Global energy technology company SLB has secured a contract from Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) to help restore production from shut-in wells across several offshore fields.
Under the agreement, SLB will provide a range of integrated services covering subsurface assessment, well candidate identification, engineering and offshore operations. The scope also includes project management, well intervention, production monitoring, metering and marine logistics, all coordinated through a unified execution model aimed at improving production efficiency.
“Building on our long collaboration in the region, this contract reflects a shared commitment to maximizing value from existing offshore resources,” said Gokhan Yarim, senior vice president of Integration, SLB. “Together with BSP, we are combining SLB’s production expertise and integrated execution capabilities to help restore production from shut-in wells, increase recovery from existing infrastructure and support BSP’s long-term production objectives.”
The project represents the first implementation of SLB’s integrated production restoration solution for BSP. It brings together a range of technical disciplines, services and operational workflows to enhance recovery from mature offshore assets. The programme also follows the principles of Well, Reservoir and Facility Management through coordinated surveillance, engineering and intervention planning, providing a structured framework for improving production while supporting safe and efficient operations.
With operators placing greater emphasis on extracting additional value from existing infrastructure, mature offshore fields continue to offer significant production potential alongside increasingly complex operational challenges. The contract demonstrates the growing focus on integrated approaches that combine engineering expertise, coordinated field execution and production management to improve asset performance and maximise recovery.
Key Points:
SLB has secured a contract from Brunei Shell Petroleum to restore production from shut-in wells across multiple offshore fields.
The project is the first deployment of SLB’s integrated production restoration solution for BSP, combining multiple disciplines, services and operational workflows.
The programme covers well candidate selection, project management, engineering, intervention services, monitoring, metering and marine logistics through a coordinated execution model.
The contract highlights the industry's increasing focus on integrated production and recovery strategies to enhance the performance of mature offshore assets safely and efficiently.
Petrobras has confirmed a new source for resources replenishment from an exploratory well within Block FZA-M-59 offshore Brazil, which has revealed hydrocarbons presence following drilling activities.
Electrical and rock indicator logs were deployed to confirm the hydrocarbon-bearing interval as part of the drilling operations, which continue in a safe and responsible exploration approach.
Located in deep waters off the coast of Amapa, in the Amazon River mouth sedimentary basin, on the Brazilian equatorial margin, Block FZA-M-59 lies alongside the Morpho well (1-BRSA-1405-APS), approximately 175 km off, in a water depth of 2,886 m.
“Our optimism regarding Brazil’s equatorial margin is confirmed today. This first discovery off the coast of Amapá is the result of Petrobras’ dedication and competence, which is committed to replenishing oil reserves and ensuring the country’s energy security,” said Petrobras President, Magda Chambriard.
Block FZA-M-59 activities form part of Petrobras' shifting focus on frontier exploration, driven by the strategy of replenishing oil and gas reserves to meet national energy demand during the just energy transition. Until now the major has been actively working on brownfield assets like Buzios which began production in January.
"With the first oil from the P-78 platform, we are starting the year already advancing towards our main goal for 2026: increasing Petrobras' oil and gas production. We project producing 2.5 million barrels of oil per day throughout this year, and a large part of that will come from Búzios, the country's largest field in terms of reserves and production. In addition, we are also expanding the supply of natural gas to the Brazilian market, another goal expressed in our Business Plan," Magda said while announcing first oil from the field.
Petrobras is the operator of Block FZA-M-59 and holds a 100% stake in the area. The block was acquired in the 11th Bidding Round of the ANP (National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels), in 2013, under the concession regime.
Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon Offshore (LTEH Offshore) has secured an ultra-mega order from a prestigious client in the Middle East for the development of multiple offshore facilities.
The scope of the projects includes engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPICIC) of offshore facilities. A significant portion of the activities will be carried out by L&T’s integrated manufacturing and fabrication facilities.
The award reinforces LTEH Offshore’s long-standing presence in the Middle East and reflects the confidence placed by customers in the company’s ability to deliver complex offshore projects safely, on schedule, and to a high standard.
