BriarTek has introduced ORCA TX-103IS, a man overboard indicator for offshore personnel.

Church Energy Services has announced the results of its successful shear ram testing conducted on June 18, 2010.

The 2011 Offshore Asia Conference has issued a call for abstracts.

Statoil, with a well established portfolio, continues to look for expansion opportunities to secure its place among the top exploration and production companies, Morten Ruud, project director Peregrino, said in an interview with Offshore in Singapore.

The 2011 Offshore West Africa Conference has issued a call for abstracts.

Royal Dutch Shell has appointed Guy Elliott as a non-executive director, and audit committee member, effective Sept. 1.

Installation of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea is making good progress, with the first of the two lines reaching the landfall point on the Russian shore.

Acergy SA reports receipt of a $1.3-billion contract to engineer, procure, fabricate, and install a deepwater development offshore West Africa.

GSP Offshore has completed load-out of the platform topsides for the second phase of TPAO’s Akcakoca field development in the Turkish Black Sea.

Frontier drilling is picking up offshore Norway, according to the latest review by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD).

Deepwater exploration off Madagascar is being stalled by the country’s uncertain political situation, according to Sterling Energy.

ClampOn has a Letter of Intent from FMC to supply 19 subsea sand and vibration monitors and pig detectors for Total’s Laggan-Tormore project west of Shetland.

The partners in the Nyuni joint venture offshore Tanzania have opted to drill the Nyuni 2 exploration well in December, according to Key Petroleum.

AWE has spudded the Tuatara-1 exploration well in PEP38524, offshore Taranaki, New Zealand.

Hurricane Exploration has completed production testing of its Lancaster oil discovery west of the Shetlands.

Noble Corp. has closed its acquisition of FDR Holdings Ltd., and now has a drilling fleet of 69 units.

Tidewater has elected Morris E. Foster to its board of directors for a term expiring in July 2011.

Halliburton has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the University of Aberdeen.

Construction group Lamprell has won a $317-million contract for two new jackup rigs from National Drilling Co., Abu Dhabi.

The topsides for Talisman Energy’s new Yme platform in the North Sea are complete and ready for load-out from the fabrication yard in Abu Dhabi.

Tyco Valves and Controls has invested in two hyperbaric chambers to test ultra-deepwater valves for its Flow Control Technologies (FCT) division.

Xodus Group has appointed Dr. Afshin Motarjemi to head a subsea advanced analysis team.

Cairn India has completed a 4D seismic campaign over the Ravva offshore field in Eastern India’s Krishna-Godavari basin.

The Court of Appeal in London has ruled in favor of Norwegian company Electromagnetic Geoservices (EMGS) in a patent dispute with Schlumberger.

FG International Holland BV has won a flare tip handling study for the FPSO for Total’s Pazflor deepwater development offshore Angola.

Ithaca Energy has raised C$158 million ($152 million) from its Canadian bought deal and UK private share placement.

Cove Energy has conditionally agreed to farm into five contiguous deepwater blocks offshore Kenya.

Coretech Resources has contracted Sub-Atlantic Asia Pacific (AP) for a free-swimming, Super Mohawk inspection class ROV.

Marathon Oil Co. has appointed Michael W. Tweedy as chief procurement officer, effective Aug. 23.

MS Industrial Services’ Group has established a subsidiary in Ghana.

Argos Resources is seeking to raise £22 million ($34.3 million) via a conditional share placement.

Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) has awarded University of Dundee two grants to research ways to optimize performance and reliability of ultra-deepwater tubular connections.

Bontan Corp. says the partners in the Offshore Israel Project covering the Sarah and Myra licenses have submitted 3D seismic data for these permits to Israel’s Ministry of National Infrastructure (MNI).

Northern Offshore has named Gary W. Casswell as president and CEO.

Keppel Singmarine has delivered its third multi-purpose platform supply and support vessel (MPSSV) to Greatship Global Offshore Services.

Bisso Marine has appointed John C. Baker as director of quality and compliance, and Joe Campbell as general manager of diving and subsea services.

Husky Energy has appointed Stephen Bradley, Frederick Ma, and George Magnus to its board of directors.

Baker Hughes has appointed Martin Craighead as president and COO.

Teledyne Impulse announced they achieved the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9001:2008 certification from Intertek Testing Services NA, Inc.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission have cleared unconditionally the proposed merger of Schlumberger and Smith International.

CRC-Evans has integrated cold metal transfer technology with its P450 automatic welding machine.

BPZ Resources has re-opened the A-14XD well in the Albacora I, Tumbes basin offshore Peru, after receiving Extended Well Testing (EWT) and gas flaring permits.

Azerbaijan International Operating Co. has contracted drilling facilities designer RDS for the Chirag Oil Project (COP) “Execute” phase in the Caspian Sea.

Huisman has signed a Letter of Intent with Heerema Offshore Services for installation equipment on Heerema’s new deepwater construction vessel.

Oil production from the Basker-Manta-Gummy (BMG) fields off southeast Australia averaged just 1,513 b/d in Q2 2010, according to operator ROC.

GE Oil & Gas has signed a technology transfer and license agreement with Kazak engineering plant operator JSC ZKMK.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement has released offshore operator reports regarding the evacuation of platforms and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico due to tropical storm Bonnie.

With work resuming at BP’s Macondo oil spill site in the Gulf of Mexico, plans for the actual well kill are coming together.

Aqua-Chem Inc. has acquired SPECIFIC, a fluid-handling systems provider that includes the petroleum industry among its clients.

Cirrus Energy has successful drilled the deviated M07-07 appraisal well from the M07-A gas production platform in the Dutch North Sea.

Keppel FELS expects to deliver the KFELS B Class jackup rig West Callisto to Seadrill before the end of July.

Phases 15 and 16 of the South Pars gas field projects in the Persian Gulf are 47% complete, according to Iranian news service Shana.

PetroMarker has contracted to acquire electromagnetic data for exploration company Concedo on the Norwegian continental shelf.

Polarcus says the second 3D seismic acquisition project for Gassnova has received budgetary approval.

Expro has acquired Production Testers International, a well services business providing fasttrack production systems to the upstream oil and gas industry.

Eni Denmark has started drilling the latest deepwater exploration well off the Faroe Islands, according to partner Faroe Petroleum.

Tullow Oil has made another potentially major oil discovery in Ghana’s deepwater play fairway.

Petrobras has awarded Subsea 7’s i-Tech division, a five-year contract to provide ROV and underwater positioning survey services offshore Brazil.

Final field data has been compiled for a geophysical site survey over the Artemis-1 well location off northwest Australia, according to operator MEO.

Work has resumed on drilling the relief wells at BP’s Macondo spill site in the Gulf of Mexico.

Weather predominates the scene at the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico according to Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander.

U.S. Silica Co. has appointed Frank Syfan as technical director.

HB Rentals has appointed Myron Manuel as refurbishing manager.

Production from the North West Shelf oil redevelopment project should start by end-March 2011, according to Woodside Energy.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has reopened 26,388 sq mi (68,345 sq km) of Gulf of Mexico waters to commercial and recreational fishing today.

The threat of Tropical Storm Bonnie in the Gulf of Mexico has pushed Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander at BP’s Macondo well to halt operations and for the vessels onsite to prepare to move away.

The Tom Hum Xanh 1X exploration well in block 31, Vinh Chau graben system, offshore southern Vietnam now is P&A’d according to Salamander Energy Plc.

Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has approved the plan for development and operation for the Marulk gas condensate field in the Norwegian Sea.

Eni is seeking an entrée into Azerbaijan’s upstream sector via the proposed CNG (compressed natural gas) project.

The impact of possible new regulations governing oil and gas operation in the Gulf of Mexico that shut-out independent operators would mean a loss of more than 200,000 jobs and more than $10 billion in federal, state, and local revenues and royalty payments to 2020 in the Gulf region from Texas to Alabama, according to a study released today by IHS Global Insight and commissioned by Cobalt International Energy.

Offshore Solutions B.V. has won the GDF SUEZ Grand Prix de L’innovation award in the field operations category for its Offshore Access System.

COSCO Dalian Shipyard Co Ltd. has secured a $500-million turn-key contract from Dalian Deepwater Development Ltd. to engineer, procure, and construct a DP-3 deepwater drillship.

Vantage Drilling Co. has agreed to supervise and manage construction and marketing of the ultra-deepwater drillship/FPSO, Dalian Developer, formerly known as the MPF-01.

Wood Group has unveiled a hydrate liquefying tool designed to melt ice and paraffin blockages in production pipes of oil and gas wells.

Reservoir Group has acquired Enigma Data Solutions, an information management software and consultancy services provider to the oil and gas industry.

A plan to organize the non-profit Marine Well Containment Co., a rapid response system to capture and contain oil from a subsea blowout, is under way among Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Shell.

Diamond Offshore’s Ocean Guardian has transferred to the North Falklands basin to drill a second well for Rockhopper Exploration.

Keppel Offshore & Marine has won two contracts, one to convert an FPSO and the other to repair a semisubmersible rig for projects offshore Brazil.

Production from the Cheleken Contract Area fields in the Caspian Sea averaged 46,420 b/d of oil during the first half of 2010.

Hyundai Heavy Industries has contracted Dockwise to transport Eni Norge’s Goliat project platform from South Korea to the Norwegian Barents Sea.

Results from Ngaji-1, the first well ever drilled in Uganda’s Lake Edward graben were inconclusive, says operator Dominion Petroleum.

MEO Australia has secured the semisub Songa Venus to drill its giant Artemis prospect in permit WA-360-P off northwest Australia.

Eni Norge has contracted Aker Pusnes for design and supply of an on-vessel mooring system for the Goliat field FPSO in the Barents Sea.

Oil production has started from CNOOC’s BZ 29-4 field in the Bohai Bay offshore China.

Sterling Resources has updated progress on three current wells in the UK North Sea.

Wintershall Norge has discovered oil in the Maria prospect in Mid-Norway’s Halten Terrace region.

Hoang Long Joint Operating Co. has secured the jackup PV Drilling-1 for a program in block 16-1 in Vietnam’s Cuu Long basin.

INTECSEA has appointed Uri Nooteboom as president.

Dana Petroleum has agreed to acquire a 50% interest from BG International in the El Manzala Offshore Area Concession in the Mediterranean Sea, offshore Egypt.

Marine Subsea (UK) has completed successfully a $1-million contract with Repsol for work offshore Spain near the Casablanca platform.

OGX Petróleo e Gás Participações S.A. reports finding an oil-bearing interval in the Albian section of well 1-OGX-15-RJS in the shallow waters of block BM-C-41 offshore Campos basin, Brazil.

Tim Cejka, president of ExxonMobil Exploration Co., and VP of ExxonMobil Corp., will retire on Aug. 31, 2010.

Hyperdynamics has appointed John O'Keefe as executive VP, and CFO.

Lundin Petroleum has spudded an exploration well on its Avaldsnes prospect in the Norwegian North Sea, using the semisubmersible drilling rig Transocean Winner.

Oil & Gas UK has welcomed a newly announced government inquiry into deepwater drilling in UK waters.

China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) has signed a framework agreement for the sale and purchase of natural gas to Zhejiang Natural Gas Development Co. (Zhejiang Gas) from the LS 36-1 gas field in the South China Sea.

Saipem has awarded Cybernetix a second contract for the Kashagan development in the North Caspian Sea.

Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander, has directed BP to extend for another 24 hours the testing of the containment cap at the Macondo well.

CGGVeritas has opened a new Geology & Geophysics Center in Angola to join its existing Processing & Imaging Center.

Xcite Energy is committed to take the Ocean Nomad semisubmersible to drill the 9/3b-R appraisal well on the Bentley heavy oil field in the UK North Sea.

SOCO International is set to sell its subsidiary SOCO Exploration Thailand to Salamander Bualang, a division of Salamander Energy.

Front-end engineering design of Total’s deepwater Engina development off Nigeria is nearing completion.

Petroceltic Italia has lodged an application with Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development to suspend the current timing of its commitments on the B.R268.RG permit in the Adriatic Sea.

Talisman Energy Norge has completed drilling two productive delineation wells on its Grevling oil find in the Norwegian North Sea.

Energy XXI will realign its management team, effective July 23, 2010.

Statoil has awarded Aibel a NOK 2.7 billion ($427.8 million) contract to build the deck for the new Gudrun production platform in the Norwegian North Sea.

Dragon Oil has completed two more development wells and one sidetrack in its Cheleken Contract Area program in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea.

Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) has issued a letter of intent to Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) to build a new deepwater construction vessel.

Statoil has awarded Wellstream manufacturing contracts for the latest phase of the Snorre development in the Norwegian North Sea.

SBM has awarded VME Process a contract to provide complete EPC services, and project management for a gas treatment module for the FPSO Espadarte.

Petrobel has started gas production from the Tuna field in the Temsah concession off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.

Maersk Oil and Qatar Petroleum have achieved landmark production of 1 Bbbl of oil from the Al Shaheen field offshore Qatar.

Atwood Oceanics has appointed Mark L. Mey as senior VP and CFO, effective Aug. 11.

PA Resources (PAR) has completed its first 2D seismic campaign in western Greenland’s offshore block 8, 10 days ahead of schedule.

Nucoastal Ltd. has awarded a nine-month contract extension to the Vicksburg, an Atwood Oceanics Pacific Ltd. operated rig offshore Thailand.

The Rowan Co. board of directors has approved Rowan’s purchase of all of the ordinary shares in Skeie Drilling & Production ASA.

The deepwater Gulf of Mexico Droshky development is on production says Marathon Oil Corp.

Diving contractor Seatrax Singapore has commissioned Sub-Atlantic Asia to supply an electric work-class ROV to support its subsea operations in the Asia/Pacific region.

Ophir Energy has engaged the new deepwater semisubmersible Maersk Deliverer to drill the first exploration well on the AGC Profond PSC off northwest Africa.

AWE has decided to plug and abandon the Kahu-1 exploration well offshore New Zealand as a dry hole.

ONGC has contracted Indian construction company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) to refurbish an offshore drilling rig.

BP, RWE Dea, and EGPC have signed an agreement for a $9-billion gas field development project in two West Nile Delta concessions offshore northern Egypt.

Seadrill’s ultra-deepwater semisubmersible drilling rig West Orion has started drilling operations for Petrobras offshore Brazil.

Noreco has agreed to sell its 20% interest in Norwegian North Sea license PL378 to Talisman Energy Norge for $43 million.

Kangean Energy Indonesia has contracted BW Offshore for a gas FPSO for the Terang Sirasun Batur fields offshore Indonesia.

Sensidyne has released SensAlarm Plus, an all-in-one gas detection system for monitoring oxygen, toxic, and combustible gases.

Dril-Quip Inc. has landed a $100-million contract from FloaTEC de Mexico SA de CV to supply drilling and production equipment for the P-6 tension-leg wellhead platform at Papa Terra field offshore Brazil in the Campos basin.

OGX Petróleo e Gás Participações S.A. says it has revised upwards its net pay estimate for the Albian section of well 1-OGX-14-RJS.

Suncor Energy has started its planned maintenance shutdown on the Terra Nova FPSO, located 350 km (217 mi) southeast of St. John’s.

As of this morning, the newly installed cap at BP’s Macondo well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico is holding pressure, according to reports from the National Incident Command.

