(Zack's) ExxonMobil Corporation XOM has started appraisal activities at the Lau-Lau 2 well site, in the Starbroek block, offshore Guyana. Previously, in 2022, ExxonMobil had discovered 96 meters of high-quality sandstone reservoirs containing hydrocarbons at the Lau-Lau 1 exploration well site. The announcement was made by Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department (“MARAD”). MARAD also mentioned that the... Continue Reading →
Petrobras (PBR) Starts Drilling Uchuva-2 Well in Colombia
(Zack's) Petrobras PBR, a Brazilian oil and gas company, in partnership with Colombia-based integrated oil and gas company Ecopetrol S.A. EC, has commenced the drilling of the Uchuva-2 well in the Tayrona block, located offshore Colombia’s Caribbean coast. This move is part of a broader strategy to boost Colombia's natural gas reserves and enhance the country's energy security.... Continue Reading →
Chevron, GEPetrol Sign PSCs for Two Equatorial Guinea’s Offshore Blocks
Oil major Chevron and Equatorial Guinea’s state-owned oil company GEPetrol have signed two production sharing contracts (PSCs), for offshore blocks EG-06 and EG-11 in Equatorial Guinea, representing a $2 billion investment. Situated in close proximity to producing Block B which houses the Zafiro field, the blocks are considered to be highly-prospective and are poised to... Continue Reading →
Strike at Brazil environmental agency impacts Petrobras’ Equatorial Margin drilling request
(Reuters) - The ongoing strike at Brazil's environmental agency Ibama is impacting the analysis of Petrobras' request to drill a well in the Equatorial Margin, an Ibama official told Reuters on Thursday. Itagyba Neto, who handles the agency's licensing for marine and coastal ventures, added that Petrobras has still not sent to the agency important details... Continue Reading →
Ibama nears decision amid Petrobras pressure to explore offshore Equatorial Margin
(Reuters) - The head of Brazil's environmental agency said on Wednesday that he expects a decision soon on state-owned oil company Petrobras' request to conduct exploratory studies in a region known as the Equatorial Margin, as both the company and the government push for a drilling license. Petrobras has been seeking to explore the northernmost part... Continue Reading →
Brazil’s Lula Backs Petrobras Bid to Explore Offshore Equatorial Margin
(Reuters) President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday threw his weight behind a push by state-run oil company Petrobras to explore the environmentally sensitive offshore Equatorial Margin, saying Brazil cannot give up such an opportunity. The offshore region along the northern coast is seen as Brazil's most promising frontier for oil exploration as it... Continue Reading →
Petrobras drills new well in the Jubarte field
(PN) Petrobras is intensifying its exploratory work in the Campos Basin. The company recently started drilling well 4-BRSA-1392D-ESS, in the Jubarte field, in a water depth of 968 meters. The activity is being carried out with the Brava Star drillship, from Constellation. The new well is classified as Adjacent Pioneer Exploration, which is drilled to... Continue Reading →
Report: Worldwide demand for rigs ramping up
(OM) Demand for floating and jackup rigs is ramping up worldwide, with operators particularly active for drilling campaigns in the “golden triangle” of the US Gulf of Mexico, Africa and Brazil, according to Evercore ISI’s latest Offshore Rig Market Snapshot. The oilfield services investment consulting firm based its analysis on 1Q 2024 earnings results. In the US,... Continue Reading →
Colombia’s Oil Industry Stuck in Down Spiral
By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com In a controversial move, Colombia’s leftist President, Gustavo Petro, banned awarding new hydrocarbon exploration contracts. He also sought to ban hydraulic fracturing in the conflict-riven country, which is economically dependent on petroleum extraction. Those government policies, coupled with tax hikes for Colombia’s extractive industries along with a lack of major oil and... Continue Reading →
Brazil’s Finance Minister sees no reason to worry about Petrobras
(Reuters) - Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said there is no reason to worry about state oil major Petrobras after a recent leadership change that caused the company's shares to plummet. In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde published on Wednesday, Haddad said the appointment last week of Magda Chambriard as the company's CEO... Continue Reading →