Engineering News

Churchill Drilling Tools, a leading oilfield service company specializing in drilling innovation, has revealed that its award-winning DAV MX CircSub was activated for a landmark 700th time this month. Run in hundreds of wells every year and recognized for its reliability, resilience and versatility the dart activated DAV MX CircSub is a contingency tool that has helped operators drill faster and more efficiently at low risk.  In February 2018, for example, the DAV MX was activated by operators across the…

Offshore oil services firm Subsea 7 has offered to buy U.S. peer McDermott (MDR.N) for about $2 billion, it said on Monday, adding that its approach had so far been rejected. McDermott, which last year agreed to buy onshore-based engineering company Chicago Bridge & Iron (CB&I), could receive an even higher bid if it agrees to enter talks, Subsea 7 added. “The proposal is subject to the termination of McDermott’s pending transaction with CB&I,” Oslo-listed Subsea 7 said in a…

Twenty-three Guyanese, including a doctor, have been working on a drill ship contracted to ExxonMobil for oil operations and yesterday the company flew seven journalists to the site for a first-hand look at operations. The Noble Bob Douglas has been contracted by ExxonMobil’s subsidiary to drill some 17 wells for its Liza Phase One project in the Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana. In a trip paid for by the Government of Guyana and ExxonMobil, seven journalists were yesterday given the opportunity…

Petrobras started the production of the Búzios field, in the pre-salt of the Santos Basin, through the platform P-74. Búzios is the first field in production under an Onerous Assignment regime. The P-74 is located about 200 km off the coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, at a water depth of 2,000 meters and is the thirteenth platform to enter into operation in the Brazilian pre-salt.     Due to the high production potential of Búzios, in addition…

BP Canada has been given the green light to start drilling off Nova Scotia’s coast. On Saturday, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB) granted approval for the company to begin drilling one deepwater exploration well about 300 kilometres offshore. BP has applied to drill a total of four wells in the area, but Mi’kmaq communities have opposed the project saying it poses a serious risk to food, social and ceremonial fishing areas. A spokesperson for the board said she’s…

Rowan Companies plc has issued an update on its offshore drilling rig fleet. In the US Gulf of Mexico, LLOG has awarded the ultra-deepwater drillship Rowan Resolute a two-well contract with an estimated duration of 85 days. It is expected to start in late June/early July 2018. The jackup Rowan Viking, which is currently contracted to Lundin offshore Norway, has won two new contracts. Shell UK awarded the rig a five-well contract with an estimated duration of 100 days. Drilling…

A fire that broke out on a pipeline operated by Libya’s Waha Oil Co that feeds Es Sider port has been brought under control, an engineer at the port said on Sunday. Libya’s National Oil Corp (NOC) had said it expected a loss of production of 70,000-100,000 barrels per day (bpd) because of the fire which broke out on Saturday. NOC said it was investigating the fire 21km (13 miles) from North West Marada. A source from Waha said militants…

In the week ending April 20, 2018, the number of land rigs drilling for oil in the United States totaled 820, up by five compared to the previous week and 132 more than a total of 688 a year ago. Including 192 other land rigs drilling for natural gas and one listed as miscellaneous, there are a total of 1,013 working rigs in the country, five more than a week ago and up by 156 year over year. The data…

Offshore rig firm Odfjell Drilling plans to expand its floating rig fleet to between six and 10 from four now, it said on Friday, the latest sign of recovery in the energy industry. After cuts in exploration spending following an oil price plunge that began in 2014, energy firms are now hiring rigs as crude prices have recovered some ground. Odfjell raised $175 million via a new share issue on Thursday to help buy semi-submersible Stena Midmax Rig from Samsung…

Wood, Cisco and Roue Consultores have combined resources to open a new Oil and Gas Advanced Technology Centre (ATC), in Wood’s operations center in Naucalpan, Estado de Mexico. The Oil and Gas ATC highlights the value the IoT can bring in the upstream, downstream and midstream oil and gas industry. The new facility will simulate, execute, and manage the operation and maintenance of hydrocarbon transportation storage and distribution systems in a laboratory environment.  The full Cisco solutions offering is available,…