Premier Oil has entered into an agreement to back into Chrysaor’s Solan field development west of Shetland.

BP Norge’s new Valhall main deck has set sail from the Netherlands for the Norwegian North Sea.

Dana Petroleum expects to participate in a record 20 exploration and appraisal wells this year.

The iStore has launched Digital Oilfield Express (DOX).

BP Exploration Operating Co. has awarded Duco a €14 million ($18 million) subsea equipment contra for the Andrew field development in the North Sea.

Britain’s Department of Energy and Climate Change and Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum & Energy have approved Total’s Islay gas field development in the North Sea.

A valve failure on the Forties pipeline system has forced Nexen to shut-in production from its Scott platform in the UK central North Sea.

HB Rentals has agreed to provide a three-building accommodations package worth over $1.2 million for a spar platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

Macondo well site equipment layout

Ingrain has promoted Marcus Ganz to CEO.

With the flip of a switch earlier this week, Statoil’s Gjøa platform on the Norwegian continental shelf became the first floating platform to get its electrical power from shore.

Smith International Inc. says that its stockholders will consider and vote on the plan of merger between Smith and Schlumberger at its Aug. 24 annual meeting.

The FPSO Cidade de Santos in the Uruguá field of Brazil’s Santos basin has entered into operation according to Petróleo Brasileiro SA.

A new Roxar chemical injection valve from Emerson Process Management hits the market to target hydrate inhibition.

Wellstream has appointed David Mullen as CEO, effective Sept. 1.

Petrobras Netherlands has contracted GE Oil & Gas for gas turbine and compressor equipment for use on the FPSOs P-58 and P-62 offshore Brazil.

Total has agreed to acquire Chevron’s 45.9% interest in block 1 in the Joint Development Zone (JDZ) in the Gulf of Guinea.

Ascent Resources Netherlands (ARN) has increased its interest in the M10/11 block in the Dutch North Sea.

Premier Oil says its Chim Sáo development project offshore southern Vietnam is on schedule for start-up in July 2011.

Premier Oil has entered into an agreement to back into Chrysaor’s Solan field development west of Shetland.

Statoil has re-started production through the Gullfaks C platform in the Norwegian North Sea, after a shut-down on May 19 caused by problems with well C-06.

Bowleven’s IE-3 appraisal well offshore Cameroon has reached a final subsurface depth of 3,048 m (10,000 ft).

SSP Offshore has received an arbitration award of $2,672,313 from South Riding Point Holding.

BPZ Resources has completed one well and started another for its Corvina field development offshore Peru.

Reflex Marine is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its FROG crew transfer device.

The National Ocean Industries Association says the Department of the Interior’s drilling suspensions do not lessen the confusion and uncertainty surrounding offshore energy exploration in the Gulf of Mexico.

Field trials of a wireless system to communicate through ice succeeded, say WFS Technologies and Kongsberg Marine Subsea.

A review of the protocols for well integrity tests at BP’s Macondo blowout in the Gulf of Mexico will has delayed implementation of the process outlined yesterday for proving the sealing cap function.

Proved and probable gas reserves at Kupe field now are higher than originally estimated as result of a detailed reserves review, says Origin Energy as operator for the Kupe Joint Venture.

Nexen has successful appraised its Blackbird oil field discovery in the UK Central North Sea.

Statoil has issued a letter of intent to Aker Solutions concerning a framework agreement for studies and modifications related to offshore installations in the Sleipner area of the North Sea.

DONG Energy has approved the development plan for the Marulk gas field in the Norwegian Sea, in which the company has a 30% interest.

Chevron North America has awarded Cortec Manifold Systems (CMS) the supply of compact ball and check valves for its Tahiti II project.

TGS has started a new multi-client 3D survey in partnership with PGS over the East Shetland basin, west of the UK’s maritime border with Norway.

Maersk Oil has awarded Total Waste Management Alliance (TWMA), a three-year, $22.9-million contract to provide drill cuttings process and handling services offshore in the North Sea.

OEG Offshore has launched OEG Offshore LLC (OEG US), a subsidiary in Houston, to expand its operations in the Americas.

T&T Marine Salvage, a leading provider of maritime support services, says it has been responding with manpower and equipment to help clean the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Oilfield service group Expro has won a four-year extension to its well testing/data acquisition contract with Statoil offshore Norway.

Foster Wheeler’s Global Engineering and Construction Group will provide project management consultancy services for Iraq’s Crude Oil Export Expansion Project.

Statoil has contracted Grenland Group to modify the water injection module on its Gullfaks B platform in the Norwegian North Sea.

HB Rentals has named Divalmir “Jimmy” De Souza regional director for Brazil.

Chevron Corp. reports that its Sappho-1 exploration well off Western Australia is a natural gas discovery.

With completion of the capping stack installation on the Macondo well possible today, the ensuing well integrity test will lead to determination of the next step to be taken at BP’s Gulf of Mexico spill site, according to Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander.

Cortec Manifold Systems (CMS) has been awarded the supply of compact manifold valves for the Shell Offshore Inc. Mars B production platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

COSCO Corp.’s board of directors has appointed Wang Xing Ru and Liu De Tian as members of the Enterprise Risk Management Committee.

Hyperdynamics Corp. has contracted PGS Geophysical to process data from a 3D seismic survey that is to be conducted offshore Republic of Guinea.

Offshore Iwaki Petroleum Co. Ltd. says work is complete on decommissioning the Iwaki platform 40 km (25 mi) offshore Naraha, Fukushima prefecture.

BP says that with the installation of the three-ram capping stack, the new sealing cap is in place and integrity testing is in progress.

Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. has agreed to suspend a Gulf of Mexico contract on the deepwater Ocean Confidence and will take up a contract for the rig offshore Congo.

Coastal Energy has updated information regarding its development and exploration drilling operations in the Gulf of Thailand.

BP Azerbaijan has awarded the AMEC Tekfen Azfen (ATA) consortium a five-year Master Services Agreement.

MEO Australia has agreed to acquire Gascorp Australia’s 15% equity share of the WA-361-P exploration permit offshore Western Australia.

Apache Oil’s Laurel-1 well in Australia’s offshore Carnarvon basin has reached total depth without significant commercial discovery.

Providence Resources has completed processing of 3D seismic acquired last summer over the Spanish Point gas/condensate discovery in Ireland’s offshore Porcupine basin.

The BP-led Clair Ridge Joint Venture has contracted Aker Solutions for two steel jackets for the project, west of Shetland.

An oil pipeline offshore peninsular Malaysia has been damaged by an unidentified vessel, according to operator Newfield Exploration.

Eni and Sonangol say their latest oil discovery in block 15/06, offshore Angola exceeded expectations.

Jurong Shipyard has agreed to sell its CJ-70 harsh environment jackup to Seadrill subsidiary JSPL for S$356 million ($257 million).

Simmons & Company International has appointed Anthony Cooke as an associate within its industry & technology team.

Faroe Petroleum has appointed Hanne Harlem to the board as an independent non-executive director.

Azerbaijan International Operating Co. (AIOC) has awarded $814 million in contracts for development of the Chirag Oil Project (COP) in the Caspian Sea.

Maersk Oil Norway plans to start procuring drilling equipment and services for an exploration well in the mid Norwegian license PL431, expected to spud date late this year or early next.

ADX Energy has started drilling the Lambouka-1 well on the Lambouka Prospect on the Tunisian side of the Sicily Channel.

Pan Pacific Petroleum Vietnam (PPPV) is clear to take a 5% interest in the block 07/03 Production Sharing Contract in the southern Nam Con Son basin from Premier Oil Vietnam South (POVS).

TGS has chartered Fugro's Geo-Caribbean seismic vessel to perform multi-client programs off West Africa.

Dockwise has completed the first of two float-overs for the new Vyborg semisubmersible drilling rigs project.

Falklands Oil & Gas (FOGL) is disappointed with the latest exploration well offshore the Falkland Islands.

With the weather in the Gulf of Mexico near the Macondo well site improving, Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander, says the hookup of the Helix Producer is under way and production into that vessel could come as soon as Sunday.

Dynamic Offshore Resources, LLC says it has acquired additional Gulf of Mexico Shelf properties from a private seller.

A federal appeals court has rejected the federal government's effort to restore an offshore deepwater drilling moratorium, opening the door to resumed drilling in the Gulf while the legal fight continues.

Exploration and appraisal well numbers across the UK shelf rose by 86% in the second quarter of 2010 compared with the same period in 2009, according to Deloitte’s latest survey.

GSP Offshore has installed the steel platform jacket for the latest phase of TPAO’s Akcakoca development in the Turkish Black Sea.

Spectraseis has released RioGrande, a data management and visualization program for low-frequency seismic data.

In a letter to BP yesterday, National Incident Commander Thad Allen called on BP to provide information on the following for a meeting of the Federal Scientific Technical Team today:

New Zealand’s Crown Minerals is making available 2,375 km (1,476 mi) of 2D seismic data collected over the Campbell Plateau and Bounty Trough.

Burullus Gas Co has contracted Diamond Offshore Drilling’s semisubmersible Ocean Endeavor to work offshore Egypt.

Bourbon Offshore has ordered four MacGregor anchor-handling systems from Cargotec for new anchor-handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels under construction by Sinopacific Group in China.

Dana Petroleum (E&P) has joined the list of companies exploring offshore the Faroe Islands.

Aker Solutions is to supply a 2,500-ft (762-m) riser extension to the Dragonquest rig (ex-Titanium Explorer), owned by Valenica Drilling.

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) has issued two Calls for Bids in the Flemish Pass/Central Ridge region of the Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area.

Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) has approved Statoil Petroleum’s request to drill the Soleie prospect in license 269 in the Norwegian North Sea.

The Obama administration is seeking to reverse a recent court ruling that overturned its six-month ban on offshore oil drilling following the Deepwater Horizon incident.

AGC has appointed Martin Edwards as executive general manager of operations.

McMoRan Exploration Co. has issued an update on its shallow-water Gulf of Mexico exploration activities, including indications of potential hydrocarbon-bearing zones at the Blueberry Hill deep gas sidetrack location and in-progress drilling at the Davy Jones and Blackbeard East ultra-deep prospects.

The Oil Spill Prevention and Response Advisory Group (OSPRAG) has initiated an engineering study to develop new design concepts for well capping and containment.

Saipem has won new offshore contracts in various locations worth over €1 billion ($1.267 billion) in total.

Framo Engineering has approved Castrol’s Brayco Micronic SBF (Subsea Barrier Fluid) for use in its subsea multiphase booster pumps.

GDF Suez has achieved further drilling success with its second appraisal well in the southwestern part of the Cygnus gas field in the UK southern North Sea.

Eidesvik has entered into a contract to build its fourth platform supply vessel (PSV) powered by natural gas.

Ensco has agreed to acquire for $186 million a high-spec jackup (KFELS MOD V - Super B Class design) suited for drilling deep gas wells.

Statoil Petroleum has confirmed partner approval to contract Floatel International’s DP-3 accommodation and construction support vessel Floatel Superior.

National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen went out to the Discoverer Enterprise yesterday to assess “on-scene conditions” following Hurricane Alex and the weather front that entered the Gulf after transiting the Yucatan Peninsula.

CGGVeritas has taken delivery of the new seismic vessel Oceanic Vega.

Hallin Marine Subsea International has won a five-year, $25-million contract from Marine Subsea to provide ROV services for the new subsea intervention/construction support vessel Karianne.

Gazprom Dobycha Shelf LLC has awarded FMC Technologies Inc. a $190-million contract for subsea production equipment to use at Kirinskoye field.

Production from the Siri area fields in the Danish North Sea in June averaged 13,875 boe/d, says partner Noreco.

Iran could export gas to India via a new long-distance seabed pipeline, according to the Iranian Petroleum Ministry.

Ithaca Energy seeks to raise $150 million from a Bought Deal Offering and a Private Placement.

TGS says a five-year charter for its 2D vessel M/V Northern Genesis has been terminated early.

Sevan Marine has secured a commitment from ING Bank to underwrite a $230-million Senior Secured Credit Facility for the FPSO Sevan Voyageur.

STX Finland has appointed Juha Heikinheimo as president.

Total E & P has appointed Michael Borrell as senior VP of continental Europe and central Asia, Arnaud Breuillac as senior VP of Middle East, Ladislas Paszkiewicz as senior VP of Americas, and Michel Seguin as special advisor to Yves-Louis Darricarrère.

Red Spider Technology has appointed John O’Hara as sales manager for North America.

China’s Ministry of Commerce has ratified the Supplemental Development Agreement (SDA) for the LS 36-1 gas field in the South China Sea.

MacDermid Offshore Solutions has signed a frame agreement with Woodside Energy thereby consolidating its subsea production control fluids.

HB Rentals has teamed up with Datacom to provide onsite communications equipment and broadband services for HB Rentals’ customers.

Diamond Offshore Drilling has sold the Ocean Shield, a 350-ft. high-specification jackup rig, to Ensco for $186 million.

Rowan Co.s has entered into a share purchase agreement with Skeie Technology AS, Skeie Tech Invest AS, and Wideluck Enterprises Ltd., to purchase Skeie Drilling & Production ASA.

Doug Suttles, Chief Operating Officer of BP Exploration and Production, recently met with Vessels of Opportunity (VoO) participants to review operations and discuss a number of enhancements made to the VoO program.

Hitec Vision has agreed to acquire Tampnet AS from Statoil.

TGS and PGS have started a new multi-client 3D survey in the Norwegian North Sea.

PEMEX has signed a multi-year contract with Electromagnetic Geoservices (EMGS) for deepwater 3D electromagnetic surveys in the Mexican sector of the Gulf of Mexico.

San Leon has contracted PGS Ventures for a 300-sq km (116 sq mi) seismic survey over its acreage in the Slyne basin, offshore western Ireland.

FMC Technologies has contracted with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro to build a technology center in Brazil.

The FPSO Kwame Nkrumah is moored above the deepwater Jubilee field, having arrived in Ghana last month.

Operator Hess Denmark has formed an alliance with Danish engineering contractors Semco Maritime and Ramboll Oil & Gas for its South Arne Brownfield Modification project in the Danish North Sea.

Zachary Miller, Camille Pagniello, Robert Lister, and Zachary Harris have been selected as recipients of the Marine Technology Society’s 2010 ROV Committee scholarships.

Atlas Interactive has appointed Alan Pollock as VP of global sales to assist the company’s strategy to double its sales within the next four years.

W. Reid Lea has resigned as executive VP and manager of corporate development for W&T Offshore.

Melrose Resources and Petromar Resources have jointly won two shallow water exploration blocks in the Romanian Black Sea.

Ithaca Energy has lifted oil production from the Beatrice complex in the Moray Firth off northeast Scotland to an average of 10,678 b/d.

Tullow Oil has provided an update on its exploration plans off the north coast of South America.

Envoi Ltd. is seeking a drilling partner for First Australian Resources’ deepwater exploration license offshore Senegal.

The Clio-3 well offshore Western Australia in the Carnarvon basin is a gas discovery according to Chevron Corp.

Baker Hughes Inc. has agreed to sell two stimulation vessels to Superior Energy Services Inc.

