U.S. independent producers: Federal ozone standard is all costs, no benefits

Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) Executive V.P. Lee Fuller released a statement in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tightening federal standards for ground-level ozone levels. More »

Oil rebounds after U.S. producers reduce rigs to 5-year low

Crude rose after U.S. explorers reduced the number of rigs drilling for oil to a five-year low, signaling further drops in production. More »

INPEX to drill in North Area of Japan’s Yabase oil field

INPEX Corp. plans to drill a well for data gathering purposes into the low-permeability sand stratum in the North Area of Yabase oil field in Akita Prefecture, Japan. More »

Winters Instruments introduces Multiport and Block and Bleed needle valves

Winters Instruments, a global manufacturer of pressure and temperature instrumentation, introduces the Winters Multiport (NVA Series) and Block and Bleed (BBV Series) Needle Valves. More »

Hurricane Joaquin may threaten East Coast energy infrastructure

Hurricane Joaquin, which strengthened to a Category 4 storm on Thursday, is on track to move north along the East Coast this weekend, potentially bringing torrential rainfall and flooding to the region. More »

EV Energy Partners closes acquisitions in Appalachian basin, San Juan basin, Michigan and Austin Chalk

EV Energy Partners (EVEP) has closed four acquisitions purchased from certain institutional partnerships managed by EnerVest, Ltd. More »

Maersk Oil’s discovery near Tyrihans field disappoints

STAVANGER, Norway -- Maersk Oil Norway, operator of production license 510, is about to complete the drilling of wildcat well 6406/6-4 S. More »

Technip wins subsea contract for Shell's Stones development

Technip has been awarded a contract by Shell Offshore for the development of subsea infrastructure for the Stones project. Included in the service are two subsea production tie-backs to the FPSO vessel. More »

Lundin resumes exploration in Malaysia with Mengkuang-1 wildcat

Lundin Malaysia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lundin Petroleum, has resumed exploration drilling in Malaysia with the spudding of the Mengkuang-1 exploration well in license PM307, offshore Malaysia. More »

Statoil enters UK license for Alfa Sentral project

Statoil has acquired First Oil’s 24% equity share in the UK license for Alfa Sentral field for $15 million. More »

UK firms aren’t maximizing UKCS value: Deloitte

A lack of effective supply chain collaboration means that companies are missing out on opportunities to maximize the potential value from the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), according to a Deloitte survey of oil and gas operators and services companies. More »

Oil drillers bet choking wells will keep shale from going bust

Encana Corp. wants to ensure the shale-oil boom keeps booming. The Canadian producer is among a growing number of companies that are restricting initial output—a process known as choking back—in basins from North Dakota to Texas. More »

Russian oil output reaches post-Soviet record in September

Russian oil output rose to a post-Soviet record last month as producers took advantage of the weak ruble to push ahead with drilling. More »

Penn West sells working interest in Weyburn Unit for $205 million

Penn West announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of its non-operated 9.5% working interest in the Weyburn Unit in Southeast Saskatchewan for cash consideration of $205 million, subject to closing adjustments customary in transactions of this nature. More »

Crowley takes delivery of first of four Jones Act tankers

Crowley Maritime Corp. took delivery of Ohio, the first of four new, Jones Act, product tankers this week from Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc. (APSI), the wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Aker Philadelphia Shipyard ASA. More »

U.S. is net oil exporter to Mexico for first time in two decades

The U.S. became a net oil exporter to Mexico for the first time in more than 20 years as output from shale fields pushed the world’s biggest consumer toward energy independence. More »

Eni enters Mexico with the development of three oil fields offshore

Eni won with a 100% share a production sharing contract to appraise, develop and exploit the oil fields of Amoca, Miztón e Tecoalli, located in the Area 1 in the Campeche Bay, offshore Mexico, following an international auction held yesterday in Mexico City. More »

Offshore platform undergoes simultaneous joint replacements in GOM

An operator contracted T.D. Williamson (TDW) to perform simultaneous isolations on a platform’s 10-in oil pipeline and 14-in natural gas pipeline. More »

