The end of the expat – the end of an era?
First things first, this article is not a reflection of thorough research. It is a reflection of conversations I had recently, combined with some observations on social media. And let’s…
Oil & Gas
Oil-water contacts don’t exist
Steve’s argument goes back to a challenge set by the London Petrophysical Society. They invited petrophysicists to derive a function describing how water saturation varies with depth. Most responses followed…
The jewel in the crown
The Philippines’ upstream sector is seeing a resurgence, bolstered by Prime Energy’s successful wells at Malampaya East-1 and Camago-3 just ahead of the recent SEAPEX Conference and Exhibition in Manila.…
Frac hit – how does it work?
“Let’s start at a situation where we are drilling a 10,000 ft horizontal well in a prospective but yet undrilled shale play,” Jessica Fallon starts her explanation, “and we frac…
Japex’ hopes to prove commercial gas offshore Japan down following completion of exploration well in Hidaka Trough
Japex completed an offshore exploration campaign in the Hidaka Trough last week, a tectonically active foreland basin in the north of Japan. The well, drilled at a water depth of…
Serendipity maximisation
“When people make a creaming curve for a basin,” says Ian Longley from GIS-Pax, “they draw a line, and say that’s going to be the future for the basin.” “The…
The Supermajors are scaling up, are you?
In the noughties and 10s, wildcat exploration, the fierce frontline of the E&P sector, was characterised by small ambitious pioneers, testing new plays in large basins, with the large caps…
Mexico – what’s happening
One of the best ways to learn how an industry is doing is to talk to people when you are actually around. That’s what happened to me in February, when…
New oil in an old field
Whilst attending a webinar the other day, Andrew Latham from WoodMac presented an overview of the largest discoveries of 2025. The number one discovery, with an estimated volume of 2…
Improving the signal-to-noise ratio in Venezuela’s oil and gas industry revival
One of the dominant themes in the petroleum industry in 2026 remains Venezuela and the rapid evolution of the country’s investment landscape. The year began with significant political changes and…
The American small independent operator – A unique blend of geology and entrepreneurship
This year, I went to the NAPE Exhibition in Houston for the first time. NAPE stands for North American Prospect Expo, and has served as a platform for American operators…
The mood music of the E&P geoscience job market
When I was doing an internship at NAM (Shell/Exxon joint venture) in the Netherlands in 2003, an experienced geologist took me aside and said, “Henk, be aware, China is coming,…