T Madhava Das, Whole-time Director, Senior Executive Vice President & Head – Energy Hydrocarbon Division of L&T, said, “The order represents one of the most significant offshore developments currently underway in the Middle East and underscores the growing investments being made to meet future energy demand. The scale and complexity of the project call for deep engineering expertise, integrated project execution capabilities and flawless coordination across multiple workstreams. We are proud to contribute to the development of critical energy infrastructure that will support the region's long-term growth ambitions".
Parthasarathi Chatterjee, Senior Vice President & Head – L&T Energy Hydrocarbon Offshore, commented, “With multiple offshore facilities, subsea infrastructure and substantial fabrication requirements, this project exemplifies the scale and complexity of offshore developments that LTEH Offshore is uniquely positioned to deliver. Our integrated EPCIC approach, supported by world-class engineering, fabrication and marine capabilities, enables us to execute such projects with certainty, efficiency and a strong focus on safety and quality.”
Over the last four decades, LTEH Offshore has delivered some of the region’s most challenging offshore developments, executing a wide range of offshore projects including fixed platforms, subsea pipelines and structures, brownfield upgrades and modifications, deepwater subsea structures and pipelines, and decommissioning programmes across global markets.
Australia's offshore oil and gas infrastructure is ageing, with many assets approaching or exceeding their original design life, creating significant asset integrity management (AIM) challenges. Operators must address corrosion, fatigue, structural degradation and evolving production conditions while maintaining safety, environmental protection and regulatory compliance. At the same time, they must sustain output and keep projects viable.
Offshore Network has issued a new report addressing how operators can respond to this unique and increasingly complex set of challenges The report looks at:
To download the report, go to https://offsnet.com/reports
Australia’s Department of Industry, Science and Resources has issued a request for tender (RFT) for a lead contractor to deliver Phase 3a of the Northern Endeavour Decommissioning Program.
Published on 14 August 2026, the tender covers the recovery, transport and offloading of subsea infrastructure from the Laminaria and Corallina oil fields to a nominated Australian port. Submissions close on 23 October 2026.
The work will be carried out in two stages.
The first stage will focus on planning and preparation for offshore operations. This includes project, engineering and logistics planning, procurement and subcontractor management, project planning, regulatory approvals, permits and other required authorisations.
The contractor will also be required to submit a Stage Gate Review Pack for approval. Stage 2 can begin once the department approves the pack.
The second stage will involve removing subsea equipment from the Laminaria and Corallina seabed, transporting the recovered infrastructure to a nominated Australian port and offloading it for transfer to the Phase 3b contractor.
The successful contractor will also undertake the project management, engineering, logistics and procurement activities required to complete the work.
The programme requires the successful contractor to meet several priorities, including:
Expro keeps building its stronghold in the UK North Sea plug and abandonment (P&A) market with its latest contract from a major UK operator, amounting multi-million-pounds.
The agreement secures Expro's delivery of safe subsea services, including 7-3/8” large bore Subsea Test Tree Assembly (SSTTA) safety system that will advance an extensive P&A campaign across a portfolio of mature subsea wells. Expro will be working on six firm wells, with a further six optional wells.
Expro’s subsea well access systems are designed to be robust and reliable, providing dual barrier protection and disconnect capability. This simplifies P&A operations while also minimising operational risk and downtime. These systems are critical to maintaining well integrity throughout abandonment activities, particularly in complex offshore environments. Solus is one of the latest launches by Expro, designed to simplify subsea well control operations while improving efficiency and reducing operational risk. The system addresses longstanding challenges in in-riser subsea well intervention, where conventional methods typically rely on two separate valves, one for shearing and another for sealing coiled tubing.
Carole Paley, Expro’s UK Managing Director said, “Expro has in depth knowledge of North Sea wells and has performed numerous operations on many of these wells over their lifecycle. This deep-rooted expertise supported by local resources enables the delivery of meaningful cost efficiencies. We look forward to working closely with our client on this project as they progress this important campaign over the coming year.”
Talos Energy has eliminated approximately US$54 million in asset retirement obligations (ARO) and decommissioning obligations following the completion of its divestment of non-core shelf assets.
In its Second Quarter 2026 Operational and Financial Results, Talos said it had completed the divestment of its non-core shelf, non-operated gas assets on 15 July 2026. The transaction eliminated approximately US$54 million in ARO and decommissioning obligations.
