EP Passes Resolution on Tougher Offshore Drilling Regulations

- EP Passes Resolution on Tougher Offshore Drilling Regulations

Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Rigzone Staff
by Karen Boman

The European Parliament (EP) on Sept. 13 passed a resolution that would only allow development of oil and gas fields offshore Europe if companies have prepared an adequate emergency plan and has sufficient funds to repair possible damage to the environment.

According to the resolution, passed with 602 votes in favor, 64 against and 13 abstaining, site-specific plans for drilling, which would also require approval by the relevant member state before operation begins, would better protect the environment. The resolution is a means of influencing new draft legislation to be tabled by the European Commission this autumn.

"These emergency plans should identify potential hazards, assess pollution sources and effects and outline a response strategy in the even of an accident," according to a statement by the European Parliament.

The resolution also calls for a provision requiring oil and gas operators to show in the licensing procedure that they have sufficient funds to repair any harm done to the environment as a result of their activities. It also has been suggested that the scope of the polluter pays principle and strict liability should be extended to cover all damage done to marine waters and biodiversity.

While members of European Parliament are unsure if establishing a regulator for all offshore operations would be bring enough value to justify diverting "scarce" regulatory resources from national authorities, they agree that the European Maritime Safety Agency should coordinate responses in the event of an accident.

Parliament also proposes that whistleblowers be protected, enabling employees to declare any security breaches or risks anonymously with fear of harassment.

The resolution is in response to a Commission consultation paper issued last October in the aftermath of the Macondo oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010. It also follows on from an European Parliament resolution in October 2010 on European Union action on oil exploration and extraction in Europe.

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Hercules Offshore Ups Stake in Discover Offshore

- Hercules Offshore Ups Stake in Discover Offshore

Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Hercules Offshore Inc.

Hercules Offshore has acquired an additional 6.1 million shares of Discovery Offshore S.A. at an average price of NOK9.02 per share. With this latest purchase, Hercules Offshore has invested a total of approximately $34.1 million in Discovery Offshore, and currently holds a 28% ownership interest in Discovery Offshore.

"Since our initial investment in Discovery Offshore in January 2011, the fundamentals of the offshore drilling industry have strengthened, and demand for ultra high-specification jackup rigs remains exceptionally strong," said John T. Rynd, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hercules Offshore. "Once delivered in 2013, these rigs will be among the most technically capable jackups worldwide, servicing a growing niche market that requires the advanced capabilities these rigs can provide. Initial discussions with customers confirm our confidence in the rig design, and the robust demand that we anticipate for these rigs for the foreseeable future."

Discovery Offshore is a Luxembourg-based company, focused on ownership of ultra high-specification jackup rigs. Discovery Offshore currently has two ultra high-specification jackup rigs under construction at Keppel FELS in Singapore, with delivery scheduled during the second and fourth quarter of 2013. Discovery Offshore also holds options for two additional jackup rigs. Hercules Offshore is overseeing the construction, marketing and operations of rigs owned by Discovery Offshore, as well as performing other corporate administrative functions required by Discovery Offshore.

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Cairn Updates Operations Offshore Greenland

- Cairn Updates Operations Offshore Greenland

Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Cairn Energy plc

The following operational update relates to Cairn's exploration drilling campaign offshore Greenland.

Gamma-1 Well: Eqqua Block, West Disko Area

The Gamma-1 exploration well, drilled by the Ocean Rig Corcovado drillship, located in 1,520 meters (m) of water and 294 kilometers (km) from Aasiaat, in the Eqqua Block in the West Disko area has reached total depth (TD) and preparations are under way to plug and abandon the well. The well had been targeted to test a deep water Tertiary basin floor fan located 100km down dip from the T8-1 well where biogenic and thermogenic gas had been encountered in 2010.

The Gamma-1 well intersected the prognosed basin floor fan at the anticipated depth, although no reservoir or hydrocarbon shows were encountered in the interval.

Delta-1 Well: Napariaq Block, West Disko Area

The Delta-1 exploration well, drilled by the Leiv Eiriksson semisubmersible drilling rig, located in a water depth of 293m and approximately 365km offshore Aasiaat, in the Napariaq Block is currently drilling ahead. The Delta-1 well is aiming to intersect Cretaceous sediments in a large structural closure beneath the Tertiary volcanic interval in which oil shows were encountered in the Alpha-1 well drilled in 2010. The well has so far encountered several hundred meters of Tertiary volcanic section, which is thicker than anticipated and with only minor hydrocarbon indications. A further update will be made later this month, once the well reaches TD.

