Ensign acquires Citadel Drilling, adds Permian rigs

Ensign Energy Services has completed its acquisition of Citadel Drilling for $65 million, adding six high-spec AC rigs to its Permian Basin fleet.

The all-cash deal brings Citadel’s rigs and managed pressure drilling packages, operated as Opla Energy Services, into Ensign’s operation. Citadel’s fleet features automated drilling control systems and equipment capable of drilling ultralong lateral sections, similar to Ensign’s existing rigs.

Borr Drilling expands Mexican market with 5 jackups

BC Ventures, a 50/50 joint venture between Borr Drilling and a long-term well construction partner in Mexico, completed its acquisition of five premium jackups from Fontis Finance for $287 million. Two of the rigs – Oberon and Titania FE – are Friede & Goldman JU-2000E design rigs, and the other three – Courageous, Defender and Intrepid – are LeTourneau Super 116-C design rigs. All units are currently located in Mexico.

The transaction increases Borr Drilling’s owned and jointly owned fleet to 34 rigs and expands the company’s presence in the Mexican shallow-water market.

Expro awarded major contract for P&A in North Sea

Expro received a contract from a major UK operator to support a plug and abandonment (P&A) campaign of mature subsea wells in the UK North Sea. The agreement covers six firm wells and a further six optional wells. As part of the work scope, Expro will provide its 7 3/8-in. large-bore subsea test tree assembly safety system, which provides dual barrier protection and disconnect capability, minimizing risk and downtime.

TWMA wins three-year contract extension in Egypt

TWMA has secured a three-year contract extension with a major operator in Egypt, following an initial three-year term. The company employs a fully nationalized workforce across its facilities in Cairo and Alexandria, where its RotoMill technology processes an average of 10,000 metric tonnes of drilling waste per year.

Keppel Offshore Fund pulls in $1.5 billion investment

Apollo Global Management, an American asset management firm, has agreed to invest $1.5 billion in Keppel’s new Keppel Offshore Fund, a private fund set up to hold a portfolio of offshore energy assets. Keppel will divest six operational rigs to the fund this year through its subsidiary Rigco Holding for approximately S$1.2 billion, with Keppel expected to receive roughly $478 million in cash. The divestment is the first phase of a program to monetize up to 10 legacy rigs held by Rigco for a total of about S$3.7 billion.

Enverus adds A2D well log library to portfolio

Enverus has acquired the A2D well log library and associated data products from TGS, adding the well log database to Enverus’ energy intelligence platform.  The acquisition strengthens the company’s proprietary data position by expanding its well data and subsurface capabilities with A2D’s depth-calibrated logs, proprietary log inventory, formation tops and petrophysical interpretations, and basin-scale attributes.

Joseph Hudson joins Patterson-UTI Drilling 

Patterson-UTI Drilling named Joseph Hudson as Senior Business Development Manager. Mr Hudson, who has more than 23 years of oil and gas industry experience, previously worked for nine years at Latshaw Drilling. He most recently served as that company’s Senior VP of Marketing and Sales.

O’Brien to succeed Lance as ConocoPhillips CEO

ConocoPhillips announced a planned leadership succession, naming Andy O’Brien as President and CEO effective 1 September 2026. Mr O’Brien, currently CFO and Executive Vice President for Strategy and Commercial, will succeed Ryan Lance, who is retiring from the role after 14 years. Mr O’Brien joined legacy Conoco in 1997 and has spent nearly three decades with the company across finance, planning, strategy and international operations, including the LNG business.

Action Energy, Kellton form JV to drive AI in GCC region

Action Energy Company, a provider of integrated upstream services in Kuwait, announced a strategic joint venture (JV) with Kellton, a digital transformation and enterprise technology company. The collaboration aims to deliver AI-led oilfield solutions and services, including Kellton’s OPTIMA, a digital oilfield management platform, in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Initial plans are to establish an office in Qatar.

