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.

Aker modules for OTC prize winner Apr 18, 2007
Japanese floating technology expert MODEC has awarded Aker Kvaerner the $13 million task of providing process modules for a floating production storage and offloading vessel, or FPSO, the supplier contractor announced Wednesday.

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.

FRID extended deadine for second option Apr 12, 2007
Yantai Raffles Shipyard has agrees to extend the April 5, 2007 deadline for executing the contract to build a second rig similar to the 'SS Frigstad Oslo', which is currently under construction at Rantai Raffles. Within this agreement, Frigstad may now declare the option anytime before June 5, 2007.

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

Awilco Offshore ASA exercises option to build a jack-up rig with PPL Shipyard Apr 4, 2007
PPL Shipyard, a subsidiary of SembCorp Marine, has signed a rig building contract with Awilco Offshore ASA for the construction of a Baker Marine Pacific Class 375 Deep Drilling Offshore Jack-up Rig.

MIS lands jack-up contract for $148M Apr 3, 2007
Maritime Industrial Services Co. Ltd. has been asked to build a third jack-up drill rig in short succession by a joint venture of three financial groups, it was understood Tuesday.

Parker Drilling announces new contracts for six rigs in international markets Mar 28, 2007
Parker Drilling Company announced today the award of new contracts for six of the Company's international land rigs to certain subsidiaries operating in Libya, Mexico and Kazakhstan. Of the six rigs fulfilling these contracts, five are mobilizing from inactive status.

Oilexco primes Ocean Guardian for Ptarmigan Mar 26, 2007
Calgary-based North Sea player Oilexo plans to drill “a three-leg well” into the 1994 Ptarmigan oil find from the middle of April onward, it was learned Monday.

ExxonMobil nod for Valentin Shashin Mar 26, 2007
ExxonMobil has been given the go-ahead by African regulators to begin 18 months of drilling off West Africa using the drill ship Valentin Shashin, it was understood Monday.

Abbot’s Saudi, Songa ties help double profits Mar 19, 2007
Drilling contractor Abbot Group trumpeted Monday that its return to Saudi Arabia after a 15-year absence helped double net profit for 2006 to $30.7 million.

AGR fills well-management gap for $190M Mar 16, 2007
Norway-based oilfield services outfit AGR Group will oversee an unnamed rig in the North Sea for a year beginning this July, it was understood Friday.