Offshore rigs rally in Asia, Latin America Jun 7, 2007
The count of offshore rigs around the world is up 21 over a year-ago to 296, and bigger by a couple over April 2007, rig contractor Baker Hughes announced Thursday.

PetroMena interests win in $942M Pemex hire Jun 4, 2007
Pemex has hired the PetroRig III, a rig and business of PetroMena, whose major shareholder Larsen Oil & Gas will manage a contract worth $942 million, or 1,825 days of work.

Northern buys three Maersk jackups for $445M Jun 4, 2007
Oslo-listed drilling vessel operator Northern Offshore Ltd. will buy three 300 IC “harsh-environment” jack-up drill rigs from Maersk Contractors for $445 million.

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.

Scorpion Offshore secures Letter of Intent for Offshore Courageous May 25, 2007
Scorpion Offshore Ltd. has been awarded a letter of intent for the Offshore Courageous for operations offshore India beginning in the 3rd quarter 2007.

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.

Antrim puts AGR, Transocean on Causeway May 14, 2007
Calgary-based North Sea oil company Antrim has hired AGR Peak Well Management of Aberdeen and the semi-submersible drilling rig Transocean Prospect to drill three wells near its East Causeway discovery.

Aker Kvaerner order-train to Jurong grows apace May 7, 2007
Rig-builder Jurong Shipyard Pte. Ltd in Singapore has granted Aker Kvaerner an order to provide the drilling system for an ultra-deepwater semi-submersible, it was learned Monday.

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.