Saturday, 15 August 2026

The American Petroleum Institute (API) and Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (IMP) have signed a memorandum of understanding to widen cooperation on oil and gas industry standards, technical training and certification, research and regulatory development in Mexico, according to World Oil.

The two bodies set out collaboration covering industry standards and workforce development, alongside technical priorities that World Oil listed as methane emissions, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and offshore pipeline safety.

API brings a portfolio of more than 800 industry standards to the arrangement, together with certification and training programs, World Oil reported.

IMP General Director Elizabeth Mar described the arrangement as "a key driver for industrial development, the energy transition, and the advancement of national content".

The Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter passed about 2,000 comments opposing the Desert Southwest Pipeline to the office of Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, according to CleanTechnica.

The comments had been filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), CleanTechnica reported. They came mostly from Arizona, Texas and New Mexico, the states the gas pipeline route crosses.

Borr Drilling has changed the startup schedule for its Odin jackup rig as the contractor prepares for its first job in the US Gulf, according to Offshore Magazine.

The assignment is Borr's first in that market, Offshore Magazine reported, and the publication described the US Gulf as one of the largest offshore jackup markets in the world.

The Odin deployment gives Borr a foothold in a region where it has not previously operated, per the same report.

The jackup Noble Interceptor has picked up 670 days of plug-and-abandonment work for ConocoPhillips in the Greater Ekofisk Area offshore Norway, Offshore Magazine reported.

Work under the contract, signed with ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS, targets wells due for permanent abandonment and should start in third-quarter 2027 on the estimated 670-day schedule.

Noble described the deal as establishing "a new working relationship" with ConocoPhillips on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

In the US Gulf, Noble Voyager and a 7th generation drillship still awaiting delivery hold separate four-year Shell contracts, each valued at roughly USD 606 million on a base contract basis, Offshore Magazine reported.

Two more units sit with TotalEnergies offshore Suriname: Noble Developer and a second 7th generation drillship are lined up for 16-well programs worth a combined firm revenue value of about USD 753 million, according to Offshore Magazine.

Petrobras handed Noble Discoverer a 390-day extension in Colombia that carries the rig's work into 2026.

Venezuela has granted a bp-led consortium a license to develop the Loran Phase 2 gas field offshore, according to Offshore Magazine.

The field holds 4 Tcf of gas, Offshore Magazine reported.

Beyond the Loran award, bp is positioning for future offshore exploration opportunities through its Carúpano East memorandum of understanding, according to the same report.

Chevron is preparing to decommission the Yam Tethys gas platform off Israel, according to Offshore Magazine, which reported that a replacement subsea pipeline between Ashdod and Ashkelon is already carrying gas.

Israel Natural Gas Lines told Chevron in a July 8 letter that hot commissioning tests on the newly laid subsea line in the transmission section between Ashdod and Ashkelon had finished, and that gas was flowing through it, Offshore Magazine reported.

The platform first took gas from the Mari B Field in 2004, according to the same report. Output was later supplemented by the smaller Noa and Pinnacles satellite fields, both tied back to the main facilities at Mari B.

Exploration activity offshore Israel is moving in parallel. Acquisition of a combined 2D/3D seismic survey over Zone I licenses blocks 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 11 is due to begin in September, Offshore Magazine reported. The survey is set to run three months at an overall cost of about USD 22 million.

Israel's fifth bid round for natural gas exploration in its exclusive economic zone was published on July 6 and offers five exploration zones covering roughly 7,100 sq km, according to Offshore Magazine. The bidding period starts on Sept. 15 and ends on Nov. 11.

TechnipFMC has won a contract from Azule Energy to supply flexible flowlines and risers for the West Hub Tails project offshore Angola, according to Offshore Magazine. The company described the award as "significant".

That label carries a defined range at TechnipFMC. Offshore Magazine reported that a contract the company calls significant is worth between USD 75 million and USD 250 million. The award will land in TechnipFMC's inbound orders in the third quarter of 2026.

West Hub Tails extends the Agogo Integrated West Hub development in Block 15/06, which sits in the deepwater Lower Congo Basin roughly 180 km offshore Angola, per Offshore Magazine. The same reporting identifies the field development as an extension of the Block 15/06 Agogo Integrated Development.

Operatorship rests with Azule Energy, a 50/50 joint venture between bp and Eni, according to Offshore Magazine.