AT7-1 Well: Atammik Block, South Ungava Area

Following completion of the operations on the Delta-1 Well, the Leiv Eiriksson is scheduled to move south to re-enter the AT7-1 well in the Atammik block, located in 909m of water and 198km offshore Nuuk, and drill to the planned TD.

Fifth Well: AT2 Prospect: Atammik Block, South Ungava Area

Once operations on the Gamma-1 well are complete, the Ocean Rig Corcovado is scheduled to move 597km south, to the Atammik Block, to drill the AT2 prospect as a fifth well in the 2011 exploration drilling campaign.

Further updates will be provided whenever a well is at TD and operations are complete.

Simon Thomson, Chief Executive, said, "The full results of the Gamma-1 well and the update from the Delta-1 well will be reviewed in the context of all the data gathered during the Greenland exploration campaign.

The rigs are scheduled to move south to drill the final two wells of the program on the Atammik block. We remain focused on the potential of our multi-basin position in Greenland."

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Ascent Gets OK for License Extension Offshore Netherlands

- Ascent Gets OK for License Extension Offshore Netherlands

Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Ascent Resources plc

Ascent Resources has received confirmation of the extension of its M10/M11 block licenses ('the Project') located offshore Netherlands in the southern North Sea until June 30, 2013.

The M10/M11 appraisal project is in the shallow waters off the north coast of the Netherlands. In the license area there are three structures, all of which contain gas discovery wells with the gas present in the Slochteren unit of the Rotligendes sandstones. A conceptual development plan has been prepared and a final appraisal well is being planned for H2 2012 to confirm reservoir parameters for the detail project design. This well will be an appraisal well for the Terschelling Noord discovery, which is in a structure that lies partly within the M10/M11 license area and partly to the area to the south. The well would be expected to then become a production well for the development.

ARN holds a 54% interest in the Project. Other partners in the Project are Energie Beheer Nederland B.V with 40% and GTO Limited with 6%.

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Shell Seeks Okay for 2D Survey Offshore NW Australia

- Shell Seeks Okay for 2D Survey Offshore NW Australia

Monday, September 12, 2011
Shell Australia

Shell is seeking Federal Government environmental approval for a small 2D marine seismic survey off the North West Cape.

Subject to approvals the survey is planned to have a duration of around 12 days and to take place during the period from mid-November 2011 to the end of March 2012 avoiding the humpback whale migration.

At closest point the survey will be around 25km from Ningaloo Reef. As detailed in our environmental documentation Shell has elected that the 2D seismic survey will not come within a 10km buffer zone of the Ningaloo World Heritage Area.

The seismic survey is the final work commitment for permit WA-385-P in the current term.

In July 2011 Shell received environmental approval for the Palta-1 gas exploration well in adjacent permit WA-384-P.

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Total Hits Gas Pay in Caspian

- Total Hits Gas Pay in Caspian

Friday, September 09, 2011
Total S.A.

Total on Friday announced a major gas discovery in the Caspian Sea in the Absheron block offshore Azerbaijan.

The Absheron X-2 well has encountered more than 500 feet of cumulated net gas pays within high quality sands on the northern flank of a major 270 square kilometers structure. Reservoirs are expected to extend over the entire northern part of the structure.

The well's first results confirm a potential of several trillion cubic feet of gas and associated condensates.

"This discovery could be very significant in terms of resources," said Total's Senior Vice President Exploration, Marc Blaizot. "It is the result of Total's bolder exploration strategy aimed at exploring high risk/high reward prospects both in prolific and frontier basins particularly in high pressure, deeply buried reservoirs. Our geoscientists and drillers have all the skills to make other discoveries in similar environments like the United Kingdom, Brunei, Malaysia or Egypt where new permits have been recently awarded to Total."

The well is currently at a depth of approximately 6,550 meters. Drilling will continue to explore further deeper objectives that look attractive. The well will then be tested to better confirm the reservoir potential.

The Absheron discovery is located in 500 meters of water, 100 kilometers south east of Baku, some 25 kilometers north east of the Shah Deniz gas and condensate field.