Connection of the third production vessel, the Helix Producer, via a floating riser is under way and the successful completion timeframe depends upon the sea states at the site.

The BGP Challenger seismic survey vessel is acquitting long-offset, 2D seismic data for multi-client US GoM Big Wave project, says Spectrum.

Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has unveiled the country’s 21st Licensing Round, all in frontier northern offshore areas.

Chariot Oil & Gas has received processed 3D seismic data in both time and depth related to its licenses offshore Namibia.

Site survey operations are under way on the Dunquin license (FEL 3/04) in the Porcupine basin off western Ireland.

Iran has discovered a new gas/liquids field in its sector of the Persian Gulf.

Lukoil and Vanco International have won a tender to explore and develop the Est Rapsodia and Trident blocks in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea.

Orders to manufacture the recently approved Heavy Oil Recovery Device (HORD) have reached eight to 10 per day in shipyards at Bayou La Batre, Alabama; and Pensacola, Florida, says the Incident Joint Information Center.

Petris Technology Inc. says PetrisWINDS ZEH Plot Express now supports ISys’ iTerra TL1290 multiple width log printer.

Twenty-six oil and gas industry professionals from 20 countries have participated in the GE Oil & Gas University graduation ceremony held at the company’s headquarters in Florence, Italy.

ITS Group’s Aberdeen machine shop facility has received the Fearnley Procter NS-1 Approved Service Centre status by Fearnley Procter Group, a global company focused on the provision of knowledgeable solutions to prevent drilling incidents occurring downhole.

Carnarvon (NZ) Pty has farmed into license PEP38524 in New Zealand’s offshore Taranaki basin, taking a 10% equity interest from AWE New Zealand.

Keppel Shipyard is close to completing the conversion of an FPSO for Statoil’s Peregrino field offshore Brazil.

EnCore Oil has encountered further success with its ongoing exploratory program on the Catcher oil prospect in the UK central North Sea.

Drydocks World’s shipyard in Dubai has performed the naming ceremony for the newly built seismic vessel WG Cook.

Topaz Energy and Marine has added an 84-m (275-ft) long Multipurpose Support Vessel (MPSV) to its fleet servicing the offshore oil and gas industry.

BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) has awarded EnerMech an £8.2-million ($12-million) crane operation, maintenance, and inspection contract for offshore Azerbaijan.

SMD has won a contract from Subsea 7 division i-Tech to supply 20 QX-Ultra work class ROVs, with options for up to a further 10.

BG Group’s Egyptian subsidiary says that it plans to invest $2 billion to install a pipeline and drill new wells off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, according to a Reuters report.

Northern Offshore’s drillship Energy Searcher has returned to Vietnamese waters to resume drilling operations for Vietgazprom, the joint venture between Petrovietnam and Gazprom.

Electromagnetic Geoservices (EMGS) has won a $1-million contract to provide marine EM services for EnQuest.

With the threat of Hurricane Alex past, the Deepwater Horizon incident commander, Admiral Thad Allen, says work will restart to connect the flexible riser with the third collection vessel, the Helix Producer.

Statoil has contracted Aker Offshore Partner for inspection services on 11 platforms on the Norwegian shelf.

Xcite Energy has entered into an agreement for the semisub Ocean Nomad to drill the 9/3b-R well on the heavy oil Bentley field in the UK North Sea.

Statoil has awarded Aker Solutions a significant part of the frame agreement for inspection services on all of its offshore installations and onshore plants in Norway.

C-MAC MicroTechnology has enhanced its test house facility in Great Yarmouth, UK.

The Southern Cross semisubmersible drilling rig has reached the Lambouka-1 well site offshore Tunisia, says ADX Energy Ltd.

Mediterranean Oil & Gas (MOG) says a proposed amendment to Italy’s Environmental Code could impact its Ombrina Mare development project in the Adriatic Sea.

SBM Offshore has agreed to contract extensions with Total for two floating storage units in service off West Africa.

It has often been commented that the offshore hydrocarbon industry is particularly bad at sharing lessons learned – both with respect to successful solutions and what has proven to be more problematic. However, re-inventing the wheel is expensive. For safety critical systems, not learning from experience can repeatedly place personnel and infrastructure at risk. To avoid this, there is a need to improve knowledge transfer and distribution throughout the industry.

Simen Lieungh has stepped down as president and CEO of Aker Solutions.

Tranter International faced an unusual challenge when asked to supply heat exchangers for Eni’s field FPSO offshore Nigeria.

John L. Whitmire has resigned from Transocean’s board of directors because of health reasons.

ABB has won a contract to supply subsea power cables for Eni Norge’s Goliat development in the Barents Sea. The NOK 676-million ($104 million) assignment covers design, manufacture, and installation, the latter scheduled for summer 2013.

The first subsea horizontal electrical submersible pumping booster system is scheduled for installation later this year in the Gulf of Mexico. The installation will be the first use of a horizontal ESP-based booster system in ultra deepwater.

Subsea 7 did the pipeline installation for the Parque das Conchas (BC-10) development, offshore Brazil. Parque das Conchas is operated by Shell on behalf of the BC-10 Joint Venture (Shell 50%, Petrobras 35%, ONGC 15%).

Offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico are beginning to re-board platforms and rigs, and restore production following Hurricane Alex, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement’s (BOEMRE) Continuity of Operations Plan team.

Oil and gas companies are extending their operational domain to deep and ultra deepwater; which challenge the performance and operational integrity of conventional subsea technology, jeopardizing the value proposition of the enterprise and increasing the downside risk to stakeholders.

Driven by global demand for energy, subsea exploration and well construction has boomed in the past decade. According to consultants Infield Systems and Douglas Westwood, the total number of subsea wells will balloon to more than 5,500 by the end of this year. While some projects may be delayed due to financing issues related to the global economic downturn, the rapid construction of new wells is likely to continue, if not accelerate, in the years to come.

Gushers may look great in films like 2007’s There Will Be Blood, but like many of Hollywood’s ideas, they are far better on the screen than in real life. Fortunately, drilling is much safer since 1922 when James Smither Abercrombie walked into Harry Cameron’s machine shop in Humble, Texas, and explained his idea for a ram-type blowout preventer. Cameron was dead within six years, but Cameron International Corp, now a $5-billion Houston-based international flow equipment firm, still makes BOPs. The designs, of course, have advanced considerably over the years, and Cameron offers dozens of models designed to prevent surface and subsea blowouts on different sizes of drill pipes. That company has been joined by a dozen or more BOP manufacturers such as Hydril and National Oilwell Varco/Shaffer.

More than 1,100 installations worldwide in myriad conditions – including over 115 in deepwater – demonstrate the effectiveness of solid expandable systems in offshore programs. Expandable systems can be an advantage in challenging wells where lack of offset data and unknown formations can disrupt the planned drilling program. When these conditions necessitate setting casing higher than planned, expandable technology may mitigate wellbore diameter reduction and enable the operator to return to the original casing program to complete the well, meeting hole size and depth objectives.

Antycip Simulation and CMLabs have teamed to develop offshore crane training simulators for the PNI Training Centre in Norway. The simulators, installed at PNI’s Stavanger base in June, will help the company address increasing demands for the training of personnel in offshore lifting operations.

The worldwide deepwater (4,000 ft [1,219 m] water depth and greater) rig fleet has grown significantly since 2008 when Offshore last presented its Worldwide Survey of Deepwater Drilling Rigs. The deepwater rig survey is conducted every other year, with a jackup survey published in alternate years. The deepwater rig survey was conducted during May and represents a snapshot of the existing operational deepwater fleet capable of drilling in 4,000 ft of water and greater. Rigs under construction are not included in the survey. New rigs with a construction date in 2010 are included if they are delivered from the shipyard, or expected to be delivered from the shipyard, by the end of June.

New mobile offshore drilling rigs are being delivered into a market ill-suited at present to absorb new capacity, and some rigs are being delivered with no work prospects in hand. In conjunction, new rig orders have fallen dramatically over the past year, according to data compiled by ODS-Petrodata.

The world of volume interpretation and visualization is evolving with the advent of a new parameter that exceeds the capabilities of traditional systems. While it has been possible to visualize pre-stack data for some time with some ingenious adaptations of a full multi-attribute 3D viewer, the azimuth component demands specific viewing techniques, as well as the support of tools such as illumination ray path features and attributes volumes. Together, they deliver a better view of a reservoir under a complex anisotropic overburden.

An increasing catalogue of case studies demonstrates that the dual-sensor Geo Streamer enables more accurate reservoir description, and, reduces the dependence on well log data. This goes beyond the well-known survey efficiency, signal penetration, and resolution improvements.

Hurricane Alex has slowed the hook-up of the third production containment vessel Helix Producer says retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the national incident commander for the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Prestack depth migration (PSDM) projects of regional lines and 3D surveys have a major impact on exploration and development projects offshore India because the technique can reduce risks. PSDM can handle complex structures and rapid vertical and lateral changes in the velocity field, so the resulting images can enhance interpretations compared to those based on the time processing results alone.

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products has introduced the Aristo Feed 3004 with U82 Plus remote pendant, a new arc welder designed for MIG, TIG or Stick welding.

Available data today, mostly provided by 3D seismic, oil and source rock geochemistry, and 3D basin modeling reveals a close match between the South American and West African margin basins with respect to their pre-salt depositional sequences, including reservoir and source facies of the pre-salt tectono-sedimentary sequences.

The waters of Latin America drive the region’s upstream oil and gas business, and the potential for more success suggests the area will continue to draw attention. How the area will develop depends upon the national oil companies. The NOCs in Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico hold about 90% of all reserves and account for 90% of all production. Even in the smaller arenas of Colombia and Ecuador, the NOCs produce more than half the oil. This reliance on NOCs remains a barrier to operations in Venezuela and Mexico, and to some degree Brazil which is considering new legislation to restrict some areas of operation to Petrobras.

Oil and gas resource estimates for Tullow Oil’s acreage offshore Ghana are moving up, according to Raymond James & Associates.

The European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers (EAGE) annual meeting has generated more than the usual number of new product introductions. Some of them were equipment oriented such as CGGVeritas’ BroadSeis streamer system and Spectraseis borehole receiver. Most of the introductions were computer oriented. The following takes a quick look at some of these exploration aids, and starts with the equipment side.

At this writing, the efforts to stop the flow of oil and gas at BP’s Macando well in the Gulf of Mexico show no signs of ending. The relief wells, one main well and one contingency well, are drilling ahead and estimates are that the first well, from the Development Driller II may make contact this month (July). The second well, from the Development Driller III, is about 4,500 ft (1,372 m) behind the first well.

Oilex Ltd. says the interpretation of 3D seismic data from WA-388-P offshore northwest Australia has identified seven leads ranging in size from 0.3 to 2.8 tcf.

National Petroleum Construction Co. (NPCC) has contracted the Chinese shipyard Zhenhua Heavy Industries to build the DLS 4200 derrick laybarge.

At press time, BP had outline a detailed plan for building additional capacity and redundancy for the containment of oil from the Deepwater Horizon incident. This was in response to pressure from US authorities to step up containment efforts amid reports of increasing estimated rates of oil flow from the damaged well.

Norway will move ahead with its 21st offshore licensing round, but will not sanction drilling on any deepwater permits until a clearer picture emerges over events leading up to the Deepwater Horizon incident in the US Gulf. “The precautionary principle combined with a predictable framework have to be the foundation for our petroleum politics,” said Petroleum and Energy Minister Terje Riis-Johansen.

Eni has contracted Technip to install subsea equipment at Kitan field in the Timor Sea in 350 m (1,148 ft) water depth. The area, jointly administered by Timor-Leste and Australia, is 500 km (310 mi) from the northern Australian coast and 250 km (155 mi) south of the Timor-Leste capital, Dili.

Worldwide spending on floating production systems will total $44.8 billion over the next five years, according to a new study by analysts Douglas-Westwood. The World Floating Production Report 2010-2014 suggests that the sector is set for strong long-term growth, reflecting the continuing expansion into deeper waters, the need to exploit marginal fields, and increased demand for fast-track and phased developments. Latin America will account for almost a third of global capex in the forecast period, the analysts say, followed by Africa and Western Europe.

This month’s issue marks the beginning of some editorial changes at Offshore.

Eni Norge and Statoil have contracted APL to supply an offloading station for installation on the Goliat field FPSO in the Barents Sea.

Shell is considering divesting its interests various central North Sea interests, according to brokers Indigo Pool.

Petroceltic International is concerned that new legislation could frustrate its plans to appraise the Elsa field in the Adriatic Sea.

Reliance Industries Ltd. reports its seventh discovery in block CB-ONN-2003/1 offshore India in the Cambay basin.

Interpetroleum Services has awarded Prosafe an extension of the bareboat contract for Safe Lancia operating for Pemex offshore Mexico.

dGB Earth Sciences has donated $ 4.8 million in licenses of its OpendTect software and corresponding commercial plug-ins to 20 universities in Nigeria.

Atlas Copco has opened Atlas Copco DRC Sprl., a fully-owned legal entity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Alderley Systems has appointed Eddie McCusker as regional sales director.

Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) has vetoed Premier Oil Norge’s request to drill a wildcat on the Gardrofa prospect in offshore license, using the Mærsk Guardian.

India’s government has awarded Bengal Energy International a production-sharing contract for block CY-OSN-2009/1, 7-16 km (4.3-9.9 mi) offshore southeast India.

Salamander Energy has spudded the Tom Hum Xanh-1X exploration well offshore Vietnam, according to Origin Energy Ltd.

Reef Subsea has appointed Mark Preece as CEO.

CGGVeritas has appointed Jean-Georges Malcor as CEO.

Cairn Energy has started drilling its first well offshore Greenland on the Alpha prospect in the Sigguk block, around 175 km (109 mi) offshore Disko Island on the western side of the mainland.

BP has awarded Technip a subsea engineering and installation contract for the Devenick field gas/condensate development in the UK northern North Sea, 234 km (145 mi) north east of Aberdeen.

Sevan Marine and E.ON Ruhrgas UK E&P have agreed to extend an exclusivity period for negotiations over use of the Sevan Voyageur FPSO on the Huntington field in the UK North Sea.

OGX Petroleo e Gas has contracted Wellstream to supply flexible risers and flowlines, mid-water arches, umbilicals, and other associated equipment and services.

ConocoPhillips Norge has awarded Aibel an EPCI contract for work on the Ekofisk field expansion program in the southern Norwegian North Sea.

Acteon has completed its acquisition of mooring equipment and services supplier IOS Holding AS and its subsidiary IOS Offshore AS from Norse Cutting & Abandonment.

Offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico are evacuating platforms and rigs in the path of Tropical Storm Alex.

Aker Solutions has secured a three-year contract extension for engineering and construction work with client Nexen Petroleum UK Ltd. in the UK sector of the North Sea.

SeeByte has appointed Bob Black as CEO.

Total says it has acquired from Shell a 20% interest in Brazil’s BM-S-54 license in Santos basin.

Seadrill has taken delivery of the deepwater drillship West Gemini from Samsung in South Korea.

Maven Capital Partners has invested more than £2 million ($3 million) in XPD8 Solutions Ltd.

CARBO has introduced CARBONRT, a non-radioactive and environmentally responsible proppant that incorporates a taggant allowing downhole, near-wellbore detection of ceramic proppant.

