Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MPE) has approved a plan for the development and operation (PDO) of the Aker BP-operated field in the North Sea, which will enable the firm to fast-track the development to achieve the first oil 18 months after the PDO submission.

UK-headquartered oil and gas company United Oil & Gas (UOG) has revealed that its discovery, envisioned as a subsea tie-back in the Central North Sea, has been valued at £33.5 million on a risked basis, or £109.1 million on an unrisked basis.

Norwegian state-owned giant Equinor has decided to exercise its option for additional wells to be drilled by an Odfjell Drilling-owned rig offshore Norway.

Two oil and gas players – Neptune Energy and OMV Norge – have been granted drilling permits by Norwegian authorities for wildcat wells – located in the North Sea offshore Norway – which are scheduled to be drilled this month.

ConocoPhillips Skandinavia, a subsidiary of ConocoPhillips, has secured a drilling permit from the country’s authorities for a wildcat well located in the North Sea offshore Norway.

Norwegian oil and gas giant Equinor has secured a permit from the country’s authorities for the drilling of a wildcat well, located in the Norwegian Sea.

Shelf Drilling NorthSea (SDNS), a subsidiary of the UAE-based offshore drilling contractor, Shelf Drilling, has inked a deal with Noble Corporation to acquire five jack-up rigs, which are being sold to address the potential concerns identified by the UK’s competition regulator in regards to the proposed merger of Noble and Maersk Drilling.

Oil and gas exploration company Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas and its partners are planning to spud an exploration well offshore South Africa in the third quarter of this year, using an Island Drilling-owned semi-submersible rig.

On the back of last month’s gas discovery offshore Israel, E&P company Energean has exercised its options with Stena Drilling as part of its 2022 growth drilling campaign.

India’s offshore drilling contractor Aban Offshore has sold one of its jack-up drilling rigs to UAE’s ADNOC Drilling.