Worley awarded Aramco deal for project consultancy

Worley has secured a long-term agreement by Aramco, as part of a pool of 11 contractors, to support projects in Saudi Arabia. Under the five-year agreement, Worley will provide project management consultancy services, including engineering and design, project development studies, detailed engineering, procurement support, project and construction management and technical expertise. It will also support capability building for local talent in Saudi Arabia.

Zebedee to take on Suncor CEO role in 2027

Suncor, a Canadian E&P company, announced that its current President and CEO Rich Kruger will transition to the role of Executive Vice Chair in April 2027. He will be succeeded by Peter Zebedee, currently the company’s Executive VP Upstream. Mr Zebedee will concurrently take on the role of CFO for Suncor.

AGR, THF partner to advance AI-enabled well engineering

AGR has entered into a partnership with THF Engineered Solutions. The companies will work together to enhance well planning, assurance and well delivery through the deployment of THF’s WellPhase platform. Using its embedded Engineering Logic and Learning Intelligence System, WellPhase can rapidly analyze large volumes of historical well data and transform them into engineering insights.

PRODUCTS

Geosteering, subsurface analysis software updated

ROGII’s StarSteer 2026.1 introduces new geosteering, data management and 3D geomodeling capabilities designed to improve subsurface interpretation and well planning workflows. The upgraded software is designed to help operators improve geosteering efficiency, strengthen subsurface interpretation and accelerate decision making during drilling operations.

The latest release of the StarSteer software adds a new well attributes management system that allows users to import, organize and visualize well metadata directly within the application. The feature is intended to improve collaboration and streamline management of large well datasets across projects. The update also expands StarSteer’s 3D geomodeling capabilities, adding enhanced property visualization and the ability to generate logs along well trajectories using geomodel properties.

Rystad launches new tool for energy intelligence

Rystad Energy recently released Spektra, an AI-native market intelligence platform. It brings Rystad’s full commercial databases into a single workspace. Users can create unlimited web-based workspaces to suit their workflows, bringing together data from multiple datasets.

The system includes MCP connectors and an API gateway to help the industry access and integrate Rystad’s data. It draws data on 85,000+ oil and gas fields, 2 million+ wells and 200,000+ power plants.

Emerson sensor designed for harsh environments

Emerson’s new Rosemount 350A High Performance pH/ORP Sensor, launched in August, is designed to deliver reliable measurements in harsh processes while simplifying installation and maintenance through a digital, plug-and-play sensor connection.

With a digital Modbus interface and M12 quick-connect cabling, the sensor supports plug-and-play commissioning and can help eliminate common installation errors associated with manual wiring. The digital design also enables interoperability across Rosemount digital liquid analysis sensors, supporting standardization across sites.

The sensor stores calibration data and diagnostic information, supporting bench calibration workflows and helping maintenance teams troubleshoot with more context. By capturing sensor health indicators and event history, the sensor can support more proactive maintenance planning and faster root-cause analysis.

Built for harsh applications, the sensor supports retractable mounting styles and is offered with titanium body options and selectable reference electrolytes to match challenging process chemistries. These options help improve measurement performance in applications where temperature, pressure, coating or poisoning conditions can shorten sensor life.

US-made LFP marine battery system gets class approval

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has issued a product design assessment (PDA) to Fleetzero for its Leviathan battery energy storage system, marking the first lithium iron phosphate (LFP) marine battery system manufactured in the US to receive classification approval.

ABS said the PDA “reflects ABS review of the Leviathan system for marine application and supports its use in future projects requiring class-verified battery technology.”

Built on LFP chemistry, the system operates at up to 1,000 volts direct current, supports a depth of discharge from 2% to 98% and carries an IP67 rating.

The Leviathan’s modular, containerized design allows the system to be specified, deployed and replaced across a range of vessel types and applications.

The first commercial project will use 10 MWh of Leviathan battery capacity later this year as part of a vessel’s broader conversion to hybrid-electric propulsion.