TAG Oil announces resignation of COO

TAG Oil, a Canadian-based corporation with operations in New Zealand, announced Thursday that its COO, Frank Jacobs, has resigned to pursue other opportunities. More »

Security fears crippling Yemen’s upstream industry: GlobalData

The continuing deterioration of security conditions in Yemen has led to several international oil companies withdrawing from their operations in the country, with a once-significant source of global supply being reduced to marginal volumes, according to an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData. More »

FMC, PROSERNAT align as single supplier of integrated modular systems

FMC Technologies, Inc. and PROSERNAT have signed an alliance agreement to become a single source supplier of integrated modular systems and comprehensive solutions for the processing, separation and treatment of oil, water, gas and solids. More »

FMC Technologies and PROSERNAT align as single supplier of integrated modular systems

FMC Technologies, Inc. and PROSERNAT have signed an alliance agreement to become a single source supplier of integrated modular systems and comprehensive solutions for the processing, separation and treatment of oil, water, gas and solids. More »

2H Offshore awarded Chevron contract to manage production riser testing

2H Offshore, an Acteon company, has been awarded a contract by Chevron to manage a production riser weld qualification testing program. More »

Statoil Technology Invest and Sumitomo Corp. take ownership of CannSeal AS

Statoil Technology Invest and Sumitomo Corporation have officially signed an agreement to take ownership in the well technology company CannSeal AS. More »

Lundin finds more oil at Alta appraisal wells

Lundin Norway, a subsidiary of Lundin Petroleum has successfully completed the drilling of appraisal wells 7220/11-3 and 7220/11-3 A on the eastern flank of the Alta discovery in PL609. More »

Noble’s Cheetah well disappoints offshore Cameroon

Noble Energy’s Cheetah exploration well, in the Tilapia license offshore Cameroon, reached the targeted Cretaceous interval and is being plugged and abandoned. The well encountered both crude oil and natural gas shows in multiple non-commercial reservoir sands. More »

Wintershall focuses on EandP as it completes Gazprom asset swap

BASF and Gazprom have completed an asset swap, which will allow Wintershall, a wholly owned BASF subsidiary, to focus on exploration and production while it exits the gas trading and storage business. More »

Statoil strikes out with wildcat south of Grane field

Statoil Petroleum, operator of production license 169, has concluded the drilling of wildcat well 25/11-28. The well was dry. More »

Aker Solutions to provide subsea production system for Malaysia’s Rotan development

Aker Solutions has been awarded a contract by Murphy Sabah Oil Co. to deliver the subsea production system for the Rotan deepwater natural gas development offshore Malaysia. More »

Eni awards Technip umbilical contract for Angola project

Technip’s wholly owned subsidiaries Technip Umbilicals Ltd. and Angoflex Ltda. have been awarded a contract by Eni to supply umbilicals to the Block 15/06 East Hub Development offshore Angola. More »

Harkand appoints general manager for Africa

Harkand, a global inspection, repair, maintenance (IRM) and light construction company, has united its African presence with the appointment of Doug Fieldgate as the general manager for Africa. More »

Oil advances on signs China stabilizing while crude output slows

Oil rose amid signs of stabilization in China, the world’s second-biggest user, and as U.S. and OPEC production slowed. More »

Mexico’s flirting with Big Oil gets Italian nod as Eni wins bid

Mexico’s flirting with the international oil industry got off on the wrong foot, but they finally have something going. More »

Lundin drills oil at Alta appraisal wells in Barents Sea South

Lundin Norway, a subsidiary of Lundin Petroleum has successfully completed the drilling of appraisal wells 7220/11-3 and 7220/11-3 A on the eastern flank of the Alta discovery in PL609. More »

XPD8 seals condition monitoring contract with CNR International

XPD8 Solutions, an asset integrity management specialist, has secured a significant two-year contract with CNR International. More »

Oil-sands envoy slams Premier, says Obama to reject Keystone

A longtime Canadian advocate for the Keystone XL pipeline is blaming his former boss, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, for dropping the ball on the project and handing U.S. President Barack Obama a blank check to reject it. More »

America’s oil output refuses to collapse. Here’s one reason why.

