Venture Production, currently the subject of an unwanted bid from Centrica, plans an active drilling campaign across its North Sea interests over the next 12 months.

Faroe Petroleum will participate in two exploration wells planned for the Norwegian sector, subject to approvals from the Norwegian authorities.

Venture Production (UK) has hit pay with discovery well 110/3b-6A on the Whitbeck Prospect on block 110/3b in the North Sea.

Endeavour International has filed a development plan for the Rochelle field in the UK North Sea, where it aims to start production in 2011.

ConocoPhillips has contracted WorleyParsons for front-end engineering design definition and advanced procurement services for its Jasmine Area gas-condensate development project (Jasmine) in the UK central North Sea.

Maersk Oil North Sea is planning to increase production from its Gryphon field in UK North Sea blocks 9/18a and 9/18b.

Statoil has awarded FMC Technologies a $2-million contract to manufacture and supply subsea production equipment for the Marulk field.

An international customer has awarded ODIM a $4-million contract to deliver two automated ODIM LARS launch and recovery systems for ROVs.

TAQA Bratani has awarded J P Kenny a subsea engineering and management services contract for its North Sea assets.

Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA (EMGS) has received a Letter of Award from an oil and gas company to provide 3D EM data acquisition services offshore West Africa.

Kosmos Energy has awarded OHM Rock Solid Images a contract to do a seismic reservoir characterization study of the West Cape Three Points block offshore Ghana.

TGS remains active in seismic surveying off West Africa, according to the company’s review of its recent progress.

Repsol Investigaciones Petroliferas has awarded a contract for development of two fields 50 km (31 mi) offshore Spain in the Mediterranean.

Lundin Britain has awarded Technip a $30-million lump-sum contract for an augmentation pipeline at the Broom field in the UK North Sea

Nord Stream has commissioned Europipe (Germany), OMK (Russia), and Sumitomo (Japan) to supply a total of 1 million tons (907,000 metric tons) of steel pipe for the construction of the second pipeline for the Nord Stream project.

First oil has flowed from Maersk’s Affleck development in UK North Sea block 30/19a.

The Ettrick field in the UKCS is onstream, according to Dana Petroleum.

Antrim Energy is working on a field development plan for the 20 MMbbl Fyne heavy-oil field in the UK central North Sea.