Fugro Receives 3-Year ROV Contract To Support India’s Offshore Energy Development
Fugro Survey India has been awarded a 3-year contract by Vantage International Management Co. to provide remotely operated vehicle (ROV)-based deepwater drilling-support services for ONGC’s offshore operations in India. Fugro will deploy its FCV3000 ROV system to provide support for drilling operations aboard Vantage Drilling's Platinum Explorer drillship offshore India in water depths of up to 3,000 m. These efforts will contribute to ONGC’s deepwater exploration program, which aims to unlock new offshore energy reserves, strengthen the country’s energy security, and support long-term domestic oil and gas production.
Under the contract, ROV support will be provided across all phases of drilling operations, including subsea installation and intervention, drilling and completion support, blowout-preventer and well-control monitoring, cementing observation, and seabed inspection.
Western Australia Grants “State Significant Project” Status to Woodside-Led Project
The government of Western Australia has granted the Woodside-led Browse to North West Shelf Project “State Significant Project” status. The proposed development is intended to link offshore gas fields in the Browse Basin to the Karratha Gas Plant. The newly granted status reflects official acknowledgment of the project’s potential in enhancing not only Western Australia’s energy sector, but the regional and national economy, with thousands of added jobs. The project’s forecast production capacity is 11.4 mtpa in LNG, liquefied petroleum gas, and domestic gas and a peak condensate-production rate of 50,000 B/D.
Woodside is operator of the Browse joint venture, along with BP Australia, Japan Australia LNG, and Petrochina.
TotalEnergies Approves Cronos Deepwater Gasfield Development
Cyprus' first gas development, the Cronos field offshore Cyprus, has been granted a final investment decision by TotalEnergies, which partners with Eni in Block 6 of the Exclusive Economic Zone. The development aims to provide LNG to Europe through existing infrastructure in Egypt.
The field lies approximately 185 km southeast of the Cypriot coast. Production is expected to begin in 2028, with a forecasted production plateau of 500 Mcf/D, equivalent to approximately 2.8 mtpa of LNG. TotalEnergies will market 50% of the LNG, equivalent to 1.4 mtpa.
Patrick Pouyanné, chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, noted that “this new gas route in the Mediterranean will contribute to Europe's energy security by diversifying its LNG supply sources.”
Turkish Petroleum Buys 15% Stake in Iraqi Oil Field From BP
BP has agreed to sell a 15% stake of its oil and gas fields in the Kirkuk region of northern Iraq to Türkiye’s national oil and gas company, Turkish Petroleum Corp., for an undisclosed amount.
The development and production contract, signed during a visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi to Türkiye, covers an initial production phase of 3 billion BOE. In February, the companies had signed a memorandum of understanding that laid the groundwork for the sale through BP’s Iraqi subsidiary, BP Energy Company of Kirkuk Ltd. BP will remain the majority shareholder with a 43% stake.
Petrobras Confirms Deepwater Gas Discovery Offshore Colombia
Petrobras has announced that its Sandia-1 exploratory well offshore Colombia in Block GUA-OFF-O has yielded a new gas discovery.
The well, approximately 42 km from the coast at a water depth of 1,251 m, was drilled by the semisubmersible rig Noble Discoverer starting 12 June 2026 and reached final depth in late July.
The discovery zones will be evaluated with well logs, with laboratory analyses to follow. The asset is expected to build on the increasing importance of Colombia’s offshore gas potential.
The company’s subsidiary Petrobras International Braspetro B.V–Colombia Branch is the operator of the consortium behind the discovery (44.44% stake), partnering with Ecopetrol (55.56% interest).
Offshore Discovery Leads to Reversal of Shell Namibia Strategy
Shell’s last offshore Namibia drilling campaign yielded encouraging results, prompting the company to expand appraisal plans on PEL 39 after adoping a more cautious stance in January of 2025, when it wrote down its Namibia discoveries by $400 million due to concerns about their near-term commercial viability. However, Merlin-1X, the company’s 10th exploration well in the block, recently delivered strongest results recorded on the block to date, encountering light crude oil with limited associated gas. The well was drilled in April with Shell’s partners QatarEnergy and NAMCOR, Namibia’s national oil company.
The development reflects recent optimism for the southwestern African nation’s potential, especially with regard to the Orange Basin, which spans from shallow coastal waters to ultradeep water. The PEL 39 license is approximately 250 km off the coast, covering some 12,000 km2.
Grenadian Government Cancels Production-Sharing Contract With Russian Exploration Company
The government of Grenada canceled a production-sharing contract with Russian exploration company Global Petroleum Group, which announced in 2017 that it had made a natural-gas discovery in the island nation’s waters.
Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell stated on Facebook that the company had failed to meet the contract’s terms after holding acreage for 18 years. He said the company failed to complete minimum work programs, submit an industry-standard development plan, and demonstrate that it had the financial resources required to execute the proposed development.
The 2017 discovery was tied to the company’s Nutmeg 2 well but was not appraised. The well was drilled near the Trinidadian and Venezuelan maritime boundaries.
Viridien Begins Shallow-Water 3D Phase I Survey Offshore Guyana
Viridien has initiated a shallow-water 3D Phase I survey offshore Guyana. The survey, conducted with the company’s partner BGP, covers shallow-water acreage across Lot 3, and will connect to legacy surveys that will be reimaged. Seismic data will be acquired by BGP, while Viridien will deliver imaging using its proprietary workflows, including shallow-water demultiplex and time-lag full-waveform-inversion approaches.
The survey aligns with the company’s agreement with the Grenadian government’s Ministry of Natural Resources in March of this year to launch multiclient 3D seismic acquisition and imaging program across Lots 2, 3, and 4, an area encompassing approximately 25,000 km.
Chevron Rig Makes Discovery in Block 0 Offshore Angola
Chevron’s contracted rig Shelf Drilling Tenacious discovered oil and gas condensate at the 105-4X exploration well in Block 0 offshore Angola. The well, operated by wholly owned subsidiary Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Ltd., encountered an oil and gas condensate column of greater than 2,000 ft, including more than 200 ft of net pay. The possibility of exploiting the find using nearby infrastructure will be evaluated.
The find builds upon the delivery of first oil from the company’s South N'dola Platform, also located in Block 0, in December 2025. The major currently produces approximately 300,000 BOE/D in the region. It has maintained a presence in the southwestern African nation since the 1930s, with exploration and production activities beginning in 1954 and its first offshore discovery in 1966.
Aker Acquires Interest in Losgann/Froskelår, Slagugle Discoveries
Aker BP has entered into two transactions that take advantage of existing infrastructure on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The company has agreed to acquire Apache’s interest in the North Sea Losgann/Froskelår discovery, and has agreed to acquire operatorship and a majority interest in the Slagugle area of the Norwegian Sea, close to the Skarv field.
Losgann/Froskelår —two names for the same discovery—form a cross-border accumulation on the UK/Norway median line. To date, the discovery is undeveloped, but by acquiring Apache’s interest, Aker BP aims to establish operatorship on both sides of the accumulation. The discovery presents a potential tieback opportunity to the Alvheim area.
The Slagugle area, 20 km north of the Heidrun field, comprises licenses PL891, PL891B, and PL891C and includes the main Slagugle oil discovery.