The Coast Guard Captain of the Port of New Orleans has established a 100 m (328 ft) safety zone around the Deepwater Horizon-related oil containment booming operations.

Burullus Gas Co. has awarded Technip a $300 million-plus engineering, procurement, installation, and construction (EPIC) contract for the West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) Phase VIIIa development.

Apache North Sea has contracted Subsea 7 for a pipeline bundle for its newly launched Bacchus subsea development project in the UK central North Sea.

Statoil is arranging long-term equipment supply (frame) agreements with five companies for maintenance and modification work on all its Norwegian shelf facilities, both offshore and onshore.

Dolphin Drilling has agreed to adjust the terms of its contract for the semisubmersible Borgsten Dolphin with Hurricane Exploration.

Output from the newly launched Phase 19 development of the South Pars field in the Persian Gulf will be 50 MMcf/d, according to Gholamreza Manouchehri, Petropars managing director.

A new flow-channel hydraulic fracturing technique called HiWAY from Schlumberger is designed to maximize production by creating open flow channels within the propped fracture.

Perry Slingsby reports that it has recently carried out the integration and demonstration of SeeTrack CoPilot with a Triton XLX ROV equipped with a BlueView P900 sonar.

Pemex Exploración y Producción has awarded a completion engineering, procurement, construction, load-out, and sea fastening contract to J. Ray McDermott for the Kuil-A wellhead platform in the Bay of Campeche.

Woodside Energy Ltd. has extended its rigless intervention services contract with TSmarine for a year starting on July 1, 2010.

InterMoor has named David Cobb as business development VP.

The Production Sharing Agreement for block 5 in the Albertine graben area of the Democratic Republic of Congo has received the Presidential Decree.

Dominion Petroleum’s Alpha prospect in Tanzania’s deep offshore block 7 is a potential oil or gas giant, according to a new competent persons report (CPR) prepared by Energy Resource Consultants (ERC).

Deepwater has relocated its fabrication operations in the US to a facility in Houston's energy corridor.

Cutting & Wear has named Siân Jones as sales and marketing assistant.

Fluor Corp. has elected Rosemary T. Berkery and H. Paulett Eberhart to its board of directors.

OGX Petróleo e Gás Participações S.A. reports finding an oil-bearing interval in the Albian section of well 1-OGX-14-RJS in block BM-C-40 of shallow Campos basin waters.

Salamander Energy has plugged and abandoned its Tom Su Lua-1X exploratory well off southern Vietnam as a dry hole.

DNV has issued an optional Integrated Software Dependent Systems class, OS-203.

Saipem’s pipelay vessel Castoro Sei has arrived in the Finnish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to continue construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.

Nexen Petroleum has awarded Aker Offshore Partner a three-year contract extension for engineering and construction work in the UK North Sea.

Hardy Exploration and Production India has appointed William Satterfield as technical director, and Robert White as drilling manager.

Oilfield Material Management has announced a seven-figure investment deal with Dubai-based oil and gas services group COR International.

Petrobras has awarded a $300-million frame agreement to FMC Technologies Inc. for subsea manifolds and control systems.

Foster Wheeler’s Global Engineering and Construction Group is to perform pre-FEED for a new gas development offshore Cameroon.

Marine Subsea UK is preparing a campaign of multi-client well abandonments in the North Sea.

Apache North Sea has brought onstream its Maule oil field via the Forties field production facilities in the UK sector, at a rate of around 11,750 b/d.

Ophir Energy has contracted Odfjell Drilling’s new ultra-deepwater semi Deepsea Stavanger for Tanzania’s first deepwater drilling campaign.

Australia’s Foreign Investment Review has waived through Petrobras’ farm-in to the WA-360-P offshore exploration permit.

Det norske oljeselskap is cleared to drill an exploratory well in license 341 in the central Norwegian North Sea.

Statoil has taken the semisub Stena Don on a three-year hire from Stena Drilling for various programs on the Norwegian shelf.

ONGC has commissioned pipeline inspection services offshore Mumbai from Fugro Survey (India).

UK Energy Minister Charles Hendry has approved Apache North Sea’s development plan for the 18 MMboe Bacchus oil and gas field.

Noble Corp. has agreed to acquire Frontier Drilling Inc. for $2.16 billion.

EnCore Oil believes the area around its Catcher discovery in the UK central North Sea could contain in-place oil of up to 300 MMbbl.

Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has approved BG Norge’s development plan for the Gaupe oil and gas field.

In his most recent update over the weekend, US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said those at the containment and remediation operation in the Gulf of Mexico addressing the BP oil spill at its Mocando well are watching the progress of Tropical Storm Alex in the southern Gulf.

Saudi Aramco proved new reserves close to at least three of its offshore fields last year, according to the company’s 2009 annual report.

Oilex has completed interpretation of the Rose 3D seismic data in the WA-388-P permit off northwest Australia.

Afren’s Ebok Deep exploration well off southeast Nigeria has encountered oil shows.

GDF Suez’s latest exploration well in Egypt’s offshore Nile Delta region has encountered gas shows, according to partner Dana Petroleum.

BP continues moving toward the next step in regaining control of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico’s Mississippi Canyon 252.

Schilling Robotics LLC has launched its HD ROV.

BP has contracted Isleburn to fabricate various structures for two new subsea developments in the UK North Sea.

Norwegian Energy Co. (Noreco) will farm into license 02/05 offshore Denmark as operator.

BG Norge has drawn a blank with its latest exploration well in the Norwegian North Sea.

A trio of oil companies has contracted the semisub Atwood Beacon for a program of wells offshore Suriname and Guyana.

Granherne has appointed John M. Vitucci as field development manager for the Americas.

One common and potentially detrimental flow assurance challenge to offshore production is formation of gas hydrates.

PGNiG Norway has acquired a 10% interest from Statoil in the Gro license in the Vøring basin in the Norwegian Sea.

Hoover Materials Handling Group has appointed Dean Freeman to lead business development in Latin America.

UniversalPegasus International has named John M. Jameson as CEO.

Sander Geophysics has acquired a de Havilland DHC-6 300 Twin Otter survey aircraft from the Geological Survey of Finland, and the British Geological Survey.

Baker Hughes has opened its Eco-Centre waste management facility in Peterhead, Scotland.

The lower marine riser package (LMRP) cap is back in place and again sending oil and gas to the Discoverer Enterprise at the BP spill site in the Gulf of Mexico.

Total reports discovery of shallow gas in a shallow-water concession offshore western Nigeria.

Irish energy minister Conor Lenihan invites bids for offshore exploration under Ireland’s 2011 Atlantic Margin Licensing Round.

Claxton, the Acteon Group drilling services company, is to offer further equipment for rental from its base in Dubai.

Ireland has unveiled a new corroboration exercise involving research institutes in Ireland and Newfoundland-Labrador and private enterprise that aims to further interest in frontier offshore exploration.

In a joint venture, Kongsberg Maritime and Unique Systems have established Kongsberg Maritime Middle East.

InterMoor has won the 2010 Best of Amelia Award in the Drilling Oil & Gas Wells category from the United States Commerce Association.

Stena Drilling has ordered a Loading Computer software package from Onboard-Napa for use on the deepwater drillship Stena DrillMAX.

Modiin Energy Limited Partnership and Modiin Energy General Partners (collectively `Modiin’) have fulfilled an initial obligation on the Gabriella license offshore Israel.

Petrobras has proven further oil with its seventh well on the pre-salt Tupi structure in the Santos basin.

Dockwise has won a series of heavy offshore transport assignments.

The Tui SW-2 exploration well in the Taranki basin offshore New Zealand has been suspended for use as a future gas injector, according to partner New Zealand Oil & Gas.

Eni has encountered further gas while appraising its Jangkrik discovery in the Muara Bakau PSC, in the Kutei basin offshore East Kalimantan.

Petrobras has discovered further oil in pre-salt reservoirs in the Campos basin offshore Brazil.

Teekay Corp. has signed an agreement with Petrobras to extend the operating contract for the FPSO Cidade de Rio das Ostras through 2018.

Pulse Structural Monitoring has appointed Richard Kluth as managing director.

Two of the UK’s new Oil Spill Prevention and Response Advisory Group (OSPRAG) review groups have formalized their work plans.

Petroleum Safety Authority Norway has approved the production facilities for Statoil’s Morvin subsea development in the Norwegian Sea, due on stream in August.

Industry and analysts have given positive reactions to the first `emergency’ budget of Britain’s new coalition government.

TGS has started work on a 1,650-sq km (637-sq mi) high density multi-client 3D seismic survey in the outer Moray Firth off northeast Scotland.

Saipem’s shallow water pipelay barge Castoro Dieci (C10) is preparing to start work on the near-shore section of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.

US District Court Judge Martin Feldman granted a preliminary injunction today blocking the US Department of Interior's moratorium on deepwater drilling.

The American Petroleum Institute has agreed to offer Urgent Technology Ltd.’s electronic maintenance system in the United States.

Polarcus has received a letter of intent from OMV (Norge) for a 3D seismic acquisition project in the Norwegian Barents Sea.

BG Group has awarded Technip a four-year contract to provide pre-FEED, FEED, full EPIC, and IRM services on the UK and Norwegian continental shelves.

GE Oil & Gas has opened a $6-million facility south of Baku to serve the Caspian region.

FMC Technologies has won a $70-million contract to supply Statoil with subsea production equipment for the Pan Pandora oil and gas field in the Norwegian North Sea.

Gas yield from the Ferdowsi and Golshan offshore fields in the North Pars region of the Persian Gulf could reach 60 tcf, according to a report by Iranian news service Shana.

Ferguson Modular has appointed Bjarte Andreassen as business development manager for Norway.

Sembcorp Marine broke ground on Singapore’s first integrated yard facility at the company’s Tuas View Extension.

C & C Technologies has opened a West Coast division, and appointed Richard McGee as manager.

Hess has exercised its right to pre-empt Total's sale to BP of its interests in the Valhall and Hod fields in the Norwegian North Sea.

BP Exploration Operating Co. has contracted the accommodation semisubmersible Borgholm Dolphin to support development operations on the Andrew field in the UK North Sea.

AGR Drilling Services (AGR DS) is providing excavation services to Van Oord Australia for Chevron’s Gorgon project.

Wellstream has established an Integrity Management Division based at its global headquarters in north-east England.

The logs on three Bua Ban development wells in the Gulf of Thailand are encouraging, says Coastal Energy Co. Bua Ban A-01, A-02, and A-05 each indicated pay in the Oligocene.

Electromagnetic Geoservices has won a $150-million, multi-year contract to supply one of its purpose-built 3D electromagnetic survey vessels on a continuing basis to an operating company.

Kongsberg Maritime reports that the new Haugesund Simulatorcenter has ordered a range of offshore simulators for delivery next year.

Circle Oil has issued a tender for a 2D marine seismic survey in block 52 offshore Oman, the aim being to acquire a further 5,000 km (3,107 mi) of 2D data.

GDF Suez has become the fifth participant in the Nord Stream consortium constructing the 1,224-km (760-mi) subsea pipeline taking gas from Russia through the Baltic Sea to western Europe.

Statoil and Marathon Petroleum Norge have agreed a swap of interests in the Norwegian North Sea.

Gazprom and Statoil have signed a scientific and technical cooperation agreement that will lead to joint programs and studies.

The boards of Acergy and Subsea 7 have agreed to combine the two companies, creating a combined global organization.

Halliburton has added Abdallah S. Jum’ah to its board of directors, effective July 14.

A consortium fronted by Adira Energy has been awarded the “Samuel” petroleum license offshore Israel.

Castrol Offshore is supplying Transaqua HT2, a water-based hydraulic control fluid, for use with the Aseng project surface and subsea production control systems off Equatorial Guinea.

Companhia Brasileira e Diques has signed a 20-year lease agreement with Petrobras for the Inhaúma Shipyard, otherwise known as the Ishibras yard.

Devon Energy has completed the $515 million sale of its Panyu field offshore China to China National Offshore Oil Corp.

Valiant Petroleum has tested its second exploration well on the Tybalt structure in the UK North Sea (well 211/8c-4Z).

MODEC has contracted VWS Westgarth and VWS Brazil for a seawater treatment package for a development project offshore Brazil.

The volume of oil taken at the wellhead of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico should recover 28,000 b/d by early next week, says Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander.

Ciaran Dreelan, director of Aker Qserv, was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2010 Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise.

Noble Energy Inc. has awarded Aker Solutions a NOK $150 million ($23.58 million) contract for subsea control equipment.

AWE Ltd. says work is under way at the Liyun-1 wildcat in the Bulu PSC of East Java basin offshore Indonesia.

Simmons & Company International’s chairman emeritus, Matthew R. Simmons, announced his retirement, effective June 30.

The Coast Guard says it will allow Louisiana vacuum barges to rejoin the containment work in the Gulf of Mexico to clean the BP oil spill.

INTECSEA reports it has won the front-end engineering design contract for the IGI Poseidon subsea pipeline project.

Wood Group Surface Pumps has hired Ryan Ballard as an applications engineer.

ADX Energy Ltd. says Atwood’s Southern Cross semisubmersible drilling rig is headed to drill the Lambouka-1 offshore Tunisia in the Kerkouane license.

A joint operation between Polarcus Ltd. and JSC Dalmorneftegeophysica (DMNG) has received a Letter of Intent from Rosneft for a 1,030 sq km (398 sq mi) 3D seismic acquisition project in the Black Sea.

Rosneft and Chevron have agreed to jointly explore the Val Shatsky (West Chernomrsky) license area in the Black Sea.

Gazprom and Siemens have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate in LNG technology projects, which will lead to various joint development programs.

DSME and Russian United Shipbuilding Corp. will jointly construct a new shipyard in Zvezda, northern Russia.

Standby vessel operator Esvagt has ordered a new Ulstein SX123 design standby/rescue vessel to use at Eni Norge’s Goliat development in the Barents Sea.

Weatherford International has contracted DE Hydraulics to supply and service BOP control units.

Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) has approached the Norwegian Oil Industry Association (OLF) to discuss emergency preparedness measures on the Norwegian continental shelf.

LLOG Deepwater Development Co. LLC has agreed in principle to acquire the OPTI-EX semisubmersible production platform from EXMAR for use in the Gulf of Mexico.

Norway’s parliament has approved Statoil’s development plan for the Gudrun field in the North Sea.

RWE Dea has started drilling the Zidane prospect in the Norwegian Sea, according to partner Noreco.

Seismic surveys have been completed over parts of the JPDA 06-101 (A) production sharing contract offshore Timor-Leste, according to FLEX LNG.

Vaalco Energy’s Etame No. 1 (ETSEM-1) exploration well offshore Gabon has intersected around 16 ft (5 m) of Gamba sandstone section which logged oil full to base.

Bowleven has completed a farm-out with Vitol E&P concerning the Etinde permit offshore Cameroon.

Oil and gas is now flowing from BP’s Deepwater Horizon spill site in the Gulf of Mexico into a second containment system.

Simen Lieungh has stepped down as president and CEO of Aker Solutions.

CGGVeritas says it has signed a technology cooperation agreement with Petrobras to collaborate on development and implementation of new geophysical technologies.

