Upstream news

Several riser joints and the lower marine riser package separated from the Noble Globetrotter II ultra-deepwater drill ship during the storm and sank to the seabed.

At the early phase of assessment and recovery, approximately 80% of Shell-operated production in the Gulf of Mexico remains offline.

A programme of brownfield modifications, maintenance and inspection activities will be supported by Bibby Marine’s WaveMaster 1 vessel, reducing time, costs and environmental impacts.

Demand for land rigs is estimated to return to pre-pandemic (2019) levels by 2025, according to analysis by Westwood Global Energy Group.

First production from the well in the UK North Sea was achieved on 23 August.

The potential of the discovery can be preliminarily estimated at between 1.5 and 2 billion barrels of oil in place and between 1.8 and 2.4 trillion ft3 of associated gas.

Estimated recoverable reserves from Solveig are 9.2 million m3 of oil equivalent in Phase 1.

Based on resources of 21 million boe and its proximity to the nearby Alba infrastructure, Wood Mackenzie assumes the discovery could be an ideal candidate for a short-cycle, high-return tie-back to the Ithaca-operated facilities.

The company has said that all options will be considered, including the sale of some or all the assets.

Aker BP’s preliminary resource estimate for the discovery was between 13 and 32 million m3 of recoverable oil, but this is likely to be downgraded.