Latest News

• Region: Asia Pacific
• Date: Mar, 2021

China National Offshore Oil Corporation Limited (CNOOC) have announced that the Caofeidian 6-4 oilfield, located in the Midwest of Bohai, has commenced production.

CNOOC holds a 100% interest in the oilfield, which has an average water depth of about 20m, and acts as the operator. In addition to fully utilising the existing processing facilities of Nanpu 35-2 oilfield and Qinhuangdao 32-6 oilfield, a new central platform has been built on the field as part of the project. A total of 42 development wells are planned, including 30 production wells, 12 water injection wells and water source wells. The project is expected to reach its peak production of approximately 15,000 barrels of crude oil per day in 2023.

Guided by the vision of green development, Caofeidian 6-4 oilfield will actively promote green and low-carbon production. After putting into production, the project will achieve zero discharge of production and living sewage into the sea. With the introduction of onshore power engineering, it is estimated that about 16,000 tons of standard coal will be saved, and about 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide will be reduced annually.

Sustaining a strong performance

The news surrounding the Caofeidian 6-4 oilfield closely follows the release of CNOOC’s 2021 business plan and strategic strategy which provided a brief overview of its performance last year. Against the challenges caused by Covid-19, such as the huge impact from low oil price, the company invested a great deal into further reducing costs and enhancing efficiency, promoting reform and innovation, ensuring safety in production and above all growing its oil and gas reserves and production. As a result of this, CNOOC recorded a net production record high of approximately 528mnboe in 2020.

Following this, the company is seeking to strengthen this resource base even further and has planned to drill 217 exploration wells and collect approximately 17,000 sq km of 3D seismic data. Additionally, CNOOC expects 19 new projects to come on stream, such as the Lingshui 17-2 gas fields development, the Lufeng oilfields regional development, the Buzzard oilfield phase II in the UK and Mero I oilfield in Brazil. CNOOC is targeting a net production of 545-555mnboe in 2021 and estimates it will achieve 590-600mnboe and 640-650mnboe in 2022 and 2023 respectively as a result of these ventures.

Xu Keqiang, CEO of CNOOC, said, “In 2021, under the theme of high-quality development, the Company will be committed to steadily increasing its oil and gas reserves and production, focusing on investment efficiency, maintaining its cost competitiveness, while actively pursuing the concept of green and low-carbon development, to create excellent returns for our shareholders.”

With the Caofeidian 6-4 oilfield commencing production, and potentially reaching a peak production of 15,000 barrels of crude oil per day by 2023, it appears CNOOC have made a strong start in their attempts to meet their forthcoming targets over the next few years.

• Region: All
• Date: Mar, 2021

Helix Energy Solutions Group (Helix) has announced that it has entered into a new agreement for response resources with HWCG LLC which was closely followed by Helix Robotics Solutions (HRS), a division of Helix, awarding Maritime Developments Ltd (MDL) a two-year frame agreement for project engineering services and equipment supply.

HWCG LLC

HWCG’s members, under the new agreement with Helix, will be given the opportunity to identify the Helix Fast Response System as a response resource in permit applications to U.S. federal and state agencies, and to deploy the Helix Fast Response System to respond to a well control incident in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

The Helix Fast Response System consists of the Helix Producer I floating production unit, Q4000 or Q5000 vessels, subsea intervention systems, crude transfer systems and other well control equipment.

Under the terms of the agreement, HWCG will pay Helix an annual retention fee and HWCG’s members will receive a credit against this fee for every day that a member utilises the Q4000 or Q5000.

Owen Kratz, CEO of Helix, commented, “We are pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with HWCG, and are proud to stand on call as a first responder in the Gulf of Mexico. Helix’s industry expertise in offshore well intervention and well control is second to none, and we feel this agreement demonstrates the parties’ commitment to the continued safe planning, operation and execution of offshore oil and gas production. We embrace our role as a provider of sustainable solutions, are proud to offer the Helix Fast Response System to help mitigate and remediate the environmental risks associated with offshore drilling and production operations.”

Adding to this, HWCG’s Managing Director, Craig T. Castille said, “HWCG and its membership are pleased to have Helix continue as a business partner and core contractor for its source control and containment response in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.”

The agreement replaces the parties’ prior agreement and is effective April 1, 2021 for an initial two-year term.

Maritime Developments Limited

Closely following this, Helix Robotics Solutions, announced that it has awarded MDL a two-year frame agreement covering the provision of MDL Project Management and Engineering services, as well as personnel and equipment, to optimise HRS’ offshore campaigns.