Cairn Energy Plc. has received formal approval to drill the first two wells in its 2010 exploration program in the Disko West area offshore western Greenland.

The BP oil spill Unified Area Command contingent is moving from Robert, Louisiana, to New Orleans.

Neon Energy has completed a 2D seismic survey in block 120 and block 105-110/04 offshore Vietnam.

Blue Dolphin Energy Co. will acquire a 70% working interest in Blue Sky Langsa Ltd.’s technical assistance contract for the Langsa area offshore Indonesia.

Former Justice Department inspector general, Michael Bromwich, reportedly will be the next head of the Mineral Management Service.

The US Coast Guard is reporting that a small fire in the derrick of the Discoverer Enterprise shut down the LMRP containment operations this morning.

National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen instructed the Coast Guard federal on-scene coordinator, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Maritime Administration to ensure any Jones Act waiver requests regarding the BP oil spill response receive accelerated processing.

China’s worldwide supply of crude oil through its national oil companies should reach a record level of 1 MM boe/d this year, says Wood Mackenzie.

CGGVeritas has launched BroadSeis, an integrated high-resolution marine seismic system.

EnCore Oil has concluded well test operations on the Catcher oil discovery in the UK central North Sea.

Solomon Associates has named Felicitas Global its India and Southeast Asia representative, and Michael Hileman VP for Asia.

Petris Technology Inc. reports it has joined the OpenSpirit Business Partner Program and that the move will result in the addition of a range of adaptors for workflow integration.

The extended well test at Tindalo-1 in permit SC54A offshore the Philippines from the end of May to mid-June produced 56,708 bbl of oil, according to Nido Petroleum Ltd. reports to partner Kairiki Energy Ltd.

Lasse Amundsen, Statoil’s chief researcher, has won the Conrad Schlumberger Award 2010 for outstanding petroleum geophysics research.

Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has issued its first offshore exploration license connected with carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage.

BP says it continues to prepare for a more permanent containment system using floating risers at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site in the Gulf of Mexico.

Edison International has contracted the Atwood Beacon from Atwood Oceanics Pacific to drill a well offshore Cote d’Ivoire at a day rate of around $115,000.

Noble Energy has contracted Fugro Survey Caribbean for rig positioning services to assist a drilling program on the Tamar deepwater gas development project offshore Israel.

BG International will perform front-end engineering and design for a new platform in the UK central North Sea linking two third-party discoveries with the Lomond field facilities.

BP plans added storage capacity, system redundancies to its Gulf of Mexico oil spill response.

J. Ray McDermott has completed handover to Qatargas of the first of three offshore gas production platforms, designated ‘QW8’.

EMS Energy Ltd.’s subsidiary Oilfield Services & Supplies Pte Ltd and Tianhe Oil Group Co. Ltd. have established Tianhe Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd, a Singapore incorporated joint venture.

Greene’s Energy Group has named Frank Mathews president of its subsidiary Devin International, and VP of the Devin Business Group.

Xodus Group has appointed Steve Jewell as subsurface director.

Expro has appointed Chris Mawtus as COO.

McMoRan Exploration Co. has appointed A. Peyton Bush III and William P. Carmichael to its board of directors.

Devon Energy has appointed John Richels as CEO. He will remain the company’s president.

Total Marine Technologies has contracted Perry Slingsby Systems to supply a 3,000m Triton XLX ROV system.

EMS Energy has secured a turnkey contract worth about $17 million to build a modular mobile workover unit from Vietsovpetro.

National Iranian Oil Co. (NIOC) plans to award further contracts for the South Pars development in the Persian Gulf this week.

Hallin Marine has named its new subsea operations vessel Windermere.

National Petroleum Construction Co. (NPCC) has contracted the Chinese shipyard Zhenhua Heavy Industries to build the DLS 4200 derrick laybarge.

Dana Petroleum has agreed to acquire Petro Canada Netherlands for around $393 million.

Petrobras has contracted PGS to install a permanent seismic monitoring system in the Jubarte field in the North Campos basin, offshore Brazil’s Espirito Santo province.

Analysis to date suggests that AWE’s Tui SW-2 oil discovery offshore New Zealand is not commercially significant, according to partner New Zealand Oil & Gas.

Lundin Norway plans to drill an exploration well in production license 501 in the Norwegian North Sea, following approval from Petroleum Safety Authority Norway.

Storm Ventures International’s Fuchsia-1 well offshore Tunisia could be a discovery, according to partner Cooper Energy.

TGS is preparing another season of long-offset data acquisition offshore northwest Europe in collaboration with Fugro.

The semisubmersible platform for the Gjøa field has left the Aker Solutions yard and is being towed towards its offshore destination.

Offshore Hydrocarbon Mapping plc (OHM) has won a $1 million-plus controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) survey contract for the North Sea from Bridge Energy UK.

The main effect of the Minerals Management Service moratorium on some Gulf of Mexico operations is uncertainty, says Andrew Gould, Schlumberger chairman and CEO.

PGS says it recently completed the Crystal II Survey in western Gulf of Mexico waters and that the data quality is good.

Well A-11 ST#1 on North Padre block 975 in the Gulf of Mexico flowed gas at 4.44 MMcf/d on a 16/64-in choke, reports Entek Energy Ltd.

Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) in Korea will build Allseas’ new multi-purpose construction vessel Pieter Schelte.

Petrobras has chartered four anchor handling tug supply vessels from Siem Offshore and two platform supply vessels from Deep Sea Supply.

Hyperdynamics Corp. says it has contracted PGS Geophysical to acquire a 3D seismic survey offshore Republic of Guinea.

Statoil has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China’s Sinochem group to promote cooperation between the companies.

Statoil has contracted Grenland Group to modify the water injection module on the Gullfaks B platform in the North Sea.

Petrobras has taken delivery of Sevan Marine’s new drilling platform the Sevan Driller.

Dragon Oil has completed and tested Dzheitune (Lam) B/145, the second development well to be drilled from the new Dzheitune (Lam) B platform offshore Turkmenistan.

BP Norge has contracted Odfjell Well Services for tubular running services at Valhall and Skarv field developments on the Norwegian shelf.

BP Norge has contracted WGP and Thalassa Energy Services respectively to operate and procure/supply the seismic source equipment for the Valhall Life of Field Seismic (LoFS) project in the North Sea.

Gazprom has completed engineering and reconnaissance surveys in the Black Sea for the South Stream pipeline project to take gas from Russia to central and southeastern Europe.

NOF Energy has linked with Decom North Sea to promote opportunities in offshore oil and gas decommissioning.

Dockwise has a memorandum of agreement with the China Offshore Oil Engineering Co. (COOEC) to manage a newbuild, 50,000-metric ton (55,115-ton) dwt heavy-lift vessel.

Subsea 7 has won a $135-million-plus EPC contract from BP for the Andrew Area development project in the UK central North Sea.

Ashtead Technology has ordered $1 million of CDL subsea positioning equipment.

Subsea 7 Inc. and Otto Candies LLC now have an agreement to cooperate for access to the newbuild Ross Candies for Life-of-Field services.

Relief well drilling at the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is progressing, said Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander for the event.

Statoil says the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding earlier this week between Azerbaijan and Turkey will help advance the next development phase of the Shah Deniz project in the Caspian Sea.

AWE reports hydrocarbon shows in target sands reached while drilling the Tui South West prospect off New Zealand.

The PVD-1 jackup has spudded an exploration well in block DBSCL-01 in the Vinh Chau Graben system off southern Vietnam for operator Salamander Energy.

North West Shelf Exploration (NWSE) is set to acquire a further 5% equity in the WA-360-P exploration permit off Western Australia.

PT NuTech Dinamika Semesta has contracted Clough for pipelay and subsea installations for the East Udang development project in the Indonesian Natuna Sea.

Ithaca Energy has upgraded reserves at the Stella gas condensate field in the UK central North Sea.

BP has proved further gas reserves close to the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea.

No oil has leaked from the Diamond Offshore rig Ocean Saratoga, the company says in response to a mistaken interpretation of operations at the site made by an unidentified aircraft.

The BOS Arctic seismic vessel is scheduled to acquire 3D data for Euroil in Cameroon.

Nexus Energy and partner AWE Exploration are inviting farm-in offers to the WA-368-P permit offshore Western Australia, according to licensing broker Indigo Pool.

Tullow Oil has completed its appraisal drilling program in the southeast Jubilee area offshore Ghana.

Research released by energy business analysts, Douglas-Westwood predicts worldwide FPS expenditures will total $44.8 billion between 2010 and 2014.

Sevan has agreed a secured bank facility of $230 million with ING Bank for work on the FPSO Sevan Voyageur, replacing existing 1st line financing of $150 million.

A letter urging issuance of guidance following the Minerals Management Service rescissions of Applications for Permit to Drill in less than 500 ft of water in the Gulf of Mexico was sent yesterday to the acting MMS director Bob Abbey by the National Ocean Industries Association.

Stingray Geophysical and Ikon Science will develop new time-lapse technology and services together.

Buccaneer Alaska has agreed to acquire working interests in four Cook Inlet, Alaska, leases.

Reports from Washington indicate the Obama administration plans to move to release new safety requirements for shallow-water Gulf of Mexico drilling.

Production from the Zhao Dong oil field in Bohai Bay offshore China currently averages over 24,000 b/d, according to operator Roc Oil.

Desire Petroleum plans to use its next available rig slot to drill the Rachel structure in the North Falkland basin campaign.

Maersk Oil has completed drilling a first appraisal well on its deepwater Chissonga discovery offshore Angola.

Production has re-started from the BZ25-1/BZ25-1 South oilfields in the southeast part of Bohai Bay offshore China, according to operator CNOOC.

Apache North Sea has contracted RBG for riser replacement work on the Forties production complex in the UK sector.

A drillstem test at the Tindalo-1 hit a flow rate of 18,689 b/d of oil, reports Kairiki Energy Ltd.

Ranger Offshore Inc. says it has completed acquisition of Tiburon Divers Inc.

While BP continues to refine its ability to capture oil spilling at the Deepwater Horizon site in the Gulf of Mexico, there are additional plans in the making for future production.

The UK plans to step up inspection of drilling rigs and the monitoring of offshore compliance on the UK continental shelf.

Offshore fabricator Lamprell says it is experiencing a higher level of rig refurbishment than in recent years, although average expenditure for this type of work remains low, on a par with last year’s levels.

The containment cap on BP’s leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico is taking in about 11,000 b/d of oil, said Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander, at a news conference this morning at the Whitehouse.

Solstad Rederi has contracted STX Europe to build an LNG-powered platform supply vessel.

Petrom has completed a campaign to improve recovery from its Lebada Est and Lebada Vest fields in the Histria block in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea.

IFC is loaning $35 million to shipping, logistics, and marine services provider GAC Group to finance the purchase of six offshore supply vessels.

Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Co. (ADMA-OPCO) has awarded National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC) a $350-million EPC contract for a field enhancement program offshore Abu Dhabi.

Cargotec has won a $24-million contract to install MacGregor subsea loading and module handling systems on Hallin Marine’s new compact semisubmersible offshore vessel.

Signal International has appointed Carl F. Wegener as VP of strategic planning, and Joe Mayhall as director of sales and marketing for the company’s signal ship repair division.

ASCO Group has appointed John Jordan as the CEO of the company’s operations in the Americas.

Lincoln Electric has appointed Peter Pletcher as director of global consumable development, and Ferry Naber as director of the global machine development.

Origin Energy Ltd. has appointed Helen Hardy as company secretary.

Det Norske Veritas has awarded ATEX certification to the final portion of TDW Offshore Services’ remote pig tracking and pressure-monitoring system.

ONGC contracts DPS (Bristol) Ltd. to act as its consultant for a proposed FPSO in the D-1 field, currently producing through a jackup converted into a MOPU.

Ulstein Design & Solutions has appointed Frode Sollid as design manager for offshore support vessels.

AWE Ltd. says it is preparing to run the Tui SW-2 BOP now that the repairs which were delayed due to bad weather are complete.

Andhra deepwater block KG-DWN-2003/1, or the D-3 block, management committee has approved a $40 million budget for simultaneous processing and interpretation of 210 sq km (81 sq mi) of previously shot 3D seismic data.

Bridge Energy has been awarded license P 1738 in the UK North Sea. This is a “promote” license with an initial two-year term.

Another presalt light oil find in Campos basin is in the news.

The effects of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are reaching further into the upstream oil and gas industry.

As work continues to install the LMRP cap, this video animation illustrates how it will be connected to the drillship riser, prepped, maneuvered into position, and installed on top of the BOP stack.

Rockhopper Exploration has updated the analysis of its Sea Lion oil discovery in the offshore North Falkland basin.

The containment cap system that aims to capture and produce the oil and gas coming from the damaged well is in place and in the process of coming to full function according to Adm.

Barclays Private Equity has taken a minority stake in the Wilton Group, a provider of project management services in the UK.

Maritime Industrial Services Co. (MIS) has settled a contract dispute with Mosvold Middle East Jackup (MEJU).

Installation is complete for the mooring line connectors at the Peregrino field submerged turret production (STP) buoy offshore Brazil, according to supplier First Subsea.

Delek Drilling and partner Avner Oil & Gas Exploration have issued a statement concerning results from a 3D survey by operator Noble Energy Mediterranean over various licenses offshore Israel.

IHC Engineering Business (EB) has shipped out the J-lay system for the new Saipem FDS2 (Field Development Ship).

Maersk Oil has acquired from Wintershall a 20% interest in license PL435 in the Norwegian Sea.

The following map updates the activities surrounding the Deepwater Horizon containment and clean-up operations.

Orca Exploration Group has agreed to farm into the B.R268.RG permit in the Adriatic Sea off central Italy.

Eni Norge has awarded Bureau Veritas a Third Party Verification Authority (TVPA) contract for its Goliat development project in the Barents Sea.

Spectrum Geo Ltd. has another East Coast US seismic data reprocessing project under way.

Husky Oil China is encouraged by results from its first appraisal well at the Liuhua 29-1 gas discovery in the South China Sea.

Primeline Energy Holdings has completed a drillstem test program for its LS 35-3-1 discovery in East China Sea block 25/34.

EnCore Oil has discovered oil with an exploration well on the Catcher prospect in UK central North Sea block 28/9.

Repsol Exploration is to take a 40% in license PL 356 on the Norwegian Shelf from operator Det norske oljeselskap.

Fairstar Heavy Transport has contracted Guangzhou Shipyards International Co (GSI) for two new 50,000 DWT open stern, semisubmersible vessels at a cost of $101.9 million each.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has cleared Talisman Energy to drill a sidetrack in production license 038 D in the Norwegian North Sea.

The UK’s new Oil Spill Prevention and Response Advisory Group (OSPRAG) has met for the first time to review the sector’s readiness to respond to a major incident, in light of current events in the Gulf of Mexico.

Songa Offshore’s drilling rig Songa Venus is off duty due to ongoing repairs to its BOP.

Centrica Resources has completed its latest wildcat in the Norwegian sector as a dry well, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.

Seadrill confirms that its semisubmersible drilling rig West Sirius will start operations for BP in the Gulf of Mexico.

NOAA has expanded the extent of its closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the movement of the Deepwater Horizon incident oil spill.

Statoil has issued a letter of intent to Grenland Group for modification work on the Åsgard field FPSO in the Norwegian Sea.

