U.S. rig count rises by 10, international count down 28

The U.S. oil rig count increased by six this week, with more rigs added in the Permian basin, according to Baker Hughes. More »

U.S. puts Russian gas field off limits as sanctions tighten

The U.S. declared one of Russia’s largest offshore oil and natural gas fields off limits to American tools and expertise, potentially disrupting Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s plans to liquefy the fossil fuel for export. More »

Deep Down nets orders totaling more than $2 million

Deep Down, Inc. has received orders for flying leads and offshore services, all for the Gulf of Mexico, valued in excess of $2 million. More »

EMGS nets $4.2 million Malaysia contract

Electromagnetic Geoservices has received a letter of award (LOA), for a contract worth approximately $4.2 million, from an oil company for 3D EM data acquisition over their operated area in Malaysia. More »

CGG GeoSoftware donates software to Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar

CGG GeoSoftware has donated its Hampson-Russell and Jason geophysical software suites, covering all aspects of reservoir characterization, to the Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (IIT BBS). More »

Shell, Petromanas awarded onshore block in Albania

Royal Dutch Shell and Petromanas Energy have been named as the successful bidders for Block 4, onshore Albania, by the Albanian National Agency of Natural Resources (AKBN). More »

Lukoil lands $1 bn loan for second stage of Shah Deniz

Under the second stage of the Production Sharing Agreement of the Shah Deniz project in Azerbaijan, LUKOIL Overseas Shah Deniz Ltd.—a wholly owned PJSC LUKOIL subsidiary—has signed a 12-year credit-facility agreement with a consortium of banks to borrow $1 billion. More »

SandRidge Energy names new CFO

SandRidge Energy has appointed Julian Bott as its new executive V.P. and CFO. More »

Exxon Mobil increases position in Permian basin

IRVING, Texas -- Exxon Mobil has executed two agreements to obtain horizontal development rights in 48,000 acres in the core of the Midland basin. More »

Bluewater wins turret mooring contract for Rosebank project

Bluewater Energy Services has been awarded a contract from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for the engineering, procurement, construction and integration (EPCI) of a major turret and mooring system for the Rosebank FPSO. More »

Petrobras shrugs off oil rout as cheap crude helps fuel business

Brazil’s embattled state oil company is deriving more gains from crude below $65 than at any point of the last price boom. More »

To please investors, big oil makes deepest cuts in a generation

Oil companies are making the largest cost cuts in a generation to reassure investors. They’re risking their own future growth. More »

Worst oil-project drought since 2009 could cap Norway income

For the first time since the financial crisis, the Norwegian government’s oil company has seen no significant new plans presented for its offshore fields this year as producers cut spending after crude prices collapsed. More »

CGG GeoSoftware donates geophysical software to Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar

CGG GeoSoftware has donated its Hampson-Russell and Jason geophysical software suites, covering all aspects of reservoir characterization, to the Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (IIT BBS). More »

ION's MexicoSPAN fast-track data available

ION Geophysical has announced the availability of fast-track pre-stack time migrated (PSTM) data from the first phase of its MexicoSPAN program. More »

Why native Alaskans support shell's Arctic drilling

Many native Alaskans depend on the oil business—many work directly for the industry—and welcome Shell's exploration. More »

Transocean jumps as cuts lead profit to beat estimates

Transocean Ltd., the world’s largest offshore rig owner, rose the most since hiring a new CEO in April as his move to reduce expenses led second-quarter profit to beat estimates. More »

Enventure introduces solid steel casing patch

Enventure has announced the introduction of ESeal Patch, a breakthrough in casing patch technology that utilizes a unique permanent, inexpensive casing patch solution that reliably restores well integrity. More »

Hoover Container Solutions opens service facility in Brazil

Hoover Container Solutions (Hoover), a provider of chemical tanks, cargo carrying units and related products and services, has announced the opening of its new service facility in Brazil. More »

Paradigm delivers North Sea fire safety project for Apache

Paradigm Flow Services has successfully completed a deluge remediation and replacement project for Apache North Sea in the Forties field. More »

NOW Inc. acquires Challenger Industries in all-cash deal

NOW Inc. has entered into an agreement to purchase the business of Challenger Industries, Inc. Terms of the all-cash transaction, which remains subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval, were not disclosed. More »