Total subsidiary, Total EP Absheron is the operator of the Absheron license with a 40% equity. The partners are SOCAR (40%) and GDF SUEZ (20%).

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All Evacuated Personnel nearly Returned - BOEMRE

- All Evacuated Personnel nearly Returned - BOEMRE

Wednesday, September 07, 2011
BOEMRE

Offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico are re-boarding platforms and rigs, and restoring production following Tropical Storm Lee. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Hurricane Response Team is monitoring the operators' activities. The team will continue to work with offshore operators and other state and federal agencies until operations return to normal.

Based on data from offshore operator reports submitted as of 11:30 a.m. CDT Wednesday, personnel remain evacuated from a total of 21 production platforms, equivalent to 3.4 percent of the 617 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Production platforms are the structures located offshore from which oil and natural gas are produced. Unlike drilling rigs, which typically move from location to location, production facilities remain in the same location throughout a project's duration

Personnel have been evacuated from 4 rigs, equivalent to 5.7 percent of the 70 rigs currently operating in the Gulf. Rigs can include several types of self-contained offshore drilling facilities including jackup rigs, submersibles and semisubmersibles.

As part of the evacuation process, personnel activate the applicable shut-in procedure, which can frequently be accomplished from a remote location. This involves closing the sub-surface safety valves located below the surface of the ocean floor to prevent the release of oil or gas. During the recent hurricane seasons, the shut-in valves functioned 100 percent of the time, efficiently shutting in production from wells on the Outer Continental Shelf and protecting the marine and coastal environments. Shutting-in oil and gas production is a standard procedure conducted by industry for safety and environmental reasons.

From operator reports, it is estimated that approximately 36.9 percent of the current oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut-in. It is also estimated that approximately 18.1 percent of the natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut-in. The production percentages are calculated using information submitted by offshore operators in daily reports. Shut-in production information included in these reports is based on the amount of oil and gas the operator expected to produce that day. The shut-in production figures therefore are estimates, which BOEMRE compares to historical production reports to ensure the estimates follow a logical pattern.

After the storm has passed, facilities will be inspected. Once all standard checks have been completed, production from undamaged facilities will be brought back on line immediately. Facilities sustaining damage may take longer to bring back on line. BOEMRE will continue to update the evacuation and shut-in statistics at 1:00 p.m. CDT each day as appropriate.

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SOCO Spuds Well Offshore Congo-Brazzaville

- SOCO Spuds Well Offshore Congo-Brazzaville

Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Lundin Petroleum AB
by SubseaIQ

Lundin announced that drilling of the exploration well Mindou Marine-1, located offshore in Block Marine XI Congo-Brazzaville, has commenced.

The planned depth is approximately 3400 meters below mean sea level and the well will be drilled by using the semi-submersible drilling rig ENSCO 5003. The drilling operation is expected to take 50 days.

The well is targeting a pre-salt Toca formation carbonate reservoir within a combination structural and stratigraphic trap. This well will fulfill the Phase II drilling commitment on the license and is the first of a two to three well program on blocks Marine XI and XIV.

Lundin Petroleum has an 18.75 percent working interest in the license which is operated by SOCO International.

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2H Offshore Adds to Management Team

- 2H Offshore Adds to Management Team

Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Aceton Group Ltd.

2H Offshore announced two new appointments. Tim Eyles becomes the managing director of the 2H Offshore group of companies. He will also continue to share the running of 2H Offshore's engineering office in Woking, UK.

At the same time, David Walters, joint leader of the company's Houston, USA, office, has been added to the 2H Offshore global management team as a principal director.

Eyles and Walters joined 2H Offshore in 1998 and 1997 respectively, both directly after graduating from the University of Surrey, UK.

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BOEMRE: Operators Evacuate Ops in GOM

- BOEMRE - Operators Evacuate Ops in GOM

Monday, September 05, 2011
BOEMRE

Offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico are evacuating platforms and rigs in the path of Tropical Storm Lee. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Hurricane Response Team is monitoring the operators' activities. The team will continue to work with offshore operators and other state and federal agencies until operations return to normal and the storm is no longer a threat to Gulf of Mexico oil and gas activities.

