E&P Highlights: May 15, 2023

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.