Oil and gas boost America's 2015 trade balance, API says

The mid-year trade report from the U.S. Commerce Department shows that the oil and natural gas industry continues to drive U.S. economic gains in 2015, a trend that could accelerate under free trade policies, said American Petroleum Institute (API) Chief Economist John Felmy. More »

Bill Abriel named SEG president-elect

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) announced the results of its 2015-2016 board of directors election Wednesday. More »

Halliburton’s new app matches solutions to customer challenges

Halliburton has developed a first-of-its-kind mobile app for the oil and gas industry to help customers identify solutions for their well challenges. More »

BSEE inspectors stay vigilant over Shell Arctic drilling operations

Two Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) inspectors are overseeing Shell drilling operations 24/7 in the Chukchi Sea to ensure compliance with federal regulations and safety standards. More »

Aqualis Offshore signs liftboat contract

Aqualis Offshore, part of Aqualis ASA, has been contracted by Mekers Offshore Ltd. to supervise the construction of the Zhejiang-based company’s two new liftboats. More »

Explorers in need of cash are selling oil fields as last resort

Energy explorers reeling from the rout in oil prices are looking for liquidity in an obvious place: their rocks. More »

Oil trades near lowest since March as Goldman sees global glut

Oil traded near the lowest level in more than four months amid speculation a global glut that drove prices into a bear market will be prolonged. More »

Knight Oil Tools names Steven Langlinais as V.P. QHSE

Earl Blackwell, President and CEO of Knight Oil Tools has announced that Steven Langlinais has joined the company as V.P., Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE). More »

Elgin Equipment Group announces formation of Elgin Separation Solutions

Elgin Equipment Group has announced the formation of Elgin Separation Solutions, a restructured operating division dedicated to the oil and gas drilling and pipeline construction markets. More »

Paradigm delivers fire safety project for Apache

Paradigm Flow Services has successfully completed a deluge remediation and replacement project for Apache North Sea in the Forties field. More »

Wood Group releases ENVision environmental information management software system

Wood Group Mustang has released the ENVision real-time environmental information management software system for process and industrial plants. More »

GE releases Predix Cloud, world’s first cloud service

GE has announced the launch of Predix Cloud, the world’s first and only cloud solution designed specifically for industrial data and analytics. More »

YPF profit climbs, output increases

YPF SA, Argentina’s state-run oil producer, posted second-quarter earnings that exceeded expectations as it increased output and sold crude at a premium to international prices. More »

TSandM Supply opens new facility in Saskatchewan

TSandM Supply, a DistributionNOW Company based in Canada, recently held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for their new head office and distribution center in Estevan, Saskatchewan. More »

Peak launches FlexiDrift for accurate adjustable drift runs in a single tool

Peak Well Systems, a specialist in the design and development of advanced downhole tools for well intervention, has announced the launch of the FlexiDrift—an accurate, adjustable tool to confirm the minimum diameter specification of well bore tubing with the ability to cover a range of tubing sizes. More »

Statoil seeks broader Rosneft ties despite Russia sanctions

Statoil ASA is seeking to deepen its ties with OAO Rosneft even as sanctions hinder the Norwegian oil producer’s push to add resources from its eastern neighbor. More »

Bush puts Texas oil and gas lease sale on line; makes $20 million

Texas' first-ever online sale of oil and gas leases quickly became the biggest state lease sale in the nation to be held on EnergyNet, earning public schools nearly $20 million Tuesday morning. More »

Exploration takes seismic shift in Gabon to Somalia

Not all exploration has slowed for oil and gas in Africa. More nations not known for energy reserves on the continent are conducting seismic surveys during a drilling downturn. More »

Wood Group Mustang Onshore Pipeline and Facilities business unit created

Wood Group Mustang has consolidated the Pipeline, Onshore and Oil Sands business units into the Onshore Pipeline and Facilities (OPF) business unit, which provides oil and gas processing, transportation, and field services. More »

Veolia selected by Dolphin Energy for Qatar industrial water management project

Veolia Water Technologies will engineer, procure and deliver an industrial wastewater management system including its proven HPD evaporators used for KHI removal and distillate recovery at Dolphin Energy’s natural gas production and processing facilities in Ras Laffan, Qatar. More »

Iran planning for investment from France’s Total

TEHRAN -- Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh says Iran is planning to open a new chapter in cooperation with the French energy giant, Total, for the development of Iranian oil fields. More »

Bechtel wins FEED contract for first FLNG facility in U.S.

