C-Innovation, LLC (C-I), an affiliate of Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) and its family of companies, has formed a turnkey subsea projects group. Capable of providing a complete solution to its global customer base without sourcing outside the Chouest family worldwide, the new group is based in ECO’s Houston office, at the heart of the energy corridor.

DeepOcean AS, as subsidiary of DeepOcean Group Holding BV (DeepOcean), has been awarded a significant contract for performing marine operation scope on the Snorre Expansion Project in the North Sea.

McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE:MDR) has announced Ian Prescott as Vice President, Asia, effective January 8, succeeding Hugh Cuthbertson who announced plans to retire from the Company. Ian will also be a member of McDermott’s Executive Committee.

McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE:MDR) has announced a substantial* contract award from Mærsk Olie og Gas A/S (Maersk Oil) for engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) services for the Tyra Redevelopment project, located offshore in the Danish sector of the North Sea.

Maersk Drilling has been awarded a 4-year contract for the deep-water drillship Maersk Venturer by Tullow Ghana Ltd.

Statoil has signed framework agreements with Technip Norge AS (Technip) and Subsea 7 Norway AS (Subsea 7) on the performance of manned underwater operations in 2018. Through a Pool Agreement, Point Resources and Gassco AS also wish to make use of the framework agreements.

Fugro has been honoured with an Environmental Leadership Award from The Maritime Alliance, a California-based non-profit organisation that promotes sustainable, science-based ocean and water industries. The recognition was received in San Diego during the organisation’s BlueTech Week, an international gathering of over 485 marine professionals from academia, government, and industry.

BP has confirmed that production has started from the super-giant Zohr gas field, offshore Egypt. The field is operated by Eni, through its joint venture with The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC), and is the largest natural gas discovery yet to be made in the Mediterranean Sea.

Netherlands-based Bluestream, one of the leading independent providers of innovative inspection, construction and refurbishment / decommissioning services to the oil, gas and renewable energy sector, is to immediately increase its fleet of 18 compact Work Class Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) systems by another two additional systems to meet ongoing customer demand.

Ask an equipment manufacturer for cheap, light, and strong, and most will tell you it can’t be done. Fuglesangs Subsea, project manager for the JIP, will tell you otherwise.

2018's mantra will be to keep the focus on simpler wells. With investment down and competition up, companies will focus on newly proven plays and frontiers, and capturing new acreage for the longer term.

New oil exploration in Arctic federal waters was underway last week with the spudding of a new oil well from an existing man-made island in the Beaufort Sea.

UTEC, a global survey company in subsea services group Acteon, has been awarded a contract by Technip Oceania Pty Ltd, part of TechnipFMC in Australia, to provide survey and positioning services on the Greater Enfield Project, offshore Western Australia.

On 19th December in Southampton, Laurence Dagley, Director CEMEX UK Marine Limited signed a contract with Frank de Lange, Regional Sales Director of the Damen Shipyards Group for the delivery of the first Damen Marine Aggregate Dredger (MAD). The vessel, which will be built at Damen Shipyards Galati, in Romania, is designed to extract sand and gravel from the sea bed up to depths of 55 meters, including in the challenging conditions experienced in the North Sea.

WTI Moves into Backwardation; Canadian Differentials Plunge on Surplus

Otto Energy Limited announces that the OCS G - 34266 #F - 2 well (‘SM 71 F2’), operated on behalf of the joint venture by Byron Energy Ltd within the South Marsh Island 71 (‘ SM 71 ’) lease in the Gulf Of Mexico shelf , has encountered four discrete hydrocarbon bearing sands.