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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 ...

Independence Contract Drilling, Sidewinder to merge Independence Contract Drilling (ICD) and Sidewinder Drilling have announced their entry into a merger agreement in which ICD will acquire all outstanding equity interests in Sidewinder. The merger will combine two pad-optimal drilling fleets and operations focused on the Permian and other basins in Texas and its contiguous states. Upon closing of the transaction, ICD will more than double the size of its pad-optimal rig fleet to 34, following modest upgrades to five Sidewinder rigs.  The combined company’s board of directors will consist of four existing ICD board members, including ICD’s Chairman of the Board, Thomas R. Bates, as well as two members appointed by the controlling owners of Sidewinder. The combined company’s management ...

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 ...

Diamondback Energy and Energen Corporation, has announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Diamondback will acquire Energen in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $9.2 billion, including Energen’s net debt of $830 million as of 30 June 2018...

Wood has further extended the SURF IM Network, which aims to share experience and lessons learned from subsea integrity and reliability issues and is supported by 10 major global operators: BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Hess, Husky, PETRONAS, Shell, Suncor, Total and Woodside...

Simark Controls, a subsidiary of SFC Energy, leading provider of hybrid power solutions to the stationary and mobile power generation markets, has received an order for Trio Radio communication systems from a major Canadian oil and gas company. The order amounts to approx. CAD 0.7 million...

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 ...

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has announced the launch of a new metal end cap seal specifically engineered for high temperature/high pressure (HTHP) wellhead tubing and casing hanger sealing environments, which combines the pressure and extrusion resistance of a metal-to-metal bonded component with the flexibility of an elastomer...

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...