ExxonMobil hires Valentin Shashin for $220M Jun 1, 2007
ExxonMobil has hired Venture Drilling — an 50-50, Sinvest-Petrolia Drilling company — and its Deep Venture rig in an 18-month Equatorial Guinea gig worth up to $220 million, it was understood Friday.

Seadrill up on swell of ship sales, rig moves May 31, 2007
Oslo-listed Seadrill declared first-quarter net income of $168.2 million on Thursday, with numbers affected by the $170 million sale of ships Crystal Ocean and Crystal Sea and buoyed by rig rates.

Petromena posts loss, as deepwater beckons May 31, 2007
Oslo-listed rig company Petromena posted a NOK21.7-million ($3.6 million) net, fourth-quarter loss Thursday, down som NOK11 million, as the Larsen Oil & Gas outfit waits out the delivery of three sixth-generation semi-submersibles.

Keppel to build second rig for PetroVietnam Drilling May 28, 2007
Keppel FELS Ltd. shipyard has won a second contract for a PetroVietnam Drilling Investment Corp. jack-up rig, a $191-million project to be named PV Drilling II.

Noble rig’s two-year job starts with four-well venture May 23, 2007
The Noble Ton van Langeveld semi-submersible drill rig, in dry dock for crane upgrades and maintenance, is about to embark on a two-year mission for Venture Production in the U.K. sector of the North Sea, as the oil company aims at more 2009 production.

Seadrill wrapping up Eastern Drilling buy-up May 21, 2007
Norwegian drilling contractor Seadrill owns “99.7 percent” of the shares and votes in hard-to-get Eastern Drilling it was announced Monday after the latest round of shareholder approvals.

Dolphin strikes $436M deal for semi May 14, 2007
Fred Olsen Energy business, Dolphin Drilling, has cut a tentative, five-year, $436-million deal for the semi-submersible Borgny Dolphin.

Seadrill orders new $530M deepwater semi May 2, 2007
Norwegian-dominated Seadrill has ordered another ultra-deepwater semi-submersible drilling rig from the Jurong Shipyard in Singapore, it was announced Wednesday.

Seadrill spree bags Scorpion, Aker, Eastern bits Apr 26, 2007
Norwegian drilling business Seadrill has gobbled up 20 percent of Aker Drilling and upped its stake in Norway-based Eastern Drilling to  45.5-percent, shareholders were informed Thursday via a slieu of statements.

Baker Hughes business up on Africa, Europe Apr 25, 2007
Houston drilling outfit Baker Hughes Inc. has posted net income of $374.7 million for first-quarter 2007, a 10-percent spike on revenues that rose 20 percent $2.5 billion.

Noble profit up 72%, as fleet earnings deepen Apr 20, 2007
Drilling contractor Noble Corp. has posted $250.3 million in net income for the first quarter of 2007, 72 percent better than the year-ago period on more drilling.

Seadrill airs new Eastern bid ahead of listing Apr 16, 2007
The board of drill-rig contractor Seadrill has decided to make a mandatory bid for the remaining shares of harried counterpart Eastern Drilling, and, by day’s end Tuesday, will have raised $150 million in the market to help afford the move.

COSL ammounces 1500 days of safe operation Apr 16, 2007
China Oilfield Services Limited announces semi-submersible rig NH2 of COSL has accomplished its 1,500 consecutive days of safety operation.

Transocean in twin drillship option Apr 9, 2007
Transocean has struck a deal with Pacific Drilling Ltd. for the right to market two unbuilt drillships and the option to buy 50 percent of a company that will one day operate the unnamed vessels.

Norway: 80% of column-drive, new-build rig market Apr 4, 2007
Some 80 percent of the worldwide market for newbuild rigs using cylinder drive solutions can be accessed from southern Norway, OilGas24 learned Wednesday.
By WILLIAM STOICHEVSKI