Based on data from offshore operator reports submitted as of 11:30 a.m. CDT Sunday, personnel have been evacuated from a total of 239 production platforms, equivalent to 38.7 percent of the 617 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Production platforms are the structures located offshore from which oil and natural gas are produced. Unlike drilling rigs, which typically move from location to location, production facilities remain in the same location throughout a project's duration

Personnel have been evacuated from 25 rigs, equivalent to 35.7 percent of the 70 rigs currently operating in the Gulf. Rigs can include several types of self-contained offshore drilling facilities including jackup rigs, submersibles and semisubmersibles.

As part of the evacuation process, personnel activate the applicable shut-in procedure, which can frequently be accomplished from a remote location. This involves closing the sub-surface safety valves located below the surface of the ocean floor to prevent the release of oil or gas. During the recent hurricane seasons, the shut-in valves functioned 100 percent of the time, efficiently shutting in production from wells on the Outer Continental Shelf and protecting the marine and coastal environments. Shutting-in oil and gas production is a standard procedure conducted by industry for safety and environmental reasons.

From operator reports, it is estimated that approximately 60.2 percent of the current oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut-in. It is also estimated that approximately 44.3 percent of the natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut-in. The production percentages are calculated using information submitted by offshore operators in daily reports. Shut-in production information included in these reports is based on the amount of oil and gas the operator expected to produce that day. The shut-in production figures therefore are estimates, which BOEMRE compares to historical production reports to ensure the estimates follow a logical pattern.

After the hurricane has passed, facilities will be inspected. Once all standard checks have been completed, production from undamaged facilities will be brought back on line immediately. Facilities sustaining damage may take longer to bring back on line. BOEMRE will continue to update the evacuation and shut-in statistics at 1:00 p.m. CDT each day as appropriate.

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Circle Oil Granted Extension for Oman Exploration

- Circle Oil Granted Extension for Oman Exploration

Monday, September 05, 2011
Circle Oil plc

Circle Oil announced the following operational update on its activities in Blocks 49 and 52 in Oman.

Block 49

Circle confirmed that the Ministry of Oil and Gas, Oman has granted an extension to the exploration period for our onshore Block 49 now ending December 26, 2012. Within this time frame, Circle will be required to complete an additional 2,500 line kilometers of closely spaced 2D seismic survey and drill one exploration well. The seismic program is to be acquired in the south-eastern part of the permit, north-east of and adjacent to the 3D survey which was completed in 2010. This survey is intended to provide a better understanding of the whole southern permit area, and outline potential additional drilling targets. It will complement the existing dataset, and cover an area with sparse coverage of legacy 2D lines. Acquisition parameters for the survey will draw on the experience obtained during the acquisition and processing of the 3D survey.

Block 49, covering an area of over 15,438 square kilometers, lies about 700 kilometers south-west of Muscat in a relatively unexplored area of Southern Oman. The concession agreement includes the right of conversion to a production license of 30 years in the event of commercial discoveries. Circle Oil Oman Ltd is the operator of Block 49 with a 100% working interest.

Block 52

The processing of the 5,026 line kilometers of marine 2D seismic, recorded from December 2010 to February 2011, has been completed. The processed data received to date are of a significantly improved quality over the historic seismic data. Interpretations have confirmed the presence of multiple structures and potential targets for exploration drilling. As result a farm-out process has recently been initiated using both internal data rooms and an external agency. The farm-out process is aimed at seeking a partner(s) to drill a commitment well in Block 52 within the next 18 months.

Circle's interpretations detailed in the farmout package in Block 52 have identified several promising play types in stratigraphy ranging in age from Pre-Cambrian to Tertiary, but the offshore Outer Sawquirah Area of Late Cretaceous to Palaeogene structural closures is considered the most prospective.

The identified principal reservoir intervals are Palaeogene Hadhramaut carbonates and clastics and late Cretaceous Aruma Group carbonates. Potential source rocks are considered to be Lower Hadhramaut and Aruma shales with additional potential in the basinal Jurassic Sahtan Group and the Infra-Cambrian Huqf Super Group. Sealing units for potential traps are provided by extensive shale units of the Fars, Hadhramaut and Aruma groups.

Nine large four way dip closed prospects are recognized in the Outer Sawqirah Area. Internal pre-drill deterministic STOIIP of these nine prospects for the most likely unrisked case is calculated as 7,264 MMBO. The associated ultimate recoverable resources for the nine prospects are estimated internally as 2,179 MMBO.

