Still on the water but far, far away the Chinguetti Oil Field partners (Mauritania) have finally been able to set a September target for spudding the Chinguetti Appraisal-Early Development Well (AEDW) after securing the services of the drillship "Jack Ryan".
On the other side of the African coast, Woodside Energy has confirmed its position as the dominant Kenyan offshore explorer by farming into a further three Kenyan exploration blocks from Perth minnows, Pancontinental Oil and Gas and the unlisted Afrex.
Amity Oil has moved on from the disappointing results of the Yesiltepe-1 well to spud the next well in its Turkey program, Adatepe-2.
The Mosman-1 exploration well has been spudded in the Carnarvon Basin in TL/2, 22km north- northeast of Airlie Island following the P&A of the dry Hyssop-1 well and the successful Taunton-3 appraisal well.
Nexus Energy has expanded its Gippsland Basin acreage with a 100% interest in the 135sq.km VIC/P56 petroleum exploration permit as neighbour Lakes Oil encountered 126m of black sands from 81m to a total depth 207m in the Alberton Scout hole located PEL158 southwest of Alberton.
Petsec Energy has continued the good run by Australian resource companies (ignoring Woodside recently P&A'd Samoa well) in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) by striking gas in the sidetracked West Cameron 352 #A-14-ST well. It also spudded another well from the same platform, the West Cameron 343 #A-19.
While John Davidson has been finding some fertile ground in the last 12 months in Australia for his seismic data-derived drilling risk concepts, it seems that fruit is starting to bear for the efforts his Predrill Stress International business is making offshore.
Hearings into Australia's gas access regime have commenced, with the Australian Gas Association saying the regime (including the National Gas Code) required "significant amendments" if it was to encourage, rather than hinder the further expansion of Australia's gas network.
On the LNG front, Petronas will not be able to make a shipment to Korean Gas due to fire damage at its Bintulu LNG refinery in Borneo. Also impacting regional LNG output, a fire at Exxon Mobil Corp's gas field in the troubled northwestern Indonesian province of Aceh will reduce the company's output to 60% of capacity and affect shipping schedules of LNG to Japan and South Korea.
Meanwhile in Australia, Monday's much anticipated Cabinet decision on the multi-billion dollar Gorgon gas project has been delayed by a week as the Office of State Development puts the final touches (surely not sexing it up???) on the controversial proposal.
Australian scientists have produced a new high-speed Keyhole Welding technology that slashes hours from traditional joining of corrosion-resistant metals.
Clough has revealed a number of significant organisational changes to its executive structure just over a week before it intends to declare its full year results. Rob Jewkes is leaving after many years.
Continued part 2.
Australian Worldwide Exploration has reduced its stake in the Victorian Casino gas discovery, with a Mitsui subsidiary picking up a 25% stake. The deal leaves Santos (operator) with 50%, the Mitsui subsidiary Peedamullah Petroleum Pty Ltd 25% and AWE reducing to 25%, and with a vastly reduced risk profile to the project.
Sending shudders though industry, the (until-now) moderate Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) will take a dominant role in Western Australia's oil and gas fields after the militant union signed a historic coverage deal with its rivals, the AWU. It was much better when the unions were fighting themselves and not us, said one offshore old timer.
Caltex Australia has taken a hit in the hip pocket with its net profit for the six months to June diving by 41% on a year-to-year basis to $76.2 million with the company pointing to the volatility in oil prices as the main culprit.
Arc has started the financial year in the best possible position after being included in the S&P/ASX 200 as of September 2.
Days after regaining the upper hand against recalcitrant Czech partners, the directors of Australia's newest oil producer, Carpathian Resources have been forced to defend what they describe as a reverse takeover play from the chairman they removed just weeks ago. More to come on that, rest assured.
Despite continuing doubts over the viability of the $6 billion PNG-Queensland gas pipeline Oil Search has managed to doubled its net profit in the first half of 2003 and has forecast another two years of significant production growth
BHP Billiton's controversial bid for Britain's largest power station may have been pushed to the sidelines following reports that Drax Power Station creditors have started exclusive talks with British-based multi-national International Power.
