Oil Price Environment News

Danish offshore drilling contractor Maersk Drilling is set to mothball several offshore drilling rigs, and as a consequence, reduce the number of offshore workers, citing low oil prices and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic as the reason."The COVID-19 pandemic and the lower oil price environment are impacting offshore drilling activity. Some tenders and projects are being delayed or canceled which adversely affects commercial prospects," Maersk Drilling said Friday.As previously reported, Tullow Oil in March sent an early termination notice for the Maersk Venturer drillship in Ghana.

Norwegian oil firm Aker BP has started production from the first Ærfugl phase 2 well in the Norwegian Sea, which is, according to the company,  three years ahead of the original plan. The Ærfugl field produces via Skarv FPSO approximately 210 km west of Sandnessjøen. According to the operator, it is one of the most profitable development projects on the Norwegian shelf with a break-even price of around USD 15 per barrel (converted from gas). "The Ærfugl field development is adding…

The U.S. Gulf of Mexico is positioned for another year of record oil production in 2020, despite massive cuts in investment.According to Rystad Energy, most of this growth coming from deep water projects.“2020 is expected to be another record year with average production above 1.9 million barrels per day,” says Joachim Milling Gregersen, an analyst on Rystad Energy’s upstream team.Oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has grown every year since 2013, with an average of 104,000 barrels per day added annually. An essential contribution has come from infill drilling in legacy producing fields such as Mars, Thunder Horse and Tahiti.The top contributors to supply growth in 2019 have so far been the Big Foot and Crosby fields.

A ‘work in progress,’ the North American brown water, shallow draft sectors have experienced a tumultuous year of evolution, changing market conditions, a rapidly shifting regulatory environment and new opportunities. Anything but boring; and within the pages of Maritime Reporter’ & Engineering News’ Annual Yearbook, Joseph Keefe, editor of sister-publication MarineNews, takes a deep dive into the issues driving the domestic waterfront.Workboat EmissionsMore than one year ago, Volkswagon learned the ultimate (and painful) meaning of the iconic U.S. adage of “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time – or at least pay the staggering fine.” And pay it forward, Volkswagen did.

The middle of the first quarter in 2019 saw tanker rates firming significantly, driven mainly by an increase in US exports, said Frontline Ltd. is the world's largest oil tanker shipping company.The tanker market pulled back in January due to OPEC production cuts and a high level of newbuilding deliveries after a strong end to 2018, it said.The market then came off primarily due to extended refinery maintenance in preparations for IMO 2020 and both new and persistent supply disruptions.Atlantic refinery maintenance is currently coming to an end and East of Suez refinery maintenance is coming off of peak levels.Crude oil demand forecasts remain healthy and largely unchanged since the start of the year.

North American tight oil is emerging as the second cheapest source of new oil volumes globally, just shy of the Middle East onshore market, Rystad Energy said.The U.S. shale oil was the world’s second most expensive oil resource just four years ago, the energy research and business intelligence company pointed out.“As the majors are struggling to replace conventional liquids, a wealthy source of additional resources is tight oil,” says Espen Erlingsen, Head of Upstream Research at Rystad Energy.Tight oil – such as onshore shale oil in the US – has witnessed an impressive turnaround over the last few years. In 2015, North American shale ranked as the second most expensive resource according to Rystad Energy’s global liquids cost curve…

The new median estimate for nationwide fracking activity in December 2018 suggests 36 frac jobs per day, said a research.The energy research and business intelligence company Rystad Energy revealed in a study that 25% contraction in fracking activity between the peak in May-August 2018 and the end of the last year.It should be noted that in both November and December 2018 fracking activity level exhibits negative year-over-year change, it said."There is no doubt that significant part of this decline was driven by seasonal weather and capital constraint factors," the study said."Yet we keep hearing about somewhat disappointing pace of post-winter recovery.

