Offshore Energy Resources News

A senior executive at Russia's Lukoil energy company said a project in the Congo in which it is involved would begin producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) in December, Russian news agencies reported. Lukoil Vice President Ivan Romanovsky said the initiative would produce around 600,000 tonnes of LNG per year, and that Lukoil plans to boost total LNG output at the Marine XII oil and gas project in the Congo to 3 million tonnes by the end of 2025.Lukoil acquired a 25% stake in Marine XII in 2019.

The United States' Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Tuesday announced Karen J. Baker will lead its Office of Renewable Energy Programs (OREP).BOEM, an agency within the Department of the Interior, manages U.S. offshore energy resources.As Chief of BOEM's OREP, Baker will oversee the development of renewable energy resources on the Outer Continental Shelf through planning, stakeholder engagement, environmental analysis and technical review.“We’re very excited to add Ms. Baker to our team at such a pivotal time in offshore wind development,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton.

A dispute between Israel and Lebanon over their maritime boundary has obstructed energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean and risks exacerbating tensions between two foes.After months of deadlock in U.S.-mediated talks, Beirut on Sunday warned against any activity in the disputed area, responding to the arrival of a vessel to develop a field for Israel. Lebanon has said the field in question, Karish, is in disputed waters. Israel denies this.Here's what you need to know about the standoff:WHAT'S AT STAKE?Gas - potentially a lot of it.Lebanon and Israel are located in the Levant Basin…

A report commissioned by Crown Estate Scotland has found that Scotland has good technical capability to support offshore wind port functions in some, but not all locations and that investments in port capacity will be required to meet the needs of the growing offshore wind industry.Arup, technical consultants tasked with producing the report on the Scottish ports' role in the offshore wind space, said there was a significant risk that existing port capacity will be insufficient to support the offshore wind build-out rates required in Scottish waters to meet the UK-wide net-zero target.

In 1941, geologist Orval Lester Brace stated “it may be tentatively assumed that the Gulf of Mexico is a potential source of salt-dome oil. Whether or not it will be economically feasible to explore these waters for the domes that must exist is a question for the future to answer.”  The future hypothesized by Mr. Brace was not nearly as far off as it seemed. Less than six years after his proclamation, Kerr-McGee Oil Industries, along with Phillips Petroleum, Stanolind Oil and Gas Co…

President Donald Trump today proposed a $199.9 million Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) as the Administration aims to support a ramp up in domestic oil and gas production. The FY 2019 budget request includes an estimate of $67.9 million in offsetting collections. Offsetting collections includes $20.3 million for rental receipts, $3.8 million for cost recoveries and $43.8 million for inspection fees. “The President’s proposed…

National Ocean Industries Association president Randall Luthi weighs in on President Trump’s Executive Order on offshore energy. It’s a new day and a new attitude for American energy. The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) applauds President Donald Trump’s Executive Order recognizing the vital role of offshore energy in an overall national energy policy. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that in the year 2040, traditional forms of energy, particularly fossil fuels, will provide almost 80 percent of our energy needs.

NOIA President Randall Luthi issued the following statement on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s passage of the OPENS Act, which will open new areas of the OCS to energy exploration and development, extend revenue sharing to participating coastal states, and lift the outdated ban on U.S. “The National Ocean Industries Association applauds the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for passing the OPENS Act, which will strengthen America’s energy and national security, improve our national economy, and benefit consumers across the country. Over 85 percent of our federal offshore acreage is off limits to oil and natural gas development.

National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) President Randall Luthi issued a statement on the 2017-2022 Draft Proposed OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program, stating the U.S. Department of the Interior’s draft offshore oil and gas leasing program adds Atlantic opportunities, but misses others. “The National Ocean Industries Association is pleased that the Department of the Interior has released the 2017-2022 draft proposed offshore oil and natural gas leasing program but expresses concern over its unnecessary and counterproductive limits that may jeopardize America’s long term energy security. Our members are encouraged by the decision to further analyze the mid and south Atlantic areas, which have not been included in a leasing program for over two generations.

NOIA President Randall Luthi issued a statement in response to President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union Address, stating that the President missed a few key points regarding domestic onshore and offshore energy production and supply, and its impact on the U.S. economy. "While the President highlighted America's energy renaissance in his address to Congress tonight, he failed to note that the increase in the supply of American-made energy is occurring on state and private lands, not the federal lands under his control,” Luthi said.

As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy to continue to expand safe and responsible domestic energy production, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Acting Director Walter Cruickshank today announced that the bureau will offer 40 million acres offshore Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama for oil and gas exploration and development in a sale that will include all available unleased areas in the Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area. Proposed Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 235, scheduled to take place in New Orleans, Louisiana, in March of 2015, will be the seventh offshore sale under the Administration’s Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017 (Five Year Program).

U.S. Government agency BOEM informs that Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 238 attracted US$109,951,644 million in high bids for 81 tracts covering 433,823 acres on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf offshore Texas. A total of 14 offshore energy companies submitted 93 bids. “This sale underscores the President’s commitment to create jobs and home-grown energy through the safe and responsible exploration and development of offshore energy resources,” said Interior Deputy Secretary Mike Connor. The lease sale, which offered 21.6 million acres, builds on five previous sales held under the Obama Administration’s Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017 (Five Year Program).