The water depths for proposed drilling locations on the nine prospects range from 724 to 956 m and target depths range from 1,490 to 2,850 m. The largest individual prospect, presently designated as Prospect A1, is situated in a water depth of approximately 769 m, with an internally estimated deterministic most likely STOIIP of 2,435 MMBO and associated most likely ultimate recoverable resources of 731 MMBO, with depth to top target at 1,490 m.

The Company would emphasize the point that the pre-drill deterministic estimates of STOIIP and resources are based on the information and interpretations available at time of issue and are made based on Circle's management deterministic best estimates. There can be no assurance that such estimates will prove to be accurate as future technical evaluations and results, including drilling results, could lead to variations or differ materially from those indicated in this release.

As expected, further exploration work is necessary and the Company is now seeking partners to join in this effort. Further announcements will be made in due course.

Block 52, covering an area of over 63,460 square kilometers, lies about 500 kilometers SSW of Muscat in an underexplored area of offshore Southern Oman. The concession agreement includes the right of conversion to a production license of 30 years in the event of commercial discoveries. Circle Oil Oman Offshore Ltd is the operator of Block 52 with a 100% working interest.

Commenting Prof. Chris Green, CEO, said, "The granting of the extension for Block 49 will allow Circle to further evaluate drilling opportunities within the southern area of the permit. In Block 52, the new seismic is of excellent quality and multiple closures, including some leads we mapped previously, have been firmed up as prospects. The interpretations coming from Block 52 seismic have allowed us to prepare a comprehensive farm-out package."

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InterMoor Clinches Mooring System Offshore Vietnam

- InterMoor Clinches Mooring System Offshore Vietnam

Thursday, September 01, 2011
Aceton Group Ltd.

InterMoor, an Acteon company, was awarded a prelay mooring system by Petro Vietnam Technical Services (PTSC) for a project offshore Vietnam, announced InterMoor President Tom Fulton.

The prelaid mooring spreads were installed in July for the two offshore Vietnam locations. The moorings for each location consisted of eight conventional lines with insert wire, grounded chain and eight 12T Stevpris NG Anchors. In total, InterMoor successfully prelaid 29 anchors including 13 piggybacks in less than two weeks on both locations.

InterMoor worked in cooperation with a local Vietnam company, Thiennam Offshore Services, who chartered DOF Subsea's vessel, the Skandi Hercules, to perform the mooring installations.

The PVD 5 Tender-assisted Drilling Rig will arrive on location in October 2011 and be moored to the prelaid spread. Water depths at the locations range from 118m (387 ft.) to 135m (443 ft.).

"This is our first project offshore Vietnam and we had the full support of PTSC for the entire project duration," said Rick Luck, General Manager for InterMoor's Singapore office. "This project offers InterMoor the opportunity to further expand in this region, while continuing its focus on international growth."

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Northern Offshore Secures New Contract for Jackup Energy Enhancer

- Northern Offshore Secures New Contract for Jackup Energy Enhancer

Thursday, September 01, 2011
Northern Offshore Ltd.

Northern Offshore announced that its subsidiary, Northern Offshore U.K. Limited, was awarded a contract from Maersk for the jackup Energy Enhancer. The award is subject to approval by the Danish Energy Authority. The contract, for operations in the Danish Sector of the North Sea, has an initial duration of one year and is scheduled to commence in early 2012. Maersk has options to extend the contract for up to three further years. The contract value for the initial term is US $35.7 million.

Gary W. Casswell, Northern Offshore's president and CEO, said "We are very pleased with this contract award as it provides us with the opportunity to further strengthen our long-term relationship with Maersk. This award, in conjunction with our Energy Endeavour contract announced in February, secures our second rig in Denmark and represents an improving market in the North Sea for this rig class, as we have expected."

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Myanmar O&G Exploration Tender Draws over 50 Bids

- Myanmar O&G Exploration Tender Draws over 50 Bids

Thursday, September 01, 2011
Dow Jones Newswires
SINGAPORE
by Cheang Chee Yew

Myanmar has received more than 50 bids for an oil and gas exploration tender, which closed last week, a government official said Thursday.

The bidders are from China, Europe, Middle East, Russia and Southeast Asia, the official, who didn't wish to be named, said.