HRS will now be able to draw on MDL’s in-house expertise for storyboard development, visualisations and procedures/task plans for offshore execution, deck layout optimisation, sea-fastening design and verification, drawings and calculation packages and crane lift requirement assessments.

For the project execution phase, HRS will also have access to MDL’s expert personnel and market-leading rental fleet and look to optimise the costs and timescales in mob/demob stages with MDL’s portable technology.
MDL will also provide field engineering support to act as the interface between vessel management team, end client and pipelay equipment spread during mobilisation, offshore execution and demobilisation.

For bespoke projects, MDL has offered its 21-year track record in mechanical handling design and manufacture, to deliver newbuild solutions, as well as equipment maintenance, repairs and upgrades.

• Region: West Africa
• Date: Mar, 2021

Following a strong performance in February in which the company received four survey contracts, Shearwater GeoServices (Shearwater) have made an impressive start to March with the award of three contracts to conduct surveys in Australia, West Africa and the North Sea.

Australia:

Employing the Geo Coral vessel using a multi-sensory streamer system with a variable streamer spacing configuration, Shearwater have been commissioned to conduct a 3D multi-sensory marine seismic survey in the Otway Basin offshore Australia. The survey, which will take two months to complete, will cover an approximate 2700 sq km and is estimated to commence in Q3 2021.

Irene Waage Basili, CEO of Shearwater, commented, “We see a solid, consistent level of activity in Australia where we have multiple projects booked in 2021. We observe increasing regional demand for our vessels equipped with high-end technology, which is reflected in backlog and utilisation.”

West Africa:

Following the Australian contact, Shearwater have also been employed by Total E&P Angola (Total) to conduct a 4D monitor marine seismic acquisition survey of the GJDR Development area of Block 17. The survey comprises a two-month long project and is expected to commence in Q1 2021. To complete the contract, one of Shearwater’s industry leading multi-sensory equipped vessels will be used in conjunction with source vessels from Shearwater’s fleet.

“As the established global market leader in 4D monitor surveys, Shearwater is pleased to announce the award of this advanced multi-sensory project by Total in Angola. We have seen a notable increase in interest for 4D technology for our clients’ planned projects in 2021, which is demonstrated by the award of this project in West Africa.” said Basili.

North Sea:

Capping off the trio, Shearwater will also conduct a five-month long survey of the Northern Viking Graben area offshore Norway. The 3D multi-sensor survey was awarded by CGG and is expected to commence in Q1 2021.

“This award confirms the strong relationship we have with our strategic partner CGG and we look forward to executing this survey with the highest level of quality and HSE commitment as part of our client’s multi-year project," commented Basili. “With the addition of this award to our backlog, we are now experiencing increasing demand for Shearwater’s multi-sensory vessels for the upcoming 2021 season.”

• Region: Middle East
• Date: Mar, 2021

Downhole technology developer and manufacturer Omega Well Intervention and well intervention company Wellpro Group, have announced a strategic alliance to deliver downhole tools to the Middle East and North African (MENA) market.

As per the agreement, Wellpro Group will manage the deployment of Omega Well Intervention products through their extensive network across the region, a move which will go alongside significant investment in all MENA facilities. Omega Well Intervention will provide access to an engineering design team as well as manufacturing capabilities and test facilities for product development.

Jim Thomson, CEO of Wellpro Group commented, “This agreement, which covers the Middle East and North Africa, gives us the opportunity to deliver a more complete well intervention package to the region. In these challenging times, our clients are increasingly looking for ways to reduce costs and make operational efficiencies. Through this alliance we are now able to offer them a wider range of products from a single source.”

Brian Garden, Managing Director of Omega Well Intervention, added, “As part of Omega growth strategy, collaboration with Wellpro Group within the Middle East enhances the ability of both companies to offer a more comprehensive product range within the well intervention business space. This collaboration will ensure that we deliver quality products alongside first-class service.”

This agreement comes as part of Wellpro Group’s clear intentions to strengthen their presence in the Middle East region, quickly following the company announcement (in December 2020) that it was entering the Saudi Arabian oil and gas market with the energy services company i-Energy involving complete operational asset and field support.

For Omega Well Intervention it is another step in a successful spell which has recently seen the award of two accreditations by the American Petroleum Institute for its retrievable bridge plugs and quality management system adding to the twenty five patents across their range of downhole tools that the company already boasts.

