Feb. 16 (OE) Azule Energy, jointly owned by Eni and BP, has made an oil discovery at the Algaita-01 exploration well in Block 15/06 offshore Angola, with initial estimates pointing to approximately 500 million barrels of oil in place. The well, located in the offshore Lower Congo Basin, was spudded on January 10, 2026, in... Continue Reading →
Argentina’s Shale Boom Is Rewriting South America’s Energy Map
Feb. 14 (oilprice.com) The massive unconventional oil boom underway in Argentina continues to gain momentum. During late 2024, Argentina, which is South America’s second largest economy after Brazil, overtook Colombia to become the continent’s fourth largest oil producer. The surge in petroleum revenues, coupled with President Javier Mieli’s economic reforms, is a boon for one of the... Continue Reading →
BP Profit Climbs 32% as Company Suspends Buybacks
Feb. 10 (Reuters) BP posted quarterly profit in line with analyst expectations on Tuesday and suspended its share buyback programme as it wrote down around $4 billion in its renewables and biogas businesses. BP, whose new CEO Meg O'Neill will start in April, said it would allocate the excess cash to invest in oil and... Continue Reading →
Transocean to Acquire Valaris for $5.8B
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 →