Feb 8 (Reuters) - Namibia will not recognise the purchase of offshore stakes in the Luderitz Basin announced last week by TotalEnergies and Petrobras until the oil companies follow the proper route for approval, government officials said on Sunday. Jonas Mbambo, a spokesperson for the presidency, confirmed that until a formal application is submitted and the prescribed... Continue Reading →
Oil majors snap up West African blocks in hunt for next Brazil
Feb 4 (Reuters) - Chevron and TotalEnergies are among the oil majors snapping up offshore blocks in West and Southern Africa as compelling geology, regulatory reforms, and the need to restock spur a hunt for the next Brazil. Companies are restocking their oil and gas assets given prospects for fossil fuel demand to stay higher for longer than predicted just a... Continue Reading →
3D Seismic Survey data to support creation of Guyana’s first Petroleum Data Repository
Feb. 3 (oilnow.gy) Data collected from new 3D marine seismic surveys across deepwater offshore blocks left unawarded or unresolved in Guyana’s first oil and gas auction will soon play a key role in establishing the country’s first Petroleum Data Repository. The Guyana government first signalled plans to operate a petroleum data repository in 2023, citing concerns that... 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 →
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 →
Seadrill Firms Up Offshore Drilling Workload with Multi-Region Contract Awards
Jan. 21 (OE) Offshore drilling contractor Seadrill has secured multiple contract awards for its West Capella, West Elara and West Carina drilling rigs across Malaysia, Norway and Brazil. In Malaysia, the ultra-deepwater drillship West Capella secured a well-based contract with an undisclosed operator. The program is expected to start in the second quarter of 2026... Continue Reading →
U.S. Intervention in Venezuela Has Shored Up Guyana’s Oil Ambitions
Jan. 20 (oilprice.com) Oil production in South America’s Guyana has gone from strength to strength in recent years, as international oil majors develop several new oil-producing regions. This has led Guyana to become one of the most-promising oil producers in the Americas, with high hopes for the future of “low-carbon” oil production. Now, following the United... Continue Reading →
ExxonMobil Enlists Shearwater for 3D Seismic Survey in Trinidad & Tobago deepwater
Jan. 15 (OE) Offshore seismic services firm Shearwater Geoservices has secured a contract for a large 3D seismic acquisition program for ExxonMobil Trinidad and Tobago Deepwater. The deepwater survey offshore Trinidad and Tobago will cover approximately 6,000 square kilometers of full-fold area. The acquisition is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2026 and... Continue Reading →