The energy planning department is now short-listing the bidders and will invite selected firms to review the geological and geophysical data of 18 onshore blocks, mostly in central areas, the official said.

Each short-listed foreign firm is required to form a joint venture with an approved Myanmarese company to bid in the tender. Local companies participating in the tender have to register with the energy ministry by Sept. 9.

Once the review of geological and geophysical data is completed, the joint ventures can submit details on the work program and budget to the ministry.

As of April 1, 2008 the country's proven onshore and offshore crude-oil reserves were 112 million barrels and 101 million barrels respectively, Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, which regulates the upstream oil and gas sector, said previously.

Proven onshore and offshore natural gas reserves totaled 0.46 trillion cubic feet and 17 trillion cubic feet respectively.

Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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Sub-Commercial Discovery Disappoints Salamander Offshore Vietnam

- Sub-Commercial Discovery Disappoints Salamander Offshore Vietnam

Thursday, September 01, 2011
Salamander Energy plc

Salamander announced the completion of the Cat Ba-1X ("101-CB-1X") exploration well in Block 101-100/04, offshore northern Vietnam. Block 101-100/04 was the subject of a farm out as announced on May 31, 2011.

The 101-CB-1X well was drilled to a total depth of 1,724 meters. The well encountered 38 meters of net hydrocarbon pay in Tertiary clastics, the secondary objective of the well. The pay section comprises a series of gas-bearing sandstones underlain by an oil-bearing reservoir. A full suite of wire-line logs and pressure data were recorded over the reservoir sections and samples of oil and gas were recovered.

These data show that the Tertiary reservoirs are of good quality, however pressure data and seismic mapping indicates the in-place resource volumes encountered by the well are probably below levels needed for commercial development.

No oil shows were observed and only low levels of gas were recorded while drilling the primary objective, the Palaeozoic 'buried hills' play. Subsequent wire-line logging did not reveal any zones of interest. The Cat Ba-1X well has subsequently been plugged and abandoned as a sub-commercial discovery.

James Menzies, Chief Executive, Salamander Energy, said, "While a sub-commercial find is disappointing, we have an active drilling program into 2012 which sees a mix of exploration, appraisal and development around our three primary areas of focus. These are proven regional plays, where we believe we can create significant value."

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Solstad Offshore Inks Contract with Ocean Installer for CSV

- Solstad Offshore Inks Contract with Ocean Installer for CSV

Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Solstad Offshore ASA

Solstad Offshore ASA (SOFF) has signed a contract with Ocean Installer AS (OI.II) for hire of SOFF's offshore construction vessel (CSV) Normand Clipper.

The duration of the contract is firm for 5 years with further 5 x 1 year option. Commencement is expected to be during second quarter of 2012.

The contract value is confidential between the parties, but gives SOFF an acceptable return on its investment. SOFF and OI.II intend to investigate and develop opportunities for further co-operation with regards to future assets.

Normand Clipper is a CSV built in 2001 and extensively upgraded in 2005. The vessel is very well suited for subsea construction work in both deep and more shallow waters. The vessel has a 250 t subsea crane, a deck area of approximately 1700 m2 and accommodation to approximately 100 people.

Ocean Installer is a newly established subsea construction company based in Stavanger, Norway. O.II is 100% owned by HitecVision.

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Cobalt Kicks Off Drilling Ops Offshore Angola

- Cobalt Kicks Off Drilling Ops Offshore Angola

Monday, August 29, 2011
Cobalt International Energy Inc.
by SubseaIQ

Cobalt provided the following update on its West Africa drilling program.

Cobalt has initiated drilling operations on its Cameia No. 1 well in Block 21, Offshore Angola. Well operations are being conducted with the Diamond Ocean Confidence drilling rig. After drilling and evaluating the Cameia-1 prospect, Cobalt will drill the Bicuar-1A well to test the Bicuar prospect, also in Block 21. Both wells are targeting pre-salt objectives.

As previously announced, Cobalt expects each well to take 80 to 100 days to drill and an additional 10 to 20 days to evaluate, if successful. Cobalt is the operator of Cameia and Bicuar and has a 40% working interest in each prospect.