Global consulting firm AlixPartners, in a new paper entitled, “Too many ships, too few rigs: why recovery is still a distant dream for the OSV sector,” warns that companies counting on a quick return to stability in the OSV sector are in for a rude awakening.The September report goes on to say that OSV companies continue to face pressure due to a radically changed oil industry and must take quick and decisive action in order to survive in what should be considered the ‘new normal.’Separately, VesselsValue.com’s Head of Offshore, Charlie Hockless told MarineNews, “I would agree that there are murmurs of a potential market recovery brewing…

It is not business as usual in the world where we do business. Things are changing. Even regulations themselves are changing from less prescriptive in nature to more performance-based. As Chairman, President and CEO of a global classification and technology-centric company that operates in 70 countries with 5,000 employees, I am continually assessing the impact of these changes on the capabilities ABS needs to fulfill its mission and maintain its leadership position in the maritime, offshore and government industries it serves. To know where we are heading, we have to know where we began.

Heavy lift vessel (HLV) contractors have faced a challenging market in recent years as the low oil price environment combined with a shift towards subsea installation and deepwater activity has seen fixed platform installations decline globally, according to a report by Douglas-Westwood. "The number of fixed assets installed in 2017 is expected to be c.45% less than 2014 levels. This has resulted in a troublesome outlook for heavy lift vessels within the market for topside and jacket installation, leading contractors to seek out opportunities in less traditional markets," the author of the report Kathryn Symes, Douglas-Westwood London said.

Heavy lift vessel (HLV) contractors have faced a challenging market in recent years as the low oil price environment combined with a shift towards subsea installation and deepwater activity has seen fixed platform installations decline globally. The number of fixed assets installed in 2017 is expected to be c.45% less than 2014 levels. This has resulted in a troublesome outlook for heavy lift vessels within the market for topside and jacket installation, leading contractors to seek out opportunities in less traditional markets. Two such bright spots are offshore wind and decommissioning – the former being increasingly-attractive as the volume of installed turbines per year grows rapidly and the projects become larger and further from shore.

Australia's plans for a huge increase in its production of liquefied natural gas are being dealt a big blow by a series of production delays, as energy companies struggle with technical problems and cost overruns. The country is still likely to become the world's biggest LNG exporter, dispatching about 85 million tonnes a year by the end of the decade, up from 30.7 million tonnes in 2015 and 45.1 million tonnes last year. But the pace of growth is much slower than expected because…

The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has announced the results of the APA (Award in Pre-Defined Areas) licensing round, which granted four licences to MOL Norge on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. MOL Group’s Norwegian subsidiary, MOL Norge participated in the second APA licensing round since MOL Group entered Norway in 2015. The awarded licences are located in MOL Norge core areas. “MOL Group unveiled a 2030 long-term strategy that targets that Exploration and Production should be a self funding and value generating business even in a low oil price environment. Besides our legacy CEE and international onshore and offshore assets we have built an oil weighted portfolio in Norway with a net unrisked prospective resource base of ~750 mmboe…

Restrata, a global leader in consultancy and training services, has partnered with leading logistics provider Agility to offer specialised training for oil and gas sector employees at the Rumaila Energy Park (REP) in southern Iraq. The REP's new training centre will offer a wide range of courses related to health and safety and oil and gas industry operations. All training courses meet international standards, are accredited, and include transportation, catering and security services. The REP is a one million square meter, fully serviced industrial park developed by Agility Real Estate, providing a one stop shop for companies operating in southern Iraq.

Designer and builder of specialized vessels Vard Holdings Limited announced its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2016 (3Q 2016) and nine months ended September 30, 2016 (9M 2016). VARD said its diversification strategy is continuing to yield promising results, generating strong order flows in 3Q 2016. A total of seven new contracts were garnered by the group during the quarter, in addition to the confirmation of an order for four ice-class expedition…

Keppel FELS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) has delivered Floatel Triumph, a fifth high-specification accommodation semisubmersible (semi), to Floatel International Ltd (Floatel). The semi, which is built to Keppel's proprietary SSAUTM5000NG design, will be chartered by Chevron Corporation for work in the Wheatstone field in Western Australia. Floatel Triumph is scheduled to arrive on location in mid-October 2016. Thereafter, it will work for INPEX Operations Australia in Ichthys Field, off Western Australia.