Bechtel has been selected by Delfin LNG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fairwood Peninsula Energy Corporation, to perform front-end engineering and design (FEED) for the first U.S.-based floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) vessel to go into service at Port Delfin. More »

Lundin’s Edvard Grieg appraisal well hits 66-m oil column

Lundin Norway, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lundin Petroleum, has completed the drilling and logging of appraisal well 16/1-23 S on Edvard Grieg field in the Norwegian North Sea. More »

Chesapeake troubles deepen on glut-driven second-quarter loss

Chesapeake Energy Corp., the worst-performing stock on the Standard and Poors 500 this year, posted a second-quarter loss as it joined other North American oil and gas producers squeezed by a glut-driven commodity rout. More »

Hungary’s Mol raises full-year target after record earnings

Hungarian energy group Mol Nyrt. improved the profit guidance for 2015 after its refining unit helped post record earnings for the three months through June. More »

New Libya oil chief considers resuming exports at eastern ports

The new head of the state oil company for eastern Libya is considering restarting exports from the region’s two largest ports and plans to boost crude output. More »

Wood Group Mustang Onshore Pipeline and Facilities business unit created, leadership team named

Wood Group Mustang has consolidated the Pipeline, Onshore and Oil Sands business units into the Onshore Pipeline and Facilities (OPF) business unit, which provides oil and gas processing, transportation, and field services. More »

Petrotechnics launches new competency and training centre

Petrotechnics celebrates the opening of its state-of-the-art competency and training centre. Located at the company’s Aberdeen headquarters, the new facility will address changing demands for operations excellence training in hazardous industries, including oil and gas, chemical and rail. More »

Veolia selected by Dolphin Energy for a multi-million dollar industrial water management project in Qatar

Veolia Water Technologies will engineer, procure and deliver an industrial wastewater management system including its proven HPD evaporators used for KHI removal and distillate recovery at Dolphin Energy’s natural gas production and processing facilities in Ras Laffan, Qatar. More »

Sonomatic to biuld a new multi-disciplined NDT base in Aberdeen

Sonomatic announces its plans to build a brand new multi-disciplined facility that will allow the company to cover the entire range of NDT Inspections. More »

Breitling Energy announces new 14-well development program

Breitling Energy Corporation announces a new non-operated 35% participation in a 14-well developmental drilling program in West Texas, with the first spudding on Aug. 5. More »

Presidential candidates urged to outline their vision for America's energy future

The American Petroleum Institute has urged candidates at the upcoming presidential debates to outline their vision for harnessing the economic and national security opportunities created by America’s energy revolution. More »

qedi opens Abu Dhabi office

LONDON -- qedi, a leading completions, commissioning and technology provider, has opened an inaugural office in Abu Dhabi and appointed Naveen Adusumilli as qedi’s general manager for the Middle East. More »

Mexico pipeline boom fueled by Texas drillers

Tumbling crude prices have damped prospects that the Mexican oil-drilling laws adopted last year will spur an investment boom. Instead it’s the surge in gas-pipeline construction that’s attracting foreign capital, expanding the market for U.S. gas producers and meeting growing demand from Mexican manufacturers and power plants. More »

Venezuela’s lake of endless oil a lawless mess

For nearly a century, the petroleum deposits beneath giant Lake Maracaibo served as a cash cow for successive Venezuelan governments. In return, especially in the years since the company’s energy industry was nationalized by former President Hugo Chavez, it has received little back but neglect. More »

Gazprom Neft’s exports of Siberian crude reach 10 million tonnes

Following the supply of a further 100,000 tonnes of East Siberian Pacific Ocean (ESPO) crude to the Chinese market in July, total volumes of ESPO crude exports by Gazprom Neft since the commencement of supplies have now reached 10 million tonnes. More »

Statoil passes 100 MMbbl of production from Brazil's Peregrino field

After just four years in production, Peregrino field, in the Campos basin offshore Brazil, has passed a significant milestone, with 100 MMbbl of oil produced since April 2011. More »

