Activity headlines
ONGC Finds Oil in Arabian Sea
Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) Ltd. reported finding oil and gas in the Arabian Sea with its Amrit and Moonga fields.
On May 11, ONGC announced the finds with the MBS171HAA-1 well in the Amrit Field and the MBS182HDA-1 well in the Moonga Field.
Contracts and company news
Subsea 7 Wins Work for Unnamed Development
Subsea 7 announced May 12 it had won a contract for a two-phase subsea development.
The initial scope of work to be executed by Subsea7 comprises the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of 37 km of infield flowlines, 47 km of control umbilicals and associated subsea equipment in water depths of 2,000 m. The contract also includes additional FEED studies and options to further extend the scope of work.
Sanction on the unnamed project is expected next year, and once the project is approved, the second phase of Subsea 7’s contract will start. Offshore activities are expected between the second and third quarters of 2025.
Transocean Equinox Wins Work Down Under
Transocean Ltd. reported on May 10 the Transocean Equinox harsh environment semi rig has been awarded a five-well contract in Australia by an unnamed major operator. The deal represents approximately $137 million in firm backlog, excluding full payment for mobilization and a demobilization fee. The estimated 300-day contract is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2024 and includes a one-well option.
Shearwater Wins TotalEnergies 4D Surveys

TotalEnergies awarded Shearwater two 4D surveys covering the Laggan, Tormore and Edradour Fields with an option to extend to the Glenlivet Field, all west of Shetland, Shearwater announced May 11.
The surveys are beginning in May 2023, with a duration of approximately two months and conducted by the IsoMetrix-equipped Amazon Conqueror.
QRI, Infinity to Deploy Water Intelligence Platform
Infinity Water Solutions and Quantum Reservoir Impact (QRI) announced on May 10 they were partnering to develop and deploy a water intelligence platform called SpeedWise Water.
The artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning powered software is intended to standardize, categorize and appraise produced and treated produced water from the energy sector.
According to the companies, SpeedWise Water, which is hosted on Amazon Web Services’ cloud, helps to streamline the drilling and exploration process with better water analytics and data. It offers:
- Real-time monitoring, analysis, tracking and projections of water supply and demand
- Chemistry insights and optimization based on water characteristics and constituents
- Interactive dashboards and custom charts showing current and historical trends
- Detailed geospatial data and water chemistry analytics for data-backed decision-making
- Transparency and dynamic pricing for water transactions based on comparable sales, market conditions and predictive modeling
The beta version will be released in the third quarter of 2023.
SeaOwl To Design Unmanned Vessels for ADNOC L&S
ADNOC Logistics & Services, the shipping and maritime logistics arm of ADNOC, announced on May 11 it had signed an agreement with SeaOwl for the design of unmanned remotely operated vessels.
The unmanned vessels will be capable of transporting vehicles, equipment and supplies to and from offshore sites. They will be smaller and lighter than other vessels because crew facilities will not be necessary.
The vessels will be operated from an onshore control room through a satellite link using the latest automation and self-navigation technology. The design will utilize state of the art artificial intelligence systems to control propulsion, dynamic positioning, remote communication and cyber security.
SeaOwl will design the vessel, oversee its construction and facilitate navigation permits. SeaOwl will partner with Bureau Veritas to obtain the necessary navigation permits from the UAE Maritime Transportation Affairs.
TotalEnergies Signs PSCs for Suriname Blocks
TotalEnergies and its partners have signed production sharing contracts (PSC) for Blocks 6 and 8 with Staatsolie Maatschappij Suriname (Staatsolie), the state-owned oil company of Suriname, the French company announced May 15.
The two blocks were awarded to TotalEnergies in the Suriname Shallow Offshore Bid Round 2020/2021. TotalEnergies will operate the two blocks with a 40% interest on behalf of QatarEnergy with 20% and Staatsolie subsidiary Paradise Oil Company with 40%.
The blocks are located in the southern part of offshore Suriname, close to the border with Guyana in water depths of 30 m to 50 m. The blocks are adjacent to the operated Block 58 where several discoveries have been made and appraisal drilling is ongoing, TotalEnergies said.
Recommended Reading
Argonaut Acquires Drilling Equipment Provider Center Rock
2023-05-10 - Argonaut’s acquisition of drilling tools provider Center Rock will build on its potential as a tool manufacturer to expand into new industries.
Suncor to Acquire TotalEnergies’ Canadian Assets for $4 Billion
2023-04-27 - Calgary-based Suncor is expanding its footprint in bitumen and Canadian oil sands, acquiring TotalEnergies’ Canadian operations.
McKinsey: Over Half of Upstream M&A Has Hurt Shareholder Value
2023-04-25 - During the past 12 years, many of the largest upstream oil and gas deals have lost value for shareholders, according to analysis by McKinsey & Co.
Crestwood, Brookfield Complete Gas Storage Sale to Enbridge
2023-05-02 - Crestwood, which owned half of the Tres Palacios gas storage facility, said it would use proceeds from the deal to pay down debt.
Enbridge to Acquire Natural Gas Storage for $295 Million
2023-05-01 - For Enbridge, the purchase of the Montney storage mirrors a deal the midstream company made in March to buy gas storage on the U.S. Gulf Coast.