THE top three international employers and training providers shortlisted to compete to be crowned winners at the annual OPITO Safety and Competency Awards in Kuala Lumpur have been announced today (28th September, 2016). Shell Nigeria, Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) and McDermott are shortlisted in the Employer of the Year category, while PT Sampson Tiara, Wild Geese and Grupo Stier have been named in the OPITO approved Training Provider of the Year section. The winning companies in each category will be unveiled during the 2016 OPITO Safety & Competency Conference (OSCC), in partnership with PETRONAS, at The Royale Chulan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday 16th November.

* Group revenue for the quarter and the 6 months period ended 30 June 2016, were lower than the corresponding quarter and 6 months period ended 30 June 2015. * Group profit before tax for the quarter and the 6 months period ended 30 June 2016, were higher than the corresponding quarter and 6 months period ended 30 June 2015. MISC Group announces its financial results for the financial year ended 30 June 2016. Group revenue for the quarter ended 30 June 2016 of RM2,392.4 million was 8.0% lower than the RM2,600.5 million revenue for the corresponding quarter. The decrease in Group revenue for the quarter ended 30 June 2016 was mainly from…

Wood Group today announced that it is collaborating with the Centre for Applied Data Analytics (CeADAR), located at University College Dublin (UCD), to launch a new data analytics capability to deliver significant savings for the energy and industrial sectors. Wood Group Kenny (WGK) will work with CeADAR to develop predictive analytics for deployment particularly in the oil and gas industry. This will initially be targeted at brownfield engineering services and will strengthen WGK's existing services in the area of measured data analysis. By tracking the integrity of system components, the service already delivers significant savings to clients through problem detection and optimization, leading to reduced inspection, intervention and maintenance costs.

Moody's Investors Service, (Moody's) issued a press release affirming the B2 corporate family rating (CFR), B2-PD probability of default rating, and the B2 senior secured rating of Silk Bidco AS (Hurtigruten), the full owner of Norwegian cruise operator Hurtigruten  ASA. While the ratings have been affirmed, the outlook has been changed to stable from positive. "The change in outlook to stable reflects the higher credit risk and weaker liquidity that Hurtigruten's recent capex spending announcement entails" says Guillaume Leglise, Moody's lead analyst for Hurtigruten.

Keppel Corp., the world’s largest builder of oil rigs, posted a 41 per cent fall in quarterly profit, its fourth straight decline, as offshore and marine segment revenue slumped because of the deferment of some projects and suspension of contracts related to Sete Brasil. The Singapore conglomerate has been hit by the 60 per cent drop in oil prices since mid-2014. Its businesses include property development and infrastructure. Net income dropped to S$211 million ($156 million) from S$360 million a year earlier, Keppel said in a statement Monday. Sales slumped 38% to S$1.7 billion from S$2.8 billion. The higher contribution from its property business at 47% helped to partially offset lower profits from offshore and marine sectors, the company said in the statement.

Topaz Energy and Marine, a leading offshore support vessel company, today announces its results for the year ended 31 December 2015. * Net Profit for the period was US$ 20.8m before exceptional items, impairment charge of US$71 million on vessels and a one-off charge of US$8.3 million associated with debt re-financing. * The key Caspian region continued to perform strongly with robust core fleet vessel utilization of 96% (94% in 2014). Topaz signed long-term contracts with BP in the Caspian, further strengthening contract backlog and long-term earnings visibility. * Proactive focus on cost management contributed to mitigation of the EBITDA reduction. * Continued rigorous cash management program; focus on working capital cycle as well as deferring non-essential capex.

Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), has delivered two jackup rigs to Mexican company, Grupo R. Built to Keppel's proprietary KFELS B Class design, the rigs, CANTARELL I and CANTARELL II, will be chartered to PEMEX, Mexico's national oil company, for operations in the Cantarell oil field in offshore Mexico. They are the first two of five jackup rigs that Keppel FELS is building for Grupo R. Mr Wong Kok Seng, Managing Director of Keppel O&M (Offshore) and Keppel FELS, said, "We are pleased to deliver another two rigs in 2016 to our quality client Grupo R. Despite the current low oil price environment, the market continues to prefer safe and efficient rigs with a proven track record like our KFELS B Class.