Somewhere amid the maze of wells that Murphy Oil Corp. has scattered across Texas’s sprawling Eagle Ford shale formation, Brett Pennington is carrying out a little experiment. More »

Sanctions could lead to restructuring of Russian oil and gas industry: GlobalData

While Russia is continuing to pump crude oil at record levels, producing on average 10.685 MMbpd in 2015, the continuous pressure from U.S./EU sanctions is having an impact on the strategic course of the Russian oil and gas industry, says an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData. More »

New fracing rules blocked by U.S. judge in Wyoming

New federal fracking regulations were blocked by a U.S. judge in Wyoming who said the government’s Bureau of Land Management lacks the authority to control hydraulic fracturing. More »

Under current market conditions, Gazprom to strengthen its positions in Asia-Pacific

As part of the Sakhalin Oil and Gas 2015 International Conference, Alexander Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee delivered today in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk a report entitled ‘Gazprom Group in Asia-Pacific Gas Markets’. More »

Shale gas development in China aided by government investment and decreasing well cost

Decreases in the cost to drill shale gas wells and continued investment into domestic production have allowed China to increase its development of shale gas. More »

Iran approves model oil contract aimed at ramping up production

Iran’s government approved a new model contract for oil and natural gas projects as it prepares to increase output with the help of foreign investors once international sanctions are lifted. More »

Blackmer introduces oil-free reciprocating gas compressor line

Blackmer, part of PSG, a Dover company and a global leader in positive displacement and centrifugal pump, and reciprocating compressor technologies, announced the release of its new triple-seal HD943 and HDL943 oil-free reciprocating gas compressor line. More »

Baker Hughes introduces Ascent high-side fracturing service

Baker Hughes announced today the commercial release of its Ascent high-side fracturing service. More »

India cuts domestic gas prices 18% amid global energy slump

India reduced the price of locally produced natural gas by 18% for six months beginning Oct. 1, hurting producers including Oil and Natural Gas Corp., Oil India Ltd. and Reliance Industries Ltd. More »

Ethiopia, Djibouti agree on Blackstone-backed fuel pipeline

Ethiopia and Djibouti signed an agreement for a $1.55 billion fuel pipeline with developers Mining, Oil and Gas Services and Blackstone Group LP-backed Black Rhino Group. More »

Plummeting Dutch gas output can't stop European price slump

Plummeting natural gas production from Europe’s biggest natural gas field hasn’t stopped prices sliding to a six-year low at the start of the winter heating season. More »

Seacrest announces $200-million-investment in new oil and gas company in Norway

Global investment firm Seacrest Capital Group has announced that they have partnered with OKEA AS, a new oil and gas development and production company that is headquartered in Trondheim, Norway. More »

Halliburton achieves first installation of SmartPlex downhole control system

Halliburton's Completion Tools business line has successfully achieved the first installation of the SmartPlex downhole control system in a six-zone multilateral well. More »

Oceaneering announces vessel services agreement

Oceaneering International GmbH, a subsidiary of Oceaneering International, has entered into a two-year, subsea field support vessel services agreement with an oil and gas company in India for use of the Island Pride. More »

Baker Hughes launches VisiTrak geospatial navigation and analysis LWD service

Baker Hughes has announced the commercial release of its VisiTrak geospatial navigation and analysis LWD service. More »

TransCanada revises strategy for Keystone XL Nebraska route

TransCanada Corp. said it wants to end its fight with Nebraska land owners over the legality of its Keystone XL pipeline path through the state, opting instead to seek approval from the state’s Public Service Commission as its opponents wanted all along. More »

Oil rises from two-week low as U.S. output, supply seen falling

Oil climbed from a two-week low amid expectations a government report will show a slowdown in drilling has trimmed U.S. crude supplies -- a sign that the oil glut might finally be shrinking. More »

Chesapeake cuts 15% of workforce as oil rout deepens

Chesapeake Energy Corp. said it plans to reduce its workforce by 15% and take a one-time charge in the third quarter of $55.5 million. More »