The semisub Ocean Guardian has spudded the third in its current campaign of exploration wells offshore the Falkland Islands.

A sidetrack in the Tybalt exploration well 211/8c-4z in the UK northern North Sea (License P1632) has discovered light oil in the four-way dip 'T1' structure, according to operator Valiant Petroleum.

The Dynamic Positioning Centre has celebrated its tenth anniversary.

Reliance Industries has suspended the KGV-D3-W1 exploration well in the Krishna-Godavari basin off eastern India, due to concerns over the BOP of the drilling rig Deepwater Expedition.

The WGP Group has won a third extension to its Chirag Azeri Reservoir Seismic Project (CARSP) Life of Field Seismic (LoFS) survey in the Azeri sector of the Caspian Sea.

FMC Technologies has won the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s 2009 award for improved oil recovery.

Seadrill says it has acquired further shares in Scorpion Offshore, taking its total holding in the drilling contractor to 50.11%.

Half of the cost overruns and delays in offshore projects could be mitigated through improvements in early risk reviews, technology qualification programs, and classification schemes, according to Norwegian classification society DNV.

Lundin Petroleum plans to drill an exploration well on the Apollo structure in the Norwegian North Sea, 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of and down-dip of the Luno field in license PL 338.

The following map updates the activities surrounding the Deepwater Horizon containment and clean-up operations.

Norwegian Energy Co. (Noreco) has agreed to farm into the 02/05 license in the Danish North Sea.

The US is the largest consumer of oil in the world, with the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) expecting demand to be approximately 20 MMb/d in 2010.

A study is under way into the suitability of sandstones beneath the Moray Firth, 30 mi (48 km) offshore northeast Scotland, for storing emitted carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Gassco has assumed operatorship of the North Sea trunkline which will transport gas from the Gjøa and Vega fields to the FLAGS pipeline system in the UK North Sea.

A 3D seismic campaign offshore western Sicily using Petroleum GeoServices Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.’s Atlantic Explorer is complete according to Northern Petroleum Plc. The survey covered 1,520 sq km (587 sq mi) of four thrust belt licenses – G.R17.NP, G.R20.NP, G.R21.NP, and G.R22.NP – and was funded by Shell Italia E&P SpA under a farm-in agreement. The acquisition purpose is to get a better quality, more complete definition of drilling prospects on structures identified by earlier 2D surveys.

Production from the Songkhla A oil field in the Gulf of Thailand has risen steadily this year, according to operator Coastal Energy.

Babcock is to perform an engineering survey on the new pipelay/heavy-lift vessel Acergy Borealis, currently under construction at the Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore.

Representatives of Eni have met Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to review progress on hydrocarbon projects.

The second-generation ocean-bottom cable acquisition tool VectorSeis Ocean II now is available commercially, says ION Geophysical Corp.

Clough Helix JV has contracted the Normand Clough for a well decommissioning project in the South China Sea.

Petrobras International Braspetro (PIB BV) has acquired a 100% interest in block 2 in the Raukumara Basin, offshore New Zealand.

Delek Drilling has updated its deep and shallow water gas development activity offshore Israel.

Hydratight has appointed Paul Hughes as connectors product manager, and Juergen Schimohr as account manager.

Normand Clough has contracted for a well decommissioning project in the South China Sea.

Husky Energy Inc. says oil production is under way from the North Amethyst field offshore Newfoundland & Labrador.

One near-term and one long-term risk surrounding operations to kill the well at the Deepwater Horizon spill site are of concern to the Coast Guard, according to the new incident commander Admiral Thad Allen.

Surface oil forecasts from the the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center .

The following map updates the activities surrounding the Deepwater Horizon containment and clean-up operations.

Expro says its Asia South division has achieved ISO 9001:2008 accreditation for Quality Management Systems.

Offshore Geo-Surveys Sdn Bhd (OGS), the seismic survey division of Offshore Works, has ordered a Kongsberg Maritime HUGIN 1000 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). Delivery is scheduled for 2Q 2010.

Kent Wells, BP's senior VP exploration and production, reviews the Top Kill procedure and outlines the company's next approach to cap the well.

Software and systems are becoming increasingly complex as they evolve to meet more demanding requirements from customers, regulators, and technology. The maritime and offshore industries face greater product innovation with more software embedded systems forming part of the safety and business-critical systems. These industries now realize the need for an improved approach to managing the emerging software risks.

Atlas Copco has appointed Ron Boyd as project manager for its oil and gas products. Boyd will work in Grand Prairie, Texas. The company has named Gene Mattila as business line manager for rock drilling tools.

As the industry progresses into deeper water, one emerging issue is how to design and safely operate the pipelines that carry hydrocarbons from subsea wells to the processing facilities.

Click here to view the 2010 World survey of stimulaton vessels.

Baker Hughes Inc. has completed its acquisition of BJ Services Co. This reduces the number of major stimulation vessel operators by 25%, and makes the combined company the second largest vessel operator.

In the recent upgrade of a semisubmersible drilling rig offshore Namibia, Texas-based Gulf Copper and Transocean teamed up to carry out the required work on site with an unorthodox but effective method referred to as “shipyard in a box.”

Offshore construction activity is picking up, easing the pressures on support vessel operators. Many have spent heavily on upgrading their fleets, and need to see a return on their investments.

The installation of two topside structures last year in the disputed Kuwaiti/Saudi Arabian offshore area was completed using Versabar’s Versatruss heavy-lift system. Following the test lift of the first deck, installation of both topsides was completed in 20 days. Within 10 days of completing the installation of the second deck, the heavy-lift system had been decommissioned and prepared for the 10,000-mi (16,093-km) return trip to Belle Chasse, Louisiana.

Tight-tolerance, extended-reach deepwater drilling poses multiple hazards, including high surge pressures, excessive mud losses, and potential formation damage. In a tight-hole in the Green Canyon block of the Gulf of Mexico (water depth about 5,600 ft or 1,707 m), the operator was unable to drill a directional exploration well through an extreme lost-circulation zone at about 25,000 ft. (7,620 m).

A month or more ago, a single case of ongoing high-risk exploratory drilling in the ultra-deepwater of the Gulf of Mexico resulted in:

• A deplorable loss of human life
• The fouling of some sensitive marshlands along Louisiana’s transition zone, with more likely
• The threat – at least for the short term – to the viability of the Gulf Coast commercial fishing and shrimping industry, which already is in trouble
• A wave of blame-seeking and recriminations that extends from the offshore petroleum industry and U.S. Gulf Coast states to – and from – the halls of Congress and the offices of the Obama Administration.

Exploration and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico’s Lower Tertiary has steadily increased since 2001, and has shown that this area holds significant quantities of producible hydrocarbons.

Davy Jones is in shallow waters offshore Louisiana and is one of the deepest wells ever drilled below the mudline in the Gulf of Mexico. The discovery is famous for verifying the ultra-deep gas play by providing the most encouraging evidence to date that the prolific Wilcox sands, found onshore and in deepwater, are present also on the GoM shelf. The well’s operator, McMoRan, indicates recoverable reserves could exceed 1 tcf of gas, which would make this the biggest gas discovery on the shelf in decades. In a mature region with declining production, the prospect that vast reserves could be accessed by drilling deeper has caused a great deal of industry excitement.

Jurong Shipyard has completed the conversion of Ghana’s first FPSO for the deepwater Jubilee Phase 1 development.

Marathon has hit 100 ft (31m) of net hydrocarbon Upper Miocene sands at the Flying Dutchman prospect in Green Canyon block 511. The operator is evaluating well results along with other potential drilling sites in the block to determine commerciality.

Statoil has approved a tieback plan by Eni for Marulk, its second operated project in the Norwegian sector and its first in the Norwegian Sea. Marulk, a 73 MMboe gas/condensate field in 365 m (1,197 ft) of water, will be developed through two subsea wells tied back about 30 km (18.6 mi) to Statoil’s Norne FPSO. Eni estimates the total investments at $674 million; start-up is scheduled for spring 2012.

Start-up is imminent at North Amethyst, the first subsea tieback off Canada’s east coast. Oil will be exported to the Sea Rose FPSO, 6 km (3.7 mi) to the northeast on the White Rose field in the Jeanne d’Arc basin offshore Newfoundland. Operator Husky Energy estimates North Amethyst’s potential resources at 90 MMbbl. The company has extended the tenure of the drilling rig the GSF Grand Banks to allow further development of White Rose and other areas in the basin.

The recent initiation of production from the high-profile Perdido development in a world record 8,000 ft (2,438 m) of water in the Gulf of Mexico’s Alaminos Canyon should serve as the poster project for companies trying to convince the US to expedite its plan to open the long-closed East Coast for exploration, says operator Shell Exploration & Production.

Baker Hughes has installed Centrilift XP enhanced run life electrical submersible pumping (ESP) systems in six vertical subsea boosting stations on the seafloor at Shell’s Parque das Conchas (BC-10) field in the Campos basin offshore Brazil.

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. has signed a Letter of Intent with SBM Offshore NV and Queiroz Galvão Óleo e Gás S.A. to construct an FPSO for the second pilot project at the pre-salt Tupi area of Santos basin offshore Brazil.

Lundin Norway has approval from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate for wildcat drilling in the North Sea.

IBM has secured a five-year agreement with Statoil to pilot IBM’s Integrated Information Framework (IIF).

Analysts at Deloitte’s welcome proposals to widen access to the UK’s offshore production infrastructure, which were announced last week by the UK’s new coalition government.

RWE Dea has hired the jackup Ensco 72 for exploration and development drilling in the UK southern North Sea.

Rem Offshore has contracted STX Europe to build two PSV 06-design platform supply vessels.

Petrotechnics has won a $2 million-plus contract to deploy its electronic integrated safe system of work (ISSOW) Sentinel PRO system offshore Brunei.

Petrobras has awarded Veripos a three-year contract to supply GNSS positioning service.

Tendeka has completed installation of an optical reservoir monitoring system in a platform well offshore West Africa.

Wärtsilä has won an order to supply power equipment for a 38,000-metric ton (41,888-ton) semisubmersible heavy-lift vessel under construction for Chinese customer Zhejiang Share-ever Business Co.

Baker Hughes reports acquisition of Oilpump Services, an electrical submersible pump service company in western Siberia.

Three Finnish and two Russian companies will cooperate to develop a new type of oil spill combat icebreaker for Russian shipping company Sovcomflot.

Petrobras has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) to step up deepwater exploration research in the Turkish sector of the Black Sea.

Oil & Gas UK is forming an advisory group to coordinate work on oil spill prevention and response practice in UK waters, ahead of the conclusion of investigations into the deepwater spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

GE has signed a corporate procurement agreement (CPA) with Saudi Aramco, establishing a long-term framework for the supply of turbomachinery equipment and services to support oil and gas production in Saudi Arabia.

At least six offshore operators maintain injection wells for operational discharges on the Norwegian continental shelf, according to a new survey by Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA).

ACE Winches has established a new division in Dusavik, Norway — ACE Winches Norge — to serve Scandinavia.

PTC has established its international business development and operations headquarters in Aberdeen.

Production is under way from the Capixaba FPSO in Cachalote field offshore Brazil, says Petróleo Brasileiro S.A.

Specific details on the Gulf of Mexico deepwater drilling prohibition is available from the Minerals Management Service.

The following map updates the activities surrounding the Deepwater Horizon containment and clean-up operations.

The top kill procedure at the Deepwater Horizon well has ended without success, and BP says the next approach is to use the lower marine riser package (LMRP) cap containment system, which is expected to start within the next few days.

INTECSEA has appointed Dr. Mike Paulin as operations director of Canada.

FMC Technologies has appointed Johan F. Pfeiffer as VP of global surface wellhead, effective June 1.

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. has signed a $180-million contract to get two drilling equipment packages from Aker Solutions.

Reliance has its fifth oil discovery in block CM-ONN-2003/1 (CB 10 A&B) in the Cambay basin 130 km (81 mi) off Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Top kill operations continue at the Deepwater Horizon spill site in the Gulf of Mexico, says BP.

This map from BP and the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center provides a daily oil impact assessment.

The “top kill” operation at the Deepwater Horizon leak site appears to be a success, according to several news sources in the area.

An “active to extremely active” Atlantic basin hurricane season is predicted for 2010 by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

A new downhole pressure sensor capable of operation in 500 °C (932 °F) environments is being introduced.

Kent Wells, BP's senior VP exploration and production, gives a technical briefing on the Top Kill procedure.

The Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (REPSEA) announces 11 proposals in the Ultra-Deepwater Program that are selected for contract negotiations.

Arne Austreid has resigned as president and CEO of Prosafe.

The following map updates the activities surrounding the Deepwater Horizon containment and clean-up operations.

Chevron North Sea has awarded RBG a three-year contract worth $1.7 million.

Fenstermaker has appointed Steve Leblanc as pipeline market leader.

ExxonMobil has elected Peter Brabeck-Letmathe and Jay S. Fishman to its board of directors.

Federal On-Scene Coordinator Rear Admiral Mary Landry, acting on the validation of government scientists and in consultation with the National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen, has granted approval for BP to begin proceeding with its attempt to cap the well using the technique known as the “top kill.”

The MODU Q4000 holds position over the damaged Deepwater Horizon blowout preventer as crews work to plug the wellhead using a "top kill" technique. US Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 3rd Class Patrick Kelley.

BG Group has official consent from the United Republic of Tanzania to farm-in blocks 1, 3, and 4 offshore southern Tanzania.

Petrobras says it has found light oil (29° API) I two new Campos basin reservoirs in well 6-CRT-43-RJS, also called Carimbé, 106 km (66 mi) offshore in 1,027 m (3,369 ft) water depth.

Petroléo Brasileiro SA has contracted Subsea 7’s i-Tech division to supply ROV and intervention tooling on between 20 and 30 offshore drilling units.

Grenland Group has signed a contract to supply an integrated template structure and a manifold to FMC Technologies for use at Statoil’s Marulk field in the Norwegian Sea.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has extended the closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico to match the Louisiana state waters closure west of the current boundaries, and to incorporate an area in the southwest with reported oil.

Senergy has appointed Mike Bowyer as its first COO.

Barclays Natural Resource Investments has formed Hydra Energy, an oil development company focusing on undeveloped discoveries, marginal oil fields, and late-life assets offshore Australasia.

Acergy SA has won a $120-million contract for work in shallow waters off Nigeria for an unnamed company.

Nearshore and offshore oil surface forecasts from the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center.

Saratoga Resources Inc. has signed a 20-year license with Seismic Exchange Inc. for 42.88 blocks of 3D seismic data over Louisiana state waters.

OGX Petróleo e Gás Participações SA reports a gas and condensate find in the Santonian section of Natal prospect well 1-OGX-11D-SPS in BM-S-59 block in shallow water Santos basin offshore Brazil.

Husky Energy has named Asim Ghosh president and CEO, effective June 1.

InterAct has appointed Bryant Morris as general manager for the Gulf Coast region and Megan Hayes as business development manager.

CNOOC Ltd. has named Li Fanrong non-executive director.

Ensco has opened a new global headquarters in London.

Hess Corp. has appointed Robert Biglin as VP and treasurer, effective Sept. 1.

UTEC Survey has appointed Steve Williamson as CFO.

