Updates about global exploration and production activities and developments.
The Gulf of Mexico was officially renamed the Gulf of America by the US Board of Geographic Names.
(Source: Google Maps)
Gulf of Mexico Officially Renamed in the US
The US Gulf of Mexico (GOM) was officially renamed the Gulf of America on 9 February, after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing government agencies to update the name in federal records.
The executive order, signed on the day of President Trump’s inauguration, was part of Trump’s effort to “restore names that honor American Greatness.”
Mapping services such as Google Maps and Apple Maps have updated the name of the body of water to the Gulf of America.
While the name change is official in the US, other countries still refer to the body of water as the GoM.
BP Begins Production Offshore Egypt
BP has begun production at the second development phase of the Raven field, offshore Egypt.
The Raven field, the final phase of the West Nile Delta (WND) project, has been in production since early 2021. Phase 2 involves the subsea tieback of additional Raven infill wells to its existing onshore infrastructure.
The new wells, which came online ahead of schedule, are expected to produce 220 Bcf of gas and 7 million bbl of condensate.
BP operates the project with an 82.75% stake in the project. Harbour Energy owns the remaining 17.25%.
BP has announced the start of production from the second development phase of the Raven field, offshore Egypt.
Eni and TotalEnergies Sign Agreement With Cyprus and Egypt for Gas Export
Eni and TotalEnergies signed an agreement with Egypt and Cyprus for the development of gas resources in Block 6 offshore Cyprus.
This agreement is a milestone towards the development of the Cronos gas field, providing a framework for a development plan for the field, which is located in Block 6.
The Cronos gas is to be processed at the existing Zohr facilities offshore Egypt, liquefied at the Damietta LNG plant in Egypt, and exported to European markets.
Eni operates the block with a 50% interest. TotalEnergies holds the remaining 50%.
Source: TotalEnergies
Baker Hughes Receives Major Gas Technology Contract
Baker Hughes was awarded an order by Spanish-based Tecnicas Reunidas for six gas compression trains and six propane compressors to be used for the third expansion phase of Saudi Aramco’s Jafurah gas field, located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The order was booked in the fourth quarter of 2024. The contract value was not disclosed.
Baker Hughes will supply advanced electric motor-driven compression solutions, leveraging its recently expanded manufacturing center in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
The company has done previous work with Aramco, supplying compression solutions for the Haradh and Hawiyah gas plants, the first phase of the Jafurah gas plant, and more recently, equipment for the third phase of Saudi Arabia's Master Gas System project.
Chevron To Assess Resources Offshore Algeria
Algeria’s national hydrocarbon agency, ALNAFT, and Chevron have signed a 2-year contract aimed at assessing potential offshore oil resources in the Mediterranean Sea and "developing national hydrocarbon resources,” according to the country’s energy ministry.
This agreement is part of ALNAFT’s “efforts to attract quality investments and step up technical capacity in the field of offshore exploration,” Mourad Beldjehem, the agency’s president, was quoted as saying by Algeria’s official APS news agency.
Baker Hughes Secures Chemical Contract in Guyana
ExxonMobil has awarded Baker Hughes a significant award to provide specialty chemicals and related services for its Uaru and Whiptail offshore greenfield developments in Guyana’s Stabroek block. The contract value was not disclosed..
Uaru and Whiptail mark ExxonMobil's fifth and sixth projects in the country. The two developments will include up to 20 drill centers and 92 production and injection wells.
The multiyear contract includes all topsides, subsea, water injection, and utility chemicals for the Errea Wittu and Jaguar floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels, which will be used at the fields. Each FPSO will have a capacity of 250,000 B/D, bringing the country’s total daily production capacity to approximately 1.3 million bbl.
Production is slated to begin in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
The hull of the sixth Guyana FPSO project, Whiptail, in construction in dry dock in April 2024.
Source: ExxonMobil.
McDermott Completes East Malaysia Project Ahead of Schedule
McDermott announced the successful transportation, installation, and commissioning of the Kikeh subsea gas lift.
McDermott replaced an existing gas lift riser, installed a new dynamic riser section and flowline, and added two thermoplastic composite pipe jumpers.
The project, awarded by a subsidiary of Thailand's PTTEP, was fast-tracked and completed ahead of schedule by McDermott’s Kuala Lumpur team. The project sits in 1400 m of water and is tied back to the Kikeh floating production storage and offloading vessel (FPSO).
Kikeh is a producing field located approximately 75 miles (120 km) northwest of Labuan Island, offshore Sabah, East Malaysia. It came on stream in 2009 as one of the largest deepwater developments in Malaysia at the time.
ONGC and BP Sign Contract To Enhance Mumbai High Field
BP signed a contract with India’s stated-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) to become the technical services provider for the Mumbai High field, India’s largest and most prolific offshore oil field.
ONGC will retain ownership and operational control of the field. Under the contract, BP will receive a fixed fee for a period of 2 years for its deployed personnel, followed by a service fee linked to oil and gas production. BP will work with ONGC to stabilize the field’s current production decline and restore it to a growth trajectory.
BP will optimize oil recovery at Mumbai High by conducting comprehensive reviews of subsurface models, implementing system optimizations, and enhancing reservoir management practices. This partnership is anticipated to significantly boost domestic oil and gas production, thereby increasing revenue for ONGC and benefiting the people of India, while also yielding higher service fee returns for BP.
Oil and gas production offshore India.
Credit: ONGC
OMV Begins Drilling Horatio Exploration Well
OMV with its partners DNO ASA, Pandion Energy AS, and Aker BP ASA have begun drilling the Horatio exploration well (35/6-6).
The prospect is located 20 km northwest of the Gjøa facility and is estimated to hold between 44 and 125 million BOE.
The well is being drilled by the Transocean Norge semisubmersible and is targeting hydrocarbons in the Agat and Kyrre formations. In the event of a discovery, a tieback to Gjøa via the forthcoming Ofelia project is the likely development scenario.
OMV Norge operates the license with a 30% working interest. DNO Norge has a 30% interest as well, with Pandion Energy AS and Aker BP both holding 20%.
The Gjøa semisubmersible.
Source: Neptune Energy
Woodside, Trinidad Agree on Terms for Calypso Deepwater Project
Woodside Energy and the government of Trinidad and Tobago have reached an agreement on commercial terms for the development of the Calypso deepwater gas project, bringing the project closer to a final investment decision (FID).
The Calypso project is currently in the pre-engineering and design phase, and Woodside must finalize and submit a development proposal before proceeding to the FID.
The agreement involves the utilization of two adjacent deepwater blocks, where Woodside has confirmed 3.5 Tcf of natural gas reserves.
The gas produced is expected to be primarily supplied to the Atlantic LNG project for conversion into LNG for export.
Woodside is operator of the block and holds a 70% participating interest. BP holds the remaining 30%.
Trinidad & Tobago Bidding Round
Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Energy has opened the 2025 Deepwater Competitive Bidding Round for 26 blocks offshore eastern and northern Trinidad and Tobago.
The bidding round, which opened in January, will close on 2 July. The government plans to announce successful bids 3 months after the deadline.
The competitive bidding process is separated into three parts:
A pre-bid round, in which bidders pay a $25,000 fee to receive a data package with information on the blocks to assist in acreage evaluation, as well as the necessary documents needed to bid
A bid fee, where bidders will have to pay $40,000 per block
A pitching round, in which bidders will present a technical proposal for each block they are bidding on to the ministry
Successful bidders will operate under a revised model production sharing contract (PSC), which is undergoing review by the nation’s attorney general. The updated PSC aims to ensure compliance with international standards and equitable revenue distribution.
