GoM: Total Begins Two Deepwater Projects
Total S.A announced the final investment decision (FID) to develop the Anchor oil field located in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GoM), off the coast of Louisiana.Additionally, front-end engineering and design (FEED) has begun for the North Platte discovery in the deepwater GoM.Total holds a working interest of 37.14% in Anchor, alongside operator Chevron (62.86%).The Anchor field will be developed with seven subsea wells connected to a semi-submersible floating production unit (FPU) with a capacity of 75,000 barrels of crude oil and 28 million cubic feet of gas per day. First oil is expected in
Satellite Derived Bathymetry Aids Hydrocarbon Exploration
U.K. based marine geospatial products provider TCarta said it has delivered satellite derived bathymetry (SDB) to one of the world’s largest oil and gas producers, Total SA, who will use the water depth data for preparing seismic survey works off the coast of Myanmar.The SDB dataset, which covered a 30-square-kilometer area around Preparis Island in the Bay of Bengal, was generated by digitally extracting water depth measurements from multispectral imagery acquired by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellite. The resulting bathymetric data had a point spacing of 10 meters with
Record-size US Offshore Oil Lease Sale Draws Modest Bidding
consistent investment in the Gulf of Mexico," BOEM spokesman Mike Celata said in a conference call with reporters, adding he forecast increasing oil and gas production from the region for years. He said 33 companies, including majors Royal Dutch Shell Plc , BP Plc, Chevron Corp, and Total SA , had placed 159 bids on 148 blocks. But critics of the administration called the unusually large lease sale ill-timed. U.S. crude oil and natural gas output is already smashing records thanks to improved drilling technology that has opened up cheaper onshore reservoirs, and Brazil and
Mexico's Oil Reform a Boon for Hard-hit Oil Service, Seismic Firms
. Schlumberger said it was "fully committed" to its customers in Mexico, but declined to elaborate on its business. The other three companies did not respond to requests for comment. Among companies bidding at Wednesday's auction are China Offshore Oil Corp, ExxonMobil and Total SA. More data sales, which are tracked by Mexico's energy regulator, are expected for further rounds and joint ventures this year as the country puts some 66 percent of its prospective oil reserves on the block. Some energy firms only pay for detailed data packages after they win
Brazil Regulator Rejects Total Study on Drilling at Amazon River Basin
Brazil's environmental regulator Ibama said on Tuesday it has rejected Total SA's environmental study on drilling in the Foz do Amazonas basin, warning it needs more information or it will suspend the French oil firm's license application. Ibama's repeated refusals to accept Total's environmental impact study has held up the company's four-year quest to explore the offshore basin, an area some geologists say could contain up to 14 billion barrels of petroleum, or more than the entire proven reserves in the Gulf of Mexico. Total led a group including Britain's BP Plc and Brazilian state oil
Mexico Auctions Two-thirds of Blocks in Shallow Water Oil Tender
of the blocks by itself and two in consortium with other companies. One comprised Capricorn and Mexican oil firm Citla, the other was with Citla alone. Citla also partnered with Capricorn to win another block. Russia's Lukoil also took a block in the auction, as did a tie-up between France's Total SA and Royal Dutch Shell Plc. The potential output from the shallow water oil and gas blocks auctioned could total 170,000 barrels per day of crude equivalent and investments could reach $8.2 billion, Energy Minister Pedro Joaquin Coldwell told a news conference. The auction was the
Moody's Reviews Saipem's Rating
to slide. With approximately 50% of floaters and 70% of jack-ups contracted at year-end 2016 and only 25% of floaters and 43% of jack-ups by the end of 2017, Saipem's fleet has a similar contracted picture to many in the offshore drilling industry. There have also been contract terminations, with TOTAL S.A. (Aa1 review for downgrade) terminating its lease of the Saipem 12000 drillship for convenience and Statoil ASA (Aa2 review for downgrade) suspending the lease for the Scarabeo 5 semi-submersible. In this context, several of Saipem's older floaters will find it challenging to re-contract in 2016-2017
Petrobras, Partners Find Hydrocarbons in New Libra Well
filing the drilling of the 3-BRSA-1310-RJS well was concluded, and that another two wells are being explored. Libra, an area believed to contain 8 billion to 12 billion barrels of oil under the seabed, is being operated by Petrobras. The concession is also owned by Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Total SA, China National Petroleum Co, CNOOC Ltd and a Brazilian state firm known as PPSA. (Reporting by Guillermo Parra-Bernal; Editing by Chris Reese
Schlumberger to Buy Cameron in $14.8 Bln Deal
gas customers who have slashed budgets. The deal is the latest in a line of mergers in the energy industry as companies struggle to cope with a 60 percent plunge in global crude oil prices since June last year. Most oil and gas producers, including oil majors Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Total SA, have drastically cut spending, which has hurt demand for oilfield services companies. Schlumberger, the world's No.1 oilfield services company, has cut 20,000 jobs this year alone and lowered its capital budget to maintain margins. The company, whose services range from surveying
February 2024
