One of the early priorities for Scott Angelle, newly appointed BSEE Director who assumed his role on 24 May, will be to review existing rules and regulations to ensure that they promote offshore safety but don’t create an undue regulatory burden. In a call with members of the media on 1 June, Director Angelle emphasized that he wants to make BSEE an “and” agency, rather than an “or” agency. “How do we implement a safety program and, at the same time, embrace domestic energy production?” he asked. “What I see is that it’s not an either/or proposition.”...

As the rapid pace of technology evolution pushes the need for knowledge sharing, Noble Corp has opened the doors of its NobleAdvances training and collaboration facility to the wider offshore drilling industry. The facility, located in Sugar Land, Texas, was originally launched in summer 2013 to deliver development and training to Noble’s more experienced drilling and marine personnel. Since then, however, Noble has begun offering introductory training courses to others in the industry, said Fritz Golding, Director of Learning and Development at Noble Drilling....

BP Trinidad & Tobago (bpTT) has made two significant gas discoveries with the Savannah and Macadamia exploration wells, offshore Trinidad. The results of these wells have unlocked approximately 2 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas in place to underpin new developments in these areas...

NOV has introduced several new proprietary technologies to its completion tools portfolio: Bulldog Frac – a sliding-sleeve annular fracturing system that provides pinpoint accuracy, zonal isolation and improved reliability; Bullmastiff – a ball-drop open-hole sliding-sleeve sand control fracturing system; Rottweiler – a product family of compact, high-performance frac plugs for the plug-and-perf market; ReAct – an intelligent completion tool technology that offers remote signaling capabilities for valves and sleeves for a variety of applications and completion designs; and German Oil Tools – a line of advanced liner hanger systems and other completion tool technologies, products and accessories. “We are proud to unveil this meaningful expansion to our portfolio of leading-edge completion tool technologies,” Clay Williams, NOV Chairman, President, and CEO, said. ...

On 25 May, IADC hosted an educational event, Offshore Drilling Rigs 101, for Capitol Hill staffers. Several offshore IADC members led a discussion on the role of drilling contractors in the well construction process and presented safety data, along with the latest in high-tech drilling rigs, during the event....

Although no one expects to see any market booms in the offshore drilling market within the next couple years, spots of rig reactivations signal hope for drilling contractors who still have a significant number of their rigs stacked in yards around the world. Aberdeen Drilling Consultants (ADC) recently facilitated two such reactivations – one jackup and one semisubmersible – and the company recently opened an office in Houston, motivated by optimism for a recovery in the region. “I think the GOM, because it’s such a key area, will probably come back quicker than lots of other parts of the world,” said Austin Hay, President of ADC Americas...

Transocean announced it has completed the previously disclosed transaction to sell its jackup fleet to Borr Drilling for a total consideration of approximately $1.35 billion. The sale included the company's 10 high-specification jackups and five jackups under construction at Keppel FELS shipyard in Singapore...

Anton Dibowitz, currently Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President of Seadrill, will be appointed as Chief Executive Officer effective 1 July 2017 following a succession planning process that was implemented during 2016. Mr Dibowitz will succeed Per Wullf who will remain a Director of the company...

Flanked by members of Alaska’s energy sector and elected officials at the Alaska Oil and Gas Association annual conference, US Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke signed a secretarial order to jump-start Alaskan energy production in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska (NPR-A) and update resource assessments for areas of the North Slope, including the "1002 area" of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)...

Oil Spill Response (OSRL), Trendsetter Engineering and Halliburton announced the companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for integrated subsea well capping response solutions. With the MOU, the companies will create a strategic alliance for oil and gas exploration and production companies globally, covering integrated solutions for preparedness and response associated with subsea well control activities...