Chasing Hydrocarbon Plays Along the Rona Ridge
Review of new 3D seismic data in the Faroe-Shetland Basin has revealed new hydrocarbon potential of the Early Cretaceous syn-rift and Precambrian fractured basement plays along the northern extent of…
North America
Success for Shallow Water Bashrush Gas Discovery, Offshore Egypt
After a string of dry wells in the eastern deepwater Nile Delta, Eni, in partnership with BP and Total, have had success testing their recent shallow water Bashrush gas discovery,…
Hydrocarbon Exploration Suriname: Perseverance Rewarded
Perseverance pays off; following two high-profile, high-cost dry holes drilled in Suriname, Apache hit their third consecutive major condensate-light oil discovery on Block 58. Map showing location of the…
Oil and Gas Exploration Challenges in South East Asia
South East Asian oil and gas explorers started 2020 with new licensing rounds and extensive exploration drilling and seismic programmes planned but the current economically challenging conditions created by Covid-19…
Australia: Offshore Wildcat Spuds
BP’s much-anticipated Ironbark-1 offshore wildcat was finally spudded at the end of October 2020 offshore the North West Shelf of Australia. Map showing the location of the Ironbark-1 well offshore…
Potential Impactful Hydrocarbon Discoveries West of Shetland
Underexplored West of Shetland has potential for big oil and gas discoveries in newly awarded UK licensing round. The recently concluded 32nd offshore licensing round in the United Kingdom has…
The Elusive Deepwater Gippsland Gas Prize
ExxonMobil have recently completed a three-well drilling campaign on VIC/P70 offshore Gippsland Basin, south-east Australia. Location of the Sculpin-1 well. ExxonMobil have recently completed a three-well drilling campaign on…
Update on the Deepwater Luiperd-1 Well, Offshore South Africa
Total, with partners Africa Energy, Qatar Petroleum and CNR, have returned to the deepwater Block 11B/12B in the Outeniqua Basin, offshore South Africa, to spud the Luiperd-1 well. Location off…
Norway Surprises with 25th Oil and Gas Licensing Round
Norway surprised many observers in June by announcing plans for a licensing round that signalled a major expansion of the availability of areas for oil exploration in the Norwegian sector…
Cinder Cone or Mud Volcano?
A triangular feature identified in modern seismic on the Papuan Plateau went ‘viral’ on social media amongst the geoscience community as geoscientists from all over the world debated their theories…
Latin America Leads the Way with FSPO Developments
South America’s upcoming floater projects could help sustain fabrication yards that are struggling to keep their doors open, with FPSO developments driven by Brazil and Guyana. While the rest of…
Hydrocarbon exploration in New Zealand: A beginning or the end?
In April, OMV, with partners OMV Sapura and Mitsui, announced the success of the Toutouwai-1 well in the Taranaki Basin Block 60093 offshore New Zealand’s North Island. However, further exploration…