:: News from Offshore ::

:: EXPLORATION

:: Noble Energy hits gas offshore Cameroon
Noble Energy Inc. has hit gas in the PH-77 license offshore the Republic of Cameroon.

:: Noble Energy announces oil discovery in Benita
Noble Energy Inc. has announced results for its Benita appraisal well on block I offshore Equatorial Guinea.

:: Norsk Hydro scheduled drilling
Norsk Hydro Produksjon is scheduled to start drilling soon on the first of two exploratory wells in the Norwegian North Sea, using the semisub Transocean Winner.

:: COMPANY NEWS

:: Norwegian supergroup completes union
Statoil and Hydro have completed their merger, completing a new company with 31,000 employees in 40 countries.

:: Arcapita to acquire Varel Holdings
Arcapita Inc's affiliates have signed a $369-million definitive purchase agreement to acquire Varel Holdings from KRG Capital Partners.

:: Rolls-Royce develops marine support services
Rolls-Royce has acquired US naval architecture and engineering firm Seaworthy Systems Inc. to improve its marine support services.

:: PRODUCTION

:: Pioneer begins South Africa gas production
Pioneer Natural Resources Co. has started production from the South Coast Gas (SCG) project in block 9, offshore South Africa.

:: Production begins at Greater Plutonio
Production began from the Greater Plutonio development area in block 18 offshore Angola on Oct. 1, 2007.

:: Woollybutt-4H prepares for production
Preparations are under way to temporarily suspend the sidetracked Woollybutt-4H development well and to connect it to the northern lobe production facilities in Western Australian WA-25-L permit for early next year.

:: LEASING

:: Gulf of Mexico lease sale draws ultra deepwater interest
Approximately 40% of the tracts receiving bids in Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 205 are in ultra deepwater – greater than 5,249 ft (1,600 m) water depth.

:: BHP acquires interest off Falklands
BHP Billiton has acquired interest in 14 exploration and production licenses in the South Atlantic Ocean off the Falkland Islands.

:: Strong interest in Norway leasing
Forty-six companies applied for licenses under Norway's latest Awards in Predefined Areas (2007) scheme, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.

:: NEWS FROM THE YARDS

:: MPF secures financing for world's largest drillship
MPF Corp. Ltd. has secured $215 million to finance construction of its MPF-01 drilling and production vessel.

:: First contract for Maersk jackup
Dubai Petroleum Establishment has awarded Maersk Contractors a contract for jackup drilling operations offshore Dubai in the Arabian Gulf.

:: Jurong finalizing Brazilian shipyard venture
Jurong Shipyard is finalizing joint venture terms and conditions with WTorre Empreendimentos Imobiliários SA (WTorre) for a shipyard to serve West Africa and Brazil oil and gas sectors.

:: INDUSTRY NEWS

:: People deficit likely to cause further delay in projects through 2010
Large oil and gas production projects worldwide are likely to continue to suffer delays resulting from an increasing shortfall of qualified project engineering resources.

:: LAGCOE gears up for biennial event
The Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition (LAGCOE) is gearing up under the direction of officers David Shealy, Howard Wilson, and Larry LeMarie, and event coordinator Sally Ware.

:: UK rig count remains high
Exploration and appraisal drilling activity shows no sign of slackening off in the UK sector, according to Hannon Westwood.

:: OFFSHORE SPONSORED EVENTS

Offshore Middle East Conference & Exhibition October 27 – 29, 2009 Manama Kingdom of Bahrain http://www.offshoremiddleeast.com/index.html	Deep Offshore Technology International Conference and Exhibition November 3 – 5, 2009 Monte Carlo Monaco http://www.dotinternational.net
Deepwater Operations Conference & Exhibition November 10–12, 2009 Galveston, TX United States http://www.deepwateroperations.com	Offshore West Africa Conference & Exhibition March 23 – 25, 2010 Luanda Angola http://www.offshorewestafrica.com

Click here for a full calendar of industry events.