George Osborne must do more to boost exploration activity in the North Sea in this week's Budget to help boost ailing confidence in the oil and gas sector, Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce has said.

Gulf Marine Services, a provider of self-propelled self-elevating support vessels (SESV) serving the offshore oil, gas and renewable energy sectors, has secured a decommissioning contract for one of its Large Class vessels in Europe, which is a new activity for the Group.

Norwegian oil company Statoil has awarded Baker Hughes Norway the onshore contract for integrated drilling services for Johan Sverdrup oil field in the Norwegian section of the North sea.

The contract extends an original five-year contract with BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) Ltd valued at approximately $50m (£33m) and includes a further two one-year options valued at $10m (£6.

Tanzania's parliament on Sunday approved a legal and regulatory framework for developing its nascent hydrocarbons industry, after days of contentious debate.