The company also reported US$112.5 million in capital expenditures during the second quarter, excluding plugging and abandonment and settled decommissioning obligations.
The results cover the three months ended 30 June 2026 and include Talos’ operational and financial performance for the period.
The company highlighted the completed non-core shelf divestment as part of its strategic developments during the quarter. The transaction removes the associated asset retirement and decommissioning obligations from Talos’ portfolio.
Collaboration will be integral to the success of Australia’s decommissioning efforts, according to Dr Francis Norman, CEO of the Centre of Decommissioning Australia (CODA).
Reflecting on a recent workshop in Jakarta for Indonesian government officials and operators, Norman underlined the power of partnership and the need for knowledge sharing across the industry and across different territories.
“Time and time again, we hear at industry conferences and forums that collaboration will be critical to addressing the challenges of offshore decommissioning,” he said.
“This workshop was a great example of that in practice, bringing together Australian and Indonesian stakeholders to share experiences, discuss different approaches and build a stronger understanding of the opportunities and challenges ahead.”
The two-day CODA workshop was held in collaboration with Australia’s Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) and the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).
Held in July, it brought together 40 participants to support knowledge exchange between Australian and Indonesian stakeholders and build capability in managing the challenges associated with offshore oil and gas decommissioning.
“As countries across the region prepare for increasing decommissioning activity, continued knowledge exchange and cooperation will be an important part of supporting safe, sustainable and effective outcomes,” said Norman.
CODA reported on the workshop in a 5 August statement posted to its website.
“Australia and Indonesia share a common interest in effective offshore decommissioning outcomes, with both countries preparing for significant decommissioning activity in the coming decades,” it noted.
“Building understanding between regulators and government officials provides an opportunity to share experiences, compare approaches and strengthen collaboration across the region.”
CODA said the workshop was developed to provide practical insights across the offshore decommissioning lifecycle, from regulatory frameworks and planning through to execution, environmental management and sustainability considerations.
Sessions covered topics including international and Australian regulatory frameworks, Indonesia’s regulatory approach, well decommissioning, facility and subsea decommissioning, late-life asset management, platform reutilisation, cost estimation, hazardous materials management and environmental assessment.
The programme also included contributions from Australian and Indonesian government representatives, including NOPSEMA, DISR’s Northern Endeavour branch, and Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), providing perspectives from both jurisdictions.
As part of a broader capability-building initiative, CODA also developed a version of its recently released online well plug and abandonment training module, adding Bahasa Indonesia subtitles.
The module provides an additional resource for Indonesian officials to continue building their understanding of key decommissioning concepts beyond the workshop.
According to CODA, the Jakarta workshop marked the latest step in ongoing Australia–Indonesia collaboration on offshore decommissioning, supporting greater understanding of the technical, regulatory and operational considerations involved in managing offshore assets through their end-of-life phase.
Talos Energy has completed a workover on the Genovesa well and returned it to production, marking a key well intervention milestone during the second quarter of 2026.
The company reported the completion of the workover as part of its latest operational and financial results for the three months ended 30 June 2026. The well was brought back online late in the second quarter as Talos continued to focus on improving the performance and reliability of its offshore production portfolio.
Alongside the Genovesa intervention, Talos completed drilling operations at Monument #3, where the well encountered approximately 250 feet of net pay, in line with pre-drill expectations. The company also began its Daenerys appraisal well programme, with results from the first appraisal well expected by the end of 2026.
The operational progress contributed to stronger-than-expected production during the quarter. Talos produced 68.6 thousand barrels of oil per day and 93.7 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day, with both oil and total equivalent production exceeding the company's guidance ranges. Talos attributed the performance to strong uptime and well performance.
The company generated $300.6 million in net cash from operating activities and US$231.6 million in Adjusted Free Cash Flow. Net income was US$149.7 million, while Adjusted EBITDA reached $402.4 million.
Talos invested $112.5 million in capital expenditure during the quarter, excluding plugging and abandonment and settled decommissioning obligations. At 30 June 2026, the company held $577.6 million in cash, with an undrawn credit facility and net debt to LTM Adjusted EBITDA of 0.5x.
