Upstream News

Global coverage of exploration and production, field development, shale, fracking and other upstream sector developments

	BP deepwater drilling plan gets go-ahead 22nd March 2012 The UK government has agreed BP can begin deepwater drilling in the North Uist well, off the Shetland Islands. The announcement comes a day after the UK government pledged GBP 3bn in fresh allowances for...
	Petrobras announces offshore oil discovery 21st March 2012 Good quality crude oil has been found in deep waters beneath pre-salt region of the Santos Basin, Brazilian oil giant Petrobras announced on 21 March.The discovery was found during drilling of a...
	Shell signs Chinese shale gas contract 21st March 2012 China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and Shell’s Chinese subsidiary have signed their first ever shale gas Production Sharing Contract (PSC).The state-controlled parent of Petrochina agreed with...
	Total granted stake in Russian LNG project 20th March 2012 The European Commission has granted French energy giant Total permission to acquire a 20.5 per cent stake in a hydrocarbon exploration project in the Russian Arctic. Total will share its...
	Siemens invests in subsea water technology 20th March 2012 Siemens is buying up part of UK oil and gas specialist company, Expro Holdings UK, to meet the industry's growing demand for underwater power lines.Around EUR 470m will be invested in the Connectors and...
	Hydrocarbon survey planned for offshore Namibia 19th March 2012 Oil and gas exploration company, Serica energy, has signed a contractwith marine geophysical company, Polarcus Seismic Limited, to survey an area offshore Namibia.A 10-streamer vessel Polarcus Nadia will be...
	Engineers secure contract to build semi-submersible well intervention rig 14th March 2012 Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. (Helix), a market leader in subsea well intervention services, has agreed to pay Jurong Shipyard USD 385.5m to build a semi-submersible well intervention rig, scheduled for...
	Oil and gas company delivers straight-through hot stab 14th March 2012 A first full-bore, straight-through, pressure-balanced hot stab has been put forward for a series of subsea injection and pumping projects in the Gulf of Mexico.The product is based on patented...
	First oil retrieved from Ceasar Tonga 14th March 2012 Operator Anadarko Petroleum and co-owners Shell and Chevron have announced the beginning of first production from the Caesar Tonga deep-water project in the Gulf of Mexico.The project will boost existing...
	Fracking impeded by regulatory framework – report 13th March 2012 The natural gas industry is technologically capable of tapping vast shale gas resources in the US, but it is unclear if all companies can successfully manage the complex array of environmental and social...