ACE Winches has appointed Derek Penny as head of group sales and business development.

Animated footage of the "top kill" procedure that BP will perform later this week in an effort to stop the leak at at the Deepwater Horizon site.

Korex has signed a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with North Korea’s state-owned Korea Oil Exploration Co. (KOEC) covering exploration rights in the Korean East Sea.

Preparations are under way for an attempted “top kill” at the Deepwater Horizon spill site in the Gulf of Mexico.

This video from the US Coast Guard shows blow out preventer modification for the Top Kill procedure.

Sinochem Group is acquiring a 40% stake from Statoil in the Peregrino field in the Campos basin offshore Brazil.

Carnarvon Petroleum has completed an aeromagnetic data survey over two offshore permits in the Bedout sub-basin off Western Australia.

Cairn Energy and partner Santos have completed a 200-sq km (77-sq mi) 3D seismic survey over the Magnam discovery in the Bay of Bengal offshore Bangladesh.

BP's live video link from the ROV monitoring the damaged riser.

Marine Subsea has appointed Tony McKay as new projects manager for marine projects.

Paradigm has appointed James Lamb as executive VP of sales operations.

The President announces that the independent commission he created for the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling will be chaired by former Florida Governor and Senator Bob Graham and former EPA Administrator Bill Reilly.

The jackup Ensco 105 has spud the Fuchsia-1 exploratory well in the Gulf of Hammamet, offshore Tunisia.

The following map updates the activities surrounding the Deepwater Horizon containment and clean-up operations.

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board has instituted additional oversight for Chevron's drilling offshore in the Orphan basin as a result of the blow-out and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Aker Arctic recently launched the first of three new icebreaker tug vessels for operations in the Caspian Sea.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has authorized Statoil to drill an exploration well in the North Sea.

The Hoang Long Joint Operating Co. has secured the jackup Maersk Convincer to drill the Te Giac Den 2 X appraisal well in block 16-1 in the Cuu Long basin off southern Vietnam.

The semisubmersible John Shaw has started drilling operations on Phase II of the Don Southwest development in the UK Northern North Sea.

Al Shaheen Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas have signed two oil and gas service partnership agreements.

The subsea template and manifold for DONG Energy’s Trym field development have been installed at its North Sea location.

Eni has contracted Technip for subsea installations at Kitan field in the Timor Sea.

Statoil and the Swiss EGL Group have famed out a 15% interest in the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project to Germany’s E.ON Ruhrgas.

Surface oil forecasts from the the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center .

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has issued an Order that divides the Mineral Management Service in three parts.

Schlumberger has added a new module to Petrel and also made Petrel plug-ins available online.

BP says it is capturing an estimated 3,000 b/d of oil using its subsea riser insertion tube tool at the Gulf of Mexico oil spill site.

Schllumberger has opened its expanded WesternGeco Oslo Technology Center in Norway.

Drydocks World will build a new design compact semisubmersible well intervention vessel for Hallin Marine.

ROC Oil (Tasman) has farmed into PEP38524, in the southern Taranaki basin offshore New Zealand.

Aker Solutions has contracted Finnish steel supplier Ruukki for 24 suction anchors for Eni’s Goliat development in the Barents Sea.

Surestream Petroleum has contracted WGP Group for a feasibility study for a planned 2D seismic survey in Burundi’s section of Lake Tanganyika.

Apache Energy has contracted JP Kenny for subsea front-end engineering design for its Julimar project in the Carnarvon basin, offshore Western Australia.

Scottish Enterprise (SE) has acquired 30 acres (12 ha) of land in Peterhead, north of Aberdeen, to develop an industrial park for applications including offshore decommissioning.

Rockhopper Exploration has suspended its Sea Lion discovery well in the offshore North Falklands basin for future testing.

Chevron North Sea has contracted SeaBird Exploration Ltd to acquire a large-scale, ocean bottom node seismic survey West of Shetland in a water depth of 1,200 m (3,937 ft).

The following map updates the activities surrounding the Deepwater Horizon containment and clean-up operations.

Tullow Oil has found non-commercial gas while drilling the Noix de Coco prospect offshore Gabon.

Statoil has contracted Technip for a pipe-in-pipe flowline for the Marulk field development in the Norwegian Sea.

Aminex says a delegation from North Korea is in London negotiating a new production-sharing agreement (PSA) covering activity in the East Korea Bay basin.

RAK Petroleum aims to resume development drilling in block 8, offshore the Sultanate of Oman.

Interpetroleum Services has awarded Prosafe an extension of the bareboat contract for the accommodation floatel Safe Lancia, which is operating for Pemex offshore Mexico.

Lundin Malaysia has signed a production sharing contract with Petronas Carigali for blocks SB307 and SB308 offshore Sabah, Malaysia.

Melrose Resources has contracted the jackup GSP Jupiter to drill the Kavarna East prospect in the Bulgarian sector of the Black Sea in July.

Iran and Brazil have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on energy, including exploration and production of hydrocarbon resources.

Entek Energy Ltd. reports the A-11 well on North Padre block 975 in the Gulf of Mexico logged multiple levels of pay.

Providence Resources has completed a study of the heavy oil underlying the Ardmore field in Ireland’s North Celtic Sea basin.

Höegh LNG and KBR have signed a long-term cooperation agreement under which KBR will serve as Höegh’s topside engineering partner for LNG FPSO projects.

The map below shows NOAA's predicted travel of the spilled oil.

Aerial view of various oil skimming vessels and the vessel Discoverer Enterprise as it recovers oil from the riser insertion tube approximately 85 miles off the coast of Mobile, May 17, 2010. U.S. Navy video by Petty Officer 1st Class David G. Crawford.

Schlumberger has released its Petrel 2010 software with added risk analysis for exploration.

Corus UK has contracted Bredero Shaw for pipeline coatings for Total’s Laggan-Tormore gas-condensate export project west of Shetland.

Maersk Oil North Sea UK has awarded RBG a $10.1-million inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) diving contract.

Gulfsands Petroleum has signed a farm-in agreement to acquire interests in the Kerkouane exploration permit offshore northeast Tunisia, and G.R.15.PU, an adjacent exploration permit offshore the island of Pantelleria, southwest of Sicily in Italian waters.

Murphy Oil has brought onstream a third producer well at the Azurite oil field in the Mer Profond Sud block off Republic of Congo.

Dana Petroleum and its partners have identified 26 new prospects and leads in the Tanger-Larache concession offshore Morocco.

Chevron North Sea Ltd has contracted Sevan Marine to investigate the feasibility of a cylindrical Sevan FPSO on the Alder field in the UK central North Sea.

Nexen Petroleum UK has installed the 6,500-metric ton (7,165-ton) deck and bridge structures for its new production sweetening platform at the Buzzard complex in the UK North Sea.

Swagelining is to supply its polymer lining system for a 14-in. (35-cm) water injection riser for BP’s block 31 project offshore Angola.

The following map updates the activities surrounding the Deepwater Horizon containment and clean-up operations.

Qatar Petroleum has signed a 30-year exploration and production sharing agreement for Qatar’s block D with Shell and PetroChina.

Wintershall Norge has started drilling the Maria prospect in blocks 6407/1 and 6406/3 in the Norwegian Sea.

Tullow Oil has signed a Heads of Agreement with Staatsolie concerning block 47, a 2,369 sq km (915 sq mi) deepwater exploration license offshore Suriname.

The riser insertion tube tool (RITT) containment system is in place in the end of the leaking riser, and operations started flow oil and gas to to the drillship Discoverer Enterprise on the surface, BP reports regarding the Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico oil spill site status.

SOCO International has provided an update on its activities in the Cuu Long basin off southern Vietnam, where the company is involved in two development projects and one exploration campaign.

Rolls-Royce has won orders to supply propulsion and control systems for seven platform supply vessels under construction in Brazil.

OGX Petróleo e Gás Participações has discovered further hydrocarbons in the shallow water southern sector of Brazil’s Campos basin.

EnCore Oil has spud the Catcher exploration well 28/9-a in UK central North Sea block 28/9.

The following map updates the activities surrounding the Deepwater Horizon containment and clean-up operations. Courtesy of the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center.

Techdrill has developed a new deepwater drilling application as part of its DSP-One well engineering software package.

The jackup Aquamarine Driller has completed tieback and riser installations for the Tindalo-1 well offshore the Philippines.

Schlumberger has unveiled SeaConnect, a VSAT service for the offshore industry which incorporates a stabilized marine 60-cm (23.6-in.) C-band antenna.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has approved Det norske oljeselskap’s plan to drill a wildcat south of the Sleipner Øst field in the Norwegian North Sea.

Statoil has found gas while drilling north of the producing Mikkel field in the Norwegian Sea.

In a Unified Command briefing today, Doug Suttles, BP COO, said that the riser insertion tube operation (see schematic below) should begin over night and that the Discovery Driller III should arrive on location Sunday, May 16, to spud the second relief well at the Deepwater Horizon location.

The following map updates the activities surrounding the Deepwater Horizon containment and clean-up operations.

Premier Oil expects to start development drilling before mid-June at the Chim Sáo field off southern Vietnam.

Dragon Oil has awarded construction contracts for two new production platforms in its Cheleken Contract Area in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea.

Statoil has consent from Petroleum Safety Authority Norway for development drilling in the Norwegian Sea, using the semisubmersible West Alpha.

Video acquired by a remotely operated vehicle is monitored and recorded onboard the motor vessel Viking Poseido.

A pollution containment chamber, known as the "top hat", is lowered into the Gulf of Mexico by the motor vessel Viking Poseidon, May 11.

Canada's National Energy Board says it will review its arctic offshore drilling safety and environmental rules in reponse to the Gulf of Mexico blowout.

The Vietsovpetro joint venture has contracted Hyundai Heavy Industries for subsea gas pipeline/equipment installations.

Tullow Oil remains focussed on deepwater exploration offshore Ghana, despite its recent setback with the dry Dahoma-1 well.

Saipem’s crane barge S7000 has installed new accommodation and office modules on Statoil’s Troll A platform in the North Sea.

The MOPUstor jackup platform for Talisman’s Yme field in the Norwegian North Sea has been completed, according to contractor SBM Offshore.

Stena Drilling has ordered loading software from Onboard-Napa for the Stena DrillMAX ICE drillship under construction by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea.

Det norske has discovered oil in the Storklakken prospect, 20 km (12.4 mi) northwest of the decommissioned Frøy field in the Norwegian North Sea.

Ron Boyd moves from business line manager for rock drilling tools for Atlas Copco to become project manager for its oil and gas products.

AuDAX Resources Ltd. says the interpretation of 3D seismic data from the Sicily Channel is compete and ahead of schedule.

Eni China BV has contracted the Songa Mercur for a drilling program offshore China.

Bontan Corp. has closed a private placement financing, raising funds for work in two drilling licenses offshore Israel – Sarah and Myra – where it has an 11% working interest.

Stingray Geophysical Ltd. has agreed for AMGL y Asociados SA de CV to act as its representative in Mexico.

The jackup Ensco 80 has started drilling the Conan exploration well in the UK East Irish Sea for Serica Energy.

Salamander Energy has completed Phase IV of development drilling on the Bualang oil field in Gulf of Thailand block B8/38.

Marathon Oil Corp. says it has a discovery at the Flying Dutchman prospect in Green Canyon block 511 of the Gulf of Mexico.

New Zealand Oil & Gas Ltd. says it is drilling the Tui SW-2 well as a re-drill to the SW-1.

Apache Energy has ordered gas flowlines from NKT Flexibles for its Halyard development off Northwest Australia. Delivery is scheduled for September.

Acergy has contracted NKT Flexibles for water injection flowlines for a subsea facilities project on the Draugen field in the Norwegian Sea.

BW Offshore has been authorized to proceed with completion of the FPSO OSX-1

BP officials today explained plans going forward to deal with the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico following the explosion and sinking of Transocean’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

Valiant Petroleum has discovered oil on the East Tybalt prospect in the UK northern North Sea.

Rockhopper Exploration has provided a further update on its Sea Lion discovery in the offshore North Falklands basin.

Det norske oljeselskap has discovered more oil while appraising the Draupne field in the Norwegian North Sea.

EnQuest has contracted SPD for project management services to support the Don Southwest and West Don developments in the UK northern North Sea.

Lincoln Electric took the opportuity at the Offshore Technology Conference to introduce new electrodes for offshore welding.

The British Council International Safety Award recognizes Marine Subsea (UK) Ltd.

Total has agreed with ConocoPhillilps to acquire 24.5% interest in two blocks offshore Indonesia.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) and US Coast Guard (USCG) plan to open investigation tomorrow to identify the factors leading to the Deepwater Horizon incident.

Petroleo Brasileiro SA says it set a monthly oil production record in Brazil of 2,033,000 b/d in April.

Deep Casing Tools has completed the first offshore run of its new Turborunner reaming system in Petro-Canada’s Saxon field in the central North Sea. The tool was unveiled this week at the company’s booth at OTC.

Stratic Energy has agreed to sale its Turkish business, which includes interests in the Ayazli/Akcakoca field developments in the Black Sea, operated by TPAO.

Providence Resources has launched a development feasibility study for the Helvick oil field in Ireland’s North Celtic Sea Basin.

Nexen is to plug and abandon its Bugle North appraisal well in the UK central North Sea.

The 2010 Offshore Technology Conference drew attendance of 72,900, reports, exceeding last year's 67,700 people.

Subsequent to its agreement with Total UK for subsea installation on Laggan and Tormore fields, FMC has executed a Letter of Intent with Grenland Group for Grenland to deliver two templates and two manifolds for the project.

As of July 1 at Beach Energy Ltd., Neil Gibbins will be COO, Steve Masters will be chief commercial officer, and Gordon Moseby will be general manager.

Hallin Marine says its Ullswater service vessel is going to Angola to conduct a saturation diving contract.

The Kellogg Joint Venture-Gorgon, on behalf of Chevron Australia Pty Ltd., has awarded J. Ray McDermott SA a contract to construct more than 60 pre-assembled racks and units with an estimated combined weight of 25,000 metric tons (27,558 tons) at its Batam Island, Indonesia, facility.

Petroleum Authority Norway has approved Statoil’s planned workover program in the Norwegian North Sea, using the drilling rig Polar Pioneer.

Canadian Natural Resources (CNR) is progressing development drilling from its second platform on the Olowi field offshore Gabon.

TDW Offshore Services has completed a successful pipeline pressure isolation and joint test offshore western Borneo for Sarawak Shell Berhad.

Salamander Energy is preparing to run a drillstem test on the Bank Nouan-1 wildcat offshore Laos.

Ocean Rig's Leiv Eiriksson drilling semi has successfully navigated the Bosphorus Strait on its way to an exploration program in the Turkish Black Sea.

BHP Billiton has awarded Petrofac a new five-year contract to support operations at the Liverpool Bay development in the East Irish Sea. Petrofac has provided assistance at the project since its early days in the 1990s.

Songa Offshore has signed a firm drilling contract with Total E&P Australia for use of the Songa Venus rig on Australia’s North West Shelf.

Installation of the oil spill control chamber is under way offshore Louisiana at the site of the leaking well.

Petrobras International Braspetro has signed an agreement with the Portuguese government to explore for hydrocarbons in deep waters offshore Portugal.

