People, Companies & Products
Samir Ali appointed as Seadrill President and CEO
Samir Ali was appointed President and CEO of Seadrill, succeeding Simon Johnson. Mr Ali has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of the company since August 2022.
He was previously with Diamond Offshore, most recently serving as Vice President of Investor Relations and Corporate Development. He has also served as Debt and Equity Investment Portfolio Manager at Bain Capital.
Halliburton expands portfolio with Sekal acquisition
Halliburton acquired Sekal, a drilling automation software company previously owned by Sumitomo Corp. With this deal, Sekal’s DrillTronics automation platform will be combined with Halliburton’s LOGIX automation and remote operations offering.
The Halliburton-Sekal automation solution is already deployed across multiple projects to provide real-time advanced models of subsurface, wellbore fluid and pressure systems, coupled with smart directional drilling and automated rig controls.
Expro set to support Lionheart project in Germany
Expro has been contracted to provide well testing services for Vulcan Energy’s Lionheart Project, which is targeting geothermal and lithium extraction developments in Europe. The project was recently designated as a strategic initiative under the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act.
For the first well at the Schleidberg site in Germany, Expro intends to provide a comprehensive suite of services to support reservoir characterization and assessment of fluid properties.
Eni, Petronas upstream JV to be named Searah
Eni and Petronas announced Searah as the name for their new joint venture, which will combine selected upstream assets and capabilities from both companies across Malaysia and Indonesia.
Baker Hughes enters MOU with Ukraine’s Naftogaz
Naftogaz, Ukraine’s national oil company, announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Baker Hughes outlining potential areas of cooperation in the oil and gas and broader energy sectors. The MOU facilitates joint work on the assessment and preparation of potential projects in exploration and production.
IFS adopts new pricing model for enterprise AI
IFS announced a new pricing model for its enterprise AI solutions, moving from the traditional “per user” model to one where customers can pay by assets. The change aims to enable more predictable costs aligned with operations.
Energy Drilling announces leadership transition
Luc Plouzennec, VP Operations & Marketing at Energy Drilling, has been appointed CEO. He joined the company in 2017 and brings experience from Schlumberger and Ensco, including roles as Rig Manager in Africa, the North Sea and Southeast Asia, as well as Regional Operations Manager for Asia Pacific.
Liz Westcott named new CEO of Woodside Energy
Woodside Energy named Liz Westcott as CEO and Managing Director. Ms Westcott, who has served as Acting CEO since December 2025, had previously led Woodside’s Australian operations, including the Scarborough Energy Project and Bass Strait operator transition.
SLB completed its acquisition of HydraWell Intervention, a Norwegian company specializing in plug and abandonment (P&A) and well integrity remediation. The deal adds HydraWell’s proprietary perforate, wash and cement technology to SLB’s portfolio.
Helmerich & Payne names Todd Scruggs as SVP, CFO
Todd Scruggs, Vice President of Corporate Finance and Treasury at Helmerich & Payne (H&P), has been appointed Senior Vice President and CFO effective 1 July 2026. Mr Scruggs has previously worked at WPX Energy and Veriten. He joined H&P in 2024.
Odfjell Technology invests in intervention, P&A
Odfjell Technology entered into agreements to acquire 70% ownership interest in two companies that support lightweight intervention and plug and abandonment (P&A) operations. The remaining 30% stake in the two companies, Kaseum Holdings and Razor Oiltools, are expected to be acquired over the next three years.
The company said the acquisition is driven by a trend of aging fields and increasing P&A and intervention activity.
Semco Maritime wins contract in UK North Sea
Semco Maritime was awarded a three-year integrated control and safety systems contract by a major North Sea operator covering operational support services across eight offshore and onshore assets in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). The scope includes the maintenance, modification and rationalization of more than 12 industrial control systems in operation.
IPT Global receives milestone BSEE approval in US Gulf
IPT Global received approval from the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to serve as the primary validation provider of inflow tests in the US Gulf. The approval follows a multi-year process that included detailed technical evaluations and collaboration with six offshore operators. As part of the validation pathway, IPT Global also completed a multi-month independent review, conducted by DNV, to support the use of SureTec for inflow test validation. In addition, the IPT Global team conducted multiple training sessions with BSEE engineers and inspectors to ensure full alignment on procedures, regulatory expectations and compliance requirements.
This designation establishes IPT Global as the first approved provider for primary validation of inflow tests in the US Gulf.
CNOOC has named Huang Yongzhang as Vice Chairman, Executive Director, CEO and President. Mr Huang will also serve as a member of the company’s Strategy and Sustainability Committee. He previously served as Vice President of CNPC International and has held senior positions at China Oil Exploration & Development, CNPC and PetroChina.
PRODUCTS
Control station facilitates remote ROV operations
Forum Energy Technologies (FET), a provider of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), has unveiled its remote control station, enabling users to operate ROV systems safely from any location. The station operates using the company’s ICE Unity ROV control system and facilitates any combination of remote operations, live streaming of survey data and ROV system monitoring.
Supplied as an option with new systems or as an upgrade to existing systems running ICE Unity, the package includes FET Subsea advanced control chair(s), Remote-Connect gateway enclosures and VisualSoft’s video streamer and network player.
Digital platform enhanced with new AI capabilities
Emerson announced the latest advancement to its Guardian Digital Platform. This includes expanded AI capabilities that connect all information on the platform, delivering more comprehensive insights. Guardian Virtual Advisor now delivers natural-language guidance across Emerson’s platforms, empowering users to ask questions and receive step-by-step recommendations supported by official documentation. The software also helps teams troubleshoot faster.
A customizable dashboard provides insights tailored to operators, engineers, maintenance teams and leaders, allowing users to change their interface to suit individual roles.
New ranging service targets geothermal projects
Halliburton introduced the RangeStar geothermal well spacing and intercept service, a part of the RangeStar magnetic ranging services, to support geothermal development.
The service’s rapid ranging determination can reduce decision time from hours to minutes, support detection distances up to 130 m and improve accuracy within formations and depths.
Configured as an all-inclusive bottomhole assembly, the service provides short‑ and long‑distance detection in a single configuration, unlike traditional ranging approaches that require multiple tools.
The service integrates with Halli-burton’s iStar intelligent drilling and logging platform, the LOGIX automation and remote operations family of solutions, and the iCruise intelligent rotary steerable system.
Single valve system improves subsea well access
Expro recently unveiled Solus, a high-debris single shear and seal ball valve system that replaces the conventional requirement for two valves with just one.
Tested and validated in accordance with API Std 17G, the valve system is the first fully NACE MR0175 compliant fail-close bidirectional high-debris ball valve system that can shear and seal on wire and coiled tubing. It can be used both in-riser and open-water applications across the entire well lifecycle.
The system provides shear and post-shear seal for gas and liquids on slick line, braided electrical cable and coiled tubing. It delivers bidirectional sealing for liquids and gas, even after a pump-through.
The system has been deployed for a new in-riser completions development in the US Gulf and installed in an open-water system for a North Sea P&A campaign.