Darcy proves new sand control technology with Statoil installation

Sand control engineering specialist Darcy is gearing up for global interest in its downhole Hydraulic Screen following a successful installation in Statoil’s Statfjord oil field in the Norwegian Sector of the North Sea. More »

Devon Energy appoints new president, CEO

Devon Energy’s board of directors has elected Dave Hager, most recently Devon’s COO, as the company’s new president and CEO. More »

Gazprom Neft’s exports of ESPO crude reach 10 million tonnes

Following the supply of a further 100,000 tonnes of East Siberian Pacific Ocean (ESPO) crude to the Chinese market in July, total volumes of ESPO crude exports by Gazprom Neft since the commencement of supplies have now reached 10 million tonnes. More »

Team Oil Tools buys Odessa Packer Services

Team Oil Tools has acquired all the outstanding shares of Odessa Packer Services (OPS). More »

BP awards Clair Ridge contract to Cape

BP has awarded Cape plc a new contract for the Clair Ridge project, with further future phases added over the next 18 months. More »

Statoil marks 100 MMbbl production from Brazil's Peregrino field

After just four years in production, the Peregrino field in the Campos basin offshore Brazil has passed a significant milestone, with 100 million barrels of oil produced since April 2011. More »

Nigeria to lose billions without oil sales reforms, report says

Nigeria must urgently reform the way it sells oil to prevent Africa’s biggest crude producer losing billions of dollars of revenue, according to a new report. More »

Oil’s drop below $50 may be just the start as demand swoons

Oil has fallen to a six-month low, and hopes of a quick rebound are fading as demand heads into an autumn swoon. More »

WTI near 4-month low after Brent falls below $50 on Iran

Oil in New York held near a four-month low after Brent crude slumped below $50/bbl for the first time since January on Monday as Iran pledged almost an immediate output increase after sanctions. More »

Shell's Polar Pioneer starts Arctic drilling operations

Shell's Polar Pioneer rig has started drilling operations in the Chukchi Sea, offshore Alaska. More »

Ceona joins forces with Interoil Angola

Ceona has expanded its West African reach after entering into a strategic partnership with Interoil Angola Lda. More »

Kurdish oil producers DNO, Genel gain on export pledge

DNO ASA and Genel Energy Plc shares surged after the regional government of Iraq’s northern Kurdish region said it would start paying them for oil exports next month. More »

ONEOK Partners to further expand Permian basin capacity to serve markets in Mexico

ONEOK Partners, L.P. has announced plans to invest $70 million to $100 million to expand its ONEOK WesTex Transmission (ONEOK WesTex) intrastate natural gas pipeline system by increasing its throughput capacity by 260 MMcfd of natural gas by the first quarter of 2017. More »

Halliburton certifies substantial compliance with DOJ second request

Halliburton announced Sunday that it has certified substantial compliance with the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request for additional information (second request). More »

BASF, Gazprom sign memorandum to expand Nord Stream pipeline

BASF subsidiary Wintershall is to participate in expanding the capacities of the Nord Stream pipeline, which delivers Russian natural gas to European customers via the Baltic Sea. More »

Ceona join forces with Interoil Angola

Ceona has expanded its West African reach after entering into a strategic partnership with Interoil Angola Lda. More »

U.S. oil seen trading above global prices next year in BofA view

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Bloomberg) -- U.S. crude may temporarily rise above the global benchmark Brent next year as Middle East output expands while the nation’s supply boom fades, according to Bank of America Corp. More »

Fugro bags BG contract for geochemical campaign offshore Honduras

Fugro has been awarded a contract by BG International Ltd. Sucursal Honduras to conduct an integrated multibeam echosounder survey and seabed coring campaign over its offshore acreage in the Honduran Caribbean. More »

BG Group initiates production from Cidade de Itaguaí FPSO, offshore Brazil

BG Group has announced first oil from the Cidade de Itaguaí FPSO vessel, the sixth unit to start production across the group's significant discoveries in the Santos basin, offshore Brazil. More »

Iran oil minister says output to rise a week after sanctions

Iran can boost oil production in one week after international sanctions are lifted, and OPEC’s refusal to accommodate Iran in export markets would result in lower crude prices, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said. More »

Oil CEOs’grim outlook rubs off on speculators fleeing market

The world’s biggest oil companies are painting a grim picture of the future and speculators are listening. More »