As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy to continue to expand safe and responsible domestic energy production, today’s Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 238 attracted $109,951,644 million in high bids for 81 tracts covering 433,823 acres on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf offshore Texas. A total of 14 offshore energy companies submitted 93 bids. “This sale underscores the President’s commitment to create jobs and home-grown energy through the safe and responsible exploration and development of offshore energy resources,” said Interior Deputy Secretary Mike Connor. Today’s lease sale, which offered 21.6 million acres…

As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy to continue to expand safe and responsible domestic energy production, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Tommy P. Beaudreau today announced that the bureau will offer more than 21 million acres offshore Texas for oil and gas exploration and development in a lease sale that will include all available unleased areas in the Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area. Proposed Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 238…

As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy to continue to expand safe and responsible domestic energy production, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced that it will hold Gulf of Mexico Eastern Planning Area oil and gas lease sale 225 in New Orleans on March 19, 2014, immediately following the proposed Central Planning Area (CPA) Sale 231. Proposed Sale 225 is the first lease sale proposed for the Eastern Planning Area under the 2012 – 2017 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Natural Gas Leasing Program, and the first sale offering acreage in that area since Sale 224, held in March of 2008. “This proposed sale is another important step to promote responsible domestic energy production through the safe…

The Offshore Marine Service Association announced that Ben Billings has officially assumed the position of President and Chief Executive Officer. Billings comes to OMSA from Washington, D.C. where he has worked for the past nine years on maritime issues in the U.S. Senate for Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Billings commented on his return to his native New Orleans and the experience he brings to OMSA, saying, “I am very happy to have this opportunity to return home for such an important mission.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 2231, the 'Offshore Energy and Jobs Act'. The legislation would open new offshore areas to exploration by requiring the Obama Administration to create a new five year leasing plan for the United States’ offshore energy resources in areas containing the most oil and gas potential. Additionally, it would create a fair and equitable offshore revenue sharing program for coastal states like Alaska. “Once again the House of Representatives continues to lead the way when it comes to increasing domestic energy production. Today’s legislation would expand American offshore energy development, including more leasing in Alaska’s Beaufort and Chukchi Seas,” Alaskan Rep. Congressman Don Young said.

National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) President Randall Luthi makes the following statement about Gulf of Mexico Lease 227 Sale. "We are seeing a very positive trend for the offshore industry in the Gulf of Mexico, and we look forward to Central Gulf sale 227. It should provide a more accurate barometer of industry’s interest in the region than the last Central Gulf sale, which was delayed for over a year and saw pent-up industry interest on display. “Lease sales such as this are a good reminder that offshore oil and natural gas are a vital part of an ‘all of the above energy strategy.’  NOIA believes such a strategy should not limit exploration to just 15 percent of the outer continental shelf (OCS).

A new year brings resolutions and renewed optimism for better times, and sometimes a wish for things to at least not get any worse. For the offshore energy industry, 2013 brings a combination of all. The economy is showing signs of life and exploration and production are making a comeback in the Gulf of Mexico. After much upheaval and turmoil, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) are filling their ranks and an era of more predictability and consistency appears to be on the horizon. Energy companies have a better idea of what is expected of them in the various permit application processes and the Federal agencies are reducing the time it takes to review and either approve or disapprove of the various permits.

NOIA President Randall Luthi Comments on Pending Departure of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. “On behalf of the National Ocean Industries Association, I thank Secretary Salazar for his service and wish him the best on his return to Colorado. Owning a ranch in Wyoming myself, I can certainly understand the strong desire to leave Washington and return to running cows and calves instead of political gauntlets. The Secretary leaves a legacy that reflects strong leadership in the promotion of offshore wind resources and bolstering of certain safety protocols, but a missed opportunity to promote access in new offshore areas. He had a difficult…

National Ocean Industries Association President Randall Luthi encouraged by sales, urges further offshore developments. "This sale is on-par with expectations and shows that the offshore oil and natural gas industry is still committed to domestic exploration and production. The Federal government benefits from this sale through non-income tax revenue and the promise of future income through rents and potential royalties upon production. With enormous economic challenges facing the U.S., and the impending "fiscal-cliff" dominating the national conversation, it is gratifying to see the offshore industry stepping up to the plate and providing hundreds of millions of dollars to the U.S. treasury.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Tommy P. Beaudreau announced that BOEM will offer 38 million acres in the Central Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas exploration and development. Thesale will build on two major Gulf of Mexico lease sales in the last year – a 21 million acre sale held last December and a 39 million acre sale held in June. Proposed Lease Sale 227, scheduled to take place in New Orleans on March 20, 2013, will offer all unleased areas in the Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area, offshore Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama and could lead to the production of up to nearly a billion barrels of oil and nearly 4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

“I write to express the support of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) for your efforts to expand access to the outer continental shelf (OCS) for oil and gas exploration and development beyond what is offered under the Administration’s 2012-2017 Proposed Final Program (PFP) released on June 28. These efforts are critically important to the industry’s ability to add new jobs, new domestic supplies of oil and natural gas, and new revenues to federal and state treasuries. “As we have stated before, NOIA believes a Five Year Leasing Plan is the most definitive policy action an Administration can take regarding our country’s offshore energy development.