• Region: Gulf of Mexico
• Date: Mar, 2021

Oceaneering International (Oceaneering) has announced that its Subsea Robotics (SSR) and Offshore Projects Group (OPG) have been awarded an integrated rig services contract for covering the Khaleesi/Mormont and Samurai fields in the Gulf of Mexico.

The work scope includes the provision of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) with collocated ROV tooling and technicians, remote positioning and metrology survey resources, and installation and workover control system (IWOCS) equipment and technicians. Work is scheduled to begin in early 2021 and carry into 2022.

Earl Childress, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Oceaneering, commented, “The operator’s decision to contract our robotics and IWOCS services is a positive and anticipated response to our realigned segments, which allows us to deliver the integrated processes and products that enable consistent and efficient work scopes.”

Expanding operations in Khaleesi/Mormont and Samurai

This announcement closely follows a connector supply contract, awarded by TechnipFMC at the end of 2020, to provide 2-inch M5 connectors and chemical throttle valves (CTV) for the tieback project in the same fields.

The M5 connector provides an easy-to-install, fly-to-place connection solution that enables injection of gas or chemicals into subsea infrastructure and serves as an access point for future subsea field intervention activities such as gas lift, chemical injection, well stimulation, hydrate remediation, flooding and venting operations, acid injection and scale squeeze.

Oceaneering rotator CTVs regulate the flow of chemicals (such as scale, wax, and corrosion inhibitors) delivered to subsea production systems. Their functions are diverse, from flow control to metering and highly accurate dosing. CTVs effectively eliminate the need for topside injection and dedicated umbilical lines.

• Region: Australia
• Date: Mar, 2021

Carnarvon Petroleum Limited (Carnarvon) has announced that the Noble Tom Prosser jackup drilling rig has been contracted to drill the Pavo-1 and Apus-1 exploration wells in the Dorado Field in the Bedout basin offshore western Australia.

The drilling programme is expected to commence in late 2021 with the Pavo-1 well and will be immediately followed by Apus-1. Both prospects hold the potential to materially increase the aggregate development resource for the Dorado field if successful with the Pavo-1 well targeting 101mnboe and Apus-1 targeting 306mnboe.

Both of the exploration targets also have the potential to be tied back to existing infrastructure on the Dorado field which could provide significantly enhance economic outcomes, minimise additional capital investment requirements and shorten time periods to first production from the tie back fields.

With the drilling rig contracted, the operator will now proceed to secure the remaining equipment, services and approvals required to commence drilling operations

Managing Director and CEO of Carnarvon, Adrian Cook, said, “Given the potential resource size and development aggregation benefits, these two drilling targets provide very attractive and meaningful opportunities for Carnarvon. This news in locking in this rig is another clear point of progression in the advancement of the world class Bedout Basin. We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead with multiple drilling operations progressing to plan as well as the advancement of our Dorado development pre-FEED and FEED activities.”

Repeating history?

The Noble Tom Prosser jack-up drilling rig was previously used by Carnarvon and its operating partner in 2019 on the Dorado-2 and Dorado-3 appraisal wells and the operators will no doubt be hoping for a repeat of fortunes; Dorado-2 operations encountered 85m of net reservoir, a discovery far more significant than original estimations, while Dorado-3 initially discovered confirmed hydrocarbons in three reservoirs and returned strong results in the subsequent flow tests with the Caley reservoir achieving a maximum measured rate of approximately 11,100bbl per day and 21mn cu ft of associated gas per day.

• Region: Asia Pacific
• Date: Mar, 2021

Aquaterra Energy, a company focused on delivering offshore engineering solutions, has secured a multi-million-dollar riser contract with a marine vessel owner and operator, for deeper water well intervention projects mainly in the Asia Pacific region.

Aquaterra Energy will deliver a large-bore (7 3/8”) AQC-CW completions and workover riser system with automated handling package that will operate in water depths of up to 1,500m. The system has been designed to withstand repeat make and breaks, whilst offering a gas tight metal-to-metal seal. The solution can be operated from a lightweight intervention vessel, a semisubmersible or from a jack-up rig as a surface riser, open water subsea riser or as a landing string.

The NACE compliant technology and unique pipe to connector attachment eliminates welding – making the riser lighter offering enhanced water depth deployment capacity. In addition, the ability to pressure test each connection upon make up provides enhanced environmental reassurance against well bore fluid discharge.

Aquaterra Energy will manage the entire project scope via its in-house engineering and project management teams. Throughout the project, Aquaterra Energy will provide fatigue utilisation and management through riser monitoring hardware to extend asset life, as well as automated hands-off connector makeup and umbilical handling equipment to improve safety and enhance offshore efficiency.

