Feb. 9 (Reuters) Oilfield services firm Transocean said on Monday it will acquire peer Valaris in an all-stock deal valued at $5.8 billion, expanding its exposure across deepwater, harsh-environment and shallow-water basins worldwide. Transocean shares were down 4% at $5.16, while Valaris shares were up 14.6% at $71.61 in premarket trade. Oilfield service providers have... Continue Reading →
Stena Drilling’s Stena Evolution Drillship Gets DNV’s Emissions Notation
Feb. 5 (OE) Stena Drilling’s Stena Evolution drillship has received the Abate (P+) notation from classification society DNV. The Abate (P+) qualifier confirms defined design and control of the vessel’s power generation systems, together with an emission and energy management system aligned with ISO 50001 principles. It also verifies the installation of technical and operational... Continue Reading →
ANP authorizes Petrobras to resume Foz do Amazonas drilling
Feb. 4 - The National Petroleum Agency (ANP) has authorized Petrobras to resume drilling in block FZA-M-059, in the Foz do Amazonas Basin, off the coast of Amapá. As a reminder, activity has been suspended since January 4th, following a loss of drilling fluid on the Foresea drillship ODN-II. In the official letter sent by... Continue Reading →
Valaris Drillship Arrives in Rio de Janeiro to Begin Drilling in the Raia Field, Campos Basin
Feb. 4 (PN) The Valaris DS-17 drillship has arrived in Rio de Janeiro to begin executing a new contract with Equinor in Brazil. The unit was contracted in 2024 for the exploration program of the Raia field in the Campos Basin. A total of six wells will be drilled. The agreement was signed after the... Continue Reading →
Barreleye-3 appraisal moves ahead with Noble Don Taylor offshore Guyana
Jan. 30 (oilnow.gy) ExxonMobil Guyana Limited continued exploration drilling at the Barreleye-3 well site on January 27, 2026, as it advances appraisal work in Guyana’s Stabroek Block. The operation is being carried out by the mobile offshore drilling unit Noble Don Taylor. Drilling is scheduled to conclude on February 8, 2026. The Barreleye-3 site lies... Continue Reading →
Equinor Extends Seadrill Drillship’s Stay off Brazil
Jan 30 (OE) Equinor has exercised a one-year priced option for Seadrill’s ultra-deepwater drillship West Saturn for operations offshore Brazil. The exercised option adds $114 million to contract backlog and extends the original contract, which started in 2022, through October 2027. West Saturn is a seventh-generation drill ship, adapted for water depths up to 3,600... Continue Reading →
France Calls Draft Law on Oil Exploration in Overseas Territories
Jan. 29 (Reuters) French Finance Minister Roland Lescure called a draft law proposing to allow offshore oil and gas exploration in its overseas territories "anachronistic" during a debate in the country's Senate on Thursday. In a world first, France banned new oil and gas exploration and production licenses in 2017, hoping other nations would follow suit. But energy security... Continue Reading →
Guyana rigs extended to 2029 as Noble secures US$1.3B in new contracts
Jan. 29 (oilnow.gy) Drilling activity offshore Guyana has been extended through 2029 after ExxonMobil awarded Noble Corporation plc additional rig years under its Commercial Enabling Agreement. The award applies evenly across four drillships operating in Guyana — Noble Sam Croft, Noble Don Taylor, Noble Tom Madden and Noble Bob Douglas — and is part of a broader... Continue Reading →
Exclusive: Shell considers exit from Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale play, sources say
Jan 22 (Reuters) - Oil major Shell is considering a sale of its assets in Argentina's Vaca Muerta shale play and has approached potential buyers in recent weeks to gauge their interest, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Shell is open to selling some or all of its interests in the highly sought shale... Continue Reading →
Exxon to continue developmental drilling operations at Liza well site
Jan. 22 (oilnow.gy) ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) will continue developmental drilling operations at the Liz_3P13 Drill Center, part of the Liza Phase 2 Project in the Stabroek Block, according to a Notice to Mariners issued by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) this week. The drilling campaign commenced on January 18, 2026, and will conclude on... Continue Reading →