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PA Resources Confirms Additional Gas Pay Offshore Denmark

- PA Resources Confirms Additional Gas Pay Offshore Denmark

Friday, August 26, 2011
PA Resources AB

The sidetrack of the recent gas discovery at the Broder Tuck prospect in License 12/06 offshore Denmark has confirmed additional hydrocarbon column while sample analyses from the initial exploration well have indicated a higher than expected condensate content.

Bo Askvik, President and CEO at PA Resources, commented, "We are pleased to have confirmed additional hydrocarbons with the sidetrack and to be able to update on the condensate content of the gas, which exceeds our expectations and adds value to the find. This is an exciting discovery for PA Resources and we now look forward to the Lille John exploration well."

The initial Broder Tuck exploration well (5504/20-4), located approximately 10 kilometers south of Gorm Field in the Danish part of the North Sea, encountered hydrocarbon pay in the primary Middle Jurassic target during July. The well has now been sidetracked to a location approximately 680 meters from the initial well, where the Middle Jurassic sandstone again contained hydrocarbons, albeit less well developed than in the initial wellbore. The 2011 drilling program has therefore established a gross hydrocarbon column of at least 360 meters from the crest of the structure down to the base of the Middle Jurassic sandstone in this sidetrack.

Ongoing sample analyses from the initial exploration well have now confirmed the discovered hydrocarbons to be a high quality gas with condensate of approximately 44º API gravity at a ratio of approximately 80-90 barrels of condensate per million standard cubic feet of gas.

Following plugging and abandonment of Broder Tuck, the Ensco 70 rig will shortly move to drill the second exploration well in this program, Lille John, some 8 kilometers to the south.

The following companies participate in License 12/06: PA Resources UK Limited (64%), Nordsøfonden (Danish North Sea Fund) (20%), Danoil Exploration A/S (8%) and Spyker Energy APS (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Spyker Energy Plc) (8%).

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Aminex Drills Ahead Offshore Tanzania

- Aminex Drills Ahead Offshore Tanzania

Friday, August 26, 2011
Aminex plc

Aminex reported progress on the Nyuni-2 exploration well, currently being drilled from Nyuni Island off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean.

Nyuni-2 was spudded on June 17 using the Caroil Rig-6, to target Lower Cretaceous age Neocomian sandstones, similar to those found in Aminex's nearby Kiliwani North gas field and in the producing Songo-Songo gas field. The well is being drilled from a pad on Nyuni Island at an angle of 30 degrees from vertical, to target a bottom hole location approximately 1,200 meters SE of the surface location. Planned measured total depth is 3,325 meters from the rotary table on the rig.

With the exception of an 8 day period when the rig was shut down due to a requirement to replace damaged equipment, drilling operations have made satisfactory progress to date and 9 ?" casing is now being run to the current total measured depth of 2,945 meters. Once the well has been safely cased to this point, drilling will resume towards its target. The result of the well will be announced at the earliest opportunity.

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BPTT Begins Gas Flow Offshore Trinidad

- BPTT Begins Gas Flow Offshore Trinidad

Friday, August 26, 2011
BP plc

BP Trinidad and Tobago (bpTT) announced the start of natural gas production from the Serrette field, offshore Trinidad. Serrette is located in 280 feet (90 meters) of water off Trinidad's south east coast. BPTT holds a 100 percent interest in the field.

Serrette is a normally unmanned installation (NUI). It was locally designed by Fluor Summit Engineering and constructed locally at the Trinidad Offshore Fabricators (TOFCO) yard in La Brea, south Trinidad. It is the fifth platform to be built locally using a using the standardized "clone" approach which has allowed bpTT to deliver these platforms with increased efficiency and significant local content. The Serrette platform and jacket were installed in 2010.

With Serrette, bpTT now has production from 13 offshore Trinidad platforms.

Production from Serrette is tied into bpTT's Cassia B hub via a 26-inch diameter, 32-mile long pipeline. The platform is expected to average 400 million standard cubic feet a day (mmscfd) of gas and associated condensate from five wells. Production from this facility will supply the domestic market and Atlantic LNG's liquefaction plant for export as LNG to international markets, such as the US and Europe.

BPTT President Norman Christie said, "The completion of Serrette demonstrates our commitment to local content. BPTT is proud to continue the tradition of local design and fabrication that we initiated with the Cannonball platform in 2001. We have also been able to refine the standardization concept by applying the lessons learned to improve design and delivery of each platform."

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