Successful spell continues for Aquaterra Energy

James Larnder, Managing Director of Aquaterra Energy said, “This project marks a key milestone in our Asia Pacific success story, whilst also diversifying our AQC riser offering into deeper water operations. All our systems are intelligently engineered to be efficient with no wasted materials and a focus on quick connection to reduce operational time whilst assuring integrity. Importantly, these efficiencies also support our own and our customers’ decarbonisation efforts.”

The company supports customers across the globe in the North Sea, South East Asia, the Caribbean, West Africa and Australia. While Covid-19 may have hindered much of the industry last year Aquaterra Energy continued its impressive workload with the award of several substantial contracts such as the front end engineering and design contract from DeNovo Energy for a second Sea Swift platform offshore Trinidad and Tobago and the commission to construct a platform for Chevron offshore Angola. The company has also continued investment in its product line such as the QuikDeck underdeck access system which, the company claimed, had already helped secure new work worth more than £1mn. With the penning of this new contract in Asia Pacific there appears to be no sign that the company is slowing down in 2021.

• Region: All
• Date: Mar, 2021

In their 2020 review Subsea 7 reported a net cost of US$70mn through dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and additional restructuring charges of US$86mn. Yet, despite this, the company suffered no contract cancellations and increased their backlog of work by 20% to US$6.2bn prompting calls of encouragement for the future, especially with the continuing market stabilisation of oil and gas and growth of the offshore renewables market.

In January, to cope with the Covid-induced difficulties and align with their strategic focus area ‘subsea field of the future – systems and delivery’, Subsea 7 streamlined their business by combining their SURF and conventional Life of Field units. The new Subsea and Conventional unit encompasses the full portfolio of services and products dedicated to the oil and gas industry that Subsea 7 has to offer including the integration of IRM and well intervention into the integrated field development solutions created by Subsea Integration Alliance to provide a holistic offering across the life cycle of client’s fields.

John Evans, Chief Executive Officer of Subsea 7, said, “In a challenging twelve months Subsea 7 responded well. The Covid-19 pandemic required radical changes to operations and had an adverse effect on the market for our oil and gas businesses. In response, we booked incremental operating costs, restructured our cost base, and recognised material impairments to goodwill and asset values. Yet, we continued to deliver projects to our clients, generated positive cash flow, reduced debt and increased our backlog. As a result of the efforts and dedication of our employees, we completed 20 projects in the year for 15 clients in 10 countries.”

These notable projects included continued work on BP’s Mad Dog 2 involving Seven Oceans and Seven Pacific; the completion of the Lape NE scope by Seven Seas in Brazil; several operations in the North Sea such as the completion of pipelay operations at Blythe; and the continued progress on the engineering and procurement phases of Sangomar in Senegal as well as Anchor, King’s Quay and Jack St Malo in the Gulf of Mexico.

Heading into 2021, with the pandemic in decline, Subsea 7 intends to continue progress on operations already underway and make up for the lost time suffered in 2020. In addition the company has been selected as the preferred supplier for several projects including Bacalhau, Scarborough, Pecan and Rovuma and was awarded a substantial contract by Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Limited (CABGOC) to construct and install the Lean Gas Platform (LGP) in Block-0 offshore Angola.

• Region: Latin America
• Date: Feb, 2021

SBM Offshore has announced that it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) together with Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) for a 26 year and three month lease (as of the final acceptance of the unit in 2024) and operate contract for the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit Almirante Tamandaré, to be deployed at the Búzios field in the Santos Basin pre-salt area approximately 180km offshore Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

Under the contract, SBM Offshore will be responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and operation of the FPSO. SBM Offshore will design and construct the vessel using its Fast4Ward programme as it incorporates the company’s new build, multi-purpose floater (MPF) hull combined with several standardised topsides modules.

The Almirante Tamandaré

The FPSO vessel will be the largest oil producing unit operating offshore Brazil and one of the largest in the world, with a processing capacity of 225,000bbl and 12mn cu m of gas per day. Furthermore, the FPSO will have a water injection capacity of 250,000bbl per day and a minimum storage capacity of 1.4mnbbl. For the project, it is estimated that 15 wells will be connected to the FPSO including 6 oil producers, 6 water and gas injectors, 1 gas injector and 2 convertible wells through a subsea infrastructure composed of rigid production and injection pipelines and flexible service pipelines.

