Federal Waters
Deepwater
Top 12 Recent Gulf of Mexico Discoveries
January 2021: Mississippi Canyon Block 503 discovery: 2,930 bbl of oil, 8.64 MMcf of gas per day
Exploration & Production , Policy & Regulations , Technology
Trump Administration Encourages Offshore Drilling in Final Energy Push
Agency is considering lower royalties; most GoM facilities are producing at less than 25% capacity.
Deepwater
BP and Ithaca Start Production at Vorlich Field in North Sea
BP and Delek Group-owned Ithaca Energy have started oil and gas production at the Vorlich field in Britain's central North Sea, the companies said on Thursday.
Exploration & Production , Legislation
Trump Administration Considers Policy Change for Remote Offshore Wells
The U.S. government is considering changes to policies for oil companies operating in the offshore Gulf of Mexico that might allow existing platforms to lengthen extensions to remote wells.
Business , Exploration & Production , Policy & Regulations , Drilling
US Grant Royalty Cuts for Struggling Offshore Drillers
Offshore oil and gas drillers and lawmakers representing U.S. Gulf Coast states lobbied aggressively for broad cuts to the rate companies must pay on their operations.
Lease Sales
Egypt Awards Oil, Gas Exploration Concessions In Red Sea
Egypt said on Dec. 29 that it awarded oil and gas exploration concessions in the Red Sea to Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and Mubadala in an international tender.
Shelf , Legislation
Marco Rubio Blocks Trump Interior Nominee Over Offshore Drilling
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio has placed a hold on the Senate confirmation of President Donald Trump's pick to become the deputy secretary of the Interior Department, Katharine MacGregor, over concerns about the agency's plans to expand offshore drilling, his office said on Dec. 4.
Private Equity , Deepwater , Trends
New King Of North Sea Takes On Total, BP
This year, Chrysaor, will, according to some estimates, be the biggest oil and gas producer in the North Sea, rivaling Total and BP.
Deepwater , Legislation
House Passes Two Bills To Ban New Offshore Drilling
Neither are likely to gain much traction in the Senate.
International
Chinese Ship Inches Closer To Vietnam Coastline Amid South China Sea Tensions
A Chinese survey vessel on Saturday extended its activities to an area closer to Vietnam's coastline, ship tracking data showed, after the United States and Australia expressed concern about China's actions in the disputed waterways.