Beyond the completed Genovesa workover, Talos is progressing several offshore development and exploration activities. The company announced a strategic development farm-in transaction with Repsol in offshore Mexico Block 29 and agreed to acquire an 80% operated interest in an offshore Honduras block covering more than 4 million gross acres through a seismic commitment.
Talos also announced the acquisition of Gulf of America deepwater oil assets from Shell, with the transaction expected to close during the third quarter of 2026. BP elected not to exercise its preferential right.
The company raised its full-year 2026 production guidance midpoint to 66 MBo/d and 89 MBoe/d, excluding the announced Gulf of America acquisition and after adjusting for the closed non-core shelf divestment.
Talos further strengthened its financial position through the issuance of US$800 million of 8.000% notes due 2034. The proceeds were used to fully redeem $625 million of 9.000% notes due 2029 and fund part of the previously announced Gulf of America acquisition.
Looking ahead, the company has also secured a rig contract for the West Vela drillship, which is scheduled to commence in mid-2027 for an initial one-year term with extension options.
"The second quarter marked another meaningful step forward in the execution of our strategy and reinforces our confidence in the long-term value creation opportunities ahead," said Paul Goodfellow, President and Chief Executive Officer of Talos.
"We advanced all three pillars of our strategic framework as we continue to build a long-lived, scaled portfolio by expanding our deepwater scale, enhancing our development inventory through greenfield opportunities, and adding large-scale exploration potential at low entry cost. At the same time, our teams continued delivering on the Optimal Performance Plan, achieving more than 65% of the 2026 target in the first half of the year and demonstrating our relentless focus on operational excellence, cost discipline and value creation.
These strategic achievements were complemented by strong execution across our base business. We exceeded the high end of our production guidance ranges, increased our full-year production outlook and generated record Free Cash Flow. We also commenced the Daenerys appraisal program, which has the potential to further enhance the longevity of our deepwater portfolio.
Taken together, these accomplishments demonstrate our ability to successfully execute on both fronts – advancing our Three Strategic Pillars while continuing to deliver exceptional operational and financial results from our base business. With strong momentum across the organization, we remain focused on building the foundation to be a leading pure-play offshore E&P and look forward to closing the previously announced Gulf of America bolt-on acquisition later in the third quarter."
Testing and quality assurance specialist Intertek is now getting to grips with a contract to provide essential asset integrity and non-destructive testing solutions to operator Santos.
The company announced a multi-year contract back in May for the provision of inspection, non-destructive testing (NDT) and asset integrity management support services across the Santos portfolio of Australian assets.
Its work means delivering expert technical services to help ensure asset quality and safety.
Asset integrity management and NDT services are critical for ensuring the safe and efficient operation of equipment and assets, an essential requirement in industry environments such as oil and gas.
Early detection of defects and irregularities, combined with ongoing asset management services such as risk-based inspection and corrosion management, help owners and operators make informed decisions that minimise risks associated with asset damage, operating inefficiencies, and in-service failure.
The latest contract award deepened Intertek’s long-standing relationship with Santos, which operates multiple producing assets and upstream projects throughout Australia.
Intertek also highlighted the strength of the group’s network of Australian-based inspectors and technicians, as well as its global asset integrity management expertise and fully digitised inspection solution platform, Intertek AWARE.
As the company starts work on its newest assignment, it underlines a broader industry requirement for asset integrity management services, both in Australia and elsewhere.
“This contract award reflects Intertek’s position as a leading provider of asset integrity inspection and testing solutions for the Australian market,” said Simon Mortimore, General Manager Intertek Asset Integrity Management (AIM) Australia, at the time of the contract announcement.
“It also showcases the strength of Intertek AWARE and our capability to support Santos in operating assets safely and effectively across Australia.”
ADNOC has deployed its AI-enabled Real-Time Operations Center (RTOC) across its fleet of more than 120 onshore and offshore drilling rigs, enabled by SLB’s DrillOps intelligent well delivery and insights solutions.
The installation continuously collects live drilling data to generate a unified, real-time environment that drives coordination within ADNOC teams, identifying risks ahead of time for prompt decision-making.