Polarled Pipeline is now in place, Statoil says

The final piece of Statoil's 482.4-km long Polarled Pipeline was laid at Aasta Hansteen field, at a water depth of 1,260 m, on Monday. More »

EMGS cuts vessel, staff as downturn continues to take its toll

Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA has announced that the company is implementing additional cost reduction measures reflecting the challenging market conditions in the oil service industry. More »

Maersk Drilling awards contract to ITC Global for offshore communications

ITC Global, a leading provider of satellite communications to remote and harsh environments, announced today that it has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract by Copenhagen, Denmark-based Maersk Drilling. More »

MicroSeismic succeeds in predicting reservoir drainage and early production

HOUSTON -- MicroSeismic announced Tuesday that field tests conducted this year for several key operators in North America have successfully calculated reservoir drainage volume and provided early estimates of production, enabled by the newest developments in MicroSeismic’s PermIndex workflow. More »

Deepwater prospects key to resurrecting Mexico’s first bidding round: GlobalData

Mexico needs to attract significant interest to salvage a bidding round hampered by delays and low oil prices, with Phase 4 of the current Round 1 licensing process offering the country’s first deepwater assets, says research and consulting firm GlobalData. More »

ABS grants AIP for MES FPSO design

ABS has granted Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. (MES) approval in principle (AIP) for a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel design and an epoch-making construction concept. More »

After oil auction snub, Mexico sweetens pot -- but is it enough?

Mexico is sweetening the terms of its next oil-block auction in a bid to avoid a repeat of its failed earlier attempt at opening up the industry. The big question now: Is it enough? More »

Shell's Arctic withdrawal adds to cold spell for Alaskan crude

HOUSTON (Bloomberg) -- Alaska, once the workhorse of the U.S. oil industry, is being put out to pasture. More »

CARBO introduces product that optimizes sand stimulated completions

CARBO Ceramics Inc. announces the introduction of CARBONRT ULTRA, a new, easily detectable inert tracer technology for sand stimulated completions in vertical and horizontal wells. More »

EMGS announces additional cost reductions

Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA has announced that the company is implementing additional cost reduction measures reflecting the challenging market conditions in the oil service industry. More »

Statoil’s Polarled Pipeline is now in place

Statoil has announced that on Monday, the final pipe in the 482.4 km long Polarled Pipeline was laid at the Aasta Hansteen field at a depth of 1,260 m in the Norwegian Sea. More »

Shell’s Alaska exit means Arctic oil reserves remain locked away

The inglorious end to Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s $7 billion search for oil in Alaska means billions of barrels of crude will probably remain locked away in Arctic waters from the U.S. to Russia -- at least as long as prices remain near $50/bbl. More »

Freeport-McMoRan finds more oil in deepwater Gulf of Mexico

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has announced positive drilling results from the Freeport-McMoRan Oil and Gas (FM OandG) 100% owned Horn Mountain Deep well in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. More »

Proserv acquires Nautronix Group Limited

Nautronix, a portfolio company of SCF Partners, has been acquired by Proserv. More »

Tim Armand joins Newpark Drilling Fluids; advances deepwater leadership

Newpark Drilling Fluids has appointed Tim Armand as V.P. of U.S. Offshore Operations. More »

Xodus enters Phase 2 of pioneering research into multiphase flow

Xodus Group, an international energy consultancy and Dutch innovation company TNO have completed the first phase of a pioneering joint industry project (JIP) into the dynamic forces which affect the integrity of piping systems, in particular through multiphase flow. More »

U.S. Silica introduces InnoProp Python RCS

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. has introduced the InnoProp Python RCS, a new high-performance resin coated proppant designed to increase the production of oil and gas wells in an economical and efficient manner. More »

Freeport-McMoRan drills oil at Horn Mountain Deep well in GoM

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has announced positive drilling results from the Freeport-McMoRan Oil and Gas (FM OandG) 100% owned Horn Mountain Deep well in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. More »

IHS Inc. provides $1.25 million software to Texas Tech University

Engineering students at Texas Tech University will now have access to IHS Petra, a powerful software tool for geological, engineering and petrophysical analysis, thanks to a $1.25 million donation from IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), the leading source of critical information and insight. More »

