessel Fugro Americas

Fugro has taken delivery of the Fugro Americas, a new-build shallow draft survey vessel. More »

Gazprom Neft to conduct seismic survey in Iraqi Kurdistan

Gazprom Neft Middle East, the operator of Gazprom Neft’s projects in Iraqi Kurdistan, is to conduct a 2D seismic survey on the south-eastern section of the Halabja Block. More »

Chesapeake shaves $500 million from budget on low oil price

Chesapeake Energy Corp. has reduced its 2015 capital budget—including capitalized interest of $500 million—to $3.5–$4.0 billion for 2015, which is a $500 million reduction from its previous guidance of $4.0–$4.5 billion. More »

Goliat’s oil spill detection capabilities boosted by new agreement

International oil spill player Aptomar has entered into a service agreement with Hammerfest-based maritime electronics company O.M. Rønning Skipselektronikk to further enhance oil spill detection and combating capabilities at Eni Norge’s Goliat field. More »

No deal for shale driller Whiting as company sells shares

Whiting Petroleum Corp. has given up finding a buyer, saying instead it will sell as much as 40.3 million shares and raise $1.9 billion in debt to clean up its balance sheet. More »

Carl Icahn boosts stake in Chesapeake amid stock slump

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn increased his stake in U.S. shale gas producer Chesapeake Energy Corp. for the first time in two years amid the stock’s worst quarterly performance since 2008. More »

Murphy Oil strikes out in GoM, Perth basin

EL DORADO, Arkansas -- Murphy Oil Corp. has announced the results from its recent exploration drilling program. More »

Sterling Energy appoints Eskil Jersing as CEO

Sterling Energy has appointed Eskil Jersing as CEO and Director of Sterling Energy; the appointment is effective immediately. More »

Murphy Oil drills three dry wells in GoM and Perth basin

Murphy Oil Corporation has completed the exploration drilling of three wells; one in Gulf of Mexico and two in Perth basin. The wells have come up dry. More »

Statoil appoints Anders Opedal as COO

Statoil has appointed Anders Opedal as Executive V.P. and takes on a new position as COO in the corporate executive committee (CEC) on Apr. 1. More »

Cue Energy brings New Zealands' Maari MR6A development well online

Cue Energy has initiated production from the Maari MR6A development well, with an initial production rate of approximately 7,800 bopd. More »

Kiln Lane well dissappoints Europa Oil and Gas, Egdon

Europa Oil and Gas has announced the completion of drilling operations at the Kiln Lane-1 conventional exploration well on License PEDL 181 in Northeast Lincolnshire. The drilling was unsuccessful. More »

Oceaneering inks OCTP development contract with ENI and partners off West Africa

Oceaneering International, as part of a consortium with GE Oil and Gas, has secured a contract with ENI Ghana Exploration and Production and its partners, Vitol and GNPC, to supply equipment for the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) block project development located off the coast of West Africa. More »

Europa Oil and Gas and Egdon reveal Kiln Lane well was not successful

Europa Oil and Gas plc announces the completion of drilling operations at the Kiln Lane-1 conventional exploration well (‘Kiln Lane’) on Licence PEDL 181 in Northeast Lincolnshire. The well spudded on Feb 23, 2015 and reached a total depth of 2,291 m on Mar 19, 2015. Sandstones in the Westphalian and Namurian intervals were penetrated in line with the pre-drill geological model and significant oil and gas shows were observed during drilling operations. However, wireline logging and subsequent petrophysical analysis indicates that the sandstones encountered are water wet. The well will therefore be plugged and abandoned and the site restored to agricultural use. More »

Oceaneering announces contract for OCTP development

Oceaneering International, Inc. announced that, as part of a consortium with GE Oil and Gas, it has secured a contract with ENI Ghana Exploration and Production Ltd. and its partners, Vitol and GNPC, to supply equipment for the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) block project development located off the coast of West Africa. More »

Schramm names Bobby Bryan as CEO

Bobby Bryan has been named as the CEO of Schramm, effective immediately. More »

Schlumberger acquires full-azimuth multiclient surveys for deepwater GoM

Schlumberger has completed the acquisition of approximately 2,750 sq km of two new full-azimuth multiclient seismic surveys over the Garden Banks and Green Canyon areas in the Gulf of Mexico. More »

Smallest U.S. oil rig drop in three weeks shows retreat losing steam

The biggest retreat from U.S. oil fields on record is showing signs of subsiding. More »

Sempra Energy submits Port Arthur facilities for pre-file review with FERC

SAN DIEGO -- Sempra Energy’s subsidiary, Port Arthur LNG, has requested that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) initiate the pre-filing review for the company's proposed Port Arthur LNG natural gas liquefaction and export facility in Port Arthur, Texas. More »

Texas landmen left out of work as oil patch boom turns bust

Thousands of Texans who prowled county courthouses, poring over dusty deeds and maps to cash in on the biggest oil boom in decades, are seeing their work go bust. More »

Texas landmen left out of work as oil patch boom times go bust

AUSTIN, Texas (Bloomberg) -- Thousands of Texans who prowled county courthouses, poring over dusty deeds and maps to cash in on the biggest oil boom in decades, are seeing their work go bust. More »

FMC, Technip enter into JV to launch Forsys Subsea

FMC Technologies and Technip have signed an agreement to form an exclusive alliance and to launch Forsys Subsea, a 50/50 joint venture that will unite the skills and capabilities of the two companies. More »

Return to $100 oil seen unlikely by Saudis amid shale surge

Oil won’t rebound to $100/bbl because increased prices would draw more shale and other output from higher-cost producers to the market, said Mohammed al-Madi, Saudi Arabia’s governor to OPEC. More »

FMC Technologies, Technip enter into JV to launch Forsys Subsea

FMC Technologies and Technip have signed an agreement to form an exclusive alliance and to launch Forsys Subsea, a 50/50 JV that will unite the skills and capabilities of two subsea industry leaders. This alliance will redefine the way subsea fields are designed, delivered and maintained. More »

Schlumberger launches two new full-azimuth multiclient surveys in the U.S. GoM

Schlumberger has completed the acquisition of approximately 2,750 sq km of two new full-azimuth multiclient seismic surveys over the Garden Banks and Green Canyon areas in the Gulf of Mexico. More »

Woodside inks PSCs for Myanmar offshore acreage

Woodside has signed Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) for offshore blocks AD-2, AD-5, A-4 and A-7, awarded to Woodside in the 2013 Myanmar Offshore Bid Round. More »

CandJ Energy Services approves merger with Nabors

At a special stockholder meeting held on Mar. 20, CandJ stockholders have approved the proposed merger contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Merger, by and among CandJ, Nabors Industries, Nabors Red Lion, Nabors CJ Merger and CJ Holding. More »

CandJ Energy Services approve merger with Nabors

At a special stockholder meeting held on Mar. 20, CandJ stockholders have approved the proposed merger contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Merger, by and among CandJ, Nabors Industries, Nabors Red Lion, Nabors CJ Merger and CJ Holding. More »

Southwestern Energy announces sale of conventional assets in East Texas and Arkoma

Southwestern Energy has executed a definitive agreement with a private buyer to sell Southwestern Energy’s conventional oil and gas assets located in East Texas and the Arkoma basin for approximately $218 million. More »