Drilling & Completion News
Transocean launches hybrid floating drilling unit
Transocean announced that it has deployed the world’s first hybrid energy storage system aboard a floating drilling unit. The system is now operational on the Transocean Spitsbergen, engaged in drilling operations on the Snorre field in Norway.
The hybrid power technology, developed in partnership with Aspin Kemp and Associates, reduces fuel consumption and increases a dynamically positioned rig’s stationkeeping reliability by capturing energy generated during normal rig operations that would otherwise be wasted. The energy is then stored in batteries and used to power the rig’s thrusters. This enhancement targets a 14% reduction in fuel use during normal operations, leading to a significant reduction in NOx and CO2 emissions.
Transocean’s investment is funded in part through fuel-saving incentives in its contract with Equinor and by the Norwegian NOx Fund.
Tullow, Hess announce discoveries offshore Guyana
Tullow Oil and Hess Corp both recently announced exploration successes offshore Guyana.
Tullow’s Joe-1 exploration well was drilled by the Stena Forth drillship to a total depth of 2,175 m in a water depth of 780 m. The well encountered 14 m of net oil pay in high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs of upper tertiary age. This is the first oil discovery to be made in the upper tertiary and de-risks the petroleum system west of the Orinduik block, according to Tullow.
Separately, Hess’ Tripletail-1 well on the Stabroek Block, drilled in 2,003 m of water, encountered approximately 33 m of a high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. The discovery adds to the previously announced gross discovered recoverable resource estimate of more than 6 billion barrels of oil equivalent on the Stabroek Block.
Talos receives exploration extension offshore Mexico
Talos Energy has received a two-year extension and regulatory approvals from Mexico’s National Hydrocarbons Commission for additional exploration on Block 7, located in the Sureste Basin. Multiple exploration targets have been identified, including Xlapak and Pok-A-Tok, with typical gross unrisked resources ranging between 75 million to 150 million barrels of oil equivalent.
ADES, Vantage win contract for Egypt drilling project
ADES has entered a contract with an undisclosed international oil company for deepwater drilling services in the Egyptian Mediterranean. The service will be provided using Vantage Drilling’s Tungsten Explorer rig and covers one firm well, Nigma 1, with the contract estimated to last 73 days. The services will be subcontracted to ADVantage, a joint venture between ADES and Vantage.
Dolphin to drill for Shell on Norway’s Knarr field
Dolphin Drilling has secured additional work for the Borgland Dolphin semisubmersible to start in early 2020. The new contract is with AS Norske Shell in Norway to provide rig support for the drilling and completion of a gas producer well on the Knarr field. The work will commence in February following the completion of two other projects for the rig.
Dolphin Drilling recently announced the Borgland Dolphin had secured contracts with i3 Energy for drilling operations on the Liberator field and the Serenity prospect in the UK’s Central North Sea. The Borgland Dolphin was taken from “smart stacking” to operational mode in just 70 days for the i3 Energy awards.
Valaris announces new contract awards, extensions
Valaris recently announced new contracts and contract extensions with associated revenue backlog of approximately $245 million.
- VALARIS DS-16 (Resolute) contract with Fieldwood in the US Gulf of Mexico extended by approximately 180 days from March to September 2020;
- VALARIS DS-7 contract with Burullus offshore Egypt extended by approximately 165 days from October 2019 to mid-March 2020;
- VALARIS DS-4 awarded a one-well contract with Amni offshore Ghana, expected to commence in early March 2020;
- VALARIS DPS-1 contract with Woodside offshore Australia extended by seven wells, from July 2020 to September 2021;
- VALARIS JU-291 (Stavanger) contract with Equinor offshore Norway extended by two wells, from January 2020 to August 2020;
- VALARIS JU-248 (Gorilla VI) awarded a four-well contract with Neptune Energy in the North Sea that is expected to commence in Q3 2020; additionally, a previously disclosed contract with Premier Oil in the North Sea has been transferred to VALARIS JU-248 from VALARIS JU-121; and
- VALARIS JU-115 contract with Mubadala Petroleum offshore Thailand extended by two months from January 2020 to March 2020.
These awards come on the heels of the company’s announcement in late August of contract awards/extensions for several other rigs – 8505, JU-290, JU-247, JU-117 and JU-87 – with companies including Eni, Repsol, Shell, Total and McMoRan Oil & Gas.
