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National Oilwell Varco (NOV) recently launched SABRE, a modular shaker system based on a scalable platform that can be easily changed from a single deck to a double deck and from a double deck to a triple deck shaker. The upgrade can be done in the field, without the need to change out the complete shaker system, according to Richard Manning, Product Manager of Equipment for NOV. Further, by reducing the weight of the shaker’s screens to 14 lb, NOV was able to get screen replacement time down to about 90 seconds, Mr Manning said at the 2018 IADC Advanced Rig Technology Conference on 11 September in Austin, Texas. Watch DC’s video as Senior Editor Alex Wukman talks with Mr Manning ...

Premier announced that the development of its Tolmount Main gas field was sanctioned by the joint venture and infrastructure partners. The Premier-operated Tolmount Main gas field, located in the Southern North Sea, is expected to produce around 500 Bcf of gas, 96 mmboe, with peak production of up to 300 mmscfd, 58 kboepd. The project entails a minimal facilities platform exporting gas to shore via a new gas pipeline. The EPCIC, Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation and Commissioning, contract for the platform has been awarded to Rosetti Marino. Centrica’s Easington terminal was selected as the host facility, and Saipem as the pipeline EPCI contractor. Selection of the rig contractor for the four development wells is expected soon. Premier’s share of the capex required ...

US Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced on 15 August that region-wide Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 251 generated $178,069,406 in high bids for 144 tracts covering 801,288 acres in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A total of 29 companies participated in the lease sale, submitting $202,667,923 in bids. “Today’s lease sale is yet another step our nation has taken to achieve economic security and energy dominance,” Mr Bernhardt said. “The results from the lease sale will help secure well-paying offshore jobs for rig and platform workers, support staff onshore, and related industry jobs, while generating much-needed revenue to fund everything from conservation to infrastructure.” Lease Sale 251, livestreamed from New Orleans, was the third offshore sale held ...

Rowan Companies announced that the Rowan EXL III, an EXL class high specification jackup rig, has been awarded a six-month contract from Cantium in the US Gulf of Mexico. The contract is expected to commence in early November 2018. The EXL III is currently under contract with Cantium in the US Gulf of Mexico through mid-to-late August 2018. Rowan is a global provider of contract drilling services with a fleet of 27 mobile offshore drilling units, composed of 23 self-elevating jackup rigs and four ultra-deepwater drillships. The company’s fleet operates worldwide, including in the United States Gulf of Mexico, the United Kingdom and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea, the Middle East and Trinidad. Additionally, the company is a 50/50 ...

State-owned oil and natural gas company Pertamina is poised to capitalize on the improved gross split production sharing contract (PSC) terms in Indonesia, according to data and analytics company GlobalData...

RDS, a subsidiary of KCA Deutag, and Kavin Engineering and Services announced on 6 August that they have entered into a strategic alliance. The partnership will see the two companies jointly pursue design and engineering projects across the upstream and midstream market. RDS, a drilling facilities design and engineering specialist, has delivered projects for more than 40 years. Kavin has created process topside solutions for about 80 floating storage production and offloading vessels more than 16 years. Together, RDS and Kavin will be able to scale up their service offerings to reach the global market place — while providing clients with a focus on innovative, cost-effective outcomes. “We feel proud to have achieved this important milestone,” S. Ramachandran, CEO of ...

The US Forest Service is considering a proposal to allow oil and gas exploration in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains. The proposal would open more than 50,000 acres to drilling, with caveats that operators could not disturb the surface of the mountain range. The Forest Service’s proposal is detailed in a draft environmental assessment, which was obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group opposed to drilling. If the plan is adopted, drilling companies will be able to place rigs on adjacent BLM property and utilize directional drilling techniques to access any reserves under the mountains. The 75-mile long stretch of land being considered runs down the mountain range’s western slope, right through the middle of the Pine Valley play ...

Weatherford International is unloading a large part of its Eastern Hemisphere rig fleet. The company recently announced the sale of its land drilling operations in Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to ADES International Holding. In exchange for about $287 million, ADES will acquire 20 active rigs — as well as 11 idle rigs — and approximately 2,300 employees and contractors. The specifics on the sale price are subject to standard post-closing working capital adjustments. Although the sale is still subject to regulatory approval, both Weatherford and ADES expect the asset handover to be completed by the end of the year. The purchase increases ADES’ total fleet to 34 rigs and sextuples its operational fleet. ADES plans to use the idle ...

    ConocoPhillips has divested its Barnett shale holdings. The company announced on 2 August that it will sell about 114,000 acres in the North Texas play to investment firm Lime Rock Resources for approximately $230 million. The Fort Worth Basin wells averaged about 9,000 BOE/day for ConocoPhillips during Q1 and Q2 2018. Roughly 55% of the output was NG, the remainder was NGL. The acquisition of the wells will provide Lime Rock with a “robust cash flow and substantial horizontal development opportunities,” Charlie Addock, Lime Rock’s co-CEO, noted in a statement. For ConocoPhillips, the sale of its Barnet position is part of a long-term strategy to reduce the company’s debt exposure. In 2016, ConocoPhillips started wiping the red out ...

Rowan Companies has announced that ARO Drilling was awarded six three-year contracts by Saudi Aramco for Rowan jackup rigs currently operating in Saudi Arabia...