ESNAAD has opened a brine plant capable of producing up to 3,000 b/d to serve the oil and gas industry offshore Abu Dhabi.

RBG has announced at the Offshore Technology Conference that it has won a four-year extension contract from Nexen to deliver fabric maintenance, deck and mechanical services, specialist cleaning, access, and rigging services on Scott and Buzzard rigs in the North Sea.

Efforts continue to bring the MC252 oil well under control, says BP in its latest update on the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico

Subsea 7 has established a new Asia Pacific office in Kuala Lumpur.

Rockhopper Exploration may have discovered oil with its first well in the offshore North Falklands Basin.

BG has submitted a development plan for the Pi field in the North Sea to the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy.

Ulstein Verft has delivered the anchorhandler tug supply vessel Normand Ranger to Solstad Offshore.

Kebabangan Petroleum Operating Company (KPOC) has contracted Aker Solutions for detailed engineering of its Kebabangan (KBB) Northern Hub development in the South China Sea.

Coastal Energy has announced preliminary findings from its Benjarong A-02 exploratory well in the Gulf of Thailand.

Seven Atlantic, Subsea 7's newest diving support vessel, has completed its first diving project for Shell in the southern North Sea.

A call for standardized safety training across the entire offshore petroleum industry – particularly in light of the ongoing Gulf of Mexico mobile rig explosion and oil spill – was made Wednesday at a press conference held by UK-based OPITO International at OTC 2010.

BP has stopped the flow of oil from one of three leak points on the damaged MC252 oil well and riser in the Gulf of Mexico.

Representatives from BP, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have been meeting to plan a multi-agency response, should the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon spread farther east.

Ithaca Energy’s sidetrack well (30/6a-8Z) in the Stella in the UK North Sea field has confirmed a fully hydrocarbon-saturated reservoir interval in the Andrew sandstone.

The Dept. of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory announced the availability of its Knowledge Management Database (KMD) Portal, which now allows the free search for documents and data – archived and current – produced under METL-managed oil and natural gas research.

Drilling and completions technology experts from industry, research and academia are being called upon by the global oil Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF) to identify the key technology drivers that point ahead to increased drilling efficiency and optimized recovery.

Offshore Magazine's up-to-the-minutes coverage on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, direct from the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.

A new containerized portable compressor has been introduced by Atlas Copco for use in offshore petroleum operations.

Prospective new entrants into UK North Sea development may have to think twice about it due to restrictive decommissioning requirements and other roadblocks, according to a new survey published by the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce.

BP has started drilling a relief well to intercept and isolate the well spilling oil in the Gulf of Mexico. The operation started on Sunday.

NOAA, a bureau of the US Department of Commerce, has restricted fishing for a minimum of 10 days in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico not affected by the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon.

Moorings/fluid transfer specialist Sigma Offshore has secured a total of $6.1m in funding from National Oilwell Varco (NOV), Scottish Enterprise’s Scottish Venture Fund (SVF) and venture capital firm, Energy Ventures.

TGS has started a 2,600-sq km (1,004-sq mi) 3D pre-stack depth migration (PSDM) project over the Hoop Fault Complex in the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea.

RBG has won a £30-million ($45-million) platform support services contract from Nexen in the UK North Sea.

Baker Hughes has installed Centrilift XP electrical submersible pumping systems in six vertical subsea boosting stations on the seafloor at Shell’s Parque das Conchas (BC-10) Field offshore Brazil.

A/S Norske Shell has received consent from Petroleum Safety Authority Norway to drill two deepwater exploration wells in the Norwegian Sea using the semi-sub Aker Barents.

Fluor Offshore Solutions unit has won a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract from Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO) for new offshore facilities 120 km (74 mi) off the northwest coast of Abu Dhabi City.

With recent delivery of its first-ever active heave-compensated offshore crane from its Singapore plant, Cargotec expects to flow more load handling products through the facility.

A seal-less triplex diaphragm pump from Wanner Engineering has an OTC technology Spotlight Award.

The new Houston engineering and business development office is featured by Bardot Inc. at OTC this year.

Attila Dogan Group is talking about the CO₂ membrane separation units for two separate gas fields in Turkey it has in the works.

Atlas Copco features its DrillAir range of portable air units with the addition of the Open Unit compressor.

With an exclusive license on Total SA’s micro-coring bit, Diamant Drilling Services offers the new technology and says it can improve drilling efficiency as much as 300% downhole in the field. Plus the micro-cores are of high quality.

A. Hak Industrial Services will introduce its Free Swimming Piglet pipe inspection tool. Hak says the tool matches fiber optic tools for flexibility, resolution, and detailed data.

The world’s first subsea wireless data and power unit that incorporates short-range, high bandwidth radio-frequency; mid-range, low bandwidth RF; long-range, low bandwidth acoustic communication; and navigation/location capabilities has won a 2010 OTC Spotlight Award for WFS Technologies.

Work is under way to deploy a device on the seafloor to recover the leaking oil from the Deepwater Horizon incident, according to the Joint Information Center.

A new, completely enclosed water-cooled AC motor for draw works and top drive applications was introduced by GE Transportation at OTC 2010.

In the near future, the Nova Scotia government faces a big decision with regard to offshore development – the Georges Bank on the Atlantic OCS, whose jurisdiction is shared by Canada and the United States.

At the 2010 Offshore Technology Conference, Schlumberger has announced the release of its ClearPhase mobile testing discharge treatment.

GE Oil & Gas chose the 2010 OTC to launch its VetcoGray DHXT deepwater horizontal tree and integral control system.

Siemens Energy at the Offshore Technology Conference today unveiled a new concept for supplying power to subsea infrastructure in long-distance step-out scenarios in up to 3,000 m (9,843 ft) water depth.

At the 2010 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Emerson is introducing the first integrated system to replace sensors on subsea production equipment using ROVs. The Roxar ROV sensor retrieval system makes sensor replacement faster and less expensive, says ROXAR.

The Triton Group announced today at the Offshore Technology Conference that it is placing all its rental businesses under a new organization.

Bowleven is preparing to resume drilling operations on its Etinde permit in Cameroon’s offshore Rio del Rey Basin.

Fluor Offshore Solutions unit has won a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract for offshore facilities at Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO)’s Umm Lulu field, 30 km northwest of Abu Dhabi.

Jurong Shipyard has completed the conversion of Ghana’s first FPSO for the deepwater Jubilee Phase 1 development.

Consultants Analysts Hannon Westwood have issued their 2009 UKCS North Sea Drilling Results ‘Analytical Report’.

Cabinda Gulf Oil Company (CABGOC) has contracted Amec to perform front-end engineering design (FEED) for its Mafumeira Sul project, offshore Cabinda Province, Angola.

Baker Hughes has installed two Centrilift XP electrical submersible pump (ESP) systems in two vertical subsea boosting stations on the seafloor at Shell’s Perdido Field development in the Gulf of Mexico.

Aquaterra Energy has won a $3-million contract to supply a high pressure drilling riser for use on projects in the Eqyptian sector of the Mediterranean Sea.

Cable specialist Nexans plans to highlight its full range of solutions for topsides and subsea projects this week at OTC.

Prysmian Cables & Systems will present a range of cable systems, submarine power cables, umbilicals, and flexible pipes this week at OTC.

Exploration and production spending is expected to go up 7% this year to $326 billion, reports IHS Herold. This total excludes acquisition spending.

Having released its new LCI-90-I smart display control monitor recently, Measurement Technology NW expects to feature the equipment for OTC.

A new family of styrenic subsea thermal insulation materials from Bredero-Shaw has won an OTC Spotlight Award.

TS Technology’s new generation compact flotation unit (CFU) is recognized by OTC as a Spotlight technology.

A new real time drill pipe telemetry system from Reelwell not only enables two-way, high-speed data communication with MWD/LWD tools, but also can transfer electric power to downhole tools.

Argus Subsea is using the Offshore Technology Conference to introduce a new subsea tree and wellhead designed for jackup drilling rigs.

Northern Offshore has had to interrupt a five-well drilling program for VietGazprom offshore Vietnam.

Keppel AmFELS has delivered the first of four EXL jack-up rigs to Rowan Drilling Company.

Petroleum Safety Authority Norway has sanctioned BP Norge’s request to perform manned underwater operations this year in the Norwegian North Sea.

Dockwise has won two offshore transportation contracts with combined revenues close to $65 million.

Craig International Supplies (CIS) has won a multi-million dollar contract with Thailand’s national oil company PTT Exploration & Production (PTTEP).

Brazilian industrial group QUIP has contracted Wärtsilä to supply three main power modules for the Papa Terra joint venture’s P-63 FPSO.

Halliburton has successfully pilot-tested its GeoTap IDS fluid identification and sampling sensor during exploration drilling by BG Norge in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.

The high levels of uncertainty which affected the British petroleum industry sector in 2009 have abated somewhat, according to a report initiated by Subsea UK.

US President Barack Obama says the focus of the response to the oil spill following the explosion and sinking of Transocean’s Deep Horizon semisubmersible drilling rig is “on a fully coordinated, relentless response effort to stop the leak and prevent more damage to the Gulf.”

SeaFlex Riser Technologies, part of Kongsberg Oil & Gas Technologies, is introducing its new riser management system (RMS) at the Offshore Technology Conference which opened today in Houston.

GE Oil & Gas has signed a new five-year frame agreement with Maersk Oil North Sea UK, which runs from March 1, 2010.

LUKOIL has produced first oil from its RUR 34.3 billion Yu. Korchagin field development in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea.

Subsea 7 has completed installations for Marathon’s Droshky development in the Gulf of Mexico. This was the first project to be delivered through Subsea 7’s new North American spoolbase at Port Isabel, Texas.

LUKOIL has signed a cooperation agreement with the government of the region of Astrakhan, southern Russia.

Lankhorst Ropes Offshore Division will display its new LankoFirst fiber rope connector for deepwater and ultra deepwater mooring lines at the Offshore Technology Conference this year.

The Energy Industries Council (EIC) has more than 50 exhibiting companies to the UK pavilion at OTC this year, at stand 2441 - D.

Precision Polymer Engineering (PPE) will highlight its latest explosive decompression (ED) resistant, Perlast G92E perfluoroelastomer at OTC in the Reliant Arena.

The 2010 Offshore Technology Conference has awarded a technology Spotlight to Rapp Hydema for its liquid-cooled electric motor.

Aker Solutions and Transocean have developed a new top drive with improved uptime and reduced repair/replacement time.

At OTC.10, representatives from Subsea 7 and Shell discussed the challenges faced during pipeline/riser installations for the Parque das Conchas (BC-10) development, offshore Brazil.

BP says it is continuing to work with the U.S. Coast Guard and other federal agencies and contractors to safely and effectively stop oil flowing from the Mississippi Canyon 252 well and to minimize its environmental impact.

MacDermid Offshore Solutions has won an OTC Spotlight Award for its subsea hydraulic control fluid, Oceanic XT900, which can reach a downhole temperature to 220 ºC (428 ºF).

Surface controlled sub-surface safety valves (SCSSVs) are prone to fail from plugs or leaks in the hydraulic control line.

First Reserve Corporation has provided an equity commitment of up to $500 million to newly-established Brazilian E&P independent Barra Energia Petróleo e Gás.

Downhole monitoring and completions specialist Zenith Oilfield Technology has formed a special technology division.

Noble Energy has contracted Mustang to perform front-end engineering design (FEED) for the Belinda project in Block `O’ offshore Equatorial Guinea.

TTS Sense AS has a Letter of Contract Award from PetroVietnam Marine Shipyard Company for a drilling equipment package, valued at around $23 million.

The recent rig fire and ongoing spill in Mississippi Canyon block 252 in the Gulf of Mexico has impacted TGS’ Justice Wide Azimuth (WAZ) survey.

Sevan Marine has signed a letter of intent to transfer the FPSO Sevan Voyageur to the Huntington oil field development in UK central North Sea block 22/14.

Marathon Oil has started production from the Volund field in Norwegian North Sea block 24/9.

Pars Oil and Gas Company expects to produce 90 bcm from the South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf in the current Iranian year ending March 20, 2011.

Expro has promoted Chris Mawtus to become Chief Operating Officer. He will be responsible for the group’s operations in North America, the Middle East and North Africa, Asia, Europe CIS, Latin America and Southern and West Africa.

Flexible pipe specialist flexlife has established a Joint Industry Partnership (JIP) to perform research which could help extend the lifespan of critical production equipment.

Process system integrator DPS (Bristol) has won a topsides study contract from FPSO operator BW Offshore.

Two Schlumberger technologies are Spotlight Award winners this year at the Offshore Technology Conference.

The new InSite GeoTap IDS sensor from Sperry Drilling has won an OTC Spotlight Award, reports Halliburton.

FMC’s MPM Multi-Phase Meter uses tomography to improve measurement accuracy and range in either topside or subsea applications, and has won a Spotlight Award from the 2010 OTC.

NOAA has closed portions of the Gulf of Mexico to fishing for at least 10 days as a result of the BP oil spill.

Providing assurance that components will fit

Halliburton, one of the service companies that worked on Deepwater Horizon, said it had not placed the final cement plug at the time of the incident which would enable the planned temporary abandonment of the well.

Halliburton, one of the service companies that worked on Deepwater Horizon, said it had not placed the final cement plug at the time of the incident which would enable the planned temporary abandonment of the well.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has established a website to make available its results from monitoring the impact of the oil spill offshore Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has established a website to make available its results from monitoring the impact of the oil spill offshore Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico.

BP says it has more than 2,500 people involved in the response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill offshore Louisiana and has opened a fourth onshore command center at Mobile, Alabama.

BP says it has more than 2,500 people involved in the response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill offshore Louisiana and has opened a fourth onshore command center at Mobile, Alabama.

In response to an order from the White House, the US Navy is stepping up its work to contain the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon fire and subsequent sinking.

In response to an order from the White House, the US Navy is stepping up its work to contain the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon fire and subsequent sinking.

MMS and the US Coast Guard urge operators and drilling contractors to inspect their drilling equipment and to review their safety procedures.

MMS and the US Coast Guard urge operators and drilling contractors to inspect their drilling equipment and to review their safety procedures.

The US Environmental Protection Agency is taking air samples along the Louisiana coast to monitor any changes in particulate matter coming from the controlled burn of the oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon well flow.

The US Environmental Protection Agency is taking air samples along the Louisiana coast to monitor any changes in particulate matter coming from the controlled burn of the oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon well flow.

As oil from the Deepwater Horizon incident continues to threaten the environment, US President Barack Obama has dispatched key members of the administration to the Gulf Coast to monitor the situation.

As oil from the Deepwater Horizon incident continues to threaten the environment, US President Barack Obama has dispatched key members of the administration to the Gulf Coast to monitor the situation.

Baker Hughes today said it is expanding its drill bit manufacturing facility in the Houston suburb The Woodlands, adding 130 manufacturing positions by year-end.

Interpetroleum Services has awarded Prosafe a Letter of Intent to extend a bareboat contract for the accommodation semi Safe Lancia, operating for Pemex offshore Mexico.

CNOOC is set to acquire Devon Energy’s 24.5% interest in block 15/34 in the Pearl River Mouth basin of the South China Sea.