Noble announced new opportunities offshore Africa for its Noble Venturer drillship. Following the early completion of the Tullow Oil Ghana campaign, the company will relocate the Noble Venturer to Equatorial Guinea to drill three wells (including two development wells and one exploration well) for Trident Energy starting in June 2024 for an estimated 150 days. … The post Noble lands multiple drilling campaigns offshore Africa appeared first on Drilling Contractor ..read more

Galp Energia completed the first phase of the Mopane exploration campaign with the conclusion of the Mopane-1X well testing operations in the PEL83 block offshore Namibia. In January, the Mopane-1X well discovered significant oil columns containing light oil in high-quality reservoir sands at two different levels: AVO-1 and AVO-2. The rig then moved to the Mopane-2X location, where in … The post Galp completes first phase of Mopane exploration campaign appeared first on Drilling Contractor ..read more

Following its recent report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, (‘Charting The Course: Reducing GHG Emissions from the US Natural Gas Supply Chain’), the National Petroleum Council (NPC) concluded and recommended that the federal government should “coordinate policies and initiatives for low-carbon technology” and “maximize GHG emissions reductions impacts along the US natural gas supply chain.” … The post NPC studies outline the importance of low-carbon tech, hydrogen development appeared first on Drilling Contractor ..read more

By Jason McFarland, IADC President With a high-functioning team, anything is possible. In his book “Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t,” Simon Sinek dives into the importance of teamwork and how to create cooperative groups that get things done. “The strength and endurance of a company does not come from … The post The power of teamwork at IADC: fostering unity and collective action appeared first on Drilling Contractor ..read more

By Stephen Whitfield, Senior Editor From using dual-fuel generator solutions to utility power to battery energy storage systems, onshore rigs have become a hotbed of innovation as both E&Ps and drilling contractors strive to decrease their emissions footprints. Now, hydrogen is emerging as another potential solution to eliminate Scope 1 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from … The post Marcellus project demonstrates potential to power land rig using fuel with up to 20% hydrogen appeared first on Drilling Contractor ..read more

By Stephen Whitfield, Senior Editor Conventional wisdom would indicate that optimizing well construction requires faster drilling with a higher rate of penetration (ROP). High ROPs usually indicate fast and cost-efficient operations, which should logically result in time and money savings for the operator.  However, pushing for high ROP can create new challenges when it is … The post Holistic approach to ROP balances speed with tool reliability, hole quality appeared first on Drilling Contractor ..read more

By Jessica Whiteside, Contributor To err is human — and so is the ability to analyze the systems shaping those errors and learn what needs to change. Those factors are part of the human and organizational performance (HOP) approach that companies in the oil and gas sector are tapping into for safer performance. HOP is … The post Industry shifting from blame to learning by applying human and organizational performance appeared first on Drilling Contractor ..read more

By Linda Hsieh, Editor and Publisher Momentum continues to build across the African continent, from emerging hotspots like Namibia to more mature markets like Nigeria and Angola, to everything in-between like Kenya and South Africa. When it comes to forecasts for E&P spending, rig demand and number of wells drilled, all numbers are trending upwards, … The post Drilling activity, rig demand on the rise across Africa amid deepwater exploration successes appeared first on Drilling Contractor ..read more

By Stephen Whitfield, Senior Editor A drilling campaign requires the coming together of a diverse set of assets – including the rig and all its associated equipment; engineers, rig crews and a whole host of support technicians and staff; and a variety of downhole and safety technologies that help people do their jobs better. Every … The post Industry leaders cite innovation, collaboration as key ingredients to maximize asset performance appeared first on Drilling Contractor ..read more

By Stephen Whitfield, Senior Editor As drilling contractors continue to learn about and help to scale geothermal drilling, IADC is looking to facilitate that process. The IADC Geothermal Committee was established in November 2023, with an aim to provide resources that can help members advance the geothermal sector. “The value proposition for geothermal is definitely … The post Well classification system under development at recently formed IADC Geothermal Committee appeared first on Drilling Contractor ..read more