The RTOC is completely reliable in securing critical operational data and workflows as it is an in-country set up, built and developed in the United Arab Emirates and hosted within ADNOC’s sovereign cloud environment. With maximum confidentiality secured, the platform gives business, asset and drilling teams greater visibility across the fleet, advancing operational efficiency and long-term digital independence for ADNOC.
“DrillOps transforms real-time drilling data into operational intelligence that helps teams make faster, more informed decisions,” said Rakesh Jaggi, President-Digital, SLB. “Deployed within ADNOC’s sovereign cloud environment, the technology provides the scalable digital foundation for AI-enabled workflows across one of the industry’s largest rig fleets and supports the continued progression toward more autonomous operations.”
ADNOC has reported around 30-40% reduction in engineering efforts ever since the deployment. Engineers can now support two to three times more rigs while maintaining effective oversight. Day-long analyses are now a matter of few minutes, and reporting cycles that once took several days can be completed within hours. This revolution is driven by RTOC's combination of operational data, automated dashboards, advanced analytics and AI-driven insights that converts humungous quantities of drilling data into clear, actionable information. Thus empowered, engineers can wholeheartedly invest their energy on execution while maintaining visibility across a large and complex rig fleet. ADNOC said the platform can also identify potential operational issues before they escalate, reduce incident response times by 4 to 12 hours and help avoid one to two days of rig downtime.
The deployment advances ADNOC’s broader effort to apply AI at scale across its operations while demonstrating how SLB digital technology can help operators move from fragmented data and manual analysis toward more connected and intelligent drilling operations. By embedding AI-enabled insights directly into operational workflows, the platform supports improved performance, reduced operational risk and greater efficiency across upstream operations.
Well-Safe Solutions (Well-Safe) has entered into a strategic partnership with Islay Subsurface & Engineering (Islay), combining their respective technical and operational capabilities to support current projects and future collaboration.
The agreement includes support for Well-Safe’s recently awarded decommissioning contracts for the Apache Beryl and Forties assets, with Islay providing specialist subsurface expertise across geology, petrophysics, geophysics, reservoir engineering and integrated subsurface studies.
The partnership complements Well-Safe’s full well lifecycle management capabilities, allowing clients to access a broader range of services through a single integrated offering. The companies said that combining Islay’s subsurface expertise with Well-Safe’s engineering and operational capabilities has demonstrated efficiency improvements of up to 30%, creating opportunities to reduce project costs.
The integrated approach is also intended to improve plug and abandonment (P&A) performance and reduce operational risk. By applying ALARP management principles, the partners can develop well solutions that take into account individual well conditions, construction characteristics and operational context.
The companies said the collaboration is particularly relevant as the industry moves towards larger multi-well decommissioning programmes and late-life asset activities. By bringing together subsurface, engineering and operational expertise, the partnership is designed to reduce the number of interfaces for operators while providing greater certainty during planning, strategy development and execution.
The combined offering will support late-life well management through to eventual plug and abandonment, while strengthening the supply chain’s ability to deliver technically robust, safe and cost-effective projects at scale.
Phil Milton, CEO – Well-Safe Solutions, says: “Well-Safe Solutions takes pride in offering efficient, integrated services for the energy industry. Our collaborations with Islay Subsurface & Engineering on projects for clients including Trident Energy have been extremely successful, and Islay continues to be Well-Safe’s first choice for subsurface support on recent contract awards such as Apache where we are delivering late life well management and large-scale decommissioning activities. This strategic partnership recognises Islay’s excellent offering and technical capabilities and allows us to further enhance our integrated offering for current and future clients.”
Iain Whyte, Managing Director – Islay Subsurface & Engineering, adds: “Our partnership with Well-Safe Solutions brings together two complementary areas of expertise. Well-Safe Solutions provides industry-leading well engineering and operational capabilities, while Islay contributes specialist subsurface expertise spanning geology, geophysics, petrophysics, reservoir engineering, and integrated subsurface studies. Together, we offer operators a fully integrated technical solution for late life well management and decommissioning and late-life asset projects, ensuring engineering decisions are informed by robust subsurface understanding. By combining these complementary strengths, we help clients reduce uncertainty, optimise project planning, and deliver safe, efficient, and cost-effective outcomes.”
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