SBM Offshore invited to participate in Petrobras tenders

SBM Offshore is pleased to announce that its main Brazilian subsidiary has received written notification from Petrobras of its ability to participate in the recently issued Libra and Sépia FPSO tenders in Brazil. More »

FMC Technologies and PROSERNAT sign alliance agreement

FMC Technologies, Inc. and PROSERNAT have signed an alliance agreement to become a single source supplier of integrated modular systems and comprehensive solutions for the processing, separation and treatment of oil, water, gas and solids. More »

Why Shell quit drilling in the Arctic

Royal Dutch Shell's abrupt announcement today that it would cease all offshore drilling in the Arctic is surprising for several reasons. More »

Russia, Ukraine gas agreement warms Europe amid widening glut

Ukraine, a dominant gas transit hub, reached a supply agreement Friday with Russia, the European Union’s largest outside supplier of the fuel. More »

Hedge funds primed for oil rebound with increase in bullish bets

The momentum behind wagers on rising oil prices picked up steam as U.S. drilling slows and producers face potential credit line cuts. More »

J2 Subsea, WeSubsea renew global distribution partnership

J2 Subsea, an Acteon company, has renewed its global sales and rental distribution partnership with WeSubsea. The partnership provides customers around the world with technical support from J2 Subsea, and global access to the WeSubsea range of baskets, dredgers and tooling, available for rental and sale. More »

Energy Transfer wins $37.7-billion Williams pipelines bid

Energy Transfer Equity LP won its bid to take over Williams Cos., agreeing to pay $37.7 billion for control of pipelines and plants that handle almost a third of rising U.S. natural gas demand. More »

DOF Subsea bags contracts worth $350 million

DOF Subsea, a subsidiary of DOF, has been awarded several major contracts with a total value in excess $350 million (NOK 3 billion), including options, securing both short term and long term utilization of assets and personnel. More »

DOF Subsea bags subsea, IMR contracts worth $350 million

DOF Subsea, a subsidiary of DOF, has been awarded several major contracts with a total value in excess $350 million (NOK 3 billion), including options, securing both short term and long term utilization of assets and personnel. More »

Halliburton, Baker Hughes name further units to be sold for merger

Halliburton and Baker Hughes announced Monday that the companies will market for sale additional businesses in connection with Halliburton’s pending acquisition of Baker Hughes. More »

BG Group to explore offshore Newfoundland

BG Group has acquired three non-operated positions offshore Newfoundland from Repsol. More »

Iraq’s oil production seen at risk by Barclays as winter nears

Iraq’s oil production is at risk for winter when “loading problems” have historically reduced output by 300,000 bopd to 500,000 bopd, Barclays Plc said. More »

DOF Subsea bags $350 million worth subsea and IMR contracts

DOF Subsea, a subsidiary of DOF, has been awarded several major contracts with a total value in excess $350 million (NOK 3 billion), including options, securing both short term and long term utilization of assets and personnel. More »

Shell halts Arctic oil exploration campaign after wildcat disappoints

Shell has called a halt to further exploration work offshore Alaska after the company’s Burger J well, in in the Chukchi Sea, failed to find meaningful quantities of oil or gas, the company said Monday. More »

Shell to stop exploring offshore Alaska on regulation, costs

Royal Dutch Shell will stop further oil and gas exploration offshore Alaska, citing high costs and “challenging” regulation for drilling in the region. More »

AVEVA and DNV GL Sesam’s integration to reduce costs in maritime and offshore engineering

Engineers designing ship hulls and offshore floaters can now save time and money in the early design phase due to a breakthrough allowing transfer of 3D models from AVEVA Marine to Sesam GeniE, the two design and engineering software systems in the maritime and offshore market. More »

Oil traders may look to the sea for profit amid price collapse

The global oil glut may soon expand to the ocean. More »

The $12 billion reason BP isn’t worried about a hostile takeover

Oil giant BP, which was said to be readying defenses for potential takeover offers, has a little- known ace in the hole: a disclaimer in its Macondo spill settlement that could tack $12.6billion onto the price tag. More »