Africa Deepwater News

Cairn Energy says preparations are under way for the planned first well on the Foum Draa permit offshore Morocco.

Total says the Ocean Rig Olympia is drilling the Diaman-1 exploration well on the Diaba license offshore Gabon in 1,700 m (5,577 ft) water depth.

Tullow Oil plans to step up exploration drilling offshore West Africa over the coming months.

BP has contracted Proserv to design and manufacture a subsea sampling system for the PSVM multi-field deepwater development offshore Angola.

Ophir Energy and BG Group have agreed to a rig share assignment for continuation of their 2013-2014 East African offshore drilling program.

Subsea 7 has awarded Nexans a $33-million contract for Chevron’s Lianzi oil field development.

CHC Helicopter has won a five-year contract to support Shell‘s deepwater exploration activities offshore Sub-Saharan Africa.

Offshore operators are increasingly seeking new sources of sustainable production from deepwater areas.

Genel Energy has contracted the deepwater semisubmersible Noble Paul Romano for a drilling campaign offshore North Africa.

Total has discovered light oil with its first well on the CI-100 block offshore Cote d’Ivoire.

Eni has completed appraisal drilling on its gas discoveries in Area 4 offshore Mozambique.

Technip has contracted Aker Solutions to provide umbilicals and ancillary equipment for Total’s Girassol Resources Initiative (GirRI) Phase 2 development offshore Angola.

Total has awarded Technip a lump-sum engineering, procurement, supply, construction, installation, and pre-commissioning contract for the Moho Nord project offshore Republic of Congo.

Cairn Energy has contracted Transocean’s semisubmersible Cajun Express for exploration drilling offshore northwest Africa.

EMAS (SGX: 5DN) has won four contracts totaling $120 million spread among the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, and the Philippines.

Ophir Energy has contracted the drillship Stena DrillMAX to drill the Starfish prospect in the Accra block offshore Ghana.

Reef Subsea has two contracts for work offshore West Africa using the Reef Larissa.

Cameron Offshore Systems Nigeria has contracted AVEON Offshore for subsea structures at ExxonMobil’s Erha North Phase 2 project.

The semisubmersible Transocean Marianas has spudded the Wingat-1 well offshore Namibia for HRT Walvis Petroleum (Proprietary).

Total (NYSE:TOT; Paris:FP FP) has signed an $850-million letter of award with Aker Solutions (OSLO:AKSO) for the subsea production system offshore Republic of the Congo at the Moho Nord project.

Total says development of the Moho-Bilondo license in the Republic of the Congo will to go forward.

Ocean Rig has provided an update on its deepwater drilling construction and contracts schedule.

ExxonMobil has contracted Aker Solutions to supply subsea umbilicals for Erha North Phase 2 offshore Nigeria.

Hess Corp. (NYSE:HES) has completed drilling its seventh consecutive successful exploratory well on the Deepwater Tano/Cape Three Points block offshore Ghana.