Bruno Chabas, Chief Executive Officer of SBM Offshore, commented, “SBM Offshore is proud to announce that Petrobras has awarded the Company the LOI for the 6th FPSO development in the world class Búzios field in Brazil. This award for one of the largest production units in the world demonstrates the trust placed in our ability to reliably deliver large-scale FPSOs and the agreement again confirms the significant value we bring to our clients with our industry leading Fast4Ward programme. SBM Offshore teams look forward to starting the execution phase in order to continue to deliver value to one of our key clients Petrobras.”

Petrobras’ strategy refocused

This agreement has finally arrived after a number of tentative reports last year and follows Petrobras’ new strategy of portfolio optimisation to concentrate its resources on world-class assets in deep and ultra-deep water. To emphasise this policy, the company has also announced the sale of its stake in nine onshore exploration and production fields, called the Miranga Cluster in the state of Bahia, to SPE Miranga S.A., for US$220.1mn. The sale and the FPSO contract is a clear signal of intent from Petrobras and it would be unsurprising if similar activities were announced in the near future as the company seeks to establish itself more rigidly as an offshore oil and gas producer.

• Region: All
• Date: Feb, 2021

3D at Depth, a company expert in commercial Subsea LiDAR (SL) laser technology has announced the launch of its Geophysical Survey Services division to provide optimised surveys to support both nearshore, inshore and offshore deepwater development activities.

The company has focuses on 3D data excellence through innovative technology solutions that enable cost savings across any survey initiative without sacrificing data quality. The new division is supported by a team of experienced LiDAR experts, 3D data specialists, geophysical, and hydrographic professionals providing a multi-disciplined approach to guide, identify and analyse data acquisition initiatives across survey campaigns.

3D at Depth’s offerings

The Geophysical Survey Services division will leverage 3D at Depth’s in-house electronics, system integration, and design capabilities as key differentiators. Subsea LiDAR 3D data sets will be merged with multibeam echosounder (MBES) multi-frequency, multi-spectral data acquisition and optical technologies which will enable more robust, higher quality output, maximising results for the end client. Deepwater offshore, inshore, and nearshore projects will also have a clear advantage with 3D at Depth’s integrated autonomous or tethered underwater vehicle and vessel mounted survey solution.

The fully integrated solution incorporates a hovering supervised autonomous AUV/ ROV package and takes full advantage of 3D at Depth’s Subsea LiDAR (SL) laser with remote sensing technology - inertial navigation coupled with a multibeam echosounder and pipeline and hydrocarbon leak detection sensors.

The application of 3D at Depth’s disruptive technology approach will enable it to expand into Geophysical survey services and is built around solving customer challenges in three areas: reducing environmental and human risks, lowering the project's overall carbon footprint, and providing more robust data acquisition solutions. Specifically, the technology was developed from best practices in deep water survey campaigns to tackle the challenges of shallow water survey data collection and acquisition projects. Shallow water projects have exposure to lengthy weather events; crew and ship standby costs, sea-state challenges for collection, etc. All of which impact the time, budget, and quality of the data.

Neil Manning, Chief Operating Officer of 3D at Depth, commented, “We pulled from our deep-water technology portfolio to fast-track a solution that meets the current requirements of the shallow water survey market. With over 600 offshore projects behind us and an increasing backlog, I am excited to push the flexible vehicle systems and in-house patented technology into the geophysical market. By moving the budget needle in the right direction for our customers' survey projects, we assist the offshore energy market in obtaining quality data for a reasonable price.”

3D at Depth’s geophysical survey services recently completed a major project for post-hurricane NTL surveys in the Gulf of Mexico for a large U.S. based pipeline company. The project continues with expanded requirements. 3D at Depth will partner and act as the prime contractor to ensure best practices, and unsurpassed technical expertise is always on hand. Geophysical and geotechnical capabilities for the projects will be available from vessel mounted or subsea vehicle-mounted methods to allow for both long and close-range inspections which enable a blend of efficient data collection and high data quality to meet and exceed the demands from the end-users.

• Region: Asia Pacific
• Date: Feb, 2021

Petronas has awarded Block SB405, offshore the coast of Sabah, Malaysia, to ConocoPhillips East Malaysia Limited (COPEM) a subsidiary of ConocoPhillips and Petronas Carigali (PCSB). The award of this exploration block, which has an area size of 5,857 sq km in water depth of up to 100m, is expected to bolster exploration activities off the coast of Sabah following the opening of more block investment opportunities in the country.

COPEM is the operator for Block SB405 PSC, with a participating interest of 85%, while PCSB holds the remaining 15%. SB405 is the new addition to COPEM’s existing interests in five production sharing contracts (PSC) in Malaysia, which are Block J, G and Kebabangan located off the coast of Sabah; and SK304 and WL4-00 located off the coast of Sarawak.

Mohamed Firouz Asnan, Senior Vice President of Malaysia Petroleum Management, commented, “The entry of COPEM with its world class proprietary seismic technology into Block SB405 is expected to enhance the hydrocarbon resource potential off the coast of Sabah. This is an area that has a proven working petroleum system with previous discoveries such as Kuda Terbang and Nymphe fields. At the same time, the new investment of COPEM in Block SB405 represents enhanced confidence of foreign investors in the upstream sector in Malaysia.”

“The partnership with PCSB provides that winning combination to support the potential development of the resource within the North East Sabah basin area upon successful commercialisation of the discoveries. Under our right asset, right player strategy, we hope to unlock the full potential of the hydrocarbon resources in Malaysia towards successfully delivering clean and reliable energy to our customers in Malaysia and abroad,” he added.

More blocks on offer

Alongside signing the PSC with COPEM, Petronas has also announced that it will be offering 13 offshore exploration blocks offshore Malaysia at the upcoming Malaysia Bid Round (MBR) 2021 with six discovered fields included to incentivise investors.

Mohamed Firouz Asnan said, “MBR 2021 will feature significant enhancements which include larger block areas coupled with flexible bidding options and low entry costs. We will also be offering relatively new fiscal terms to be applied in the PSCs such as enhanced profitability (EPT) for the shallow water blocks, the late life assets (LLA) and small field assets (SFA) which are designed to match the risk and rewards of the investments with the type of assets available.”

“These terms have been formulated based on the feedback from industry players, taking into account market conditions, further strengthening Malaysia’s position as the oil and gas hub in a growing and thriving market of South East Asia. Besides improved fiscal terms, Malaysia offers good network connectivity by way of established world-class infrastructure which enables ease of monetisation,” he added.

In recent months Malaysia has shown high potential for future oil and gas development offshore with fresh discoveries, such as PTT Exploration & Production announcing its biggest find to date in the SK 410B block, set to boost already high production levels of natural gas and oil. The news distributions by Petronas will only serve to bolster and consolidate the country’s position as one of the highest producing countries in Asia.

• Region: Middle East
• Date: Feb, 2021

The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Schlumberger have announced the launch of the Egypt Upstream Gateway, an innovative national project for the digitalisation of subsurface information and enable global access to the country's subsurface data. This unique digital initiative will be used to unlock the potential of Egypt's petroleum sector and promote the country for international investment in exploration and production projects.

“Egypt is in the process of launching the Egypt Upstream Gateway, a digital subsurface platform that will act as an up-to-date repository of the country’s subsurface data,” commented H.E. Tarek El-Molla, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources for Egypt. “The Egypt Upstream Gateway will digitally promote Egypt’s oil and gas bid rounds through seamless online access to the sector’s data, as well as endorsing our exploration potential worldwide, it is a defining milestone in the country’s oil and gas digital transformation.”

The Egypt Upstream Gateway provides digital access to over 100 years' worth of accumulated national onshore and offshore seismic, non-seismic, well-log, production, and additional subsurface data under a single platform. This data, which empowers de-risked decisions through the ability to explore multiple basins and evergreen data, can be accessed virtually from anywhere using the platform’s online portal. In addition, the Egypt Upstream Gateway will host Egypt's upcoming bid round highlighting lease availability information to national and international investors.

Rajeev Sonthalia, President of Digital & Integration at Schlumberger, said, "The Egypt Upstream Gateway is the embodiment of the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum's vision, leveraging digitisation to modernise the country's petroleum sector. With the launch of this industry-first platform, the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and its affiliates—EGPC, EGAS, GANOPE—can digitally showcase national assets to investors worldwide, in addition to leveraging the latest digital technology and solutions to accelerate discovery throughout the country."

Digitalisation has become a key issue for the offshore oil and gas industry (and indeed the entire energy sector). The importance of getting a firm grip on data and having the capacity to effectively use this is paramount and can lead to tangible benefits in areas such as production efficiency and lifetime of assets. This is clearly understood by the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum with this announcement that marks a real sign of intent to get ahead of the curve. It is also noteworthy that the data will be opened up for international consideration with discussions on data sharing and partnerships around this intensifying in recent months.